Positioning method and device

Abstract

A positioning method and apparatus are provided. The method includes: a first communication device separately measuring a first reference signal and a second reference signal from a second communication device, determining a first measurement result of the first reference signal and a second measurement result of the second reference signal; determining whether a first metric corresponding to the first measurement result satisfies a first condition; and, based on the determination result, sending all or a part of the second measurement result to a location management device, where all or a part of the second measurement result is used to determine location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on an AI scheme. In this application, the reported measurement result can be adaptively adjusted based on different measurement results.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] FIELD OF THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to positioning methods and apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] In wireless communication networks, e.g., mobile communication networks, the requirements to be met are becoming increasingly diverse as the services supported by the network become more diverse. For example, networks must be capable of supporting ultra-high speeds, ultra-low latency, and / or extremely large connections. This characteristic makes network planning, network configuration, and / or resource scheduling increasingly complex. Furthermore, networks have increasingly powerful capabilities, such as supporting higher and higher spectrum, higher-order multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technologies, and new technologies such as beamforming and / or beam management. These new requirements, scenarios, and characteristics present unprecedented challenges to network planning, operation, and maintenance, as well as efficient operation. To address these challenges, artificial intelligence technologies may be introduced into wireless communication networks to implement network intelligence. Based on this, how to effectively use artificial intelligence to locate terminal devices in a network is a problem worth considering. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method and apparatus for positioning a terminal by artificial intelligence.

[0004] According to a first aspect, there is provided a positioning method, the method including: a first communication device separately measuring a first reference signal and a second reference signal from a second communication device, determining a first measurement result of the first reference signal and a second measurement result of the second reference signal, the first communication device determining whether a first metric corresponding to the first measurement result satisfies a first condition, and the first communication device sending all or a part of the second measurement result to a location management device based on the determination result, wherein all or a part of the second measurement result is used to determine location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on an artificial intelligence (AI) scheme.

[0005] Optionally, in downlink positioning, the first communication device is a terminal, or a chip, circuit, etc. used in the terminal, and the second communication device is an access network device, or a chip or circuit used in the access network device. Alternatively, in uplink positioning, the first communication device is an access network device, or a chip, circuit, etc. used in the access network device, and the second communication device is a terminal, or a chip or circuit used in the terminal. Optionally, the location management device may be an LMF, or a chip or circuit used in the LMF.

[0006] According to the above design, the first communication device adaptively adjusts the measurement results reported to the location management device based on the different measurement results, and further, if the first measurement results satisfy a first condition, the first communication device reports some of the measurement results to the location management device, thereby reducing transmission overhead.

[0007] In design, the method further includes the first communication device receiving first information from the location management device or the second communication device, the first information indicating a first threshold value of the first condition.

[0008] According to the above design, the location management device, the second communication device, etc. can set a first threshold for the first communication device, and the first communication device determines to report all or part of the measurement results to the location management device based on the set first threshold. The location management device, the second communication device, etc. can set corresponding first thresholds for the first communication device based on different positioning accuracy of the terminal, so that the reference signal transmission overhead can be reduced as much as possible while satisfying the positioning accuracy.

[0009] In a design, the first threshold includes one or more of a signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) threshold, a first path power threshold, or a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold. The first measurement result or the second measurement result includes a channel frequency-domain response (CFR), a channel impulse response (CIR), or RSRP.

[0010] In the design, using all or part of the second measurement results to determine location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on an AI method includes using all or part of the second measurement results as input to an AI model or to determine the input of the AI ​​model, and using the output of the AI ​​model as location information of the first communication device or the second communication device or to determine the location information.

[0011] In design, the first communication device sending all or part of the second measurement result to the location management device based on the determination result includes a first metric corresponding to the first measurement result satisfying a first condition.

[0012] The first communication device sends a portion of the second measurement result to the location management device.

[0013] According to the above design, if the first metric corresponding to the first measurement result satisfies the first condition, it indicates that the measurement result indicates that the location capability of the terminal is relatively strong. Compared with reporting the entire second measurement result to the location management device by the first communication device, reporting a portion of the second measurement result to the location management device by the first communication device can reduce measurement result reporting overhead regardless of the scenario.

[0014] In a design, the first communication device sending all or part of the second measurement results to the location management device based on the determination result includes a first metric corresponding to the first measurement results satisfying a first condition. The first communication device sends first configuration information to the second communication device, or the first communication device receives the first configuration information from the second communication device, and the first configuration information is used to configure a second reference signal with a reduced configuration. The first communication device sends all or part of the second measurement results to the location management device. Optionally, the second reference signal with the reduced configuration satisfies one or more of a reduced transmit power relative to the first reference signal, a reduced number of antenna ports for the first reference signal, or a reduced time-frequency resource for the first reference signal.

[0015] According to the above design, when the first metric corresponding to the first measurement result satisfies a first condition, it indicates that the channel measurement result indicates that the location capability of the terminal is relatively strong, and a second reference signal having a reduced setting for the first reference signal may be configured. Compared with reporting all of the first measurement result of the first reference signal to the location management device by the first communication device, reporting all or part of the second measurement result of the second reference signal to the location management device may reduce reporting overhead.

[0016] In design, the first communication device sending all or part of the second measurement result to the location management device based on the determination result includes a first metric corresponding to the first measurement result not satisfying a first condition.

[0017] The first communication device sends all of the second measurement results to the location management device.

[0018] According to the above design, if the first metric corresponding to the first measurement result does not satisfy the first condition, it indicates that the channel measurement result indicates that the location capability of the terminal is relatively weak. In this case, the first communication device may report all of the second measurement results to the location management device. Thus, the reported measurement results are adaptively adjusted based on the different measurement results.

[0019] In a design, the method further includes determining that a first metric corresponding to the first measurement result does not satisfy the first condition. The first communication device sends request information to the second communication device or the location management device, where the request information is used to request an extended configuration for the second reference signal. The first communication device receives second configuration information from the second communication device or the location management device, where the second configuration information is used to configure the second reference signal with the extended configuration. Optionally, the second reference signal is a second reference signal having an extended configuration. The second reference signal having an extended configuration satisfies one or more of an increased transmit power for the first reference signal, an increased number of antenna ports for the first reference signal, or an increased time-frequency resource for the first reference signal.

[0020] According to the above design, if the first metric corresponding to the first measurement result does not satisfy the first condition, it indicates that the channel measurement result indicates that the location capability of the terminal is relatively weak, and a second reference signal having an extended setting for the first reference signal may be configured. The first communication device reports all or part of the second measurement result of the second reference signal having the extended setting to the location management device, and the location management device performs high-precision location for the terminal using all or part of the second measurement result of the second reference signal having the extended setting.

[0021] In design, the method further includes: the first communication device sending second configuration information to the second communication device, the second configuration information being used to configure a second reference signal in the extended configuration.

[0022] In design, the first reference signal is an initial period or an initial reference signal, and the method further includes: the first communication device sending all of the first measurement results of the first reference signal to the location management device.

[0023] According to a second aspect, there is provided a positioning method, the positioning method including: a second communication device sending first setting information to a first communication device, the first setting information being used to configure a first reference signal; and the second communication device sending second setting information to the first communication device, the second setting information being used to configure a second reference signal having a reduced setting or a second reference signal having an extended setting. Optionally, the second communication device is an access network device, or a chip, circuit, etc. used in the access network device, and the first communication device is a terminal, or a chip, circuit, etc. used in the terminal.

[0024] According to the above design, the access network device may first configure a first reference signal for the terminal, and then configure a second reference signal for the terminal, the second reference signal having a reduced setting or an expanded setting relative to the first reference signal. In this way, corresponding reference signals are configured for the terminal based on different wireless channel environments, thereby reducing reference signal transmission overhead as much as possible while ensuring positioning accuracy.

[0025] Optionally, the second reference signal having a reduced configuration satisfies one or more of: a decrease in transmit power relative to the first reference signal, a decrease in the number of antenna ports for the first reference signal, or a decrease in time-frequency resources for the first reference signal. Alternatively, optionally, the second reference signal having an extended configuration satisfies one or more of: an increase in transmit power relative to the first reference signal, an increase in the number of antenna ports for the first reference signal, or an increase in time-frequency resources for the first reference signal.

[0026] In a design, the method further includes: the second communication device receiving first information from the location management device, the first information indicating a first threshold of a first condition, the first condition being used to determine a first measurement result of the first reference signal. Optionally, the first threshold includes one or more of a signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) threshold, a first path power threshold, or a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold.

[0027] According to a third aspect, there is provided a positioning method, the position management device sending first information to a first communication device, the first information indicating a first threshold value of a first condition, the first condition being used to determine a first measurement result of a first reference signal, the determination result being used to determine to report all or a part of a second measurement result of a second reference signal; the position management device receiving all or a part of the second measurement result of the second reference signal from the first communication device; and the position management device determining location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on an artificial intelligence (AI) model and all or a part of the second measurement result.

[0028] Optionally, the location management device is an LMF, or a chip, circuit, etc. used in an LMF. In downlink positioning, the first communication device is a terminal, or a chip, circuit, etc. used in a terminal. Alternatively, in uplink positioning, the first communication device is an access network device, or a chip, circuit, etc. used in an access network device.

[0029] According to the above design, the location management device sets a first threshold for the first communication device, the first communication device determines to report all or part of the second measurement results to be reported based on the first threshold, and the first communication device adaptively adjusts the reported measurement results. Compared with a conventional triangulation method for determining the location of the terminal, the AI ​​method for determining the location of the terminal by the location management device can improve the positioning accuracy of the terminal.

[0030] In design, the first reference signal is an initial period or an initial reference signal, and the method further includes the location management device receiving all of the first measurement results of the first reference signal from the first communication device, and the location management device determining first location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on all of the first measurement results and the AI ​​model.

[0031] According to the above design, in an initial period or an initial reference signal, the first communication device reports all of its measurement results to the location management device. The device management device estimates location information of the terminal based on all of the measurement results in the initial period or the initial reference signal. The location information may be referred to as first location information of the terminal. Because the first communication device reports all of the measurement results and the location management device estimates the location information of the terminal based on all of the measurement results, accuracy in estimating the location information of the terminal is improved.

[0032] In design, the location management device determining location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on all or part of the AI ​​model and the second measurement results includes the location management device determining an input of the AI ​​model based on all of the first measurement results, the first location information, and all or part of the second measurement results. For example, the input dimension of the AI ​​model includes a port corresponding to the measurement results and a port corresponding to the location information. Comprehensive processing may be performed on all of the first measurement results, all or part of the second measurement results, etc., and the processing results are input to the port corresponding to the measurement results of the AI ​​model, and the first location information is input to the port corresponding to the location of the AI ​​model, etc. The location management device determines the second location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on the AI ​​model and the input of the AI ​​model.

[0033] According to the above design, in a non-initial period or a non-initial reference signal, the second communication device reports all or some of its measurement results to the location management device. The location management device infers location information of the terminal by referring to multiple items, such as first location information of the terminal determined based on the first measurement result of the first reference signal, all of the first measurement results, and all or some of the second measurement results. The location information may be referred to as second location information of the terminal. The location management device infers location information of the terminal in the second period by referring to the previously reported first measurement result, the inferred first location information of the terminal, etc., thereby improving the accuracy of inferring location information of the terminal.

[0034] In a design, the method further includes: the location management device receiving a request message from the first communication device, the request message being used to request an extended configuration for the second reference signal; and the location management device sending second configuration information to the first communication device, the second configuration information being used to configure the second reference signal with the extended configuration; or the location management device sending instruction information to the second communication device, the instruction information instructing the second communication device to configure the second reference signal with the extended configuration for the first communication device. Optionally, the second reference signal is a second reference signal with an extended configuration. The second reference signal with the extended configuration satisfies one or more of: an increased transmit power relative to the first reference signal; an increased number of antenna ports for the first reference signal; or an increased time-frequency resource for the first reference signal.

[0035] In design, the method further includes: the location management device receiving a location request from the location requesting device; the location management device determining first information based on the location request; and the location management device sending location information of the first communication device or the second communication device to the location requesting device.

[0036] According to the above design, the location management device may set a corresponding first threshold for the first communication device based on different positioning accuracies requested by the positioning requesting device. The first threshold is set for the first communication device by using the first information. This achieves a match between the first threshold and the positioning accuracies.

[0037] In design, the location management device determining the first information based on the location request includes: the location management device determining a location mode based on the location request; and the location management device determining the first information based on the location mode.

[0038] According to the above design, different positioning modes may have different positioning accuracy. The position management device determines a corresponding positioning mode based on the positioning request, and determines first information for setting the first threshold based on the positioning mode, thereby realizing consistency between the positioning threshold and the first threshold.

[0039] According to a fourth aspect, there is provided a positioning method, the position requesting device sending a positioning request to a position management device, and the position requesting device receiving position information of a first communication device or a second communication device from the position management device.

[0040] According to a fifth aspect, there is provided an apparatus, the apparatus comprising corresponding units or modules for carrying out a method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the units or modules being implemented by hardware circuits, or by software, or by a combination of hardware circuits and software.

[0041] According to a sixth aspect, there is provided an apparatus, comprising a processor and an interface circuit, the processor being configured to communicate with another apparatus via the interface circuit and to perform a method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0042] According to a seventh aspect, there is provided an apparatus, comprising a processor coupled to a memory, the processor configured to execute a program stored in the memory to perform a method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects. The memory may be located within or external to the apparatus. Furthermore, there may be more than one processor.

[0043] According to an eighth aspect, there is provided an apparatus, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory being configured to store computer instructions, such that when the apparatus is operational, the processor executes the computer instructions stored in the memory to cause the apparatus to perform a method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0044] According to a ninth aspect, there is provided a chip system, comprising a processor or circuitry configured to implement a method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0045] According to a tenth aspect, there is provided a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a communications device, perform a method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0046] According to an eleventh aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising a computer program or instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, perform a method according to any one of the first to fourth aspects.

[0047] According to a twelfth aspect, there is provided a system, comprising a first communication device configured to perform the method according to the first aspect and a second communication device configured to perform the method according to the second aspect. Optionally, the system further comprises a location management device configured to perform the method according to the third aspect. The system further comprises a location requesting device configured to perform the method according to the fourth aspect. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0048] [Figure 1a] 1 is a diagram of an architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 1b] FIG. 2 is a diagram of another architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an O-RAN architecture according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is another diagram of an O-RAN architecture according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an architecture of an AI model application according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a neuron according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a layer structure of neurons according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a diagram of triangulation according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an UL-TDOA according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram of the use of an AI model in uplink positioning according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is another diagram of the use of an AI model in uplink positioning according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 11] 1 is a flowchart of downlink positioning according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 12] 10 is another flowchart of downlink positioning according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 13] 10 is yet another flowchart of downlink positioning according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 14] 1 is a flowchart of uplink positioning according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 15] 10 is another flowchart of uplink positioning according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 16]10 is yet another flowchart of uplink positioning according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 17] 1 is a diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application; [Figure 18] FIG. 2 is another view of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0049] 1a is a diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1000 to which the present application applies. As shown in FIG. 1a, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may further include the Internet 300.

[0050] The wireless access network 100 may include at least one access network device (e.g., 110a and 110b in FIG. 1a) and may further include at least one terminal device (e.g., 120a-120j in FIG. 1a). The terminal device is connected to the access network device in a wireless manner, and the access network device is connected to the core network in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device and the access network device may be different physical devices independent of each other, or the functionality of the core network device and the logical functionality of the access network device may be integrated into the same physical device, or some of the functionality of the core network device and some of the functionality of the access network device may be integrated into one physical device. The terminal devices may be connected to each other in a wired or wireless manner, and the access network devices may be connected to each other in a wired or wireless manner. FIG. 1a is merely a diagram. The communication system 1000 may further include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in FIG. 1a.

[0051] The access network device may be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) for a fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system, an access network device for an open radio access network (O-RAN), a next generation base station for a sixth generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station for a future mobile communication system, an access node for a wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, etc., or may be a module or unit that performs part of the functions of a base station, such as a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a central unit control plane (CU-CP) module, or a central unit user plane (CU-UP) module. The access network device may be a macro base station (e.g., 110a in FIG. 1a), or may be a micro base station or an indoor station (e.g., 110b in FIG. 1a), or may be a relay node, a donor node, etc. The specific technology used by the access network device and the specific device form are not limited by this application.

[0052] In the present application, an apparatus configured to implement the functions of an access network device may be an access network device, or may be an apparatus capable of supporting an access network device to implement the functions, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a combination of hardware and software modules. The apparatus may be installed in the access network device, or may be integrated with the access network device for use. In the present application, a chip system may include a chip, or may include a chip and other discrete components. For ease of description, the following describes the technical solution provided in the present application by using an example in which the apparatus configured to implement the functions of an access network device is an access network device, and the access network device is a base station.

[0053] (1) Protocol layer structure

[0054] Communications between the access network device and the terminal device follow a specific protocol layer structure. The protocol layer structure may include a control plane protocol layer structure and a user plane protocol layer structure. For example, the control plane protocol layer structure may include protocol layer functions such as a radio resource control (RRC) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, a media access control (MAC) layer, and a physical layer. For example, the user plane protocol layer structure may include protocol layer functions such as a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, a MAC layer, and a physical layer. In a possible implementation, a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer may be further included above the PDCP layer.

[0055] Optionally, the protocol layer structure between the access network device and the terminal device may further include an artificial intelligence (AI) layer used for transmitting data related to AI functions.

[0056] (2) Central Unit (CU) and Distributed Unit (DU)

[0057] An access network device may include a CU and a DU. Multiple DUs may be centrally controlled by one CU. For example, the interface between a CU and a DU may be called an F1 interface. A control plane (CP) interface may be F1-C, and a user plane (UP) interface may be F1-U. The specific names of each interface are not limited in this application. The CU and DU may be divided based on the protocol layer of the wireless network. For example, the functions of the PDCP layer and the protocol layers above the PDCP layer are set in the CU, and the functions of the protocol layers below the PDCP layer (e.g., the RLC layer and the MAC layer) are set in the DU. As another example, the functions of the protocol layers above the PDCP layer are set in the CU, and the functions of the PDCP layer and the protocol layers below the PDCP layer are set in the DU. This is not a limitation.

[0058] The division of the processing functions of the CU and the DU based on protocol layers is merely an example, and the division may be performed in other ways. For example, the CU or DU may have the functionality of more protocol layers due to division. As another example, the CU or DU may have the processing functionality of some of the protocol layers due to division. In this design, some of the functions of the RLC layer and the functionality of the protocol layers above the RLC layer are set in the CU, and the remaining functions of the RLC layer and the functionality of the protocol layers below the RLC layer are set in the DU. In another design, the division of the functions of the CU or DU may alternatively be based on service type or other system requirements. For example, the division may be based on latency. Functions whose processing time must satisfy latency requirements are set in the DU, and functions whose processing time does not need to satisfy latency requirements are set in the CU. In another design, the CU may alternatively have one or more functions of the core network. For example, the CU may be located on the network side to facilitate centralized management. In another design, the radio unit (RU) of the DU is remotely located. Optionally, the RU may have radio frequency capabilities.

[0059] Optionally, the DU and RU may be divided by the physical layer (PHY). For example, the DU may implement upper layer functions of the PHY layer, and the RU may implement lower layer functions of the PHY layer. When used for transmission, the PHY layer functions may include one or more of cyclic redundancy check (CRC) code addition, channel coding, rate matching, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, precoding, resource mapping, physical antenna mapping, or radio frequency transmission. When used for reception, the PHY layer functions may include one or more of CRC checking, channel decoding, rate dematching, descrambling, demodulation, layer demapping, channel detection, resource demapping, physical antenna demapping, or radio frequency reception. The upper layer functions of the PHY layer may include some of the functions of the PHY layer. For example, some of the functions are closer to the MAC layer. The lower layer functions of the PHY layer may include other parts of the functions of the PHY layer. For example, some of the functions are closer to the radio frequency functions. For example, the upper layer functions of the PHY layer may include CRC code addition, channel coding, rate matching, scrambling, modulation, and layer mapping, and the lower layer functions of the PHY layer may include precoding, resource mapping, physical antenna demapping, and radio frequency transmission. Alternatively, the upper layer functions of the PHY layer may include CRC code addition, channel coding, rate matching, scrambling, modulation, layer mapping, and precoding, and the lower layer functions of the PHY layer may include resource mapping, physical antenna mapping, and radio frequency transmission. For example, the upper layer functions of the PHY layer may include CRC checking, channel decoding, rate dematching, decoding, demodulation, and layer demapping, and the lower layer functions of the PHY layer may include channel detection, resource demapping, physical antenna demapping, and radio frequency reception.Alternatively, the upper layer functions of the PHY layer may include CRC checking, channel decoding, rate de-matching, decoding, demodulation, layer demapping, and channel detection, and the lower layer functions of the PHY layer may include resource demapping, physical antenna demapping, and radio frequency reception.

[0060] For example, the functionality of the CU may be implemented by one entity or by different entities. For example, the functionality of the CU may be further divided. Specifically, the control plane and the user plane are separate and implemented by different entities, such as a control plane CU entity (i.e., a CU-CP entity) and a user plane CU entity (i.e., a CU-UP entity). The CU-CP entity and the CU-UP entity may be coupled to the DU to together achieve the functionality of an access network device.

[0061] Optionally, any one of the DU, CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, and RU may be a software module, a hardware structure, or a combination of a software module and a hardware structure. This is not limited. Different entities may exist in different forms. This is not limited. For example, the DU, CU, CU-CP, and CU-UP are software modules, and the RU is a hardware structure. The modules and the methods performed by the modules also fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0062] In a possible implementation, the access network device includes a CU-CP, a CU-UP, a DU, and an RU. For example, the present application may be performed by a DU, or a DU and an RU, or a CU-CP, a DU, and an RU, or a CU-UP, a DU, and an RU. This is not limited thereto. Methods performed by the modules also fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0063] A terminal device may also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminal devices may be widely used for communication in various scenarios, including, but not limited to, one or more of device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart clothing, smart transportation, or smart city. Terminal devices may be mobile phones, tablet computers, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, wireless aircraft, helicopters, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The specific technology used by the terminal device and the specific device configuration are not limited herein.

[0064] In the present application, an apparatus configured to implement the functions of a terminal device may be a terminal device, or may be an apparatus capable of supporting a terminal device to implement the functions, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a combination of hardware and software modules. The apparatus may be installed in the terminal device or may be integrated with the terminal device for use. For ease of description, the following describes the technical solution provided in the present application by using an example in which the apparatus configured to implement the functions of a terminal device is a terminal device, and the terminal device is a UE.

[0065] The base station and the UE may be fixed or mobile. The base station and / or the UE may be located on the ground, including an indoor device, an outdoor device, a handheld device, or a vehicle-mounted device, or may be located on water, or may be located in the air on an airplane, a balloon, or a satellite. The application scenarios of the base station and the UE are not limited in this application. The base station and the UE may be located in the same scenario or in different scenarios. For example, the base station and the UE are both located on the ground. Alternatively, the base station is located on the ground and the UE is located on water. Examples will not be described one by one.

[0066] The roles of a base station and a UE may be relative. For example, helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicle 120i in FIG. 1a may be configured as a mobile base station. When UE 120j accesses the wireless access network 100 via 120i, UE 120i is a base station. However, in the case of base station 110a, 120i is a UE, and specifically, communication between 110a and 120i is performed according to a wireless air interface protocol. Alternatively, communication between 110a and 120i may be performed according to an interface protocol between base stations. In this case, 120i is also a base station for 110a. Therefore, base stations and UEs may be collectively referred to as communication devices, and 110a and 110b in FIG. 1a may be referred to as communication devices with base station functionality, and 120a to 120j in FIG. 1a may be referred to as communication devices with UE functionality.

[0067] Communications between base stations and UEs, between base stations, and between UEs may occur using licensed spectrum, or may occur using unlicensed spectrum, or may occur using both licensed and unlicensed spectrum. Communications may occur using spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), or may occur using spectrum above 6 GHz, or may occur using spectrum below and above 6 GHz. Spectral resources for wireless communications are not limited herein.

[0068] In this application, a base station transmits downlink signals or information to a UE, which are carried on a downlink channel, and the UE transmits uplink signals or information to the base station, which are carried on an uplink channel. To communicate with the base station, the UE may establish a wireless connection to a cell controlled by the base station. The cell that establishes a wireless connection to the UE is called the serving cell of the UE. When communicating with the serving cell, the UE may experience interference from signals from nearby cells.

[0069] In this application, the devices included in the core network 200 are not limited. For example, the core network 200 includes a location management device. The location management device is configured to collect measurement results related to positioning and determine location information of the UE based on the collected measurement results. The location management device may also be called a location server, a location management function (LMF), etc. This is not limited.

[0070] In the present application, an apparatus configured to implement the functions of a location management device may be the location management device, or may be an apparatus that can support the location management device to implement the functions, such as a chip system, a hardware circuit, a software module, or a combination of a hardware circuit and a software module. The apparatus may be installed in the location management device, or may be integrated with the location management device for use. For ease of description, the following describes the technical solution of the present application by using an example in which the apparatus configured to implement the functions of the location management device is the location management device, and the location management device is an LMF.

[0071] A 5G new radio (NR) system is used as an example to describe UEs, base stations, core networks, etc. As shown in Figure 1b, the base stations include gNBs and next-generation evolved NodeBs (ng-eNBs).

[0072] A gNB is a 5G base station, and an ng-eNB is a 4G base station that accesses a 5G core network. The core network includes network elements such as an access and mobility management function (AMF) and an LMF. A UE communicates with a gNB through an NR-Uu interface, and a UE communicates with an ng-eNB through an LTE-Uu interface. Both the NR-Uu interface and the LTE-Uu interface may be used to transmit positioning-related signaling. LTE-Uu and NR-Uu use the non-access stratum (NAS) or RRC protocol for transmission. The NG-C interface is used for communication between the gNB and the AMF and between the ng-eNB and the AMF and may be used to transmit positioning-related signaling. The NG-C uses the NG application protocol (NGAP). The NL1 interface is used for communication between the AMF and the LMF and may be used to transmit positioning-related signaling. All or some of the functions implemented by one or more of the UE, base station, or core network may be virtualized or implemented by specialized or general-purpose processors and corresponding software modules. The UE and base station are related to an interface for air interface transmission, and the receiving and transmitting functions of the interface may be implemented by hardware. The core network, such as the AMF or LMF, may be virtualized. Optionally, one or more functions of the virtualized UE, base station, or core network may be implemented by a cloud device, for example, in an over-the-top (OTT) system.

[0073] The UE and the LMF may communicate with each other based on the LTE positioning protocol (LPP). The LPP protocol specifies the procedure for information exchange between the UE and the LMF. During actual deployment, the UE and the LMF are not directly connected, but are connected as UE-base station-AMF-LMF. To realize the interaction between the UE and the LMF, LPP messages may be transmitted transparently between the base station and the AMF. Alternatively, the UE and the LMF may exchange information, etc. through transmission by the base station and the AMF. This is not limited.

[0074] The base station and the LMF can interact with each other based on the NR positioning protocol A (NRPPa). The NRPPa protocol specifies the procedure for information exchange between the base station and the LMF. During actual deployment, the base station is connected to the LMF by using the AMF. The NRPPa protocol is transparent to the AMF. To realize the interaction between the LMF and the base station, NRPPa data units are transmitted transparently between the AMFs.

[0075] It may be understood that, to support machine learning functions in a wireless network, an independent network element (e.g., referred to as an AI network element or AI node) may be introduced into the communication system shown in FIG. 1a or 1b to implement AI-related operations. The AI ​​network element or AI node may be directly connected to an access network device in the communication system, or may be indirectly connected to the access network device by using a third-party network element. This is not limited to this. The third-party network element may be a core network element, such as an AMF or a user plane function (UPF). For example, the AI ​​network element or AI node may collect positioning-related information by using one or more of the following devices: a UE, a base station, an LMF, or an AMF. The information may be used as training data to train an AI module implementing the positioning function, etc. Alternatively, an AI function, AI module, or AI entity may be configured in a network element within the communication system shown in FIG. 1a or 1b to implement AI-related operations, and the network element may be an LMF, etc. In this case, the network element performing the AI-related operations may be referred to as a network element incorporating an AI function. The AI ​​network element may be located on the host or cloud server of the OTT system.

[0076] In this application, the access network device may use an O-RAN architecture. The following describes an example of an O-RAN architecture, which is not intended to limit this application.

[0077] In a first design, as shown in FIG. 2, the access network devices include a near-real-time access network intelligent controller (RAN intelligent controller), a CU, a DU, a RU, etc. The near-real-time RIC is used for model training and inference. For example, the near-real-time RIC may acquire information on the network side or the terminal device side from one or more of the CU, the DU, the RU, the terminal device, etc., and the information may be used as training data or inference data. For example, the above information may be used as training data, and the near-real-time RIC may train an AI model by using the collected training data. Alternatively, the above information may be used as inference data, and the near-real-time RIC may perform model inference based on the collected inference data and the AI ​​model to determine an inference result. Optionally, the near-real-time RIC may send the inference result to one or more of the CU, the DU, the RU, the terminal device, etc. Optionally, the CU and the DU may exchange the inference result. For example, the near-real-time RIC sends the inference result to the CU, and the CU forwards the inference result to the DU. Optionally, the DU and the RU may exchange the inference result. For example, the near-real-time RIC sends the inference results to the DU, or the near-real-time RIC sends the inference results to the CU, the CU forwards the inference results to the DU, and the DU sends the inference results to the RU.

[0078] In the first design, the near-real-time RIC is included in the access network device. Whether the non-real-time RIC is included outside the access network device is not limited. For example, the non-real-time RIC may be included outside the access network device, or the non-real-time RIC may not be included outside the access network device.

[0079] In a second design, as shown in FIG. 2, a non-real-time RIC is included outside the access network device. For example, the non-real-time RIC may be located in an OAM or core network device. This is not limited to this. The non-real-time RIC may train an AI model and use the AI ​​model for inference. Optionally, the non-real-time RIC may collect information on the network side or the terminal side from one or more of a CU, a DU, a RU, a terminal device, etc., and the information may be used as training data or inference data. For example, the information may be used as training data, and the non-real-time RIC may train the AI ​​model by using the training data. Alternatively, the information may be used as inference data, and the non-real-time RIC uses the inference data and the AI ​​model to determine an inference result. Optionally, the non-real-time RIC may transmit the inference result to one or more of a CU, a DU, a RU, a terminal device, etc. Optionally, the CU and the DU may exchange the inference result. The DU and the RU may exchange the inference result.

[0080] In the second design, the non-real-time RIC is included outside the access network device. Whether the access network device includes a near-real-time RIC is not limited. For example, the access network device may include a near-real-time RIC, or the access network device may not include a near-real-time RIC.

[0081] In a third design, as shown in FIG. 2, a near-real-time RIC is included in the access network device, and a non-real-time RIC is included outside the access network device. Similar to the first design, the near-real-time RIC can train and infer the model, and / or the non-real-time RIC can train the model and the near-real-time RIC can infer the model. For example, the non-real-time RIC may send a trained AI model to the near-real-time RIC, and the near-real-time RIC uses the AI ​​model for model inference. Optionally, the non-real-time RIC and / or the near-real-time RIC may collect information on the network side or the terminal side from one or more of a CU, a DU, a RU, a terminal device, etc., and the information may be used as training data or inference data. For example, the information is used as training data, and the non-real-time RIC trains the AI ​​model by using the training data. The information is used as inference data, and the near-real-time RIC uses the AI ​​model and the inference data to determine an inference result. Optionally, the near-real-time RIC may send the inference result to one or more of a CU, a DU, a RU, a terminal device, etc. Optionally, the CU and the DU may exchange inference results. The DU and the RU may exchange inference results.

[0082] Figure 3 shows another O-RAN architecture according to the present application. Compared with Figure 2, in Figure 3, the CU is separated into a CU-CP and a CU-UP.

[0083] In this application, the terminal device is located by using AI technology. The following describes AI technology, and the description is not intended to limit the application.

[0084] An AI model is a specific implementation of an AI function. An AI model represents the mapping relationship between the input and output of the model. An AI model may be a neural network, a linear regression model, a decision tree model, a support vector machine (SVM), a Bayesian network, a Q-learning network, other machine learning models, etc. In this application, an AI function may include one or more of data collection (collection of training data and / or inference data), data preprocessing, model training (also called model learning), model information release (setting model information), model validation, model inference, or inference result release. In this application, an AI model may be referred to as a model for short.

[0085] 4 is a diagram of the application architecture of an AI model. A data source is configured to store training data and inference data. A model training node (model training host) analyzes and trains the training data provided by the data source to obtain an AI model, and deploys the AI ​​model to a model inference node (model inference host). Optionally, the model training node may further update the AI ​​model deployed to the model inference node. The model inference node also feeds back related information of the deployed model to the model training node, allowing the model training node to optimize, update, etc. the deployed AI model.

[0086] Obtaining an AI model through learning by a model training node is equivalent to obtaining a mapping relationship between the model's input and output through learning by the model training node using training data. The model inference node uses the AI ​​model to make inferences based on inference data provided by a data source and obtains inference results. The method can alternatively be described as follows: the model inference node inputs inference data to the AI ​​model and obtains output by using the AI ​​model, where the output is the inference result. The inference result may indicate configuration parameters used (executed) by the actor object and / or actions taken by the actor object. The inference result may be planned by an actor entity in an integrated manner and sent to one or more actor objects (e.g., network entities) for execution. Optionally, the actor entity or actor object may feed back parameters or measurement results of measurements collected by the actor entity or actor object to the data source. This process may also be referred to as performance feedback, and the fed-back parameters may be used as training data or inference data. Optionally, feedback information regarding model performance may be further determined based on the inference result output by the model inference node, and the feedback information is fed back to the model inference node, which feeds back model performance information to the model training node based on the feedback information, allowing the model training node to optimize, update, etc. the deployed AI model. This process may be referred to as model feedback.

[0087] The AI ​​model may be a neural network or other machine learning model. A neural network is used as an example. A neural network is a specific embodiment of machine learning technology. According to the universal approximation theorem, a neural network can theoretically approximate any continuous function, and therefore, the neural network has the ability to learn any mapping. Therefore, the neural network can accurately perform abstract modeling for complex high-dimensional problems.

[0088] The idea of ​​neural networks comes from the neuron structure of the brain. Each neuron performs a weighted sum operation on the input values ​​of the neuron and outputs the weighted sum result according to an activation function. Figure 5 shows the structure of a neuron. The inputs of a neuron are x=[x0,x1,...,x n ], and the weights corresponding to each input are w=[w,w1, ,w n ] and the weighted sum bias is b. The form of the activation function can be varied. The activation function of a neuron is y = f(z) = max(0,z), and the output of that neuron is

number

number

[0089] Neural networks generally have a multi-layer structure, and each layer may contain one or more neurons. Increasing the depth and / or width of a neural network improves the neural network's representational capability, providing more powerful information extraction and abstract modeling capabilities for complex systems. The depth of a neural network may be the number of layers included in the neural network, and the number of neurons included in each layer may be referred to as the layer width. Figure 6 is a diagram of the layer relationships of a neural network. In one implementation, a neural network includes an input layer and an output layer. After performing neuronal processing on the received input, the input layer of the neural network forwards the results to the output layer. The output layer obtains the output result of the neural network. In another implementation, a neural network includes an input layer, a hidden layer, and an output layer. The input layer of the neural network performs neuronal processing on the received input and then forwards the results to an intermediate hidden layer. The hidden layer forwards the calculation results to the output layer or an adjacent hidden layer. Finally, the output layer obtains the output result of the neural network. A neural network may include one hidden layer or multiple hidden layers connected in series. This is not a limitation. In the neural network training process, a loss function may be defined. The loss function describes the gap or difference between the neural network's output value and an ideal target value. The specific form of the loss function is not a limitation in this application. The neural network training process is a process of adjusting the neural network's parameters, such as the number and width of the neural network's layers, the neuron weights, and / or the parameters of the neuron's activation function, until the value of the loss function is smaller than a threshold or satisfies the target requirement.

[0090] With the development of mobile communications, positioning techniques based on wireless cellular networks have been widely used. These positioning techniques detect characteristic parameters between a mobile terminal device and a fixed base station, obtain information such as the relative position or angle between the mobile terminal device and the fixed base station, and estimate the location of the mobile terminal. Some common characteristic parameters include signal field strength, propagation time or time difference, and signal incident angle.

[0091] As shown in Figure 7, in a typical positioning method based on time difference of arrival (TDOA), three synchronized base stations are marked as eNB1, eNB2, and eNB3, respectively, the distances between the three synchronized base stations and the UE are d1, d2, and d3, respectively, and the corresponding electromagnetic wave signals are propagated at times t1, t2, and t3, respectively. Downlink positioning is used as an example.

[0092] The three eNBs each transmit a downlink reference signal, e.g., a positioning reference signal (PRS), denoted as P1, P2, and P3, to the UE. The UE may measure the time difference of arrival between P1 and P2, i.e., t2 - t1. d2 - d1 is estimated by using t2 - t1 to obtain a curve, where d2 - d1 is the difference between the distances from each point on the curve to eNB2 and eNB1. Similarly, the UE may measure the time difference of arrival between P3 and P1, i.e., t3 - t1. d3 - d1 is estimated by using t3 - t1 to obtain another curve, where d3 - d1 is the difference between the distances from each point on the curve to eNB3 and eNB1. The UE's location may be determined by using the intersection of the two curves. The mathematical model can be expressed as follows:

number

[0093] (x i ',y i(x', y') represents the location coordinates of the i-th eNB, (x', y') represents the location coordinates of the UE to be calculated, and c represents the speed of light.

[0094] Optionally, in FIG. 7, eNB1 is a base station corresponding to the UE's serving cell, eNB2 is a base station corresponding to the UE's neighboring cell #1, and eNB3 is a base station corresponding to the UE's neighboring cell #2. In other words, in this application, the three eNBs involved in positioning are the base station corresponding to the UE's serving cell and the base stations corresponding to the UE's two neighboring cells, respectively. Optionally, one or more of eNB1, eNB2, or eNB3 may be replaced by multiple TRPs of the same cell, etc. This is not limited. Optionally, since there is a certain synchronization error between different eNBs, the corresponding measurements are also uncertain, which corresponds to the interval represented by the dashed line in FIG. 7. This process may be called measurement uncertainty.

[0095] It can be appreciated that the above describes a method for performing positioning based on a downlink reference signal sent by the eNB to the UE, which is also referred to as downlink (DL)-TDOA. Similarly, positioning may also be performed based on an uplink reference signal sent by the UE to the eNB, which may be a sounding reference signal (SRS), which is referred to as uplink (UL)-TDOA. In addition to measuring the time difference, positioning may also be performed by measuring the relative angle of arrival (AOA) or angle of departure (AoD) of the base stations.

[0096] In the design, the UE or the base station transmits a measurement result reflecting a measurement quantity of a channel response to the LMF, and the LMF determines the location of the UE based on the triangulation principle. UL-TDOA is used as an example. As shown in FIG. 8, the measurement result of the measurement quantity reported by the base station to the LMF may include a relative time of arrival (RTOA), where the RTOA may be the time when the base station receives an uplink reference signal. Optionally, the measurement result of the measurement quantity may further include a reference signal received power (RSRP). After receiving the measurement result of the measurement quantity, the LMF determines the location information of the UE based on the triangulation principle.

[0097] In practical scenarios, due to the influence of noise and interference, the time or angle measurements will have certain measurement errors, and the positioning results will also have certain errors, resulting in low positioning accuracy. Therefore, positioning solutions using machine learning have been proposed.

[0098] The AI ​​model can be deployed on the LMF side. The UE or base station measures a reference signal to obtain a channel response or channel response characteristics, and sends the channel response or channel response characteristics to the LMF. The LMF uses the channel response or channel response characteristics as input for the AI ​​model, and the output of the AI ​​model is the location information of the UE.

[0099] Uplink positioning is used as an example. A UE transmits an SPS to three base stations individually. As shown in FIG. 9, the three base stations individually measure the SRS to obtain three channel responses, which are called channel response 1, channel response 2, and channel response 3, respectively. The three base stations then feed back the three channel responses to the LMF. The LMF uses the three channel responses fed back by the three base stations as inputs to an AI model, and the output of the AI ​​model is the UE's location information. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 10, the AI ​​model is deployed on the base station side, and the base station uses the obtained channel responses as inputs to the AI ​​model. The output of the AI ​​model is channel features corresponding to the channel responses. For example, if a base station has 16 antennas and 4096 subcarriers, the channel response of each base station is 16 × 4096 complex number information. The base station can extract features with dimensions

[0128] from the channel response with dimensions [16, 4096]. The base station feeds back the features corresponding to the channel response to the LMF, which uses the features corresponding to the channel response as input for an AI model, the output of which is the location information of the UE.

[0100] Downlink positioning is similar to uplink positioning, except that the base station sends a downlink reference signal to the UE, and the UE acquires a channel response and sends the channel response or a feature corresponding to the channel response to the LMF.

[0101] In the solution of FIG. 9 or FIG. 10 , the UE or base station needs to feed back all of the channel response or all of the transformed features of the channel response to the LMF, resulting in high feedback overhead. In the solution of the present application, the UE or base station measures a reference signal to obtain a measurement result, determines whether the measurement result satisfies the first condition, and transmits all or part of the measurement result to the LMF based on the determination result. The measurement result is a channel response or a channel response feature obtained by measuring the reference signal. According to the solution of the present application, all or part of the channel response or corresponding feature can be fed back based on different measurement results. The fed-back channel response is adaptively adjusted based on the different measurement results. Furthermore, if the measurement result satisfies the first condition, only part of the measurement result is fed back to the LMF, thereby reducing feedback overhead.

[0102] In this application, three positioning solutions are provided. The three positioning solutions are only examples for description and are not intended to limit the application. All solutions that transmit all or part of the measurement results to the LMF based on the measurement results fall within the protection scope of this application.

[0103] First Solution: The first communication device separately measures a first reference signal and a second reference signal from the second communication device, and determines a first measurement result of the first reference signal and a second measurement result of the second reference signal. The first communication device determines whether the first measurement result satisfies a first condition. Based on the determination result, the first communication device transmits all or part of the second measurement result to the location management device, and all or part of the second measurement result is used to determine location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on an AI method.

[0104] Second Solution: The first communication device measures a first reference signal from the second communication device and determines a first measurement result corresponding to the first reference signal. The first communication device determines whether the first measurement result satisfies a second condition. Based on the determination result, the first communication device transmits all or part of the first measurement result to a location management device, and all or part of the first measurement result is used to determine location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on an AI method.

[0105] Third Solution: The first communication device separately measures the first reference signal and the second reference signal from the second communication device, and determines a first measurement result of the first reference signal and a second measurement result of the second reference signal. The first communication device determines whether the first measurement result satisfies a first condition, and determines whether the second measurement result satisfies a second condition. Based on the determination result, the first communication device transmits all or part of the second measurement result to the location management device, and all or part of the second measurement result is used to determine the location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on an AI method. Optionally, the first condition and the second condition may be the same or different. This is not limited.

[0106] In the above three solutions, in downlink positioning, the first communication device is a terminal device or a chip or circuit used in the terminal device, and the second communication device is an access network device or a chip or circuit used in the access network device. In uplink positioning, the first communication device is an access network device or a chip or circuit used in the access network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device or a chip or circuit used in the terminal device. The location management device is a location management device or a chip, circuit, etc. used in the location management device. The differences between the above three solutions are as follows: in the first solution, the first communication device transmits all or part of the second measurement result of the second reference signal to the location management device based on the determination result of the first measurement result of the first reference signal. In the second solution, the first communication device transmits all or part of the first measurement result to the location management device based on the determination result of the first measurement result of the first reference signal. In the third solution, the first communication device acquires a first measurement result of a first reference signal and a second measurement result of a second reference signal, and transmits all or part of the second measurement result to the location management device based on a determination result of the first measurement result and the second measurement result. In the third solution, the first condition for determining the first measurement result may be the same as or different from the second condition for determining the second measurement result. This is not limited. If the determination result corresponding to the first measurement result does not match the determination result corresponding to the second measurement result, all or part of the second measurement result may be transmitted to the location management device based on the determination result with the greater weight of the two determination results. The following describes the positioning method of the present application by using the first solution as an example.

[0107] As shown in Figure 11, the first solution is applied to downlink positioning, and an example is used in which the first communication device is a UE, the second communication device is a base station, and the location management device is an LMF. A downlink positioning procedure is provided, which includes the following steps:

[0108] Step 1101: The UE separately measures a first reference signal and a second reference signal from a base station, and determines a first measurement result of the first reference signal and a second measurement result of the second reference signal.

[0109] In downlink positioning, the first and second reference signals are downlink reference signals, such as PRS. In implementation, the base station periodically transmits the reference signals to the UE. For example, in a first period, the UE measures the first reference signal from the base station and determines a first measurement result, and in a second period, the UE measures the second reference signal from the base station and determines a second measurement result.

[0110] Optionally, the first measurement result or the second measurement result may be a channel frequency response (CFR), or the first measurement result or the second measurement result may be a channel impulse response (CIR), or the first measurement result or the second measurement result may be RSRP, etc. This is not limited thereto.

[0111] Step 1102: The UE determines whether a first metric corresponding to a first measurement result satisfies a first condition.

[0112] For example, the UE determines a first metric based on a first measurement result. The first metric includes, but is not limited to, one or more of a signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), a first path power, or a reference signal received power (RSRP), etc. The first condition includes a first threshold, which includes one or more of an SINR threshold, a first path power threshold, an RSRP threshold, etc. The first condition specifically is that the first metric is equal to or greater than the first threshold. If the first metric is equal to or greater than the first threshold (or greater than the first threshold), the determination result is that the first metric satisfies the first condition. Alternatively, if the first metric is smaller than the first threshold (or smaller than the first threshold), the determination result is that the first metric does not satisfy the first condition.

[0113] Optionally, the first threshold value of the first condition may be specified in a protocol, or may be set in advance, or may be set for the UE by the base station, the LMF, or the like. This is not limited. For example, the LMF sets the first threshold value for the UE. The LPP protocol is used between the UE and the LMF, and transparent transmission is performed between the UE and the LMF via the base station and the AMF. The UE receives first information from the LMF, and the first information indicates the first threshold value for the first condition. For example, in an implementation, before step 1101, the method further includes the UE receiving first information from the LMF, where the first information indicates the first threshold value for the first condition. Alternatively, the interaction between the UE and the LMF needs to be forwarded by the AMF and the base station. In this case, the LMF can transmit first information indicating the first threshold value for the first condition to the AMF, and the first information can be transmitted to the UE through transmission by the AMF and the base station, and the UE can receive the first information from the base station. Alternatively, for example, the base station sets the first threshold value for the UE. In this case, the base station can transmit the first information to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives first information from the base station, the first information indicating a first threshold value for the first condition.

[0114] It may be understood that, in addition to the first threshold, a metric corresponding to the first threshold may need to be configured for the UE to instruct the UE to determine a specific metric to be used for the decision based on the first measurement result. The metric may be specified in a protocol, or may be set in advance, or may be configured for the UE by a base station, an LMF, or the like. This is not limited. For example, the LMF configures the metric for the UE. The instruction information may be carried in the first information and indicated to the UE together with the first threshold. For example, the UE receives first information from the LMF, and the first information indicates the first threshold for the first condition and the corresponding metric. Alternatively, the metric instruction information may be carried in a separate message and indicated to the UE separately. For example, the UE receives second information from the LMF, and the second information indicates the corresponding metric. Alternatively, one of the first threshold and the corresponding metric may be set in advance, and the other may be configured for the UE by the LMF, a base station, or the like. For example, the corresponding metric may be set in advance, and the first threshold may be configured for the UE by the LMF, a base station, or the like. For example, the corresponding metric is SINR, and the first threshold is 30 dB. In this case, the UE determines the SINR based on the first measurement result, and the determined SINR may be regarded as the SINR measured by the UE. If the SINR measured by the UE is 30 dB or more, the UE is regarded as satisfying the first condition; otherwise, the UE is regarded as not satisfying the first condition.

[0115] In implementation, the first metric determined by the UE based on the first measurement result includes one or more metrics. When the first metric includes one metric, the UE determines the one metric based on the first measurement result, and the metric is referred to as the first metric. For example, the first metric includes SINR. In this case, the first condition is that the SINR corresponding to the first measurement result is equal to or greater than an SINR threshold. For example, the first metric includes first path power. The first condition is that the first path power corresponding to the first measurement result is equal to or greater than a first path power threshold. For example, the first metric is RSRP. The first condition is that the RSRP corresponding to the first measurement result is equal to or greater than an RSRP threshold. Alternatively, when the first metric includes multiple metrics, the UE determines multiple metrics based on the first measurement result, and the multiple metrics are collectively referred to as the first metric. For example, the first metric includes multiple items among SINR, first path power, and RSRP. The first condition may be that the SINR measured by the UE is equal to or greater than an SINR threshold, the first path power measured by the UE is equal to or greater than a first path power threshold, and the RSRP measured by the UE is equal to or greater than an RSRP threshold. When the determination results determined based on multiple metrics included in the first metric are the same, the determination results may be used as a final determination result. For example, the first metric includes SINR and first path power. When the SINR measured by the UE is equal to or greater than an SINR threshold and the first path power measured by the UE is equal to or greater than a first path power threshold, the final determination result may be that the first metric satisfies the first condition. Alternatively, when the determination results determined based on multiple metrics included in the first metric are different, the aforementioned determination results may be used to determine a final determination result. In implementation, different weights may be set for different metrics, and the final determination result is determined based on the determination results corresponding to the different weight metrics. The previous example is still used. The first metric includes SINR and first path power.The weight of the SINR is a first weight, the weight of the first path power is a second weight, the first weight is heavier than the second weight, and the sum of the first weight and the second weight is equal to 1. The SINR measured by the UE is greater than the SINR threshold, and the first path power measured by the UE is less than the first path power threshold. Because the weight of the SINR is heavier than the weight of the first path power, the final decision result may be based on the decision result of the metric SINR, that is, the final decision result is that the first metric satisfies the first condition.

[0116] It can be understood that in a wireless transmission environment, a downlink reference signal transmitted by a base station has multipath signals after being reflected, refracted, etc. The first path refers to a path signal arriving at a UE. The path signal is not a path signal whose collection point index is equal to 0, but a path signal corresponding to a sampling point index with the maximum signal strength. Alternatively, the first path may be determined by using an algorithm. This is not limited.

[0117] Step 1103: Based on the determination result, the UE sends all or part of the second measurement result to the LMF, and all or part of the second measurement result is used to determine the location information of the UE based on the AI ​​method.

[0118] In the design, a process is described in which the UE transmits all or part of the second measurement result to the LMF when the determination result is that the first metric satisfies the first condition. It may be understood that the description is merely an example for description purposes and is not intended to limit the present application.

[0119] Example 1: The UE transmits a portion of the second measurement results to the base station. For example, the UE transmits measurement results of some subcarriers of the second reference signal to the base station. For example, the second reference signal occupies 4096 subcarriers in the frequency domain. If the first metric corresponding to the first reference signal does not satisfy the first condition, the UE feeds back measurement results of 2048 subcarriers to the base station. Alternatively, the UE transmits measurement results of some receive antenna ports of the second reference signal to the base station.

[0120] Example 2: A base station transmits a second reference signal with a reduced configuration for a UE. The second reference signal with the reduced configuration satisfies one or more of: a reduction in transmission power relative to the first reference signal; a reduction in the number of antenna ports for the first reference signal; or a reduction in time-frequency resources for the first reference signal. It may be understood that the reduction in antenna ports for the first reference signal may specifically be a reduction in transmit antenna ports and / or receive antenna ports for the first reference signal. This is not limited thereto.

[0121] For example, the UE may measure a first reference signal and determine a first measurement result. The UE may determine whether the first measurement result satisfies a first condition. If the first measurement result does not satisfy the first condition, the UE may transmit a request message to the base station or transmit a determination result indicating that the first measurement result does not satisfy the first condition to the base station. The base station may determine a second reference signal, where the second reference signal has a reduced configuration relative to the first reference signal. For example, the frequency domain resource of the second reference signal may be smaller than that of the first reference signal, where the frequency domain resource of the first reference signal is 4096 subcarriers and the frequency domain resource of the second reference signal is 2048 subcarriers. The base station may transmit first configuration information to the UE, where the first configuration information is used to configure the second reference signal with a reduced configuration, for example, to configure the UE to receive the second reference signal on 2048 subcarriers. This is not a limitation. The UE may measure the second reference signal with the reduced configuration and determine a second measurement result. For example, the UE measures the second reference signal with a reduced configuration on 2048 subcarriers, determines measurement results corresponding to the 2048 subcarriers, and transmits all or part of the measurement results corresponding to the 2048 subcarriers to the LMF.

[0122] In the design, a process is described in which the UE sends all or part of the second measurement result to the LMF when the first metric corresponding to the determination result does not satisfy the first condition. It can be understood that the description is merely an example for description purposes and is not intended to limit the present application.

[0123] Example 1: The UE transmits all of the second measurement results to the LMF.

[0124] Example 2: The UE sends request information to the base station or the LMF, where the request information is used to request an extended configuration for the second reference signal. The UE receives second configuration information from the base station or the LMF, where the second configuration information is used to configure the second reference signal with the extended configuration. The UE receives the second reference signal with the extended configuration from the base station based on the second configuration information. In this embodiment of the present application, the second reference signal may be a second reference signal with an extended configuration. Optionally, the second reference signal with the extended configuration satisfies one or more of an increase in transmission power relative to the first reference signal, an increase in the number of antenna ports for the first reference signal, or an increase in time-frequency resources for the first reference signal. The UE measures the second reference signal with the extended configuration and measures the second measurement result. The UE transmits all or part of the second measurement result of the second reference signal with the extended configuration to the LMF, etc. This is not limited.

[0125] For example, the UE measures a first reference signal and determines a first measurement result. If a first metric corresponding to the first measurement result does not satisfy a first condition, the UE sends a request message to the LMF, where the request message is used to request the LMF to configure a second reference signal for the UE with an enhanced setting compared to the first reference signal. The LMF and the UE may perform transparent transmission between the base station and the AMF by using the LPP protocol. The LMF transmits second setting information to the UE to configure the second reference signal with the enhanced setting for the UE. Alternatively, transmission between the LMF and the UE may require forwarding by the base station and the AMF, etc. This is not limited. Alternatively, upon receiving the UE's request message, the LMF may transmit instruction information to the base station, where the instruction information instructs the base station to configure the second reference signal with the enhanced setting for the UE, etc. Upon receiving the LMF's instruction information, the base station transmits second setting information to the UE, where the second setting information is used to configure the second reference signal with the enhanced setting for the UE, etc. Alternatively, the UE may send a request message to the base station, where the request message is used to request the base station to configure the second reference signal in the extended setting for the UE. Upon receiving the request message, the base station transmits, to the UE, second setting information, etc., used to configure the extended setting.

[0126] In the design, the base station periodically transmits a downlink reference signal to the UE. For example, in the i-th period, the base station transmits reference signal i to the UE, the UE measures reference signal i and determines measurement result i, and the UE determines whether metric i corresponding to measurement result i satisfies a first condition. In the (i+1)-th period, the base station transmits reference signal i+1 to the UE, the UE measures reference signal i+1 and determines measurement result i+1, and the UE transmits all or part of measurement result i+1 to the LMF based on the determination result of the i-th period. The value of i is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1. In this implementation, reference signal i may correspond to the first reference signal in the procedure of FIG. 11, and reference signal i+1 corresponds to the second reference signal in the procedure of FIG. 12. From the above description, it can be seen that the UE transmits the measurement result of the reference signal in the (i+1)-th period to the LMF based on the determination result of the reference signal in the i-th period. If i is 1, the measurement result in the first period does not refer to the determination result of the previous period. Therefore, for the measurement results in the first period, the UE transmits all of the measurement results of the reference signal to the LMF. In other words, when the first reference signal in the procedure of Figure 11 is the reference signal in the first period, the method in the procedure of Figure 11 further includes the UE transmitting all of the first measurement results of the first reference signal to the LMF. Optionally, the reference signal in the first period may be the reference signal transmitted by the base station to the UE in the first period.

[0127] In another design, the base station may transmit downlink reference signals periodically, without limitation. For example, the base station transmits reference signal i to the UE, the UE measures reference signal i and determines measurement result i, and the UE determines whether metric i corresponding to measurement result i satisfies a first condition. The base station transmits reference signal i+1 to the UE, and the UE transmits all or part of measurement result i+1 of reference signal i+1 to the UE based on the determination result of measurement result i. The value of i is an integer greater than or equal to 1. When the value of i is 1, the first reference signal i is an initial reference signal, and the determination result of the previous reference signal cannot be referenced. Therefore, the UE transmits all of the measurement results of the initial reference signal to the LMF. Reference signal i may correspond to the first reference signal in the procedure of FIG. 11, and reference signal i+1 may correspond to the second reference signal in the procedure of FIG. 11. In other words, if the first reference signal is the initial reference signal, the method of the procedure of FIG. 11 further includes the UE transmitting all of the first measurement results of the first reference signal to the LMF. Optionally, the initial reference signal may be the first reference signal transmitted by the base station to the UE when the UE accesses the base station in a wireless manner, or may be the first reference signal transmitted by the base station to the UE by using the serving cell when the UE accesses the cell of the base station in a wireless manner and the cell is used as the serving cell of the UE, etc. This is not limited.

[0128] In a design, if the first measurement result or the second measurement result is RSRP, in implementation, in a first measurement process, the LMF may configure X base stations to transmit downlink reference signals, and the UE may individually measure the downlink reference signals transmitted by the X base stations to determine X measurement results, where each measurement result corresponds to the RSRP measured for the downlink reference signal transmitted by one base station. The first measurement results reported by the UE to the LMF include the X measurement results. If the LMF determines that Z measurement results among the X measurement results are greater than the RSRP threshold, in a second period, Y base stations corresponding to Y measurement results among the Z measurement results may be configured to transmit downlink reference signals. Optionally, the method of selecting the Y base stations from the Z base stations corresponding to the Z measurement results is not limited. For example, the Y base stations may be randomly selected from the Z base stations, or the Y base stations corresponding to the Y measurement results whose RSRP values ​​rank high among the measurement results may be selected, or the Y base stations may be selected based on another algorithm. This is not limited. In the second measurement process, Y base stations transmit downlink reference signals to the UE, the UE measures the downlink reference signals of the Y base stations and determines Y measurement results, and the second measurement results reported by the UE to the LMF include the Y measurement results, where X, Z, and Y are integers, and X is greater than Z and Z is greater than Y.

[0129] Step 1104: The LMF determines location information of the UE based on all or part of the AI ​​model and the second measurement result.

[0130] In the design, all or part of the second measurement results are used as inputs to the AI ​​model or are used to determine the inputs of the AI ​​model, and the output of the AI ​​model is used as location information of the UE or is used to determine the location information of the UE.

[0131] For example, the LMF uses some or all of the second measurement results as inputs to the AI ​​model, inputting all or part of the second measurement results into the AI ​​model, and the output of the AI ​​model is the UE's location information. Alternatively, the LMF determines the inputs to the AI ​​model based on all or part of the second measurement results. For example, all or part of the second measurement results include data of m ports of a reference signal, and the input dimension of the AI ​​model is n ports. The inputs to the AI ​​model are determined based on a mapping relationship between the m ports and the n ports.

[0132] The LMF inputs the determined AI input to the AI ​​model, and the output of the AI ​​model is directly the location information of the UE. Alternatively, the LMF may determine the location information of the UE based on the output of the AI ​​model, etc. This is not limited.

[0133] Optionally, as described above, the UE may transmit all of the first measurement results to the LMF. The method further includes the LMF receiving all of the first measurement results from the UE. The LMF determines location information for the UE based on all of the first measurement results and the AI ​​model. For example, all of the first measurement results are directly used as input for the AI ​​model, or the input for the AI ​​model is determined after all of the first measurement results are further processed, and the output of the AI ​​model is directly location information for the UE. Alternatively, the output of the AI ​​model is further processed, and then the location information for the UE is determined, etc. This is not a limitation.

[0134] Optionally, when the location information of the UE is determined in step 1104, all of the first measurement results and / or location information of the UE determined based on all of the first measurement results may also be taken into account. For ease of distinction, the location information of the UE determined based on all of the first measurement results may be referred to as first location information of the UE. The location information of the UE determined based on at least all or part of the second measurement results is referred to as second location information of the UE. In this embodiment of the present application, the process of determining the second location information of the UE in step 1104 includes:

[0135] The LMF determines inputs for the AI ​​model based on all of the first measurement results, the first location information, and all or part of the second measurement results. The LMF determines second location information for the UE based on the AI ​​model and the inputs for the AI ​​model.

[0136] It can be understood that the input dimensions of the AI ​​model include ports corresponding to the measurement ports and ports corresponding to the location information. Comprehensive processing may be performed on all of the first measurement results and all or part of the second measurement results, and the processing results are input to the corresponding ports of the AI ​​model. In this embodiment of the present application, the specific method of the above processing is not limited. For example, all of the second measurement results and all or part of the second measurement results are combined into one measurement result.

[0137] Optionally, an AI model is used to predict the location information of a UE, and the AI ​​model may be referred to as a model for short. This is not limited. The AI ​​model may be specified in a protocol, or set in advance, or trained by the LMF, or trained by a third-party device other than the LMF, and the input model of the trained AI model is configured for the LMF. This is not limited. The third-party device may include other core network devices other than the LMF, such as the AMF.

[0138] In this embodiment of the present application, the method for training the AI ​​model includes, but is not limited to, machine learning methods such as supervised learning, unsupervised learning, or reinforcement learning. For ease of understanding, the following describes the above three machine learning methods by using examples. The description is not intended to limit the embodiment of the present application.

[0139] 1. Supervised learning

[0140] Supervised learning uses collected training samples and sample labels to learn a mapping relationship between the training samples and the sample labels by using a machine learning algorithm, and then uses a model to represent the learned mapping relationship. For example, in this embodiment of the present application, a first model can represent a mapping relationship between measurement results and UE location information, and the model training process can be considered a mapping relationship learning process. Through supervised learning, the mapping relationship represented by the trained model can be a linear mapping relationship, a nonlinear mapping relationship, etc. Learning tasks can be classified into classification tasks and regression tasks based on the sample label type. In supervised learning, during training, the error between the model's predicted value and the sample label can be determined. If the error between the model's predicted value and the sample label is equal to or greater than a preset value, the model parameters are optimized or adjusted, and training continues for the model with optimized or adjusted parameters. If the difference between the model's predicted value and the sample label is smaller than the predicted value, training is considered complete.

[0141] 2. Unsupervised learning

[0142] Unsupervised learning uses collected training samples and machine learning algorithms to explore the underlying patterns of the training samples. In unsupervised learning, a type of algorithm uses the training samples as supervised signals, i.e., sample labels. The mapping relationship between the training samples and the training samples in model learning is called self-supervised learning. In self-supervised learning, during training, the error between the model's predicted value and the training samples is calculated to optimize the model parameters until the error between the model's output and the training samples is smaller than a preset value and the model training is completed.

[0143] 3. Reinforcement Learning

[0144] Reinforcement learning is an algorithm that learns problem-solving strategies through interaction with the environment. Reinforcement learning is different from supervised learning. Reinforcement learning does not have specific sample labels. Reinforcement learning algorithms need to interact with the environment to obtain reward signals fed back by the environment, and then adjust the model's decision behavior to obtain better reward signals. Reinforcement learning learns the mapping relationship between the environmental status and decision behavior. However, the model cannot be optimized based on the error between the decision behavior and the "correct action." This is because a specific sample label ("correct action") cannot be obtained. Reinforcement learning training optimizes model parameters through iterative interaction with the environment until the environmental reward signal obtained by the decision behavior output by the model satisfies the requirements.

[0145] Supervised learning is used as an example. The AI ​​model training process includes determining the location information of the UE by using training samples and an AI model, and optimizing or adjusting the AI ​​model based on the location information of the UE and the labels corresponding to the training samples.

[0146] The above AI model training process may be an iterative process. For example, in the initial model training process, the AI ​​model is an initial model, and the initial model is preset, set in advance, or specified in a protocol. This is not limited. The initial model training process includes inputting training samples into the AI ​​model, and the output of the AI ​​model is UE location information. Alternatively, information obtained after the training samples are processed may be used as the input of the AI ​​model, and the UE location information is determined after the information output by the AI ​​model is processed. This is not limited. The label corresponding to the training sample is considered to be the "correct UE location information" corresponding to the training sample. Based on the UE location information output by the AI ​​model and the "correct UE location information," an error between the two is determined. Optionally, the error between the two can be measured by using a loss function. It is determined whether the error between the two is smaller than a preset threshold (or whether a target requirement is satisfied), and if the error is smaller than the preset threshold (or whether the target requirement is satisfied), the model training is considered to be complete. If the error is equal to or greater than a preset threshold (or the target requirement is not satisfied), the parameters of the AI ​​model may be adjusted. For example, the AI ​​model is a neural network learning model. Adjusting the parameters of the AI ​​model includes adjusting one or more of the number of layers of the neural network, the width, the weights of neurons, the parameters of the activation functions of neurons, etc. The AI ​​model whose parameters have been adjusted can be regarded as the AI ​​model obtained in the first model training. A second model training follows for the AI ​​model whose parameters have been adjusted. The second model training process is similar to the first model training process described above.For example, the second model training process includes determining the location information of the UE based on the training samples and the model of the first model training (the model may continue to be referred to as the AI ​​model), determining the error between the location information output by the AI ​​model and the labels corresponding to the training samples, and adjusting the parameters of the AI ​​model if the error between the two is smaller than a preset threshold (or the target requirement is not satisfied), and continuing the third model training; or completing the model training if the error between the two is equal to or greater than the preset threshold (or the target requirement is satisfied). Optionally, the training samples may be collected from the UE or the base station. This is not a limitation. The training samples include measurement results, and the measurement results may include all of the first measurement results and / or all or part of the second measurement results. This is not a limitation.

[0147] Optionally, the procedure of FIG. 11 further includes the LMF receiving a location request from the location requesting device. The LMF determines first information based on the location request, where the first information indicates a first threshold value of the first condition. As described above, the first information may be transmitted by the LMF to the UE. The LMF transmits the location information of the UE to the location requesting device.

[0148] The location requesting device may be a server, or a chip, circuit, etc. used in the server. For example, when a map navigation software server wants to learn the location information of a specific UE, the server may send a location request to the LMF, where the location request includes an identifier of the UE. Optionally, the location request may further include, for example, the location accuracy. The LMF may determine a first threshold of the first condition based on the location accuracy. For example, if a higher location accuracy requirement is required, the first threshold is set to a higher value, or if a lower location accuracy requirement is required, the first threshold is set to a lower value. This is not limited. Alternatively, the LMF may determine a location mode based on the location request, and the LMF determines the first information based on the location mode. Optionally, the location mode may include a CFR fingerprint location mode, a CIR fingerprint location mode, an RSRP fingerprint location mode, a field strength fingerprint location mode, etc. Different location modes may correspond to different location accuracy. The LMF may determine the first threshold etc. based on the location mode, and the LMF indicates the first threshold to the UE by using the first information. In the design, the positioning request sent by the positioning requesting device includes indication information such as positioning accuracy, and the LMF can determine a positioning mode that satisfies the above positioning accuracy requirements based on the indication information.

[0149] Alternatively, the location requesting device may be a UE, or a chip, circuit, etc. used in the UE. For example, when the UE needs to obtain its location information, the UE may send a location request to the LMF. For example, when map navigation software is installed in the UE and the UE needs to obtain its location information, the UE may send a location request to the LMF. The LMF triggers downlink positioning or uplink positioning. For example, the LMF triggers downlink positioning. The LMF may indicate a first threshold to the UE to instruct the base station to transmit a downlink reference signal. The UE measures a downlink reference signal from the base station and reports all or part of the measurement results to the LMF based on the first threshold and a determination result of a metric corresponding to the measurement results. The LMF determines UE location information based on all or part of the reported measurement results, and then transmits the UE location information to the UE. This is not limited. Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the UE may directly send a positioning request to the LMF, or the UE may send a positioning request to a server (e.g., a server of map navigation software), and the server forwards the positioning request to the LMF. For example, the map navigation software installed in the UE needs to obtain the location information of the UE. The UE sends a positioning request to a server corresponding to the map navigation software, and the server corresponding to the map navigation software forwards the positioning request to the LMF.

[0150] In this application, the first information may explicitly indicate the first threshold, or may implicitly indicate the first information, etc. This is not limited. Optionally, in addition to indicating the first threshold, the first information may further explicitly or implicitly indicate a metric corresponding to the first threshold. In the design, the first condition is that the SINR is greater than 30 dB, the metric is the SINR, and the first threshold is 30 dB. The process by which the LMF indicates the first threshold and / or the metric is described below as an example.

[0151] 1. A first threshold and a first metric corresponding to each positioning mode are predefined, i.e., a correspondence between each positioning mode and the first threshold and metric is predefined. In this design, the LMF may send an identifier of the determined positioning mode to the UE. The UE may determine a metric, a first threshold, etc. corresponding to the identifier of the positioning mode based on the identifier of the positioning mode. In this design, the first information may carry an indication of the positioning mode.

[0152] 2. The first threshold is predefined. For example, a correspondence between the metric and the first threshold is predefined. In a design, after determining the metric, the LMF may indicate the metric to the UE. The UE determines the first threshold based on the metric indicated by the LMF and the correspondence between the metric and the first threshold. In this design, the first information may carry an indication of the metric. Optionally, the first information may further carry an indication of a positioning mode.

[0153] 3. A metric is predefined. For example, a correspondence between the first threshold and the metric is predefined. In a design, after determining the first threshold, the LMF indicates the first threshold to the UE. The UE determines the metric based on the first threshold indicated by the LMF and the correspondence between the first threshold and the metric. In this design, the first information may carry an indication of the first threshold. Optionally, the first information may further carry an indication of a positioning mode.

[0154] 4. Neither the first threshold nor the metric is predefined. The LMF needs to indicate the first threshold and the metric individually to the UE. In this design, the first information may carry an indication of the first threshold and an indication of the metric. For example, the first information may carry two indications, each indicating the first threshold and the metric. Alternatively, the first information may carry one indication, and the one indication may indicate both the first threshold and the metric. For example, associations between different first thresholds and different metrics may be established in advance, and an index is assigned to each of the first thresholds and metrics for which an association is established. In this case, the first information may carry the index.

[0155] An example is used in which the first measurement result or the second measurement result sent by the UE to the LMF is CFR. As shown in Figure 12, a downlink positioning procedure is provided, which includes the following steps:

[0156] Step 1201: A position requester sends a location request to the LMF, and the location request includes indication information of high-precision location requirements.

[0157] For the location request source, please refer to the description of the location request device in the above description. Optionally, the location request source may be a UE. The location request in step 1201 may be sent by using an application layer of the UE, or by using the built-in configuration of the UE, etc. This is not limited thereto.

[0158] Step 1202: The LMF determines a CFR fingerprint location mode based on the location request, and determines a first threshold value based on the CFR fingerprint location mode, where the first threshold value may be an SINR threshold value.

[0159] Step 1203: The LMF sends first information to the UE, where the first information indicates an SINR threshold.

[0160] Step 1204: The LMF sends instruction information to the base station, and the instruction information instructs the base station to send a downlink reference signal to the UE. In the procedure of Figure 12, an example is used in which the downlink reference signal is a PRS. In the following description, an example is used in which the base station periodically sends the PRS to the UE. The PRS sent by the base station to the UE in the first period is called PRS1, and the PRS sent by the base station to the UE in the second period is called PRS2.

[0161] Step 1205: In the first period, the base station transmits PRS1 to the UE.

[0162] Step 1206: The UE measures PRS1 and determines the CFR corresponding to PRS1. For ease of distinction, the CFR corresponding to PRS1 may be referred to as CFR1. The UE sends the entire CFR1 to the LMF.

[0163] Optionally, CFR1 may be the CFR1 corresponding to all subcarriers of PRS1. For example, PRS1 occupies 4096 subcarriers in the frequency domain. The UE measures the CFR corresponding to each of the 4096 subcarriers. CFR1 is the CFR corresponding to the 4096 subcarriers.

[0164] Step 1207: The LMF determines the location information of the UE based on the AI ​​model and the CFR1, and stores the location information of the UE and the CFR1. For ease of distinction, the location information of the UE determined based on the CFR1 fed back by the UE is referred to as location information 1 of the UE.

[0165] Step 1208: The LMF sends the location result to the location requester, and the location result includes the location information 1 of the UE.

[0166] Step 1209: In the second period, the base station sends PRS2 to the UE.

[0167] Step 1210: The UE measures PRS2 and determines a CFR corresponding to PRS2. For ease of distinction, the CFR corresponding to PRS2 may be referred to as CFR2.

[0168] Step 1211: The UE determines the SINR corresponding to CFR1 according to the SINR threshold indicated by the LMF, and determines the CFR2 to be reported to the LMF according to the determination result.

[0169] For example, if the SINR corresponding to CFR1 is equal to or greater than the SINR threshold indicated by the LMF, this indicates that the UE's ability to report its location based on the channel measurement results between the UE and the base station is relatively strong. In this case, during positioning in the second period, the UE may feed back a CFR with a coarser sampling granularity to the LMF for positioning. For example, if the SINR measured in the first period is equal to or greater than the SINR threshold indicated by the LMF, the UE may report the CFR2 of some subcarriers to the LMF. For example, if PRS2 occupies 4096 subcarriers in the frequency domain, the UE can measure the CFR2 of PRS2 at one subcarrier interval, and the UE feeds back the CFR2 of 2048 subcarriers to the LMF. Alternatively, the UE may report the CFR2 of some antenna ports to the LMF. For a case where the SINR corresponding to CFR2 is smaller than the SINR threshold indicated by the LMF, see the description of FIG. 13.

[0170] It can be understood that in this embodiment of the present application, if the SINR of CFR1 is equal to or greater than the SINR threshold, the UE reports a portion of CFR2 to the LMF. In a design, the UE may measure the entire CFR2. However, in the above case, the UE reports a portion of CFR2 to the base station. For example, the UE may measure the CFR2 of 4096 subcarriers, but report the CFR2 of 2048 subcarriers to the LMF. Alternatively, the UE may measure the CFR2 of all antenna ports, but report the CFR2 of some antenna ports to the LMF. Alternatively, in another design, the UE may measure a portion of CFR2 and report the measured portion of CFR2 to the LMF. For example, the UE may measure the CFR2 of 2048 subcarriers, but not measure the corresponding CFR2 of the remaining 2048 subcarriers. For example, among the 4096 subcarriers, the UE may measure CFR2 once per subcarrier interval. Alternatively, the UE measures the CFR2 of some antenna ports and does not measure the CFR2 corresponding to other antenna ports. The UE measures part of the CFR2. Compared with measuring the entire CFR2 by the UE, this can reduce the power consumption of the UE.

[0171] Step 1212: The UE sends CFR2 to the LMF.

[0172] Step 1213: The LMF determines the location information of the UE based on the AI ​​model, CFR1, the UE location information 1, and CFR2, where the UE location information may be referred to as the UE location information 2.

[0173] Step 1214: The UE sends the location result to the LMF, where the location result includes location information 2 of the UE.

[0174] In the above design, an AI model is deployed on the LMF side for downlink positioning. The UE measures a downlink reference signal transmitted by a base station and reports the measurement results to the LMF. The LMF performs model inference based on the reported measurement results and the AI ​​model to determine the UE's location information. The LMF instructs the UE on an SINR threshold. The UE adaptively adjusts the measurement results fed back to the LMF based on past measurement results and the SINR threshold. If the UE's past measurement results are equal to or greater than the SINR threshold, the UE feeds back part of the measurement results to the LMF to reduce the UE's air interface overhead. The LMF side performs positioning using fewer measurement results.

[0175] As shown in Figure 13, an embodiment of the present application provides a downlink positioning procedure. The difference between this procedure and the procedure in Figure 12 is that this procedure emphasizes the case where the SINR corresponding to CFR1 is smaller than the SINR threshold indicated by LMF. The procedure includes the following steps:

[0176] Step 1301: The location requester sends a location request to the LMF.

[0177] Step 1302: The LMF determines a CFR fingerprint location mode based on the location request, and determines a first threshold value based on the CFR fingerprint location mode, where the first threshold value may be an SINR threshold value.

[0178] Step 1303: The LMF sends first information to the UE, where the first information indicates an SINR threshold.

[0179] Step 1304: The LMF sends indication information to the base station, where the indication information instructs the base station to send a downlink reference signal to the UE.

[0180] Step 1305: In the first period, the base station sends PRS1 to the UE.

[0181] Step 1306: The UE measures PRS1, determines CFR1 corresponding to PRS1, and sends the whole of CFR1 to the LMF.

[0182] Step 1307: The LMF determines the location information 1 of the UE according to the AI ​​model and the CFR1, and stores the location information 1 and the CFR1 of the UE.

[0183] Step 1308: The LMF sends the location result to the location requester, and the location result includes the location information 1 of the UE.

[0184] Step 1309: The UE determines the SINR corresponding to CFR1 according to the SINR threshold indicated by the LMF, and determines the CFR2 to be reported to the LMF according to the determination result.

[0185] For example, if the SINR corresponding to CFR1 is smaller than the SINR threshold indicated by the LMF, it indicates that the measurement results of the UE have a relatively weak ability to represent the UE's location. In this case, the UE requests a PRS2 with an extended configuration from the base station or the LMF, and the PRS2 with the extended configuration satisfies one or more of increasing the transmission power for PRS1, increasing the number of antenna ports for PRS1, or increasing the time-frequency resources for PRS1.

[0186] It can be understood that the UE may request PRS2 with extended configuration from the LMF. Upon receiving the request, the LMF may instruct the base station to transmit PRS2 with extended configuration to the UE in the second period. Alternatively, the UE may request PRS with extended configuration from the base station. In this case, the base station directly transmits PRS2 with extended configuration to the UE in the second period.

[0187] Step 1310: The UE sends a request message to the base station or the LMF, where the request message is used to request the LFM or the base station to configure PRS2 with an extended setting for the UE.

[0188] Step 1311: In a second period, the base station sends a PRS2 with an extended configuration to the UE.

[0189] Step 1312: The UE measures PRS2, determines that PRS2 corresponds to CFR2, and reports all or part of CFR2 to the LMF. For example, the UE reports the CFR2 of all subcarriers of PRS2, the CFR2 of all antenna ports, etc. to the LMF. This is not limited.

[0190] Step 1313: The LMF determines the location information of the UE based on the AI ​​model, CFR1, the UE location information 1, and CFR2, where the UE location information may be referred to as the UE location information 2.

[0191] Step 1314: The UE sends the location result to the LMF, where the location result includes location information 2 of the UE.

[0192] In the above design, the AI ​​model is deployed on the LMF side for downlink positioning. The UE measures the downlink reference signal transmitted by the base station and reports the measurement results to the LMF. The LMF performs model inference based on the reported measurement results and the AI ​​model to determine the UE's location information. The LMF instructs the UE on an SINR threshold. The UE requests a downlink reference signal with an extended configuration from the base station or the LMF by using the past measurement results and the SINR threshold. The UE obtains measurement results with higher accuracy based on the downlink reference signal with the extended configuration to achieve high-precision UE positioning.

[0193] As shown in Figure 14, the first solution is applied to uplink positioning, and an example is used in which the first communication device is a base station, the second communication device is a UE, and the location management device is an LMF. An uplink positioning procedure is provided, which includes the following steps:

[0194] Step 1401: The base station separately measures a first reference signal and a second reference signal from the UE, and determines a first measurement result of the first reference signal and a second measurement result of the second reference signal.

[0195] In uplink positioning, the first and second reference signals are uplink reference signals, such as SRS. Optionally, the first measurement result is CFR, CIR, or RSRP, and the second measurement result is CFR, CIR, RSRP, etc. This is not limited.

[0196] Step 1402: The base station determines whether a first metric corresponding to a first measurement result satisfies a first condition.

[0197] For example, the UE determines a first metric based on a first measurement result, where the first metric includes one or more of an SINR, a first path power, an RSRP, etc. The first condition includes a first threshold, where the first threshold includes one or more of an SINR threshold, a first path power threshold, an RSRP threshold, etc. The first condition specifically is that the first metric is equal to or greater than the first threshold (or is greater than the first threshold). In other words, when the first metric is equal to or greater than the first threshold (or is greater than the first threshold), the determination result is that the first metric satisfies the first condition. Alternatively, when the first metric is less than the first threshold (or less than or equal to the first threshold), the determination result is that the first metric does not satisfy the first condition.

[0198] Optionally, the first threshold may be specified in a protocol, or may be set in advance, or may be set for the base station, etc., by the base station, the LMF, etc. This is not limited. For example, the LMF sets the first threshold for the base station. The method further includes the base station receiving first information from the LMF, the first information indicating the first threshold for the first condition.

[0199] Step 1403: Based on the determination result, the base station sends all or part of the second measurement result to the LMF, and all or part of the second measurement result is used to determine the location information of the UE based on the AI ​​method.

[0200] In a design, the determination result is that the first metric satisfies the first condition, and the base station transmits a portion of the second measurement results to the LMF. For example, if the determination result satisfies the first condition, that is, if the first metric corresponding to the first measurement results is greater than or equal to the first threshold, this indicates that the measurement results have a relatively strong ability to represent the UE's location. In this case, the base station may transmit a portion of the second measurement results to the LMF. The portion of the second measurement results may be second measurement results of some transmit antenna ports or some receive antenna ports, second measurement results of some subcarriers, etc. This is not limited. In implementation, the base station measures the average power of receiving the second reference signal through each antenna port and transmits, to the LMF, the second measurement results corresponding to antenna ports whose average power is greater than the threshold.

[0201] Alternatively, the base station transmits first configuration information to the UE, where the first configuration information is used to configure the UE to receive a second reference signal having a reduced configuration. Optionally, the second reference signal having a reduced configuration satisfies one or more of: a lower transmit power for the first reference signal; a reduced number of antenna ports for the first reference signal; or a reduced time-frequency resource for the first reference signal. Then, the base station transmits all or part of a second measurement result of the second reference signal having the reduced configuration to the LMF.

[0202] In the above design, if a first metric corresponding to a first measurement result of the base station measurement is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the base station reduces the configuration of the second reference signal. The reduced second reference signal includes one or more of reducing time-frequency resources for the first reference signal, reducing the number of antenna ports for the first reference signal, lowering the transmit power for the first reference signal, etc. The UE transmits the second reference signal with the reduced configuration to the base station based on the above configuration. The base station measures the second reference signal with the reduced configuration and determines a second measurement result. In this embodiment of the present application, the base station may transmit all or part of the second measurement result to the LMF. This is not limited. For example, in implementation, the base station may transmit all of the second measurement result to the LMF. This design differs from the previous design. In the previous design, if the determination result satisfies the first condition, the base station directly transmits part of the second measurement result to the LFM without changing the configuration of the second reference signal. In other words, in the previous design, the configuration of the first reference signal and the second reference signal can be considered to be the same. In the above design, the base station transmits a portion of the second measurement results to the LMF, thereby reducing transmission overhead between the base station and the LMF. However, a difference in this design is that the base station configures the UE to transmit a second reference signal with a reduced configuration compared to the first reference signal, and the base station transmits all or a portion of the second measurement results of the second reference signal with the reduced configuration to the LMF. For example, the base station may configure the UE to transmit a 4-comb first reference signal, where 4-comb means that a frequency domain resource of a specified size is allocated to four UEs for use, with each UE occupying 1 / 4 of the frequency domain resource. If the base station determines that the first metric of the first reference signal is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the base station may configure the UE to transmit an 8-comb second reference signal, where 8-comb means that a frequency domain resource of a specified size is allocated to eight UEs for use, with each UE occupying 1 / 8 of the frequency domain resource. In this design, the UE transmits the second reference signal to the base station in a reduced configuration, which reduces the air interface overhead between the UE and the base station, and reduces the UE power consumption, etc.Furthermore, since the second reference signal has a reduced configuration compared to the first reference signal, the air interface overhead of the second measurement result corresponding to the second reference signal is usually small. Therefore, the transmission overhead between the base station and the LMF can also be reduced by using the above design.

[0203] In another design, if the determination result is that the first metric does not satisfy the first condition, the base station transmits all of the second measurement results to the LMF. Alternatively, the base station transmits second configuration information to the UE, and the second configuration information is used to configure the second reference signal with an extended configuration. Optionally, in this embodiment of the present application, the second reference signal may be a second reference signal with an extended configuration. The second reference signal with an extended configuration satisfies one or more of an increase in transmit power relative to the first reference signal, an increase in the number of antenna ports for the first reference signal, or an increase in time-frequency resources for the first reference signal. The UE transmits the second reference signal with the extended configuration to the base station based on the configuration of the second configuration information. The base station measures the second reference signal with the reduced configuration and determines second measurement results, and the base station transmits all or part of the second measurement results to the LMF.

[0204] According to the above design, if the determination result is that the first measurement result does not satisfy the first condition, which indicates that the measurement result has a relatively weak ability to represent the UE's location, the base station may report all of the second measurement result to the LMF. Alternatively, the base station may configure the UE to transmit a second reference signal with an extended setting compared to the first reference signal, and the measurement result corresponding to the second reference signal with the extended setting generally has a higher ability to represent the UE's location, so the base station reports the second measurement result of the second reference signal with the extended setting to the LMF, and the LMF estimates the UE's location information with higher accuracy based on the second measurement result.

[0205] Optionally, if the first reference signal is an initial period or an initial reference signal, the method further includes the base station transmitting all of the first measurement results of the first reference signal to the LMF. For the initial period or the initial reference signal, please refer to the description of the downlink positioning procedure. The difference from the downlink positioning procedure is that in the uplink positioning procedure, the UE transmits an uplink reference signal to the base station. When the UE periodically transmits an uplink reference signal to the base station, the reference signal in the initial period is the uplink reference signal transmitted by the UE to the base station in the first period. Optionally, the UE transmits one or more uplink reference signals to the base station in each period. This is not limited. Alternatively, the present application does not limit whether the UE periodically transmits an uplink reference signal to the base station. The initial reference signal may be an initial reference signal transmitted by the UE to the base station when the UE accesses the base station, or an initial reference signal transmitted by the UE to the base station by using the serving cell when the UE accesses the cell of the base station and the cell is used as the serving cell of the UE, or an initial reference signal transmitted after receiving an instruction from the base station, etc., which are not limited thereto.

[0206] In the design, if the first measurement result or the second measurement result is RSRP, the implementation includes: in the first measurement, the UE individually transmits an uplink reference signal to X base stations, and each of the X base stations measures the uplink reference signal transmitted by the UE to determine a corresponding measurement result, where the measurement result includes RSRP. The X base stations individually report the corresponding measurement results to the LMF. If the LMF finds that the measurement results reported by Z base stations among the X base stations are equal to or greater than the RSRP threshold, in the second measurement, the LMF can instruct Y base stations among the Z base stations to report the measurement results, and the other base stations may not report the measurement results. The method of selecting Y base stations from Z base stations is not limited. For example, Y base stations may be randomly selected from Z base stations, or Y base stations with top-ranked measurement result values ​​may be selected, or Y base stations may be selected based on other algorithms. This is not limited.

[0207] Step 1404: The LMF determines location information of the UE based on all or part of the AI ​​model and the second measurement result.

[0208] In design, all or part of the second measurement results are used as inputs to the AI ​​model or are used to determine the inputs of the AI ​​model, and the output of the AI ​​model is used as location information of the UE or is used to determine the location information of the UE. For the process by which the LMF infers the location information of the UE based on all or part of the AI ​​model and the second measurement results, please refer to the description of the downlink positioning procedure above.

[0209] Optionally, the method further includes the LMF receiving a positioning request from the position requesting device. The LMF determines first information indicating a first threshold value of the first condition based on the positioning request. The LMF transmits the location information of the UE to the position requesting device. Optionally, the process of the LMF determining the first information based on the positioning request includes the LMF determining a positioning mode based on the positioning request, and the LMF determining the first information based on the positioning mode, etc. For specific processes, please refer to the description of the downlink positioning procedure above. Details will not be described again here.

[0210] An example is used in which the first measurement result or the second measurement result sent by the base station to the LMF is the CIR. As shown in Figure 15, an uplink positioning procedure is provided, which includes the following steps:

[0211] Step 1501: A position requester sends a location request to the LMF, and the location request includes indication information of high-precision location requirements.

[0212] Step 1502: The LMF determines a CIR fingerprint location mode based on the location request, and determines a first threshold value based on the CIR fingerprint location mode, where the first threshold value may be a first path power threshold value.

[0213] Step 1503: The LMF sends first information to the base station, where the first information indicates a first path power threshold.

[0214] Step 1504: The LMF sends instruction information to the base station, where the instruction information instructs the base station to configure the UE to transmit a 4-comb uplink reference signal. In the procedure of Figure 15, an example is used in which the uplink reference signal is an SRS.

[0215] Step 1505: The base station sends first setting information to the UE, where the first setting information is used to configure the UE to transmit the 4-comb SRS.

[0216] Step 1506: The UE sends a 4-comb SRS to the base station according to the configuration of the first configuration information.

[0217] Step 1507: The base station measures the 4-comb SRS and determines a first measurement result, where the first measurement result may be referred to as CIR1, and the base station reports the entire CIR1 of the measurement to the LMF.

[0218] Step S1508: The LMF determines the location information of the UE according to the AI ​​model and CIR1, and stores the CIR1 and the location information of the UE.

[0219] Step 1509: The LMF sends the location result to the location requester, and the location result includes the location information 1 of the UE.

[0220] Step 1510: The base station determines the first path power corresponding to CIR1 according to the first path power threshold indicated by the LMF, and determines the frequency domain density of SRS in the current positioning according to the determination result.

[0221] In the design, if the first path power corresponding to CIR1 is equal to or greater than the first path power threshold indicated by the LMF, it indicates that the base station's measurement results have a relatively strong ability to represent the UE's location. In this case, the frequency domain density of the SRS set by the base station for the UE in the current positioning is lower than the frequency domain density of the SRS set for the UE in the previous positioning (the frequency domain density of the SRS in the previous positioning is 4-comb SRS). In the procedure of FIG. 15, an example in which the base station sets an 8-comb SRS for the UE in the current positioning is used for explanation.

[0222] In another design, if the first path power corresponding to CIR1 is equal to or greater than the first path power threshold indicated by the LMF, it indicates that the base station's measurement results have a relatively weak ability to represent the UE's location. In this case, the frequency domain density of the SRS configured by the base station for the UE in the current positioning is higher than the frequency domain density of the SRS configured for the UE in the previous positioning. In the procedure of FIG. 15, an example in which the base station configures a two-comb SRS for the UE in the current positioning is used for explanation. The two-comb SRS means that a specified frequency domain resource is allocated to two UEs for use, with each UE occupying half of the frequency domain resource.

[0223] Step 1511: The base station sends second configuration information to the UE, where the second configuration information is used to configure the UE to send a 2-comb SRS or an 8-comb SRS.

[0224] In step 1511, if the first path power measured in the first period is greater than or equal to the first path power threshold, the base station configures an 8-comb SRS for the UE, or if the first path power measured in the first period is less than the first path power threshold, the base station configures a 2-comb SRS for the UE.

[0225] Step 1512: The UE sends a 2-comb SRS or an 8-comb SRS to the base station according to the second configuration information.

[0226] Step 1513: The base station measures the 2-comb SRS or the 8-comb SRS, determines the CIR2, and reports the total of the CIR2 to the LMF.

[0227] Step 1514: The LMF determines the location information 2 of the UE based on the location information 1, CIR1, CIR2, and the AI ​​model of the UE.

[0228] Step 1515: The LMF sends the location result to the location requestor, where the location result includes the location information 2 of the UE.

[0229] According to the above design, an AI model is deployed on the LMF side for uplink positioning. The LMF instructs a base station on a first path power threshold, and the base station adaptively adjusts the frequency domain density of the SRS transmitted by the UE to the base station based on the first path power threshold instructed by the LMF and past measurement results. If the first path power previously measured by the base station is equal to or greater than the first path power threshold, the base station configures an SRS with a lower frequency domain density for the UE. Since the overhead of the base station transmitting measurement results of an SRS with a lower frequency domain density to the LMF is usually smaller than the overhead of measurement information of an SRS with a higher frequency domain density, the overhead of the base station transmitting measurement results to the LMF is reduced. Alternatively, if the first path power previously measured by the base station is lower than the first path power threshold, the base station configures an SRS with a higher frequency domain density for the UE, and the base station transmits measurement results of the SRS with a higher frequency domain density to the LMF, so that the LMF performs high-accuracy positioning for the UE.

[0230] As shown in Figure 16, an embodiment of the present application provides an uplink positioning procedure. The difference between this procedure and the procedure of Figure 15 is that in the first positioning, the base station sends the CFR1 of all antenna ports to the LMF, and in the second positioning, if the first path power corresponding to CIR1 is equal to or greater than the first path power threshold indicated by the LMF, the base station sends the CFR2 of some antenna ports to the LMF. The procedure includes the following steps:

[0231] Step 1601: A location requester sends a location request to the LMF, and the location request includes an indication of high-precision location requirements.

[0232] Step 1602: The LMF determines a CIR fingerprint location mode based on the location request, and determines a first threshold value based on the CIR fingerprint location mode, where the first threshold value may be a first path power threshold value.

[0233] Step 1603: The LMF sends first information to the base station, where the first information indicates a first path power threshold.

[0234] Step 1604: The LMF sends instruction information to the base station, where the instruction information instructs the base station to configure the UE to transmit a 4-comb uplink reference signal. In the procedure of Figure 16, an example is used in which the uplink reference signal is an SRS.

[0235] Step 1605: The base station sends first setting information to the UE, where the first setting information is used to configure the UE to transmit the 4-comb SRS.

[0236] Step 1606: The UE sends a 4-comb SRS to the base station according to the configuration of the first configuration information.

[0237] Step 1607: The base station measures the 4-comb SRS and reports the CIR1 of all measured antenna ports to the LMF.

[0238] Step 1608: The LMF determines location information 1 of the UE based on the AI ​​model and CIR1, and stores CIR1 and location information 1 of the UE.

[0239] Step 1609: The LMF sends the location result to the location requester, and the location result includes the location information 1 of the UE.

[0240] Step 1610: The UE sends a 4-comb SRS to the base station according to the configuration of the first configuration information.

[0241] Step 1611: The base station determines the first path power of CIR1 according to the first path power threshold indicated by the LMF, and determines the CIR to be fed back to the LMF in the current positioning according to the determination result.

[0242] In the design, if the first path power corresponding to CIR1 is equal to or greater than the first path power threshold indicated by the LMF, it indicates that the base station's measurement results have a relatively strong ability to represent the UE's location. In this case, in the current positioning, the base station transmits CFR2 of some antenna ports to the LMF. The some antenna ports may be some antenna ports whose SRS reception power by the base station is equal to or greater than a preset power, or the base station's antenna ports are sorted based on the SRS reception power. The base station feeds back to the LMF the CIR2 of the first half of the antenna ports with high reception power. In the flowchart of FIG. 16, the process is highlighted.

[0243] In another design, if the first path power corresponding to CIR1 is lower than the first path power threshold indicated by the LMF, it indicates that the ability of the UE measurement results to represent the UE's location is relatively weak. In this case, in the current positioning, the base station feeds back CFR2 of all antenna ports to the LMF. Alternatively, similar to the process of FIG. 15 , the base station sends second configuration information to the UE, and the second configuration information is used to configure the UE to transmit 2-comb SRS, etc.

[0244] Step 1612: The LMF determines the UE's location information 2 based on the UE's location information 1, CIR1, CIR2, and the AI ​​model.

[0245] Step 1613: The UE sends the location result to the location requester, where the location result includes location information 2 of the UE.

[0246] According to the above design, an AI model is deployed on the LMF side for uplink positioning. The LMF instructs the base station on a first path power threshold, and the base station adaptively adjusts the measurement results fed back to the LMF based on the first path power threshold indicated by the LMF and past measurement results. For example, if the previously measured first path power is lower than the first path power threshold indicated by the LMF, the base station feeds back part of the measurement results to the LMF, thereby reducing transmission overhead.

[0247] In this application, it can be understood that:

[0248] 1. In each procedure, the differences between the different procedures are highlighted. Please refer to each other for descriptions of the different procedures.

[0249] 2. The order of steps in the procedure is not limited. For example, in the procedure of FIG. 12, step 1211 may alternatively be performed before steps 1209 and 1210. In other words, in the first period, the UE may determine whether the SINR corresponding to CFR1 is equal to or greater than the SINR threshold, and then determine to transmit all or part of CFR2 to the LMF in the second period. In the second period, the UE measures PRS2 transmitted by the base station and determines CFR2 corresponding to PRS2, and then reports all or part of PSR2 to the base station based on the determination result in the first period. This is not limited.

[0250] 3. The following describes "instructions." The instructions may explicitly indicate corresponding information or may implicitly indicate corresponding information, etc. This is not limited thereto. For example, in the specification of this application, first information indicates a first threshold value. The first information may explicitly indicate the first threshold value. For example, the first information carries the first threshold value. Alternatively, the first information may implicitly indicate the first threshold value. For example, the first information carries an identifier, instruction information, etc. corresponding to the first threshold value, and the identifier, instruction information, etc. may implicitly or indirectly indicate the first threshold value, etc.

[0251] 4. The application scenario of the positioning method provided herein is not limited. The positioning method is applied to a wireless communication system, and the positioning of a UE is merely an example for explanation. For example, the positioning method provided herein may also be applied to a Wi-Fi system, and a terminal in the Wi-Fi system may be located by using the positioning method.

[0252] It can be understood that to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the UE, the base station, the LMF, the location requester, etc. include corresponding hardware and / or software modules for performing each function. Those skilled in the art will easily realize that, in combination with the example units and method steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented by using hardware or a combination of hardware and software modules. Whether the functions are performed by hardware or hardware driven by computer software depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0253] 17 and 18 are diagrams of possible communication device structures according to embodiments of the present application. These communication devices may be configured to implement one or more corresponding functions in the above method embodiments, such as functions implemented by one or more of a UE, a base station, an LMF, or a location requester. Thus, the advantageous effects of the above method embodiments may be realized.

[0254] 17, the communications device 1700 includes a processing unit 1710 and a transceiver unit 1720. The communications device 1700 is configured to implement one or more functions in the above method embodiments, such as functions implemented by one or more of a UE, a base station, an LMF, or a location requester.

[0255] For example, in downlink positioning, the communication device 1700 is configured to implement the functions of the UE in Figure 11, Figure 12, or Figure 13, and the transceiver unit 1720 is configured to individually measure a first reference signal and a second reference signal from a base station and determine a first measurement result of the first reference signal and a second measurement result of the second reference signal, the processing unit 1710 is configured to determine whether a first metric corresponding to the first measurement result satisfies a first condition, and based on the determination result, control the transceiver unit 1720 to send all or part of the second measurement result to a location management device, and all or part of the second measurement result is used to determine location information of the communication device or base station based on an artificial intelligence (AI) method.

[0256] For example, in uplink positioning, the communication device 1700 is configured to implement the functions of the base station in Figure 14, Figure 15, or Figure 16, and the transceiver unit 1720 is configured to individually measure a first reference signal and a second reference signal from a terminal and determine a first measurement result of the first reference signal and a second measurement result of the second reference signal, the processing unit 1710 is configured to determine whether a first metric corresponding to the first measurement result satisfies a first condition, and based on the determination result, control the transceiver unit 1720 to send all or a part of the second measurement result to a location management device, and all or a part of the second measurement result is used to determine location information of the communication device or terminal based on an artificial intelligence (AI) method.

[0257] In a design, when the communication device 1700 is configured to implement the functions of the base station in FIGS. 11 to 16, the transceiver unit 1720 is configured to send first setting information to the UE, where the first setting information is used to configure a first reference signal, and the transceiver unit 1720 is further configured to send second setting information to the UE, where the second setting information is used to configure a second reference signal with a reduced setting or a second reference signal with an extended setting.

[0258] 11 to 16 , the transceiver unit 1720 is configured to transmit first information to the first communication device, the first information indicating a first threshold value for a first condition, the first condition being used to determine a first measurement result of a first reference signal, the determination result being used to determine to report all or a portion of a second measurement result of a second reference signal, the transceiver unit 1720 is configured to receive all or a portion of the second measurement result of the second reference signal from the first communication device, and the processing unit 1710 is configured to determine location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on all or a portion of the second measurement result and the artificial intelligence (AI) model. Optionally, in downlink positioning, the first communication device is a UE or a chip or circuit used in the UE. In uplink positioning, the first communication device is a base station or a chip, circuit, etc. used in the base station.

[0259] In design, the communication device 1700 is configured to implement the functionality of the location requester in Figure 12, 13, 15, or 16, and the transceiver unit 1720 is configured to send a location request to the location management device and receive location information of the first communication device or the second communication device from the location management device. Optionally, the location requesting device is an LMF, or a chip, circuit, etc. used in an LMF. This is not limited thereto.

[0260] For more detailed descriptions of the processing unit 1710 and the transceiver unit 1720, please directly refer to the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments, and the details will not be described again here.

[0261] 18 , the communication device 1800 includes a processor 1810 and an interface circuit 1820. The processor 1810 and the interface circuit 1820 are coupled to each other. It may be understood that the interface circuit 1820 may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication device 1800 may further include a memory 1830 configured to store instructions to be executed by the processor 1810, or to store input data required for the processor 1810 to execute the instructions, or to store data generated after the processor 1810 executes the instructions. Optionally, the processor 1810 may be configured to implement one or more functions in the above-described method embodiments.

[0262] Specifically, the processor 1810 may execute instructions in the memory 1830 to cause the communications device 1800 to implement one or more functions in the above method embodiments, e.g., functions implemented by one or more of a UE, a base station, an LMF, or a location requester.

[0263] When the communication device 1800 is configured to implement the methods shown in Figures 11 to 16, the processor 1810 is configured to implement the functions of the processing unit 1710 and the interface circuit 1820 is configured to implement the functions of the transceiver unit 1720.

[0264] When the communication device is a terminal or a chip used in the terminal, the terminal or the chip of the terminal may implement the functions of the UE in the above method embodiments. The chip of the terminal receives information from another module (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal, and the information is transmitted to the terminal by the base station, or the chip of the terminal transmits information to another module (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal, and the information is transmitted to the base station by the terminal.

[0265] When the communication device is a base station or a module used in a base station, the base station or a module of the base station may implement the functions of the base station in the above-described method embodiments. The module of the base station receives information from another module (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the base station, and the information is transmitted to the base station by a terminal, or the module of the base station transmits information to another module (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the base station, and the information is transmitted to the terminal by the base station. The module of the base station here may be a baseband chip in the base station, or may be a DU or another module. The DU here may be a DU in an open radio access network (O-RAN) architecture.

[0266] When the communication device is an LMF or a module used in the LMF, the LMF or the module of the LMF may implement the functions of the LMF in the above-described method embodiments. The LMF module receives information from another module (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the LMF, and the information is transmitted to the LMF module by a terminal or a base station. Alternatively, the LMF module transmits information to another module (e.g., a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the LMF, and the information is transmitted to the terminal or a base station by the LMF. The LMF module here may be a baseband chip in the LMF, or may be a separate module, etc. This is not limited thereto.

[0267] When the communication device is a location requester or a module used in the location requester, the location requester or the location requester module may implement the location requester function in the above method embodiments. The location requester module receives information from another module (radio frequency module or antenna), and the information is transmitted to the location requester module by the LMF, or the location requester module transmits information to another module (e.g., radio frequency module or antenna) within the location requester, and the information is transmitted to the terminal by the LMF. The location requester module here may be a baseband chip within the location requester, or may be a separate module, etc. This is not limited thereto.

[0268] It may be understood that in addition to a device or a chip used in a device in wireless communication, for example, a base station, a terminal, or an LMF as described above, a communication device may also be a device that assumes one or more functions of a base station, a terminal, an LMF, etc. in other communication systems, such as a Wi-Fi communication system. This is not limited in the present application. For example, in a Wi-Fi communication system, a device that assumes the function of a base station may be an access node, or a chip or circuit used in an access node. A device that assumes the function of a terminal may be a terminal, or a chip, circuit, etc. used in a terminal.

[0269] It will be understood that the processor in embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be another general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a transistor logic device, a hardware component, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0270] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application may be implemented in a hardware manner or in a manner in which a processor executes software instructions. The software instructions may include corresponding software modules. The software modules may be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable read-only memory, registers, hard disk, removable hard disk, CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. For example, the storage medium may be coupled to the processor, thereby allowing the processor to read information from or write information to the storage medium. Indeed, the storage medium may be components of the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. Furthermore, the ASIC may be located in a base station or a terminal. Indeed, the processor and the storage medium may alternatively reside as separate components in a communication device.

[0271] All or part of the above embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used to implement the embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be embodied in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the procedures or functions of the embodiments of the present application are executed. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a specialized computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from a computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transmitted from a website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wireless or wired communication. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a computer or a data storage device, such as a server or data center, incorporating one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media such as floppy disks, hard disks, or magnetic tape, or optical media such as digital video disks, or semiconductor media such as solid state drives. The computer readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include two types of storage media: volatile and non-volatile storage media.

[0272] In the embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or unless a logical contradiction occurs, elements and / or descriptions in different embodiments are consistent and may be referenced to each other. Technical features in different embodiments may be combined to form new embodiments based on inherent logical relationships.

[0273] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. Furthermore, "and / or" indicates an association relationship between related objects, and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three cases: only A exists, both A and B exist, and only B exists, where A and B may be singular or plural. In the text of this application, the character " / " indicates an "or" relationship between related objects. In formulas in this application, the character " / " indicates a "division" relationship between related objects. Furthermore, "comprising at least one of A, B, and C" can represent including A, including B, including C, including A and B, including A and C, including B and C, or including A, B, and C.

[0274] It can be understood that various numbers in the embodiments of the present application are only used for distinction to facilitate description, and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The sequence numbers of the above processes do not mean the execution order, and the execution order of the processes should be determined based on the functions and internal logic of the processes.

[0275] [CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims priority from Chinese Patent Application No. 202211462933.3, entitled "POSITIONING METHOD AND APPRATUS," filed with the China Intellectual Property Office on November 21, 2022, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims

1. A positioning method comprising: separately measuring a first reference signal and a second reference signal from a second communication device by a first communication device to determine a first measurement of the first reference signal and a second measurement of the second reference signal; determining, by the first communication device, whether a first metric corresponding to the first measurement satisfies a first condition; The first communication device sends all or part of the second measurement results to a location management device based on the determination result, and all or part of the second measurement results are used to determine location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on an artificial intelligence (AI) method. A method having the following.

2. receiving first information from the location management device or the second communication device by the first communication device; the first information indicates a first threshold value of the first condition; The method of claim 1.

3. the first threshold comprises one or more of a signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) threshold, a first path power threshold, or a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold; The method of claim 2.

4. The first measurement result or the second measurement result includes a channel frequency response (CFR), a channel impulse response (CIR), or an RSRP.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The use of all or part of the second measurement result to determine location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on an AI method, all or a portion of the second measurement results are used as input to an AI model or are used to determine an input to an AI model, and an output of the AI ​​model is used as the location information of the first communication device or the second communication device or is used to determine the location information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. and transmitting, by the first communication device, all or part of the second measurement result to a location management device based on a determination result. the first metric corresponding to the first measurement result satisfies the first condition; sending the portion of the second measurement results to the location management device by the first communication device.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. and transmitting, by the first communication device, all or part of the second measurement result to a location management device based on a determination result. the first metric corresponding to the first measurement result satisfies the first condition; sending first configuration information to the second communication device by the first communication device or receiving first configuration information from the second communication device by the first communication device, the first configuration information being used to configure the second reference signal at a reduced configuration; sending all or part of the second measurement results to the location management device by the first communication device; Including, 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

8. The second reference signal having a reduced setting is Reducing the transmission power for the first reference signal, reducing the number of antenna ports for the first reference signal, or reducing time-frequency resources for the first reference signal. satisfy one or more of the following: The method of claim 7.

9. and transmitting, by the first communication device, all or part of the second measurement result to a location management device based on a determination result. the first metric corresponding to the first measurement result does not satisfy the first condition; sending all of the second measurement results to the location management device by the first communication device; 6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

10. the first metric corresponding to the first measurement result does not satisfy the first condition; sending request information by the first communication device to the second communication device or the location management device, the request information being used to request an extended setting for the second reference signal; receiving second setting information from the second communication device or the location management device by the first communication device, and the second setting information being used to configure the second reference signal in an extended setting; 10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5 or 9, further comprising:

11. and further comprising: sending, by the first communication device, second configuration information to the second communication device, the second configuration information being used to configure the second reference signal in an extended configuration.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5 or 9.

12. the second reference signal is the second reference signal having an extended setting; 12. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, 9, 10, or 11.

13. The second reference signal having an extended setting is Increasing the transmission power for the first reference signal, increasing the number of antenna ports for the first reference signal, or increasing the time-frequency resources for the first reference signal. satisfy one or more of the following:

13. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12.

14. The first reference signal is an initial period or an initial reference signal, and the method comprises: and transmitting all of the first measurement results of the first reference signal by the first communication device to the location management device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A positioning method comprising: sending first configuration information by the second communication device to the first communication device, the first configuration information being used to configure a first reference signal; sending second setting information by the second communication device to the first communication device, and the second setting information being used to configure the second reference signal having a reduced setting or the second reference signal having an extended setting; A method having the following.

16. The second reference signal having a reduced setting is Reducing the transmission power for the first reference signal, reducing the number of antenna ports for the first reference signal, or reducing time-frequency resources for the first reference signal. having one or more of:

16. The method of claim 15.

17. The second reference signal having an extended setting is Increasing the transmission power for the first reference signal, increasing the number of antenna ports for the first reference signal, or increasing the time-frequency resources for the first reference signal. satisfy one or more of the following:

16. The method of claim 15.

18. receiving first information from a location management device by the second communication device, the first information indicating a first threshold value of a first condition, the first condition being used to determine a first measurement result of the first reference signal; 18. The method according to any one of claims 15 to 17.

19. the first threshold comprises one or more of a signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) threshold, a first path power threshold, or a reference signal received power (RSRP) threshold; 20. The method of claim 18.

20. A positioning method comprising: sending first information by the location management device to the first communication device, the first information indicating a first threshold value of a first condition, the first condition being used to determine a first measurement result of a first reference signal, and the determination result being used to determine whether to report all or a part of a second measurement result of a second reference signal; receiving, by the location management device, all or part of the second measurement results of the second reference signal from the first communication device; determining location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on an artificial intelligence (AI) model and all or part of the second measurement results by the location management device; A method having the following.

21. The first reference signal is an initial period or an initial reference signal, and the method comprises: receiving, by the location management device, all of the first measurement results of the first reference signal from the first communication device; determining first location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on all of the first measurement results and the AI ​​model by the location management device; Further comprising:

21. The method of claim 20.

22. Determining location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on an artificial intelligence (AI) model and all or part of the second measurement results by the location management device includes: determining an input for the AI ​​model based on all of the first measurement results, the first location information, and all or part of the second measurement results by the location management device; determining, by the location management device, second location information of the first communication device or the second communication device based on the AI ​​model and the input of the AI ​​model; Including, 22. The method of claim 21.

23. receiving a request message from the first communication device by the location management device, the request message being used to request an extended setting for the second reference signal; sending second configuration information by the location management device to the first communication device, the second configuration information being used to configure the second reference signal in an extended configuration; or sending instruction information by the location management device to the second communication device, the instruction information instructing the second communication device to configure the second reference signal having an extended setting for the first communication device; 23. The method of any one of claims 20 to 22, further comprising:

24. the second reference signal is the second reference signal having an extended setting; 24. The method of any one of claims 20 to 23.

25. The second reference signal having an extended setting is Increasing the transmission power for the first reference signal, increasing the number of antenna ports for the first reference signal, or increasing the time-frequency resources for the first reference signal. satisfy one or more of the following:

25. The method of claim 23 or 24.

26. receiving, by the location management device, a location request from a location requesting device; determining, by the location management device, the first information based on the location request; sending the location information of the first communication device or the second communication device to the location request device by the location management device; 26. The method of any one of claims 20 to 25, further comprising:

27. Determining the first information based on the location request by the location management device includes: determining a location mode based on the location request by the location management device; determining the first information based on the positioning mode by the position management device; Including, 27. The method of claim 26.

28. A positioning method comprising: sending a location request by the location requesting device to the location management device; receiving location information of the first communication device or the second communication device from the location management device by the location request device; A method having the following.

29. A communication device comprising a unit configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, or a unit configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, or a unit configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 20 to 27, or a unit configured to perform the method according to claim 28.

30. 1. A communication device having a processor, The processor is configured to execute instructions such that the communication device performs a method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, or a method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, or a method according to any one of claims 20 to 27, or a method according to claim 28. Communication equipment.

31. further comprising an interface circuit; the interface circuit is configured to receive a signal from a communication device other than the communication device and send the signal to a processor, or to send a signal from the processor to a communication device other than the communication device; 31. The apparatus of claim 30.

32. storing computer programs or instructions; When the computer program or instructions are executed by a communications device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 14 is performed, or the method according to any one of claims 15 to 19 is performed, or the method according to any one of claims 20 to 27 is performed, or the method according to claim 28 is performed. A computer-readable storage medium.

33. having a computer program or instructions, The computer program or instructions, when executed by an apparatus, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 14 to be performed, or the method of any one of claims 15 to 19 to be performed, or the method of any one of claims 20 to 27 to be performed, or the method of claim 28 to be performed. Computer program products.

34. A processor coupled to a memory and configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory such that the chip performs a method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, or a method according to any one of claims 15 to 19, or a method according to any one of claims 20 to 27, or a method according to claim 28.

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