Methods and communication devices for transmitting information

Abstract

This application provides a method for transmitting information. This method can be applied to AI positioning scenarios. In this method, an AI positioning model deployed on a location management function network element uses channel measurement results (or channel features extracted from channel measurement results) reported by a channel measurement network element as input. The location management function network element determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on different positioning accuracy requirements and provides the channel measurement network element with information related to the payload size, or the channel measurement network element obtains information regarding positioning accuracy requirements from the location management function network element and determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on the positioning accuracy requirements and the features of the channel measurement results. Thus, under different channel conditions and / or positioning accuracy requirements, the channel measurement network element can support reporting channel measurement reports that carry information related to different payload sizes in order to support the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead for channel measurement reports.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of artificial intelligence (AI), and more particularly, to methods for sending information and communication devices.

Background Art

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202310387459.0, titled "METHOD FOR SENDING INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION APPARATUS", filed with the China National Intellectual Property Administration on March 31, 2023, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] In AI-based positioning technology, the AI positioning model is usually deployed on a location management function (LMF) network element. The AI positioning model uses the channel measurement results reported by the channel measurement network element as input and outputs the location of the terminal device. Therefore, the channel measurement network element usually needs to report the channel measurement report to the location management function network element.

[0004] However, in known solutions, after the channel measurement network element completes the channel measurement and obtains the channel measurement results, it reports all the channel measurement results by using the channel measurement report, which leads to a high reporting overhead of the channel measurement report. Therefore, a solution for supporting relatively low reporting overhead requirements is urgently needed.

Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a method and communication apparatus for transmitting information. The method and apparatus can be applied to AI positioning scenarios to support a flexible payload format for channel measurement reports and to support the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead.

[0006] According to a first embodiment, a method for transmitting information is provided. This method can be implemented by a network element, a chip, a chip system, hardware circuitry (e.g., logic circuitry or integrated circuitry), a software module, or a device combining hardware circuitry and a software module. A first network element is used as an example below for illustrative purposes. This method is: A step of sending first indication information to a location management function network element, wherein the first indication information indicates information relating to the payload size of a channel measurement report, Information related to payload size is: The number of paths corresponding to one or more paths, and The number of bits corresponding to the information about each of one or more paths, Includes one or more of the following.

[0007] In the course of research for this application, it was found that in existing positioning scenarios, the exchange of multipath information between the location management function network element where the AI ​​positioning model is deployed and the channel measurement network element that reports channel measurement reports does not take into account that the characteristics of different channel measurement results affect the positioning performance (e.g., positioning inference accuracy) of the AI ​​positioning model to a different degree under different channel conditions. As a result, there is redundant reporting overhead in reporting channel measurement reports. However, the research results of this application show that the information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report reported by the channel measurement network element changes under different channel conditions, resulting in a different degree of impact on the positioning inference accuracy of the AI ​​positioning model. For example, for the same AI positioning model, under one channel condition, sub-meter level positioning accuracy can be achieved if the payload of the channel measurement report reported by the channel measurement network element contains information on 256 paths, while under another channel condition, sub-meter level positioning accuracy can be achieved if the payload of the channel measurement report reported by the channel measurement network element contains information on 32 paths. Since channel conditions can be determined through analysis based on the characteristics of channel measurement results, this application proposes that a flexible payload format should be used for channel measurement reporting to support the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead under different channel conditions, provided that positioning accuracy requirements are met.

[0008] In this technical solution, a first network element (i.e., a channel measurement network element) sends first indication information to a location management function network element, which indicates information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report, for example, the number of paths corresponding to the multipath information carried in the channel measurement report and / or the number of bits corresponding to information about each path. In this application, the first network element may send information relating to different payload sizes to the location management function network element under different channel conditions. Thus, by using the first indication information, the first network element indicates information relating to the payload size (which may be understood as the payload format) of the channel measurement report, thereby allowing the location management function to decode the channel measurement report based on the first indication information to obtain the multipath information. In the technical solution of this application, a flexible payload format may be indicated, i.e., the information relating to the payload size can be adaptively adjusted under different channel conditions to support the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead overall.

[0009] In embodiments of this application, reducing the reporting overhead of channel measurement reports may be expressed as reducing the payload size (or referred to as payload size) of channel measurement reports.

[0010] With respect to the first embodiment, in some implementations of the first embodiment, the method is A step to determine information related to the payload size based on positioning accuracy requirements and characteristics of channel measurement results. It also includes.

[0011] In this implementation, the first network element determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on the positioning accuracy requirements and the characteristics of the channel measurement results obtained by analyzing the channel measurement results, thereby supporting the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead while satisfying the positioning accuracy requirements.

[0012] With respect to the first embodiment, in some implementations of the first embodiment, the step of determining information related to the payload size based on positioning accuracy requirements and characteristics of channel measurement results is: Mapping relationship between positioning accuracy level and payload size information, The mapping relationship between channel conditions and information related to payload size, and Mapping relationship between positioning accuracy level, channel conditions, and information related to payload size. This includes a step of determining information related to the payload size based on one of the following mapping relationships: The positioning accuracy level is determined based on the positioning accuracy requirements, and the channel conditions are determined based on the characteristics of the channel measurement results.

[0013] In this implementation, when determining information related to the payload size of a channel measurement report, the first network element may specifically determine information related to the payload size of a channel measurement report corresponding to the current positioning accuracy level and / or current channel conditions, based on the mapping relationship between the positioning accuracy level and / or channel conditions and the information related to the payload size.

[0014] With respect to the first embodiment, in some implementations of the first embodiment, the first network element is a channel measurement network element, and the method is Steps to receive information regarding positioning accuracy requirements from location management function network elements. It also includes.

[0015] For example, information regarding positioning accuracy requirements may be carried in the measurement request or in a separate message from the measurement request.

[0016] In this implementation, a location management function network element sends corresponding positioning accuracy requirements to a first network element under different positioning accuracy requirements. The first network element then reports corresponding channel measurement reports that carry information related to different payload sizes based on the different positioning accuracy requirements, thereby helping to reduce the redundancy of the reporting overhead of the channel measurement reports.

[0017] According to a second embodiment, a method for receiving information is provided. This method may be implemented by a network element, a chip, a chip system, hardware circuitry (e.g., logic circuitry or integrated circuitry), a software module, or a device combining hardware circuitry and a software module. A location management function network element is used as an example below for illustrative purposes. This method is: A step of receiving first indication information from a first network element, wherein the first indication information indicates information relating to the payload size of a channel measurement report, Information related to payload size is: The number of paths corresponding to one or more paths, and The number of bits corresponding to the information about each of one or more paths, Includes one or more of the following.

[0018] With respect to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, information related to the payload size is based on positioning accuracy requirements and characteristics of channel measurement results.

[0019] Regarding the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, information related to the payload size is, Mapping relationship between positioning accuracy level and payload size information, The mapping relationship between channel conditions and information related to payload size, and The mapping relationship between the positioning accuracy level, channel conditions, and information related to payload size, is determined based on any one of the mapping relationships, The positioning accuracy level is determined based on positioning accuracy requirements, and the channel conditions are determined based on the characteristics of channel measurement results.

[0020] Regarding the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, the method includes sending information regarding positioning accuracy requirements to a first network element and further includes.

[0021] According to a third aspect, a method for sending information is provided. The method can be implemented by a network element, a chip, a chip system, a hardware circuit (e.g., a logic circuit or an integrated circuit), a software module, or a device combining a hardware circuit and a software module. Hereinafter, a location management function network element is used as an example for explanation. The method includes determining information related to the payload size of a channel measurement report based on positioning relationship requirements, where the positioning relationship requirements include at least positioning accuracy requirements, and the information related to the payload size includes one or more of the number of paths corresponding to one or more paths, or the number of bits corresponding to information regarding each of one or more paths, and sending third indication information, where the third indication information indicates information related to the payload size, and receiving a channel measurement report and includes.

[0022] For the same reasons described in the first embodiment, in the method of the second embodiment, the location management function network element may determine information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on the requirements of the positioning relationship and indicate the payload size-related information to the first network element. The payload size-related information determined by the location management function network element varies under different positioning relationship requirements. The first network element reports a channel measurement report carrying the indicated information relating to the payload size based on the indication of the location management function network element, thereby supporting a flexible payload format and thus supporting the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead.

[0023] With respect to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the step of determining information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on the positioning relationship requirements is: A step to determine information related to payload size based on the mapping relationship between positioning relationship requirements and information related to payload size. Includes.

[0024] According to a fourth aspect, a method for transmitting information is provided. This method can be implemented by a network element, a chip, a chip system, hardware circuitry (e.g., logic circuitry or integrated circuitry), a software module, or a device combining hardware circuitry and software modules. A first network element is used as an example below for illustrative purposes. This method is: A step of receiving third indication information from a location management function network element, wherein the third indication information indicates information relating to the payload size of a channel measurement report, and the information relating to the payload size includes one or more of the following: a path quantity corresponding to one or more paths, or a bit quantity corresponding to information about each of the one or more paths; The third step is to send a channel measurement report to the location management function network element based on the third indication information. Includes.

[0025] With respect to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, information relating to the payload size is determined based on positioning relationship requirements, and the positioning relationship requirements include at least positioning accuracy requirements.

[0026] According to a fifth aspect, the present application provides a method for transmitting information. The method includes the following steps:

[0027] The first network element sends first indication information to the location management function network element, the first indication information indicates information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report, the information relating to the payload size includes one or more of the following: the number of paths corresponding to one or more paths, or the number of bits corresponding to information about each of the one or more paths. A location management function network element receives first indication information from a first network element.

[0028] With respect to the fifth aspect, some implementations of the fifth aspect further include the following: The location management function network element decodes the channel measurement report based on the first indication information to obtain information related to the payload size.

[0029] According to a sixth aspect, the present application provides a method for transmitting information. The method includes the following steps:

[0030] The location management function network element determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on positioning relationship requirements, the positioning relationship requirements include at least positioning accuracy requirements, and the information related to the payload size includes one or more of the following: the number of paths corresponding to one or more paths, or the number of bits corresponding to information about each of one or more paths. The location management function network element sends third indication information to the first network element, and the third indication information indicates information related to the payload size. The first network element receives the third indication information, The first network element sends a channel measurement report to the location management function network element based on the third indication information. A location management function network element receives a channel measurement report from the first network element.

[0031] In any one of the first to sixth embodiments or in some implementations of any one of the above embodiments, the channel measurement result includes information about one or more paths, wherein the information about the first path of the one or more paths includes one or more of the following information about the first path: amplitude and phase information, amplitude information, phase information, or angle information, and the first path is any one of the one or more paths.

[0032] In this implementation, the characteristics of the channel measurement results may be obtained by acquiring the channel measurement results, i.e., one or more of the above information regarding one or more paths, and then the current channel conditions are determined through analysis, thereby determining information related to the payload size under the current channel conditions while satisfying the positioning accuracy requirements.

[0033] In any one of the first to sixth embodiments or in some implementations of any one of the above embodiments, the characteristics of the channel measurement results are: Delay spread information, angle spread information, angle-delay-power information, the number of paths whose energy exceeds a predetermined energy ratio of the energy of the first path in the sampled path, Lysian K factor, Doppler frequency measurement result, line-of-sight LOS probability, sampled full-band or sub-band interference level, or full-band or sub-band reference signal received power RSRP. Includes one or more of the following.

[0034] This implementation provides multiple features of channel measurement results that can reflect channel conditions. Current channel conditions can be determined by analyzing the features of the channel measurement results. Under different channel conditions, channel measurement reports carrying information related to different payload sizes are selected for reporting, provided that positioning accuracy is guaranteed. This can reduce reporting overhead redundancy and support requirements for relatively low reporting overhead.

[0035] According to the seventh aspect, the present application provides a communication device. The communication device may include one-to-one corresponding modules configured to perform methods / operations / steps / actions in any one of the first to fourth aspects or in any one of the above aspects. The modules may be hardware circuits, software, or implemented by hardware circuits in combination with software. The communication device may be a first network element or a positioning network element, or a chip or circuit used for a first network element or a positioning network element.

[0036] In implementation, the communication device is a communication device. For example, the communication device may include a communication unit and / or a processing unit. The communication unit may be a transceiver or an input / output interface, and the processing unit may be at least one processor. Optionally, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit. In embodiments, the communication device is a communication device, for example, a terminal device, an access network device, or a location management function network element in this application.

[0037] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip, chip system, or circuit used in a communication device. For example, the communication unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, input / output circuit, pin, relational circuit, etc., on a chip, chip system, or circuit. The processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit, logic circuit, etc.

[0038] According to the eighth aspect, the present application provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor. The processor is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in memory to carry out methods provided in any one of the first to fourth aspects or in any one of the above aspects. Optionally, the communication device further includes memory. The communication device may be a first network element or a location management function network element, or a chip or circuit used for a first network element or a location management function network element.

[0039] According to the ninth aspect, the present application provides a communication device. The communication device includes a processor and a communication interface configured to implement a method provided in any one of the first to fourth aspects or in an implementation of any one of the above aspects. For example, the communication interface may be a transceiver, hardware circuitry, a bus, a module, a pin, or another type of communication interface.

[0040] According to the tenth aspect, the present application further provides a computer program. When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer is able to implement any one of the first, second, third, or fourth aspects, or the methods provided in the implementations of the first through fourth aspects.

[0041] According to the eleventh aspect, the present application further provides a computer program product including instructions. When the instructions are executed on a computer, the computer becomes capable of carrying out any one of the first to fourth aspects or the methods provided in the implementations of the first to fourth aspects.

[0042] According to the twelfth aspect, the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium that stores computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are run on a computer, the computer becomes capable of carrying out any one of the first to fourth aspects or the methods provided in the implementations of the first to fourth aspects.

[0043] According to the 13th aspect, the present application further provides a chip configured to read a computer program stored in memory and to carry out a method provided in any one of the first to fourth aspects or in an implementation of the first to fourth aspects, or the chip includes a circuit configured to carry out a method provided in any one of the first to fourth aspects or in an implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0044] According to a fourteenth aspect, the present application further provides a chip system. The chip system includes a processor configured to support the device when implementing any one of the first to fourth aspects or the method provided in the implementation of the first to fourth aspects. In possible designs, the chip system further includes memory. The memory is configured to store programs and data required by the device. The chip system may include a chip, or it may include a chip and other separate components.

[0045] According to the 15th aspect, the present application provides a communication system including the first network element and the location management function network element described above.

[0046] For example, the first network element may include an access network device and / or a terminal device.

[0047] For the technical effects of the solutions provided in the fifth through fifteenth embodiments, please refer to the description of the technical effects of the corresponding solutions in the first through fourth embodiments. Further details will not be provided. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0048] [Figure 1] This figure shows an example of a wireless positioning system to which an embodiment of this application may be applied. [Figure 2] This is a diagram of a network element according to an embodiment of the present application. [Figure 3] This is a diagram of an AI / ML network element or module. [Figure 4] This is a schematic flowchart of method 300 for transmitting information according to this application. [Figure 5] This is a schematic flowchart of Method 400 for transmitting information as described in this application. [Figure 6] This figure shows an example of the application of information transmission to uplink positioning according to this application. [Figure 7] This figure shows an example of the application of the present invention to sending information to downlink positioning. [Figure 8] This figure shows an example of the application of information transmission to uplink positioning according to this application. [Figure 9] This figure shows an example of the application of the present invention to sending information to downlink positioning. [Figure 10] This is a block diagram of the communication device 1000 according to this application. [Figure 11] This is a block diagram of another communication device 1100 according to this application. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0049] The technical solution of this application will be described below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0050] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to a variety of communication systems. For example, communication systems include, but are not limited to, long-term evolution (LTE) systems, fifth-generation (5G) communication systems, wireless local area network (WLAN) systems, satellite communication systems, open radio access network (O-RAN) systems, future communication systems such as 6G communication systems, or systems converged from multiple systems. 5G communication systems are also sometimes referred to as new radio (NR) systems.

[0051] Network elements in a communication system may send signals to or receive signals from other network elements. These signals may include information, signaling, data, etc. Network elements may be replaced by entities, network entities, devices, communication devices, communication modules, nodes, communication nodes, etc. In this application, network elements are used as illustrative examples.

[0052] A communication system to which this application is applicable may include a first network element and a location management function network element. Optionally, in different positioning scenarios, the first network element may be an access network device or a terminal device. Optionally, the location management function network element may also be referred to as a positioning function network element, and this is not limited to such network elements. In addition, the number of network elements, e.g., the first network element and the location management function network element, is not limited to the embodiments of this application.

[0053] In embodiments of this application, the terminal device may be an entity configured to receive or transmit signals, such as a mobile phone. The terminal device may include a handheld device with wireless connectivity, another processing device connected to a wireless modem, an in-vehicle device, and the like. The terminal device may be a portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-integrated, or in-vehicle mobile device. Terminal devices can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as cellular communications, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems, device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), peer-to-peer (P2P), machine-to-machine (M2M), machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wear, intelligent transportation, smart cities, unmanned aerial vehicles, robotics, remote sensing, passive sensing, positioning, navigation and tracking, as well as self-delivery and mobility.Some examples of terminal devices include user equipment (UE) in 3GPP standards, stations (STA) in Wi-Fi systems, fixed devices, mobile devices, handheld devices, wearable devices, cellular phones, smartphones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, notebook computers, personal computers, smartbooks, vehicles, satellites, global positioning system (GPS) devices, target tracking devices, unmanned aerial vehicles, helicopters, aircraft, ships, remote control devices, smart home devices, industrial devices, personal communication service (PCS) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless network cameras, tablet computers, palmtop computers, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices such as smartwatches, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, and industrial control devices. These include wireless terminals in control systems, terminals in vehicle internet systems, wireless terminals in self-driving systems, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety systems, wireless terminals in smart cities such as smart fuel dispensers, terminal devices on high-speed rail, and wireless terminals in smart homes such as smart speakers, smart coffee machines, and smart printers.The terminal device may be a wireless device or a device installed within a wireless device in the various scenarios described above, such as a communication module, modem, or chip within the device. The terminal device may also be referred to as a terminal, UE, mobile station (MS), or mobile terminal (MT). The terminal device may further include a positioning reference device, such as an automated guided vehicle (AGV) or a device with similar functionality. In the following, we will use the terminal device or UE as an example for illustrative purposes.

[0054] In this application, a communication device configured to implement the functions of a terminal device may be a terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the communication device when implementing the functions of a terminal device, such as a chip system. The device may be installed in the terminal device, or used in combination with the terminal device. The chip system may include a chip, or include a chip and other separate components. In the methods of this application, an example in which the communication device configured to implement the functions of a terminal device is a terminal device is used for illustrative purposes.

[0055] The network device in this application includes an access network device. The access network device may be a device that provides wireless communication functionality, may communicate with terminal devices, and is usually located on the network side. The access network device may also be a base station. For example, the access network device in the embodiment of this application is a next-generation base station (gNodeB, gNB) in a 5G communication system, a base station in a 6th generation (6G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or a network-side device in an O-RAN system, such as a central unit (CU) node, a distributed unit (DU) node, or a radio unit (RU), an access point (AP) in a Wi-Fi system, an evolved NodeB (eNB) in an LTE system, a radio network controller (RNC), a NodeB (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a home base station (for example, a home evolved NodeB or home NodeB, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), a transmission reception point (TRP), a transmission point (TP), a base transceiver station, This includes, but is not limited to, one or a combination of, BTS, satellites, or unmanned aerial vehicles. In a network structure, access network devices may include central unit (CU) nodes and / or distributed unit (DU) nodes, or RAN devices including control plane CP nodes (referred to as CU-CP), user plane CU nodes (referred to as CU-UP), and DU nodes.Optionally, the AI ​​module may be deployed on the CP and / or DU, or the AI ​​module may be deployed on the CU-CP and / or CU-UP, or the access network device may be a radio controller, relay station, in-vehicle device, wearable device, etc. in a cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenario. In addition, the base station may be a macro base station, micro base station, relay node, donor node, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, the base station may be a communication module, modem, or chip deployed in the above devices or equipment. Alternatively, the base station may be a mobile switching center, a device performing base station functions in device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X), or machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, a network device in a 6G network, or a device performing base station functions in a future communication system. The base station may support networks using the same or different access technologies, but is not limited to this. The base station may be fixed or mobile. For example, a helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicle may be configured as a mobile base station, and one or more cells may move based on the location of the mobile base station. In another example, a helicopter or unmanned aerial vehicle may be configured as a device for communicating with another base station.

[0056] Access network devices and terminal devices may be deployed on land and may include indoor or outdoor devices, handheld devices, or in-vehicle devices; they may be deployed on water; or they may be deployed in the air on airplanes, balloons, or satellites. The scenarios in which access network devices and terminal devices are located are not limited to the embodiments of this application. In addition, each of the terminal devices and access network devices may be a hardware device, a software function running on individual hardware, a software function running on general-purpose hardware, for example, a virtualization function instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform), or an entity including individual or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. The specific forms of terminal devices and access network devices are not limited to this application.

[0057] In addition, the network device in this application further includes core network elements, such as location management function network elements. Optionally, the core network elements may further include AMF. For further details, please refer to the description of the specific embodiments below.

[0058] The device configured to implement the functions of a network device may be a network device, or a device capable of supporting a communication device when implementing the corresponding functions of a network device in this application, such as a chip system, hardware circuitry, software module, or hardware circuitry and software module. The device may be installed in a network device or used in combination with a network device. In the methods of this application, an example in which the device configured to implement the functions of a network device is a network device is used for illustrative purposes.

[0059] Optionally, the communication system may further include network elements having artificial intelligence capabilities. One or more steps related to AI model design, such as a data acquisition step (e.g., collecting training data and / or inference data), a model training step, and a model inference step, may be performed by one or more network elements having artificial intelligence capabilities. In possible designs, the AI ​​functionality (e.g., an AI module or AI entity) may be configured within existing network elements in the communication system to implement AI-related operations, such as AI model training and / or inference. For example, existing network elements may include access network devices (e.g., gNBs), terminal devices, core network devices, and network management systems. The network management system can detect network operational status, optimize network connectivity and performance, improve network operational stability, and reduce network maintenance costs. Alternatively, in another possible design, a separate network element may be introduced into the communication system to perform AI-related operations, such as AI model inference. The separate network element may be called an AI network element, an AI node, etc. The name is not limited in this application. AI network elements may be directly connected to access network devices in a communication system, or indirectly connected to access network devices via third-party network elements. These third-party network elements may be, but are not limited to, core network devices such as authentication management function (AMF) network elements or user plane function (UPF) network elements, network management systems, cloud servers, or other network elements.Optionally, an AI network element may be a hardware device, a software function running on individual hardware, a software function running on general-purpose hardware, for example, a virtualization function instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform), or an entity comprising individual or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. Optionally, an AI network element may reside in a server, for example, in a host or cloud server of an OTT system.

[0060] The method for submitting information related to this application is described below.

[0061] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various wireless positioning scenarios. For example, Figure 1 shows an example of a wireless positioning system to which embodiments of this application can be applied. As shown in Figure 1, the wireless positioning system mainly comprises an access network device, terminal devices, and a positioning server. The positioning server is primarily responsible for receiving positioning service requests, collecting positioning-related measurement results, calculating positioning results, and providing corresponding wireless positioning services. Optionally, the positioning server may receive positioning service requests from an access network device or a higher-layer application. In this example, the positioning server may be a location management function network element, such as an LMF. See the above description for details on the access network device and terminal devices.

[0062] Figure 2 is a diagram of network elements according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2, the network elements in the present application include a UE, a location management function network element, and an access network device. Optionally, an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element is also included. In this example, the access network device may be an ng-eNB or a gNB, where an ng-eNB represents a 4G base station capable of accessing a 5G core network, and a gNB represents a 5G base station, and both the ng-eNB and gNB are NR-RAN network elements. The radio access network device or base station described in this embodiment of the present application may be an ng-eNB or a gNB; this is not limited to this. The UE communicates with the radio access network device by using the corresponding interface. For example, the UE communicates with the gNB by using the NR-Uu interface, and the UE communicates with the ng-eNB by using the LTE-Uu interface. In this embodiment of the present application, the NR-Uu interface and the LTE-Uu interface are configured to transmit positioning relationship signaling and / or data. In addition, the gNB communicates with the AMF via the NG-C interface, and the ng-eNB communicates with the AMF, for example, transmitting positioning relationship signaling. The AMF communicates with the LMF via the NL1 interface, for example, transmitting positioning relationship signaling. Optionally, the interaction between the UE and the LMF is based on the LTE positioning protocol (LPP), and the interaction between the NG-RAN and the LMF is based on the NRPPa protocol, which is transmitted transparently across the AMF. It should be understood that the NG-RAN is used only as an example. When the technical solution of this application is applied to a future wireless communication system, for example, a 6G system, the NG-RAN corresponds to the access network device in the 6G system.Similarly, the names of network elements, interfaces between network elements, and message names are merely examples. In future wireless communication systems, network elements, interfaces, and interface messages having the same or similar functionality may be used to implement the technical solutions of this application.

[0063] In addition, to support machine learning capabilities in wireless communication systems, AI network elements or AI modules may also be introduced into the wireless communication system. Figure 3 shows an AI / ML network element or module. When an AI network element is introduced, it indicates that the AI ​​network element corresponds to an independent network element. When an AI module is introduced, the AI ​​module may be located inside the network element. As described above, the network elements in the embodiments of this application include a UE, a radio access network device, and an LMF, and optionally further include an AMF. The AI ​​module may be located inside one or more of the UE, radio access network device, AMF (if this network element is involved), and LMF, or the corresponding AI network element may be introduced inside one or more of the UE, radio access network device, AMF, and LMF, or a combination of these two methods may be used. This is not limited to these. It should be understood that when a corresponding AI network element is deployed in one or more of the following: UE, radio access network device, AMF, and LMF, and the AI ​​operation is performed by the corresponding AI network element, the UE, radio access network device, AMF, or LMF needs to send AI operation-related information to the corresponding AI network element. For example, suppose the corresponding AI network element is deployed in an LMF, and the AI ​​network element performs the inference operation of an AI positioning model. In this case, after receiving a channel measurement report from the first network element (e.g., the access network device or UE), the LMF sends the channel measurement results carried in the channel measurement report to the corresponding AI network element. In another example, in uplink positioning, if the corresponding AI network element is deployed in an access network device, it is assumed that the input to the AI ​​positioning model is channel features extracted from the channel measurement results, which are obtained by the access network device measuring the UE's SRS.Therefore, after obtaining channel measurement results, the access network device sends the channel measurement results to the corresponding AI network element. The AI ​​network element extracts channel features from the channel measurement results using an AI model and then returns the extracted channel features to the access network device. The access network device then sends the channel features to the LMF.

[0064] In the course of research for this application, it was found that reducing the overhead of information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report under different channel conditions (note that the payload size of the channel measurement report is the size of the payload of the channel measurement report; for the sake of brevity of explanation, the payload size of the channel measurement report is used herein for explanatory purposes) has different degrees of impact on the inference accuracy of the AI ​​positioning model. Examples are used below with reference to Table 1. Table 1 is a summary of the research results for this application.

[0065] [Table 1]

[0066] For example, an AI positioning model is deployed on a location management function network element, which uses multipath information as input and the location of the UE as output. Multipath information can be sent to the location management function network element by a channel network element using channel measurement reports. Multipath information is the payload of the channel measurement report. Therefore, the payload size of the channel measurement report actually determines the reporting overhead of the channel measurement report. In Table 1, the path quantity is used as an example of a feature of the multipath information, i.e., information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report. The payload size of the channel measurement report is related to the path quantity. For example, if the path quantity is larger, the payload size will also be correspondingly larger. Optionally, the multipath information may also include the representation overhead of information about each path. Similarly, given the same path quantity, if the representation overhead of information about each path is larger, the payload size will also be correspondingly larger. However, different representation overheads of information about each path have different effects on the positioning accuracy of the AI ​​positioning model.

[0067] The following can be seen from Table 1.

[0068] (1) When the degree of non-line-of-sight (NLOS) is relatively severe, for example, when the NLOS ratio is approximately 99% under channel condition 1 and the input to the AI ​​positioning model is reduced from information on 256 paths to information on 32 paths, there is little impact on positioning accuracy. For example, in Table 1, under channel condition 1, when the input to the AI ​​positioning model is 256 paths, the positioning accuracy is 0.84, and when the input to the AI ​​positioning model is 32 paths, the positioning accuracy is 0.92, and the positioning accuracy is still at a level of less than 1 meter (i.e., sub-meter level).

[0069] (2) When the degree of NLOS is relatively low, for example, when the NLOS ratio under channel condition 2 is approximately 40% and the input to the AI ​​positioning model is reduced from information on 256 paths to information on 32 paths, there is a significant impact on positioning accuracy. For example, in Table 1, under channel condition 2, when the input to the AI ​​positioning model is 256 paths, the positioning accuracy is 0.88, and when the input to the AI ​​positioning model is 32 paths, the positioning accuracy is 1.68, meaning the positioning accuracy is reduced from the sub-meter level to 1.68 meters.

[0070] The above research findings in this application demonstrate that the input overhead required by an AI positioning model to guarantee positioning accuracy can vary under different channel conditions. For example, under channel condition 1 shown in Table 1, the AI ​​positioning model may require input of information on 32 paths to guarantee sub-meter level positioning accuracy, while under channel condition 2, the AI ​​positioning model may require input of information on 256 paths to guarantee sub-meter level positioning accuracy. It should be understood that the input to the AI ​​positioning model is the payload of the channel measurement report reported by the channel measurement network element. Based on the above research findings, this application proposes that, under different channel conditions, channel measurement reports with different payload sizes should be reported to support the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead, provided that the positioning accuracy requirement can be guaranteed. For example, in the example in Table 1, under the same channel condition 1, both information on 256 paths and information on 32 paths may be used as input to the AI ​​positioning model to guarantee the sub-meter level positioning accuracy requirement. In this case, the channel measurement network element may report information on 32 paths.

[0071] Optionally, different path quantities in Table 1 above are used as inputs to the AI ​​positioning model. The AI ​​positioning model may be the same AI positioning model, or it may include multiple AI positioning models for different path quantities. In other words, one AI positioning model may represent multipath information input for one or more path quantities. For example, an AI positioning model that uses information about 256 paths as input under channel condition 1 may be AI positioning model 1, and an AI positioning model that uses information about 32 paths as input may be either AI positioning model 1 or AI positioning model 2. AI positioning model 1 and AI positioning model 2 may be AI positioning models in the model library of the location management function network element.

[0072] In this application, the channel measurement report is used to report channel measurement results (or channel features extracted from channel measurement results, where channel measurement results are used as examples for the explanation in each embodiment), and the channel measurement results are used by the location management function network element to perform AI-related operations, for example, model inference based on an AI positioning model. Thus, the AI ​​positioning model uses the channel measurement results (or channel features extracted from channel measurement results) as input and the location of the UE as output. Thus, the purpose of the channel measurement report is to report the input to the AI ​​positioning model. Based on this premise, the payload of the channel measurement report in this application actually carries the input to the AI ​​positioning model. Based on the above inventive concept, under different channel conditions, the channel measurement network element feeds back information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report to the location management function network element, thereby enabling the channel measurement network element to support reporting channel measurement reports with different payload sizes to the location management function network element to support a flexible payload format and further support the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead, provided that positioning accuracy is guaranteed.

[0073] Based on the above inventive concept, the technical solution of this application will be described in detail below.

[0074] Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of Method 400 for transmitting information according to this application. Method 400 may be implemented by a corresponding network element or by a chip or circuit, but is not limited to this. Hereinafter, implementation by a network element will be used as an example for illustrative purposes.

[0075] In the method described in Figure 4, the first network element sends first indication information to the location management function network element, and the first indication information indicates information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report.

[0076] 410: The first network element sends first indication information to the location management function network element, and the first indication information indicates information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report.

[0077] Information related to payload size is: The number of paths corresponding to one or more paths, and The number of bits corresponding to the information about each of one or more paths, Includes one or more of the following.

[0078] Optionally, information about the first path among one or more paths includes one or more of the following information about the first path: amplitude and phase information, amplitude information, phase information, or angle information, and the first path is one of the one or more paths.

[0079] Alternatively, in this application, information relating to different payload sizes may also be referred to as different payload formats. For example, information relating to payload size includes information about the number of paths corresponding to one or more paths. For example, information relating to payload size includes information about 16 paths, 32 paths, 64 paths, 128 paths, and 256 paths, which are different payload formats. Alternatively, information relating to payload size includes information about the number of bits corresponding to the information for each path. For example, the number of bits corresponding to the information for each path included in the information relating to payload size are 16, 32, 64, 128, and 256, which are different payload formats. Alternatively, information relating to payload size includes the number of paths and the number of bits corresponding to the information for each path, and different number of paths and different number of bits corresponding to the information for each path are different payload formats. For example, information relating to payload size includes information about 16 paths, where the information for each path corresponds to 16 bits, and information relating to payload size includes information about 32 paths, where the information for each path corresponds to 64 bits, which are different payload formats. In this embodiment of the present application, it can be seen that the payload format is extremely flexible.

[0080] Furthermore, the first network element sends channel measurement reports to the location management function network element.

[0081] Channel measurement reports and the first indication information may be carried in the same message or in different messages.

[0082] In this application, the first network element sends an indication of information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report to the location management function network element, thereby enabling the first network element to support a flexible payload format, provided that positioning accuracy is guaranteed, and thereby report information relating to different payload sizes under different channel conditions to support the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead for channel measurement reports.

[0083] In addition, in embodiments of this application, “Network element A sends information A to network element B,” for example, “A first network element sends first indication information to a location management function network element,” may be understood as meaning that network element B is the destination of information A or an intermediate network element in the transmission path to the destination, and sending may include sending information directly or indirectly to network element B. “Network element B receives information A from network element A,” for example, “A location management function network element receives first indication information from the first network element,” may be understood as meaning that network element A is the source of information A or an intermediate network element in the transmission path from the source, and receiving may include receiving information directly or indirectly from network element A. Necessary processing, such as formatting changes, may be performed on the information between the source and destination for sending information, but the destination can understand valid information from the source. Similar descriptions in this application may be interpreted in a similar manner, and details are not described again herein.

[0084] Optionally, method 400 may further include step 420, which may be performed before step 410.

[0085] 420: The first network element determines information related to the payload size based on the positioning accuracy requirements and the characteristics of the channel measurement results.

[0086] Optionally, the channel measurement results may include one or more of the following: channel impulse response (CIR), channel frequency response (CFR), and power delay profile (PDP). This is not limited to these.

[0087] In addition, the number of sampling points for CIR and PDP is also not limited. CIR may include one or more of the following: multiple time-matched CIR sequences, cross-correlation sequences of multiple CIR sequences, normalized CIRs, etc.

[0088] The number of bandwidths, subbands, and ports corresponding to CIR, CFR, or PDP are also not limited. CFR may include normalized CFR.

[0089] In this application, channel measurement results (or characteristics of channel measurement results) can reflect the degree of NLOS in the channel environment. From the above description of the inventive concept, it can be seen that when the degree of NLOS (i.e., different channel conditions) differs, the degree to which information related to the payload size in the channel measurement report influences the inference accuracy of the AI ​​positioning model differs. Therefore, the first network element can determine the degree of NLOS of a channel based on the characteristics of the channel measurement results and can determine the current channel conditions. The first network element can determine information related to different payload sizes under different channel conditions, provided that the positioning accuracy requirements are guaranteed.

[0090] The channel measurement results and corresponding features may satisfy at least one item, i.e., at least one row, in Table 2 below.

[0091] [Table 2]

[0092] In this embodiment of the present application, the CIR may include amplitude and phase information in the time-domain sampling point dimension of the signal obtained by measuring a reference signal. The PDP may include amplitude information in the time-domain sampling point dimension of the signal obtained by measuring a reference signal.

[0093] In Table 2, the Lysian K-factor (KF) is defined as the ratio of the sum of power in LOS paths to the sum of power in NLOS paths across multiple paths. Like the shadow fading factor (SF), KF is also related to the geometric position on the map. When an UE moves to a different location, the UE's KF changes accordingly. In this case, the multipath power also changes with the location.

[0094] It is important to understand that channel propagation conditions are generally classified into two types: LOS paths and NLOS paths.

[0095] LOS path channel propagation conditions: A scenario in which a line-of-sight path exists, but which may also include a non-linear line-of-sight (NLOS) path. In other words, at least one LOS path exists (i.e., a pure LOS path), but the number of NLOS paths is not limited. The overall characteristic is that the energy of the LOS path is higher than the sum of the energies of the NLOS paths. Generally, KF is used to define the ratio of the sum of powers in the LOS path to the sum of powers in the NLOS path.

[0096] NLOS path channel propagation conditions: A scenario where no line-of-sight path exists, i.e., only NLOS paths exist.

[0097] Therefore, it can be said that a higher lysian K factor indicates higher energy in the LOS path relative to the energy in the NLOS path, and worse multipath conditions.

[0098] From the above description of the information related to payload size, it can be seen that determining the information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report by the first network element may specifically determine the number of paths corresponding to one or more paths carried in the payload of the channel measurement report, for example, whether information about 256 paths is carried or information about 32 paths is carried. Furthermore, the first network element may further determine the number of bits corresponding to each of the one or more paths carried. For example, assuming that it is determined that the payload of the channel measurement report carries information about 32 paths, the information about each of the 32 paths is represented by using a number of bits. For example, the information about each path may be represented by using 16 bits, 32 bits, or 64 bits. When more bits are used to represent the information about a path, the precision of the represented information about the path becomes higher. For example, the precision of the information about a path represented by 32 bits is higher than the precision of the information about a path represented by 16 bits.

[0099] In the example, the first network element may determine information related to the payload size based on a mapping relationship. Optionally, the mapping relationship may be any one of the following: a mapping relationship between the positioning accuracy level and information related to the payload size, a mapping relationship between channel conditions and information related to the payload size, or a mapping relationship between the positioning accuracy level, channel conditions, and information related to the payload size.

[0100] The first network element determines information relating to the payload size corresponding to the current positioning accuracy level and / or current channel conditions, based on the mapping relationship. The channel conditions may be determined based on the characteristics of the channel measurement results. In other words, the characteristics of the channel measurement results may reflect the channel conditions, and the positioning accuracy requirements may correspond to the positioning accuracy level in the mapping relationship. Therefore, after obtaining channel measurement results by performing a channel measurement, the first network element may determine the characteristics of the channel measurement results, and then, based on the mapping relationship, as well as the current positioning accuracy requirements and / or current channel conditions, determine information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report.

[0101] The characteristics of the channel measurement results may be understood to include one or more items in Table 3. The mapping relationship corresponding to each characteristic of the channel measurement results, i.e., the mapping relationship between channel conditions and / or positioning accuracy level and information related to payload size, may satisfy at least one item in Table 3.

[0102] [Table 3]

[0103] Please understand that Table 3 lists several features of the channel measurement results. The first network element may determine the channel condition based on one or more of these features and, by referring to the positioning accuracy level, determine the information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report. For example, assuming that the feature of the channel measurement result is delay spread information, the first network element may determine the NLOS degree of the current channel environment based on the delay spread information of the channel measurement result. In the example, assuming that the NLOS degree of the current channel environment corresponds to channel condition 1 and the positioning accuracy requirement corresponds to positioning accuracy level 1, the first network element may determine that the information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report includes information about 256 paths. In another example, assuming that the NLOS degree of the current channel environment corresponds to channel condition 1 but the positioning accuracy requirement corresponds to positioning accuracy level 3, the first network element may determine that the information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report includes information about 32 paths.

[0104] Optionally, information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report may include the number of bits corresponding to the information for each path. Table 4 is used below as an example for illustrative purposes. It may be understood that the features of the channel measurement results may include one or more items in Table 4. The mapping relationship corresponding to each feature of the channel measurement results, i.e., the mapping relationship between the channel conditions and / or positioning accuracy level and the information relating to the payload size, may satisfy at least one item in Table 4.

[0105] [Table 4]

[0106] In the example in Table 4, the first network element determining information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on the positioning accuracy requirements and channel conditions may specifically determine how many bits are used to represent the information about each reported path. For example, the first network element determines that the current channel condition is channel condition 1 based on the delay spread information. If the positioning accuracy requirement corresponds to positioning accuracy level 1, the first network element may determine, based on the mapping relationship, that the reported information for each of one or more paths is represented by using 256 bits. However, if positioning accuracy level 1 needs to be achieved under channel condition 2, the first network element may determine that the reported information for each path is represented by using 128 bits.

[0107] Optionally, information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report may include the number of paths and the number of bits corresponding to the information about each path, as shown in the example in Table 5. The features of the channel measurement results may be understood to include one or more items in Table 5. The mapping relationship corresponding to each feature of the channel measurement results, i.e., the mapping relationship between the channel conditions and / or positioning accuracy level and the information relating to the payload size, may satisfy at least one item in Table 5.

[0108] [Table 5]

[0109] In Table 5, only delay spread information, angle spread information, or angle-delay-power information are used as illustrative examples, and other features of channel measurement results are also applicable. In Table 5, assuming that the first network element determines, based on the features of the channel measurement results, that the current channel condition corresponds to channel condition 1 and the positioning accuracy requirement corresponds to positioning accuracy level 3, the first network element may determine that the information relating to the payload size includes information about 32 paths, and that the information about each of the 32 paths corresponds to 32 bits. Optionally, assuming that the current channel condition determined based on the features of the channel measurement results is channel condition 1 and the positioning accuracy requirement corresponds to positioning accuracy level 2, the first network element may determine that there are two possible options for the information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report, both of which can satisfy the positioning accuracy requirement: (128,64) or (128,16). In this case, the first network element selects (128,16), which can reduce the reporting overhead of the channel measurement report.

[0110] Optionally, when determining information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report, the first network element may further consider other positioning-related requirements in addition to satisfying the positioning accuracy requirements. In some examples, channel condition 1 and positioning accuracy level 2 in Table 5 are used as examples. If the transmission delay requirement for the channel measurement report is high (i.e., a low delay is required), the first network element selects (128,16) as the information related to the payload size because the total number of bits corresponding to (128,16) is smaller and the transmission delay is lower compared to (128,64). Alternatively, if a high reliability guarantee of positioning accuracy is required, the first network element selects (128,64) as the information related to the payload size because (128,64) contains more channel measurement information compared to (128,16), thereby making it possible to more reliably guarantee positioning accuracy. This is merely an example in this specification. The first network element may, alternatively, use another factor as one of the basis for determining information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report. This is not limited to the first factor.

[0111] In Tables 3 to 5 above, the technical solution is illustrated by using an example where the mapping relationship is between channel conditions, positioning accuracy levels, and information related to payload size. As stated above, the mapping relationship may, but is not limited to, a mapping relationship between channel conditions or positioning accuracy levels and information related to payload size. Optionally, when the mapping relationship includes a mapping relationship between one of the channel conditions and positioning accuracy levels and information related to payload size, the other of the channel conditions and positioning accuracy levels may be determined by a first network element. For example, the mapping relationship is between positioning accuracy levels and information related to payload size, and the channel conditions are determined by channel measurement and estimation performed by the first network element. In another example, the mapping relationship is between channel conditions and information related to payload size, and the mapping relationship is specific to positioning accuracy levels.

[0112] For example, the first network element stores the mapping relationships in Tables 6 and 7. Table 6 is specific to positioning accuracy level 1, and Table 7 is specific to positioning accuracy level 2. After the first network element obtains the positioning accuracy requirement from the location management function network element, if the positioning accuracy requirement corresponds to positioning accuracy level 1, the first network element determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on the mapping relationships in Table 6 and the current channel conditions. If the positioning accuracy requirement corresponds to positioning accuracy level 2, the first network element determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on the mapping relationships in Table 7.

[0113] [Table 6]

[0114] [Table 7]

[0115] In another example, the first network element stores the mapping relationships in Tables 8 and 9. Table 8 is specific to channel condition 1, and Table 9 is specific to channel condition 2. The first network element determines the current channel condition by using the channel measurement results obtained by performing channel measurements. If the channel measurement results correspond to channel condition 1, the first network element determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on the mapping relationships in Table 8 and by referring to the positioning accuracy requirements obtained from the location management function network element.

[0116] [Table 8]

[0117] [Table 9]

[0118] From the explanation in step 410, it can be seen that the first network element sends the channel measurement report to the location management function network element and uses the first indication information to indicate information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report, thereby enabling a flexible payload format to be supported, and thereby supporting the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead for the channel measurement report.

[0119] Optionally, the method may further include step 430 before step 420.

[0120] 430: The first network element receives information regarding positioning accuracy requirements from the location management function network element.

[0121] In the example, positioning accuracy requirements, which the first network element uses to determine information relating to the payload size of a channel measurement report, may be sent to the first network element by a location management function network element. For example, a measurement request sent to the first network element by a location management function network element may carry information regarding positioning accuracy requirements, or the information regarding positioning accuracy requirements may be sent to the first network element using different information than that in the measurement request. This is not limited to this.

[0122] Optionally, method 400 may further include a location management function network element sending a measurement request to a first network element. The measurement request indicates to the first network element that a channel measurement should be performed. In other words, the measurement request is used to trigger the first network element to perform a channel measurement.

[0123] Optionally, in the uplink positioning scenario, the first network element is an access network device, and the channel measurement result is based on the first channel measurement. The first channel measurement may involve the access network device measuring a sounding reference signal from a terminal device. In the downlink positioning scenario, the first network element is a terminal device, and the channel measurement is based on the second channel measurement. The second channel measurement may involve the terminal device measuring a positioning reference signal from an access network device.

[0124] In Method 400, a first network element sends first indication information to a location management function network element, which indicates information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report (i.e., the payload format). In this way, the first network element can support a flexible payload format to support the relatively low reporting overhead requirement of the channel measurement report. Furthermore, the information related to the payload size may be determined by the first network element based on the positioning accuracy requirement and the characteristics of the channel measurement result. Therefore, the payload format determined by the first network element will also differ based on different channel conditions and different positioning accuracy requirements. Thus, given that the positioning accuracy requirement is met, a relatively small payload size may be designed for the channel measurement report based on the channel conditions to satisfy the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead for the channel measurement report.

[0125] Optionally, the first network element may further send the channel measurement report to the location management function network element, and information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report is indicated by the first indication information. In other words, the first network element sends the channel measurement report and the first indication information to the location management function network element, and the first indication information indicates information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report.

[0126] In an optional alternative implementation, the first network element sends first indication information to the location management function network element, which indicates information related to the payload size. After receiving the first indication information, the location management function network element may feed back an acceptance or rejection message to the first network element based on the status of the AI ​​positioning model stored in the model library. For example, the information related to the payload size indicated by the first indication information includes information about 256 paths, and the location management function network element feeds back an acceptance or response message based on whether the corresponding AI positioning model is stored in the model library. For example, if the location management function network element has an AI positioning model corresponding to the information about 256 paths (or the AI ​​positioning model uses the information about 256 paths as input), the location management function network element returns an acceptance message to the first network element; or if the location management function network element does not have an AI positioning model corresponding to the information about 256 paths, the location management function network element returns a rejection message to the first network element. If the first network element receives an acceptance message, the first network element sends a channel measurement report to the location management function network element, the channel measurement report having a payload size indicated by the first indication information. Optionally, if the location management function network element returns a rejection message to the first network element, the location management function network element may further send a second indication information to the first network element, the second indication information relating to a new payload size.For ease of distinction, in this specification, information relating to the payload size indicated by the first indication information sent by the first network element is referred to as payload size-related information 1, and information relating to the payload size indicated by the second indication information sent by the location management function network element is referred to as payload size-related information 2. Payload size-related information 2 may be indicated to the first network element by the location management function network element based on the status of the AI ​​positioning model in the model library of the location management function network element. For example, payload size-related information 1 includes information on 64 paths, but the location management function network element does not have an AI positioning model corresponding to the information on 64 paths, but has AI positioning models corresponding to information on 128 paths and information on 256 paths, and the AI ​​positioning models corresponding to the information on 128 paths and information on 256 paths can also guarantee the positioning accuracy requirements. In this case, the location management function network element indicates payload size-related information 2, which includes information on 128 paths, by using the second indication information. Therefore, the first network element sends a channel measurement report to the location management function network element based on the indication of the second indication information, and the payload of the channel measurement report contains information on 128 paths. Optionally, the location management function network element determines the channel conditions based on the received first indication information.When there are multiple path quantities corresponding to multiple AI models with the same positioning accuracy requirements, and / or multiple bit quantities for information about each path, the location management function network element selects information relating to the payload size that is closer to the payload size indicated by the first indication information (based on consideration of the total payload size), or selects information relating to the payload size indicated by the first indication information (based on consideration of only the payload size-related information, e.g., the number of paths or the number of bits for information about each path), and sends the selection result to the first network element using the second indication information. In this way, it is possible to avoid situations where any AI model does not match the channel measurement report sent by the first network element.

[0127] In the implementation described below, the first network element initially provides the location management network element with information related to the payload size. If the location management network element accepts the information related to the payload size, it sends a corresponding channel measurement report. Otherwise, it can report a channel measurement report based on the information related to the payload size provided by the location management network element.

[0128] Optionally, to ensure that the first network element and the location management function network element support at least one identical payload size, the first network element and the location management function network element may perform capability exchange before the first network element sends a channel measurement report. Capability as used herein refers to information relating to the payload sizes supported by the first network element and the location management function network element. For example, for the first network element, the capability of the first network element refers to information relating to the payload sizes that the first network element supports when reporting. For the location management function network element, the capability of the location management function network element refers to information relating to the payload sizes that the location management function network element supports when performing AI positioning inference. Of course, capability exchange is performed on the condition that the current positioning accuracy requirements are met. For example, when sending information regarding positioning accuracy requirements to the first network element, the location management function network element indicates information relating to one or more payload sizes that can be used for AI positioning inference, provided that the current positioning accuracy requirements are met. The information relating to one or more payload sizes may correspond to one or more AI positioning models in the model library of the location management function network element. The first network element may select from the information relating to one or more payload sizes shown by the location management function network element the information relating to payload sizes that is also supported by the first network element for channel measurement reporting for transmission, and may show information relating to the payload size of channel measurement reporting, which is in particular one of the information relating to one or more payload sizes shown by the location management function network element.

[0129] Optionally, another implementation will be described below with reference to Figure 5. Specifically, the location management function network element indicates information related to the payload size to the first network element, and the first network element then reports a channel measurement report that carries the corresponding information related to the payload size based on the indication of the location management function network element.

[0130] Figure 5 is a schematic flowchart of Method 500 for transmitting information according to this application. Method 500 may be implemented by a corresponding network element or by a chip or circuit, but is not limited to this. Hereinafter, implementation by a network element will be used as an example for illustrative purposes.

[0131] 510: A location management function network element determines information relating to the payload size of a channel measurement report based on positioning relationship requirements, the positioning relationship requirements including at least positioning accuracy requirements, and the information relating to the payload size includes one or more of the following: a path quantity corresponding to one or more paths, or a bit quantity corresponding to information about each of one or more paths.

[0132] When determining information relating to the payload size of a channel measurement report based on positioning requirements, the location management function network element may specifically determine that information by referring to information in the AI ​​model library of the location management function network element. It should be noted that the AI ​​model library of the location management function network element is not limited to being stored on the location management function network element, but may also be stored on another network element, for example, a second network element (distinguished herein from the first network element). In the following embodiments, an example in which the AI ​​model library is stored on the location management function network element is used for illustrative purposes. In this application, the AI ​​models in the AI ​​model library are used for positioning and are therefore also referred to as AI positioning models.

[0133] For example, an AI model library stores multiple AI positioning models, each using information about multiple paths as input and the location of the UE as output. Optionally, the positioning relationship requirements include at least a positioning accuracy requirement, i.e., a level of positioning accuracy that can be guaranteed. In addition, the positioning relationship requirements may further include other requirements, such as a channel measurement report transmission delay requirement and a positioning accuracy guarantee reliability requirement, as shown in Table 10.

[0134] [Table 10]

[0135] As shown in Table 10, if the current positioning accuracy requirement of a location management function network element corresponds to positioning accuracy level 1, and the AI ​​models that can guarantee positioning accuracy level 1 include AI Model 1, AI Model 2, and AI Model 3, then the inputs to the three AI models are information about 256 paths, information about 64 paths, and information about 32 paths, respectively. In this case, other positioning relationship requirements may also be considered. For example, if the transmission delay requirement for channel measurement reports corresponds to delay requirement level 2, and the reliability requirement for positioning accuracy assurance corresponds to level 1 (e.g., a low requirement for delay but a high requirement for reliability), the location management function network element determines that the information related to payload size includes information about 256 paths. In another example, if the current positioning accuracy requirement corresponds to positioning accuracy level 1, the transmission delay requirement for channel measurement reports corresponds to delay requirement level 1, and the reliability requirement for positioning accuracy assurance corresponds to level 2 (e.g., a high requirement for delay but a low requirement for reliability), the location management function network element determines that the information related to payload size includes information about 64 paths.

[0136] The information relating to payload size in Table 10 may include path quantities corresponding to multiple paths, but this is only an example. As described in Method 400 above, the information relating to payload size may also include bit quantities corresponding to information about each of the multiple paths, or the information relating to payload size may include path quantities corresponding to multiple paths and bit quantities corresponding to information about each path. This is not limited to these. In these different implementations, the process by which the location management function network element determines the information relating to payload size based on the positioning relationship requirements is similar, i.e., it determines the information relating to payload size based on different positioning relationship requirements (e.g., different positioning accuracy requirements) to support the first network element in reporting channel measurement reports by using a flexible payload format, thereby supporting the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead for channel measurement reports.

[0137] After determining the information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report, the location management function network element displays the information related to the payload size to the first network element, as shown in step 520.

[0138] 520: The location management function network element sends third indication information, which indicates information related to the payload size.

[0139] 530: The location management function network element receives the channel measurement report.

[0140] The channel measurement report is based on information related to the payload size indicated by the third indication information. In other words, the payload size in the channel measurement report is adapted to or corresponds to the information related to the payload size indicated by the third indication information.

[0141] In Method 500, the location management function network element determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on positioning relationship requirements (e.g., positioning accuracy requirements) and indicates this information to the channel measurement network element. The payload size information indicated to the channel measurement network element by the location management function network element varies under different positioning relationship requirements. Therefore, under different positioning relationship requirements, the information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report reported by the channel measurement network element based on the indication of the location management function network element changes. Thus, a flexible payload format can be supported, thereby supporting the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead for channel measurement reports.

[0142] Optionally, in method 500, the location management function network element may adjust the indicated information related to the payload size based on performance monitoring of the AI ​​positioning model.

[0143] For example, based on the current positioning accuracy requirements, the model library of the location management function network element stores multiple AI positioning models that can guarantee the current positioning accuracy requirements, and the information related to payload size corresponding to the multiple AI positioning models differs. The location management function network element may first show the channel measurement network element information related to payload size corresponding to a relatively low reporting overhead. Then, based on performance monitoring of the corresponding AI positioning model, if the performance of the AI ​​positioning model cannot meet the performance requirements (e.g., positioning accuracy requirements), the location management function network element adjusts the shown information related to payload size, for example, showing a reporting overhead that is slightly higher than the previous reporting overhead. One or more adjustments are made to meet the performance requirements. Examples are used below for explanation, with reference to Table 11.

[0144] Table 11

[0145] For example, all of AI positioning models 1 through 3 may satisfy the positioning accuracy requirements corresponding to positioning accuracy level 1, but the positioning accuracy levels corresponding to AI positioning models 1 through 3 may be specific to different channel conditions. In this case, the location management function network element may provide the channel measurement network element with information relating to the payload size corresponding to a relatively low reporting overhead. For example, the location management function network element provides information relating to the payload size corresponding to AI positioning model 3, specifically including information about 16 paths. The location management function network element monitors the performance of AI positioning model 3. If it is found that AI positioning model 3 cannot satisfy the positioning accuracy requirements, the above research results of this application can be seen as indicating that the current positioning accuracy requirements cannot be guaranteed by using information about 16 paths as input to AI positioning model 3 under the current channel conditions. In this case, the location management function network element adjusts the provided information relating to the payload size. For example, the location management function provides the channel measurement network element with information relating to the payload size corresponding to AI positioning model 2, specifically including information about 64 paths. Compared to information on 32 paths, information on 64 paths provides more channel measurement information, which helps improve positioning accuracy. The location management function network element performs inference operations based on AI positioning model 2 and monitors the performance of AI positioning model 2. If the performance monitoring results of AI positioning model 2 indicate that AI positioning model 2 can meet the current positioning requirements, it indicates that the information on 64 paths reported by the channel measurement network element under the current channel conditions as input to the AI ​​positioning model can meet the current positioning accuracy requirements. If AI positioning model 2 still cannot meet the current positioning accuracy requirements, the location management function network element may continue to modify the indicated information related to the payload size. For example, the location management function network element indicates information related to the payload size corresponding to AI positioning model 1, and so on.From the above adjustment process, it can be seen that the adjustment process actually determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on the current channel conditions and positioning accuracy requirements, and ultimately determines information related to the payload size that can satisfy the positioning accuracy requirements under the current channel conditions. In this way, a flexible payload format can be supported, thereby supporting the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead while satisfying the positioning accuracy requirements.

[0146] From the methods described in Figures 4 and 5, it can be seen that in this embodiment of the present application, a first network element (i.e., a network element that performs channel measurement, or simply a channel measurement network element) or a location management function network element can determine information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report. In some examples, the method of Figure 4 is applicable when the model library deployed on the location management function network element contains only a few models. In this case, the location management function network element may provide the first network element with information regarding positioning accuracy requirements, and the first network element then determines information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on the positioning accuracy requirements and the characteristics of the channel measurement results. The method of Figure 5 is applicable when the model library deployed on the location management function network element contains a relatively large number of models. In this case, the location management function network element determines information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on positioning-related requirements, such as positioning accuracy requirements, and provides the payload size-related information to the first network element. In this way, the first network element can be supported when reporting a flexible payload format, thereby supporting the requirement of relatively low reporting overhead.

[0147] The application of embodiments of this application in uplink positioning scenarios and downlink positioning scenarios will be described separately below using examples.

[0148] In the following embodiments, LMF is used as an example of a location management function network element, and base station is used as an example of an access network device, but this is not limited to this. Alternatively, the location management function network element may be another network element, module, etc.

[0149] 1. The first network element determines the information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report.

[0150] Optionally, a method used to send a channel measurement report to a location management function network element via a first network element, and to indicate information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report, for example, method 400, may be applied to an uplink positioning scenario or a downlink positioning scenario.

[0151] (1) Uplink positioning

[0152] In uplink positioning, model selection and / or inference are performed in the LMF. In the implementation, the model uses channel measurement results obtained by the base station by measuring the SRS sent by the UE as input, and the UE's location as output. Optionally, in another possible implementation, the model uses channel features extracted from the channel measurement results as input, but is not limited to this. In the latter implementation, the AI ​​model may be deployed on the base station side and used to extract channel features from the channel measurement results.

[0153] It should be noted that in the following embodiments, the transmission of information or data between two network elements is not limited to direct transmission, indirect transmission (including transparent transmission), etc. Therefore, network element A sending information to network element B may include network element A directly sending information to network element B through an interface between network element A and network element B, or network element A sending information to network element C, and network element C sending information to network element B. In addition, the number of relays used to forward from network element A to network element B is not limited. For example, a UE sending a channel measurement report to an LMF may include several specific implementations, e.g., the UE directly sending the channel measurement report to the LMF using LPP messages, or the UE sending the channel measurement report to the LMF through a base station, or the UE sending the channel measurement report to the LMF through a base station and an AMF, or the UE sending the channel measurement report to the LMF through an AMF. This is not limited. Interactions between other network elements are similar and should be understood by those skilled in the art. Further details will not be described again. For details on interface messages between network elements, please refer to the description in Figure 2.

[0154] Figure 6 shows an example of the application of the present invention to send information to uplink positioning.

[0155] 601: The LMF sends a measurement request to the base station, and the measurement request carries information regarding the positioning accuracy requirements.

[0156] Optionally, information regarding positioning accuracy requirements may be carried in the measurement request or in a separate message from the measurement request.

[0157] 602: Based on the measurement request, the base station configures the UE to send SRS.

[0158] 603:UE sends an SRS.

[0159] 604: The base station measures the SRS from the UE and obtains the channel measurement result.

[0160] 605: The base station determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on the positioning accuracy requirements and the characteristics of the channel measurement results.

[0161] For Step 605, please refer to the explanation in Step 420. Further details will not be provided again.

[0162] 606: The base station sends a channel measurement report and first indication information to the LMF. The first indication information indicates information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report.

[0163] Optionally, this method may further include step 607.

[0164] 607: LMF selects an AI positioning model based on the Channel measurement report.

[0165] In this embodiment of the present application, selecting an adaptive AI positioning model based on a channel measurement report may be understood as actually selecting a corresponding AI positioning model based on information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report. In other words, an AI positioning model can be selected for positioning inference if it uses information about multiple paths corresponding to information relating to the payload size as input. For example, if the payload of a channel measurement report contains information about 32 paths, and AI positioning model A in the LMF's model library uses information about 256 paths as input, and AI positioning model B uses information about 32 paths as input, the LMF will select AI positioning model B for positioning inference.

[0166] Optionally, if possible, in the LMF model library, only AI positioning model C can satisfy the positioning accuracy requirements, i.e., only one AI positioning model can satisfy the positioning accuracy requirements, but it is assumed that AI positioning model C uses information about 256 paths as input. The LMF provides the base station with information regarding the positioning accuracy requirements. Based on the characteristics of the channel measurement results and the positioning accuracy requirements indicated by the LMF, the base station determines that the information relevant to the payload size of the channel measurement report includes information about 32 paths. In this case, the channel measurement report reported by the base station carries information about 32 paths as its payload. Since only AI positioning model C satisfies the positioning accuracy requirements for the LMF, in this case, after zero-padding is performed on the information about 32 paths in the channel measurement report reported by the base station, this information can be used as input to AI positioning model C for positioning inference.

[0167] (2) Downlink positioning

[0168] In downlink positioning, model selection and / or inference are performed in the LMF. In the implementation, the model uses channel measurement results obtained by the UE by measuring the PRS sent by the base station as input, and the UE's location as output. Optionally, in another possible implementation, the model uses channel features extracted from the channel measurement results as input, this is not limited. In the latter implementation, the AI ​​model may be deployed on the UE side, and the AI ​​model is used to extract channel features from the channel measurement results.

[0169] Figure 7 shows an example of the application of this invention to sending information to downlink positioning.

[0170] 701: The LMF sends information regarding positioning accuracy requirements to the UE.

[0171] Optionally, the positioning accuracy requirements sent by the LMF may be carried in the measurement request sent by the LMF, or in a separate message from the measurement request.

[0172] 702: Configure the base station so that the LMF sends PRS.

[0173] 703: The base station sends a PRS to the UE based on the LMF configuration.

[0174] 704:UE measures the PRS from the base station and obtains the channel measurement result.

[0175] 705:UE determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on the positioning accuracy requirements and the characteristics of the channel measurement results.

[0176] For Step 705, please refer to the explanation in Step 420. Further details will not be provided again.

[0177] 706:UE sends the channel measurement report and the first indication information to the LMF, and the first indication information indicates information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report.

[0178] Optionally, this method may further include step 707.

[0179] 707:LMF selects an AI positioning model based on the Channel measurement report.

[0180] In addition, LMF can use a selected AI positioning model for inference.

[0181] 2. The location management function network element determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report.

[0182] Optionally, a method for determining information relating to the payload size of a channel measurement report by a location management function network element and presenting the payload size-related information to a first network element, for example, Method 500, may be applied to an uplink positioning scenario or a downlink positioning scenario.

[0183] (1) Uplink positioning

[0184] In uplink positioning, model selection and / or inference are performed in the LMF. The model takes channel measurement results (or channel features extracted from channel measurement results) obtained by the base station by measuring the SRS transmitted by the UE as input, and the UE's location as output.

[0185] Figure 8 shows an example of the application of the present invention to send information to uplink positioning.

[0186] 801:LMF determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on positioning requirements.

[0187] 802: The LMF sends a third indication to the base station, and this third indication indicates information related to the payload size.

[0188] Optionally, the third indication information may be carried in a measurement request sent by the LMF, or in a message separate from the measurement request.

[0189] For details on steps 801 and 802, please refer to the explanations in steps 510 and 520. Further details will not be provided again.

[0190] 803: Based on the measurement request, the base station configures the UE to send SRS.

[0191] 804:UE sends an SRS based on the base station configuration.

[0192] 805: The base station measures the SRS from the UE and obtains the channel measurement result.

[0193] 806: The base station sends a channel measurement report to the LMF based on the third indication information.

[0194] In particular, information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report is determined based on the third indication information.

[0195] Optionally, LMF selects an AI positioning model based on the channel measurement report.

[0196] (2) Downlink positioning

[0197] In downlink positioning, model selection and / or inference are performed in the LMF. The model takes channel measurement results (or channel features extracted from channel measurement results) obtained by the UE by measuring the PRS transmitted by the base station as input, and the UE's location as output.

[0198] Figure 9 shows an example of the application of this invention to sending information to downlink positioning.

[0199] 901: The LMF determines information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on positioning requirements.

[0200] 902: The LMF sends a third indication to the UE, which indicates information related to the payload size.

[0201] Optionally, the third indication information may be carried in a measurement request sent by the LMF, or in a message separate from the measurement request.

[0202] For details on steps 901 and 902, please refer to the explanations in steps 510 and 520. Further details will not be provided again.

[0203] 903: Configure the base station so that the LMF sends PRS.

[0204] 904: The base station sends a PRS to the UE based on the LMF configuration.

[0205] 905:UE measures the PRS from the base station and obtains the channel measurement result.

[0206] 906:UE sends a channel measurement report to the LMF based on the third indication information. Information related to the payload size of the channel measurement report is determined based on the third indication information.

[0207] Optionally, LMF selects an AI positioning model based on the payload size of the channel measurement report.

[0208] The above describes in detail the method for transmitting information according to the embodiments of this application. Below, the communication device provided in this application will be described.

[0209] Referring to Figure 10, the present application provides a communication device 1000. As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1000 includes a processing module 1001 and a communication module 1002. The communication device 1000 may be a first network element (e.g., an access network device or a terminal device), or a communication device applied to or used in combination with a first network element that can implement a method carried out by a first network element, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit. Alternatively, the communication device 1000 may be a location management function network element, or a communication device applied to or used in combination with a location management function network element that can implement a method carried out by a location management function network element, such as a chip, chip system, or circuit. For example, the location management function network element may be an LMF in the method embodiment of the present application.

[0210] Communication modules are also sometimes called transceiver modules, transceivers, transceiver devices, or transceiver equipment. Processing modules are also sometimes called processors, processing boards, processing units, or processing units. Optionally, communication modules are configured to perform send and receive operations of the first network element (e.g., an access network device or a terminal device) or a location management function network element in the manner described above. Components in a communication module configured to implement receive functionality may be considered receive units. Components in a communication module configured to implement send functionality may be considered send units. In other words, a communication module includes receive units and send units.

[0211] When the communication device 1000 is applied to the first network element, the processing module 1001 may be configured to implement the processing functions of the first network element (e.g., an access network device or a terminal device) in the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 9, and the communication module 1002 may be configured to implement the receiving and sending functions of the first network element in the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 9.

[0212] When the communication device 1000 is applied to a location management function network element, the processing module 1001 may be configured to implement the processing functions of the location management function network element in the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 9, and the communication module 1002 may be configured to implement the receiving and sending functions of the first network element in the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 9.

[0213] In addition, it should be noted that communication modules and / or processing modules may be implemented using virtual modules. For example, a processing module may be implemented using a software function unit or virtual device, and a communication module may be implemented using a software function or virtual device. Alternatively, a processing module or communication module may be implemented using a physical device. For example, if the device is implemented using a chip / circuit (e.g., an integrated circuit or logic circuit), the communication module may be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface, performing input operations (corresponding to the receive operations described above) and output operations (corresponding to the send operations described above). A processing module is an integrated processor, a microprocessor, or a circuit (e.g., an integrated circuit or logic circuit).

[0214] The modularization in this application is illustrative and merely a logical functional division; other divisions may be used in actual implementations. In addition, the functional modules in the examples of this application may be integrated into a single processor, and each module may exist physically independently, or two or more modules may be integrated into a single module. The integrated module may be implemented in hardware form or in the form of a software functional module.

[0215] In addition, referring to Figure 11, the present application further provides a communication device 1100. Optionally, the communication device 1100 may be a chip or a chip system. Optionally, in the present application, a chip system may include a chip or include a chip and other individual components.

[0216] The communication device 1100 may be configured to implement the functionality of any network element in the communication system described in the above example (for example, a location management function network element or a first network element, where optionally the first network element is an access network device or a terminal device). The communication device 1100 may include at least one processor 1110. Optionally, the processor 1110 is coupled to memory. The memory may be located within the device. Alternatively, the memory may be integrated with the processor. Alternatively, the memory may be located outside the device. For example, the communication device 1100 may further include at least one memory 1120. The memory 1120 stores computer programs, computer programs or instructions, and / or data necessary to implement any one of the above examples. The processor 1110 may execute the computer programs stored in the memory 1120 to complete the method in any one of the above examples.

[0217] The communication device 1100 may further include a communication interface 1130, through which the communication device 1100 can exchange information with another device. For example, the communication interface 1130 may be a transceiver, a circuit, a bus, a module, a pin, or another type of communication interface. When the communication device 1100 is a chip-type device or circuit, the communication interface 1130 in the device 1100 may alternatively be an input / output circuit that can input (or be called receiving) information and output (or be called sending) information. The processor 1110 may be an integrated processor, a microprocessor, an integrated circuit, a logic circuit, etc. The processor may determine output information based on input information.

[0218] In this application, coupling may be an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units, or modules in an electrical, mechanical, or other form, used for information exchange between devices, units, or modules. The processor 1110 may operate in cooperation with the memory 1120 and the communication interface 1130. The specific connection medium between the processor 1110, the memory 1120, and the communication interface 1130 is not limited in this application.

[0219] Optionally, as shown in Figure 11, the processor 1110, memory 1120, and communication interface 1130 are connected to each other via bus 1140. Optionally, the bus may include different types of buses, such as an address bus, a data bus, or a control bus. In addition, for ease of representation, Figure 11 shows only one bus 1140, but this does not mean that there is only one bus or only one type of bus.

[0220] In this application, the processor may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic device, or a discrete hardware component that can implement or carry out the methods, steps, and logic block diagrams disclosed herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the methods disclosed in this application may be carried out and completed directly by the hardware processor or by using a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor.

[0221] Memory may be non-volatile memory such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD), or volatile memory such as random access memory (RAM). Memory may be any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited to such other medium. Alternatively, memory in this application may be a circuit or any other device that can implement a storage function and is configured to store program instructions and / or data.

[0222] The communication device 1100 provided in this example may be applied to a location management function network element (e.g., LMF) to complete the method performed by the location management function network element, or it may be applied to a first network element to complete the method performed by the first network element. Therefore, for technical effects that can be achieved in this embodiment, please refer to the description of the method embodiment above. Details are not described again herein.

[0223] Based on the above example, this application provides a communication system. In the example, the communication system includes a first network element and a location management function network element. Optionally, the communication system may further include at least one AI node. The communication system may implement a method for transmitting information according to the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 9.

[0224] All or part of the technical solutions provided in this application may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When software is used to implement an embodiment, all or part of the embodiment may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the procedures or functions according to this application are generated. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a dedicated computer, a computer network, a terminal device, an access network device, or another programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center by a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, or digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, radio, or microwave) method. Computer-readable storage media may be any available medium accessible by a computer, or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. Available media may include magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, or magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., digital video discs (DVDs)), semiconductor media, and the like.

[0225] In this application, cross-referencing is possible between examples without logical inconsistency. For example, cross-referencing is possible between methods and / or terms in method embodiments, between functions and / or terms in apparatus embodiments, and between functions and / or terms in apparatus examples and method examples.

[0226] Units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts shown as units may or may not be physical units, and may be located in one location or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to the actual requirements in order to achieve the objectives of the solution in the embodiment.

[0227] In addition, the functional units in the embodiments of this application may be integrated into a single processing unit, and each unit may exist physically independently, or two or more units may be integrated into a single unit.

[0228] In embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more items. "Multiple" means two or more items. The term "and / or" describes the relationship between related subjects and indicates that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B could represent three cases: A only exists, both A and B exist, and B only exists. The letter " / " generally indicates an "or" relationship between related subjects. In addition, while terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used in this application to describe subjects, it should be understood that these subjects are not limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish subjects from one another.

[0229] The term “including” and any other variations thereof as used in embodiments of this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device comprising a set of steps or units may, at their discretion, further include, other unlisted steps or units, or at their discretion, further include other specific steps or units of the process, method, product, or device, without limiting themselves to the listed steps or units. In addition, terms such as “example” or “for example” are used to indicate that an example, illustration, or explanation is being given. No method or design solution described as “example” or “for example” in this application should be construed as being preferable or advantageous to another method or design solution. In particular, the use of terms such as “example” or “for example” is intended to illustrate a technical solution or concept relating to it by using an example in a particular manner.

[0230] When a function is implemented in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, the function may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solutions of this application, or parts of them that contribute to the prior art, or some of the technical solutions, may be implemented in the form of a software product. A computer software product is stored on a storage medium and includes several instructions for instructing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, network device, etc.) to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described in embodiments of this application. The storage medium is any medium capable of storing program code, including, for example, a USB flash drive, a removable hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

[0231] The above description represents only a specific implementation of this application, and the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any modification or substitution that is readily conceivable to a person skilled in the art within the scope of the art disclosed in this application falls within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application must be subject to the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A method for sending information, applied to a first network element, A step of sending first indication information to a location management function network element, wherein the first indication information indicates information relating to the payload size of a channel measurement report, The information relating to the payload size is, The number of paths corresponding to one or more paths, and The number of bits corresponding to the information of each of the one or more paths, A method of sending information that includes one or more of the following.

2. The aforementioned method, The step of determining the information related to the payload size based on the positioning accuracy requirements and the characteristics of the channel measurement results. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

3. The step of determining the information related to the payload size based on the positioning accuracy requirements and the characteristics of the channel measurement results is: Mapping relationship between positioning accuracy level and the information related to payload size, The mapping relationship between the channel conditions and the information related to the payload size, and Mapping relationship between positioning accuracy level, channel conditions, and the information related to the payload size, The step includes determining the information relating to the payload size based on one of the following mapping relationships: The positioning accuracy level is determined based on the positioning accuracy requirements, and the channel conditions are determined based on the characteristics of the channel measurement results. The method according to claim 2.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the channel measurement result includes information relating to one or more paths, the information relating to the first path among the one or more paths includes one or more of the information relating to the first path, such as amplitude and phase information, amplitude information, phase information, or angle information, and the first path is any one of the one or more paths.

5. The first network element is a channel measurement network element, and the method is The step of receiving information regarding the positioning accuracy requirements from the location management function network element. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 4, further comprising:

6. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the information relating to the positioning accuracy requirements is transported from the location management function network element in a measurement request.

7. The first network element is an access network device, and the channel measurement result is based on a first channel measurement, the first channel measurement includes the step of measuring a sounding reference signal from a terminal device, or The first network element is a terminal device, and the channel measurement result is based on a second channel measurement, the second channel measurement includes the step of measuring a positioning reference signal from an access network device. The method according to any one of claims 2 to 6.

8. The characteristics of the channel measurement results are as follows: Delay spread information, angle spread information, angle-delay-power information, the number of paths in the sampled paths whose energy exceeds a predetermined energy ratio of the energy of the first path, Lysian K factor, Doppler frequency measurement result, line-of-sight LOS probability, sampled full-band or sub-band interference level, or full-band or sub-band reference signal received power RSRP, The method according to any one of claims 2 to 7, comprising one or more of the above.

9. A method for sending information, which is applied to a location management function network element, A step of receiving first indication information from a first network element, wherein the first indication information indicates information relating to the payload size of a channel measurement report, The information relating to the payload size is, The number of paths corresponding to one or more paths, and The number of bits corresponding to the information of each of the one or more paths, A method of sending information that includes one or more of the following.

10. The information relating to the payload size is based on positioning accuracy requirements and characteristics of channel measurement results, according to the method of claim 9.

11. The information relating to the payload size is, Mapping relationship between positioning accuracy level and the information related to payload size, The mapping relationship between the channel conditions and the information related to the payload size, and Mapping relationship between positioning accuracy level, channel conditions, and the information related to the payload size, This is determined based on one of the following mapping relationships: The positioning accuracy level is determined based on the positioning accuracy requirements, and the channel conditions are determined based on the characteristics of the channel measurement results. The method according to claim 10.

12. The method according to claim 10 or 11, wherein the channel measurement result includes information relating to one or more paths, the information relating to the first path among the one or more paths includes one or more of the information relating to the first path, such as amplitude and phase information, amplitude information, phase information, or angle information, and the first path is any one of the one or more paths.

13. The aforementioned method, The step of sending information regarding the positioning accuracy requirements to the first network element. The method according to any one of claims 10 to 12, further comprising:

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the information relating to the positioning accuracy requirements is conveyed in a measurement request sent to the first network element by the location management function network element.

15. The characteristics of the channel measurement results are as follows: Delay spread information, angle spread information, angle-delay-power information, the number of paths in the sampled paths whose energy exceeds a predetermined energy ratio of the energy of the first path, Lysian K factor, Doppler frequency measurement result, line-of-sight LOS probability, sampled full-band or sub-band interference level, or full-band or sub-band reference signal received power RSRP, The method according to any one of claims 10 to 14, comprising one or more of the above.

16. A method for sending information, A step of determining information relating to the payload size of a channel measurement report based on positioning relationship requirements, wherein the positioning relationship requirements include at least positioning accuracy requirements, and the information relating to the payload size includes one or more of the following: a number of paths corresponding to one or more paths, or a number of bits corresponding to information about each of the one or more paths; A step of sending a third indication information, wherein the third indication information indicates the information relating to the payload size, The steps include receiving the channel measurement report and A method for sending information, including...

17. The step of determining the information relating to the payload size of the channel measurement report based on the positioning relationship requirements is: A step of determining the information related to the payload size based on the mapping relationship between the requirements for the positioning relationship and the information related to the payload size. The method according to claim 16, including the method described in claim 16.

18. A method for sending information, A step of receiving third indication information from a location management function network element, wherein the third indication information indicates information relating to the payload size of a channel measurement report, and the information relating to the payload size includes one or more of the following: a path quantity corresponding to one or more paths, or a bit quantity corresponding to information about each of the one or more paths; The steps include sending the channel measurement report to the location management function network element based on the third indication information, and A method for sending information, including...

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the information relating to the payload size is determined based on positioning relationship requirements, and the positioning relationship requirements include at least positioning accuracy requirements.

20. A method for sending information, A step of sending first indication information to a location management function network element by a first network element, wherein the first indication information indicates information relating to the payload size of a channel measurement report, and the information relating to the payload size includes one or more of the following: a number of paths corresponding to one or more paths, or a number of bits corresponding to information about each of the one or more paths; The location management function network element receives the first indication information from the first network element. A method for sending information, including...

21. A method for sending information, A step of determining information relating to the payload size of a channel measurement report based on positioning relationship requirements using a location management function network element, wherein the positioning relationship requirements include at least positioning accuracy requirements, and the information relating to the payload size includes one or more of the following: a number of paths corresponding to one or more paths, or a number of bits corresponding to information about each of the one or more paths; A step of sending third indication information to a first network element using the location management function network element, wherein the third indication information indicates the information relating to the payload size. The first network element receives the third indication information, The first network element sends the channel measurement report to the location management function network element based on the third indication information, The location management function network element receives the channel measurement report from the first network element. A method for sending information, including...

22. A communication device, A communication device comprising a processor, wherein the processor is coupled to a memory, and the processor is configured to call computer program instructions stored in the memory to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions, and when the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the computer is able to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

24. A computer program product comprising computer instructions, wherein when the computer instructions are executed on a computer, the computer becomes capable of carrying out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

25. A chip comprising a processing circuit and a communication interface, wherein the communication interface is configured to receive data and / or information and transmit the received data and / or information to the processing circuit, and the processing circuit is configured to process the data and / or information to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 19.

26. A communication system comprising a communication device configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 1 to 8 and a communication device configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 9 to 15, or a communication device configured to perform the method described in claim 16 or 17 and a communication device configured to perform the method described in claim 18 or 19.

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