Positioning method and apparatus, and device, storage medium and chip

Abstract

A positioning method and apparatus, and a device, a storage medium and a chip, which belong to the technical field of mobile communications. The method is executed by a terminal device, and comprises: performing positioning on a zero-power tag device according to a first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device (601), wherein the first wireless signal is actively emitted by the zero-power tag device after same receives a second wireless signal, or is passively sent by the zero-power tag device after same performs backscatter modulation on the second wireless signal, and the second wireless signal is used for supplying power to the zero-power tag device, or is used for waking up the zero-power tag device. The solution reduces the energy consumption of device positioning, and also expands the application scenarios of device positioning.

Description

Positioning method, device, equipment, storage medium and chip Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of mobile communication technology, and in particular to a positioning method, apparatus, device, storage medium and chip. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development of mobile communication technology, the demand for positioning based on mobile communication is also increasing.

[0003] In related technologies, two terminals can be positioned through the Internet of Things or a cellular network; for example, two terminals in the Internet of Things and a cellular network establish an Internet of Things connection or a cellular network connection, and then receive and detect signals through the Internet of Things connection or the cellular network connection to achieve applications such as absolute positioning, relative positioning, ranging, and direction finding.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method, apparatus, device, storage medium, and chip. The technical solution is as follows:

[0006] In one aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning method, which is performed by a positioning device and includes:

[0007] The zero-power tag device is positioned according to the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device; the first wireless signal is actively transmitted by the zero-power tag device after receiving the second wireless signal, or the second wireless signal is passively transmitted by backscatter modulation; the second wireless signal is used to power the zero-power tag device, or to wake up the zero-power tag device.

[0008] The first wireless signal is actively transmitted by the zero-power tag device after it is powered or awakened by the second wireless signal, or is passively transmitted by performing backscatter modulation on the second wireless signal.

[0009] In one aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning method, which is performed by a zero-power tag device, and includes:

[0010] After receiving the second wireless signal, the first wireless signal is actively transmitted or backscattered modulated on the second wireless signal to passively send the first wireless signal; the first wireless signal is used by the positioning device to locate the zero-power tag device; the second wireless signal is used to power the zero-power tag device, or to wake up the zero-power tag device.

[0011] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning device, the device comprising:

[0012] A positioning module is used to locate the zero-power tag device based on a first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device; the first wireless signal is actively transmitted by the zero-power tag device after receiving a second wireless signal, or the second wireless signal is passively transmitted by backscatter modulation; the second wireless signal is used to power the zero-power tag device, or to wake up the zero-power tag device.

[0013] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning device, the device comprising:

[0014] The sending module is used to actively transmit or passively send a first wireless signal by backscattering modulation of the second wireless signal after receiving a second wireless signal; the first wireless signal is used by a positioning device to locate the zero-power tag device; the second wireless signal is used to power the zero-power tag device, or to wake up the zero-power tag device.

[0015] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning device, the positioning device including a processor, a memory, and a transceiver;

[0016] The memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program so that the terminal device implements the positioning method executed by the above-mentioned positioning device.

[0017] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a zero-power tag device, wherein the zero-power tag device includes a processor, a memory, and a transceiver;

[0018] The memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program to enable the zero-power consumption tag device to implement the positioning method executed by the above-mentioned zero-power consumption tag device.

[0019] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored. The computer program is loaded and executed by a processor to implement the above-mentioned positioning method.

[0020] On the other hand, the present application also provides a chip, which is used to run in a communication device so that the communication device executes the above positioning method.

[0021] In another aspect, the present application provides a computer program product, the computer program product including computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a communication device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, causing the communication device to perform the above-mentioned positioning method.

[0022] On the other hand, the present application provides a computer program, which is executed by a processor of a communication device to implement the above positioning method.

[0023] An embodiment of the present application provides a positioning solution, in which a zero-power tag device can send a first wireless signal while receiving power from a second wireless signal and / or backscattering the second wireless signal. The positioning device can locate the zero-power tag device based on the first wireless signal. In other words, the located zero-power tag device only needs to be able to receive power from other wireless signals, or backscatter other wireless signals, to send wireless signals for positioning. It does not need to support the access capability of the Internet of Things or cellular networks together with the positioning device, thereby saving energy consumption for device positioning and expanding the application scenarios of device positioning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0025] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of the zero-power communication involved in this application;

[0027] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the backscatter communication principle involved in this application;

[0028] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the energy harvesting principle involved in this application;

[0029] FIG5 is a circuit diagram of a resistive load modulation system according to the present invention;

[0030] FIG6 is a flowchart of a positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] FIG7 is a flowchart of a positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] FIG8 is a flowchart of a positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 9 is a framework diagram of mobile phone-initiated positioning;

[0034] FIG10 is a block diagram of a positioning device provided by one embodiment of the present application;

[0035] FIG11 is a block diagram of a positioning device provided by one embodiment of the present application;

[0036] FIG12 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in one embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of this application clearer, the implementation methods of this application are further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0038] The network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. A person skilled in the art will appreciate that, with the evolution of the network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

[0039] 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application, which includes a network device 110, a terminal device 120, and a zero-power tag device 130, which is not limited in the present application.

[0040] The network device 110 in the present application provides wireless communication functions, and the network device 110 includes but is not limited to: Evolved Node B (eNB), Radio Network Controller (RNC), Node B (NB), Base Station Controller (BSC), Base Transceiver Station (BTS), Home Base Station (e.g., Home Evolved Node B, or Home Node B, HNB), Baseband Unit (BBU), Access Point (AP) in Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) system, Wireless Relay Node, Wireless Backhaul Node, Transmission Point (TP) or Transmission and Reception Point (TRP), etc., and can also be the Next Generation Node B (NGNB) in the 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication system. The term "gNB" refers to a base station (B, gNB) or a transmission point (TRP or TP), or one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or a transmission point, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), or a base station in a Beyond Fifth Generation (B5G) or a 6th Generation (6G) mobile communication system, or a core network (CN), fronthaul, backhaul, radio access network (RAN), network slicing, or a serving cell, primary cell (PCell), primary secondary cell (PSCell), special cell (SpCell), secondary cell (SCell), or neighboring cell of a terminal device.

[0041] The terminal device 120 in this application is also called user equipment (UE), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication device, user agent, and user device. The terminals include, but are not limited to, handheld devices, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted devices, and Internet of Things devices, such as mobile phones, tablet computers, e-book readers, laptop computers, desktop computers, televisions, game consoles, mobile Internet devices (MIDs), augmented reality (AR) terminals, virtual reality (VR) terminals, and mixed reality (MR) terminals, wearable devices, handles, electronic tags, controllers, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes (such as smart TVs, routers, smart speakers, etc.), wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, cellular phones, cordless phones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loops (WLANs), and wireless terminals in smart cities. Loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDA), TV set-top boxes (STB), customer premises equipment (CPE), etc.

[0042] The network device 110 and the terminal device 120 communicate with each other via some air interface technology, such as a Uu interface.

[0043] Exemplarily, there are two communication scenarios between the network device 110 and the terminal device 120: an uplink communication scenario and a downlink communication scenario. Uplink communication refers to sending signals to the network device 110; downlink communication refers to sending signals to the terminal device 120.

[0044] The terminal device 120 and other terminal devices can communicate with each other through some air interface technology, such as a PC5 interface.

[0045] In some embodiments, there are two communication scenarios between the terminal device 120 and other terminal devices: a first sideline communication scenario and a second sideline communication scenario. The first sideline communication refers to sending signals to other terminal devices; the second sideline communication refers to sending signals to the terminal device 120.

[0046] The terminal device 120 and other terminal devices are all within the network coverage and located in the same cell, or the terminal device 120 and other terminal devices are all within the network coverage but located in different cells, or the terminal device 120 is within the network coverage but other terminal devices are outside the network coverage.

[0047] The zero-power tag device 130 is a zero-power device based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID).

[0048] Zero-power devices are those that use various ambient energies, such as radio frequency energy, light energy, solar energy, thermal energy, mechanical energy, etc. Such devices may have no energy storage capacity or have very limited energy storage capacity (such as using capacitors with a capacity of tens of uF).

[0049] In some embodiments, zero-power devices may constitute an Ambient Power Enabled IoT (Ambient IoT for short).

[0050] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Global System of Mobile communication (GSM) system, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) system, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) system, LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, Advanced Long Term Evolution (LTE-A) system, Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication system, 5G mobile communication system, New Radio (NR) system, NR system evolution system, LTE on unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U) system, NR on unlicensed spectrum (NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum) system. Unlicensed spectrum, NR-U) system, terrestrial communication network (Terrestrial Networks, TN) system, non-terrestrial communication network (Non-Terrestrial Networks, NTN) system, wireless local area network (Wireless Local Area Networks, WLAN), wireless fidelity (Wireless Fidelity, Wi-Fi), cellular Internet of Things system, cellular passive Internet of Things system, can also be applied to the subsequent evolution system of the 5G NR system, and can also be applied to B5G, 6G and subsequent evolution systems. In some embodiments of the present application, "NR" may also be referred to as a 5G NR system or a 5G system. Among them, the 5G mobile communication system may include non-standalone networking (NSA) and / or standalone networking (SA).

[0051] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to machine type communication (MTC), long term evolution technology for machine-to-machine communication (LTE-M), device-to-device (D2D) network, machine-to-machine (M2M) network, Internet of Things (IoT) network or other networks. Among them, the IoT network can include, for example, the Internet of Vehicles. Among them, the communication mode in the Internet of Vehicles system is collectively referred to as vehicle to other devices (Vehicle to X, V2X, X can represent anything), for example, the V2X can include: vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle to pedestrian communication (V2P) or vehicle to network (V2N) communication, etc.

[0052] Before introducing the technical solution of this application, some background technical knowledge involved in this application is first introduced and explained. The following related technologies can be combined with the technical solution of the embodiment of this application as optional solutions, and they all fall within the scope of protection of the embodiment of this application. The embodiment of this application includes at least part of the following contents:

[0053] 1) Communication based on zero-power devices

[0054] In recent years, the application of zero-power devices has become increasingly widespread. A typical zero-power device is the RFID device, which utilizes spatial coupling of wireless radio frequency signals to achieve contactless automatic transmission and identification of tag information. RFID tags, also known as "radio frequency tags" or "electronic tags," can be categorized into active, passive, and semi-passive tags based on their power supply method. Active tags, also known as active tags, are powered by a battery. The battery, memory, and antenna together form an active tag. Unlike passive RF activation, active tags transmit information using a set frequency band until the battery is replaced. Passive tags, also known as passive tags, do not support internal batteries. When a passive tag approaches a reader, it is within the near field of the reader's antenna. Electromagnetic induction generates an induced current in the tag's antenna, which drives the tag's chip circuit. The chip circuit transmits the identification information stored in the tag to the reader via the tag's antenna. Semi-active electronic tags inherit the advantages of passive electronic tags, such as small size, light weight, low price and long service life. When there is no reader access, the built-in battery only provides power for a small number of circuits in the chip. Only when the reader accesses, the built-in battery supplies power to the RFID chip to increase the reading and writing distance of the tag and improve the reliability of communication.

[0055] RFID is a wireless communication technology. The most basic RFID system consists of two parts: an electronic tag (TAG) and a reader / writer. The tag consists of a coupling component and a chip. Each tag has a unique electronic code and is placed on the target to mark the object. The reader / writer not only reads the information on the tag, but also writes to it and provides the energy needed for communication. As shown in the figure below, when the tag enters an electromagnetic field, it receives the radio frequency signal emitted by the reader / writer. Passive or passive tags use the energy generated by the electromagnetic field to transmit the information stored on the tag. The reader / writer reads the information and decodes it, thereby identifying the tag.

[0056] Key technologies for zero-power communication include energy harvesting, backscatter communication, and low-power computing. Figure 2 shows a schematic diagram of zero-power communication. A typical zero-power communication system consists of a reader and a zero-power terminal. The reader transmits radio waves to provide energy to the zero-power terminal. An energy harvesting module installed in the zero-power terminal collects energy from radio waves in space (Figure 2 shows the radio waves emitted by the reader). This energy is used to drive the zero-power terminal's low-power computing module and implement backscatter communication. After harvesting energy, the zero-power terminal receives control commands from the reader and transmits data to the reader via backscatter based on control signaling. This data can be stored in the zero-power terminal itself (such as an identity tag or pre-programmed information, such as the product's production date, brand, and manufacturer). The zero-power terminal can also be equipped with various sensors, which can then report data collected by these sensors using a zero-power mechanism.

[0057] Communication based on zero-power devices, referred to as zero-power communication, includes the following key technologies:

[0058] ① Back Scattering

[0059] As shown in the backscatter communication principle diagram in Figure 3, a zero-power device (the backscatter tag in Figure 3) receives the carrier signal sent by the backscatter reader and collects energy through the RF energy harvesting module. This energy then functions in the low-power processing module (the logic processing module in Figure 3), modulating the incoming signal and performing backscattering.

[0060] The main features are as follows:

[0061] (1) The terminal does not actively transmit signals, but achieves backscatter communication by modulating the incoming signal;

[0062] (2) The terminal does not rely on traditional active power amplifier transmitters and uses low-power computing units, greatly reducing hardware complexity;

[0063] (3) Combined with energy harvesting, battery-free communication can be achieved.

[0064] ②RF Power Harvesting

[0065] As shown in the energy harvesting principle diagram in Figure 4, the RF module is used to harvest electromagnetic wave energy in space through electromagnetic induction, and then drive the load circuit (low-power computing, sensors, etc.), which can achieve battery-free operation.

[0066] ③Load modulation

[0067] Load modulation is a common method used by electronic tags to transmit data to readers. Load modulation achieves this by adjusting the electrical parameters of the tag's oscillating circuit according to the data stream's rhythm, causing the tag's impedance and phase to change accordingly. There are two main types of load modulation: resistive load modulation and capacitive load modulation. In resistive load modulation, a resistor, called the load modulation resistor, is connected in parallel with the load. This resistor is switched on and off according to the data stream's clock, while the on and off of switch S is controlled by binary data encoding. The circuit schematic for resistive load modulation is shown in Figure 5.

[0068] In capacitive load modulation, a capacitor is connected in parallel with the load, replacing the load modulation resistor controlled by binary data encoding in Figure 5.

[0069] ④ Coding

[0070] The data transmitted by electronic tags can be represented by various codes to represent binary "1" and "0." RFID systems typically use one of the following encoding methods: non-return-to-zero (NRZ), Manchester, unipolar return-to-zero (Unipolar RZ), differential bi-phase (DBP), Miller, or differential encoding. In simple terms, different pulse signals are used to represent 0 and 1.

[0071] 2) Energy supply signal and trigger signal in zero-power communication system

[0072] ①Energy supply signal

[0073] From the perspective of energy supply signal carriers, it can be base stations, smart phones, smart gateways, charging stations, micro base stations, etc.

[0074] In terms of frequency band, the radio waves used for energy supply can be low frequency, medium frequency, high frequency, etc.

[0075] From the perspective of waveform, the radio waves used for energy supply can be sine waves, square waves, triangle waves, pulses, rectangular waves, etc.

[0076] In addition, it can be a continuous wave or a discontinuous wave (ie, a certain period of interruption is allowed).

[0077] The power supply signal can be a signal specified in the 3GPP standard, such as a sounding reference signal (SRS), a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical random access channel (PRACH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), or a PBCH.

[0078] ②Trigger signal

[0079] From the perspective of energy supply signal carriers, it can be base stations, smart phones, smart gateways, etc.

[0080] In terms of frequency band, the radio waves used for energy supply can be low frequency, medium frequency, high frequency, etc.

[0081] From the perspective of waveform, the radio waves used for energy supply can be sine waves, square waves, triangle waves, pulses, rectangular waves, etc.

[0082] In addition, it can be a continuous wave or a discontinuous wave (ie, a certain period of interruption is allowed).

[0083] The trigger signal may be a signal specified in the 3GPP standard, such as SRS, PUSCH, PRACH, PUCCH, PDCCH, PDSCH, PBCH, etc.; or it may be a new signal.

[0084] 3) Cellular Passive IoT

[0085] As 5G industry applications expand, the types of connected objects and application scenarios will increase, placing higher demands on the price and power consumption of communication terminals. The application of battery-free, low-cost passive IoT devices has become a key technology for cellular IoT, expanding the types and number of terminals connected to 5G networks and truly realizing the interconnection of everything. Passive IoT devices can be based on existing zero-power devices, such as RFID technology, and can be extended to suit cellular IoT.

[0086] Please refer to FIG6 , which shows a flowchart of a positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method may be performed by a positioning device, wherein the positioning device may be the terminal device 120 in the network architecture shown in FIG1 . The method may include the following steps:

[0087] Step 601, locate the zero-power tag device based on the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device; the first wireless signal is actively transmitted by the zero-power tag device after receiving the second wireless signal, or the second wireless signal is passively transmitted by backscatter modulation; the second wireless signal is used to power the zero-power tag device, or to wake up the zero-power tag device.

[0088] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned zero-power tag device is a device that sends signals based on the RFID principle.

[0089] The principle of the above-mentioned zero-power tag device sending the first wireless signal when receiving the power of the second wireless signal can be referred to Figure 4, and the principle of the above-mentioned zero-power tag device sending the first wireless signal when backscattering the second wireless signal can be referred to Figure 3.

[0090] To sum up, in the embodiment of the present application, the zero-power tag device can actively transmit or passively transmit the first wireless signal by backscattering modulation of the second wireless signal after receiving power or waking up from the second wireless signal, so that the positioning device can locate the zero-power tag device through the first wireless signal. In the above process, since the zero-power tag device transmits the first wireless signal by powering the second wireless signal or backscattering the second wireless signal, it can save energy consumption of the device and expand the application scenarios of positioning.

[0091] Please refer to FIG7 , which shows a flowchart of a positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method may be performed by a zero-power tag device, wherein the zero-power tag device may be the zero-power tag device 130 in the network architecture shown in FIG1 . The method may include the following steps:

[0092] Step 701, after receiving the second wireless signal, actively transmit or backscatter modulate the second wireless signal to passively send the first wireless signal; the first wireless signal is used by the positioning device to locate the zero-power tag device; the second wireless signal is used to power the zero-power tag device, or to wake up the zero-power tag device.

[0093] To sum up, in the embodiment of the present application, the zero-power tag device can actively transmit or passively transmit the first wireless signal by backscattering modulating the second wireless signal after receiving power or waking up from the second wireless signal, so that the positioning device can locate the zero-power tag device through the first wireless signal. In the above process, since the zero-power tag device transmits the first wireless signal by powering the second wireless signal or backscattering the second wireless signal, it can save energy consumption of the device and expand the application scenarios of positioning.

[0094] Please refer to FIG8 , which shows a flowchart of a positioning method provided by an embodiment of the present application. The method can be interactively executed by a positioning device and a zero-power tag device. The positioning device can be the terminal device 120 in the network architecture shown in FIG1 , and the zero-power tag device can be the zero-power tag device 130 in the network architecture shown in FIG1 . The method can include the following steps:

[0095] In step 801, after receiving a second wireless signal, the zero-power tag device actively transmits or backscatters and modulates the second wireless signal to passively transmit a first wireless signal; the second wireless signal is used to power the zero-power tag device, or to wake up the zero-power tag device.

[0096] Among them, after receiving the second wireless signal, the zero-power tag device actively transmits or backscatters the second wireless signal to passively send the first wireless signal, which can be triggered by a wireless signal sent by another device other than the zero-power tag device.

[0097] In some embodiments, the second wireless signal is further used to trigger the zero-power tag device to send the first wireless signal.

[0098] In the above embodiment, the wireless signal used to trigger the zero-power tag device to actively transmit or passively transmit the first wireless signal by backscattering the second wireless signal after receiving the second wireless signal may be the second wireless signal itself.

[0099] For example, when a zero-power tag device receives power from a wireless signal, if it detects that the wireless signal providing power is a second wireless signal, it can determine that a trigger signal for sending a first wireless signal for positioning has been received. At this time, the first wireless signal for positioning the zero-power tag device can be modulated and sent while receiving power from the second wireless signal.

[0100] For another example, when the zero-power tag device backscatters the second wireless signal, if it detects that the powered wireless signal is the second wireless signal, it can be determined that a trigger signal for sending the first wireless signal for positioning has been received. At this time, the second wireless signal can be backscattered to modulate and send the first wireless signal for positioning the zero-power tag device.

[0101] In the above scheme, the second wireless signal serves as a wireless signal for the zero-power tag device to function, or serves as a wireless signal for backscattering by the zero-power tag device, while also triggering the zero-power tag device to send the first wireless signal for locating the zero-power tag device, thereby saving signaling resources for triggering the zero-power tag device to send the first wireless signal and improving resource utilization during the positioning process.

[0102] The manner of detecting that the wireless signal supplying energy is the second wireless signal may include at least one of the following:

[0103] 1) The zero-power tag device parses the information in the second wireless signal. If the second wireless signal carries trigger information for sending the first wireless signal (for example, the trigger information may be a trigger bit, such as bit 0 or bit 1), it determines that the wireless signal detected as supplying energy is the second wireless signal.

[0104] 2) The zero-power tag device analyzes the frequency of the second wireless signal. If the frequency of the second wireless signal is the frequency used to trigger the transmission of the first wireless signal, it is determined that the wireless signal detected as supplying energy is the second wireless signal.

[0105] In some embodiments, the first wireless signal is received by the zero-power tag device as a third wireless signal for triggering the transmission of the first wireless signal, and is transmitted while receiving power from the second wireless signal and / or backscattering the second wireless signal.

[0106] In the above embodiment, the wireless signal used to trigger the zero-power tag device to actively transmit or backscatter modulate the second wireless signal to passively transmit the first wireless signal after receiving the second wireless signal can be another wireless signal other than the second wireless signal.

[0107] For example, if the zero-power tag device receives a third wireless signal before receiving power from a wireless signal, it can determine that it has received a trigger signal for sending a first wireless signal for positioning. Afterwards, it can modulate and send the first wireless signal for positioning the zero-power tag device while receiving power from a second wireless signal.

[0108] For another example, if the zero-power tag device receives a third wireless signal before backscattering the second wireless signal, it can determine that it has received a trigger signal for sending the first wireless signal for positioning. After that, it can backscatter the second wireless signal to modulate and send the first wireless signal for positioning the zero-power tag device.

[0109] In the above scheme, a third wireless signal other than the second wireless signal is used to trigger the zero-power tag device to send a first wireless signal for locating the zero-power tag device. The third wireless signal can be sent by a device that sends the second wireless signal, or by other devices other than the device that sends the second wireless signal, thereby improving the flexibility of triggering the zero-power tag device to send the first wireless signal.

[0110] The manner of determining that the third wireless signal is received may include at least one of the following:

[0111] 1) The zero-power tag device parses the information in the received wireless signal. If the received wireless signal carries trigger information for sending the first wireless signal (for example, the trigger information may be a trigger bit, such as bit 0 or bit 1), it determines that the third wireless signal has been received.

[0112] 2) The zero-power tag device analyzes the frequency of the received wireless signal. If the frequency of the received wireless signal is the frequency used to trigger the transmission of the first wireless signal, it is determined that the third wireless signal is received.

[0113] In some embodiments, the positioning device is an initiating positioning device, which is used to initiate positioning of the zero-power tag device; or,

[0114] The positioning device is one of at least one intermediate device, and the intermediate device is used to assist the initiating positioning device in positioning the zero-power tag device, and the initiating positioning device is used to initiate positioning of the zero-power tag device.

[0115] In an embodiment of the present application, the device that locates the zero-power tag device based on the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device can be the initiating positioning device that initiates the positioning of the zero-power tag device. In other words, after the initiating positioning device initiates the positioning of the zero-power tag device, it can automatically obtain the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device and locate the zero-power tag device based on the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device. In the above solution, the initiating process and the positioning process of the zero-power tag device can be performed by the same device, thereby ensuring the convenience of positioning.

[0116] Alternatively, the device that locates the zero-power tag device based on the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device can also be an intermediate device other than the initiating positioning device that initiates the positioning of the zero-power tag device. That is, during the positioning process, the initiating positioning device initiates the positioning of the zero-power tag device, and the intermediate device other than the initiating positioning device obtains the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device, and locates the zero-power tag device based on the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device. In the above scheme, the initiating process and the positioning process of locating the zero-power tag device can be performed by different devices, thereby ensuring the flexibility of positioning.

[0117] In some embodiments, the device sending the second wireless signal includes at least one of the following:

[0118] Positioning equipment;

[0119] at least one wireless signal transmitting device other than the positioning device;

[0120] A positioning device, and at least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device.

[0121] In the above embodiments, during the positioning process using a zero-power tag device, the device that supplies power to the zero-power tag device and / or provides a backscattered wireless signal to the zero-power tag device may be a positioning device, or may be at least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device, or may include both the positioning device and at least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device.

[0122] In an embodiment of the present application, a positioning device for locating a zero-power tag device can actively send a second wireless signal, so that the zero-power tag device can send a first wireless signal for positioning through wireless signal power supply or backscattering method, without the participation of additional devices, thereby ensuring the convenience of positioning. The second wireless signal can also be sent by other devices to ensure the flexibility of the zero-power tag device in sending the first wireless signal for positioning. The second wireless signal can also be sent by the positioning device and other devices together to ensure the success rate of the zero-power tag device in sending the first wireless signal for positioning.

[0123] For example, in the process of locating a zero-power tag device, the second wireless signal may be sent by the initiating positioning device, or by one or more intermediate devices, or by the initiating positioning device and one or more intermediate devices.

[0124] Among them, when one or more intermediate devices are required to send a second wireless signal, the initiating positioning device can trigger one or more intermediate devices to send a second wireless signal when initiating positioning. For example, the initiating positioning device can send an auxiliary request signal to one or more intermediate devices. After one or more intermediate devices receive the auxiliary request signal, they send the above-mentioned second wireless signal according to the auxiliary request signal.

[0125] In some embodiments, the auxiliary request signal may be used to indicate a transmission method of the second wireless signal, such as a protocol type, signal type, carrier frequency, period, time point, etc. for transmitting the second wireless signal.

[0126] Alternatively, when one or more intermediate devices are required to send a second wireless signal, one or more intermediate devices may actively send the second wireless signal. For example, one or more intermediate devices may actively send the second wireless signal according to a pre-configured second wireless signal sending method. The above-mentioned pre-configured second wireless signal sending method may include: protocol type, signal type, carrier frequency, period, time point, etc. for sending the second wireless signal.

[0127] In some embodiments, the second wireless signal includes:

[0128] a first carrier signal; or, a plurality of second carrier signals;

[0129] The multiple second carrier signals are sent by the same device, or the multiple second carrier signals are sent by multiple devices respectively.

[0130] That is, the second wireless signal may include:

[0131] a single first carrier signal; or,

[0132] a first carrier signal transmitted continuously; or

[0133] a first carrier signal transmitted periodically; or

[0134] a plurality of second carrier signals transmitted by the same device; or,

[0135] A plurality of second carrier signals are respectively sent by a plurality of devices.

[0136] In the above embodiment, the second wireless signal can be a carrier signal sent once / continuously / periodically by a single device (such as an initiating positioning device or an intermediate device), or it can be a carrier signal sent multiple times by a single device (such as an initiating positioning device or an intermediate device), or it can be a carrier signal sent separately by multiple devices (such as multiple intermediate devices, or an initiating positioning device and one or more intermediate devices), which expands the implementation method of sending the second wireless signal.

[0137] In some embodiments, the plurality of second carrier signals differ in at least one of the following information:

[0138] Sending time, frequency, and sending cycle.

[0139] In the above embodiment, when the second wireless signal includes multiple carrier signals, the transmission time, frequency, transmission period and other information of the multiple carrier signals can be different, thereby ensuring that the zero-power tag device can receive functions or perform backscattering at different times, frequencies or transmission periods, thereby improving the success rate of the first wireless signal transmission, and thereby improving the success rate of positioning.

[0140] Alternatively, the transmission time, frequency, and transmission period of the above-mentioned multiple second carrier signals may also be the same.

[0141] In some embodiments, the first wireless signal includes at least one of the following:

[0142] a single third carrier signal; and, a plurality of fourth carrier signals;

[0143] The plurality of fourth carrier signals are sent continuously, or the plurality of fourth carrier signals are sent periodically.

[0144] That is, the first wireless signal may include at least one of the following:

[0145] a third carrier signal transmitted once; or

[0146] a fourth carrier signal transmitted multiple times; or

[0147] a fourth carrier signal transmitted continuously; or

[0148] A fourth carrier signal is sent periodically.

[0149] In the above embodiment, the zero-power tag device can send a carrier signal once or multiple times as the above-mentioned first wireless signal; or, the zero-power tag device can also send a carrier signal continuously as the above-mentioned first wireless signal; or, the zero-power tag device can also periodically send a carrier signal as the above-mentioned first wireless signal; this solution expands the implementation method of sending the first wireless signal.

[0150] In some embodiments, the frequencies of the plurality of fourth carrier signals are different from each other. Alternatively, the frequencies of the plurality of fourth carrier signals may be the same.

[0151] In the above embodiment, when the zero-power tag device sends the fourth carrier signal as the first wireless signal multiple times / periodically, the fourth carrier signal can be sent through different frequencies, thereby ensuring that the first wireless signal can be detected / acquired by the positioning device at different frequencies, thereby improving the accuracy of detection / reception of the first wireless signal, and thus ensuring the success rate of positioning.

[0152] In some embodiments, the first wireless signal and / or the second wireless signal is a wireless signal sent via a sidelink communication method.

[0153] In the above embodiment, the initiating positioning device and / or the intermediate device can send the second wireless signal through the sidelink communication method. Among them, the zero-power tag device can also send the first wireless signal through the sidelink communication method; or, the zero-power tag device can also send the first wireless signal through other communication methods / protocol standards other than the sidelink communication (such as according to the Internet of Things protocol standard). In the above scheme, the devices participating in positioning can send the first wireless signal and / or the second wireless signal based on the sidelink communication method of communication between terminals, so as to avoid unnecessary impact on cellular network communication or other wireless communications.

[0154] In other embodiments, the positioning initiating device and / or the intermediate device may send the second wireless signal through other communication methods / protocol standards (such as according to the Internet of Things protocol standard).

[0155] Step 802: The positioning device locates the zero-power tag device according to the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device.

[0156] Among them, the above-mentioned positioning of the zero-power tag device based on the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device may refer to positioning the zero-power tag device based on the reception information of the first wireless signal (such as the signal strength, arrival angle, arrival time difference and other information of the received first wireless signal).

[0157] In some embodiments, the first wireless signal may include identification information of the zero-power tag device, so that the positioning device can selectively locate the zero-power tag device.

[0158] For example, when there are multiple zero-power tag devices in a space, and multiple zero-power tag devices are sending first wireless signals to the outside, multiple users may use multiple positioning devices to locate different zero-power tag devices respectively. At this time, for a certain positioning device, it only needs to locate one of the zero-power tag devices, and the positioning device may receive the first wireless signals sent by multiple zero-power tag devices at the same time. At this time, the positioning device can determine whether the first wireless signal is the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device it wants to locate based on the identifier in the first wireless signal. If so, the zero-power tag device is located based on the reception information of the first wireless signal.

[0159] In some embodiments, the process of locating the zero-power tag device according to the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device may include:

[0160] The relative position between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device is calculated based on the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device and a preset positioning algorithm.

[0161] The relative position between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device may refer to at least one of the distance between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device, and the relative direction (or relative angle) between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device.

[0162] Among them, the above-mentioned relative direction / relative angle refers to the direction / angle of the zero-power tag device relative to the positioning device, or the direction / angle of the positioning device relative to the zero-power tag device; for example, the zero-power tag device is located 30° north-east of the positioning device.

[0163] In the above embodiment, based on the first wireless signal transmitted by the zero-power tag device, the positioning device can calculate the relative position between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device using a positioning algorithm. The distance at which the RFID device is triggered to transmit the first wireless signal is typically relatively short. The solution illustrated in the above embodiment of the present application can be applied to locate the zero-power tag device using mobile devices such as mobile phones, or smart home devices with fixed locations such as smart speakers.

[0164] For example, a user can use a mobile phone to search for a zero-power tag device (such as a TV remote control). At this time, the relative position between the mobile phone and the TV remote control is determined by the solution shown in the above embodiment, that is, the position of the TV remote control can be determined based on the current position of the mobile phone, thereby achieving quick search for the TV remote control.

[0165] For another example, a user can use a mobile phone to trigger an intermediate device (such as a smart speaker) to search for a zero-power tag device (such as a TV remote control). At this time, the relative position between the smart speaker and the TV remote control is determined by the scheme shown in the above embodiment, that is, the position of the TV remote control can be determined based on the current position of the smart speaker, thereby achieving quick search for the TV remote control.

[0166] In some embodiments, the positioning algorithm includes at least one of the following algorithms:

[0167] Ranging algorithm based on signal strength;

[0168] Angle measurement algorithm based on signal arrival and departure angles;

[0169] Positioning algorithm based on signal phase difference;

[0170] Positioning algorithm based on signal arrival time difference.

[0171] In an embodiment of the present application, the above-mentioned ranging algorithm based on signal strength may refer to the positioning device detecting the signal strength of the received first wireless signal (which may be called the received signal strength, such as the received signal strength indication (RSSI) or the received signal strength (RSS)), and based on the signal strength when the zero-power tag device sends the first wireless signal (which may be called the transmitted signal strength), then, based on the attenuation rate of the first wireless signal propagating in space (for example, it can be expressed by the signal strength attenuation value per unit distance), and the difference between the received signal strength and the transmitted signal strength, calculate the distance between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device.

[0172] The above-mentioned angle measurement algorithm based on the signal arrival / departure angle may refer to the positioning device measuring the arrival direction of the first wireless signal and calculating the relative direction / relative angle between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device according to the measured arrival direction.

[0173] The above-mentioned positioning algorithm based on signal phase difference may refer to a positioning device being provided with two or more antennas, which are separated by a certain distance. For the same wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device, the phases of the wireless signals received by the two antennas will be different. According to the phase difference between the wireless signals received by the two antennas, the relative position (distance and / or relative direction) between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device can be calculated; for example, the above-mentioned positioning algorithm based on signal phase difference may be a Phase Difference of Arrival (PDOA) algorithm. Alternatively, the above-mentioned positioning algorithm based on signal phase difference may be that the above-mentioned first wireless signal includes two wireless signals of different frequencies sent by the zero-power tag device, and the positioning device measures the phase difference between the two wireless signals of different frequencies, and then calculates the phase position of the zero-power tag device.

[0174] The above-mentioned positioning algorithm based on signal arrival time difference may refer to obtaining the difference between the time when the same wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device arrives at two or more signal receiving devices (the above-mentioned positioning devices), and determining the relative position between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device, such as the time difference of arrival (TDOA) algorithm; or, the above-mentioned positioning algorithm based on signal arrival time difference may refer to obtaining the time difference when the same wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device arrives at antennas at two different positions in the positioning device, and determining the distance between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device based on the time difference.

[0175] In some embodiments, calculating the relative position between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device based on the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device and a preset positioning algorithm includes:

[0176] The relative position between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device is calculated according to the first wireless signal, the positioning algorithm, and the position information of the positioning device.

[0177] In the above embodiment, the location information of the positioning device may be absolute location information, such as the current coordinates of the positioning device in the indoor space system, or the current geographical coordinates of the positioning device, and so on.

[0178] Alternatively, the location information of the above-mentioned positioning device may also be relative location information. For example, the location information of the positioning device includes the relative position relationship between two or more location points of the positioning device at different times; for example, the location information of the positioning device includes the relative distance and / or relative direction between two or more location points, or the location information of the positioning device includes the relative coordinates of two or more location points (for example, the coordinates of other location points determined with one of the location points as the origin), etc.

[0179] In the above embodiment, based on the first wireless signal and the positioning algorithm, combined with the position of the positioning device itself, the accuracy of determining the relative position between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device can be further improved.

[0180] In some embodiments, the location information of the positioning device is obtained by at least one of the following algorithms:

[0181] Machine vision positioning algorithm;

[0182] Inertial navigation positioning algorithm.

[0183] In some embodiments, the positioning device may receive a first wireless signal sent by a zero-power tag device.

[0184] The positioning device can automatically receive the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device, so as to locate the zero-power tag device based on the reception information of the first wireless signal (such as signal strength, arrival angle, time difference, etc.).

[0185] Alternatively, the positioning device may also obtain the first wireless signal transmitted by the zero-power tag device and received by other devices. For example, when positioning is required based on the reception information of the first wireless signal received by multiple devices, in addition to the positioning device itself receiving the first wireless signal and obtaining the reception information of the positioning device receiving the first wireless signal, the positioning device also needs to obtain the reception information of the first wireless signal received by the other devices.

[0186] In some embodiments, the initiating positioning device may send a trigger signal to the intermediate device, which may instruct the zero-power tag device to locate the zero-power tag device based on the first wireless signal. Accordingly, when the positioning device is the intermediate device, locating the zero-power tag device based on the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device includes:

[0187] When a trigger signal sent by the positioning initiating device is received, the zero-power consumption tag device is positioned according to the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power consumption tag device.

[0188] In an embodiment of the present application, when the positioning device is an intermediate device, the intermediate device can locate the zero-power tag device according to the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device under the trigger of the initiating positioning device. That is to say, the intermediate device can locate at the time point required by the initiating positioning device, so that the positioning process of the intermediate device matches the sending and receiving process of the second wireless signal and the first wireless signal, thereby ensuring the controllability and flexibility of positioning through an intermediate device other than the initiating positioning device.

[0189] In some embodiments, the trigger signal may also be used to instruct the intermediate device to locate the zero-power tag device based on the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device, including time information (start time, duration, etc.), reception parameters of the first wireless signal (such as the reception time and frequency of the first wireless signal), and an identifier of the zero-power tag device. Based on the trigger signal, the intermediate device may receive the first wireless signal according to the reception parameters of the first wireless signal and perform positioning within the time indicated by the time information for locating the zero-power tag device.

[0190] In some embodiments, the trigger signal may include an indicator or an indication bit (such as bit 0 or bit 1) for starting positioning, and the indicator or indication bit is used to instruct the intermediate device to start positioning.

[0191] In some embodiments, the trigger signal may be a wireless signal sent via a sidelink, a wireless signal sent via an Internet of Things protocol, or a wireless signal sent via a cellular network. Alternatively, the trigger signal may be a wireless signal sent via a short-range wireless protocol such as Bluetooth or wireless local area network.

[0192] In some embodiments, the trigger signal includes at least one of the following:

[0193] Wake-up signal, used to wake up the positioning device;

[0194] The positioning trigger signal is used to trigger the positioning device to locate the zero-power tag device.

[0195] In the above embodiment, the above trigger signal can be used to wake up the positioning device, after which the positioning device actively initiates the positioning of the zero-power tag device; alternatively, the above trigger signal can also trigger the positioning device to start executing the steps of positioning the zero-power tag device when the positioning device is in the awake state; alternatively, the above trigger signal can also be used to wake up the positioning device and trigger the positioning device to start executing the steps of positioning the zero-power tag device.

[0196] In some embodiments, when the positioning device is an intermediate device, the positioning device can also report the positioning result of the zero-power tag device to the initiating positioning device. Accordingly, the initiating positioning device receives the positioning result reported by the intermediate device (positioning device) and can optionally display the positioning result.

[0197] Among them, when the positioning device is an intermediate device, the positioning device can send the positioning result to the initiating device for display, so that the initiating positioning device can display the position of the zero-power tag device relative to the positioning device, thereby ensuring the convenience of displaying the positioning result.

[0198] For example, a user triggers a smart speaker to locate a remote control through a mobile phone. After the smart speaker obtains the position of the remote control relative to the smart speaker through the above solution, it returns / reports the positioning result to the mobile phone for display.

[0199] Optionally, after receiving the above-mentioned positioning results, the above-mentioned initiating positioning device may also perform other operations besides display, such as reporting the positioning results to the cloud, or further determining the position of the zero-power tag device based on the positioning results of multiple intermediate devices; for example, based on the directions or distances of the zero-power tag device relative to each of the multiple intermediate devices reported by multiple intermediate devices, determine the relative direction and distance of the zero-power tag device relative to one or more devices in each intermediate device.

[0200] The above embodiments of the present application provide a solution for locating zero-power tag devices, which can be widely used in scenarios such as smart homes, industrial production, and commercial services to achieve functions such as object finding and path finding by locating zero-power tag devices. Among them, since zero-power tag devices have the characteristics of low cost and easy deployment, and can communicate directly with devices such as mobile phones, flexible network topologies can be built. For example, in a home scenario, it can be combined with smart gateways and IoT node devices to achieve positioning by using a positioning method based on signal strength or phase.

[0201] In some embodiments, the method for finding and locating zero-power tag devices provided in the above embodiments of this application can provide a flexible and economical location-finding solution for scenarios such as smart homes and shopping malls. Based on the flexible deployment of home network nodes, the corresponding location power supply and process can be selected, making it easy to deploy and promote. The above method mainly includes the following solutions:

[0202] 1) The initiating positioning device (such as a mobile phone / tablet / customer premises equipment (CPE)) directly initiates the positioning process, including:

[0203] Signal transmission on the positioning side:

[0204] One way is that the initiating positioning device (such as a mobile phone or tablet / CPE) sends a carrier signal 1 to power the zero-power tag device and / or provide a reflected carrier, triggering the target zero-power tag device to be found to send signal 2 when the active transmission or reflection signal is met. Among them, the carrier signal 1 can be continuously or periodically transmitted, the signal 2 can be continuously or periodically reflected, and the signal 2 can also be transmitted once or multiple times within a period of time after the response. Among them, the above-mentioned conditions for actively transmitting or reflecting the signal may refer to the zero-power tag device being sufficiently powered, the backscattered energy being sufficient, the wireless signal used for powering or triggering backscattering meeting the conditions (such as the wireless signal for charging or triggering backscattering is used to trigger the zero-power tag device to send a wireless signal for positioning, and the parameters such as the frequency of the wireless signal used for powering or triggering backscattering meet the conditions), etc. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the above-mentioned conditions for actively transmitting or reflecting the signal.

[0205] Another approach is for the initiating positioning device (such as a mobile phone or tablet / CPE) to send different carrier signals A1 to An to power the zero-power tag device and / or provide a reflected carrier, triggering the target zero-power tag device to send signals B1 to Bn when it meets the requirements for active transmission or reflection signals. Among them, the carrier signals A1 to An can be sent in a time sequence, at different frequencies, or at different periods. Different zero-power tag devices may have frequency selection requirements for the carrier signal, thereby actively transmitting or reflecting signals B1 to Bn of the corresponding frequency.

[0206] Signal reception on the positioning side:

[0207] The initiating positioning device (such as a mobile phone or tablet / CPE) receives signal 2 or signals B1 to Bn, and calculates the location of the target zero-power tag device. Positioning methods are not limited to ranging methods based on signal strength, angle measurement methods based on signal arrival and departure angles, positioning methods based on signal phase difference, and positioning methods based on signal arrival time difference.

[0208] For example, for a fixed initiating positioning device, by measuring the received signal 2 or B1~Bn, comparing the frequency and / or strength of the received signal, determining the distance, and obtaining the direction or relative position of the target tag; or, if a tag can actively transmit or reflect two signals of different frequencies, the positioning device measures the phase difference between the two and calculates the phase position of the target tag.

[0209] For example, for mobile devices, positioning methods, in addition to those supported by the aforementioned fixed intermediate devices, can also include machine vision positioning (such as SLAM), inertial navigation, and other fusion positioning algorithms. The relative position of the target tag can be obtained by combining and processing the measurement results at different locations.

[0210] 2) The initiating positioning device (such as a mobile phone / tablet / CPE) initiates the positioning process through an intermediate device (such as a home gateway, smart speaker, etc.), including:

[0211] Positioning request / wake-up:

[0212] The initiating positioning device can wake up the communication module (such as a Wi-Fi module) of an intermediate device (such as a fixed or mobile refrigerator, TV, robot vacuum, smart speaker, etc.), or wake up a repeater or relay device. The intermediate device participates in at least one of the steps of transmitting the carrier signal, measuring the positioning signal, and calculating and processing the positioning signal.

[0213] Transmission of carrier signal:

[0214] In one approach, a positioning device (such as a mobile phone or tablet / CPE) or an intermediate device sends a carrier signal 1 to power the zero-power tag device and / or provide a reflected carrier, triggering the target zero-power tag device to send a signal 2 when it meets the requirements for active transmission or reflection. Carrier signal 1 can be transmitted continuously or periodically, and signal 2 can be reflected continuously or periodically. Signal 2 can also be transmitted once or multiple times within a period of time after the response.

[0215] Another approach is for multiple different devices in the initiating positioning device and at least one intermediate device to each transmit their own carrier signals A1 to An, which are used to power the zero-power tag device and / or provide a reflected carrier, triggering the target zero-power tag device to send signals B1 to Bn when it meets the requirements for active transmission or reflection signals. Carrier signals A1 to An can be transmitted continuously or periodically, signal 2 can be reflected continuously or periodically, and signals B1 to Bn can be transmitted once or multiple times within a period of time after the response.

[0216] Reception of positioning signals:

[0217] The intermediate device receives signal 2 and calculates the location of the target tag device based on the positioning, which can then be fed back to the mobile phone / tablet through the gateway or directly. For fixed intermediate devices, the positioning method is not limited to the ranging method based on signal strength, the angle measurement method based on the signal arrival and departure angle, the positioning method based on the signal phase difference, and the positioning method based on the signal arrival time difference. Multiple fixed intermediate devices can also be considered to be time-synchronized (wired connection) and can be jointly positioned at multiple points. For mobile intermediate devices, in addition to the positioning methods supported by the above-mentioned fixed intermediate devices, they can also include machine vision positioning (such as SLAM), inertial navigation and other fusion positioning algorithms.

[0218] For example, taking the smart home scenario as an example, please refer to FIG9 , which shows a framework diagram of mobile phone-initiated positioning.

[0219] As shown in Figure 9, in one case, mobile phone 91 can initiate positioning on its own. For example, in Figure 9, mobile phone 91 supplies power / provides directional scattering to zero-power tag devices 92 and 93 through a second wireless signal, and at the same time triggers zero-power tag devices 92 and 93 to send wireless signals for positioning. Zero-power tag devices 92 and 93, under the power of the second wireless signal, or under the directional scattering of the second wireless signal, send out a first wireless signal; then, the mobile phone locates zero-power tag devices 92 and 93 based on the reception information of the first wireless signal sent by zero-power tag devices 92 and 93. During this process, the mobile phone can also perform positioning based on its own location information to improve positioning accuracy. This solution corresponds to Example 1 in Figure 9.

[0220] Alternatively, in the above-mentioned positioning scheme initiated by the mobile phone 91 itself, the mobile phone 91 can also trigger the intermediate device (such as the intermediate device 94 in Figure 9) to send a second wireless signal, and at the same time send a third wireless signal to the zero-power tag device 95. The third wireless signal is used to instruct the zero-power tag device 95 to send the first wireless signal under the function of the second wireless signal when receiving the second wireless signal, or to backscatter the second wireless signal to send the first wireless signal; after that, the mobile phone locates the zero-power tag device 95 based on the reception information of the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device 95. In this process, the mobile phone can also locate in combination with its own location information to improve positioning accuracy. This solution corresponds to Example 2 in Figure 9.

[0221] As shown in Figure 9, in another case, the mobile phone 91 can wake up the intermediate device (such as the intermediate device 94 in Figure 9, which can be a mobile intermediate device, such as a sweeping robot, or a fixed intermediate device, such as a smart speaker, etc.) to initiate positioning. For example, in Figure 9, the mobile phone wakes up the intermediate device 94 through a trigger signal, and the intermediate device 94 supplies energy / provides directional scattering to the zero-power tag devices 96 and 97 through the second wireless signal, and at the same time triggers the zero-power tag devices 96 and 97 to send a wireless signal for positioning. The zero-power tag devices 96 and 97 send a first wireless signal under the power of the second wireless signal, or under the directional scattering of the second wireless signal; Afterwards, the intermediate device 94 locates the zero-power tag devices 96 and 97 based on the reception information of the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag devices 96 and 97. In this process, if the intermediate device 94 is a mobile intermediate device, the intermediate device 94 can also perform positioning in combination with its own location information to improve positioning accuracy. After the intermediate device 94 completes positioning or during positioning, it reports the positioning result to the mobile phone 91. This solution corresponds to Example 3 in FIG9 .

[0222] As shown in FIG9 , in another case, the mobile phone 91 can also wake up one or more intermediate devices (shown as an intermediate device 94 in FIG9 , and optionally, more intermediate devices can be included), and initiate positioning together with one or more intermediate devices. For example, in FIG9 , the mobile phone 91 supplies energy / provides directional scattering to the zero-power tag devices 92 and 93 through the second wireless signal, and at the same time triggers the zero-power tag devices 92 and 93 to send wireless signals for positioning. The zero-power tag devices 92 and 93 send out the first wireless signal under the energy of the second wireless signal, or under the directional scattering of the second wireless signal; at the same time, the mobile phone 91 also wakes up the intermediate device 94 through the trigger signal, and the intermediate device 94 supplies energy / provides directional scattering to the zero-power tag devices 96 and 97 through the second wireless signal, and at the same time triggers the zero-power tag Tag devices 96 and 97 transmit wireless signals for positioning. Powered by a second wireless signal, or by scattering the second wireless signal, zero-power tag devices 96 and 97 emit a first wireless signal. Mobile phone 91 then locates zero-power tag devices 92 and 93 based on the received information from the first wireless signal. Simultaneously, intermediate device 94 locates zero-power tag devices 96 and 97 based on the received information from the first wireless signal, and reports the positioning results to mobile phone 91. This solution corresponds to Examples 1 and 3 in Figure 9.

[0223] Please refer to Figure 10, which shows a block diagram of a positioning device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The positioning device has the functions of implementing the method shown in Figure 6 or Figure 8 above, which is performed by the positioning device. As shown in Figure 10, the device may include:

[0224] The positioning module 1001 is used to locate the zero-power tag device based on the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device; the first wireless signal is actively transmitted by the zero-power tag device after receiving the second wireless signal, or the second wireless signal is passively transmitted by backscatter modulation; the second wireless signal is used to power the zero-power tag device, or to wake up the zero-power tag device.

[0225] In some embodiments, the second wireless signal is further used to trigger the zero-power tag device to send the first wireless signal; or,

[0226] The first wireless signal is received by the zero-power tag device as a third wireless signal for triggering the sending of the first wireless signal, and is sent while receiving energy from the second wireless signal and / or backscattering the second wireless signal.

[0227] In some embodiments, the device sending the second wireless signal includes at least one of the following:

[0228] the positioning device;

[0229] At least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device;

[0230] The positioning device, and at least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device.

[0231] In some embodiments, the positioning device is an initiating positioning device, and the initiating positioning device is used to initiate positioning of the zero-power tag device; or,

[0232] The positioning device is one of at least one intermediate device, and the intermediate device is used to assist the initiating positioning device in locating the zero-power tag device, and the initiating positioning device is used to initiate the positioning of the zero-power tag device.

[0233] In some embodiments, the second wireless signal comprises:

[0234] a first carrier signal; or, a plurality of second carrier signals;

[0235] The multiple second carrier signals are sent by the same device, or the multiple second carrier signals are sent by multiple devices respectively.

[0236] In some embodiments, at least one of the following information of the plurality of second carrier signals is different: transmission time, frequency, and transmission period.

[0237] In some embodiments, the first wireless signal includes at least one of the following:

[0238] a single third carrier signal; and, a plurality of fourth carrier signals;

[0239] The plurality of fourth carrier signals are sent continuously, or the plurality of fourth carrier signals are sent periodically.

[0240] In some embodiments, the frequencies of the plurality of fourth carrier signals are different.

[0241] In some embodiments, when the positioning device is an intermediate device, the positioning module is used to locate the zero-power tag device according to the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device when a trigger signal sent by the initiating positioning device is received.

[0242] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises:

[0243] The reporting module is configured to report the positioning result of the zero-power consumption tag device to the initiating positioning device.

[0244] In some embodiments, the trigger signal includes at least one of the following:

[0245] A wake-up signal, used to wake up the positioning device;

[0246] The positioning trigger signal is used to trigger the positioning device to locate the zero-power tag device.

[0247] In some embodiments, the apparatus further includes: a receiving module configured to receive the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device.

[0248] In some embodiments, the positioning module is used to calculate the relative position between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device based on the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device and a preset positioning algorithm.

[0249] In some embodiments, the positioning algorithm includes at least one of the following algorithms:

[0250] Ranging algorithm based on signal strength;

[0251] Angle measurement algorithm based on signal arrival and departure angles;

[0252] Positioning algorithm based on signal phase difference;

[0253] Positioning algorithm based on signal arrival time difference.

[0254] In some embodiments, the positioning module is configured to calculate the relative position between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device based on the first wireless signal, the positioning algorithm, and the position information of the positioning device.

[0255] In some embodiments, the location information of the positioning device is obtained by at least one of the following algorithms:

[0256] Machine vision positioning algorithm; inertial navigation positioning algorithm.

[0257] In some embodiments, the first wireless signal and / or the second wireless signal are wireless signals sent via a sidelink communication manner.

[0258] Please refer to Figure 11, which shows a block diagram of a positioning device provided by an embodiment of the present application. The positioning device has the function of implementing the method shown in Figure 7 or Figure 8 above, which is performed by a zero-power tag device. As shown in Figure 11, the device may include:

[0259] The sending module 1101 is used to actively transmit or passively transmit a first wireless signal by backscattering modulating the second wireless signal after receiving a second wireless signal; the first wireless signal is used by the positioning device to locate the zero-power tag device; the second wireless signal is used to power the zero-power tag device, or to wake up the zero-power tag device.

[0260] In some embodiments, the second wireless signal is further used to trigger the zero-power tag device to send the first wireless signal; or,

[0261] The first wireless signal is received by the zero-power tag device as a third wireless signal for triggering the sending of the first wireless signal, and is sent while receiving energy from the second wireless signal and / or backscattering the second wireless signal.

[0262] In some embodiments, the device sending the second wireless signal includes at least one of the following:

[0263] the positioning device;

[0264] At least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device;

[0265] The positioning device, and at least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device.

[0266] In some embodiments, the positioning device is an initiating positioning device, and the initiating positioning device is used to initiate positioning of the zero-power tag device; or,

[0267] The positioning device is one of at least one intermediate device, and the intermediate device is used to assist the initiating positioning device in locating the zero-power tag device, and the initiating positioning device is used to initiate the positioning of the zero-power tag device.

[0268] In some embodiments, the second wireless signal comprises:

[0269] a first carrier signal; or, a plurality of second carrier signals;

[0270] The multiple second carrier signals are sent by the same device, or the multiple second carrier signals are sent by multiple devices respectively.

[0271] In some embodiments, at least one of the following information of the plurality of second carrier signals is different: transmission time, frequency, and transmission period.

[0272] In some embodiments, the first wireless signal includes at least one of the following:

[0273] a single third carrier signal; and, a plurality of fourth carrier signals;

[0274] The plurality of fourth carrier signals are sent continuously, or the plurality of fourth carrier signals are sent periodically.

[0275] In some embodiments, the frequencies of the plurality of fourth carrier signals are different.

[0276] In some embodiments, the first wireless signal and / or the second wireless signal are wireless signals sent via a sidelink communication manner.

[0277] It should be noted that the device provided in the above embodiment only uses the division of the above-mentioned functional modules as an example to implement its functions. In actual applications, the above-mentioned functions can be assigned to different functional modules according to actual needs, that is, the content structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0278] Regarding the apparatus in the above embodiment, the specific manner in which each module performs operations has been described in detail in the embodiment of the method, and will not be elaborated here.

[0279] Please refer to FIG12 , which shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 1200 provided in one embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1200 may include: a processor 1201 , a receiver 1202 , a transmitter 1203 , a memory 1204 , and a bus 1205 .

[0280] The processor 1201 includes one or more processing cores. The processor 1201 executes various functional applications and information processing by running software programs and modules.

[0281] Receiver 1202 and transmitter 1203 can be implemented as a communication component, which can be a communication chip. This communication chip can also be called a transceiver. Memory 1204 is connected to processor 1201 via bus 1205. Memory 1204 can be used to store computer programs, and processor 1201 is used to execute the computer programs to implement the various steps in the above method embodiments.

[0282] In addition, the memory 1204 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, including but not limited to: magnetic disk or optical disk, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, static random access memory, read-only memory, magnetic memory, flash memory, and programmable read-only memory.

[0283] In an exemplary embodiment, when the communication device 1200 is implemented as the above-mentioned positioning device, the receiver 1202 and the processor 1201 execute the computer program to enable the communication device to implement the various steps performed by the positioning device in the method shown in Figure 6 or Figure 8.

[0284] In an exemplary embodiment, when the communication device 1200 is implemented as the above-mentioned zero-power tag device, the transmitter 1203 executes the computer program to enable the communication device to implement the various steps performed by the zero-power tag device in the method shown in Figure 7 or Figure 8.

[0285] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program. The computer program is loaded and executed by a processor to implement all or part of the steps performed by the positioning device or the zero-power tag device in the method shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8 above.

[0286] The present application also provides a chip, which is used to run in a communication device so that the communication device executes all or part of the steps performed by the positioning device or the zero-power tag device in the method shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8 above.

[0287] The present application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer instructions stored in a computer-readable storage medium. A processor of a communication device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, causing the communication device to perform all or part of the steps performed by the positioning device or the zero-power tag device in the method shown in Figures 6, 7, or 8 above.

[0288] The present application also provides a computer program, which is executed by a processor of a communication device to implement all or part of the steps performed by a positioning device or a zero-power tag device in the method shown in Figure 6, Figure 7 or Figure 8 above.

[0289] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in one or more of the above examples, the functions described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, these functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any media that facilitates the transmission of computer programs from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0290] The above description is merely an exemplary embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included in the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A positioning method, characterized in that: The method is performed by a positioning device, and the method includes: The zero-power tag device is positioned according to the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device; the first wireless signal is actively transmitted by the zero-power tag device after receiving the second wireless signal, or the second wireless signal is passively transmitted by backscatter modulation; the second wireless signal is used to power the zero-power tag device, or to wake up the zero-power tag device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second wireless signal is also used to trigger the zero-power consumption tag device to send the first wireless signal; or, The first wireless signal is received by the zero-power tag device as a third wireless signal for triggering the sending of the first wireless signal, and is sent while receiving power from the second wireless signal and / or backscattering the second wireless signal.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The device for sending the second wireless signal includes at least one of the following: the positioning device; At least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device; The positioning device, and at least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The positioning device is an initiating positioning device, and the initiating positioning device is used to initiate positioning of the zero-power consumption tag device; or, The positioning device is one of at least one intermediate device, and the intermediate device is used to assist an initiating positioning device in locating the zero-power consumption tag device, and the initiating positioning device is used to initiate the positioning of the zero-power consumption tag device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The second wireless signal includes: a first carrier signal; or, a plurality of second carrier signals; The multiple second carrier signals are sent by the same device, or the multiple second carrier signals are sent by multiple devices respectively.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that At least one of the following information of the plurality of second carrier signals is different: Sending time, frequency, and sending cycle.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The first wireless signal includes at least one of the following: a single third carrier signal; and, a plurality of fourth carrier signals; The plurality of fourth carrier signals are transmitted continuously, or the plurality of fourth carrier signals are transmitted periodically.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The frequencies of the plurality of fourth carrier signals are different from each other.

9. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that In the case where the positioning device is an intermediate device, The positioning of the zero-power consumption tag device according to the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power consumption tag device includes: When a trigger signal sent by a positioning initiating device is received, the zero-power consumption tag device is positioned according to a first wireless signal sent by the zero-power consumption tag device.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The method further comprises: The positioning result of the zero-power consumption tag device is reported to the initiating positioning device.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that: The trigger signal includes at least one of the following: A wake-up signal, used to wake up the positioning device; The positioning trigger signal is used to trigger the positioning device to locate the zero-power consumption tag device.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The method further comprises: Receive the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power consumption tag device.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that: The positioning of the zero-power consumption tag device according to the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power consumption tag device includes: According to the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power consumption tag device and a preset positioning algorithm, the relative position between the zero-power consumption tag device and the positioning device is calculated.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The positioning algorithm includes at least one of the following algorithms: Ranging algorithm based on signal strength; Angle measurement algorithm based on signal arrival and departure angles; Positioning algorithm based on signal phase difference; Positioning algorithm based on signal arrival time difference.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that Calculating the relative position between the zero-power consumption tag device and the positioning device according to the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power consumption tag device and a preset positioning algorithm, including: The relative position between the zero-power consumption tag device and the positioning device is calculated according to the first wireless signal, the positioning algorithm, and the position information of the positioning device.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that The location information of the positioning device is obtained by at least one of the following algorithms: Machine vision positioning algorithm; Inertial navigation positioning algorithm.

17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16, characterized in that: The first wireless signal and / or the second wireless signal is a wireless signal sent via a sidelink communication method.

18. A positioning method, characterized in that: The method is performed by a zero-power consumption tag device, and the method includes: After receiving the second wireless signal, the first wireless signal is actively transmitted or the second wireless signal is backscatter modulated and passively transmitted; the first wireless signal is used by the positioning device to locate the zero-power tag device; the second wireless signal is used to power the zero-power tag device, or to wake up the zero-power tag device.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The second wireless signal is also used to trigger the zero-power consumption tag device to send the first wireless signal; or, The first wireless signal is received by the zero-power tag device as a third wireless signal for triggering the sending of the first wireless signal, and is sent while receiving power from the second wireless signal and / or backscattering the second wireless signal.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that The device for sending the second wireless signal includes at least one of the following: the positioning device; At least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device; The positioning device, and at least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device.

21. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, characterized in that: The positioning device is an initiating positioning device, and the initiating positioning device is used to initiate positioning of the zero-power consumption tag device; or, The positioning device is one of at least one intermediate device, and the intermediate device is used to assist an initiating positioning device in locating the zero-power consumption tag device, and the initiating positioning device is used to initiate the positioning of the zero-power consumption tag device.

22. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 21, characterized in that: The second wireless signal includes: a first carrier signal; or, a plurality of second carrier signals; The multiple second carrier signals are sent by the same device, or the multiple second carrier signals are sent by multiple devices respectively.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that At least one of the following information of the plurality of second carrier signals is different: Sending time, frequency, and sending cycle.

24. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 23, characterized in that: The first wireless signal includes at least one of the following: a single third carrier signal; and, a plurality of fourth carrier signals; The plurality of fourth carrier signals are transmitted continuously, or the plurality of fourth carrier signals are transmitted periodically.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that The frequencies of the plurality of fourth carrier signals are different from each other.

26. The method according to any one of claims 18 to 25, characterized in that: The first wireless signal and / or the second wireless signal is a wireless signal sent via a sidelink communication method.

27. A positioning device, characterized in that: The device comprises: A positioning module is used to locate the zero-power tag device according to a first wireless signal sent by the zero-power tag device; the first wireless signal is actively transmitted by the zero-power tag device after receiving a second wireless signal, or the second wireless signal is passively transmitted by backscattering modulation; the second wireless signal is used to power the zero-power tag device, or to wake up the zero-power tag device.

28. The device according to claim 27, characterized in that The second wireless signal is also used to trigger the zero-power consumption tag device to send the first wireless signal; or, The first wireless signal is received by the zero-power tag device as a third wireless signal for triggering the sending of the first wireless signal, and is sent while receiving power from the second wireless signal and / or backscattering the second wireless signal.

29. The device according to claim 27 or 28, characterized in that The device for sending the second wireless signal includes at least one of the following: the positioning device; At least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device; The positioning device, and at least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device.

30. The device according to any one of claims 27 to 29, characterized in that The positioning device is an initiating positioning device, and the initiating positioning device is used to initiate positioning of the zero-power consumption tag device; or, The positioning device is one of at least one intermediate device, and the intermediate device is used to assist an initiating positioning device in locating the zero-power consumption tag device, and the initiating positioning device is used to initiate the positioning of the zero-power consumption tag device.

31. The device according to any one of claims 27 to 30, characterized in that The second wireless signal includes: a first carrier signal; or, a plurality of second carrier signals; The multiple second carrier signals are sent by the same device, or the multiple second carrier signals are sent by multiple devices respectively.

32. The device according to claim 31, characterized in that At least one of the following information of the plurality of second carrier signals is different: Sending time, frequency, and sending cycle.

33. The device according to any one of claims 27 to 32, characterized in that The first wireless signal includes at least one of the following: a single third carrier signal; and, a plurality of fourth carrier signals; The plurality of fourth carrier signals are transmitted continuously, or the plurality of fourth carrier signals are transmitted periodically.

34. The device according to claim 33, characterized in that The frequencies of the plurality of fourth carrier signals are different from each other.

35. The device according to claim 30, characterized in that In the case where the positioning device is an intermediate device, the positioning module is used to locate the zero-power consumption tag device according to the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power consumption tag device when receiving a trigger signal sent by the initiating positioning device.

36. The device according to claim 35, characterized in that The device also includes: The reporting module is used to report the positioning result of the zero-power consumption tag device to the initiating positioning device.

37. The device according to claim 34 or 36, characterized in that The trigger signal includes at least one of the following: A wake-up signal, used to wake up the positioning device; The positioning trigger signal is used to trigger the positioning device to locate the zero-power consumption tag device.

38. The device according to any one of claims 27 to 37, characterized in that The device also includes: A receiving module is used to receive the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power consumption tag device.

39. The device according to any one of claims 27 to 38, characterized in that The positioning module is used to calculate the relative position between the zero-power consumption tag device and the positioning device according to the first wireless signal sent by the zero-power consumption tag device and a preset positioning algorithm.

40. The device according to claim 39, characterized in that The positioning algorithm includes at least one of the following algorithms: Ranging algorithm based on signal strength; Angle measurement algorithm based on signal arrival and departure angles; Positioning algorithm based on signal phase difference; Positioning algorithm based on signal arrival time difference.

41. The device according to claim 39 or 40, characterized in that The positioning module is used to calculate the relative position between the zero-power tag device and the positioning device according to the first wireless signal, the positioning algorithm, and the position information of the positioning device.

42. The device according to claim 41, characterized in that The location information of the positioning device is obtained by at least one of the following algorithms: Machine vision positioning algorithm; Inertial navigation positioning algorithm.

43. The device according to any one of claims 27 to 42, characterized in that The first wireless signal and / or the second wireless signal is a wireless signal sent via a sidelink communication method.

44. A positioning device, characterized in that: The device comprises: The sending module is used to actively transmit or passively send a first wireless signal by backscattering modulation of the second wireless signal after receiving a second wireless signal; the first wireless signal is used by a positioning device to locate a zero-power tag device; the second wireless signal is used to power the zero-power tag device, or to wake up the zero-power tag device.

45. The device according to claim 44, characterized in that The second wireless signal is also used to trigger the zero-power consumption tag device to send the first wireless signal; or, The first wireless signal is received by the zero-power tag device as a third wireless signal for triggering the sending of the first wireless signal, and is sent while receiving power from the second wireless signal and / or backscattering the second wireless signal.

46. ​​The device according to claim 44 or 45, characterized in that The device for sending the second wireless signal includes at least one of the following: the positioning device; At least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device; The positioning device, and at least one wireless signal sending device other than the positioning device.

47. The device according to any one of claims 44 to 46, characterized in that The positioning device is an initiating positioning device, and the initiating positioning device is used to initiate positioning of the zero-power consumption tag device; or, The positioning device is one of at least one intermediate device, and the intermediate device is used to assist the initiating positioning device to The zero-power consumption tag device is positioned, and the initiating positioning device is used to initiate the positioning of the zero-power consumption tag device.

48. The device according to any one of claims 44 to 47, characterized in that The second wireless signal includes: a first carrier signal; or, a plurality of second carrier signals; The multiple second carrier signals are sent by the same device, or the multiple second carrier signals are sent by multiple devices respectively.

49. The device according to claim 48, characterized in that At least one of the following information of the plurality of second carrier signals is different: Sending time, frequency, and sending cycle.

50. The device according to any one of claims 44 to 49, characterized in that The first wireless signal includes at least one of the following: a single third carrier signal; and, a plurality of fourth carrier signals; The plurality of fourth carrier signals are transmitted continuously, or the plurality of fourth carrier signals are transmitted periodically.

51. The device according to claim 50, characterized in that The frequencies of the plurality of fourth carrier signals are different from each other.

52. The device according to any one of claims 44 to 51, characterized in that The first wireless signal and / or the second wireless signal is a wireless signal sent via a sidelink communication method.

53. A positioning device, characterized in that: The positioning device includes a processor, a memory and a transceiver; The memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program so that the positioning device implements the positioning method as described in any one of claims 1 to 17 above.

54. A zero-power label device, characterized in that: The zero-power tag device includes a processor, a memory and a transceiver; The memory stores a computer program, and the processor executes the computer program so that the zero-power tag device implements the positioning method as described in any one of claims 18 to 26 above.

55. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is used to be executed by a processor of a communication device, so that the communication device implements the positioning method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

56. A chip, characterized in that: The chip includes an integrated circuit and an application program, and the chip is used to run in a communication device so that the communication device executes the positioning method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

57. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product includes computer instructions, which are stored in a computer-readable storage medium; the processor of the communication device reads the computer instructions from the computer-readable storage medium and executes the computer instructions, so that the communication device performs the positioning method as described in any one of claims 1 to 26.

58. A computer program, characterized in that The computer program is executed by a processor of a communication device, so that the communication device implements the positioning method according to any one of claims 1 to 26.

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