Positioning method, apparatus, chip system, and storage medium

Abstract

A positioning method, an apparatus, a chip system, and a storage medium, which are used for positioning more accurately on the basis of information for indicating a reflecting surface of a path. In the present application, a first apparatus receives at least one first signal. The first apparatus determines first information on the basis of measurement results of a plurality of paths of at least one first signal. The first information comprises information for indicating reflecting surfaces of the plurality of paths. The first information can indicate the reflecting surfaces of the plurality of paths, so that the first information can be used for assisting in constructing a relatively accurate geometric relationship model among the plurality of paths, and then a positioning management apparatus can improve the accuracy of position information when solving, on the basis of the geometric relationship model, position information of an apparatus to be positioned.

Description

Positioning method, device, chip system and storage medium

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on August 11, 2023, with application number 202311021975.8 and application name “A positioning method, device, chip system and storage medium”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of positioning technology, and in particular to a positioning method, device, chip system and storage medium. Background Art

[0004] With the rapid advancement of communications technology, high-precision positioning has been identified as a key research project within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for fifth-generation mobile networks or wireless systems (5G). New Radio (NR) positioning scenarios primarily include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) outdoor and indoor applications, ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine-type communications (mMTC) / Internet of Things (IoT). It also requires high security, scalability, high availability, and guaranteed accuracy in high-speed applications.

[0005] The 3GPP standard supports multiple positioning technologies, including downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), downlink angle of departure (DL-AOD), uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AOA), and round trip time (RTT). Positioning technologies can be mainly divided into uplink positioning technologies, downlink positioning technologies, and uplink / downlink positioning technologies. Uplink positioning technologies include UL-AOA, in which the base station can measure the signal sent by the terminal to obtain the angle of arrival (AOA), which can be used to estimate the terminal's position. Uplink / downlink positioning technologies include RTT, in which both the terminal and the base station need to measure the arrival time of the received signal to calculate the RTT.

[0006] Positioning technology requires all devices involved in positioning to send signals. The measurement results of these signals can be used to locate the device to be positioned. Improving positioning accuracy has become a pressing issue.

[0007] Summary of the Invention

[0008] Embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method, device, chip system, and storage medium for more accurate positioning based on information of a reflective surface used to indicate a path.

[0009] For example, the base station sends at least one positioning reference signal (PRS), and the terminal measures the at least one PRS to obtain measurement results of multiple paths. The terminal sends a sounding reference signal (SRS) along the transmission direction of these paths. The measurement values ​​such as the arrival angle and round-trip time delay (RTT) corresponding to the SRS and PRS can be used to solve the terminal's position. However, the transmission directions of the multiple paths obtained by the terminal are not fixed. Some paths may be direct paths, some may be reflected paths reflected by the ground, and some may be reflected paths reflected by walls. When the transmission directions of the multiple paths are different, the relationships constructed by the multiple paths may be different, and the algorithms used to solve the position information corresponding to these different geometric relationships may also be different.

[0010] For example, if one path is a direct path and another is a ground-reflected path, the geometric relationship formed by these multiple paths can be solved using Algorithm #1 to determine the position information. Another example is if one path is a direct path and another is a wall-reflected path. In this scenario, the geometric relationship formed by these multiple paths requires Algorithm #2 to determine the position information.

[0011] However, in the existing solution, the positioning management device cannot distinguish the geometric relationship between the multiple paths measured by the UE, and thus cannot find a more accurate geometric relationship model.

[0012] In the solution provided herein, the positioning management device can obtain first information, which can indicate the reflective surfaces of multiple paths. Based on the reflective surface information of the multiple paths, the positioning management device can construct a relatively accurate geometric relationship model between the multiple paths. Based on this geometric relationship model, the location information of the device to be located can be more accurately determined.

[0013] The solution provided by this application is introduced below.

[0014] In a first aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method that can be applied to a first device. The first device can be, for example, a terminal or a unit, module, or chip (system) within the terminal. The first device can also be a network device or a chip (system) within the network.

[0015] In this solution, a first device receives at least one first signal and determines first information based on measurement results of multiple paths of the at least one first signal. The first information includes information indicating transmission directions of the multiple paths.

[0016] Since the first information can indicate the transmission direction of multiple paths, the first information can be used to construct a more accurate geometric relationship model between the multiple paths, and then the positioning management device can improve the accuracy of the position information when solving the position information of the device to be positioned based on the geometric relationship model.

[0017] In the present application, the information for indicating the transmission direction of the path may include information for indicating the reflective surface of the path and / or information for indicating the path.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the information indicating the reflective surface of a path includes reflective surface information of a path among the multiple paths. The reflective surface information can reflect the transmission direction of the reflective path among the multiple paths, and a collective relationship model between the paths can be constructed based on the transmission direction of the paths.

[0019] In one possible embodiment, the information of the reflective surface for indicating the path includes at least one of the following: information for indicating the type of the reflective surface for indicating the path; information for indicating the material of the reflective surface for indicating the path; information for indicating the reflectivity of the reflective surface for indicating the path; information for indicating the reflection energy of the reflective surface for indicating the path; information for indicating the surface characteristics of the reflective surface for indicating the path; information for indicating the direction of the reflective surface for indicating the path; or information for indicating the position of the reflective surface for indicating the path.

[0020] The first device can identify the information of these reflective surfaces through its own sensors and / or based on the information of the reflected paths among the received multiple paths, and then infer the transmission direction of the path based on this information. This solution can reduce the identification difficulty of the first device.

[0021] In a possible implementation, the information indicating the path further includes: angle information of a path among the multiple paths. The angle information of the path can more accurately indicate the transmission direction of the path.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the information indicating the multiple paths further includes information about the path types of the multiple paths. The path type information may indicate whether the path type is a reflective path or a direct path; or, alternatively, whether the path type is a line of sight (LOS) path or another path. The path type information is relatively easy to identify and may also indicate the transmission direction of the path, thereby reducing the difficulty for the first device to identify the path.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the information indicating the multiple paths also includes information indicating at least one of the following: the order of the paths among the multiple paths, when the paths of the at least one first signal are ordered by arrival time; or the order of the paths among the multiple paths, when the paths of the at least one first signal are ordered by received power. This information is relatively easy to identify and can also indicate the transmission direction of the path, thereby reducing the difficulty of identification for the first device.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the first information further includes at least one of the following: information indicating the arrival time of a path among the multiple paths; information indicating the arrival angle of a path among the multiple paths; or information indicating the round-trip delay corresponding to a path among the multiple paths.

[0025] The first information may also include some measurement results. These measurement results may be obtained by measuring the first signal (such as arrival time, arrival angle, or phase difference), or may be obtained by combining the measurement results of the first signal with the measurement results of other signals (such as measurement results obtained by a third device on the second signal and the third signal from the first device) (such as round-trip delay). These measurement results can assist the positioning management device in performing positioning.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the location management device and the first device may be located in the same device or in different devices. When located in different devices, the first device sends the first information so that the location management device can use a more appropriate algorithm in combination with the first information to determine the location information of the first device.

[0027] In one possible implementation, before determining the first information based on measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal, the first device receives first configuration information, where the first configuration information includes information about the path to be searched. The first device measures the at least one first signal based on the first configuration information to obtain measurement results of the multiple paths of the at least one first signal.

[0028] The first device measures at least one received first signal and may obtain either a direct path or a reflected path. The direct path is unobstructed and therefore has a stronger capability, making it easier for the first device to measure. However, the reflected path is difficult to measure due to its long propagation path and large path loss. In this embodiment, the first configuration information can indicate the direction of the path to be searched by the first device. Therefore, the first device can direct the receiving beam in the direction indicated by the first configuration information. When the direction of the receiving beam matches the direction of the path to be received, the first device receives greater energy in the path, thereby improving the accuracy of the measured quantity of the path.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the information about the path to be searched includes information about the reflecting surface of the path to be searched. Thus, when searching for the path of the first signal, the first device may direct the receiving beam toward the reflecting surface indicated by the first configuration information. This can also be understood as matching the information about the reflecting surface toward which the receiving beam is directed with the information about the reflecting surface indicated by the first configuration information. For example, the reflecting surface information of a path among the multiple paths may be the same as the reflecting surface information of the path to be searched.

[0030] In one possible embodiment, the reflecting surface information of the path to be searched includes at least one of the following: information indicating the type of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; information indicating the material of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; information indicating the reflectivity of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; information indicating the reflected energy of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; information indicating the surface characteristics of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; information indicating the direction of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; or information indicating the position of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched.

[0031] The first device can identify the information of the above-mentioned reflecting surfaces through its own sensors and / or based on the information of the reflecting paths among the multiple paths received. The positioning management device sends the information of the reflecting surfaces of these paths to be searched, which can facilitate the first device to find the reflecting surfaces with the same information as the reflecting surfaces of these paths to be searched. This solution can reduce the execution difficulty on the first device side.

[0032] In one possible embodiment, the information of the reflective surface of the path indicated by the first information matches the information of the reflective surface of the path to be searched, for example, the type or material of the reflective surfaces indicated by the two are the same, or the reflectivity, reflection energy, surface features, direction or position indicated by the two are relatively close or the same.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the information about the path to be searched also includes angle information of the path to be searched. This allows the first device to match the direction of the receive beam with the angle information of the path. For example, the angle information of one of the multiple paths may include the angle indicated by the angle information of the path to be searched. This solution is relatively easy to implement.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the information about the path to be searched also includes information about the path type to be searched. The path type information indicates whether the path type to be searched includes a direct path or a reflected path. Alternatively, the path type information indicates whether the path type includes a LOS path or another path. For example, the path type among the multiple paths measured by the first device includes the type of the path to be searched. Path type information is relatively easy to identify and can also indicate the transmission direction of the path, thereby reducing the difficulty of identification for the first device.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the information about the paths to be searched further includes information indicating at least one of the following: the order of the paths to be searched, when the paths of the at least one first signal are ordered by arrival time; or the order of the paths among the multiple paths, when the paths of the at least one first signal are ordered by received power. This information is relatively easy to identify, thereby reducing the difficulty of identification by the first device.

[0036] In one possible implementation, a first device obtains second configuration information. The second configuration information indicates a spatial association between the second signal and the first path, and further indicates a spatial association between the third signal and the second path. The first device transmits the second signal and the third signal based on the second configuration information.

[0037] In the case of solving the position information of the first device by the round-trip delay of the signal between the third device and the first device, the spatial relationship of the multiple reference signals sent by the first device can be associated with the multiple paths of at least one first signal received by the first device through the second configuration information, thereby enabling the multiple reference signals sent by the first device to be transmitted along the transmission direction of the path, so that the round-trip delay between the first device and the third device can be calculated more accurately.

[0038] In this application, the first path and the second path may not be among the multiple paths indicated by the first information obtained by the first device. For example, they may be two paths specified by the network device for the first device, or the first path and the second path may not be the path corresponding to the at least one first signal. In another possible implementation, the first path and the second path may be among the multiple paths indicated by the first information obtained by the first device, or the first path and the second path may be two paths corresponding to the at least one first signal measured by the first device.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the first path and the second path may be the same path corresponding to the first signal; or, the first path and the second path may be two different paths corresponding to the first signal. In this way, the two paths may come from the same signal transmission direction or from different signal transmission directions, thereby providing more possibilities for path selection.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the first device generates the second configuration information based on the measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal; or the first device receives the second configuration information. In this way, the flexibility of the solution can be improved.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the number of signals configured by the second configuration information is associated with the number of path paths in the multiple paths. For example, the number of path paths in the multiple paths obtained by the first device measuring at least one first signal is equal to (or greater than) the number of reference signals configured for positioning by the first device. In this way, each reference signal configured for positioning by the first device can be spatially associated with a path in the multiple paths, thereby improving the rationality of the solution.

[0042] In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method, which can be applied to a positioning management device, such as a positioning management device or a unit, module, or chip (system) within the positioning management device.

[0043] In this solution, a positioning management device receives first information, which is determined based on measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal and includes information indicating the transmission directions of the multiple paths. The positioning management device determines the location information of the device to be positioned based on the first information.

[0044] Since the first information can indicate the transmission direction of multiple paths, the first information can be used to construct a more accurate geometric relationship model between the multiple paths, and then the positioning management device can improve the accuracy of the position information when solving the position information of the device to be positioned based on the geometric relationship model.

[0045] The information for indicating the transmission direction of the path in this application may include information for indicating the reflective surface of the path and / or information for indicating the path. The description of the relevant implementation and beneficial effects of the first information can be found in the relevant description of the first aspect above, which will not be repeated here.

[0046] In a possible implementation manner, the positioning management device sends the first configuration information.

[0047] The description of the relevant implementation methods and beneficial effects of the first configuration information can be found in the relevant description of the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the positioning management device sends second information based on the first information. The second information includes: information for indicating the transmission direction of multiple paths, and / or fourth information. The fourth information indicates the spatial relationship association between the second signal and the first path, and the fourth information also indicates the spatial relationship association between the third signal and the second path. In the embodiment of the present application, the information for indicating the transmission direction of the path in the second information may include information for indicating the reflective surface of the path and / or information for indicating the path. The relevant content of the information for indicating the reflective surface of the path and the information for indicating the path can be found in the relevant description of the first aspect above and will not be repeated here.

[0049] The second information is used to assist the second device in configuring the spatial relationship of reference signals used for positioning by the first device. Because the spatial relationship of the multiple reference signals transmitted by the first device can be associated with the multiple paths of at least one first signal received by the first device, the multiple reference signals transmitted by the first device can be transmitted along the transmission directions of the paths, thereby more accurately calculating the round-trip delay between the first device and the third device.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the positioning management device receives third information. The third information is obtained based on measurement results of the second signal and the third signal, wherein the second signal is spatially associated with the first path, and the third signal is spatially associated with the second path. The positioning management device determines the location information of the device to be located based on the first and third information.

[0051] Since the positioning management device can combine more information to determine the location information of the device to be positioned (such as the first device), the positioning accuracy can be further improved.

[0052] In one possible implementation, the third information includes at least one of the following: information indicating the arrival time of the second signal; information indicating the arrival angle of the second signal; information indicating the round-trip delay corresponding to the second signal; information indicating the arrival time of the third signal; information indicating the arrival angle of the third signal; or information indicating the round-trip delay corresponding to the third signal. This information can assist the positioning management device in determining the location information of the first device.

[0053] In a possible implementation manner, the first path and the second path are the same path corresponding to the first signal; or, the first path and the second path are two different paths corresponding to the first signal.

[0054] In a possible implementation manner, the number of signals configured by the second configuration information is associated with the number of paths in the multiple paths.

[0055] The relevant implementation methods of the first path and the second path, as well as the description and beneficial effects of the relevant implementation methods in the second aspect can be found in the relevant description of the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0056] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method that can be applied to a second device. The second device can be, for example, a terminal or a unit, module, or chip (system) within the terminal. The second device can also be a network device or a chip (system) within the network.

[0057] In this solution, a second device receives second information. The second information is obtained based on measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal received by the first device. Based on the second information, the second device transmits second configuration information. The second configuration information indicates the spatial association of the second signal with the first path and further indicates the spatial association of the third signal with the second path. The second configuration information is used by the first device to transmit the second and third signals.

[0058] For the description of the implementation manner and beneficial effects of the information in the second information used to indicate the transmission directions of multiple paths, reference may be made to the aforementioned description of the second aspect, which will not be repeated here.

[0059] Fourthly, embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method that can be applied to a third device. The third device and the second device can be the same device or different devices. The third device can be, for example, a terminal or a unit, module, or chip (system) within the terminal. The third device can also be a network device or a chip (system) within the network.

[0060] In this solution, the third device receives the second signal and the third signal and determines third information based on the measurement results of the second signal and the third signal, and the third information is used for positioning.

[0061] In a possible implementation, the third device sends at least one first signal.

[0062] In one possible embodiment, the third information includes at least one of the following: information indicating the arrival time of the second signal; information indicating the arrival angle of the second signal; information indicating the round-trip delay corresponding to the second signal; information indicating the arrival time of the third signal; information indicating the arrival angle of the third signal; or information indicating the round-trip delay corresponding to the third signal.

[0063] In a possible implementation manner, the third device sends third information.

[0064] The description of the relevant implementation methods and beneficial effects in the fourth aspect can be found in the relevant description of the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0065] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned first device, second device, third device, or positioning management device. The communication device may include a communication unit and a processing unit to perform any of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects. The communication unit is used to perform functions related to sending and receiving. Optionally, the communication unit includes a receiving unit and a sending unit. In one design, the communication device is a communication chip, the processing unit may be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication unit may be an input / output circuit or port of the communication chip.

[0066] In another design, the communication unit may be a transmitter and a receiver, or the communication unit may be a transmitter and a receiver.

[0067] Optionally, the communication device further includes modules that can be used to execute any one of the first to fourth aspects above, or execute any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0068] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, which may be the aforementioned first device, second device, third device, or positioning management device. The communication device may include a processor and a memory to execute any one of the aforementioned first to fourth aspects, or any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects. Optionally, a transceiver is further included, the memory is used to store a computer program or instruction, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program or instruction from the memory. When the processor executes the computer program or instruction in the memory, the communication device executes any one of the aforementioned first to fourth aspects, or any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0069] Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

[0070] Optionally, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

[0071] Optionally, the transceiver may include a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0072] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided. The communication device may be the aforementioned first device, second device, third device, or location management device. The communication device may include a processor to perform any of the aforementioned aspects 1 to 4, or any possible implementation of the aspects 1 to 4. The processor is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device also includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0073] In one implementation, when the communication device is the first device, the second device, the third device, or the location management device, the communication interface may be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input / output interface may be an input / output circuit.

[0074] In another implementation, when the communication device is a chip or a chip system, the communication interface may be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or related circuits on the chip or chip system. The processor may also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0075] In an eighth aspect, a system is provided, which includes the above-mentioned second device.

[0076] In one possible implementation, the system may further include one or more first devices. In another possible implementation, the system may further include one or more third devices. In another possible implementation, the system may further include a positioning management device.

[0077] In the ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which includes: a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions), which, when executed, enables the computer to execute any one of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, or any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0078] In the tenth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores a computer program (also referred to as code, or instructions). When the computer program is run on a computer, the computer executes any one of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, or executes any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0079] In the eleventh aspect, a chip system is provided, which may include a processor. The processor is coupled to a memory and may be used to perform any of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects. Optionally, the chip system further includes a memory. The memory is used to store a computer program (also referred to as code, or instruction). The processor is used to call and run the computer program from the memory, so that the device equipped with the chip system performs any of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, or to perform any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0080] In a twelfth aspect, a processing device is provided, comprising: an interface circuit and a processing circuit. The interface circuit may include an input circuit and an output circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive signals via the input circuit and transmit signals via the output circuit, thereby implementing any of the first to fourth aspects, or any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects.

[0081] In a specific implementation, the processing device may be a chip, the input circuit may be an input pin, the output circuit may be an output pin, and the processing circuit may be a transistor, a gate circuit, a trigger, or various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, received and input by a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, output to and transmitted by a transmitter. The input circuit and the output circuit may be the same circuit, which functions as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0082] In one implementation, when the communication device is a first device, a second device, a third device, or a positioning management device, the interface circuit may be a radio frequency processing chip in the first device, the second device, the third device, or the positioning management device, and the processing circuit may be a baseband processing chip in the first device, the second device, the third device, or the positioning management device.

[0083] In another implementation, the communication device may be a component of the first device, the second device, the third device, or the location management device, such as an integrated circuit product such as a system-on-chip (SoC) or a communication chip. The interface circuit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system. The processing circuit may be a logic circuit on the chip. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0084] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0085] FIG2A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0086] FIG2B is a schematic diagram of another communication system architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0087] FIG2C is a schematic diagram of another communication system architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] FIG2D is a schematic diagram of another communication system architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0089] FIG2E is a schematic diagram of another communication system architecture applicable to an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the principle of determining angle of arrival information provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] FIG4 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of positioning using the RTT positioning technology and the arrival angle positioning technology provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] FIG5 is a flow chart of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] FIG6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the principle of determining the location information of a first device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0094] FIG7 is a flow chart of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] FIG8 is a flow chart of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] FIG10 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0098] FIG11 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0099] Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary architecture diagram of a communication system 1000 applicable to embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 1 , the communication system includes a radio access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 may also include the Internet 300. The radio access network 100 may include at least one radio access network device (such as 110a and 110b in Figure 1 ) and at least one terminal (such as 120a-120j in Figure 1 ). The terminal is wirelessly connected to the radio access network device, and the radio access network device is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network. The core network device and the radio access network device may be independent, distinct physical devices, or the core network device's functions and the radio access network device's logical functions may be integrated into the same physical device, or a single physical device may integrate some of the core network device's functions and some of the radio access network device's functions. Terminals and radio access network devices may be interconnected via wired or wireless connections. Figure 1 is merely a schematic diagram. The communication system may also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in Figure 1 .

[0100] The network devices involved in the embodiments of the present application include, for example, radio access network (RAN) devices. The radio access network devices may be base stations, evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs), transmission reception points (TRPs), transmission nodes (TPs), next-generation NodeBs (gNBs) in fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication systems, next-generation base stations in sixth-generation (6G) mobile communication systems, base stations in future mobile communication systems, or access nodes in WiFi systems; they may also be modules or units that perform some of the functions of a base station, for example, centralized units (CUs) or distributed units (DUs). The CU here completes the functions of the base station's radio resource control protocol and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the base station's radio link control layer and medium access control (MAC) layer, and can also complete part of the physical layer or all of the physical layer. For detailed descriptions of the above protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

[0101] The wireless access network device can be a macro base station (such as 110a in Figure 1), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in Figure 1), a relay node, a donor node, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology and device form used by the wireless access network device. For ease of description, the following description uses a base station as an example of a wireless access network device.

[0102] A terminal may also be referred to as a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, sensor, etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0103] The above-mentioned terminal can establish a connection with the operator network through the interface provided by the operator network (such as N1, etc.) and use the data and / or voice services provided by the operator network. The terminal can also access the domain name system (DNS) through the operator network and use the operator services deployed on the DNS and / or services provided by a third party. The above-mentioned third party can be a service provider outside the operator network and the terminal, and can provide other data and / or voice services to the terminal. The specific form of the above-mentioned third party can be determined according to the actual application scenario and is not limited here.

[0104] The terminal may also be referred to as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. The terminal can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, etc. The terminal can be a mobile phone, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, wearable device, vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, robot, robotic arm, smart home device, road side unit (RSU), etc. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal.

[0105] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; on water; or in the air on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of base stations and terminals.

[0106] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. To terminals 120j accessing the wireless access network 100 via 120i, terminal 120i is a base station. However, to base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that communication between 110a and 120i occurs via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, communication between 110a and 120i can also occur via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, 120i is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with base station functionality, while 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be referred to as communication devices with terminal functionality.

[0107] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be carried out through authorized spectrum, unauthorized spectrum, or both; communication can be carried out through spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), spectrum above 6 GHz, or spectrum below 6 GHz and spectrum above 6 GHz. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0108] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station may also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes the base station functions. The control subsystem that includes the base station functions here may be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, smart transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal may also be performed by a module (such as a chip or modem) in the terminal, or by a device that includes the terminal functions.

[0109] In this application, a base station sends downlink signals or downlink information to a terminal, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; the terminal sends uplink signals or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal needs to establish a wireless connection with the cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal has established a wireless connection is called the serving cell of the terminal. When the terminal communicates with the serving cell, it will also be subject to interference from signals in neighboring cells.

[0110] The core network involved in the embodiments of the present application may include network equipment that processes and forwards user signaling and data. For example, it includes access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), user plane gateway, positioning management equipment and other core network equipment. Among them, the user plane gateway can be a server with functions such as mobility management, routing, and forwarding of user plane data, generally located on the network side, such as a serving gateway (SGW) or a packet data network gateway (PGW) or a user plane network element function entity (UPF). AMF and SMF are equivalent to the mobility management entity (MME) in the long term evolution (LTE) system. AMF is mainly responsible for access, and SMF is mainly responsible for session management. Of course, the core network can also include other network elements, which are not listed here one by one.

[0111] The positioning management device has a positioning function. The positioning management device involved in the embodiments of the present application may include a positioning management function (LMF) or a positioning management component (LMC), or may be a local location management function (LLMF) located in a network device, or a positioning server, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application. For ease of description, the following embodiments are all introduced using the LMF as an example.

[0112] Based on the content shown in Figure 1, Figure 2A exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture applicable to embodiments of the present application. The communication system uses the positioning architecture in LTE and NR Rel-16 as an example. As shown in Figure 2A, the network elements / modules involved mainly include three parts: the next generation radio access network (NG RAN), the terminal, and the core network.

[0113] The core network includes the location management function (LMF), access and mobility management function (AMF), service location protocol (SLP), and evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC). The location server, or location management function (LMF), is connected to the AMF, and the two LMFs are connected via the NLs interface. The UE communicates with the serving base station over the Uu link. Ng-eNBs are LTE base stations, and gNBs are NR base stations. Base stations communicate with the AMF over the NG-C interface. The AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) acts as a router for communication between the gNB and the LMF. The LMF estimates the UE's location, and the AMFs communicate with each other over the NLs interface. The LMF is responsible for supporting various types of location services for terminals, including terminal positioning and delivering assistance data to them. The LMF can calculate the terminal's location based on measurements from other network elements. The AMF can receive location service requests related to the terminal from the 5th generation core network location services (5GC LCS) entity, or the AMF itself can start some location services on behalf of a specific terminal and forward the location service request to the LMF. After obtaining the location information returned by the terminal, the relevant location information is returned to the 5GC LCS entity.

[0114] The NG RAN may include the next generation node B (gNB) and the next generation evolved node B (ng-eNB). The gNB and ng-eNB are connected via the Xn interface, and the LMF is connected to the ng-eNB / gNB via the NG-C interface.

[0115] One or more network devices on the NG RAN side configure resources for sending reference signals and send reference signals to the terminal. The terminal measures downlink signals such as the reference signal and feeds back the measurement results to the LMF to support positioning. It should be understood that the reference signal is used for positioning and can also be called a positioning reference signal. This article mainly focuses on downlink positioning, so the positioning reference signal can be a PRS, a cell common reference signal (CRS), a channel state information (CSI)-RS, etc. This article uses the positioning reference signal as an example to illustrate. Other reference signal methods can refer to this example and will not be repeated here. In one possible implementation method, the PRS resources can be configured at the cell level, that is, PRS resources are configured for each cell separately. After the terminal re-establishes the radio resource control (RRC) connection with the target cell, the base station of the target cell can configure the PRS resources for the target cell, and the terminal obtains the PRS resources configured for the target cell to receive and measure the PRS on the PRS resources.

[0116] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: LTE system, fifth generation (5th generation, 5G) system, such as NR, and next generation communication system, such as 6G system. Of course, the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems, as long as the communication system has a positioning requirement for the terminal. In addition, the communication system can also be applied to future-oriented communication technologies. The system described in the embodiment of the present application is to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application. It is known to those skilled in the art that with the evolution of network architecture, the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0117] FIG2B shows a network architecture of another communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application, which includes a core network, an NG-RAN, and a terminal. The core network includes network elements / modules such as LMF, AMF, secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP), and enhanced serving mobile location center (E-SMLC). The NG RAN includes network elements / modules such as gNB and ng-eNB. The specific functions of network elements / modules such as LMF, AMF, SLP, E-SMLC, gNB, and ng-eNB, and the connection relationship between each network element / module can be found in the introduction to the relevant part of FIG2A above, which will not be repeated here.

[0118] Unlike Figure 2A, the network architecture shown in Figure 2B adds a LMC to the NG-RAN. The LMC is deployed within the base station, such as in the gNB or ng-ENB. In this network architecture, the LMC is a function within the base station, eliminating the need for new interfaces. The LMC can also assume some of the functionality of the LMF. In this architecture, the gNB does not need to report positioning signal measurement results to the LMF in the core network, thereby reducing signaling overhead and positioning latency.

[0119] Figure 2C illustrates the network architecture of another communication system applicable to embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 2C , the communication system also includes a core network, NG-RAN, and terminals. Unlike Figure 2B , the LMC in the network architecture shown in Figure 2C operates as an independent logical node in the NG-RAN and is connected to the base station via a new interface. For example, in Figure 2C , the LMC is connected to the gNB-CU via the Itf interface.

[0120] Figure 2D shows the network architecture of another communication system applicable to embodiments of the present application. As shown in Figure 2D , the communication system also includes a core network, NG-RAN, and terminals. The LMC is an independent logical node in the NG-RAN. Unlike Figure 2C , the LMC can simultaneously connect to multiple base stations via a new interface as shown in Figure 2D . Figure 2D uses the example of the LMC being connected to two base stations simultaneously. In specific implementations, the LMC can also be connected to more base stations.

[0121] It should be understood that Figures 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D are exemplary illustrations of communication systems applicable to embodiments of the present application, and do not specifically limit the type, quantity, connection method, etc. of network elements included in the communication systems applicable to the present application. Furthermore, the network elements / modules indicated by dashed lines in Figures 2A, 2B, 2C, and 2D are not essential but optional, for example, an E-SMLC or SLP is not essential; or, the network elements / modules indicated by dashed lines are another form of existence, for example, a gNB or ng-eNB is also referred to as a transmission reception point (TRP) in some embodiments, and a terminal is referred to as a SUPL-enabled terminal (SET) in some embodiments, where SUPL is an abbreviation for secure user plane location (SUPL).

[0122] Figure 2E exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of the network architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 2E, the communication system includes a first device, a second device and a third device. Optionally, the communication system may also include a positioning management device. In the embodiment of the present application, the second device can configure information for the first device, such as configuration information of a signal for positioning that can be configured for the first device. For example, the signal sent by the first device for positioning is SRS, and the second device can be used to configure configuration information of SRS for the first device. The first device can transmit signals for positioning between the first device and the third device. The third device can determine the location of the first device based on the measurement results, and the third device can also report the measurement results to the positioning management device. In the embodiment of the present application, information can also be transmitted between the first device and the positioning management device, such as the first device can also transmit measurement results to the positioning management device.

[0123] In the embodiment of the present application, the first device and / or the third device can be the network device, the chip (system) inside the network device, the terminal or the chip (system) inside the terminal in the aforementioned Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 2C or 2D.

[0124] In the case where the first device may be the terminal shown in FIG1 , FIG2A , FIG2B , FIG2C or FIG2D , or the chip (system) inside the terminal, the third device may be the terminal shown in FIG1 , FIG2A , FIG2B , FIG2C or FIG2D , or the chip (system) inside the terminal, the network device or the chip (system) inside the network device. In the case where the first device may be the network device shown in FIG1 , FIG2A , FIG2B , FIG2C or FIG2D , or the chip (system) inside the network, the third device may be the terminal shown in FIG1 , FIG2A , FIG2B , FIG2C or FIG2D , or the chip (system) inside the terminal, the network device or the chip (system) inside the network device.

[0125] In the embodiment of the present application, the second device and the third device may be the same device, or two different devices. The second device may be the network device in Figure 1, Figure 2A, Figure 2B, Figure 2C or Figure 2D, the chip (system) inside the network device, the terminal or the chip (system) inside the terminal. For example, if the second device is a terminal or a chip (system) inside the terminal, the second device may also have the function of configuring relevant parameters for the first terminal, such as if the second device is a road side unit (RSU). For example, the second device is a serving base station, the third device is a neighboring base station of the serving base station, and the first device is a terminal.

[0126] The positioning management device in the embodiment of the present application can be the positioning management device involved in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, or 2D, or a chip (system) in the positioning management device. The positioning management device may include one or more of LMF, LMC, or LLMF. The positioning management device in the embodiment of the present application and the second device (and / or the third device) can be located in the same device, and the positioning management device can also be located in the same device as the first device.

[0127] The following is an introduction to the nouns and terms involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0128] (1) Positioning reference signal.

[0129] The first, second, and third signals involved in the embodiments of this application can be understood as signals that can be used for positioning. The first, second, and third signals in the embodiments of this application can also be referred to as positioning signals. The first signal refers to a signal sent by a third device, and the second and third signals are signals sent by the first device.

[0130] In the embodiment of the present application, one or more of the first signal, the second signal and the third signal may be PRS, SRS, channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) and synchronization signal-physical sidelink broadcast channel block (SSB) One or more of the following.

[0131] The solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is applicable to transmitting signals for positioning between two devices, such as transmitting signals for positioning between a first device and a third device. The two devices may both be terminals or chips (systems) inside the terminals. In this case, it can also be understood that the solution provided in the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to sidelink.

[0132] The sidelink (SL) in the embodiment of the present application can also be called a side link, a side link, a direct link, an edge link or an auxiliary link, etc. In the embodiment of the present application, the above terms all refer to links established between devices of the same type, and their meanings are the same. The so-called devices of the same type may be links between terminals, etc. For links between terminals, there are D2D links defined by 3GPP versions (Rel)-12 / 13, and there are also V2X links defined by 3GPP for vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-mobile phone, or vehicle-to-any-entity for the Internet of Vehicles, including Rel-14 / 15. It also includes V2X links based on NR systems in Rel-16 and subsequent versions that are currently being studied by 3GPP.

[0133] (2)Spatial relationship.

[0134] In the embodiments of the present application, the English word for spatial relationship may be spatial relation. In the embodiments of the present application, the spatial relationship of signals (such as the spatial relationship between the second signal and the first path involved later, or the spatial relationship between the third signal and the second path) may refer to the relationship between the two signals when the two signals propagate in space. The spatial relationship in the embodiments of the present application may also be replaced by other names, such as beam, beam direction, transmission direction, transmission beam direction, reception direction, reception beam direction, etc. The first path and the second path may be two paths of the same signal, or they may be the paths of two signals.

[0135] In the embodiment of the present application, the spatial relationship association between two signals (such as the spatial relationship association between the second signal and the first path involved later, or the spatial relationship association between the third signal and the second path) may refer to the two signals having the same or close directions when propagating in space. The spatial relationship association between two signals in the embodiment of the present application may also refer to the spatial correlation between the transmit beam or receive beam of one signal and the transmit beam or receive beam of another signal, such as the transmit beam or receive beam of one signal having the same or close beam directions as the transmit beam or receive beam of another signal.

[0136] (3) Angle of arrival information.

[0137] (3.1) Calculation method of arrival angle.

[0138] The following is an example of a third device measuring a signal from a first device to obtain angle of arrival information. The first device obtaining angle of arrival information by measuring a signal from a third device is similar to the example and will not be described in detail.

[0139] The third device can use the phase difference between multiple antenna array elements to estimate the angle of arrival. Figure 3 exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of the principle of determining the angle of arrival information provided by an embodiment of the present application. Taking the third device measuring the signal emitted by the first device to determine the angle of arrival as an example, as shown in Figure 3, the third device may include multiple antenna array elements (for example, it may include two or more antenna array elements, and the antenna array element may also be called an array antenna). It is generally assumed that the distance between the first device and the third device is far enough, then the propagation path of the signal emitted by the first device into each antenna array element of the third device can be regarded as parallel. In this way, in one possible implementation, the angle of arrival can be calculated by the following formulas (1) and (2):

[0140] In the above formulas (1) and (2), ψ is the phase difference between antenna elements, θ is the arrival angle of the signal sent by the first device, d is the spacing between antenna elements, c is the speed of light, and τ is the path difference between the signal sent by the first device and the antenna elements; e -jω It can be a preset constant.

[0141] (3.2) Angle of arrival information.

[0142] In the embodiment of the present application, the arrival angle information includes at least one of the following three items: azimuth angle of arrival (AOA) and / or zenith angle of arrival (ZOA).

[0143] In the embodiments of the present application, the arrival angle information may also include coordinate system information, which may be a global coordinate system (GCS) or a local coordinate system (LCS). The global coordinate system is the coordinate system of the three-dimensional space in which the object is located. The local coordinate system, that is, the coordinate system uses the center of the object as the coordinate origin, and the object's rotation or translation operations are all performed around the local coordinate system. In this case, when the object model is rotated or translated, the local coordinate system also performs the corresponding rotation or translation operation.

[0144] When the angular coordinate system is GCS, the azimuth angle of arrival can be the angle between the incident angle direction and true north, or the angle between the projection of the incident angle direction on the horizontal plane and true north. The ZOA can be the angle between the incident angle direction and the zenith. When the angular coordinate system is LCS, the azimuth angle of arrival can be the angle between the projection of the incident angle direction on the xy plane of the rectangular coordinate system and true north. The ZOA can be the angle between the incident angle direction and the z-axis.

[0145] In the above possible implementations, when the angle of arrival information does not include an angular coordinate system (for example, when the angle of arrival information includes only the azimuth angle of arrival, or only the zone of arrival), a default coordinate system may be used. For example, default coordinate systems may be defined for the azimuth angle of arrival and the zone of arrival, respectively. The default coordinate system defined for the azimuth angle of arrival may be a coordinate system under the Global Coordinate System (GCS) or a coordinate system under the Local Coordinate System (LCS). The default coordinate system defined for the zone of arrival may be a coordinate system under the GCS or a coordinate system under the Local Coordinate System (LCS).

[0146] For example, the azimuth angle of arrival in the angle of arrival information may refer to the angle between the projection of the signal transmission path between the third device and the first device on the horizontal plane and the north direction at the third device end. The ZOA included in the angle of arrival information may specifically refer to the angle between the projection of the signal transmission path between the third device and the first device on the horizontal plane and the zenith direction at the third device end.

[0147] (3.3)RTT.

[0148] RTT can be understood as the round-trip time of a signal between two devices.

[0149] For example, the third device sends a signal a1 to the first device (the signal a1 is, for example, a positioning reference signal (PRS)). The third device uses the local clock of the third device to record the transmission time t0 of the signal a1, and the first device uses the local clock of the first device to measure the arrival time t1 of the signal a1.

[0150] After receiving signal a1, the first device sends signal a2 to the third device (the signal a2 is, for example, a sounding reference signal (SRS)). The first device uses its local clock to record the transmission time t2 of signal a2, and the third device uses its local clock to measure the arrival time t3 of signal a2. The RTT of the signal transmitted between the first and third devices is: [(t3-t0)-(t2-t1)].

[0151] A possible positioning scheme is introduced below, which uses RTT positioning technology and arrival angle positioning technology for positioning. Figure 4 exemplifies a schematic diagram of the principle of positioning using RTT positioning technology and arrival angle positioning technology provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the RTT is obtained by transmitting signals between the third device and the first device, and then the value of the distance R between the third device and the first device can be determined to be (RTT×c / 2), where c is the speed of light, × represents multiplication, and / represents division. It can thus be determined that the first device is located on a circle with the third device as the center and R as the radius. On the other hand, the third device measures the signal from the first device to obtain arrival angle information. Using the arrival angle information, a ray can be determined, which starts from the third device and the angle between it and the third device is the arrival angle θ. The intersection of the ray and the above-mentioned circle with R as the radius is the position of the first device.

[0152] This positioning solution can achieve single-station positioning, that is, a third device (i.e., no multiple third devices are required) can achieve positioning of the first device. The solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to scenarios where the first device is positioned by multiple third devices. In this scenario, all or part of the multiple third devices can apply the third device-side solution provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0153] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 3, and 4, and the other contents described above, Figure 5 exemplarily illustrates a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. To make it easier to understand the present application, Figure 5 introduces the interaction between the first device, the second device, the third device, and the positioning management device. The first device, the second device, the third device, and the positioning management device in Figure 5 can be the first device, the second device, the third device, and the positioning management device in Figure 4. For relevant introductions, please refer to the aforementioned content and will not be repeated here.

[0154] As shown in FIG5 , the method includes:

[0155] Step 501: A third device sends at least one first signal.

[0156] Correspondingly, the first device receives at least one first signal.

[0157] The first signal is a signal that can be used for positioning, such as a PRS. For related content, please refer to the above description and will not be repeated here.

[0158] Step 502: The first device determines first information based on measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal.

[0159] The first information is determined based on measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal.

[0160] The first information may include the following information A1 and / or information A2: Information A1 is information indicating the transmission directions of the multiple paths; Information A2 is measurement results of the multiple paths.

[0161] Information A1 is used to indicate the transmission directions of multiple paths.

[0162] In the embodiments of the present application, the transmission direction of the diameter can be replaced by the direction of the diameter or the orientation of the diameter. The transmission direction of the diameter can be written as the direction of the diameter in English.

[0163] In a possible implementation, the information used to indicate the transmission directions of the multiple paths may include information used to indicate the reflective surface of the path and / or information used to indicate the path.

[0164] Information indicating the reflective surface of the path may include information A1.1. Information indicating the path may include one or more of information A1.2, information A1.3, information A1.4, or information A1.5. Information A1.2 is angle information of the multiple paths. Information A1.3 is type information of the multiple paths. Information A1.4 is the order of the multiple paths when the paths of at least one first signal are sorted by arrival time. Information A1.5 is the order of the multiple paths when the paths of at least one first signal are sorted by received power.

[0165] One or more of information A1.1, information A1.2, information A1.3, information A1.4, or information A1.5 can indicate the transmission direction of a path among the multiple paths measured by the first device. Therefore, in this application, this information is classified as information used to indicate the transmission direction of multiple paths. In actual applications, this information can also be used for other purposes. For example, information A1.4 can be used to indicate the arrival time of the path, and information A1.5 is used to indicate the strength of the received power of the path. This information can assist the positioning management device in evaluating the reliability of the location information. For example, if the received power of the path is strong, the positioning management device can deem that the reliability of the location information determined based on the relevant measurement results of the path is strong.

[0166] Information A1.1: Information about the reflecting surface of the indicator path.

[0167] The reflecting surface information of a path among the multiple paths can be used to indicate the transmission direction of the path. The reflecting surface information of a path among the multiple paths can assist the positioning management device in determining the algorithm corresponding to the reflected path, so as to more accurately solve the position information of the device to be located. For example, one of the multiple paths measured by the first device is a direct path, and another path is a reflected path, and the reflecting surface of the reflected path is the ground, that is, the reflected path is the path reflected by the ground. This information can assist the positioning management device in establishing a geometric relationship model between the direct path and the reflected path, and then combine the measurement results of these paths to more accurately calculate the position information of the device to be located.

[0168] Information A1.1 may include one or more of the following information A1.1.1, information A1.1.2, information A1.1.3, information A1.1.4, information A1.1.5, information A1.1.6 or information A1.1.7.

[0169] Information A1.1.1: Information indicating the type of the reflective surface of the path.

[0170] The types of reflective surfaces of the diameter may include walls, mirrors, floors or reflective panels.

[0171] In an embodiment of the present application, the first device can also distinguish the type of reflection path by analyzing the path characteristics of the relevant spectrum when measuring the first signal. For example, when the path energy is relatively concentrated, it can be considered that the reflectivity is high, and then it is inferred that the reflecting surface may be a mirror; when the path energy is relatively dispersed, it is considered that the reflection conditions are not good, and then it is inferred that the reflecting surface may be the ground or a wall.

[0172] The information used to indicate the type of the reflective surface of the path may implicitly indicate the direction of the reflective surface or indicate the transmission direction of the path. For example, when the type of the reflective surface of the path is the ground, the information used to indicate the type of the reflective surface of the path may also implicitly indicate that the reflective surface is below the first device. For another example, when the type of the reflective surface of the path is a wall, the information used to indicate the type of the reflective surface of the path may also implicitly indicate that the reflective surface is in the horizontal direction of the first device (or defined by words indicating directions such as east, south, west, and north). For another example, when the type of the reflective surface of the path is a reflective plate, the information used to indicate the type of the reflective surface of the path may also implicitly indicate that the direction of the reflective surface may be more flexible. In this case, the positioning management device may further determine the direction of the reflective surface and / or the transmission direction of the path in combination with other information.

[0173] Information A1.1.2 is used to indicate the material of the reflective surface of the path.

[0174] The materials of the reflective surface can include cement, wood, metal or glass.

[0175] Information about the material of the reflecting surface indicates the nature or surface condition of the reflecting surface and is related to the reflected energy. For example, the relationship between the material and the shape of the energy spectrum can be pre-configured. The first device performs multipath identification based on the measured spectrum, and then determines the material of the corresponding reflecting surface based on the identified energy spectrum shape. Spectral shape matching helps ensure the accuracy of reflection path judgment. The energy spectrum is generated by the first device after processing the first received signal. The reflected energy of metal or glass is concentrated, while the reflected energy of cement or wood is more divergent. The half-peak width of the spectrum corresponding to cement or wood will be larger than the spectrum corresponding to metal or glass.

[0176] The material of the reflective surface can also implicitly indicate the direction of the reflective surface and / or the direction of the path. For example, if the reflective surface is made of glass, the positioning management device can infer that the reflective surface is a wall. For another example, if the reflective surface is made of cement, the positioning management device can infer that the reflective surface is the ground. The orientation of the reflective surface and / or the direction of the path are then inferred based on the type of reflective surface. For more information, please refer to the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0177] Information A1.1.3 is used to indicate the reflectivity of the reflecting surface of the path.

[0178] The reflectivity of a reflective surface indicates the percentage of radiant energy reflected by the surface as a percentage of the total radiant energy. This value varies depending on the properties of the surface or its surface condition, and may also be related to the angle of incidence and the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave. It generally ranges from [0, 1].

[0179] For example, the relationship between reflectivity and energy spectrum shape can be preconfigured. The first device performs multipath identification based on the measured spectrum and then determines the reflectivity of the corresponding reflecting surface based on the identified energy spectrum shape. Spectral shape matching helps ensure the accuracy of reflection path determination. The energy spectrum is generated by the first device after processing the received first signal. It can represent the temporal variation in the energy received by the first signal at the receiving end. The higher the reflectivity, the more concentrated the energy indicated by the energy spectrum shape; the lower the reflectivity, the more divergent the energy indicated by the energy spectrum shape. The half-peak width of the spectrum corresponding to the latter will be larger than that of the spectrum corresponding to the former.

[0180] The reflectivity of a reflecting surface can also implicitly indicate the direction of the reflecting surface and / or the direction of the path. For example, if the reflectivity of a reflecting surface is high, the positioning management device can infer that the reflecting surface is glass, and then infer that the reflecting surface is a wall. The orientation of the reflecting surface and / or the direction of the path can then be inferred based on the type of the reflecting surface. For more information, please refer to the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0181] Information A1.1.4 is used to indicate the reflected energy of the reflecting surface of the path.

[0182] The reflected energy of the reflecting surface can indicate the reflected energy of the reflecting surface, or indicate the ratio between the reflected energy of the reflecting surface and the strongest reflected energy among all paths measured by the first device, or indicate the ratio between the reflected energy of the reflecting surface and the received energy of all paths measured by the first device.

[0183] The reflected energy of the reflecting surface is related to the properties of different reflecting surfaces or the surface conditions of the reflecting surface, and may also be related to the incident angle and the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave.

[0184] The first device performs multipath identification based on the measured spectrum and then determines the reflected energy of the corresponding reflecting surface based on the identified energy spectrum shape. Spectral shape matching helps ensure the accuracy of reflection path determination. The energy spectrum is generated by the first device after processing the received first signal. Higher reflected energy indicates a more concentrated energy spectrum shape; lower reflected energy indicates a more dispersed energy spectrum shape. The half-width (FWHM) of the spectrum corresponding to the latter will be greater than that of the former.

[0185] The reflected energy of a reflective surface can also implicitly indicate the direction of the reflective surface and / or the direction of the path. For example, if the reflected energy of a reflective surface is high, the positioning management device can infer that the reflective surface is glass, and then infer that the reflective surface is a wall. The orientation of the reflective surface and / or the direction of the path can then be inferred based on the type of reflective surface. For more information, please refer to the previous description and will not be repeated here.

[0186] Information A1.1.5: Information indicating the surface characteristics of the reflecting surface of the path.

[0187] The surface characteristics of the reflective surface may indicate the roughness of the reflective surface.

[0188] For example, the relationship between the surface features of the reflecting surface and the shape of the energy spectrum can be pre-configured. The first device performs multipath identification based on the measured spectrum, and then determines the corresponding surface features of the reflecting surface based on the identified energy spectrum shape. Spectral shape matching helps ensure the accuracy of reflection path judgment. The energy spectrum is generated by the first device after processing the received first signal. Under the same material, the smaller the surface roughness of the reflecting surface (i.e., the smoother the surface), the more concentrated the energy indicated by the energy spectrum shape; the greater the surface roughness of the reflecting surface (i.e., the rougher the surface), the more divergent the energy indicated by the energy spectrum shape. The half-peak width of the spectrum corresponding to the latter will be larger than the spectrum corresponding to the former.

[0189] The surface characteristics of the reflective surface can also implicitly indicate the direction of the reflective surface and / or the direction of the path. For example, if the surface characteristics of the reflective surface indicate that the reflective surface is relatively smooth, the positioning management device can infer that the reflective surface is glass, and then infer that the reflective surface is a wall. The orientation of the reflective surface and / or the direction of the path are then inferred based on the type of reflective surface. For related details, please refer to the relevant description above and will not be repeated here.

[0190] Information A1.1.6 is used to indicate the direction of the reflecting surface of the path.

[0191] In a possible example, the direction information of the reflecting surface used to indicate the path may indicate the orientation of the reflecting surface, or indicate the direction of the normal vector of the reflecting surface, or indicate the direction of the reflecting surface relative to the first device.

[0192] The normal vector of a surface (such as a reflective surface) is a vector perpendicular to the surface. The normal vector can be used to represent the direction and tilt of the surface. For a given surface, there can be an infinite number of vectors perpendicular to it, all of which can be called the normal vector of the surface.

[0193] For example, the first device may be equipped with sensors such as a gravity sensor, a magnetic field sensor, a gyroscope, or a camera. These sensors can sense acceleration along multiple coordinate axes and subsequently identify the posture and orientation of the first device. The posture and orientation of the first device can indicate the direction of transmission of the path.

[0194] For example, when the first device needs to search for a reflection path, the antenna module of the first device may retrieve direction information from the sensor module, and different reflection paths may correspond to different beamforming of the antenna module.

[0195] For example, when the first device needs to search for a reflection path reflected by the ground, the antenna module of the first device will point the beam toward the center of the earth. This can be understood as the orientation of the first device being toward the center of the earth, and the transmission direction of the path being in the direction of the path reflected by the ground. The reflecting surface is the ground, and the direction of the reflecting surface is toward the sky. It can also be understood as the reflecting surface being directly below the first device (this information can be understood as information about the direction of the reflecting surface relative to the first device). In this example, the direction of the normal vector of the reflecting surface is toward the center of the earth.

[0196] For example, when the first device needs to search for a reflected path reflected by a wall, the antenna module of the first device will point the beam in a direction parallel to the ground. It can be understood that the orientation of the first device is perpendicular to the center of the earth, and the transmission direction of the path is the direction of the path reflected by the wall. The reflecting surface is a wall, and the direction of the reflecting surface is parallel to the ground. It can also be understood that the reflecting surface is located to the east of the first device (east is a word indicating direction, and can also be replaced by other words indicating direction, such as west, south, north, southwest, etc.) (this information can be understood as information about the direction of the reflecting surface relative to the first device). In this example, the direction of the normal vector of the reflecting surface is perpendicular to the center of the earth.

[0197] In another possible example, the direction of the reflecting surface of the diameter may also include the angle information of the reflecting surface. The angle information of the reflecting surface may be represented by the angle between the normal vector of the reflecting surface and one or more reference axes (the reference axes may include, for example, three coordinate axes in the coordinate system) in the coordinate system. The coordinate system may be GCS or LCS. Among them, the global coordinate system may be one with the first device as the coordinate origin. In another possible implementation, the angle of the reflecting surface may also include the angle between the projection of the normal vector of the reflecting surface on a certain reference plane and a certain reference direction. The reference axis and / or reference direction may be selected by the first device itself, or may be the direction of a coordinate axis in a certain coordinate system, or may be a predefined reference direction.

[0198] For example, the first device searches at 45 degrees toward the southeast direction and finds a reflection path (the reflection path is a path among multiple paths measured by the first device). Then the reflection surface of the reflection path is located southeast of the first device, and the direction of the reflection surface (or the normal vector of the reflection surface) is 45 degrees toward the northwest direction.

[0199] For another example, when the first device needs to search for a path reflected by a wall or a reflective plate, the first device can obtain the angle range of the path to be searched (the angle range can be pre-configured in the first device or configured to the first device by other devices), and the first device points the antenna module toward the angle range. It can also be understood that the antenna module of the first device searches within the angle range to obtain the reflected path.

[0200] For another example, when the first device needs to search for a path reflected by a wall or a reflective plate, the first device can obtain the angle or direction of the path to be searched (the angle or direction can be pre-configured in the first device or configured to the first device by other devices), and the first device will point the antenna module toward the angle or direction. It can also be understood that the antenna module of the first device searches within the angle or direction (the direction can be, for example, a horizontal direction) to obtain the reflected path.

[0201] In one possible example, after the first device obtains the angle or direction, it can also determine the angle range of the path to be searched based on the angle or direction. For example, a direction (such as the horizontal direction or the north direction) is set as a reference, and the angle range of the path to be searched is the range determined by plus or minus 15 degrees of the reference (15 degrees is an example, and other values ​​can also be used), that is, the reference is regarded as 0 degrees, and the angle range is from minus 15 degrees to plus or minus 15 degrees. The angle range of plus or minus 15 degrees can be located on a plane formed by two coordinate axes (such as the x-axis and the y-axis, or the x-axis and the z-axis, etc.) in the geodetic coordinate system (or other coordinate systems), or on any plane under the geodetic coordinate system (or other coordinate systems). For example, the angle range of the path to be searched is a pitch angle range of 15 degrees. The pitch angle refers to any line in the plane formed by the z-axis and the y-axis (or the x-axis) under the geodetic coordinates as a reference, and the angle range of plus or minus 15 degrees is maintained with the reference on the plane.

[0202] The direction information of the reflecting surface can indicate the transmission direction of the path, and then the positioning management device can establish a geometric relationship model between multiple paths, and then combine the measurement results of these paths to more accurately calculate the position information of the device to be positioned.

[0203] Information A1.1.7 is used to indicate the position information of the reflecting surface of the path.

[0204] The position information of the reflecting surface of the path can indicate the orientation of the reflecting surface, or indicate the orientation of the reflecting surface relative to the first device. For example, the position information of the reflecting surface of the path can indicate the coordinates of the reflecting surface, or the relative distance between the reflecting surface and the terminal. For example, the terminal can use the measured channel strength and the direction corresponding to the path. Assuming that the terminal has obtained general information about the environment in advance, the terminal can use its own installed sensors to determine its own orientation and the corresponding position of the reflecting surface in the environment, and then determine the coordinates of the reflecting surface or the relative distance to the reflecting surface.

[0205] For example, if the first device searches at a 45-degree angle toward the southeast and finds a reflection path (the reflection path is one of the multiple paths measured by the first device), the position information of the reflecting surface of the reflection path indicates that the reflecting surface is located southeast of the first device. For another example, if the reflecting surface is the ground, the position information of the reflecting surface indicates that the reflecting surface is located on the ground. For another example, if the reflecting surface is a wall, the position information of the reflecting surface indicates that the reflecting surface is located on the wall. The wall can be a surface perpendicular to the ground.

[0206] The position information of the reflecting surface can indicate the transmission direction of the path, and then the positioning management device can establish a geometric relationship model between multiple paths, and then combine the measurement results of these paths to more accurately calculate the position information of the device to be positioned.

[0207] Information A1.2: angle information of a path among multiple paths.

[0208] The angle information of the path may include the direction of the incoming wave of the path, the angle of arrival of the path, and other information.

[0209] The angle information of the path may include an angle range, which may be a search range of the first device when searching for the path, or may be referred to as a search angle range of the first device.

[0210] For example, the first device is facing southeast, and the search range is 42 degrees to 48 degrees southeast of the first device. The first device searches for a reflection path (the reflection path is a path among multiple paths measured by the first device), and the direction of the path is 45 degrees southeast of the first device. The angle information of the reflection path can include the angle range of the path: 42 degrees to 48 degrees southeast. The angle information of the reflection path can also include the angle of the path: 45 degrees southeast.

[0211] The angle information of the path can indicate the transmission direction of the path, and then the positioning management device can establish a geometric relationship model between multiple paths, and then combine the measurement results of these paths to more accurately calculate the position information of the device to be positioned.

[0212] Information A1.3: Type information of a path among multiple paths.

[0213] The path type may include a primary path or other paths. Other paths may also be replaced by additional paths. The additional paths refer to paths other than the primary path. The primary path may be understood as the earliest path received by the first device among the paths corresponding to the first signals. For example, the primary path may be the LOS path.

[0214] Path types can also include reflection paths and direct paths. These first signals may propagate via a line-of-sight (LOS) path (i.e., the straight-line distance between the first and third devices). However, due to the presence of obstructions (such as trees, buildings, walls, etc.), which may reflect the signals, these first signals may also propagate via a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path. An NLOS path can be understood as a reflection path.

[0215] The type information of the path can implicitly indicate the transmission direction of the path. For example, when the type of the path is a direct path, the direction of the path is the straight line direction from the third device to the first device. The positioning management device can then establish a geometric relationship model between multiple paths, and then combine the measurement results of these paths to more accurately calculate the position information of the device to be positioned.

[0216] Information A1.4: Order of paths among the multiple paths when the paths of at least one first signal are ordered according to the order of arrival time.

[0217] For example, the first device measures the first signals, and all the paths obtained can be named in order of arrival time: first arrival path, second arrival path, third arrival path, etc. Information A1.4 can include information indicating the arrival path number of a path.

[0218] The path type information can implicitly indicate the path's transmission direction. For example, when the first arrival path is a path, the positioning management device can infer that the path is a direct path, and the direction of the path is the straight line from the third device to the first device. The positioning management device can then establish a geometric relationship model between multiple paths and combine the measurement results of these paths to more accurately calculate the location information of the device to be located.

[0219] Information A1.5: Order of paths among multiple paths when the paths of at least one first signal are ordered according to the order of received power.

[0220] For example, the first device measures the first signals, and all the paths obtained can be named in order of received power strength: the first strongest path, the second strongest path, the third strongest path, etc. Information A1.5 can include information indicating which strongest path a path is.

[0221] The path type information can implicitly indicate the path's transmission direction. For example, if the path is the strongest, the positioning management device can infer that the path is a direct path, and the direction of the path is the straight line from the third device to the first device. The positioning management device can then establish a geometric relationship model between multiple paths and combine the measurement results of these paths to more accurately calculate the location information of the device to be located.

[0222] Information A2, measurement results of multiple paths obtained by the first device.

[0223] The measurement results of the multiple paths may include some parameters used for positioning, and these parameters may correspond to the positioning technology.

[0224] For example, when using RTT positioning technology to locate the first device, the third device sends a first signal (the first signal is, for example, a PRS), and the first device receives the first signal. The first device sends a second signal (the second signal is, for example, divided into an SRS). The spatial relationship of the second signal can be associated with the spatial relationship of the first path of the first signal. The measurement results of multiple paths are used to determine the first RTT, and the first RTT is used to determine the location information of the first device. The first RTT can be obtained by the following formula: [(the time when the second signal arrives at the third device - the time when the third device sends the first signal) - (the time when the first path of the first signal arrives at the first device - the time when the first device sends the second signal)]. The measurement results of the multiple paths obtained by the first device may include information about the time when the first path of the first signal arrives at the first device (or the arrival time information of the first path), and / or information about the time when the first device sends the second signal. Alternatively, the measurement results of the multiple paths obtained by the first device may include the value of the first RTT (or the round-trip delay information corresponding to the first path).

[0225] For another example, the measurement results of the multiple paths may further include parameters such as a phase difference and an arrival angle obtained by the first device measuring at least one first signal.

[0226] In addition to the above information A1 and information A2, the first information may also include other information, such as information indicating the number of paths in the multiple paths. Such information may assist the positioning management device in performing positioning.

[0227] In an embodiment of the present application, the first information is used for positioning. When the positioning management device and the first device belong to the same device, the first device may have a positioning function. In this case, the first information can assist the first device in positioning, for example, the first device determines the location information of the first device based on the first information. When the positioning management device and the first device do not belong to the same device, the first device may send the first information to the positioning management device so that the positioning management device can determine the location information of the first device with the assistance of the first information. For example, the method flow of Figure 5 may include the following steps 503 and 504.

[0228] Step 503: The first device sends the first information.

[0229] Correspondingly, the positioning management device receives the first information.

[0230] Step 504: The positioning management device determines the location information of the device to be positioned according to the first information.

[0231] After the positioning management device obtains the first information, it can determine the transmission direction of the multiple paths measured by the first device based on the first information, and then find the corresponding algorithm based on the correlation between the transmission directions of the multiple paths and the preconfigured algorithm. The algorithm can be understood as a geometric model relationship constructed based on the transmission directions of the multiple paths. The positioning management device can more accurately determine the location information of the device to be located (such as the first device) based on the found algorithm. The solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can also be used to solve the location information of a third device (for example, the third device is a terminal). The embodiment of the present application is introduced by taking the solution of the location information of the first device as an example.

[0232] FIG6 exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of the principle of determining the position information of the first device provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG6 , the third device sends at least one first signal, and the first device measures the at least one first signal to obtain information of the first path and the second path. In the embodiment of the present application, the first path and the second path may not be the path of the first signal, but may also be the path of the first signal. In this example, the first path and the second path are taken as the path of the first signal as an example. The second device sends the second signal and the third signal, and the spatial relationship of the second signal is associated with the first path of the first signal, and the spatial relationship of the third signal is associated with the second path of the first signal. The first path is a direct path, and the second path is a reflected path. The second path can be constructed as a reflected path through the ground, a wall or any reflective plate. The second path in FIG6 is shown as an example of a reflected path reflected by the ground.

[0233] Figure 6 (a) shows a schematic diagram of the two paths of the first device in a three-dimensional coordinate system, and Figure 6 (b) shows a schematic diagram of the geometric relationship of the plane constructed by the two paths. Combining Figure 6 (a) and Figure 6 (b), the height of the first device from the ground is marked as h, the length of the projection of the second device and the third device on the horizontal plane (the plane formed by the x-axis and the y-axis) is marked as d, and the arrival angle of the second signal includes the horizontal arrival angle and the vertical arrival angle. The horizontal arrival angle is marked as The vertical arrival angle is denoted as θ. Based on the geometric relationship between (a) and (b) in Figure 6, the following formula (3) can be obtained:

[0234] In formula (3), p is the product of the difference between the second RTT and the first RTT and the speed of light. The values ​​of d and h can be calculated using formula (3). The coordinate information of the first device can be further obtained. The coordinate information of the first device can be determined using the following formula (4):

[0235] Combined with the above formula (3), it can be seen that the formula (3) The value of is equal to the distance of the second path transmission path, and the value of The value of is equal to the distance of the first path transmission path. Since p is the product of the difference between the second RTT and the first RTT and the speed of light, It can be regarded as the difference between the transmission path distance of the second path and the transmission path distance of the first path calculated based on the two RTTs and the speed of light; the first RTT can be obtained by the following formula: [(the time when the second signal reaches the third device - the time when the third device sends the first signal) - (the time when the first path of the first signal reaches the first device - the time when the first device sends the second signal)]; the second RTT can be obtained by the following formula: [(the time when the third signal reaches the third device - the time when the third device sends the first signal) - (the time when the second path of the first signal reaches the first device - the time when the first device sends the third signal)].

[0236] The reflection plane (or transmission direction) of the path measured by the first device determines the geometric relationship between the measurement results. In other words, the reflection planes (or transmission directions) of multiple paths determine the formula (or algorithm) constructed from the measurement results to determine the location information of the first device. If the positioning management device only uses a fixed algorithm to determine location information, the resulting location information may be inaccurate or even erroneous.

[0237] In the solution provided in the present application, the positioning management device can determine a more accurate geometric relationship (or a more accurate formula or algorithm) between the various measurement results based on the first information, and then obtain more accurate position information of the first device.

[0238] Furthermore, in the process of solving formula (3), a difference calculation is performed between the first RTT and the second RTT. Since the first RTT may be affected by the channel delay, and the second RTT is also affected by the channel delay, the difference calculation between the first RTT and the second RTT can reduce the impact of the channel delay, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0239] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 3, 4, 5, and 6, and the other contents described above, Figure 7 exemplarily illustrates a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 can be considered an extended embodiment of the embodiment of Figure 5. The first device, second device, third device, and positioning management device in Figure 7 can be the first device, second device, third device, and positioning management device in Figure 4. For relevant introductions, please refer to the aforementioned content and will not be repeated here.

[0240] As shown in FIG7 , the method includes:

[0241] Step 701: The positioning management device sends first configuration information.

[0242] Correspondingly, the first device receives the first configuration information.

[0243] In a possible example, the first configuration information may be carried in long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP) positioning request information.

[0244] The first configuration information includes information about the path to be searched. The information about the path to be searched can indicate the direction of the search, and then the first device can search according to the search direction configured by the first configuration information. If the information about the path to be searched indicates that the search direction is toward the center of the earth, the first device can direct its own antenna toward the center of the earth in order to search for the path of the first signal. In the embodiment of the present application, after the first device receives the first configuration information, it can first search based on the search direction indicated by the first configuration information. If the path of the first signal is searched in the search direction, the obtained path can be considered as a path among the multiple paths mentioned in the embodiment shown in Figure 5 above. It can also be understood that the transmission direction of the path among the multiple paths includes the direction indicated by the information about the path to be searched. In another possible implementation, the first device may not search for a signal in the search direction indicated by the first configuration information. In this case, the first device can search for the path of the first signal according to the preconfigured direction.

[0245] The first configuration information may include the following information B1: Information B1 is information about the path to be searched. The information about the path to be searched may indicate a search direction of the first device, or indicate a search orientation of the first device, or indicate a direction (or orientation, transmission direction, etc.) of the path to be searched.

[0246] In one possible implementation, the information of the path to be searched includes the following reflecting surface information of the path to be searched (information B1.1), and may also include one or more of information B1.2, information B1.3, information B1.4, or information B1.5. Information B1.2 is the angle information of the path to be searched (also referred to as the search angle information of the first device). Information B1.3 is the type information of the path to be searched. Information B1.4 is the sorting of the path to be searched when the paths of at least one first signal are sorted in order of arrival time. Information B1.5 is the sorting of the path to be searched when the paths of at least one first signal are sorted in order of received power strength.

[0247] Information B1.1, reflecting surface information of the path to be searched.

[0248] The reflection surface information of the path to be searched can be used to indicate the transmission direction of the path to be searched, or to indicate the search direction of the first device. The first device can search for the reflection path based on the reflection surface information indicated by the first configuration information, and the reflection surface information of the searched reflection path matches (or is the same as) the reflection surface information indicated by the first configuration information.

[0249] Information B1.1 may include one or more of the following information B1.1.1, information B1.1.2, information B1.1.3, information B1.1.4, information B1.1.5, information B1.1.6 or information B1.1.7.

[0250] Information B1.1.1 is used to indicate the type of reflecting surface of the path to be searched.

[0251] The types of the reflective surface to be searched may include a wall, a mirror, the ground, or a reflective plate.

[0252] The positioning management device indicates information about the type of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched through the first configuration information. Therefore, when the first device searches for the path of the first signal, the type of the reflecting surface of the reflection path found by the first device must be as similar as possible to the type of the reflecting surface indicated in the first configuration information. The method for determining the type of the reflecting surface of the searched reflection path by the first device can be found in the aforementioned content and is not further described here.

[0253] The type of the reflective surface may implicitly indicate the direction and / or position of the reflective surface, or implicitly indicate the search direction of the first device.

[0254] For example, if the first configuration information indicates that the type of the reflective surface to be searched is the ground, the first device needs to direct the antenna toward the ground for searching. The first device can determine the direction of the ground based on its own configured sensors.

[0255] For another example, if the first configuration information indicates that the type of reflective surface to be searched is a wall, the first device needs to direct the antenna toward the wall for searching. The first device can determine the direction of the wall based on its own configured sensors. For example, the wall can be located perpendicular to the ground or horizontally.

[0256] Information B1.1.2 is used to indicate the material of the reflective surface of the path to be searched.

[0257] The material of the reflective surface of the path to be searched may include cement, wood, metal, or glass, etc. The information of the material of the reflective surface indicates the nature or surface condition of the reflective surface, and is related to the reflected energy.

[0258] The positioning management device indicates information about the material of the reflective surface of the path to be searched through the first configuration information. Therefore, when the first device searches for the path of the first signal, the material of the reflective surface of the reflection path found by the first device must be as similar as possible to the material of the reflective surface indicated in the first configuration information. The method for determining the material of the reflective surface of the searched reflection path by the first device can be found in the aforementioned description and will not be further elaborated.

[0259] The material of the reflecting surface may implicitly indicate the direction and / or location of the reflecting surface, or implicitly indicate the search direction of the first device. For example, if the first configuration information indicates that the material of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched is cement, the first device infers that the reflecting surface is the ground, and the first device needs to direct the antenna toward the ground to search.

[0260] For another example, if the first configuration information indicates that the material of the reflective surface of the path to be searched is glass, then it is inferred that the reflective surface is a wall, and the first device needs to direct the antenna toward the wall for searching.

[0261] Information B1.1.3 is used to indicate the reflectivity of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched.

[0262] For information on the reflectivity of the reflecting surface, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned information A1.1.3 and will not be repeated here.

[0263] The positioning management device indicates, via the first configuration information, information regarding the reflectivity of the reflective surface of the path to be searched. Therefore, when the first device searches for the path of the first signal, the reflectivity of the reflective surface of the reflection path found by the first device must be within the reflectivity range of the reflection surface indicated by the first configuration information. The method for determining the reflectivity of the reflective surface of the reflection path found by the first device can be found in the aforementioned description and is not further described.

[0264] The reflectivity of the reflecting surface may implicitly indicate the direction and / or location of the reflecting surface, or implicitly indicate the search direction of the first device. For example, if the first configuration information indicates that the reflectivity of the reflecting surface of the search path is low, the first device may infer that the reflecting surface is the ground. The first device may then direct its antenna toward the ground for search.

[0265] For another example, if the first configuration information indicates that the reflectivity of the reflective surface of the path to be searched is high, it is inferred that the reflective surface is a wall (such as a wall made of mirror material), and the first device needs to direct the antenna toward the wall for search.

[0266] Information B1.1.4 is used to indicate the reflected energy of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched.

[0267] For information on the reflected energy of the reflecting surface, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned information A1.1.4 and will not be repeated here.

[0268] The positioning management device indicates, via the first configuration information, information about the reflected energy of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched. Therefore, when the first device searches for the path of the first signal, the reflected energy of the reflecting surface of the reflection path found by the first device must fall within the range of the reflected energy of the reflecting surface indicated by the first configuration information. The method for determining the reflected energy of the reflecting surface of the searched reflection path by the first device can be found in the aforementioned description and is not further described.

[0269] The reflected energy of the reflecting surface may implicitly indicate the direction and / or position of the reflecting surface, or implicitly indicate the search direction of the first device. For example, if the first configuration information indicates that the reflected energy of the reflecting surface of the search path is low, the first device may infer that the reflecting surface is the ground, and the first device may need to direct the antenna toward the ground to conduct the search.

[0270] For another example, if the first configuration information indicates that the reflection energy of the reflection surface of the path to be searched is high, it is inferred that the reflection surface is a wall (such as a wall made of mirror material), and the first device needs to direct the antenna toward the wall for search.

[0271] Information B1.1.5 is used to indicate the surface characteristics of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched.

[0272] For information on the surface characteristics of the reflective surface, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned information A1.1.5 and will not be repeated here.

[0273] The positioning management device indicates information about the surface features of the reflective surface of the path to be searched through first configuration information. Therefore, when the first device searches for the path of the first signal, the surface features of the reflective surface of the reflective path searched by the first device must match the surface features of the reflective surface indicated by the first configuration information. For example, the roughness indicated by the surface features of the reflective surface of the reflective path searched by the first device must be within the range of the roughness indicated by the surface features of the reflective surface indicated by the first configuration information. The method for determining the surface features of the reflective surface of the searched reflective path by the first device can be found in the aforementioned content and will not be repeated here.

[0274] The surface characteristics of the reflecting surface may implicitly indicate the direction and / or position of the reflecting surface, or implicitly indicate the search direction of the first device. For example, if the first configuration information indicates that the surface characteristics of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched indicate that the reflecting surface is relatively rough, the first device may infer that the reflecting surface is the ground, and the first device may need to direct its antenna toward the ground to conduct the search.

[0275] For another example, if the first configuration information indicates that the surface characteristics of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched indicate that the reflecting surface is relatively smooth, then it is inferred that the reflecting surface is a wall (such as a wall made of mirror material), and the first device needs to direct the antenna toward the wall for search.

[0276] Information B1.1.6 is used to indicate the direction of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched.

[0277] In a possible example, the direction information for indicating the reflecting surface of the path to be searched may indicate the orientation of the reflecting surface, or indicate the direction of the normal vector of the reflecting surface, or indicate the direction of the reflecting surface relative to the first device.

[0278] The first device searches according to the direction information of the reflecting surface configured by the first configuration information. The direction of the reflecting surface of the path searched by the first device matches the direction of the reflecting surface indicated by the first configuration information. For example, the direction of the reflecting surface of the path searched by the first device is within the direction range of the reflecting surface indicated by the first configuration information, or the direction of the reflecting surface of the path searched by the first device is the same as the direction of the reflecting surface indicated by the first configuration information.

[0279] For example, the direction of the reflecting surface configured in the first configuration information is toward the sky, or the reflecting surface configured in the first configuration information is located directly below the first device (this information can be understood as information about the direction of the reflecting surface relative to the first device), or the direction of the normal vector of the reflecting surface configured in the first configuration information is toward the center of the earth. In these cases, the antenna module of the first device will point the beam toward the center of the earth to search for the path of at least one first signal, and the direction of the reflecting surface of the obtained path is also toward the sky.

[0280] For another example, the direction (or orientation) of the reflecting surface configured by the first configuration information is perpendicular to the center of the earth, or the direction of the reflecting surface configured by the first configuration information is parallel to the ground, or the direction of the normal vector of the reflecting surface configured by the first configuration information is perpendicular to the center of the earth. In these cases, the antenna module of the first device will point the beam in the direction of the wall.

[0281] For another example, the reflecting surface configured in the first configuration information is located to the east of the first device (East is a word indicating a direction and can also be replaced by other words indicating a direction, such as West, South, North, Southwest, etc.) (this information can be understood as information about the direction of the reflecting surface relative to the first device). In these cases, the antenna module of the first device will point the beam to the east (if the reflecting surface indicated by the first configuration information is located in another direction of the first device (such as the west), the antenna module of the first device will point the beam in that direction (such as the west)).

[0282] For another example, the direction of the reflecting surface configured in the first configuration information includes angle information of the reflecting surface. The angle information of the reflecting surface can be found in the relevant content of the aforementioned information A1.1.4, which will not be described in detail.

[0283] For example, if the first configuration information indicates that the direction of the reflecting surface is 45 degrees toward the southeast, the first device searches for the antenna module 45 degrees toward the southeast.

[0284] For another example, the first configuration information indicates the angle range of the path to be searched, and the first device points the antenna module toward the angle range, which can also be understood as the antenna module of the first device searching within the angle range to obtain the reflection path.

[0285] For another example, the first configuration information indicates the angle or direction of the path to be searched (the angle or direction may be pre-configured in the first device or configured to the first device by other devices), and the first device directs the antenna module toward the angle or direction. This can also be understood as the antenna module of the first device searching within the angle or direction (the direction may be, for example, a horizontal direction) to obtain the reflection path.

[0286] In one possible example, after the first device obtains the angle or direction, it can also determine the angular range of the path to be searched based on the angle or direction. For example, a direction (such as the horizontal direction or the north direction) is set as a reference, and the angular range of the path to be searched is plus or minus 15 degrees of the reference (15 degrees is an example and other values ​​are also possible). For more information, please refer to the relevant description in the aforementioned information A1.1.6 and will not be repeated here.

[0287] Information B1.1.7 is used to indicate the position information of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched.

[0288] The position information of the reflective surface of the path to be searched can indicate the position of the reflective surface of the path to be searched by the first device, or the position of the reflective surface relative to the first device. For example, the position information of the reflective surface of the path to be searched can indicate the coordinates of the reflective surface, or the relative distance between the reflective surface and the terminal. For more information, please refer to the description in Information B1.1.7 above and will not be repeated here.

[0289] For example, the first configuration information indicates that the position information of the path to be searched is 45 degrees southeast of the first device. The first device searches 45 degrees southeast and finds a reflection path (the reflection path is one of the multiple paths measured by the first device). The position information of the reflection surface of the reflection path indicates that the reflection surface is located southeast of the first device. For another example, the first configuration information indicates that the position of the reflection surface of the path to be searched is located on the ground. The first device searches toward the ground. For another example, the first configuration information indicates that the reflection surface of the path to be searched is located on a wall. The wall can be a surface perpendicular to the ground. The first device searches toward the wall.

[0290] Information B1.2: angle information of the path to be searched.

[0291] The angle information of the path to be searched may include information such as the direction of the incoming wave of the path to be searched.

[0292] The angle information of the path to be searched may include an angle range, which may be a search range of the first device when searching for the path, or may be referred to as a search angle range of the first device.

[0293] For example, if the first configuration information indicates that the angle range of the path to be searched is 42 degrees to 48 degrees in the southeast direction, the first device searches in the southeast direction, and the search range is 42 degrees to 48 degrees in the southeast direction of the first device.

[0294] For another example, the first configuration information indicates that the angle range of the path to be searched is 45 degrees southeast. The first device then searches 45 degrees southeast. In another possible example, the first device may also search within a range of 42 to 48 degrees southeast. 42 to 48 degrees can be considered the angle range determined by the first device based on 45 degrees. 42 to 48 degrees is obtained by adding or subtracting 3 degrees from 45 degrees, where 3 degrees is an example and can be replaced by other values.

[0295] Information B1.3: type information of the path to be searched.

[0296] The type of path to be searched may include the first path or other paths. The type of path to be searched may also include a reflection path or a direct path. The type of path to be searched may refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned information A1.3 and will not be repeated here.

[0297] The first device may search based on the type of the path indicated by the first configuration information, and the type of the path searched by the first device is the same as the type of the path configured by the first configuration information.

[0298] Information B1.4: sorting of paths to be searched when the paths of at least one first signal are sorted according to the order of arrival time.

[0299] For example, if the first configuration information indicates that the paths to be searched are the first arrival path and the second arrival path, the first device may use the first arrival path and the second arrival path of the at least one first signal found as the paths among the multiple paths indicated in the first information.

[0300] The content of information B1.4 can be found in the relevant content of information A1.4 above and will not be repeated here.

[0301] Information B1.5: Order of paths among multiple paths when the paths of at least one first signal are ordered according to the order of received power.

[0302] For example, if the first configuration information indicates that the paths to be searched are the first strongest path and the second strongest path, the first device may use the first strongest path and the second strongest path of the at least one first signal searched as the path among the multiple paths indicated in the first information.

[0303] The content of information B1.5 can be found in the relevant content of information A1.5 above and will not be repeated here.

[0304] Step 702: The third device sends at least one first signal.

[0305] Correspondingly, the first device receives at least one first signal.

[0306] For step 702, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 501 and will not be repeated here.

[0307] Step 703: The first device measures at least one first signal based on the first configuration information to obtain measurement results of multiple paths of the at least one first signal.

[0308] The measurement results of multiple diameters can be found in the above-mentioned related content and will not be repeated here.

[0309] Step 704: The first device determines first information based on measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal.

[0310] For step 704, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 502 and will not be repeated here.

[0311] Step 705: The first device sends the first information.

[0312] Correspondingly, the positioning management device receives the first information.

[0313] In a possible example, the first information may be carried in the positioning information provided by the LPP.

[0314] For step 705, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 503 and will not be repeated here.

[0315] Step 706: The positioning management device sends second information based on the first information.

[0316] Correspondingly, the second device receives the second information.

[0317] In a possible example, the second information may be carried in a new radio positioning protocol annex (NRPPa) positioning information request.

[0318] The second information is used to assist the second device in configuring a reference signal for positioning for the first device. The second signal and the third signal in the embodiment of the present application are examples of two of the reference signals for positioning configured by the second device for the first device. The second signal and the third signal are, for example, SRS.

[0319] The second information is obtained based on the measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal received by the first device. The second information can also be determined based on the first information. The second information can include the following information C1 and / or information C2.

[0320] Information C1 is used to indicate the transmission directions of multiple paths.

[0321] Information C1 can be understood as the information in the first information indicating the transmission directions of the multiple paths. The information indicating the transmission directions of the multiple paths may include information indicating the reflective surface of the paths and / or information indicating the paths. Information C1 may include the content of information A1, which is not further described.

[0322] Information C2, the fourth information.

[0323] The fourth information may be used to indicate the spatial relationship of reference signals (such as the second signal and the third signal) configured for positioning by the first apparatus. The number of reference signals configured for positioning by the first apparatus may be associated with the number of paths in the plurality of paths obtained by the first apparatus measuring at least one first signal. For example, the number of paths in the plurality of paths obtained by the first apparatus measuring at least one first signal is equal to (or greater than) the number of reference signals configured for positioning by the first apparatus. Each reference signal configured for positioning by the first apparatus may be associated with a spatial relationship of one of the plurality of paths.

[0324] Taking the case where the reference signal configured for positioning by the first device includes the second signal and the third signal as an example, the fourth information indicates the spatial relationship between the second signal and the first path, and further indicates the spatial relationship between the third signal and the second path.

[0325] In the embodiment of the present application, the signal received by the first device is collectively referred to as a first signal. The first signal may be one or multiple, for example, multiple first signals are multiple PRSs.

[0326] In this application, the first path and the second path may not be among the multiple paths indicated by the first information obtained by the first device. For example, they may be two paths specified by the network device for the first device, or the first path and the second path may not be the path corresponding to the at least one first signal. In another possible implementation, the first path and the second path may be among the multiple paths indicated by the first information obtained by the first device, or the first path and the second path may be two paths corresponding to the at least one first signal measured by the first device.

[0327] In the embodiments of the present application, the first path and the second path are paths corresponding to the same first signal. For example, the first device measures a first signal to obtain the first and second paths. Alternatively, the first and second paths are paths corresponding to two different first signals. In this case, the first device may measure one first signal to obtain the first path, and then measure another first signal to obtain the second path. The first and second paths may both be direct paths, or they may be other paths.

[0328] For example, a second device sends a first signal whose first path is a direct path and whose second path is a reflected path after reflection from the ground. Another example is a second device sends a first signal whose first path is a direct path. The second device then sends another first signal whose second path is a reflected path after reflection from a wall. In these cases, the second device needs to configure at least two reference signals for the first device, such as a second signal and a third signal. The first device then aligns the transmission beam of the second signal toward the first path and the transmission beam of the third signal toward the second path. This allows the RTT of the second signal relative to the first path and the RTT of the second signal relative to the second path to be used to more accurately calculate the first device's location and effectively eliminate errors in the RTT calculation process.

[0329] The second information may assist the second device in configuring the spatial relationship of reference signals (e.g., the second signal and the third signal) used for positioning for the first device. When the second information includes the fourth information, the positioning management device may determine the spatial relationship of the reference signals (e.g., the second signal and the third signal) used for positioning sent by the first device based on the first information, and transmit information indicating the spatial relationship to the second device, so that the second device can transmit the spatial relationship to the first device.

[0330] The second information may also include other information, such as the number of path lengths in the multiple path lengths reported by the first device, so as to assist the second device in configuring a reference signal for positioning for the first device.

[0331] In the embodiment of the present application, the spatial relationship between a signal and a path can be understood in multiple ways. The spatial relationship between the second signal and the first path is introduced below as an example. The content of the spatial relationship between the third signal and the second path is similar to it and will not be repeated here.

[0332] In the embodiment of the present application, the spatial relationship association between the second signal and the first path of the first signal can also be referred to as the spatial relationship association between the second signal and the first signal (or as having an association relationship), or as the spatial relationship association between the second signal and the spatial relationship association between the first signal (or as having an association relationship). In the embodiment of the present application, the spatial relationship association between the second signal and the first path of the first signal can also be understood as the spatial association relationship between the propagation direction of the second signal and the first path of the first signal, or the sending direction of the second signal and the direction of the first path of the first signal are associated (for example, the two directions are consistent or close), or the sending beam direction of the second signal is associated with the propagation direction of the first path of the first signal (for example, the two directions are consistent or close), or the sending beam direction of the second signal is associated with the sending beam direction of the first path of the first signal (for example, the two directions are consistent or close).

[0333] There are many specific forms of the fourth information in the embodiments of the present application. The following is an introduction using the example of the first information indicating the spatial relationship association between the second signal and the first path. The content of the fourth information indicating the spatial relationship association between the third signal and the second path is similar and will not be repeated. For example, the fourth information includes identification information of the first path of the first signal. In this way, the second device can determine the spatial relationship association between the second signal and the first path of the first signal based on the identification information of the first path of the first signal. In another possible implementation, the fourth information includes configuration information of the spatial relationship, and the configuration information of the spatial relationship is used to configure the spatial relationship of the second signal. The English name of the configuration information of the spatial relationship can be, for example, spatial relation information. The configuration information of the spatial relationship can include identification information of the first path of the first signal. In this way, when the second device determines that the identification information of the first path of the first signal exists in the configuration information of the spatial relationship included in the first configuration information, it can determine that the spatial relationship of the second signal is associated with the spatial relationship of the first path of the first signal.

[0334] Step 707: The second device sends second configuration information according to the second information.

[0335] Correspondingly, the first device receives the second configuration information.

[0336] The second configuration information may be used to indicate the spatial relationship between reference signals (e.g., the second signal and the third signal) configured for positioning by the first apparatus. For example, the second configuration information indicates the spatial relationship between the second signal and the first path, and further indicates the spatial relationship between the third signal and the second path. The second configuration information is used by the first apparatus to transmit the second signal and the third signal.

[0337] If the second information includes the aforementioned information C1, the second apparatus may configure a spatial relationship for the reference signal to be sent by the first apparatus for positioning based on the information C1. If the second information includes the aforementioned information C2, i.e., the fourth information, the second configuration information may directly include the spatial relationship of the reference signal to be sent by the first apparatus for positioning, as indicated by the fourth information.

[0338] The spatial relationship of the reference signal configuration to be sent by the first device for positioning included in the second configuration information can be found in the relevant content of the spatial relationship indicated in the aforementioned fourth information, and will not be repeated here.

[0339] The second device may also configure a positioning reference signal for the first device based on other information. For example, the second device may determine the number of positioning reference signals to be configured for the first device based on the number of multiple paths obtained by the first device through measurement of at least one first signal. For example, the number of positioning reference signals may be equal. Other positioning reference signal configuration information may be included in the second configuration information and sent to the first device, or sent separately.

[0340] In another possible implementation, the second device does not need to configure the spatial relationship of the reference signals to be sent by the first device for positioning for the first device. The first device can determine the spatial relationship of the reference signals to be sent for positioning based on the first information (or the first device generates the second configuration information based on the measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal). In this case, the second device may no longer need to send information to the first device to indicate the spatial relationship of the reference signals to be sent by the first device for positioning. For example, step 707 above may not be performed, or the second configuration information in step 707 may not include the spatial relationship of the reference signals for positioning configured for the first device.

[0341] Step 708: The first device sends a second signal and a third signal according to the second configuration information.

[0342] Correspondingly, the third device receives the second signal and the third signal.

[0343] Step 709: The third device determines third information according to the measurement result of the second signal and the measurement result of the third signal.

[0344] The third information may include the measurement results of the second signal and the third signal, and may also include some parameters determined based on the measurement results of the second signal and / or the third signal. The third information is used for positioning.

[0345] The measurement result of the second signal may include parameters used for positioning, which may correspond to the positioning technology. For example, when using RTT positioning technology to locate the first device, the measurement result of the second signal may include the first RTT value (or information about the round-trip delay corresponding to the second signal) and may also include parameters used to determine the first RTT value. The first RTT can be calculated using the following formula: [(time the second signal reaches the third device - time the third device sends the first signal) - (time the first path of the first signal reaches the first device - time the first device sends the second signal)]. The measurement result of the second signal may include information indicating the transmission time of the first path of the first signal and / or information indicating the time the second signal reaches the third device (or second signal arrival time information). The measurement result of the second signal may also include information indicating the phase difference or angle of arrival of the second signal. When the measurement result of the second signal includes the first RTT value, the third device may obtain parameters used to calculate the first RTT (such as the time the first path of the first signal reaches the first device and the time the first device sends the second signal) from another device (such as the first device).

[0346] Similarly, the measurement result of the third signal may include parameters used for positioning, which may correspond to the positioning technology. For example, when using RTT positioning technology to locate the first device, the measurement result of the third signal may include the second RTT value (or information about the round-trip delay corresponding to the third signal), and may also include parameters used to determine the second RTT value. The second RTT can be calculated using the following formula: [(time when the third signal arrives at the third device - time when the third device sends the first signal) - (time when the second path of the first signal arrives at the first device - time when the first device sends the third signal)]. The measurement result of the third signal may include information indicating the transmission time of the second path of the first signal and / or information about the time when the third signal arrives at the third device (or third signal arrival time information). The measurement result of the third signal may also include information indicating the phase difference or arrival angle of the third signal. When the measurement result of the third signal includes the second RTT value, the third device may obtain parameters used to calculate the second RTT (such as the time when the second path of the first signal arrives at the first device and the time when the first device sends the third signal) from another device (such as the first device).

[0347] In the embodiment of the present application, the positioning management device and the third device may be on the same device or on different devices. When the positioning management device and the third device belong to the same device, the third device may have a positioning function, for example, the third device may determine the location information of the first device in combination with the third information (in this case, the following steps 710 and 711 may not be performed in the scheme of Figure 7). When the positioning management device and the third device do not belong to the same device, the third device may send the third information to the positioning management device so that the positioning management device can determine the location information of the first device with the assistance of the third information. For example, the method flow of Figure 7 may include the following steps 710 and 711.

[0348] Step 710: The third device sends third information.

[0349] Correspondingly, the positioning management device receives the third information.

[0350] In a possible example, the third information may be carried in the NRPPa measurement response.

[0351] Step 711: The positioning management device determines the location information of the device to be positioned based on the first information and the third information.

[0352] Step 711 can be considered as an implementation of the above step 504. In step 711, since the positioning management device can determine the location information of the device to be positioned (such as the first device) in combination with more information, the positioning accuracy can be further improved.

[0353] In the embodiment shown in FIG7 , the first device measures at least one received first signal and may obtain a direct path or a reflected path. Since the direct path is unobstructed, it has a stronger capability and is easier for the first device to measure. However, since the propagation path is long and the path loss is large, the reflected path is somewhat difficult to measure. In the embodiment provided in FIG7 , the first configuration information can indicate the direction of the path to be searched by the first device. Therefore, the first device can direct the receiving beam in the direction indicated by the first configuration information. When the direction of the receiving beam matches the direction of the path to be received, the first device receives greater energy in the path, thereby improving the accuracy of the measurement of the path.

[0354] On the other hand, when the location information of the first device is solved by the round-trip delay of the signal between the third device and the first device, the spatial relationship of the multiple reference signals sent by the first device can be associated with the multiple paths of at least one first signal received by the first device through the second configuration information, so that the multiple reference signals sent by the first device can be transmitted along the transmission direction of the path, so that the round-trip delay between the first device and the third device can be calculated more accurately.

[0355] On the other hand, by calculating multiple round-trip delays, the impact of channel delay can be reduced, thereby improving positioning accuracy. The specific analysis process of reducing channel delay can be found in the description of Figure 6 above and will not be repeated here.

[0356] In another aspect, the second device may send second configuration information based on the received second information. Because the second information is obtained based on information about the path measured by the first device for the first signal, the second device can obtain the specific details of each path obtained by the first device based on the second information, and can then more reasonably configure the spatial relationship of the reference signal for the first device.

[0357] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7, as well as the other contents described above, Figure 8 exemplarily illustrates a flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application. Figure 8 can be viewed as an extended embodiment of the embodiment of Figures 5 and / or 7. Figure 8 can be understood as a combination of the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application with an existing standard. The various information appearing in the embodiment of the present application can be transmitted via a newly defined message or via a currently defined message.

[0358] In Figure 8, the first device is a terminal, the second device and the third device are the same base station, and the positioning management device is an LMF. The first device, the second device, the third device and the positioning management device can also be the content described in Figure 4 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0359] As shown in FIG8 , the method includes:

[0360] Step 801: The LMF and the base station exchange reference signal configuration information.

[0361] Through step 801, the LMF can obtain the reference signal (e.g., first signal (e.g., PRS)) configuration information of the base station, such as the time-frequency domain resources of the reference signal, so as to later send the reference signal configuration information to the terminal. When the first signal sent by the base station is a PRS, the English expression for the interaction between the base station and the LMF in step 801 can be: NRPPa PRS configuration information exchange.

[0362] Step 802: The LMF interacts with the terminal regarding positioning capabilities.

[0363] Through step 802, the LMF can learn the positioning capabilities of the terminal, which positioning technologies the terminal supports, and which parameters the terminal can measure, etc. These parameters are used for positioning, such as RTT and arrival angle.

[0364] Step 803: The positioning management device sends a message to the terminal indicating that the LPP provides auxiliary data.

[0365] Correspondingly, the first device receives a message from the LPP providing assistance data.

[0366] In a possible example, the third configuration information may be carried in LPP providing assistance data, where LPP providing assistance data may be written as LPP provide assistance data in English.

[0367] In an embodiment of the present application, the third configuration information is used to configure at least one first signal. The third configuration information may include identification information of at least one first signal. The identification information of the first signal may include information that can indicate the first signal. For example, it may include one or more of the resource information of the first signal, the cell index corresponding to the first signal, the index of the first signal, or the configuration information of the first signal. For example, if the first signal is a PRS, the identification information of the first signal may include one or more of the PRS identifier, the PRS resource set index, or the PRS resource index.

[0368] Step 804: The positioning management device sends an LPP positioning request message to the terminal.

[0369] Correspondingly, the terminal receives the LPP request positioning information.

[0370] The LPP request location information can be written as LPP request location information in English. The first configuration information can be carried in the LPP request location information.

[0371] For step 804, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 701 and will not be repeated here.

[0372] Step 805: The base station sends at least one first signal.

[0373] Correspondingly, the terminal receives at least one first signal.

[0374] For step 805, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 702 and will not be repeated here.

[0375] Step 806: The terminal measures at least one first signal to obtain measurement results of multiple paths of the at least one first signal.

[0376] For step 806, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 703 and will not be repeated here.

[0377] Step 807: The terminal determines first information based on measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal.

[0378] For step 807, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 704 and will not be repeated here.

[0379] Step 808: The terminal sends a message to the LPP to provide positioning information.

[0380] Correspondingly, LMF receives the message from LPP providing positioning information.

[0381] The message that LPP provides positioning information may be called LPP provide location information in English.

[0382] The first information may be carried in a message in which the LPP provides positioning information. In another possible implementation, the measurement result of at least one first signal obtained by the terminal in the embodiment of the present application (the aforementioned information A2) and the information indicating the transmission directions of multiple paths (information A1) may be sent separately via two messages or in a single message.

[0383] For step 808, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 705 and will not be repeated here.

[0384] Step 809: LMF sends NRPPa positioning information request.

[0385] Correspondingly, the base station receives the NRPPa positioning information request.

[0386] The NRPPa positioning information request may be written in English as NRPPa positioning information request. The second information may be carried in the NRPPa positioning information request.

[0387] For step 809, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 706 and will not be repeated here.

[0388] Step 810: The base station sends reference signal configuration information.

[0389] Correspondingly, the first device receives reference signal configuration information.

[0390] When the reference signal sent by the terminal is an SRS, the reference signal configuration information may also be UE SRS configuration information. The second configuration information may be carried in the reference signal configuration information. Alternatively, the second configuration information may be sent separately from the reference signal configuration information.

[0391] Before step 801, the base station may also determine resources of a reference signal sent by the terminal.

[0392] For step 810, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 707 and will not be repeated here.

[0393] Step 811: The base station sends an NRPPa positioning information response to the LMF.

[0394] Correspondingly, LMF receives NRPPa positioning information response.

[0395] The NRPPa positioning information response can be regarded as a response message to the NRPPa positioning information request. The NRPPa positioning information response can be written as NRPPa positioning information response in English.

[0396] Step 812: LMF sends an NRPPa positioning activation request to the base station.

[0397] Correspondingly, the base station receives the NRPPa positioning activation request.

[0398] The NRPPa positioning activation request may be used to instruct the base station to activate transmission of a reference signal on the terminal side. The NRPPa positioning activation request may be written as NRPPa positioning activation request in English.

[0399] Step 813: The base station sends a message for activating reference signal transmission to the terminal.

[0400] Correspondingly, the terminal receives a message for activating reference signal transmission.

[0401] If the reference signal sent by the terminal is an SRS, the message for activating reference signal transmission may be written in English as activate SRS transmission.

[0402] Step 814: The base station sends an NRPPa positioning activation response to the LMF.

[0403] Correspondingly, LMF receives the NRPPa positioning activation response sent by the base station.

[0404] The NRPPa positioning activation response can be regarded as a response message to the NRPPa positioning activation request. The NRPPa positioning activation response can be written as NRPPa positioning activation response in English.

[0405] Step 815: LMF sends an NRPPa measurement request to the base station.

[0406] Correspondingly, the base station receives the NRPPa measurement request.

[0407] The NRPPa measurement request may be written as NRPPa measurement request in English. After receiving the NRPPa measurement request, the base station may measure the reference signal received from the terminal.

[0408] Step 816: The terminal sends the second signal and the third signal.

[0409] Correspondingly, the base station receives the second signal and the third signal.

[0410] For step 816, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 708 and will not be repeated here.

[0411] In step 817 , the base station measures the second signal and the third signal, and determines third information according to the measurement result of the second signal and the measurement result of the third signal.

[0412] For step 817, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 709 and will not be repeated here.

[0413] Step 818: The base station sends an NRPPa measurement response.

[0414] Correspondingly, LMF receives the NRPPa measurement response.

[0415] The NRPPa measurement response may be referred to as an NRPPa measurement response in English. The third information may be carried in the NRPPa measurement response. The NRPPa measurement response may be regarded as a response message to the NRPPa measurement request.

[0416] For step 818, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 710 and will not be repeated here.

[0417] Step 819: The LMF determines the location information of the device to be located based on the first information and the third information.

[0418] For step 819, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 711 and will not be repeated here.

[0419] Step 820: LMF sends an NRPPa positioning deactivation message to the base station.

[0420] Correspondingly, the base station receives an NRPPa positioning deactivation message, which can be written as NRPPa positioning deactivationg in English. The NRPPa positioning deactivation message can deactivate the current positioning process between the base station and the terminal. After receiving the message, the base station may no longer send the first signal.

[0421] Based on the embodiments shown in Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 2C, 2D, 2E, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8, and the other contents described above, Figure 9 exemplarily illustrates a flow chart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 9 can be considered as another possible embodiment of the embodiment of Figure 8.

[0422] Figure 9 differs from Figure 8 in that the order of the steps in Figure 8 can be adjusted. Figure 9 illustrates an example of adjusting the order of the steps in Figure 8. After adjusting the steps in Figure 9, the time when the terminal measures the first signal can be closer to the time when the base station measures the second and third signals. Because the terminal may be constantly moving, closer proximity to the time when the terminal measures the reference signal can further reduce positioning errors and improve positioning accuracy.

[0423] In Figure 9, the first device is a terminal, the second device and the third device are the same base station, and the positioning management device is an LMF. The first device, the second device, the third device and the positioning management device can also be the content described in Figure 4 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0424] As shown in FIG9 , the method includes:

[0425] Step 901: The LMF and the base station exchange reference signal configuration information.

[0426] For step 901, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 801 and will not be repeated here.

[0427] Step 902: The LMF interacts with the terminal regarding positioning capabilities.

[0428] For step 902, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 802 and will not be repeated here.

[0429] Step 903: LMF sends NRPPa positioning information request.

[0430] Correspondingly, the base station receives the NRPPa positioning information request.

[0431] In the scheme shown in Figure 9, LMF has not obtained the information of the reflecting surface of the path measured by the terminal before sending the NRPPa positioning information request. Therefore, LMF may not send the second information, or it can be understood that the second information is not carried in the NRPPa positioning information request. In this case, the terminal can configure the spatial relationship between the second signal and the third signal by itself.

[0432] For step 903, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 809 and will not be repeated here.

[0433] Step 904: The base station sends reference signal configuration information.

[0434] Correspondingly, the first device receives reference signal configuration information.

[0435] In the solution shown in Figure 9, the base station has not yet obtained information about the reflecting surface of the path measured by the terminal before sending the reference signal configuration information. Therefore, the base station may not configure a spatial relationship for the reference signal to be sent by the terminal. In this case, the terminal can configure the spatial relationship between the second signal and the third signal on its own. The reference signal configuration information may not include the second configuration information.

[0436] For step 904, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 810 and will not be repeated here.

[0437] Step 905: The base station sends an NRPPa positioning information response to the LMF.

[0438] Correspondingly, LMF receives NRPPa positioning information response.

[0439] For step 905, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 811 and will not be repeated here.

[0440] Step 906: LMF sends an NRPPa positioning activation request to the base station.

[0441] Correspondingly, the base station receives the NRPPa positioning activation request.

[0442] For step 906, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 812 and will not be repeated here.

[0443] Step 907: The base station sends a message for activating reference signal transmission to the terminal.

[0444] Correspondingly, the terminal receives a message for activating reference signal transmission.

[0445] For step 907, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 813 and will not be repeated here.

[0446] Step 908: The base station sends an NRPPa positioning activation response to the LMF.

[0447] Correspondingly, LMF receives the NRPPa positioning activation response sent by the base station.

[0448] For step 908, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 814 and will not be repeated here.

[0449] Step 909: The LMF sends an NRPPa measurement request to the base station.

[0450] Correspondingly, the base station receives the NRPPa measurement request.

[0451] For step 909, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 815 and will not be repeated here.

[0452] Step 910: The positioning management device sends a message to the terminal indicating that the LPP provides auxiliary data.

[0453] Correspondingly, the first device receives a message from the LPP providing assistance data.

[0454] For step 910, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 803 and will not be repeated here.

[0455] Step 911: The positioning management device sends an LPP positioning request message to the terminal.

[0456] Correspondingly, the terminal receives the LPP request positioning information.

[0457] For step 911, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 804 and will not be repeated here.

[0458] Step 912: The base station sends at least one first signal.

[0459] Correspondingly, the terminal receives at least one first signal.

[0460] For step 912, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 805 and will not be repeated here.

[0461] In step 913, the terminal measures at least one first signal to obtain measurement results of multiple paths of the at least one first signal.

[0462] For step 913, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 806 and will not be repeated here.

[0463] Step 914: The terminal sends the second signal and the third signal.

[0464] Correspondingly, the base station receives the second signal and the third signal.

[0465] For step 914, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 816 and will not be repeated here.

[0466] In step 915 , the base station measures the second signal and the third signal, and determines third information according to the measurement result of the second signal and the measurement result of the third signal.

[0467] For step 915, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 817 and will not be repeated here.

[0468] Step 916: The terminal determines first information based on measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal.

[0469] For step 916, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 807 and will not be repeated here.

[0470] Step 917: The terminal sends a message to the LPP to provide positioning information.

[0471] Correspondingly, LMF receives the message from LPP providing positioning information.

[0472] For step 917, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 808 and will not be repeated here.

[0473] Step 918: The base station sends an NRPPa measurement response.

[0474] Correspondingly, LMF receives the NRPPa measurement response.

[0475] For step 918, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 818 and will not be repeated here.

[0476] Step 919: The LMF determines the location information of the device to be located based on the first information and the third information.

[0477] For step 919, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 819 and will not be repeated here.

[0478] Step 920: LMF sends a message to the base station to deactivate NRPPa positioning.

[0479] Correspondingly, the base station receives the NRPPa positioning deactivation message.

[0480] For step 920, please refer to the relevant content of the aforementioned step 820 and will not be repeated here.

[0481] Figures 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams of the structures of possible communication devices provided in the embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal or base station in the above-mentioned method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above-mentioned method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be the terminal 120 as shown in Figure 1, or the RAN node 110 as shown in Figure 1, or a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal 120 or the RAN node 110. The communication device can be the positioning management device in the embodiments of the present application, or a module (such as a chip) applied to the positioning management device.

[0482] As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1300 includes a processing unit 1310 and a transceiver unit 1320. The communication device 1300 is used to implement the functions of the terminal or base station in the method embodiments shown in Figures 5, 7, 8 or 9 above.

[0483] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5, Figure 7, Figure 8 or Figure 9: the processing unit 1310 is used to: receive at least one first signal through the transceiver unit 1320, and determine the first information based on the measurement results of multiple paths of the at least one first signal.

[0484] In a possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5, Figure 7, Figure 8 or Figure 9: the processing unit 1310 is also used to: send the first information through the transceiver unit 1320.

[0485] In one possible embodiment, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5, Figure 7, Figure 8 or Figure 9: the processing unit 1310 is also used to: receive first configuration information through the transceiver unit 1320, measure at least one first signal based on the first configuration information, and obtain measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal.

[0486] In one possible embodiment, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the first device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5, Figure 7, Figure 8 or Figure 9: the processing unit 1310 is also used to obtain second configuration information through the transceiver unit 1320, and send a second signal and a third signal according to the second configuration information.

[0487] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the positioning management device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5, Figure 7, Figure 8 or Figure 9: the processing unit 1310 is also used to: receive first information through the transceiver unit 1320, the first information is determined based on the measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal, and determine the location information of the device to be located based on the first information.

[0488] In one possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the positioning management device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5, Figure 7, Figure 8 or Figure 9: the processing unit 1310 is also used to: send the first configuration information through the transceiver unit 1320.

[0489] In a possible implementation, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the positioning management device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5, Figure 7, Figure 8 or Figure 9: the processing unit 1310 is also used to: send the second information through the transceiver unit 1320.

[0490] In one possible embodiment, when the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the positioning management device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5, Figure 7, Figure 8 or Figure 9: the processing unit 1310 is also used to: receive the third information through the transceiver unit 1320, and determine the location information of the device to be located based on the first information and the third information.

[0491] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the second device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5, Figure 7, Figure 8 or Figure 9: the processing unit 1310 is also used to: receive second information through the transceiver unit 1320, and send second configuration information according to the second information.

[0492] When the communication device 1300 is used to implement the function of the third device in the method embodiment shown in Figure 5, Figure 7, Figure 8 or Figure 9: the processing unit 1310 is also used to: send at least one first signal through the transceiver unit 1320, and receive the second signal and the third signal.

[0493] For a more detailed description of the processing unit 1310 and the transceiver unit 1320 , reference may be made to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 5 , FIG. 7 , FIG. 8 or FIG. 9 .

[0494] As shown in Figure 11, communication device 1400 includes a processor 1410 and an interface circuit 1420. Processor 1410 and interface circuit 1420 are coupled to each other. It is understood that interface circuit 1420 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, communication device 1400 may also include a memory 1430 for storing instructions executed by processor 1410, input data required by processor 1410 to execute instructions, or data generated after processor 1410 executes instructions.

[0495] When the communication device 1400 is used to implement the method shown in Figure 5, Figure 7, Figure 8 or Figure 9, the processor 1410 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned processing unit 1310, and the interface circuit 1420 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned transceiver unit 1320.

[0496] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. When the terminal chip receives information from the base station, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal chip by these modules. When the terminal chip sends information to the base station, it can be understood that the information is first sent to other modules in the terminal (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the base station by these modules.

[0497] When the above-mentioned communication device is a chip applied to a base station, the base station chip implements the functions of the network device in the above-mentioned method embodiment. When the base station chip receives information from the terminal, it can be understood that the information is first received by other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the base station chip by these modules. When the base station chip sends information to the terminal, it can be understood that the information is sent to other modules in the base station (such as a radio frequency module or antenna) and then sent to the terminal by these modules.

[0498] In this application, when entity A sends information to entity B, it can be done directly from A to B or indirectly through another entity. Similarly, when entity B receives information from entity A, it can be done directly from entity B or indirectly through another entity. Entities A and B herein can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules within a RAN node or terminal. The sending and receiving of information can be information exchange between a RAN node and a terminal, for example, between a base station and a terminal; the sending and receiving of information can also be information exchange between two RAN nodes, for example, between a CU and a DU; the sending and receiving of information can also be information exchange between different modules within a device, for example, between a terminal chip and other modules in the terminal, or between a base station chip and other modules within the base station.

[0499] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of the present application may be a central processing unit (CPU), or may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0500] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions that can be executed by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, and the software modules can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disk, mobile hard disk, CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. The processor and storage medium can also exist in a base station or a terminal as discrete components.

[0501] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions of the embodiments of the present application are performed. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user device, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions may be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media, such as floppy disks, hard disks, or magnetic tapes; optical media, such as digital video disks; or semiconductor media, such as solid-state drives. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or nonvolatile storage medium, or may include both volatile and nonvolatile types of storage media.

[0502] In the various embodiments of the present application, unless otherwise specified or there is a logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationships.

[0503] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of this application, the character " / " indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0504] It is understood that the various numbers involved in the embodiments of this application (such as the numerical numbers "first" and "second", and the letter numbers "parameter A", "parameter B", "parameter C", etc.) are only for the convenience of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes does not mean the order of execution. The execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

Claims

1. A positioning method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a first device, and the method comprises: The first device receives at least one first signal; The first device determines first information according to the measurement results of multiple paths of the at least one first signal, and the first information includes information indicating the reflection surfaces of the multiple paths.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The information for indicating the reflection surfaces of the multiple paths includes at least one of the following: Information indicating the type of reflective surface of the path; Information indicating the material of the reflective surface of the path; Information indicating the reflectivity of the reflective surface of the path; Information indicating the reflected energy of the reflective surface of the path; information indicating the surface characteristics of the reflective surface of the path; Direction information of the reflecting surface indicating the path; or Used to indicate the position information of the reflecting surface of the path.

3. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The first device sends the first information.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: Before the first device determines the first information according to the measurement results of the multiple paths of the at least one first signal, the first device further includes: The first device receives first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information includes reflection surface information of a path to be searched; The first device measures the at least one first signal based on the first configuration information to obtain measurement results of the multiple paths of the at least one first signal.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The reflection surface information of the path to be searched includes at least one of the following: Information used to indicate the type of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Information used to indicate the material of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Information indicating the reflectivity of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Information for indicating the reflected energy of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; Information indicating the surface characteristics of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Direction information for indicating the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; or Used to indicate the position information of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The method further comprises: The first device acquires second configuration information, where the second configuration information indicates that the second signal is associated with a spatial relationship of the first path, and the second configuration information further indicates that the third signal is associated with a spatial relationship of the second path; The first device sends the second signal and the third signal according to the second configuration information.

7. A positioning method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a positioning management device, and the method comprises: The positioning management device receives first information, where the first information is determined based on measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal, and the first information includes information indicating reflection surfaces of the multiple paths; The positioning management device determines the location information of the device to be positioned according to the first information.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The information for indicating the reflection surfaces of the multiple paths includes at least one of the following: Information indicating the type of reflective surface of the path; Information indicating the material of the reflective surface of the path; Information indicating the reflectivity of the reflective surface of the path; Information indicating the reflected energy of the reflective surface of the path; information indicating the surface characteristics of the reflective surface of the path; Direction information of the reflecting surface indicating the path; or Used to indicate the position information of the reflecting surface of the path.

9. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 8, characterized in that: Before the positioning management device receives the first information, the method further includes: The positioning management device sends first configuration information, where the first configuration information includes reflection surface information of the path to be searched.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that The reflection surface information of the path to be searched includes at least one of the following: Information used to indicate the type of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Information used to indicate the material of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Information indicating the reflectivity of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Information for indicating the reflected energy of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; Information indicating the surface characteristics of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Direction information for indicating the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; or Used to indicate the position information of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that: After receiving the first information, the positioning management device further includes: The positioning management device sends second information according to the first information; The second information includes: information indicating the reflection surfaces of the multiple paths, and / or fourth information; The fourth information indicates that the second signal is associated with the first path in a spatial relationship, and the fourth information further indicates that the third signal is associated with the second path in a spatial relationship.

12. A positioning method, characterized in that: The method is applicable to a second device, and the method comprises: The second device receives second information, and the second information is obtained based on the measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal received by the first device; the second device sends second configuration information based on the second information, and the second configuration information indicates that the second signal is associated with the first path in a spatial relationship, and the second configuration information also indicates that the third signal is associated with the second path in a spatial relationship, and the second configuration information is used by the first device to send the second signal and the third signal.

13. The method according to claim 12, characterized in that The second information includes: Information indicating the reflection surfaces of the multiple paths; and / or, Fourth information, the fourth information indicating that the second signal is associated with the first path in a spatial relationship, and the fourth information further indicating that the third signal is associated with the second path in a spatial relationship.

14. A positioning device, characterized in that: The device includes a processor and an interface circuit; The processor is used to: receiving at least one first signal through the interface circuit; According to the measurement results of the multiple paths of the at least one first signal, first information is determined, where the first information includes information indicating the reflection surfaces of the multiple paths.

15. The device according to claim 14, characterized in that The information for indicating the reflection surfaces of the multiple paths includes at least one of the following: Information indicating the type of reflective surface of the path; Information indicating the material of the reflective surface of the path; Information indicating the reflectivity of the reflective surface of the path; Information indicating the reflected energy of the reflective surface of the path; information indicating the surface characteristics of the reflective surface of the path; Direction information of the reflecting surface indicating the path; or Used to indicate the position information of the reflecting surface of the path.

16. The device according to any one of claims 14 to 15, characterized in that The interface circuit is also used for: The first information is sent.

17. The device according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that The interface circuit is also used for: Receiving first configuration information, wherein the first configuration information includes reflection surface information of a path to be searched; The processor is further configured to: The at least one first signal is measured based on the first configuration information to obtain the multiple The measurement results of the diameter.

18. The device according to claim 17, characterized in that The reflection surface information of the path to be searched includes at least one of the following: Information used to indicate the type of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Information used to indicate the material of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Information indicating the reflectivity of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Information for indicating the reflected energy of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; Information indicating the surface characteristics of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Direction information for indicating the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; or Used to indicate the position information of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched.

19. The device according to any one of claims 14 to 18, characterized in that The processor is further configured to: Acquire second configuration information, where the second configuration information indicates a spatial relationship association between the second signal and the first path, and the second configuration information further indicates a spatial relationship association between the third signal and the second path; The second signal and the third signal are sent through the interface circuit according to the second configuration information.

20. A positioning device, characterized in that: The device includes a processor and an interface circuit; The processor is used to: receiving first information through the interface circuit, where the first information is determined based on a measurement result of multiple paths of at least one first signal, and the first information includes information indicating a reflection surface of the multiple paths; The location information of the device to be located is determined according to the first information.

21. The device according to claim 20, characterized in that The information for indicating the reflection surfaces of the multiple paths includes at least one of the following: Information indicating the type of reflective surface of the path; Information indicating the material of the reflective surface of the path; Information indicating the reflectivity of the reflective surface of the path; Information indicating the reflected energy of the reflective surface of the path; information indicating the surface characteristics of the reflective surface of the path; Direction information of the reflecting surface indicating the path; or Used to indicate the position information of the reflecting surface of the path.

22. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 21, characterized in that The interface circuit is also used for: Sending first configuration information, where the first configuration information includes reflection surface information of a path to be searched.

23. The device according to claim 22, characterized in that The reflection surface information of the path to be searched includes at least one of the following: Information used to indicate the type of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Information used to indicate the material of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Information indicating the reflectivity of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Information for indicating the reflected energy of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; Information indicating the surface characteristics of the reflective surface of the path to be searched; Direction information for indicating the reflecting surface of the path to be searched; or Used to indicate the position information of the reflecting surface of the path to be searched.

24. The device according to any one of claims 20 to 23, characterized in that The processor is further configured to: sending second information through the interface circuit according to the first information; The second information includes: information indicating the reflection surfaces of the multiple paths, and / or fourth information; The fourth information indicates that the second signal is associated with the first path in a spatial relationship, and the fourth information further indicates that the third signal is associated with the second path in a spatial relationship.

25. A positioning device, characterized in that: The device includes a processor and an interface circuit; The processor is used to: receiving second information through the interface circuit, where the second information is obtained based on measurement results of multiple paths of at least one first signal received by the first device; According to the second information, second configuration information is sent through the interface circuit, the second configuration information indicates that the second signal is associated with the spatial relationship of the first path, the second configuration information also indicates that the third signal is associated with the spatial relationship of the second path, and the second configuration information is used by the first device to send the second signal and the third signal.

26. The device according to claim 25, characterized in that The second information includes: Information indicating the reflection surfaces of the multiple paths; and / or, The fourth information indicates that the second signal is associated with the first path in a spatial relationship, and the fourth information further indicates that the third signal is associated with the second path in a spatial relationship.

27. A communication device, characterized in that: The method comprises a processing unit and a communication unit, wherein the processing unit is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 through the communication unit.

28. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and when the computer-executable instructions are called by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is executed.

29. A chip system, characterized in that: The chip system includes at least one processor and an interface circuit, the interface circuit and the at least one processor are interconnected via lines, and the processor executes the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 by running instructions.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product stores a computer program, wherein the computer program includes program instructions, and when the program instructions are executed by a computer, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 is executed.

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