Positioning method and communication apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the technical field of positioning, and discloses a positioning method and a communication apparatus. The method comprises: a network apparatus receiving a first signal and a second signal, wherein a first port of the network apparatus is connected to one end of a first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of a second transmission line, the first transmission line and the second transmission line are arranged in parallel, the first signal is a signal that a third signal sent by a terminal apparatus reaches the first port by means of a first transmission path, the second signal is a signal that the third signal reaches the first port by means of a second transmission path, the first transmission path is a transmission path from a first reference position to the first port, and the second transmission path is a transmission path from a second reference position to the first port; and on the basis of the first signal and the second signal, determining a TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and a TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, such that even if there is only one network apparatus, two TOAs can be obtained, thereby achieving the positioning of the terminal apparatus.

Description

Positioning method and communication device

[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 November 25, 2023, with application number 202311588994.9 and application name “A Positioning Method and Communication Device”, 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 and a communication device. Background Art

[0004] Leaky coaxial cable, also known as leaky cable, leaky cable, or leaky cable, is a special transmission cable created by artificially drilling holes. These holes allow wireless signals from outside the cable to be transmitted into the cable, and vice versa, enabling communication between network devices connected to the cable and nearby terminal devices. In other words, leaky cables can provide wireless coverage similar to antennas and are widely used in environments such as subways and tunnels, as well as in some indoor scenarios.

[0005] Currently, leaky cable-based positioning technology requires at least two network devices to locate the terminal device, and its application scenarios are relatively limited.

[0006] Summary of the Invention

[0007] The embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method and a communication device, which can be used to locate a terminal device even when there is a network device, and can be applicable to various application scenarios.

[0008] In a first aspect, the present application provides a positioning method, which can be performed by a network device, or by a component (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit, etc.) in the network device, without limitation. A first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, and the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of a second transmission line, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel.

[0009] Taking a network device as an example of an execution subject, the method includes: the network device receives a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is a signal of a third signal sent by a terminal device arriving at the first port through a first transmission path, and the second signal is a signal of the third signal arriving at the first port through a second transmission path, wherein the first transmission path is a transmission path from a first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the second transmission path is a transmission path from a second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line to the first port; and, based on the first signal and the second signal, determines a time of arrival (TOA) corresponding to the first transmission path and a TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, wherein the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0010] Optionally, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line may be leaky coaxial cables.

[0011] In the above embodiment, even if there is only one network device, two TOAs can be obtained, so that the terminal device can be positioned based on the difference between the two TOAs, which is applicable to various application scenarios.

[0012] In one possible implementation, the network device determines the first arrival time TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the second TOA corresponding to the second transmission path based on the first signal and the second signal. Specifically, the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path based on first information, the first signal and the second signal, wherein the first information includes the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the second transmission path, and / or the first information includes the power ratio between the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

[0013] Through the above implementation method, the network device can use the first information to assist in determining the two TOAs used for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain the two TOAs when the terminal device is close to the network device, or the terminal device is close to the end of the interval segment where the transmission line is deployed, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the network device can also receive a fourth signal and a fifth signal, wherein the fourth signal is a signal of the third signal reaching the second port through the third transmission path, and the fifth signal is a signal of the third signal reaching the second port through the fourth transmission path, wherein the third transmission path is the transmission path from the second reference position to the second port, and the fourth transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position to the second port; and, based on the fourth signal and the fifth signal, the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path are determined, and the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0015] Through the above implementation, even if there is only one network device, four TOAs can be obtained, so that the terminal device can be positioned based on the difference between the four TOAs, which is applicable to various application scenarios and improves positioning accuracy.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line. Specifically, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplifying device, and the signal amplifying device is used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplifying device.

[0017] Through the above implementation, the signal amplification device can amplify the passing signal, compensate for the signal energy lost during the signal transmission in the transmission line, improve the accuracy of the TOA subsequently obtained based on the signal, and thus improve the positioning accuracy.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the network device may also send the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path to the core network device; or, the network device may also determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0019] Through the above implementation, the location information of the terminal device can be determined by the core network device, or can also be determined by the network device, and the implementation method is flexible.

[0020] In a possible implementation, the network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path. Specifically, the network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the total length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and a first parameter, where the first parameter includes the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line and / or the transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line.

[0021] Through the above implementation, the network device can determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0022] In a second aspect, the present application provides a positioning method, which can be performed by a network device, or by a component (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) within the network device, without limitation. A first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel as a pair of transmission lines.

[0023] Taking the execution subject as a network device as an example, the method includes: the network device receives a first signal and a sixth signal, wherein the first signal is a signal of a third signal sent by a terminal device arriving at the first port through a first transmission path, and the sixth signal is a signal of the third signal arriving at the first port through a fifth transmission path, wherein the first transmission path is a transmission path from a first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the fifth transmission path is a transmission path from a third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of a parallel portion of the first transmission line; and, based on the first signal and the sixth signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0024] Optionally, the first transmission line may be a leaky coaxial cable.

[0025] In the above embodiment, even if there is only one network device and one transmission line, two TOAs can be obtained, so that the terminal device can be positioned based on the difference between the two TOAs, which is applicable to various application scenarios.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path based on the first signal and the seventh signal. Specifically, it can be: the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path based on the second information, the first signal and the sixth signal, wherein the second information includes the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fifth transmission path, and / or the second information includes the power ratio between the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path.

[0027] Through the above implementation method, the network device can use the second information to assist in determining the two TOAs used for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain the two TOAs when the terminal device is close to the network device, or the terminal device is close to the end of the interval segment where the transmission line is deployed, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the network device can also receive a fifth signal and a seventh signal, wherein the fifth signal is a signal of the third signal reaching the second port through a fourth transmission path, and the seventh signal is a signal of the third signal reaching the second port through a sixth transmission path, wherein the fourth transmission path is a transmission path from the first reference position to the second port, and the sixth transmission path is a transmission path from the third reference position to the second port; and, based on the fifth signal and the seventh signal, the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path are determined, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0029] Through the above implementation, even if there is one network device and one transmission line, four TOAs can be obtained, so that the terminal device can be positioned based on the difference between the four TOAs, which can be applied to various application scenarios and improve positioning accuracy.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the network device may also send the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path to the core network device; or, the network device may also determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path. Specifically, the network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the length of the first transmission line, and the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line.

[0032] In a third aspect, the present application provides a positioning method, which can be performed by a network device or by a component (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) within the network device, without limitation. A first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, and the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of a second transmission line, wherein the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel.

[0033] Taking the execution subject as a network device as an example, the method includes: the network device sends an eighth signal, a ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, a tenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device; wherein, the ninth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, the tenth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the eighth transmission path, the seventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eighth transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line.

[0034] Optionally, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line may be leaky coaxial cables.

[0035] In the above embodiment, even if there is only one network device, two TOAs can be obtained, so that the terminal device can be positioned based on the difference between the two TOAs, which is applicable to various application scenarios.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the network device can also send an eleventh signal, and the twelfth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path, and the thirteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device; wherein, the twelfth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the ninth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the ninth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the second reference position, and the tenth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the first reference position.

[0037] Through the above implementation, even if there is one network device, four TOAs can be obtained, so that the terminal device can be positioned based on the difference between the four TOAs, which is applicable to various application scenarios and improves positioning accuracy.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line. Specifically, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplifying device, and the signal amplifying device is used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplifying device.

[0039] Through the above implementation, the signal amplification device can amplify the passing signal, compensate for the signal energy lost during the signal transmission in the transmission line, improve the accuracy of the TOA subsequently obtained based on the signal, and thus improve the positioning accuracy.

[0040] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a positioning method, which can be performed by a network device, or by a component (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) in the network device, without limitation. A first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel as a pair of transmission lines.

[0041] Taking the execution subject as a network device as an example, the method includes: the network device sends an eighth signal, a ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, and a fourteenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device; wherein the ninth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, the fourteenth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path, the seventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eleventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel portion of the first transmission line.

[0042] Optionally, the first transmission line may be a leaky coaxial cable.

[0043] In the above embodiment, even if there is one network device and one transmission line, two TOAs can be obtained, so that the terminal device can be positioned based on the difference between the two TOAs, which is applicable to various application scenarios.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the network device may further send an eleventh signal, wherein the fifteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path, the thirteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device; wherein the fifteenth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the twelfth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the twelfth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the third reference position, and the tenth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the first reference position.

[0045] Through the above implementation, even if there is one network device and one transmission line, four TOAs can be obtained, so that the terminal device can be positioned based on the difference between the four TOAs, which can be applied to various application scenarios and improve positioning accuracy.

[0046] In a fifth aspect, the present application provides a positioning method, which can be executed by a terminal device, or can also be executed by a component in the terminal device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, etc.), without limitation.

[0047] Taking a terminal device as an example, the method includes: the terminal device transmits a third signal, a first signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to a first transmission path, a second signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to a second transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. The first signal is a signal of the third signal sent by the terminal device arriving at a first port of a network device via a first transmission path, and the second signal is a signal of the third signal arriving at the first port via a second transmission path. The first transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the second transmission path is the transmission path from the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line to the first port. The first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of a second transmission line, and the first and second transmission lines are deployed in parallel.

[0048] Optionally, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line may be leaky coaxial cables.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, the fourth signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path, and the fifth signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path. The fourth signal is a signal of the third signal reaching the second port through the third transmission path, and the fifth signal is a signal of the third signal reaching the second port through the fourth transmission path, wherein the third transmission path is the transmission path from the second reference position to the second port, and the fourth transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position to the second port. The TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line. Specifically, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplifying device, and the signal amplifying device is used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplifying device.

[0051] For the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned fifth aspect and its various possible implementations, please refer to the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned first aspect and its various possible implementations.

[0052] In a sixth aspect, the present application provides a positioning method, which can be executed by a terminal device, or can also be executed by a component in the terminal device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, etc.), without limitation.

[0053] Taking a terminal device as an example, the method includes: the terminal device transmits a third signal, a first signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the time of arrival (TOA) corresponding to a first transmission path, a sixth signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to a fifth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. The first signal is a signal of the third signal sent by the terminal device arriving at the first port via the first transmission path, and the sixth signal is a signal of the third signal arriving at the first port via the fifth transmission path. The first transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the fifth transmission path is the transmission path from the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, respectively. The first reference position and the third reference position are located on opposite sides of a parallel portion of the first transmission line. The first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel as a dual transmission line.

[0054] Optionally, the first transmission line may be a leaky coaxial cable.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, the fifth signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path, and the seventh signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path. The fifth signal is a signal of the third signal reaching the second port through the fourth transmission path, and the seventh signal is a signal of the third signal reaching the second port through the sixth transmission path, wherein the fourth transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position to the second port, and the sixth transmission path is the transmission path from the third reference position to the second port. The TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0056] For the beneficial effects of the aforementioned sixth aspect and its various possible implementations, please refer to the beneficial effects of the aforementioned second aspect and its various possible implementations.

[0057] In a seventh aspect, the present application provides a positioning method, which can be executed by a terminal device, or can also be executed by a component in the terminal device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, etc.), without limitation.

[0058] Taking a terminal device as an example, the method includes: the terminal device receives a ninth signal and a tenth signal, wherein the ninth signal is a signal of the eighth signal sent by the network device reaching the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, and the tenth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the eighth transmission path, the seventh transmission path is a transmission path from a first port of the network device to a first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eighth transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to a second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line, wherein the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are arranged in parallel; and determining a TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and a TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path based on the ninth signal and the tenth signal, wherein the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0059] Optionally, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line may be leaky coaxial cables.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path based on the ninth signal and the tenth signal. Specifically, the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path based on the third information, the ninth signal and the tenth signal, wherein the third information includes the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eighth transmission path, and / or the third information includes the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eighth transmission path.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the terminal device can also receive a twelfth signal and a thirteenth signal, wherein the twelfth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal sent by the network device reaching the terminal device through the ninth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the ninth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the second reference position, and the tenth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the first reference position; and, based on the twelfth signal and the thirteenth signal, the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are determined, and the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line. Specifically, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplifying device, and the signal amplifying device is used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplifying device.

[0063] In a possible implementation manner, the terminal device may further send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path to the core network device.

[0064] For the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned seventh aspect and its various possible implementations, please refer to the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned third aspect and its various possible implementations.

[0065] In an eighth aspect, the present application provides a positioning method, which can be executed by a terminal device, or can also be executed by a component in the terminal device (for example, a chip, or a chip system, or a circuit, etc.), without limitation.

[0066] Taking a terminal device as an example, the method includes: the terminal device receiving a ninth signal and a fourteenth signal, wherein the ninth signal is a signal of the eighth signal sent by the network device reaching the terminal device via the seventh transmission path, and the fourteenth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device via the eleventh transmission path, wherein the seventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to a first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eleventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to a third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, wherein the first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on either side of a parallel portion of the first transmission line, wherein the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a dual transmission line; and determining a time of arrival (TOA) corresponding to the seventh transmission path and a TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path based on the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal, wherein the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0067] Optionally, the first transmission line may be a leaky coaxial cable.

[0068] In one possible implementation, the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path based on the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal. Specifically, the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path based on the sixth information, the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal, wherein the sixth information includes the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, and / or the sixth information includes the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path.

[0069] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the terminal device can also receive a fifteenth signal and a thirteenth signal, wherein the fifteenth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal sent by the network device reaching the terminal device through the twelfth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the twelfth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the third reference position, and the tenth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the first reference position; and the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are determined based on the fifteenth signal and the thirteenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0070] In a possible implementation manner, the terminal device may further send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path to the core network device.

[0071] For the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned eighth aspect and its various possible implementations, please refer to the beneficial effects of the above-mentioned fourth aspect and its various possible implementations.

[0072] In a ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device is configured to perform the method described in aspects 1 to 4 above and any possible implementation thereof. The communication device is, for example, a network device, or a functional module in a network device, such as a baseband device or a chip system.

[0073] In one possible design, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device.

[0074] In another possible design, the communication device includes a processing module (sometimes also referred to as a processing unit) and a transceiver module (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit). The transceiver module can implement both sending and receiving functions. When the transceiver module implements the sending function, it can be referred to as a sending module (sometimes also referred to as a sending unit); when the transceiver module implements the receiving function, it can be referred to as a receiving module (sometimes also referred to as a receiving unit). The sending module and the receiving module can be the same functional module, which is referred to as a transceiver module and can implement both sending and receiving functions; alternatively, the sending module and the receiving module can be different functional modules, with the transceiver module being a general term for these functional modules.

[0075] In a tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device. The communication device is configured to perform the method described in aspects 5 to 8 above and any possible implementation thereof. The communication device is, for example, a terminal device, or a functional module in a terminal communication device, such as a baseband device or a chip system.

[0076] In one possible design, the communication device includes a baseband device and a radio frequency device.

[0077] In another possible design, the communication device includes a processing module (sometimes also referred to as a processing unit) and a transceiver module (sometimes also referred to as a transceiver unit). The transceiver module can implement both sending and receiving functions. When the transceiver module implements the sending function, it can be referred to as a sending module (sometimes also referred to as a sending unit); when the transceiver module implements the receiving function, it can be referred to as a receiving module (sometimes also referred to as a receiving unit). The sending module and the receiving module can be the same functional module, which is referred to as a transceiver module and can implement both sending and receiving functions; alternatively, the sending module and the receiving module can be different functional modules, with the transceiver module being a general term for these functional modules.

[0078] In an eleventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device. The communication device may include one or more processors. Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory. The memory is used to store one or more computer programs or instructions. The one or more processors are used to execute the one or more computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the method described in the first to fourth aspects above and any possible implementation thereof, or performs the method described in the fifth to eighth aspects above and any possible implementation thereof.

[0079] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of the present application further provide a communication system. The communication system includes one or more of the following: the communication device described in the ninth aspect, or the communication device described in the tenth aspect. Optionally, the communication system may further include a core network device.

[0080] In the thirteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable storage medium, which is used to store computer programs or instructions. When the computer-readable storage medium is executed, the method described in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation thereof is implemented, or the method described in the above-mentioned fifth to eighth aspects and any possible implementation thereof is implemented.

[0081] In the fourteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product comprising instructions, which, when run on a computer, enables the methods described in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation thereof to be implemented, or enables the methods described in the above-mentioned fifth to eighth aspects and any possible implementation thereof to be implemented.

[0082] In the fifteenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, which is coupled to a memory and is used to read and execute program instructions in the memory, so that the device where the chip is located implements the method described in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation method thereof, or implements the method described in the above-mentioned fifth to eighth aspects and any possible implementation method thereof.

[0083] The technical effects that can be achieved by the above-mentioned ninth to fifteenth aspects and any possible design methods thereof can be referred to the technical effects that can be achieved by the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects and any possible implementation methods thereof, and no repetition will be given. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0084] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a positioning system;

[0085] FIG2 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of a positioning method;

[0086] FIG3 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of another positioning method;

[0087] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0088] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0089] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a first positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0090] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a first transmission path and a second transmission path provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0091] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a terminal device at different positions along a transmission line provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0092] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of a power delay spectrum provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0093] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a second positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0094] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a seventh transmission path and an eighth transmission path provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0095] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0096] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0097] FIG14 is a schematic diagram of a third transmission path and a fourth transmission path provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0098] FIG15 is a schematic diagram of a ninth transmission path and a tenth transmission path provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0099] FIG16 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0100] FIG17 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a third positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0101] FIG18 is a schematic diagram of a flow chart of a fourth positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0102] FIG19 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of another communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0103] FIG20 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0104] FIG21 is a schematic structural diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0105] Before introducing the positioning method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the communication system to which the embodiment of the present application is applicable is first introduced below.

[0106] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, such as universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), wireless local area network (WLAN), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) system, machine type communication (MTC) system, massive machine type communication (mMTC) system, enhanced machine type communication (eMTC) system, Internet of Things (IoT) communication system, narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) system, short-range wireless communication system (such as sidelink, wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, etc.), wired network, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication system, device-to-device (D2D) communication system, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), etc. reality, VR), Internet of Vehicles communication systems, 4th generation (4G) mobile communication systems (such as long term evolution (LTE) systems), LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) mobile communication systems (such as new radio (NR) systems), future communication systems (such as 6th generation (6G) mobile communication systems), or other similar communication systems, etc. are not restricted.It should be understood that the system described in the embodiment of the present application is intended 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 by the embodiment of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture, the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application is also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0107] FIG1 exemplarily illustrates a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication system applicable to an embodiment of the present application. Optionally, the communication system may also be referred to as a positioning system, without limitation. As shown in FIG1 , the communication system may include user equipment (UE) and an operator network. The communication system may also include an application function (AF) network element and a location services (LCS) client.

[0108] UE can be a user-side device with wireless transceiver functions. UE can also be called terminal equipment, terminal device, terminal, access station, UE station, remote station, wireless communication equipment, or user device, etc. The terminal device can be used to connect people, objects, machines, etc., and can be widely used in various scenarios, such as but not limited to the following scenarios: cellular communication, D2D, V2X, machine-to-machine / machine-type communications (M2M / MTC), IoT, virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), industrial control, self-driving, remote medical, smart grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wearable, smart transportation, smart city, drones, robots and other scenarios. For example, the terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a VR terminal, an AR terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in unmanned driving, a smart speaker in an IoT network, a wireless terminal device in telemedicine, a wireless terminal device in a smart grid, a wireless terminal device in transportation safety, a wireless terminal device in a smart city, or a wireless terminal device in a smart home, etc.

[0109] As an example and not a limitation, in the embodiments of the present application, the terminal device may also be a wearable device. Wearable devices may also be referred to as wearable smart devices or smart wearable devices, etc., which are a general term for devices that are intelligently designed and developed for daily wear using wearable technology, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. The various terminal devices introduced above, if located on a vehicle (for example, placed in a vehicle or installed in a vehicle), may be considered as vehicle-mounted terminal devices, which are also referred to as on-board units (OBUs). The terminal device of the present application may also be an on-board module, on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip, or on-board unit that is built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The vehicle may implement the method of the present application through the built-in on-board module, on-board module, on-board component, on-board chip, or on-board unit.

[0110] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

[0111] The operator network may include, but is not limited to, one or more of the following network elements: location management function network element, unified data management network element, access management function network element, network openness function, positioning management function network element, gateway mobile location center, and access network (AN). In the above operator network, the part other than the access network can be referred to as the core network (CN).

[0112] The location management function network element, also known as the positioning server, is primarily responsible for selecting the positioning method, triggering the positioning measurement process, obtaining measurement results from the base station or terminal, performing position calculations based on the measurement results, and feeding the calculation results back to the access management function network element or the gateway mobile location center. In a 5G communication system, the location management function network element may be a location management function (LMF) network element. In future communication systems, the location management function network element may also have other names, without limitation.

[0113] The access management function network element is responsible for access control and mobility management of terminal devices accessing the operator's network, such as mobile status management, allocation of temporary user identities, authentication and authorization, etc. In the 5G communication system, the access management function network element can be an access and mobility management function (AMF) network element. In future communication systems, the access management function network element can also have other names, which are not limited. For example, for positioning, the AMF network element is mainly responsible for selecting the LMF network element and triggering the LCS positioning process, as well as being responsible for message forwarding and transparent transmission of each interface.

[0114] The unified data management network element is responsible for generating authentication credentials, user identification processing (such as storing and managing user permanent identities, etc.), contract data management, etc. In the 5G communication system, the unified data management network element can be a unified data management (UDM) network element. In future communication systems, the unified data management network element can also have other names, which are not limited. For example, for positioning, the UDM network element can determine whether the UE allows positioning, and feed back the judgment result to the AMF network element where the user (or gateway mobile location center, or network open function network element) is located.

[0115] The network exposure function network element is mainly responsible for the comprehensive capability exposure of the 5G network, which includes the positioning capability. In the 5G communication system, the network exposure function network element may be a network exposure function (NEF) network element. In future communication systems, the network exposure function network element may also have other names, which are not limited. For example, for positioning, the NEF network element supports two processes. One process is: for coarse positioning (such as cell identity positioning), the NEF network element can take a simplified process, that is, skip the gateway mobile location center, directly obtain the UE's cell from the UDM network element and the AMF network element, and feedback the positioning results; the other process is: for fine positioning, the NEF network element needs to go through the entire process, that is, send a positioning request to the gateway mobile location center, and obtain the positioning result from the gateway mobile location center.

[0116] The Gateway Mobile Location Center is mainly responsible for processing the positioning requests of the LCS client and feeding back the positioning results. For example, the Gateway Mobile Location Center can authenticate and authorize the LCS client, obtain the authorization information of the located user and the AMF network element where the user is located through the UDM network element, and forward the positioning request to the corresponding AMF network element for processing. In the 5G communication system, the Gateway Mobile Location Center can be the Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC). In future communication systems, the Gateway Mobile Location Center can also have other names, which are not limited.

[0117] The LCS client is primarily responsible for upper-layer positioning services, including but not limited to map display, positioning result presentation, and historical location storage. For example, the network provides positioning results, while the LCS client is responsible for upper-layer applications of positioning services.

[0118] The AF primarily communicates application-side requirements to the network, such as Quality of Service (QoS) requirements or user status event subscriptions. The AF can be a third-party functional entity or an operator-deployed application service, without limitation. For example, for positioning, the AF's functionality is similar to that of the LCS client. The difference is that the LCS client is solely a positioning service application, while the AF is a comprehensive application platform, of which positioning service applications are one aspect.

[0119] AN includes AN equipment. The AN equipment is used to access the terminal device to the wireless network. As a node in the access network, the AN equipment can also be called an access network element, a base station, a radio access network (RAN) node (or device, or network element), an access point (AP), a small tower, a network device, a network device, etc. The RAN can be an access network in the third generation partnership project (3GPP), for example, 4G, 5G, or a future-oriented 6G network. The RAN can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), or a communication network of two or more of the above networks. The RAN equipment can also be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5G mobile communication system, a base station in a 6G mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, or an access node in a WiFi system, etc.

[0120] The RAN device can also be a module or unit that completes some of the functions of the base station. For example, it can be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Among them, one CU can be connected to one DU, or one CU can be connected to multiple DUs, which can save costs and facilitate network expansion. In other words, the access network equipment can consist of a CU and one or more DUs. The CU and DU are connected through the F1 interface, and the CU and the core network are connected through the next generation (NG) interface. Optionally, the CU can also be divided into a CU-control plane (CP) and a CU-user plane (UP).

[0121] In one possible implementation, the CU can perform the functions of the radio resource control protocol (RRC) layer and the PDCP layer of the base station, and can also perform the functions of the SDAP layer; the DU can perform the functions of the RLC layer and the MAC layer of the base station, and can also perform the functions of part or all of the PHY layer. For detailed descriptions of the above-mentioned protocol layers, please refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). The CU and DU can be set separately, or they can be included in the same network element, such as the baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). In different systems, the CU, DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meanings. For example, in the ORAN system, the CU may also be called an O-CU (Open CU), the DU may also be called an O-DU (Open DU), and the RU may also be called an O-RU (Open RU). Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. It is understandable that the base station may adopt a CU-DU separation architecture or not. The base station may adopt a CP-UP separation architecture or not.

[0122] It should be noted that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the network device.

[0123] As mentioned above, Figure 1 mainly introduces the network elements that may be involved in the various embodiments of the present application. The communication system shown in Figure 1 may also involve other network elements. For example, the core network may also include one or more of the following: a unified data repository (UDR) network element, a network slice selection function (NSSF) network element, or an authentication server function (AUSF) network element, etc., which are not shown in Figure 1.

[0124] In Figure 1, Uu, LPP, NRPPa, N2, NL1, N8, N51, N52, N33, NL2, NL5, NL6, and Le are interface serial numbers. The meanings of these interface serial numbers can be found in the 3GPP standard protocol and are not limited here.

[0125] It is understandable that the network element or function shown in Figure 1 can be a network element in a hardware device, a software function running on dedicated hardware, or a virtualized function instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform). In one possible implementation, the above-mentioned network element or function can be implemented by one device, or by multiple devices together, or it can be a functional module within a device, and there is no specific limitation on this. In addition, the embodiments of the present application do not limit the names of the network elements in the communication system. For example, in communication systems of different standards, each network element may have other names; for another example, when multiple network elements are integrated into the same physical device, the physical device may also have other names.

[0126] Next, the technical features involved in the embodiments of this application are introduced.

[0127] The 3GPP standard supports a variety of positioning technologies, including time of arrival (TOA) positioning technology and time difference of arrival (TDOA) positioning technology. TOA positioning determines the distance between the terminal device and the base station by measuring the time difference between the base station sending the signal and the terminal device receiving the signal. TDOA positioning determines the position of the terminal device by measuring the transmission delay difference between the terminal device and multiple base stations. Depending on the measurement object, TDOA positioning includes downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) positioning technology and uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) positioning technology.

[0128] Please refer to Figure 2 for a schematic diagram of the principle of TDOA-based positioning. Figure 2 uses three base stations (denoted as base station 1, base station 2, and base station 3) as an example. A terminal device transmits a sounding reference signal (SRS), which is received by base stations 1, 2, and 3. Each of the three base stations measures the time of arrival (TOA) of the SRS from the terminal device to itself and transmits the TOA to the positioning system, which then calculates the terminal device's position.

[0129] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a schematic diagram of the principle of positioning based on leaky cable. In Figure 3, base station 1 and base station 2 are connected by a leaky cable (shown as a thick black line in Figure 3). In addition, Figure 3 shows a tunnel scenario as an example, but is not limited to this. Since electromagnetic waves are transmitted along the leaky cable, two base stations can be used to locate the terminal device. Specifically, the terminal device sends an SRS (not shown in Figure 3), and the SRS is transmitted to the two base stations through the leaky cable; the two base stations receive the SRS, and respectively measure the TOA of the SRS from the terminal device to themselves, and send the TOA to the positioning system, and the positioning system calculates the position of the terminal device.

[0130] It should be noted that FIG2 and FIG3 illustrate the terminal device as a mobile phone as an example, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

[0131] Current positioning technologies rely on TOA measurements from at least two base stations to accurately locate a terminal device, limiting their application scenarios. For example, the sides of a tunnel (e.g., subway platforms) may not allow for the deployment of additional base stations to prevent strong interference with other base stations. Furthermore, the sections of leaky cables extending to the sides of the tunnel typically require loads to dissipate unwanted signal energy. This prevents dual-station coverage on both sides of the tunnel, making it impossible to accurately locate the terminal device.

[0132] In view of this, embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method and communication device for locating a terminal device even in the presence of a network device, and are applicable to a variety of application scenarios, such as subways, tunnels, and the like. The method and device described in this application are based on the same technical concept. Since the method and device solve similar problems, the implementation of the device and method can refer to each other, and the repeated parts will not be repeated.

[0133] In the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" may refer to two or more. In view of this, in the embodiments of the present application, "multiple" may also be understood as "at least two". "At least one" may be understood as one or more, for example, one, two or more. For example, "including at least one" means including one, two or more. For example, including at least one of A, B and C, then included may be A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A, B and C. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects. Specifically, there may be three relationships. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. In addition, the character " / ", unless otherwise specified, generally indicates that the previous and subsequent associated objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0134] Unless otherwise specified, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" in the embodiments of this application are generally used to distinguish different objects and are not used to define the order, timing, priority, or importance of multiple objects. For example, the first transmission line and the second transmission line in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish two transmission lines and do not define the priority or importance of the two transmission lines.

[0135] In addition, unless otherwise specified, the terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of the present application may be used interchangeably, "according to" and "based on" may be used interchangeably, "if" and "if" may be replaced, and "when..." and "in the case of..." may be replaced.

[0136] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the functions of the terminal device can be a terminal device, or a device capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing the functions, such as a circuit, a chip system, or a combination of devices or components capable of implementing the functions of the terminal device, which can be installed in the terminal device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. For the terminal device, please refer to the relevant content of the embodiment shown in Figure 1, and no further description will be given.

[0137] In the embodiments of the present application, the device for implementing the functions of the network device can be a network device, or a device capable of supporting the network device to implement the functions, such as a circuit, a chip system, or a combination of devices or components that can implement the functions of the network device, which can be installed in the network device. In the embodiments of the present application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. For the network device, please refer to the relevant content of the embodiment shown in Figure 1, and will not be repeated here.

[0138] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 400 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system 400 may include a network device, one or more terminal devices, and at least two transmission lines. Figure 4 shows an example of a network device, a terminal device, and two transmission lines (e.g., a first transmission line and a second transmission line). In addition, the first transmission line and the second transmission line are represented by thick black lines in Figure 4. The network device includes one or more ports, one of which is denoted as the first port. Figure 4 shows an example of a network device including two ports. As shown in Figure 4, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel. In other words, the other end of the first transmission line is looped back to one end of the second transmission line. For example, the other end of the first transmission line is looped back to one end of the second transmission line via a jumper. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the material of the jumper, etc. Optionally, the other end of the second transmission line can be connected to a load (not shown in Figure 4) to dissipate useless signal energy. Optionally, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line may be leaky cables, or both the first transmission line and the second transmission line may be waveguides.

[0139] It should be noted that parallel deployment can be understood as relatively parallel deployment or approximately parallel deployment, without limitation. In other words, the first transmission line and the second transmission line can be deployed strictly in parallel, or they can be deployed approximately in parallel, without limitation.

[0140] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line can also be connected to one end of the second transmission line via a signal amplification device, as shown in FIG5 . As shown in FIG5 , the communication system 400 may further include a signal amplification device, which is connected to the first transmission line via a jumper, and to the second transmission line via a jumper. The signal amplification device can be used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplification device. For example, the signal amplification device can receive a signal from the second transmission line, amplify the signal, and then send it to the first transmission line. As the signal travels along the transmission line, the signal strength (or energy) of the signal gradually decreases. The lower the signal strength, the lower the accuracy of the time-of-arrival (TOA) obtained by measuring the signal. When the transmission path of the signal is too long (for example, when the first and second transmission lines are deployed too long), the TOA may not be obtained based on the signal. In this implementation, the signal amplification device can amplify the passing signal, which can mitigate (or compensate for) the signal energy (or signal strength) lost during the signal's transmission from the second transmission line to the first port, thereby improving the accuracy of the TOA and increasing the deployable length of the first and second transmission lines.

[0141] It should be noted that the communication system 400 may also include more transmission lines. Exemplarily, the network device may be connected to multiple groups of transmission lines (e.g., X groups of transmission lines, where X is an integer greater than 1), each group of transmission lines including two transmission lines, and the deployment method of these two transmission lines may refer to the deployment method of the first transmission line and the second transmission line. For example, the network device may further include a third port, the third port being connected to one end of a third transmission line, the other end of the third transmission line being connected to one end of a fourth transmission line, and the third transmission line and the fourth transmission line being deployed in parallel. The three transmission lines and the fourth transmission line may refer to the description of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and will not be repeated here. For the sake of brevity, the following description will be given using the example of a network device being connected to a group of transmission lines.

[0142] It should be understood that the communication system 400 may further include other devices, components, modules, or network elements not mentioned above, or may only include some of the devices, components, or modules mentioned in the embodiment, without limitation. For example, the communication system 400 may further include a core network element and an LCS client (and / or AF). For details, please refer to the description of the embodiment shown in FIG1 and will not be repeated here.

[0143] Based on the communication system 400, the network device can receive the uplink signal of the terminal device through the first transmission line and the second transmission line to achieve uplink positioning of the terminal device; or, the network device can also send a downlink signal to the terminal device through the first transmission line and the second transmission line to achieve downlink positioning of the terminal device.

[0144] The uplink positioning and downlink positioning are respectively introduced below in conjunction with the communication system 400.

[0145] FIG6 exemplarily illustrates a flow chart of a first positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application. This first positioning method is applied to the communication system 400 shown in FIG4 or FIG5 . Furthermore, this embodiment is an uplink positioning scenario. As shown in FIG6 , the method may include the following contents.

[0146] S601: The terminal device sends a third signal.

[0147] Accordingly, the network device receives the first signal and the second signal.

[0148] In this embodiment, the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line through wireless transmission, and then be transmitted from the first reference position to the first port; and the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line through wireless transmission, and then be transmitted from the second reference position to the first port. That is, the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the network device (or reach the first port of the network device) through two transmission paths (such as the first transmission path and the second transmission path). The third signal can be a positioning reference signal, such as an SRS, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation form of the third signal.

[0149] The first transmission path may include a transmission path from a first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port. In one possible implementation, the first transmission path may also include a transmission path from the terminal device to the first reference position. In other words, the first transmission path may be a transmission path from the first reference position to the first port, as shown in FIG7 ; or the first transmission path may be a transmission path from the terminal device to the first reference position and then from the first reference position to the first port.

[0150] The second transmission path may include a transmission path from a second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line to the first port. In one possible implementation, the second transmission path may also include a transmission path from the terminal device to the second reference position. In other words, the second transmission path may be a transmission path from the second reference position to the first port, as shown in FIG7 ; or the second transmission path may be a transmission path from the terminal device to the second reference position and then from the second reference position to the first port.

[0151] The first reference position is located on the first transmission line. This first reference position can be understood as a point; alternatively, this first reference position can be understood as a small area, for example, the area of ​​the first transmission line used to receive the third signal. For example, this first reference position can be the first intersection of a first straight line where the terminal device is located and the first transmission line; alternatively, this first reference position can be a small area on the first transmission line that includes the first intersection. The first straight line is perpendicular to the first transmission line. The first straight line is also perpendicular to the second transmission line.

[0152] The second reference location is located on the second transmission line. This second reference location can be understood as a point; alternatively, this second reference location can be understood as a small area, for example, the area of ​​the second transmission line used to receive the third signal. For example, this second reference location can be the second intersection of the first straight line where the terminal device is located and the second transmission line; alternatively, the second reference location can be a small area on the second transmission line that includes this second intersection.

[0153] For ease of understanding, in the embodiment of the present application, the signal received by the network device through the first transmission path is referred to as the first signal, and accordingly, the first signal can be the signal of the third signal reaching the first port through the first transmission path; and the signal received by the network device through the second transmission path is referred to as the second signal, and accordingly, the second signal can be the signal of the third signal reaching the first port through the second transmission path.

[0154] It is understood that S601 can also be expressed as S601a and S601b, and S601a and S601b are used as examples in Figure 6. In S601a, the terminal device sends the third signal, and the network device receives the first signal via the first transmission path; in S601b, the terminal device sends the third signal, and the network device receives the second signal via the second transmission path.

[0155] S602: The network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path according to the first signal and the second signal.

[0156] The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path can be used to determine the location information of the terminal device. For example, the network device can determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path based on the first signal, and determine the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path based on the second signal. The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path can be understood as: the time difference between the terminal device sending the third signal and the time when the third signal reaches the network device through the first transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the second transmission path can be understood as: the time difference between the terminal device sending the third signal and the time when the third signal reaches the network device through the second transmission path. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation process of the network device determining the TOA.

[0157] FIG8 exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of a terminal device at different positions along a transmission line (e.g., a first transmission line or a second transmission line). As shown in FIG8 , if the terminal device is located at position 1, the terminal device is relatively close to the network device, then the power delay profile (PDP) of the first signal and the second signal can be as shown in (1) of FIG9 ; if the terminal device is located at position 2, the distance between the terminal device and the network device is relatively moderate, then the power delay profile of the first signal and the second signal can be as shown in (2) of FIG9 ; if the terminal device is located at position 3, the terminal device is relatively far from the network device, then the power delay profile of the first signal and the second signal can be as shown in (3) of FIG9 . PDP can refer to the relationship between the power of the signal received by the receiving end and the arrival time delay in the wireless channel. The PDP can be used to measure and obtain TOA. As shown in FIG9 , when the terminal device is at different positions, the interval between the two TOAs (also referred to as the multipath delay difference, or the delay difference between the first transmission path and the second transmission path) is different, so that the interval between the two TOAs can be used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, even if there is only one network device, two TOAs with time delay differences corresponding to the same signal can be obtained, thereby enabling positioning of the terminal device.

[0158] In one possible implementation, the network device may determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path based on the first information, the first signal, and the second signal. The first information may also be referred to as fingerprint information (or fingerprint features) corresponding to the first transmission path and the second transmission path, etc. The name of the first information in the embodiment of the present application is not limited. The first information may include a power value corresponding to the first transmission path and a power value corresponding to the second transmission path; or, the first information may include a power ratio between the first transmission path and the second transmission path; or, the first information may include a power value corresponding to the first transmission path and a power value corresponding to the second transmission path, and a power ratio between the first transmission path and the second transmission path. In one example, the network device may search a fingerprint information database based on the first information to obtain two reference TOAs corresponding to the first transmission path and the second transmission path, and determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path based on the two reference TOAs, the first signal, and the second signal. That is, the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path based on the two reference TOAs, the TOA measured based on the first signal, and the TOA measured based on the second signal. In another example, the network device may also determine that the two reference TOAs are the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, without measuring the TOA corresponding to the first signal and the TOA corresponding to the second signal, thereby simplifying the calculation process.

[0159] The fingerprint information library may also be referred to as a fingerprint feature library, etc., without limitation. For example, the network device may obtain fingerprint information of a multipath channel (for example, including a first transmission path and a second transmission path) measured when the beacon device is at different positions along a transmission line (for example, a first transmission line, or a second transmission line) by means of a beacon, and construct a fingerprint information library. The fingerprint information library includes multiple sets of fingerprint information, each set of fingerprint information may include: fingerprint information of a multipath channel (for example, two transmission paths) corresponding to the position of the beacon device, and two reference TOAs associated with the fingerprint information. The two reference TOAs associated with the fingerprint information can be understood as two TOAs obtained by measuring the signal transmitted by the multipath channel corresponding to the fingerprint information.

[0160] Taking the first and second transmission lines as an example, each location of the beacon device corresponds to two transmission paths. Assuming the beacon device is located at three locations (e.g., location 1, location 2, and location 3), the fingerprint information of the two transmission paths corresponding to the beacon device at location 1 can be recorded as fingerprint information 1, and the two reference TOAs associated with fingerprint information 1 can be recorded as TOA1 and TOA2; the fingerprint information of the two transmission paths corresponding to the beacon device at location 2 can be recorded as fingerprint information 2, and the two reference TOAs associated with fingerprint information 2 can be recorded as TOA3 and TOA4; the fingerprint information of the two transmission paths corresponding to the beacon device at location 3 can be recorded as fingerprint information 3, and the two reference TOAs associated with fingerprint information 3 can be recorded as TOA5 and TOA6. Therefore, the fingerprint information library constructed by the beacon device at locations 1, 2, and 3 can include three sets of fingerprint information: {fingerprint information 1, TOA1 and TOA2}, {fingerprint information 2, TOA3 and TOA4}, and {fingerprint information 3, TOA5 and TOA6}.

[0161] For example, as shown in (1) in FIG9 , when the terminal device is located close to the network device, the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path is small, the power of the first signal received by the network device through the first transmission path is large, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path is large, and the power of the second signal received by the network device through the second transmission path is small, which means that the power ratio between the first signal and the second signal is large (or the power ratio corresponding to the first transmission path and the second transmission path is large, or the difference between the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path is large). In this way, when the terminal device is located very close to the network device and the transmission line deployment interval is large, the second transmission path is long, and as the signal is transmitted, the signal strength of the signal gradually decreases. There may be a situation where the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path cannot be accurately obtained, resulting in the inability to locate the terminal device. In the above embodiment, the network device can use the first information to assist in determining the two TOAs used for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain the two TOAs when the terminal device is close to the network device.

[0162] For another example, as shown in (3) in FIG9 , when the terminal device is located close to the end of the interval segment where the transmission line is deployed (for example, close to the end of the first transmission line that is not connected to the first port), the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path is close to the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, and the power of the first signal received by the network device through the first transmission path is also close to the power of the second signal received through the second transmission path, which means that the power ratio between the first signal and the second signal is approximately 1 (or the power ratio corresponding to the first transmission path and the second transmission path is approximately 1, or the difference between the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path is small). In this way, when the terminal device is located very close to the end of the interval segment where the transmission line is deployed, the network device may only measure a single TOA, resulting in the inability to locate the terminal device. In the above embodiment, the network device can use the first information to assist in determining the two TOAs used for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain the two TOAs when the terminal device is close to the end of the interval segment where the transmission line is deployed.

[0163] In one possible implementation, if the communication system 400 shown in FIG. 4 or 5 includes X groups of transmission lines, then in S601, the network device may receive X first signals and X second signals, and in S602, the network device may determine the TOAs corresponding to the X first transmission paths and the TOAs corresponding to the X second transmission paths based on the X first signals and the X second signals. Wherein, X is an integer greater than 1. For the deployment method of the X groups of transmission lines, please refer to the above content and will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the network device may perform an average operation on the TOAs corresponding to the X first transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path; and perform an average operation on the TOAs corresponding to the X second transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, without limitation. Through this implementation, the network device can obtain 2X TOAs, which can improve positioning accuracy.

[0164] Optionally, the first positioning method may further include S603 and S604; or the first positioning method may further include S605, which is indicated by a dotted line in Figure 6. That is, the location information of the terminal device may be determined by the core network device, or the location information of the terminal device may also be determined by the network device.

[0165] S603: The network device sends the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path to the core network device.

[0166] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path from the network device.

[0167] The core network device may be, for example, an LMF network element, but is not limited thereto. It should be understood that if the communication system 400 shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 includes X sets of transmission lines and the network device obtains 2X TOAs, the network device may perform an average operation, such as calculating the average value of the 2X TOAs, to obtain two TOAs, and then transmit the two TOAs to the core network device. Alternatively, the network device may directly transmit the 2X TOAs to the core network device, without limitation.

[0168] S604: The core network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0169] Exemplarily, the core network device may determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the total length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and a first parameter. The first parameter may include the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line, or the first parameter may include the transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line, or the first parameter may include both the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line and the transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation process of the core network device determining the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0170] S605: The network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0171] Exemplarily, the network device may determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the total length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and a first parameter. The first parameter may include the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line, or the first parameter may include the transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line, or the first parameter may include both the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line and the transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation process of the network device determining the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0172] Through the first positioning method described above, even if there is only one network device, at least two TOAs can be obtained, thereby enabling positioning of the terminal device, and being applicable to various application scenarios.

[0173] The above describes uplink positioning based on the communication system 400 . Next, the downlink positioning based on the communication system 400 will be described.

[0174] Figure 10 exemplarily illustrates a flow chart of a second positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application. This second positioning method is applied to the communication system 400 shown in Figure 4 or Figure 5. Furthermore, this embodiment is a downlink positioning scenario. As shown in Figure 10, the method may include the following contents.

[0175] S1001: The network device sends an eighth signal.

[0176] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the ninth signal and the tenth signal.

[0177] In this embodiment, the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the first reference position, and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; and the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the second reference position, and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission. That is, the eighth signal sent by the network device can reach the terminal device through two transmission paths (such as the seventh transmission path and the eighth transmission path). Among them, the eighth signal can be a positioning reference signal or a pilot signal, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation form of the eighth signal. Please refer to the above content for the first reference position and the second reference position, which will not be repeated here.

[0178] The seventh transmission path may include a transmission path from the first port to the first reference location. In one possible implementation, the seventh transmission path may also include a transmission path from the first reference location to the terminal device. In other words, the seventh transmission path may be a transmission path from the first port to the first reference location, as shown in FIG11 ; or the seventh transmission path may be a transmission path from the first port to the first reference location and then from the first reference location to the terminal device.

[0179] The eighth transmission path may include a transmission path from the first port to the second reference location. In one possible implementation, the eighth transmission path may also include a transmission path from the second reference location to the terminal device. In other words, the eighth transmission path may be a transmission path from the first port to the second reference location, as shown in FIG11 ; or the eighth transmission path may be a transmission path from the first port to the second reference location and then from the second reference location to the terminal device.

[0180] For ease of understanding, in the embodiment of the present application, the signal received by the terminal device through the seventh transmission path is referred to as the ninth signal, and accordingly, the ninth signal may be the signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the seventh transmission path; and, the signal received by the terminal device through the eighth transmission path is referred to as the tenth signal, and accordingly, the tenth signal may be the signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the eighth transmission path.

[0181] It is understood that S1001 can also be expressed as S1001a and S1001b, and S1001a and S1001b are used as examples in Figure 10. In S1001a, the network device sends the eighth signal, and the terminal device receives the ninth signal via the seventh transmission path; in S1001b, the network device sends the eighth signal, and the terminal device receives the tenth signal via the eighth transmission path.

[0182] S1002: The terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path according to the ninth signal and the tenth signal.

[0183] The TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path can be used to determine the location information of the terminal device. For example, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path based on the ninth signal, and determine the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path based on the tenth signal. The TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path can be understood as: the time difference between the network device sending the eighth signal and the eighth signal arriving at the terminal device through the seventh transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path can be understood as: the time difference between the network device sending the eighth signal and the eighth signal arriving at the terminal device through the eighth transmission path. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation process of the terminal device determining the TOA.

[0184] In one possible implementation, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path based on the third information, the ninth signal, and the tenth signal. The third information can also be referred to as a fingerprint information library for the seventh and eighth transmission paths, or a fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the third information in this embodiment of the application is not limited. The third information can include the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eighth transmission path; or the third information can include the power ratio between the seventh and eighth transmission paths; or the third information can include the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eighth transmission path, as well as the power ratio between the seventh and eighth transmission paths. For a description of the third information, please refer to the description of the first information above and will not be repeated here. In the above implementation, the terminal device can use the third information to assist in determining the two TOAs used for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain the two TOAs when the terminal device is close to the network device, and avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain the two TOAs when the terminal device is close to the end of the transmission line segment.

[0185] In one possible implementation, if the communication system 400 shown in FIG. 4 or 5 includes X groups of transmission lines, then in S1001, the terminal device can receive X ninth signals and X tenth signals, and in S1002, the terminal device can determine the TOAs corresponding to the X seventh transmission paths and the TOAs corresponding to the X eighth transmission paths based on the X ninth signals and the X tenth signals. Wherein, X is an integer greater than 1. Please refer to the above content for the deployment method of the X groups of transmission lines and will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the terminal device can perform an average operation on the TOAs corresponding to the X seventh transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path; and perform an average operation on the TOAs corresponding to the X eighth transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, without limitation. Through this implementation, the terminal device can obtain 2X TOAs, which can improve positioning accuracy.

[0186] Optionally, the second positioning method may further include S1003 and S1004, which are indicated by dotted lines in Figure 10. That is, the location information of the terminal device may be determined by the core network device, but is not limited thereto.

[0187] S1003: The terminal device sends the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path to the core network device.

[0188] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path from the terminal device.

[0189] The core network device may be, for example, an LMF network element, but is not limited thereto. For example, the terminal device may send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path to the core network device via an LTE positioning protocol (LPP) message or an RRC message. It should be understood that if the communication system 400 shown in FIG. 4 or 5 includes X groups of transmission lines and the terminal device obtains 2X TOAs, the terminal device may perform an average operation on the 2X TOAs, etc., to obtain two TOAs, and then send the two TOAs to the core network device; alternatively, the terminal device may also directly send the 2X TOAs to the core network device, without limitation.

[0190] S1004: The core network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path.

[0191] Exemplarily, the core network device may determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, the total length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and a second parameter. The second parameter may include the transmission speed of the eighth signal in the first transmission line, or the second parameter may include the transmission speed of the eighth signal in the second transmission line, or the second parameter may include both the transmission speed of the eighth signal in the first transmission line and the transmission speed of the eighth signal in the second transmission line. The embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific implementation process of the core network device determining the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path.

[0192] In the second positioning method described above, even if there is only one network device, two TOAs can be obtained, thereby enabling positioning of the terminal device, which is applicable to various application scenarios.

[0193] In the communication system 400 shown in FIG4 or FIG5 , the other end of the second transmission line (i.e., the end not connected to the first transmission line) can be connected to a load. In another possible implementation, the network device may further include a second port, and the other end of the second transmission line may also be connected to the second port of the network device, as shown in FIG12 .

[0194] Please refer to Figure 12, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1200 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system 1200 may include a network device, one or more terminal devices, and at least two transmission lines. Figure 12 shows an example of a network device, a terminal device, and two transmission lines (e.g., denoted as a first transmission line and a second transmission line). In addition, the first transmission line and the second transmission line are represented by thick black lines in Figure 12. The network device includes multiple ports, two of which are denoted as a first port and a second port, respectively. Figure 12 shows an example of a network device including two ports. As shown in Figure 12, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, and the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel. That is, the other end of the first transmission line is looped back to one end of the second transmission line. For example, the other end of the first transmission line is looped back to one end of the second transmission line via a jumper. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the material of the jumper, etc. Optionally, both the first transmission line and the second transmission line may be leaky cables, or both the first transmission line and the second transmission line may be waveguides. For the parallel deployment, please refer to the above content and will not be described in detail here.

[0195] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line may also be connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplifying device, as shown in FIG13 . As shown in FIG13 , the communication system 1200 may further include a signal amplifying device, which is connected to the first transmission line through a jumper, and is connected to the second transmission line through a jumper. The signal amplifying device may be used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplifying device. For example, the signal amplifying device may receive a signal from the second transmission line, amplify the signal, and then send it to the first transmission line. For another example, the signal amplifying device may also receive a signal from the first transmission line, amplify the signal, and then send it to the second transmission line. As the signal is transmitted in the transmission line, the signal strength of the signal gradually decreases. The lower the signal strength of the signal, the lower the accuracy of the TOA obtained by measuring the signal. When the transmission path of the signal is too long (for example, when the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed too long), the TOA may not be obtained based on the signal. In this implementation, the signal amplification device can amplify the passing signal, which can alleviate the signal energy (or signal strength) lost during the signal transmission from the second transmission line to the first port or from the first transmission line to the second port, thereby improving the accuracy of TOA and increasing the deployable length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line.

[0196] It should be noted that the communication system 1200 may also include more transmission lines. Exemplarily, the network device may be connected to multiple groups of transmission lines (such as N groups of transmission lines, where N is an integer greater than 1), each group of transmission lines includes two transmission lines, and the deployment method of these two transmission lines can refer to the deployment method of the first transmission line and the second transmission line. For example, the network device may also include a third port and a fourth port, the third port being connected to one end of the third transmission line, the other end of the third transmission line being connected to one end of the fourth transmission line, the other end of the fourth transmission line being connected to the fourth port, and the third transmission line and the fourth transmission line being deployed in parallel. The three transmission lines and the fourth transmission line can refer to the description of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and will not be repeated here. For the sake of brevity, the following text will be described by taking the example of the network device being connected to a group of transmission lines.

[0197] It should be understood that the communication system 1200 may further include other devices, components, modules, or network elements not mentioned above, or may only include some of the devices, components, or modules mentioned in the embodiment, without limitation. For example, the communication system 1200 may further include a core network element and an LCS client (and / or AF). For details, please refer to the description of the embodiment shown in FIG1 and will not be repeated here.

[0198] In one possible implementation, based on the communication system 1200 shown in FIG. 12 or FIG. 13 , the first positioning method described above may further include: the network device may further receive a fourth signal and a fifth signal. For example, S601 may be replaced by: the terminal device sends a third signal; accordingly, the network device receives the first signal, the second signal, the fourth signal, and the fifth signal. In this implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. In addition to reaching the network device via the first transmission path and the second transmission path, the third signal sent by the terminal device may also reach the network device via two other transmission paths (e.g., the third transmission path and the fourth transmission path). Specifically, the third signal sent by the terminal device may reach the first reference position via wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the first reference position to the first port; the third signal sent by the terminal device may reach the second reference position via wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the second reference position to the first port; the third signal sent by the terminal device may reach the first reference position via wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the first reference position to the second port; and the third signal sent by the terminal device may reach the second reference position via wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the second reference position to the second port. Please refer to the above content for the first reference position and the second reference position, and no further details will be given.

[0199] The third transmission path may include a transmission path from the second reference position to the second port. In one possible implementation, the third transmission path may also include a transmission path from the terminal device to the second reference position. In other words, the third transmission path may be a transmission path from the second reference position to the second port, as shown in FIG14 ; or the third transmission path may be a transmission path from the terminal device to the second reference position and then from the second reference position to the second port.

[0200] The fourth transmission path may include a transmission path from the first reference position to the second port. In one possible implementation, the fourth transmission path may also include a transmission path from the terminal device to the first reference position. In other words, the fourth transmission path may be a transmission path from the first reference position to the second port, as shown in FIG14 ; or the fourth transmission path may be a transmission path from the terminal device to the first reference position and then from the first reference position to the second port.

[0201] For ease of understanding, in the embodiment of the present application, the signal received by the network device through the third transmission path is referred to as the fourth signal, and accordingly, the fourth signal can be a signal obtained by the third signal reaching the second port through the third transmission path; and the signal received by the network device through the fourth transmission path is referred to as the fifth signal, and accordingly, the fifth signal can be a signal obtained by the third signal reaching the second port through the fourth transmission path.

[0202] Furthermore, the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path based on the fourth signal and the fifth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Exemplarily, S602 can be replaced by: the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path based on the first signal, the second signal, the fourth signal, and the fifth signal. For example, the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path based on the first signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path based on the second signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path based on the fourth signal, and determines the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path based on the fifth signal.

[0203] In one example, the network device can determine the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path based on the fourth information, the fourth signal, and the fifth signal. This fourth information can also be referred to as a fingerprint information library for the third and fourth transmission paths, or a fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the fourth information in this embodiment of the application is not limited. This fourth information can include the power value corresponding to the third transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fourth transmission path; or, this fourth information can include the power ratio between the third and fourth transmission paths; or, this fourth information can include the power value corresponding to the third and fourth transmission paths, and the power ratio between the third and fourth transmission paths. For a description of this fourth information, please refer to the description of the first information above and will not be repeated here. Optionally, this fourth information can be the same as or different from the first information. In the above example, the network device can use the fourth information to assist in determining the two TOAs used for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain both TOAs when the terminal device is close to the network device, and avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain both TOAs when the terminal device is close to the end of a transmission line segment.

[0204] In one example, if the communication system 1200 shown in FIG. 12 or FIG. 13 includes N groups of transmission lines, the network device can receive N first signals, N second signals, N fourth signals, and N fifth signals. And the network device can determine the TOAs corresponding to the N first transmission paths, the TOAs corresponding to the N second transmission paths, the TOAs corresponding to the N third transmission paths, and the TOAs corresponding to the N fourth transmission paths based on the N first signals, N second signals, N fourth signals, and N fifth signals. Wherein, N is an integer greater than 1. For the deployment method of the N groups of transmission lines, please refer to the above content and will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the network device can perform an average operation on the TOAs corresponding to each transmission path. For details, please refer to the above content and will not be repeated here. Through this example, the network device can obtain 4N TOAs, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0205] In this implementation, the network device may send the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path to the core network device. Accordingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path. Alternatively, the network device may average the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path, and average the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path to obtain two TOAs, and send these two TOAs to the core network device. Accordingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on these two TOAs. Alternatively, the network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path. For the specific implementation process, please refer to S603, S604, and S605, and will not be repeated here.

[0206] In the above implementation, even if there is only one network device, at least four TOAs can be obtained, thereby enabling positioning of the terminal device, improving positioning accuracy, and being applicable to various application scenarios.

[0207] In another possible implementation, based on the communication system 1200 shown in Figure 12 or Figure 13, the second positioning method described above may further include: the network device may further send an eleventh signal; accordingly, the terminal device may further receive a twelfth signal and a thirteenth signal. Exemplarily, S1001 may be replaced by: the network device sends an eighth signal and an eleventh signal; accordingly, the terminal device receives a ninth signal, a tenth signal, a twelfth signal, and a thirteenth signal. The eleventh signal may be a positioning reference signal or a pilot signal, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation form of the eleventh signal. Optionally, the eleventh signal may be the same as or different from the eighth signal.

[0208] In this implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the terminal device, so the eighth signal sent by the network device through the first port can reach the terminal device through the seventh transmission path and the eighth transmission path, and the eleventh signal sent by the network device through the second port can reach the terminal device through the other two transmission paths (such as the ninth transmission path and the tenth transmission path). Specifically, the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the first reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the second reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; the eleventh signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the second port to the second reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; and the eleventh signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the second port to the first reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission. Among them, please refer to the above content for the first reference position, the second reference position, the seventh transmission path and the eighth transmission path, and no further details will be given.

[0209] The ninth transmission path may include a transmission path from the second port to the second reference location. In one possible implementation, the ninth transmission path may also include a transmission path from the second reference location to the terminal device. In other words, the ninth transmission path may be a transmission path from the second port to the second reference location, as shown in FIG15 ; or the ninth transmission path may be a transmission path from the second port to the second reference location and then from the second reference location to the terminal device.

[0210] The tenth transmission path may include a transmission path from the second port to the first reference location. In one possible implementation, the tenth transmission path may also include a transmission path from the first reference location to the terminal device. In other words, the tenth transmission path may be a transmission path from the second port to the first reference location, as shown in FIG15 ; or the tenth transmission path may be a transmission path from the second port to the first reference location and then from the first reference location to the terminal device.

[0211] For ease of understanding, in the embodiment of the present application, the signal received by the terminal device through the ninth transmission path is referred to as the twelfth signal, and accordingly, the twelfth signal may be the signal obtained by the eleventh signal arriving at the second port through the ninth transmission path; and, the signal received by the terminal device through the tenth transmission path is referred to as the thirteenth signal, and accordingly, the thirteenth signal may be the signal obtained by the eleventh signal arriving at the second port through the tenth transmission path.

[0212] Furthermore, the terminal device may determine the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path based on the twelfth signal and the thirteenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Exemplarily, S1002 may be replaced by: the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path based on the ninth signal, the tenth signal, the twelfth signal, and the thirteenth signal. For example, the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path based on the ninth signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path based on the tenth signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path based on the twelfth signal, and determines the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path based on the thirteenth signal.

[0213] In one example, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path based on the fifth information, the twelfth signal, and the thirteenth signal. The fifth information can also be referred to as a fingerprint information library for the ninth and tenth transmission paths, or a fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the fifth information in this embodiment of the application is not limited. The fifth information can include the power value corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the power value corresponding to the tenth transmission path; or the fifth information can include the power ratio between the ninth and tenth transmission paths; or the fifth information can include the power value corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the power value corresponding to the tenth transmission path, as well as the power ratio between the ninth and tenth transmission paths. For a description of the fifth information, please refer to the description of the first information above and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the fifth information and the third information can be the same or different. In the above example, the terminal device can use the fifth information to assist in determining the two TOAs used for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain both TOAs when the network device is close to the terminal device, and avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain both TOAs when the network device is close to the end of the transmission line segment.

[0214] In one example, if the communication system 1200 shown in FIG. 12 or FIG. 13 includes N groups of transmission lines, the terminal device can receive N ninth signals, N tenth signals, N twelfth signals, and N thirteenth signals. And the terminal device can determine the TOAs corresponding to the N seventh transmission paths, the TOAs corresponding to the N eighth transmission paths, the TOAs corresponding to the N ninth transmission paths, and the TOAs corresponding to the N tenth transmission paths based on the N ninth signals, N tenth signals, N twelfth signals, and N thirteenth signals. Wherein, N is an integer greater than 1. For the deployment method of the N groups of transmission lines, please refer to the above content and will not be repeated. Furthermore, the terminal device can perform a mean operation on the TOAs corresponding to each transmission path. For details, please refer to the above content and will not be repeated. Through this example, the terminal device can obtain 4N TOAs, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0215] In this implementation, the terminal device may send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path to the core network device; accordingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path. Alternatively, the terminal device may perform an average operation on the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path, and perform an average operation on the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path to obtain two TOAs, and send these two TOAs to the core network device; accordingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the two TOAs. Please refer to S1003 and S1004 for the specific implementation process, which will not be repeated here.

[0216] In the above implementation, even if there is only one network device, at least four TOAs can be obtained, thereby enabling positioning of the terminal device, improving positioning accuracy, and being applicable to various application scenarios.

[0217] The aforementioned communication system 400 or the communication system 1200 needs to include at least two transmission lines. In another possible implementation, the communication system may also include at least one transmission line, as shown in FIG16 .

[0218] Please refer to Figure 16, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system 1600 may include a network device, one or more terminal devices, and at least one transmission line. Figure 16 illustrates a network device, a terminal device, and a transmission line (e.g., denoted as a first transmission line) as an example. Furthermore, the first transmission line is represented by a thick black line in Figure 16. The network device includes one or more ports, one of which is denoted as a first port. Figure 16 illustrates an example of a network device including two ports. As shown in Figure 16, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of two transmission lines. Optionally, the other end of the first transmission line can be connected to a load (not shown in Figure 16) to dissipate useless signal energy. Optionally, the first transmission line can be a leaky cable, or the first transmission line can be a waveguide. For the parallel deployment, please refer to the above content and will not be repeated here. The parallel deployment of the first transmission line in the form of two transmission lines after being bent can also be expressed as: the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel, etc.

[0219] It should be noted that the communication system 1600 may also include more transmission lines. Exemplarily, the network device may be connected to multiple groups of transmission lines (e.g., Y groups of transmission lines, where Y is an integer greater than 1), each group of transmission lines including one transmission line, and the deployment method of this transmission line may refer to the deployment method of the first transmission line. For example, the network device may further include a third port, the third port being connected to one end of a third transmission line, and the third transmission line being bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a pair of transmission lines. The three transmission lines may refer to the description of the first transmission line and will not be repeated here. For the sake of brevity, the following description will be given using the example of a network device being connected to a group of transmission lines.

[0220] It should be understood that the communication system 1600 may further include other devices, components, modules, or network elements not mentioned above, or may include only some of the devices, components, or modules mentioned in the embodiment, without limitation. For example, the communication system 1600 may further include a core network element and an LCS client (and / or AF). For details, please refer to the description of the embodiment shown in FIG1 and will not be repeated here.

[0221] Based on the communication system 1600, the network device can receive an uplink signal from the terminal device via the first transmission line to achieve uplink positioning of the terminal device; alternatively, the network device can also send a downlink signal to the terminal device via the first transmission line to achieve downlink positioning of the terminal device.

[0222] The following introduces uplink positioning and downlink positioning respectively in conjunction with the communication system 1600.

[0223] Figure 17 exemplarily illustrates a flow chart of a third positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application. This third positioning method is applied to the communication system 1600 shown in Figure 16 . Furthermore, this embodiment is an uplink positioning scenario. As shown in Figure 17 , the method may include the following contents.

[0224] S1701: The terminal device sends a third signal.

[0225] Accordingly, the network device receives the first signal and the sixth signal.

[0226] In this embodiment, the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line via wireless transmission, and then be transmitted from the first reference position to the first port; and the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line via wireless transmission, and then be transmitted from the third reference position to the first port. In other words, the third signal sent by the terminal device can reach the network device (or reach the first port of the network device) via two transmission paths (such as the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path). Please refer to the above content for the third signal, the first transmission path, and the first reference position, which will not be repeated here.

[0227] The fifth transmission path may include a transmission path from the third reference position to the first port. In one possible implementation, the fifth transmission path may also include a transmission path from the terminal device to the third reference position. In other words, the fifth transmission path may be a transmission path from the third reference position to the first port, similar to the second transmission path in the embodiment shown in FIG7 ; or the fifth transmission path may also be a transmission path from the terminal device to the third reference position and then from the third reference position to the first port.

[0228] The third reference position is located on the first transmission line. The third reference position can be understood as a point; or, the third reference position can also be understood as a small area. For example, this small area can be the area of ​​the first transmission line used to receive the third signal. Exemplarily, the third reference position can be the third intersection of the first straight line where the terminal device is located and the first transmission line; or the third reference position can also be a small area on the first transmission line that includes the third intersection. The third intersection is different from the first intersection. In this embodiment, the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a dual transmission line. Then, there are two intersections between the first straight line where the terminal device is located and the first transmission line, namely the first intersection and the third intersection. These two intersections are respectively located on both sides of the parallel portion of the first transmission line. Accordingly, the third reference position and the first reference position can be respectively located on both sides of the parallel portion of the first transmission line. The third reference position can be similar to the second reference position in the embodiment shown in reference Figure 7 and is not limited.

[0229] For ease of understanding, in the embodiment of the present application, the signal received by the network device through the first transmission path is referred to as the first signal, and accordingly, the first signal can be the signal of the third signal reaching the first port through the first transmission path; and the signal received by the network device through the fifth transmission path is referred to as the sixth signal, and accordingly, the sixth signal can be the signal of the third signal reaching the first port through the fifth transmission path.

[0230] It is understood that S1701 can also be expressed as S1701a and S1701b, and S1701a and S1701b are used as examples in Figure 17. In S1701a, the terminal device sends the third signal, and the network device receives the first signal via the first transmission path; in S1701b, the terminal device sends the third signal, and the network device receives the sixth signal via the fifth transmission path.

[0231] S1702: The network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path according to the first signal and the sixth signal.

[0232] The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path can be used to determine the location information of the terminal device. For example, the network device can determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path based on the first signal, and determine the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path based on the sixth signal. The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path can be understood as: the time difference between the terminal device sending the third signal and the time when the third signal reaches the network device through the first transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path can be understood as: the time difference between the terminal device sending the third signal and the time when the third signal reaches the network device through the fifth transmission path. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation process of the network device determining the TOA.

[0233] In one possible implementation, the network device can determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path based on the second information, the first signal, and the sixth signal. The second information can also be referred to as a fingerprint information library of the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path, or a fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the second information in the embodiment of the present application is not limited. The second information can include the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fifth transmission path; or the second information can include the power ratio between the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path; or the second information can include the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fifth transmission path, as well as the power ratio between the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path. For a description of the second information, please refer to the above description of the first information and will not be repeated here. In the above implementation, the network device can use the second information to assist in determining the two TOAs used for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain the two TOAs when the terminal device is close to the network device, and avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain the two TOAs when the terminal device is close to the end of the transmission line segment.

[0234] In one possible implementation, if the communication system 1600 shown in FIG16 includes Y groups of transmission lines, then in S1701, the network device may receive Y first signals and Y sixth signals, and in S1702, the network device may determine the TOAs corresponding to the Y first transmission paths and the TOAs corresponding to the Y fifth transmission paths based on the Y first signals and the Y sixth signals. Wherein, Y is an integer greater than 1. For the deployment method of the Y groups of transmission lines, please refer to the above content and will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the network device may perform an average operation on the TOAs corresponding to the Y first transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path; and perform an average operation on the TOAs corresponding to the Y fifth transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, without limitation. Through this implementation, the network device can obtain 2Y TOAs, which can improve positioning accuracy.

[0235] Optionally, the third positioning method may further include S1703 and S1704, or the third positioning method may further include S1705, which is indicated by a dotted line in Figure 17. That is, the location information of the terminal device may be determined by the core network device, or the location information of the terminal device may also be determined by the network device.

[0236] S1703: The network device sends the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path to the core network device.

[0237] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path from the network device.

[0238] The core network device may be, for example, an LMF network element, but is not limited thereto. It should be understood that if the communication system 1600 shown in FIG16 includes Y groups of transmission lines and the network device obtains 2Y TOAs, the network device may perform an average operation, such as calculating the average value of the 2Y TOAs, to obtain two TOAs, and then transmit the two TOAs to the core network device. Alternatively, the network device may directly transmit the 2Y TOAs to the core network device, without limitation.

[0239] S1704: The core network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path.

[0240] For example, the core network device may determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the length of the first transmission line, and the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line. This embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation process of the core network device determining the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path.

[0241] S1705: The network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path.

[0242] For example, the network device may determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the length of the first transmission line, and the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line. This embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation process of the network device determining the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path.

[0243] In the third positioning method described above, even if there is only one network device and one transmission line, two TOAs can be obtained, thereby enabling positioning of the terminal device, which is applicable to various application scenarios.

[0244] The above describes uplink positioning based on the communication system 1600 . Next, the downlink positioning based on the communication system 1600 will be described.

[0245] FIG18 exemplarily illustrates a flow chart of a fourth positioning method provided in an embodiment of the present application. This fourth positioning method is applied to the communication system 1600 shown in FIG16 . Furthermore, this embodiment is a downlink positioning scenario. As shown in FIG18 , the method may include the following contents.

[0246] S1801: The network device sends an eighth signal.

[0247] Accordingly, the terminal device receives the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal.

[0248] In this embodiment, the eighth signal transmitted by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the first reference location and then wirelessly transmitted to the terminal device; and the eighth signal transmitted by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the third reference location and then wirelessly transmitted to the terminal device. In other words, the eighth signal transmitted by the network device can reach the terminal device via two transmission paths (e.g., the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path). The eighth signal, the first reference location, the third reference location, and the seventh transmission path are described above and will not be repeated here.

[0249] The eleventh transmission path may include a transmission path from the first port to the third reference location. In one possible implementation, the eleventh transmission path may also include a transmission path from the third reference location to the terminal device. In other words, the eleventh transmission path may be a transmission path from the first port to the third reference location, similar to the eighth transmission path in the embodiment shown in FIG11 ; or the eleventh transmission path may also be a transmission path from the first port to the third reference location and then from the third reference location to the terminal device.

[0250] For ease of understanding, in the embodiment of the present application, the signal received by the terminal device through the seventh transmission path is referred to as the ninth signal, and accordingly, the ninth signal may be the signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the seventh transmission path; and the signal received by the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path is referred to as the fourteenth signal, and accordingly, the fourteenth signal may be the signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path.

[0251] It is understood that S1801 can also be expressed as S1801a and S1801b, and S1801a and S1801b are used as examples in Figure 18. In S1801a, the network device sends the eighth signal, and the terminal device receives the ninth signal via the seventh transmission path; in S1801b, the network device sends the eighth signal, and the terminal device receives the fourteenth signal via the eleventh transmission path.

[0252] S1802: The terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path according to the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal.

[0253] The TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path can be used to determine the location information of the terminal device. For example, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path based on the ninth signal, and determine the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path based on the fourteenth signal. The TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path can be understood as: the time difference between the network device sending the eighth signal and the eighth signal arriving at the terminal device through the seventh transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path can be understood as: the time difference between the network device sending the eighth signal and the eighth signal arriving at the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation process of the terminal device determining the TOA.

[0254] In one possible implementation, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path based on the sixth information, the ninth signal, and the fourteenth signal. The sixth information can also be referred to as a fingerprint information library of the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path, or a fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the sixth information in the embodiment of the present application is not limited. The sixth information may include the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eleventh transmission path; or the sixth information may include the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path; or the sixth information may include the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, and the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path. For a description of the sixth information, please refer to the description of the first information above and will not be repeated here. In the above implementation, the terminal device can use the sixth information to assist in determining the two TOAs used for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain the two TOAs when the terminal device is close to the network device, and avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain the two TOAs when the terminal device is close to the end of the interval segment deployed by the transmission line.

[0255] In one possible implementation, if the communication system 1600 shown in FIG16 includes Y groups of transmission lines, then in S1801, the terminal device can receive Y ninth signals and Y fourteenth signals, and in S1802, the terminal device can determine the TOAs corresponding to the Y seventh transmission paths and the TOAs corresponding to the Y eleventh transmission paths based on the Y ninth signals and the Y fourteenth signals. Wherein, Y is an integer greater than 1. Please refer to the above content for the deployment method of the Y groups of transmission lines and will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the terminal device can perform an average operation on the TOAs corresponding to the Y seventh transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path; and perform an average operation on the TOAs corresponding to the Y eleventh transmission paths to obtain the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, without limitation. Through this implementation, the terminal device can obtain 2Y TOAs, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0256] Optionally, the fourth positioning method may further include S1803 and S1804, which are indicated by dotted lines in Figure 18. That is, the location information of the terminal device may be determined by the core network device.

[0257] S1803: The terminal device sends the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path to the core network device.

[0258] Correspondingly, the core network device receives the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path from the terminal device.

[0259] The core network device may be, for example, an LMF network element, but is not limited thereto. For example, the terminal device may send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path to the core network device via an LPP message or an RRC message. It should be understood that if the communication system 1600 shown in FIG16 includes Y groups of transmission lines and the terminal device obtains 2Y TOAs, the terminal device may perform an average operation on the 2Y TOAs, for example, to obtain two TOAs, and then send these two TOAs to the core network device; alternatively, the terminal device may directly send the 2Y TOAs to the core network device, without limitation.

[0260] S1804: The core network device determines the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path.

[0261] Exemplarily, the core network device may determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, the length of the first transmission line, and the transmission speed of the eighth signal in the first transmission line. This embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation process of the core network device determining the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path.

[0262] In the fourth positioning method described above, even if there is only one network device and one transmission line, two TOAs can be obtained, thereby enabling positioning of the terminal device, which is applicable to various application scenarios.

[0263] In the communication system 1600 shown in Figure 16 , the other end of the first transmission line (i.e., the end not connected to the first port) can be connected to a load. In another possible implementation, the network device may further include a second port, and the other end of the first transmission line may also be connected to the second port of the network device, as shown in Figure 19 .

[0264] Please refer to Figure 19, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system 1900 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication system 1900 may include a network device, one or more terminal devices and at least one transmission line. Figure 19 shows an example of a network device, a terminal device and a transmission line (such as a first transmission line). In addition, the first transmission line is represented by a thick black line in Figure 19. The network device includes a plurality of ports, two of which are respectively denoted as a first port and a second port. Figure 19 shows an example of a network device including two ports. As shown in Figure 19, the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line. Optionally, the first transmission line can be a leaky cable, or the first transmission line can be a waveguide. For parallel deployment, please refer to the above content and will not be repeated here.

[0265] It should be noted that the communication system 1900 may also include more transmission lines. Exemplarily, the network device may be connected to multiple groups of transmission lines (e.g., M groups of transmission lines, where M is an integer greater than 1), each group of transmission lines including one transmission line, and the deployment method of this transmission line may refer to the deployment method of the first transmission line. For example, the network device may further include a third port and a fourth port, the third port being connected to one end of a third transmission line, the other end of the third transmission line being connected to the fourth port, and the third transmission line being bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line. The three transmission lines may refer to the description of the first transmission line and will not be repeated here. For the sake of brevity, the following text will be described using the example of a network device being connected to a group of transmission lines.

[0266] It should be understood that the communication system 1900 may further include other devices, components, modules, or network elements not mentioned above, or may include only some of the devices, components, or modules mentioned in the embodiment, without limitation. For example, the communication system 1900 may further include a core network element and an LCS client (and / or AF). For details, please refer to the description of the embodiment shown in FIG1 and will not be repeated here.

[0267] In one possible implementation, based on the communication system 1900 shown in FIG19 , the third positioning method described above may further include: the network device may further receive the seventh signal and the fifth signal. For example, S1701 may be replaced by: the terminal device sends a third signal; accordingly, the network device receives the first signal, the sixth signal, the seventh signal, and the fifth signal. In this implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device. Then, in addition to reaching the network device through the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path, the third signal sent by the terminal device may also reach the network device through two other transmission paths (e.g., the sixth transmission path and the fourth transmission path). Specifically, the third signal sent by the terminal device may reach the first reference position via wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the first reference position to the first port; the third signal sent by the terminal device may reach the third reference position via wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the third reference position to the first port; the third signal sent by the terminal device may reach the third reference position via wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the third reference position to the second port; and the third signal sent by the terminal device may reach the first reference position via wireless transmission and then be transmitted from the first reference position to the second port. Please refer to the above content for the first reference position, the third reference position and the fourth transmission path, and no further details will be given.

[0268] The sixth transmission path may include a transmission path from the third reference position to the second port. In one possible implementation, the sixth transmission path may also include a transmission path from the terminal device to the third reference position. In other words, the sixth transmission path may be a transmission path from the third reference position to the second port, similar to the third transmission path in the embodiment shown in FIG14 ; or the sixth transmission path may also be a transmission path from the terminal device to the third reference position and then from the third reference position to the second port.

[0269] For ease of understanding, in the embodiment of the present application, the signal received by the network device through the sixth transmission path is referred to as the seventh signal, and accordingly, the seventh signal can be the signal of the third signal reaching the second port through the sixth transmission path; and the signal received by the network device through the fourth transmission path is referred to as the fifth signal, and accordingly, the fifth signal can be the signal of the third signal reaching the second port through the fourth transmission path.

[0270] Furthermore, the network device may determine the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path based on the seventh signal and the fifth signal. The TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Exemplarily, S1702 may be replaced by: the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path based on the first signal, the sixth signal, the seventh signal, and the fifth signal. For example, the network device determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path based on the first signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path based on the sixth signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path based on the seventh signal, and determines the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path based on the fifth signal.

[0271] In one example, the network device can determine the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path based on the seventh information, the seventh signal, and the fifth signal. The seventh information can also be referred to as a fingerprint information library for the sixth and fourth transmission paths, or a fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the seventh information in this embodiment of the present application is not limited. The seventh information can include the power value corresponding to the sixth transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fourth transmission path; or the seventh information can include the power ratio between the sixth and fourth transmission paths; or the seventh information can include the power value corresponding to the sixth transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fourth transmission path, as well as the power ratio between the sixth and fourth transmission paths. For a description of the seventh information, please refer to the description of the first information above and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the seventh information and the second information can be the same or different. In the above example, the network device can use the seventh information to assist in determining the two TOAs used for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain both TOAs when the terminal device is close to the network device, and avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain both TOAs when the terminal device is close to the end of a transmission line segment.

[0272] As an example, if the communication system 1900 shown in Figure 19 includes M groups of transmission lines, the network device can receive M first signals, M sixth signals, M seventh signals, and M fifth signals. And the network device can determine the TOAs corresponding to the M first transmission paths, the TOAs corresponding to the M fifth transmission paths, the TOAs corresponding to the M sixth transmission paths, and the TOAs corresponding to the M fourth transmission paths based on the M first signals, M sixth signals, M seventh signals, and M fifth signals. Wherein, M is an integer greater than 1. Please refer to the above content for the deployment method of the M groups of transmission lines, which will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the network device can perform a mean operation on the TOAs corresponding to each transmission path. Please refer to the above content for details, which will not be repeated here. Through this example, the network device can obtain 4M TOAs, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0273] In this implementation, the network device may send the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path to the core network device. Accordingly, the core network device determines the terminal device's location information based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path. Alternatively, the network device may average the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path, and average the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path to obtain two TOAs, and send these two TOAs to the core network device. Accordingly, the core network device determines the terminal device's location information based on these two TOAs. Alternatively, the network device determines the terminal device's location information based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path. For the specific implementation process, please refer to S1703, S1704, and S1705, and will not be repeated here.

[0274] In the above implementation, even if there is only one network device and one transmission line, at least four TOAs can be obtained, thereby enabling positioning of the terminal device, improving positioning accuracy, and being applicable to various application scenarios.

[0275] In another possible implementation, based on the communication system 1900 shown in FIG19 , the fourth positioning method described above may further include: the network device may further transmit an eleventh signal; accordingly, the terminal device may further receive a fifteenth signal and a thirteenth signal. Exemplarily, S1801 may be replaced by: the network device transmits an eighth signal and an eleventh signal; accordingly, the terminal device receives a ninth signal, a fourteenth signal, a fifteenth signal, and a thirteenth signal. The eleventh signal may be a positioning reference signal or a pilot signal, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit the specific implementation form of the eleventh signal. Optionally, the eleventh signal may be the same as or different from the eighth signal.

[0276] In this implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, so the eighth signal sent by the network device through the first port can reach the terminal device through the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path, and the eleventh signal sent by the network device through the second port can reach the terminal device through the other two transmission paths (such as the twelfth transmission path and the tenth transmission path). Specifically, the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the first reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; the eighth signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the first port to the third reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; the eleventh signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the second port to the third reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission; and the eleventh signal sent by the network device can be transmitted from the second port to the first reference position and then reach the terminal device through wireless transmission. Among them, please refer to the above content for the first reference position, the third reference position, the seventh transmission path, the eleventh transmission path and the tenth transmission path, and no further details will be given.

[0277] The twelfth transmission path may include a transmission path from the second port to the third reference location. In one possible implementation, the twelfth transmission path may also include a transmission path from the third reference location to the terminal device. In other words, the twelfth transmission path may be a transmission path from the second port to the third reference location, similar to the ninth transmission path in the embodiment shown in FIG. 15 ; or the twelfth transmission path may also be a transmission path from the second port to the third reference location and then from the third reference location to the terminal device.

[0278] For ease of understanding, in the embodiment of the present application, the signal received by the terminal device through the twelfth transmission path is referred to as the fifteenth signal, and accordingly, the fifteenth signal can be the signal of the eleventh signal reaching the second port through the twelfth transmission path; and, the signal received by the terminal device through the tenth transmission path is referred to as the thirteenth signal, and accordingly, the thirteenth signal can be the signal of the eleventh signal reaching the second port through the tenth transmission path.

[0279] Furthermore, the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path based on the fifteenth signal and the thirteenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. Exemplarily, S1802 can be replaced by: the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path based on the ninth signal, the fourteenth signal, the fifteenth signal, and the thirteenth signal. For example, the terminal device determines the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path based on the ninth signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path based on the fourteenth signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path based on the fifteenth signal, and determines the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path based on the thirteenth signal.

[0280] In one example, the terminal device can determine the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path based on the eighth information, the fifteenth signal and the thirteenth signal. The eighth information can also be called the fingerprint information library of the twelfth transmission path and the tenth transmission path, or the fingerprint information library, etc. The name of the eighth information in the embodiment of the present application is not limited. The eighth information may include the power value corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the power value corresponding to the tenth transmission path; or, the eighth information may include the power ratio between the twelfth transmission path and the tenth transmission path; or, the eighth information may include the power value corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the power value corresponding to the tenth transmission path, and the power ratio between the twelfth transmission path and the tenth transmission path. For the description of the eighth information, please refer to the aforementioned description of the first information and will not repeat it again. Optionally, the eighth information may be the same as or different from the sixth information. In the above example, the terminal device can use the eighth information to assist in determining the two TOAs used for positioning, thereby avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain the two TOAs when the network device is close to the terminal device, and avoiding the problem of being unable to locate the terminal device due to the inability to obtain the two TOAs when the network device is close to the end of the interval segment where the transmission line is deployed.

[0281] As an example, if the communication system 1900 shown in Figure 19 includes N groups of transmission lines, the terminal device can receive N ninth signals, N fourteenth signals, N fifteenth signals, and N thirteenth signals. And the terminal device can determine the TOAs corresponding to the N seventh transmission paths, the TOAs corresponding to the N eleventh transmission paths, the TOAs corresponding to the N twelfth transmission paths, and the TOAs corresponding to the N tenth transmission paths based on the N ninth signals, N fourteenth signals, N fifteenth signals, and N thirteenth signals. Wherein, N is an integer greater than 1. Please refer to the above content for the deployment method of the N groups of transmission lines, which will not be repeated here. Furthermore, the terminal device can perform a mean operation on the TOAs corresponding to each transmission path. Please refer to the above content for details, which will not be repeated here. Through this example, the terminal device can obtain 4N TOAs, which can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0282] In this implementation, the terminal device can send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path to the core network device; accordingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path. Alternatively, the terminal device can also perform an average operation on the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path, and perform an average operation on the TOA corresponding to the fourteenth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path to obtain two TOAs, and send these two TOAs to the core network device; accordingly, the core network device determines the location information of the terminal device based on the two TOAs. Please refer to the contents of S1803 and S1804 for the specific implementation process, which will not be repeated here.

[0283] In the above implementation, even if there is only one network device and one transmission line, at least four TOAs can be obtained, thereby enabling positioning of the terminal device, improving positioning accuracy, and being applicable to various application scenarios.

[0284] In the embodiments provided herein, the methods provided by the embodiments of the present application are described from the perspective of the interaction between a network device and a terminal device. In order to implement the various functions of the methods provided in the above embodiments of the present application, the network device or the terminal device may include a hardware structure and / or a software module, and the above functions may be implemented in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module. Whether a function of the above functions is implemented in the form of a hardware structure, a software module, or a hardware structure plus a software module depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0285] The present application also provides a communication device. The following describes the communication device used to implement the above method in the present application embodiment in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the above content can be used in subsequent embodiments, and repeated content will not be repeated.

[0286] Figure 20 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 2000 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 2000 can implement the functions or steps implemented by a network device or a terminal device in each of the above-mentioned method embodiments. For example, the communication device 2000 can be a network device or a component thereof, or a terminal device or a component thereof.

[0287] In one embodiment, the communication device 2000 may include a processing module 2001 and a communication module 2002. The processing module 2001 may be used to perform data processing, such as executing the various method embodiments described above. The processing module 2001 may also be referred to as a processing unit. The communication module 2002 may be used to implement corresponding communication functions, such as receiving and / or sending relevant data, information, or messages. The communication module 2002 may also be referred to as a communication interface, a transceiver module, or a transceiver unit.

[0288] It should be noted that the communication device 2000 may include the processing module 2001 but not the communication module 2002. Alternatively, the communication device 2000 may include the communication module 2002 but not the processing module 2001. The specific implementation depends on whether the above solution executed by the communication device 2000 includes processing actions and transceiver actions.

[0289] Optionally, the communication device 2000 may further include a storage module, which is not shown in Figure 20. The storage module may be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 2001 may read the instructions and / or data in the storage module to enable the communication device 2000 to implement the aforementioned method embodiment.

[0290] Optionally, the communication module 2002 may include a sending module and a receiving module. The sending module is used to perform the sending operation in the above method embodiment. The receiving module is used to perform the receiving operation in the above method embodiment.

[0291] It should be noted that the communication device 2000 may include a sending module but not a receiving module. Alternatively, the communication device 2000 may include a receiving module but not a sending module. The specific implementation depends on whether the above solution executed by the communication device 2000 includes a sending action and a receiving action.

[0292] Optionally, the communication device 2000 is a chip system, the communication module 2002 may be an input and output interface of a chip (eg, a baseband chip), and the processing unit may be a processor of the chip system.

[0293] In a first implementation manner, the communication device 2000 may be a network device, configured to execute the steps executed by the network device in the aforementioned various method embodiments.

[0294] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 can be configured to receive a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is a signal of a third signal transmitted by a terminal device arriving at the first port via a first transmission path, and the second signal is a signal of the third signal arriving at the first port via a second transmission path, wherein the first transmission path is a transmission path from a first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the second transmission path is a transmission path from a second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line to the first port. The processing module 2001 can be configured to determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path based on the first and second signals, and the TOA corresponding to the first and second transmission paths is used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0295] In one possible implementation, when determining the first arrival time TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the second TOA corresponding to the second transmission path based on the first signal and the second signal, the processing module 2001 is specifically used to: determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path based on first information, the first signal and the second signal, wherein the first information includes the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the second transmission path, and / or the first information includes the power ratio between the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

[0296] In one possible implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the communication module 2002 is also used to receive a fourth signal and a fifth signal, wherein the fourth signal is a signal of the third signal reaching the second port through the third transmission path, and the fifth signal is a signal of the third signal reaching the second port through the fourth transmission path, wherein the third transmission path is the transmission path from the second reference position to the second port, and the fourth transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position to the second port; the processing module 2001 is also used to determine the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path based on the fourth signal and the fifth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0297] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line. Specifically, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplifying device, and the signal amplifying device is used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplifying device.

[0298] In one possible implementation, the communication module 2002 is also used to send the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path to the core network device; or, the processing module 2001 is also used to determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

[0299] In a possible implementation, when determining the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the processing module 2001 is specifically used to: determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the total length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and a first parameter, where the first parameter includes the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line and / or the transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line.

[0300] In a second implementation manner, the communication device 2000 may be a network device, configured to execute the steps executed by the network device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0301] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 can be used to: receive a first signal and a sixth signal, wherein the first signal is a signal of the third signal sent by the terminal device arriving at the first port through the first transmission path, and the sixth signal is a signal of the third signal arriving at the first port through the fifth transmission path, wherein the first transmission path is a transmission path from the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the fifth transmission path is a transmission path from the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel portion of the first transmission line; the processing module 2001 can be used to: determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path based on the first signal and the sixth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0302] In one possible implementation, when determining the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path based on the first signal and the seventh signal, the processing module 2001 is specifically used to: determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path based on second information, the first signal and the sixth signal, wherein the second information includes the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fifth transmission path, and / or the second information includes the power ratio between the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path.

[0303] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the communication module 2002 can also be used to receive a fifth signal and a seventh signal, wherein the fifth signal is a signal of the third signal reaching the second port through the fourth transmission path, and the seventh signal is a signal of the third signal reaching the second port through the sixth transmission path, wherein the fourth transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position to the second port, and the sixth transmission path is the transmission path from the third reference position to the second port; the processing module 2001 can also be used to determine the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path based on the fifth signal and the seventh signal, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0304] In one possible implementation, the communication module 2002 can also be used to send the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path to the core network device; or, the processing module 2001 can also be used to determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path.

[0305] In one possible implementation, when determining the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the processing module 2001 is specifically used to: determine the location information of the terminal device based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the length of the first transmission line, and the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line.

[0306] In a third implementation manner, the communication device 2000 may be a network device, configured to execute the steps executed by the network device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0307] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 can be used to send an eighth signal, a ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, a tenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device; wherein, the ninth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, the tenth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the eighth transmission path, the seventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eighth transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line.

[0308] In one possible implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the communication module 2002 can also be used to send an eleventh signal, and the twelfth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path, and the thirteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device; wherein, the twelfth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the ninth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the ninth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the second reference position, and the tenth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the first reference position.

[0309] In a fourth implementation manner, the communication device 2000 may be a network device, configured to execute the steps executed by the network device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0310] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 can be used to send an eighth signal, a ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, a fourteenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device; wherein, the ninth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, the fourteenth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path, the seventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eleventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel portion of the first transmission line.

[0311] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the communication module 2002 can also be used to send an eleventh signal, and the fifteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path, and the thirteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device; wherein, the fifteenth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the twelfth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the twelfth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the third reference position, and the tenth transmission path is the transmission path from the second port to the first reference position.

[0312] In a fifth implementation manner, the communication device 2000 may be a terminal device, configured to execute the steps executed by the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0313] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 can be configured to: send a third signal, wherein a first signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, and a second signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. The first signal is a signal of the third signal sent by the terminal device arriving at the first port of the network device via the first transmission path, and the second signal is a signal of the third signal arriving at the first port via the second transmission path. The first transmission path is the transmission path from the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the second transmission path is the transmission path from the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line to the first port. The first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel.

[0314] In a sixth implementation manner, the communication device 2000 may be a terminal device, configured to execute the steps executed by the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0315] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 may be configured to: transmit a third signal, wherein a first signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the time of arrival (TOA) corresponding to a first transmission path, and a sixth signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to a fifth transmission path, wherein the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device. The first signal is a signal of the third signal sent by the terminal device arriving at the first port via the first transmission path, and the sixth signal is a signal of the third signal arriving at the first port via the fifth transmission path. The first transmission path is a transmission path from a first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the fifth transmission path is a transmission path from a third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, respectively. The first reference position and the third reference position are located on opposite sides of a parallel portion of the first transmission line. The first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel as a dual transmission line.

[0316] In a seventh implementation manner, the communication device 2000 may be a terminal device, configured to execute the steps executed by the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0317] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 can be used to: receive a ninth signal and a tenth signal, wherein the ninth signal is a signal of the eighth signal sent by the network device reaching the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, and the tenth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the eighth transmission path, the seventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port of the network device to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eighth transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line, wherein the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, and the first transmission line and the second transmission line are arranged in parallel; the processing module 2001 can be used to: determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path according to the ninth signal and the tenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0318] In one possible implementation, when determining the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path based on the ninth signal and the tenth signal, the processing module 2001 is specifically used to: determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path based on the third information, the ninth signal and the tenth signal, wherein the third information includes the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eighth transmission path, and / or the third information includes the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eighth transmission path.

[0319] In one possible implementation, the other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the communication module 2002 is further used to receive a twelfth signal and a thirteenth signal, wherein the twelfth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal sent by the network device reaching the terminal device through the ninth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the ninth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the second reference position, and the tenth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the first reference position; and the processing module 2001 is further used to determine the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path based on the twelfth signal and the thirteenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0320] In a possible implementation, the communication module 2002 is further configured to send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path to the core network device.

[0321] In an eighth implementation manner, the communication device 2000 may be a terminal device, configured to execute the steps executed by the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0322] Exemplarily, the communication module 2002 may be configured to: receive a ninth signal and a fourteenth signal, wherein the ninth signal is a signal of the eighth signal sent by the network device reaching the terminal device via the seventh transmission path; the fourteenth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device via the eleventh transmission path; the seventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to a first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line; the eleventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to a third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line; the first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on either side of a parallel portion of the first transmission line; wherein the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a dual transmission line; and the processing module 2001 may be configured to: determine a TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and a TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path based on the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal, wherein the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0323] In one possible implementation, when determining the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path based on the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal, the processing module 2001 can be used to: determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path based on the sixth information, the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal, wherein the sixth information includes the power value corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the power value corresponding to the eleventh transmission path, and / or the sixth information includes the power ratio between the seventh transmission path and the eleventh transmission path.

[0324] In one possible implementation, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the communication module 2002 is further used to receive a fifteenth signal and a thirteenth signal, wherein the fifteenth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal sent by the network device reaching the terminal device through the twelfth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the twelfth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the third reference position, and the tenth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the first reference position; the processing module 2001 is further used to determine the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path based on the fifteenth signal and the thirteenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0325] In a possible implementation, the communication module 2002 is further configured to send the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path to the core network device.

[0326] It should be understood that a more detailed description of how each module performs the corresponding process can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant descriptions in the aforementioned method embodiments. For the sake of brevity, it is not repeated here.

[0327] The processing module 2001 in the above embodiment can be implemented by at least one processor or processor-related circuits. The communication module 2002 can be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuits. The storage module can be implemented by at least one memory.

[0328] Figure 21 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 2100 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 2100 can implement the functions or steps implemented by the network device or terminal device in the above-mentioned various method embodiments. Exemplarily, the communication device 2100 can be a network device or a component in a network device, or a terminal device or a component in a terminal device. Among them, the communication device 2100 can be a chip system. In the embodiment of the present application, the chip system can be composed of a chip, or it can include a chip and other discrete devices. For specific functions, please refer to the description in the above-mentioned method embodiment.

[0329] The communication device 2100 includes one or more processors 2101, which can be used to implement or support the communication device 2100 in implementing the functions of the network device or terminal device in the method provided in the embodiment of the present application. For details, please refer to the detailed description in the method example, which will not be repeated here.

[0330] Processor 2101, which may also be referred to as a processing unit or processing module, can implement certain control functions. Processor 2101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor. For example, it includes: a central processing unit, an application processor, a modem processor, a graphics processor, an image signal processor, a digital signal processor, a video codec processor, a controller, a memory, and / or a neural network processor. The central processing unit can be used to control the communication device 2100, execute software programs, and / or process data. Different processors can be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors, for example, integrated into one or more application-specific integrated circuits.

[0331] Optionally, the communication device 2100 includes one or more memories 2102 for storing instructions 2104, which can be run on the processor 2101, so that the communication device 2100 performs the method described in the above method embodiment. The memory 2102 and the processor 2101 can be provided separately or integrated together, or the memory 2102 and the processor 2101 can be considered to be coupled. The coupling in the embodiment of the present application is an indirect coupling or communication connection between devices, units or modules, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms for information exchange between devices, units or modules. The processor 2101 may operate in conjunction with the memory 2102. At least one of the at least one memory may be included in the processor. It should be noted that the memory 2102 is not required, so it is illustrated by a dotted line in Figure 21.

[0332] Optionally, data may also be stored in the memory 2102. The processor and memory may be provided separately or integrated together. In an embodiment of the present application, the memory 2102 may be a non-volatile memory, such as a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), etc., or a volatile memory (volatile memory), such as a random access memory (RAM). A memory is any other medium that can be used to carry or store a desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory in the embodiment of the present application may also be a circuit or any other device that can implement a storage function, for storing program instructions and / or data.

[0333] Optionally, the communication device 2100 may include instructions 2103 (sometimes also referred to as codes or programs), which may be executed on the processor to enable the communication device 2100 to perform the methods described in the above embodiments. The processor 2101 may store data.

[0334] Optionally, the communication device 2100 may further include a transceiver 2105 and an antenna 2106. The transceiver 2105 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, a transceiver module, a transceiver, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, an input / output interface, etc., and is configured to implement the transceiver function of the communication device 2100 through the antenna 2106.

[0335] The processor 2101 and transceiver 2105 described in this application can be implemented on an integrated circuit (IC), an analog IC, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFID), a mixed-signal IC, an ASIC, a printed circuit board (PCB), or an electronic device. The communication device described herein can be a standalone device (e.g., a standalone integrated circuit, a mobile phone, etc.), or can be part of a larger device (e.g., a module that can be embedded in other devices). For details, please refer to the aforementioned description of the terminal device and the network device, which will not be repeated here.

[0336] In one possible implementation, the communication device 2100 can implement the behaviors and functions of the network device in the above-described method embodiments. For example, the communication device 2100 can execute the content executed by the network device in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 6, 10, 17, or 18.

[0337] For example, the communication device 2100 receives a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is a signal of a third signal sent by a terminal device arriving at the first port through a first transmission path, and the second signal is a signal of the third signal arriving at the first port through a second transmission path, wherein the first transmission path is a transmission path from a first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the second transmission path is a transmission path from a second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line to the first port; and, based on the first signal and the second signal, determines the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0338] For another example, the communication device 2100 receives a first signal and a sixth signal, wherein the first signal is a signal of the third signal sent by the terminal device arriving at the first port through the first transmission path, and the sixth signal is a signal of the third signal arriving at the first port through the fifth transmission path, wherein the first transmission path is a transmission path from the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the fifth transmission path is a transmission path from the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel portion of the first transmission line; and, based on the first signal and the sixth signal, the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path are determined, and the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0339] For another example, the communication device 2100 sends an eighth signal, and the ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, and the tenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path. The TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0340] For details, please refer to the relevant content of any of the embodiments shown in Figures 6, 10, 17 or 18, which will not be repeated here.

[0341] In another possible implementation, the communication device 2100 can implement the behaviors and functions of the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiments. For example, the communication device 2100 can execute the content executed by the terminal device in any of the embodiments shown in Figures 6, 10, 17, or 18.

[0342] For details, please refer to the relevant content of any of the embodiments shown in Figures 6, 10, 17 or 18, which will not be repeated here.

[0343] For example, the communication device 2100 sends a third signal, the first signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the second signal corresponding to the third signal is used to determine the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0344] For another example, the communication device 2100 receives a ninth signal and a tenth signal, wherein the ninth signal is a signal of the eighth signal sent by the network device reaching the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, and the tenth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the eighth transmission path, the seventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port of the network device to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eighth transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line, wherein the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, and the first transmission line is deployed in parallel with the second transmission line; and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are determined according to the ninth signal and the tenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0345] For another example, the communication device 2100 receives a ninth signal and a fourteenth signal, where the ninth signal is a signal of the eighth signal sent by the network device reaching the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, and the fourteenth signal is a signal of the eighth signal reaching the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path, the seventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eleventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel portion of the first transmission line, wherein the first port of the network device is connected to one end of the first transmission line, and the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a dual transmission line; and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path are determined based on the ninth signal and the fourteenth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

[0346] Optionally, the communication device 2100 may further include one or more of the following components: a wireless communication module, an audio module, an external memory interface, an internal memory, a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a power management module, an antenna, a speaker, a microphone, an input / output module, a sensor module, a motor, a camera, or a display screen, etc. It will be appreciated that in some embodiments, the communication device 2100 may include more or fewer components, or some components may be integrated or some components may be separated. These components may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0347] It should be noted that the communication device in the above embodiments may be a terminal device (or network device) or a circuit, or a chip used in a terminal device (or network device) or other combined devices, components, etc. having the above terminal functions (or network devices). When the communication device is a terminal device (or network device), the transceiver module may be a transceiver, which may include an antenna and a radio frequency circuit, etc., and the processing module may be a processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU). When the communication device is a component having the above terminal device (or network device) functions, the transceiver module may be a radio frequency unit, and the processing module may be a processor. When the communication device is a chip system, the communication device may be a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a system on chip (SoC), a CPU, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processing circuit (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a programmable logic device (PLD), or other integrated chips. The processing module may be a processor of the chip system. The transceiver module or communication interface can be an input / output interface or interface circuit of a chip system. For example, the interface circuit can be a code / data read / write interface circuit. The interface circuit can be used to receive code instructions (the code instructions are stored in a memory, can be read directly from the memory, or can be read from the memory through other devices) and transmit them to the processor; the processor can be used to run the code instructions to execute the method in the above method embodiment. For another example, the interface circuit can also be a signal transmission interface circuit between a communication processor and a transceiver.

[0348] When the communication device is a chip-type device or circuit, the device may include a transceiver unit and a processing unit, wherein the transceiver unit may be an input / output circuit and / or a communication interface; and the processing unit may be an integrated processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit.

[0349] The present application also provides a communication system. Specifically, the communication system includes a network device and a terminal device. Optionally, the communication device may also include a core network device. For details, please refer to the relevant description in the above method embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0350] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer-readable storage medium, comprising program instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the methods or steps of the network device or terminal device in each of the above embodiments.

[0351] An embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, including program instructions, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute the methods or steps of the network device or terminal device in each of the above embodiments.

[0352] An embodiment of the present application provides a chip system including a processor for implementing the functions of the network device or terminal device in the aforementioned method (e.g., executing the corresponding method or steps). The chip system can be composed of a chip or can include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0353] Optionally, the chip system further includes a memory for storing program instructions so that the above-mentioned processor reads and executes them to implement the corresponding method.

[0354] It should be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the serial 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, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application.

[0355] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented using electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professionals and technicians may use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0356] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0357] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0358] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0359] If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the part that essentially contributes to the technical solution of the present application or the part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product, which is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions for enabling a computer device (which can be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the method described in each embodiment of the present application. The aforementioned storage medium includes: various media that can store program codes, such as a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, a read-only memory (ROM), a RAM, a magnetic disk or an optical disk.

[0360] Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A positioning method, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, a first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of a second transmission line, the first transmission line and the second transmission line are arranged in parallel, and the method includes: receiving a first signal and a second signal, wherein the first signal is a signal that a third signal sent by a terminal device arrives at the first port through a first transmission path, and the second signal is a signal that the third signal arrives at the first port through a second transmission path, wherein the first transmission path is a transmission path from a first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the second transmission path is a transmission path from a second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line to the first port; The arrival time TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path are determined according to the first signal and the second signal, and the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that Determining, according to the first signal and the second signal, a first time of arrival TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and a second time of arrival TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, comprising: Determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path based on first information, the first signal and the second signal, wherein the first information includes a power value corresponding to the first transmission path and a power value corresponding to the second transmission path, and / or the first information includes a power ratio between the first transmission path and the second transmission path.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the method further includes: receiving a fourth signal and a fifth signal, wherein the fourth signal is a signal obtained by the third signal reaching the second port through a third transmission path, and the fifth signal is a signal obtained by the third signal reaching the second port through a fourth transmission path, wherein the third transmission path is a transmission path from the second reference position to the second port, and the fourth transmission path is a transmission path from the first reference position to the second port; The TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path are determined according to the fourth signal and the fifth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the third transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, comprising: The other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplifying device, and the signal amplifying device is used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplifying device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path to a core network device; or, The location information of the terminal device is determined according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that Determining the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path includes: The location information of the terminal device is determined based on the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the second transmission path, the total length of the first transmission line and the second transmission line, and a first parameter, wherein the first parameter includes a transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line and / or a transmission speed of the third signal in the second transmission line.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that The first transmission line and the second transmission line are both leaky coaxial cables.

8. A positioning method, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, a first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line, the method comprises: The first signal and the sixth signal are received, wherein the first signal is a signal that a third signal sent by a terminal device reaches the first port through a first transmission path, and the sixth signal is a signal that the third signal reaches the first port through a fifth transmission path, wherein the first transmission path is a transmission path from a first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port, and the fifth transmission path is a transmission path from a third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line to the first port. a transmission path between ports, the first reference position and the third reference position being located at two sides of a parallel portion of the first transmission line respectively; The TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path are determined according to the first signal and the sixth signal, and the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that Determining, according to the first signal and the seventh signal, a TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and a TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, including: Based on the second information, the first signal and the sixth signal, determine the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, wherein the second information includes the power value corresponding to the first transmission path and the power value corresponding to the fifth transmission path, and / or the second information includes the power ratio between the first transmission path and the fifth transmission path.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the method further includes: receiving a fifth signal and a seventh signal, wherein the fifth signal is a signal obtained by the third signal arriving at the second port through a fourth transmission path, and the seventh signal is a signal obtained by the third signal arriving at the second port through a sixth transmission path, wherein the fourth transmission path is a transmission path from the first reference position to the second port, and the sixth transmission path is a transmission path from the third reference position to the second port; The TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path are determined according to the fifth signal and the seventh signal, and the TOA corresponding to the fourth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the sixth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that The method further comprises: Sending the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path to a core network device; or, The location information of the terminal device is determined according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that Determining the location information of the terminal device according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path includes: The location information of the terminal device is determined according to the TOA corresponding to the first transmission path, the TOA corresponding to the fifth transmission path, the length of the first transmission line, and the transmission speed of the third signal in the first transmission line.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, characterized in that The first transmission line is a leaky coaxial cable.

14. A positioning method, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, a first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, the other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of a second transmission line, the first transmission line and the second transmission line are deployed in parallel, and the method includes: sending an eighth signal, wherein a ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine a TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path, a tenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine a TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eighth transmission path are used to determine location information of the terminal device; Among them, the ninth signal is a signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, the tenth signal is a signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the eighth transmission path, the seventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eighth transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the second reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the second transmission line.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that The other end of the second transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the method further includes: sending an eleventh signal, wherein a twelfth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine a TOA corresponding to a ninth transmission path, a thirteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine a TOA corresponding to a tenth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the ninth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine location information of the terminal device; Among them, the twelfth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the ninth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is a signal of the eleventh signal reaching the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the ninth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the second reference position, and the tenth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the first reference position.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line, comprising: The other end of the first transmission line is connected to one end of the second transmission line through a signal amplifying device, and the signal amplifying device is used to amplify the signal passing through the signal amplifying device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, characterized in that The first transmission line and the second transmission line are both leaky coaxial cables.

18. A positioning method, characterized in that: Applied to a network device, a first port of the network device is connected to one end of a first transmission line, the first transmission line is bent and deployed in parallel in the form of a double transmission line, the method comprises: sending an eighth signal, wherein a ninth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine a TOA corresponding to a seventh transmission path, a fourteenth signal corresponding to the eighth signal is used to determine a TOA corresponding to an eleventh transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the seventh transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the eleventh transmission path are used to determine location information of a terminal device; Among them, the ninth signal is a signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the seventh transmission path, the fourteenth signal is a signal that the eighth signal reaches the terminal device through the eleventh transmission path, the seventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the first reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the eleventh transmission path is a transmission path from the first port to the third reference position of the terminal device corresponding to the first transmission line, and the first reference position and the third reference position are respectively located on both sides of the parallel portion of the first transmission line.

19. The method according to claim 18, characterized in that The other end of the first transmission line is connected to the second port of the network device, and the method further includes: sending an eleventh signal, wherein a fifteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine a TOA corresponding to a twelfth transmission path, a thirteenth signal corresponding to the eleventh signal is used to determine a TOA corresponding to a tenth transmission path, and the TOA corresponding to the twelfth transmission path and the TOA corresponding to the tenth transmission path are used to determine the location information of the terminal device; Among them, the fifteenth signal is a signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the twelfth transmission path, the thirteenth signal is a signal that the eleventh signal reaches the terminal device through the tenth transmission path, the twelfth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the third reference position, and the tenth transmission path is a transmission path from the second port to the first reference position.

20. The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that The first transmission line is a leaky coaxial cable.

21. A communication device, characterized in that: including a processor and a memory; The memory is used to store one or more computer programs or instructions, and the processor is used to execute the one or more computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, so that the communication device performs the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 20.

22. A communication system, characterized in that: The method comprises a network device and a terminal device, wherein the network device is used to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20 to obtain the location information of the terminal device.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: A computer program or instruction is stored, and the computer program or instruction is used to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

24. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises a computer program, which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 20.

25. A communication device, characterized in that: Comprising means for executing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 20.

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