Communication method and communication apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication apparatus, which can achieve high-precision positioning. The method comprises: a positioning management device receives first phase difference information, wherein the first phase difference information comprises information obtained by a first device performing difference calculation on first phase information and second phase information, the first phase information is obtained by the first device measuring a first reference signal sent by a terminal device at different moments, and the second phase information is obtained by a second device measuring a second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different moments; and on the basis of the first phase difference information, the positioning management device determines the position of the terminal device.

Description

Communication method and communication device

[0001] This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on December 4, 2023, with application number 202311647995.6 and application name “Communication Method and Communication Device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference into this application. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a communication method and a communication device. Background Art

[0003] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) discussed carrier phase positioning technology in its version 18 (reversion 18, R18) standard. Carrier phase positioning technology is currently one of the main methods for high-precision positioning. It measures the distance with integer ambiguity by measuring the carrier phase change of the reference signal from the transmitter to the receiver.

[0004] Currently, high-precision positioning methods based on carrier phase accumulated delta range (ADR) can achieve high-precision positioning by continuously tracking the carrier phase over time. The main process is: the base station measures the phase of the reference signal sent by the terminal device at time 1 and time 2 to obtain the ADR. However, due to clock drift and / or random initial phase deviation in the terminal device, the ADR is biased, which in turn leads to deviations in the terminal device's position calculation, making it impossible to achieve high-precision positioning of the terminal device.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication method and a communication device that can achieve high-precision positioning.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a positioning management device, or by a component of the positioning management device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the positioning management device, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the positioning management device. Taking the method that can be executed by the positioning management device as an example, the method includes: the positioning management device receives first phase differential information, the first phase differential information including information obtained by the first device performing a differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information, the first phase information being obtained by the first device measuring a first reference signal sent by a terminal device at different times, and the second phase information being obtained by the second device measuring a second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; the positioning management device determines the location of the terminal device based on the first phase differential information.

[0009] In the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, a first device sends first phase differential information to a positioning management device, so that the positioning management device can determine the location of the terminal device based on the first phase differential information. Because the first phase differential information sent by the first device to the positioning management device is information that has undergone differential calculation by the first device to eliminate the effects of a random initial phase and / or clock drift, the position of the terminal device determined by the positioning management device can be more accurate, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

[0010] In an embodiment of the present application, the first phase differential information also includes an identifier of the second device. In this solution, by including the identifier of the second device in the first phase differential information, the first device can inform the positioning management device that the first phase differential information is obtained by performing a differential calculation between the first device's own first phase information and the second phase information from the second device.

[0011] In an embodiment of the present application, the first phase information includes one or more of the following: a first reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a first reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a first accumulated distance / phase change ADR, first time information, and second time information, where the first time information and the second time information are respectively used to indicate different times at which the terminal device transmits the first reference signal, or different times at which the first device measures the first reference signal. This solution enables the first device to obtain one or more pieces of information by measuring the first reference signal transmitted by the terminal device at different times.

[0012] In this embodiment of the present application, the second phase information includes one or more of the following: a second reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a second reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a second accumulated distance / phase change ADR, first time information and second time information, where the first time information and the second time information are respectively used to indicate different times at which the terminal device transmits the second reference signal, or different times at which the second device measures the second reference signal. This solution enables the second device to obtain one or more pieces of information by measuring the second reference signal transmitted by the terminal device at different times.

[0013] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a first device, or by a component of the first device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the first device, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first device. Taking the method as an example where the method can be executed by the first device, the method includes: the first device receiving second phase information from the second device, where the second phase information is obtained by the second device measuring a second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; and the first device sending first phase difference information to the positioning management device, where the first phase difference information includes information obtained by the first device performing a differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information, where the first phase information is obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times.

[0014] In the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, a first device sends first phase differential information to a positioning management device, so that the positioning management device can determine the location of the terminal device based on the first phase differential information. Because the first phase differential information sent by the first device to the positioning management device is information that has undergone differential calculation by the first device to eliminate the effects of a random initial phase and / or clock drift, the position of the terminal device determined by the positioning management device can be more accurate, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present application, the first phase differential information also includes an identifier of the second device. In this solution, by including the identifier of the second device in the first phase differential information, the first device can inform the positioning management device that the first phase differential information is obtained by performing a differential calculation between the first device's own first phase information and the second phase information from the second device.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present application, the first phase information includes one or more of the following: a first reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a first reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a first accumulated distance / phase change ADR, first time information, and second time information, where the first time information and the second time information are respectively used to indicate different times at which the terminal device transmits the first reference signal, or different times at which the first device measures the first reference signal. This solution enables the positioning management device to determine one or more pieces of information obtained by the first device by measuring the first reference signal transmitted by the terminal device at different times.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present application, the second phase information includes one or more of the following: a second reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a second reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a second accumulated distance / phase change ADR, first time information, and second time information, where the first time information and the second time information are respectively used to indicate different times at which the terminal device transmits the second reference signal, or different times at which the second device measures the second reference signal. This solution enables the positioning management device to determine one or more pieces of information obtained by the second device measuring the second reference signal transmitted by the terminal device at different times.

[0018] In a third aspect, a communication method is provided. The method can be executed by a positioning management device, or by a component of the positioning management device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the positioning management device, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the positioning management device. Taking the method that can be executed by the positioning management device as an example, the method includes: the positioning management device receives first phase information and second phase information, the first phase information being obtained by the first device measuring a first reference signal sent by a terminal device at different times, and the second phase information being obtained by the second device measuring a second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; the positioning management device performs a differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information to obtain first phase differential information; and the positioning management device determines the location of the terminal device based on the first phase differential information.

[0019] In the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, a positioning management device receives first phase information from a first device and second phase information from a second device, so that the positioning management device can perform a differential calculation based on the first and second phase information to obtain first phase differential information, and then determine the location of the terminal device based on the first phase differential information. Because the first phase differential information is information obtained by the positioning management device through differential calculation, eliminating the effects of random initial phases and / or clock drift, the terminal device's position determined by the positioning management device can be more accurate, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

[0020] In an embodiment of the present application, the first phase information includes one or more of the following: a first reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a first reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a first accumulated distance / phase change ADR, first time information, and second time information, where the first time information and the second time information are respectively used to indicate different times at which the terminal device transmits the first reference signal, or different times at which the first device measures the first reference signal. This solution enables the first device to obtain one or more pieces of information by measuring the first reference signal transmitted by the terminal device at different times.

[0021] In this embodiment of the present application, the second phase information includes one or more of the following: a second reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a second reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a second accumulated distance / phase change ADR, first time information and second time information, where the first time information and the second time information are respectively used to indicate different times at which the terminal device transmits the second reference signal, or different times at which the second device measures the second reference signal. This solution enables the first device to obtain one or more pieces of information obtained by the second device from measuring the second reference signal transmitted by the terminal device at different times.

[0022] In a fourth aspect, a communication method is provided. This method can be performed by a second device, or by a component of the second device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the second device. It can also be implemented by a logic module or software that implements all or part of the functions of the second device. For example, if this method can be performed by the second device, the method includes: the second device determining second phase information, where the second phase information is obtained by the second device measuring a second reference signal sent by a terminal device at different times; and the second device sending the second phase information to the first device.

[0023] In the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application, the second device measures the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times to obtain second phase information and sends the second phase information to the first device, so that the first device can obtain the second phase information.

[0024] In this embodiment of the present application, the second phase information includes one or more of the following: a second reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a second reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a second accumulated distance / phase change ADR, first time information and second time information, where the first time information and the second time information are respectively used to indicate different times at which the terminal device transmits the second reference signal, or different times at which the second device measures the second reference signal. This solution enables the second device to obtain one or more pieces of information by measuring the second reference signal transmitted by the terminal device at different times.

[0025] In a fifth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing the various methods described above. The communication device may be the positioning management device of the first or third aspect, or a device included in the positioning management device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the first device of the second aspect, or a device included in the first device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second device of the fourth aspect, or a device included in the second device, such as a chip.

[0026] The communication device includes modules, units, or means corresponding to the above-mentioned method, which can be implemented by hardware, software, or hardware executing corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above-mentioned functions.

[0027] In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a communication module. The communication module may include an output module (or a sending module) and an input module (or a receiving module), respectively configured to implement the output (or sending) and input (or receiving) functions of any of the above aspects and any possible designs thereof. The processing module may be configured to implement the processing functions of any of the above aspects and any possible designs thereof.

[0028] Optionally, the communication device further includes a storage module for storing program instructions and data.

[0029] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor configured to execute a computer program or instruction, or to cause the communication device to execute the method described in any of the above aspects through a logic circuit. The communication device may be the positioning management device described in the first or third aspect, or a device included in the positioning management device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the first device described in the second aspect, or a device included in the first device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second device described in the fourth aspect, or a device included in the second device, such as a chip.

[0030] In some possible designs, the communication device further includes a memory for storing computer instructions and / or configuration files of logic circuits. Optionally, the memory is integrated with the processor, or the memory is independent of the processor.

[0031] In one possible design, the communication device further includes a communication interface for inputting and / or outputting signals.

[0032] In some possible designs, the communication interface is an interface circuit for reading and writing computer instructions. For example, the interface circuit is used to receive computer execution instructions (computer execution instructions are stored in a memory, may be read directly from the memory, or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

[0033] In some possible designs, the communication interface is used to communicate with modules outside the communication device.

[0034] In some possible designs, the communication device may be a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, the chip system may include a chip or may include a chip and other discrete devices.

[0035] In a seventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a logic circuit and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is configured to input and / or output information; and the logic circuit is configured to execute the method described in any of the above aspects, processing the input information and / or generating output information. The communication device may be the positioning management device described in the first or third aspect, or a device included in the positioning management device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the first device described in the second aspect, or a device included in the first device, such as a chip; or the communication device may be the second device described in the fourth aspect, or a device included in the second device, such as a chip.

[0036] In an eighth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a processor, the method described in any one of the above aspects is executed.

[0037] In a ninth aspect, a computer program product is provided, which, when executed by a processor, enables the method described in any one of the above aspects to be executed.

[0038] It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any one of the fifth to seventh aspects is a chip, the above-mentioned sending action / function can be understood as output information, and the above-mentioned receiving action / function can be understood as input information.

[0039] Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design method in the fifth to seventh aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by the different design methods in the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects, and will not be repeated here.

[0040] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes a positioning management device, a first device, and a second device.

[0041] Optionally, the communication system further includes a third device.

[0042] In a possible communication system, a first device is used to receive second phase information from a second device and send first phase differential information to a positioning management device, the second phase information is obtained by the second device measuring a second reference signal sent by a terminal device at different times, the first phase differential information includes information obtained by the first device performing a differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information, and the first phase differential information is obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; the second device is used to determine the second phase information and send the second phase information to the first device and a third device; the third device is used to receive the second phase information from the second device and send the second phase differential information to the positioning management device, the second phase differential information includes information obtained by the third device performing a differential calculation on the second phase information and the third phase information, and the third phase information is obtained by the third device measuring the third reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; the positioning management device is used to receive the first phase differential information from the first device and the second phase differential information from the third device and determine the position of the terminal device based on the first phase differential information and the second phase differential information.

[0043] In another possible communication system, the first device is used to send first phase information to the positioning management device, where the first phase information is obtained by the first device measuring a first reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; the second device is used to send second phase information to the positioning management device, where the second phase information is obtained by the second device measuring a second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; the third device is used to send third phase information to the positioning management device, where the third phase information is obtained by the third device measuring a third reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; the positioning management device is used to receive the first phase information from the first device, the second phase information from the second device, and the third phase information from the third device and perform differential calculation on the first phase information, the second phase information, and the third phase information to determine the first phase differential information and the second phase differential information; the positioning management device is also used to determine the position of the terminal device based on the first phase differential information and the second phase differential information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a UL-based positioning process;

[0045] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of three-side positioning based on TDOA;

[0046] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of carrier phase positioning;

[0047] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0048] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of an example of the relationship between various devices or network elements when the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application is applied in an NR system;

[0049] FIG6 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0050] FIG7 is a schematic diagram of a process of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0051] FIG8 is a schematic diagram of an example of interaction between a first device, a second device, and a third device;

[0052] FIG9 is a schematic diagram of another example of interaction between the first device, the second device, and the third device;

[0053] FIG10 is a schematic diagram of another example of interaction between the first device, the second device, and the third device;

[0054] FIG11 is a schematic diagram of a process of another example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG12 is a schematic diagram of a process of another example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0057] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, " / " indicates that the objects associated before and after are in an "or" relationship, for example, A / B can represent A or B; "and / or" in this application is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

[0058] In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following items" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b and / or c can be represented by: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, c can be single or plural.

[0059] In addition, to facilitate the clear description of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, the words "first" and "second" are used to distinguish between identical or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art will understand that the words "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the words "first" and "second" do not necessarily mean different.

[0060] In the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being preferred or advantageous over other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner to facilitate understanding.

[0061] It will be understood that the “embodiment” mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It will be understood that in the various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process 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 embodiment of the present application.

[0062] It can be understood that in this application, "when" and "if" both mean that corresponding processing will be taken under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time, nor do they require any judgment action when implementing, nor do they mean that there are other limitations.

[0063] It is understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may, in certain scenarios, be implemented independently of other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features in certain scenarios as needed. Accordingly, the devices provided in the embodiments of the present application may also implement these features or functions accordingly, which will not be described in detail here.

[0064] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can refer to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified and there is no logical conflict, the terms and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. The following description of the embodiments of this application does not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0065] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the relevant technologies of the present application is first given.

[0066] 1. Positioning technology based on uplink (UL).

[0067] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the process based on UL positioning. As shown in Figure 1, the process includes:

[0068] S110: A location management function (LMF) sends a location information request to a serving base station. Correspondingly, the serving base station receives the location information request from the LMF.

[0069] The positioning information request is used to request positioning information, and the positioning information is, for example, configuration information of an uplink positioning reference signal. Exemplarily, the configuration information of the uplink positioning reference signal includes relevant parameters for receiving the uplink positioning reference signal by the serving base station and the neighboring base station, such as the time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources for receiving the uplink positioning reference signal by the serving base station and the neighboring base station. Exemplarily, the uplink positioning reference signal can be a sounding reference signal (SRS) or other reference signal, which is not limited in this application.

[0070] S120: The serving base station sends a positioning information response to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives the positioning information response from the serving base station.

[0071] The positioning information response includes positioning information.

[0072] S130: The serving base station sends positioning information to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the positioning information from the serving base station.

[0073] It should be noted that there is no order of precedence for S120 and S130.

[0074] S140: The LMF sends a measurement request to the serving base station and the neighboring base station. Correspondingly, the serving base station and the neighboring base station receive the measurement request from the LMF.

[0075] The measurement request is used to request the serving base station and the neighboring base station to measure the uplink positioning reference signal respectively.

[0076] S150: The terminal device sends an uplink positioning reference signal to the serving base station and the neighboring base station, respectively. Correspondingly, the serving base station and the neighboring base station receive the uplink positioning reference signal from the terminal device, respectively.

[0077] In an embodiment of the present application, after receiving the positioning information, the terminal device can trigger the sending of uplink positioning reference signals to the serving base station and the neighboring base station respectively.

[0078] S160: The serving base station and the neighboring base station send measurement information to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives the measurement information from the serving base station and the neighboring base station.

[0079] Among them, the measurement information sent by the serving base station to the LMF is obtained by the serving base station measuring the uplink positioning reference signal sent by the terminal equipment to the serving base station, and the measurement information sent by the neighboring base station to the LMF is obtained by the neighboring base station measuring the uplink positioning reference signal sent by the terminal equipment to the neighboring base station.

[0080] S170, LMF determines the location of the terminal device based on the measurement information sent by the serving base station and the neighboring base station.

[0081] Second, positioning technology based on UL time difference of arrival (TDOA).

[0082] Based on the positioning process described in the above-mentioned related technology 1, the calculation process of determining the position of the terminal device according to the TDOA in the measurement information will be specifically introduced below. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of three-sided positioning based on TDOA. As shown in Figure 2, taking the calculation of the position of the terminal device according to the TDOA of the uplink positioning reference signals corresponding to the three base stations as an example, it is assumed that the positions of the three base stations are known, the coordinates of base station 1 are (x1, y1), the coordinates of base station 2 are (x2, y2), the coordinates of base station 3 are (x3, y3), and the coordinates of the target to be positioned (i.e., the terminal device) are (x UE ,y UE ). Among them, base station 1 is used as the reference base station, and the location of the terminal device can be determined by formula (1) and formula (2). Formula (1) and formula (2) are as follows:

[0083] Where, Δt 21 The time difference between the arrival time of the uplink positioning reference signal at base station 1 and the arrival time at base station 2, Δt 31 represents the time difference between the arrival time of the uplink positioning reference signal at base station 1 and the arrival time at base station 3, c represents the speed of light, and by solving equations (1) and (2) together, we can obtain (x UE ,y UE ), that is, the location of the target (terminal device) to be located.

[0084] It should be noted that, in practical applications, due to the existence of measurement errors, the above equations (1) and (2) generally have no closed-form solutions. The optimal solutions of the above equations can be obtained by using the least squares algorithm or a classical optimization algorithm such as a particle swarm filter algorithm. This application does not limit this.

[0085] 3. Positioning technology based on carrier phase.

[0086] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of carrier phase positioning. As shown in FIG3 , the carrier phase positioning technology is to measure the distance with integer ambiguity by measuring the carrier phase change of the reference signal from the transmitter to the receiver. The integer ambiguity is the number of complete cycles of the reference signal transmitted in space. Specifically, the integer ambiguity is the integer unknown corresponding to the first observation value of the phase difference between the carrier phase value and the initial phase value. It can be understood that the integer ambiguity can be solved by a variety of mathematical methods, such as the least square ambiguity decorrelation adjustment (LAMBDA), the fast ambiguity algorithm, the integer ambiguity function method, the classical undetermined coefficient method, or the Doppler method (also known as the three-difference method), etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0087] For example, the reference signal is a radio frequency signal with a frequency of 3 GHz, and its corresponding carrier wavelength is 0.1 m. Therefore, when the integer ambiguity of the carrier phase can be correctly solved, the accuracy of the carrier phase positioning technology can theoretically reach the centimeter or millimeter level, thereby obtaining high-precision positioning results.

[0088] The distance between the transmitter and the receiver can be determined using carrier phase positioning technology as shown in formula (3):

[0089] Where d represents the distance between the transmitter and the receiver. represents the carrier phase measurement value, N represents the integer ambiguity, which is an integer, and λ represents the carrier wavelength.

[0090] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 4, the communication system includes: a positioning management device, a first device, a second device and at least one terminal device. Optionally, the communication system also includes a third device. Figure 4 illustrates that the communication system includes a terminal device. In one possible implementation, the first device, the second device, and the third device in the communication system can be communication nodes (such as a transmission and receiving point (TRP)) managed by a network device; in another possible implementation, the first device, the second device, and the third device in the communication system can be a network device.

[0091] The positioning management device is used to determine the position of the terminal device based on the phase difference information, and optionally, is also used to perform differential calculation based on the phase information to obtain the phase difference information.

[0092] The first device, the second device, and the third device are used to measure the reference signal sent by the terminal device to obtain phase information, and optionally, to perform differential calculation on the phase information to obtain phase differential information.

[0093] Terminal device, used for sending a reference signal.

[0094] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to the fifth generation mobile communication (5th generation, 5G) system or the new radio (NR) system. The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems. For example: LTE system, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, LTE time division duplex (TDD) system, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), world-wide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, etc. Among them, the 5G system involved in the present application includes a non-standalone (NSA) NR system or a standalone (SA) NR system. The technical solutions provided in the present application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as the sixth generation mobile communication system. The communication system can also be a public land mobile network (PLMN) network, a D2D communication system, a machine to machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT) communication system or other communication systems.

[0095] Optionally, the terminal device involved in the present application may be a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, a terminal unit, a user station, a terminal station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a user terminal terminal equipment, a mobile device, a wireless communication device, a terminal agent, a tablet computer (pad), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a vehicle-mounted transceiver unit, a wearable device, and the access terminal may be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a drone, a robot, a smart point of sale (POS) machine, a customer-premises equipment (CPE) or a wearable device, a virtual reality (VR) device. The terminal may include wireless terminals in industrial control, self-driving, remote medical, smart grid, transportation safety, smart city, and smart home applications. Alternatively, the terminal may be a terminal with communication capabilities in the Internet of Things (IoT), such as a terminal in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication (e.g., an IoV device), a terminal in device-to-device (D2D) communication, or a terminal in machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. The terminal may be mobile or fixed.

[0096] Optionally, the network device involved in the present application may be an evolved base station (NodeB or eNB or e-NodeB, evolutionary Node B) in a long term evolution (LTE) system or an enhanced LTE (LTE-advanced, LTE-A) system, such as a traditional macro base station eNB and a micro base station eNB in ​​a heterogeneous network scenario. Alternatively, it may include a next generation node B (gNB) in a new radio (NR) system. Alternatively, it may include a transmission reception point (TRP), a home base station (e.g., home evolved NodeB, or home Node B, HNB), a base band unit (BBU), a base band pool (BBUpool), or a wireless fidelity (WiFi) access point (AP), etc. Alternatively, it may include a base station in a non-terrestrial network (NTN), that is, it may be deployed on an aircraft or satellite. In the NTN, the network device or access device may serve as a layer 1 (L1) relay, or as a base station, or as an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. Alternatively, the first network device may be a device that implements base station functions in the IoT, such as a device that implements base station functions in drone communications, V2X, D2D, or machine-to-machine (M2M) communications.

[0097] In some possible scenarios, the network device may also be a module or unit that can implement some functions of the base station. For example, the first network device may be a centralized unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). The CU and DU may be set separately, or may be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU may 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).

[0098] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU or RU may also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings. For example, the first network device may be a network device or a module of a network device in an open radio access network (open RAN, ORAN) system. In the ORAN system, CU may also be referred to as open (open, O)-CU, DU may also be referred to as O-DU, CU-CP may also be referred to as O-CU-CP, CU-UP may also be referred to as O-CU-UP, and RU may also be referred to as O-RU. Any of the CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU and RU in this application may be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module.

[0099] Optionally, the base station in the embodiment of the present application may include various forms of base stations, such as: macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, home base stations, TRPs, transmitting points (TPs), mobile switching centers, etc., and the embodiments of the present application do not make specific limitations on this.

[0100] Optionally, the positioning management device in the embodiment of the present application can be an LMF network element, a location management unit (LMU), a location management component (LMC), an LMC integrated on the RAN side, a local location management function (LLMF) network element located in the NG-RAN device, an enhanced serving mobile location center (E-SMLC), a secure user plane location platform (SLP), a positioning server, or a navigation server, etc., or it can be a chip (system) that can be set in an LMF network element, E-SMLC, SLP, positioning server, or navigation server, or other components with the function of a positioning management network element.

[0101] It is understandable that the above functions can be network elements in hardware devices, software functions running on dedicated hardware, or a combination of hardware and software, or virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform).

[0102] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of an example of the relationship between various devices or network elements when the communication method provided by an embodiment of the present application is applied in an NR system. As shown in Figure 5, the terminal device is connected to the NG-RAN device via the LTE-Uu and / or NR-Uu interface via the ng-eNB and gNB; the NG-RAN device is connected to the 5G core network (5G core, 5GC) via the NG-C interface. Among them, the NG-RAN device includes one or more ng-eNBs (Figure 5 uses an ng-eNB as an example); the NG-RAN device may also include one or more gNBs (Figure 5 uses a gNB as an example). The ng-eNB is an LTE base station accessing the 5GC, and the gNB is a 5G base station accessing the 5GC. The 5GC includes an AMF network element and a LMF network element. Among them, the AMF network element is used to implement functions such as access management, and the LMF network element is used to interact with the terminal device or the NG-RAN device to implement various functions (such as positioning functions). The AMF network element and the LMF network element are connected via the NLs interface.

[0103] Furthermore, the control plane interface between 5GC and NG RAN equipment is the N2 interface, the user plane interface between 5GC and NG-RAN is the N3 interface, and the interface between gNBs is the Xn interface.

[0104] The functions of the terminal device, the first device, the second device, the third device, and the positioning management device involved in this application can be implemented by the communication device 600 in Figure 6. Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 600 provided in an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 600 includes one or more processors 601, a communication line 602, and at least one communication interface (Figure 6 is only exemplary and is described by taking the communication interface 604 and one processor 601 as an example), and optionally may also include a memory 603.

[0105] The processor 601 can be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of the program of the present application.

[0106] The communication line 602 may include a path for connecting different components.

[0107] The communication interface 604 may be a transceiver module for communicating with other devices or communication networks, such as Ethernet, RAN, or wireless local area networks (WLAN). For example, the transceiver module may be a device such as a transceiver or a transceiver. Alternatively, the communication interface 604 may be a transceiver circuit within the processor 601, which is used to implement signal input and output to the processor.

[0108] The memory 603 may be a device having a storage function. For example, it may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and instructions, a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compact discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer, but is not limited thereto. The memory may be independent and connected to the processor via a communication line 602. The memory may also be integrated with the processor.

[0109] The memory 603 is used to store computer-executable instructions for executing the solution of the present application, and the execution is controlled by the processor 601. The processor 601 is used to execute the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603, thereby implementing the communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

[0110] Alternatively, optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the processor 601 may also perform processing-related functions in the communication method provided in the following embodiments of the present application, and the communication interface 604 is responsible for communicating with other devices or communication networks, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0111] Optionally, the computer-executable instructions in the embodiments of the present application may also be referred to as application code, which is not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

[0112] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the processor 601 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in FIG6 .

[0113] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 600 may include multiple processors, such as the processor 607 and the processor 601 in FIG6 . Each of these processors may be a single-core processor or a multi-core processor. The processors here may include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller unit (MCU), or an artificial intelligence processor, etc., and each computing device may include one or more cores for executing software instructions to perform calculations or processing.

[0114] In a specific implementation, as an embodiment, the communication device 600 may further include an output device 605 and an input device 606. The output device 605 communicates with the processor 601 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 605 can be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 606 communicates with the processor 601 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 606 can be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

[0115] The communication device 600 described above may also sometimes be referred to as a communication device, and may be a general-purpose device or a dedicated device. For example, the communication device 600 may be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a network server, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal device, an embedded device, the aforementioned terminal, the aforementioned network device, or a device having a similar structure to that shown in FIG6 . The embodiments of the present application do not limit the type of the communication device 600.

[0116] In addition, the composition structure shown in FIG6 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to the components shown in FIG6, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or arrange the components differently.

[0117] The communication method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described below in conjunction with the communication system shown in Figure 4 or Figure 5.

[0118] It should be noted that in the following embodiments of the present application, the message names, parameter names, or information names between network elements are only examples. In other embodiments, they may also be other names. The communication method provided in this application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0119] It is understood that in the embodiments of the present application, each network element may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of the present application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, the steps may be performed in a different order than those presented in the embodiments of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiments of the present application need to be performed.

[0120] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of the process of an example of a communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is explained by taking the interaction between the first device (optionally, the second device, the third device) and the positioning management device as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the action of the first device or the second device or the third device in the method can also be a device / module in the first device or the second device or the third device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the first device or the second device or the third device; the subject that executes the action of the positioning management device in the method can also be a device / module in the positioning management device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the positioning management device, and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this. The processing performed by a single execution subject in the embodiment of the present application can also be divided into executions by multiple execution subjects, and these execution subjects can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, the processing performed by the first device or the second device or the third device can be divided into executions by at least one of CU, DU and RU. As shown in Figure 7, the method 700 includes:

[0121] S710: The first device sends first phase difference information to the positioning management device. Correspondingly, the positioning management device receives the first phase difference information from the first device.

[0122] Exemplarily, the first device in the embodiment of the present application is, for example, the ng-eNB or gNB in ​​Figure 5, and the positioning management device in the embodiment of the present application is, for example, the LMF in Figure 5.

[0123] In an embodiment of the present application, the first phase differential information includes information obtained by the first device performing a differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information. Optionally, the first phase differential information also includes: an identifier of the second device. By carrying the identifier of the second device in the first phase differential information, the first device can enable the positioning management device to know that the first phase differential information is obtained by the first device performing a differential calculation on its own first phase information and the second phase information from the second device. Optionally, the measurement request sent by the positioning management device to the first device includes the identifier of the second device, which is used to instruct the first device to perform a differential calculation on the first phase information obtained by measuring the first reference signal sent by its own terminal device at different times and the second phase information obtained by measuring the second reference signal sent by the second device at different times, wherein the measurement request sent by the positioning management device to the first device can refer to the relevant description of S140 in the related technology one and will not be repeated here.

[0124] In an embodiment of the present application, the first phase information is obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times. The first phase information may include one or more of the following: a first reference signal carrier phase (RSCP), a first reference signal carrier phase difference (RSCPD), a first accumulated delta range (ADR), a first accumulated phase change, first moment information, and second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the terminal device sends the first reference signal, that is, the first moment information indicates the first moment among the different moments when the terminal device sends the first reference signal, and the second moment information indicates the second moment among the different moments when the terminal device sends the first reference signal, or the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the first device measures the first reference signal, that is, the first moment information indicates the first device measures a third moment among the different moments when the first reference signal is sent, and the second moment information indicates the first device measures a fourth moment among the different moments when the first reference signal is sent.

[0125] It can be understood that there is a link delay between the terminal device and the first device, so there is a delay between the moment when the terminal device sends the first reference signal and the moment when the first device measures the first reference signal.

[0126] In an embodiment of the present application, the first RSCP may include the RSCP obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at the first moment, and / or the RSCP obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at the second moment; the first RSCPD may include the difference between the RSCP obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at the first moment and the RSCP obtained by the first device measuring the fourth reference signal sent by the terminal device at the first moment; the first accumulated phase change may include the RSCP obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at the first moment and the difference between the RSCP obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at the second moment; the first ADR may be calculated by the first device based on the first accumulated phase change.

[0127] It should be noted that the first reference signal and the fourth reference signal are the names of the reference signals sent by the terminal device to the first device. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources occupied by the first reference signal and the fourth reference signal. The first reference signal and the fourth reference signal sent by the terminal device to the first device at the first moment are signals occupying different frequency domain resources, and the first reference signal sent by the terminal device to the first device at the first moment and the second moment respectively are signals occupying different time domain resources.

[0128] In an embodiment of the present application, the second phase information is obtained by the second device measuring the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times. The second phase information may include one or more of the following: a second RSCP, a second RSCPD, a second ADR, a second accumulated phase change, first moment information, and second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate the different moments at which the terminal device sends the second reference signal, that is, the first moment information indicates the first moment among the different moments at which the terminal device sends the second reference signal, and the second moment information indicates the second moment among the different moments at which the terminal device sends the second reference signal, or the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate the different moments at which the second device measures the second reference signal, that is, the first moment information indicates the third moment among the different moments at which the second reference signal is measured, and the second moment information indicates the fourth moment among the different moments at which the second reference signal is measured.

[0129] It can be understood that there is a link delay between the terminal device and the second device, so there is a delay between the moment when the terminal device sends the second reference signal and the moment when the second device measures the second reference signal.

[0130] In an embodiment of the present application, the second RSCP may include the RSCP obtained by the second device measuring the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at the first moment, and / or the RSCP obtained by the second device measuring the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at the second moment; the second RSCPD may include the difference between the RSCP obtained by the second device measuring the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at the second moment and the RSCP obtained by the second device measuring the fifth reference signal sent by the terminal device at the second moment; the second accumulated phase change may include the RSCP obtained by the second device measuring the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at the first moment and the difference between the RSCP obtained by the second device measuring the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at the second moment; the second ADR may be calculated by the second device based on the second accumulated phase change.

[0131] It should be noted that the second reference signal and the fifth reference signal are the names of the reference signals sent by the terminal device to the second device. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the time domain resources and / or frequency domain resources occupied by the second reference signal and the fifth reference signal. The second reference signal and the fifth reference signal sent by the terminal device to the second device at the first moment are signals occupying different frequency domain resources, and the second reference signal sent by the terminal device to the second device at the first moment and the second moment respectively are signals occupying different time domain resources.

[0132] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, the first phase difference information includes a difference between the first accumulated phase change and the second accumulated phase change, and / or the first phase difference information includes a difference between the first ADR and the second ADR.

[0133] The first phase information and the second phase information involved in the embodiments of the present application will be specifically introduced below through specific examples.

[0134] For the first phase information:

[0135] Exemplarily, the phase value obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at the first moment can be determined by formula (4). Formula (4) is as follows:

[0136] in, It indicates that the first RSCP obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at the first moment, represents the transmission delay between the terminal device and the first device at the first moment, represents the time synchronization error between the terminal device and the first device, δ ue (t1) represents the clock drift of the terminal device at the first moment, φ t (t1) represents the random initial phase error of the terminal device at the first moment, φ(1) represents the random initial phase error of the first device, Represents the phase integer ambiguity between the terminal device and the first device at the first moment.

[0137] Exemplarily, the phase value obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at the second moment can be determined by formula (5). Formula (5) is as follows:

[0138] in, Indicates that the first device measures the phase value of the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at the second moment, represents the transmission delay between the terminal device and the first device at the second moment, represents the time synchronization error between the terminal device and the first device, δ ue (t2) represents the clock drift of the terminal device at the second moment, φ t (t2) represents the random initial phase error of the terminal device at the second moment, φ (1) represents the random initial phase error of the first device, Represents the phase integer ambiguity between the terminal device and the first device at the second moment.

[0139] Furthermore, the first cumulative phase change in time from the first moment to the second moment can be determined by formula (6). Formula (6) is as follows:

[0140] Where Δφ1 represents the first cumulative phase change in time from the first moment to the second moment obtained by the first device, -cδ ue (t1)+cδ ue (t2) represents the clock drift deviation of the terminal device at the first moment and the second moment, -φ t (t1)+φ t (t2) represents the random initial phase deviation value of the terminal device at the first moment and the second moment, represents the phase integer ambiguity difference between the terminal device and the first device at the second moment and the first moment, This can be determined by the number of jumps.

[0141] Furthermore, the first ADR from the first device to the terminal device corresponding to the first accumulated phase change in time from the first moment to the second moment can be determined by formula (7). Formula (7) is as follows:

[0142] Wherein, Δd1 represents the first ADR corresponding to the first accumulated phase change, and λ represents the wavelength.

[0143] For the second phase information:

[0144] Exemplarily, the phase value obtained by the second device measuring the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at the first moment can be determined by formula (8). Formula (8) is as follows:

[0145] in, Indicates a second RSCP obtained by the second device measuring a second reference signal sent by the terminal device at the first moment, represents the transmission delay between the terminal device and the second device at the first moment, represents the time synchronization error between the terminal device and the first device, δ ue (t1) represents the clock drift of the terminal device at the first moment, φ t (t1) represents the random initial phase error of the terminal device at the first moment, φ (2) represents the random initial phase error of the second device, Represents the phase integer ambiguity between the terminal device and the second device at the first moment.

[0146] Exemplarily, the phase value obtained by the second device measuring the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at the second moment can be determined by formula (9). Formula (9) is as follows:

[0147] in, Indicates that the second device measures the phase value of the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at the second moment, represents the transmission delay between the terminal device and the second device at the second moment, represents the time synchronization error between the terminal device and the second device, δ ue (t2) represents the clock drift of the terminal device at the second moment, φ t (t2) represents the random initial phase error of the terminal device at the second moment, φ (2) represents the random initial phase error of the second device, Represents the phase integer ambiguity between the terminal device and the second device at the second moment.

[0148] Furthermore, the second cumulative phase change in time from the first moment to the second moment can be determined by formula (10). Formula (10) is as follows:

[0149] Wherein, Δφ2 represents the second cumulative phase change in time from the first moment to the second moment obtained by the second device, -cδ ue (t1)+cδ ue (t2) represents the clock drift deviation of the terminal device at the first moment and the second moment, -φt (t1)+φ t (t2) represents the random initial phase deviation value of the terminal device at the first moment and the second moment, represents the phase integer ambiguity difference between the terminal device and the second device at the second moment and the first moment, This can be determined by the number of jumps.

[0150] Furthermore, the second ADR corresponding to the second accumulated phase change can be determined by formula (11). Formula (11) is as follows:

[0151] Wherein, Δd2 represents the second ADR corresponding to the second accumulated phase change, and λ represents the wavelength.

[0152] Combined with the above description of the first phase information and the second phase information, the first phase difference information obtained by the first device performing a differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information can be determined by formula (12). Formula (12) is as follows: Δφ 12 =Δφ1-Δφ2 Formula (12)

[0153] Alternatively, the first phase difference information obtained by the first device performing a differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information can be determined by formula (13). Formula (13) is as follows:

[0154] It should be noted that in the embodiment of the present application, it is assumed that the wavelength λ of the first reference signal and the second reference signal are equal. If the wavelengths of the first reference signal and the second reference signal are not equal, more information is required to determine the location of the terminal device. The embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

[0155] Optionally, the signal strengths of the first reference signal and the second reference signal may be the same or different, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

[0156] S720: The positioning management device determines the location of the terminal device according to the first phase difference information.

[0157] In an embodiment of the present application, if the position of the terminal device changes at the first moment and the second moment, the positioning management device can track the terminal device based on the first phase differential information; if the position of the terminal device does not change at the first moment and the second moment, the positioning management device can determine the clock drift, random initial phase and other information of the terminal device based on the first phase differential information. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0158] Optionally, in an embodiment of the present application, in a possible implementation method, the positioning management device needs to solve the position of the terminal device based on at least two different phase differential information. The embodiment of the present application takes the example of the positioning management device needing two different differential information (that is, three devices are required to measure the reference signal to obtain three phase information). The positioning management device determines the position of the terminal device based on the first phase differential information, which may include: the positioning management device determines the position of the terminal device based on the first phase differential information and the second phase differential information.

[0159] In the embodiment of the present application, the second phase difference information includes information obtained by performing a differential calculation on the third phase information and other phase information.

[0160] Optionally, the other phase information is the first phase information. In one implementation, the second phase differential information is obtained by a third device performing a differential calculation on the first phase information and the third phase information, and the second phase differential information is sent by the third device to the positioning management device. Alternatively, in another implementation, the second phase differential information is obtained by a first device performing a differential calculation on the first phase information and the third phase information, and the second phase differential information is sent by the first device to the positioning management device.

[0161] Optionally, the other phase information is second phase information. In one implementation, the second phase differential information is obtained by a third device performing a differential calculation on the second phase information and the third phase information, and the second phase differential information is sent by the third device to the positioning management device. Alternatively, in one implementation, the second phase differential information is obtained by a second device performing a differential calculation on the second phase information and the third phase information, and the second phase differential information is sent by the second device to the positioning management device.

[0162] That is, in an embodiment of the present application, the second phase differential information can be obtained by a third device performing a differential calculation on its own third phase information and other phase information from other devices and sent to the positioning management device, or it can be obtained by other devices performing a differential calculation on their own phase information and third phase information from a third device and sent to the positioning management device. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0163] Optionally, the second phase differential information also includes: an identifier of the second device, or an identifier of the first device. By carrying the identifier of the second device or the identifier of the first device in the second phase differential information, the positioning management device can be informed that the second phase differential information is obtained by performing a differential calculation on the third phase information and the second phase information from the second device, or is obtained by performing a differential calculation on the third phase information and the first phase information from the first device. In the embodiment of the present application, reference can be made to the relevant description of the first phase information or the second phase information in S710 regarding the third phase information, and the embodiment of the present application will not be repeated here.

[0164] In the embodiment of the present application, the first device, the second device, and the third device determine the first phase difference information and the second phase difference information to be sent to the positioning management device by exchanging phase information between the devices.

[0165] One possible implementation is shown in Figure 8. The second device acts as a reference device and sends second phase information to the first and third devices. The first and third devices receive the second phase information from the second device and perform differential calculations on each device. The second device does not need to perform differential calculations. Specifically, the first device performs a differential calculation on the first and second phase information to obtain first phase differential information, and then sends the first phase differential information to the location management device. The third device performs a differential calculation on the third and second phase information to obtain second phase differential information, and then sends the second phase differential information to the location management device.

[0166] In another possible implementation, as shown in Figure 9, the first device serves as the reference device. The first device receives the second phase information from the second device and the third phase information from the third device. The first device performs a differential calculation on the first and second phase information, and the second and third devices do not need to perform differential calculations. That is, the first device performs a differential calculation on the first and second phase information to obtain first phase differential information, and the first device performs a differential calculation on the first and third phase information to obtain second phase differential information. The first device sends the first and second phase differential information to the positioning management device. Optionally, the first phase differential information includes the identifier of the second device, and the second phase differential information includes the identifier of the third device.

[0167] Another possible implementation is shown in Figure 10. The first, second, and third devices exchange their respective phase information. That is, the first device sends the first phase information to the second and third devices, the second device sends the second phase information to the first and third devices, and the third device sends the third phase information to the first and second devices. The first, second, and third devices all perform differential calculations. That is, the first device performs differential calculations on the first and second phase information, and on the first and third phase information, and then sends the two phase differential information to the positioning management device. The second device performs differential calculations on the second and third phase information, and on the second and first phase information, and then sends the two phase differential information to the positioning management device. The third device performs differential calculations on the third phase information and the first phase information, and on the third phase information and the second phase information, and then sends the two phase differential information to the positioning management device. Optionally, one of the phase differential information sent by the first device to the positioning management device includes the identifier of the second device, wherein the other phase differential information includes the identifier of the third device; optionally, one of the phase differential information sent by the second device to the positioning management device includes the identifier of the first device, wherein the other phase differential information includes the identifier of the third device; one of the phase differential information sent by the third device to the positioning management device includes the identifier of the first device, wherein the other phase differential information includes the identifier of the second device.

[0168] It should be noted that Figures 8, 9, and 10 take the devices that participate in measuring the reference signal sent by the terminal device to obtain phase information and perform differential calculation on the phase information as the first device, the second device, and the third device as an example. There may be other and more devices that participate in measuring the reference signal sent by the terminal device to obtain phase information and perform differential calculation on the phase information, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited to this.

[0169] It should be noted that Figures 8, 9, and 10 show the example of the change in the position of the terminal device at different times. The situation where the position of the terminal device does not change at different times is also within the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0170] The above-mentioned possible methods are several examples of the first device, the second device, and the third device interacting to obtain corresponding phase differential information. It should be understood that other methods of interacting between devices to obtain corresponding phase differential information should all fall within the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application.

[0171] In the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application, a first device sends first phase differential information to a positioning management device, so that the positioning management device can determine the location of the terminal device based on the first phase differential information. Because the first phase differential information sent by the first device to the positioning management device is information that has undergone differential calculation by the first device to eliminate the effects of a random initial phase and / or clock drift, the position of the terminal device determined by the positioning management device can be more accurate, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

[0172] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the process of another example of the communication method provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method is illustrated by taking the interaction between the first device, the second device (optionally, the third device) and the positioning management device as an example. Of course, the subject that executes the action of the first device or the second device or the third device in the method can also be a device / module in the first device or the second device or the third device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the first device or the second device or the third device; the subject that executes the action of the positioning management device in the method can also be a device / module in the positioning management device, such as a chip, processor, processing unit, etc. in the positioning management device, and the embodiment of the present application does not make specific limitations on this. The processing performed by a single execution subject in the embodiment of the present application can also be divided into executions by multiple execution subjects, and these execution subjects can be logically and / or physically separated. For example, the processing performed by the first device or the second device or the third device can be divided into executions by at least one of CU, DU and RU. As shown in Figure 11, the method 1100 includes:

[0173] S1110: The first device sends first phase information to the positioning management device. Correspondingly, the positioning management device receives the first phase information from the first device.

[0174] In the embodiment of the present application, for the relevant description of the first phase information, reference may be made to the relevant description in S710 and will not be repeated here.

[0175] S1120: The second device sends second phase information to the positioning management device. Correspondingly, the positioning management device receives the second phase information from the second device.

[0176] In the embodiment of the present application, for the relevant description of the second phase information, reference may be made to the relevant description in S710 and will not be repeated here.

[0177] S1130: The positioning management device performs a differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information to obtain first phase difference information.

[0178] In the embodiment of the present application, for the relevant description of the first phase difference information, reference may be made to the relevant description in S710 and will not be repeated here.

[0179] S1140: The positioning management device determines the location of the terminal device according to the first phase difference information.

[0180] In the embodiment of the present application, for the description of the positioning management device determining the position of the terminal device according to the first phase differential information, reference can be made to the relevant description of S720, which will not be repeated here.

[0181] In one possible implementation of the embodiment of the present application, the positioning management device needs to solve the position of the terminal device based on at least two different phase difference information. The embodiment of the present application is described as an example in which the positioning management device needs two different differential information (i.e., three devices are required to measure the reference signal to obtain three phase information). As shown in FIG12, the method further includes:

[0182] S1150: The third device sends third phase information to the positioning management device. Correspondingly, the positioning management device receives the third phase information from the third device.

[0183] In the embodiment of the present application, the third phase information is obtained by the third device measuring the third reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times. For the third phase information, please refer to the relevant description of S720 and will not be repeated here.

[0184] S1160: The positioning management device determines second phase difference information.

[0185] In one possible implementation, the second phase differential information is obtained by the positioning management device performing a differential calculation on the first phase information and the third phase information; in another possible implementation, the second phase differential information is obtained by the positioning management device performing a differential calculation on the second phase information and the third phase information. This embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0186] Alternatively, as a possible implementation method, the positioning management device can perform differential calculation on any two phase information among the first phase information, the second phase information, and the third phase information to obtain at least two phase difference information, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0187] In this solution, S1140 in FIG11 may be replaced by: the positioning management device determines the position of the terminal device according to the first phase difference information and the second phase difference information.

[0188] In the communication method provided in the embodiments of the present application, a first device and a second device transmit first phase information and second phase information to a positioning management device, so that the positioning management device can perform a differential calculation based on the first phase information and the second phase information to obtain first phase differential information, and determine the location of the terminal device based on the first phase differential information. Because the first phase differential information is information obtained by the positioning management device through differential calculation, eliminating the effects of random initial phases and / or clock drift, the terminal device's position determined by the positioning management device can be more accurate, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

[0189] The above mainly describes the solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application from the perspective of the interaction between a first device (optionally, a second device, and a third device, whose functions can refer to the first device and will not be repeated in the following embodiments) and a location management device. Accordingly, the embodiments of the present application also provide a communication device, which is used to implement the various methods described above. The communication device can be the first device in the above method embodiments, or a device that includes the above first device, or a component that can be used for the first device; alternatively, the communication device can be the location management device in the above method embodiments, or a device that includes the above location management device, or a component that can be used for the location management device. It is understood that in order to implement the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to performing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily appreciate that, in combination with the various exemplary units and algorithm steps described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or in a hardware-driven manner by computer 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.

[0190] In the embodiment of the present application, the communication device can be divided into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. It should be understood that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0191] For example, Figure 13 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the communication device as the positioning management device in the above method embodiment (which may be a chip of the positioning management device, a module of the positioning management device, or an internal device of the positioning management device) as an example, the positioning management device includes a transceiver module 1310 and a processing module 1320. The transceiver module 1310, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0192] In a possible implementation, the transceiver module 1310 receives first phase difference information.

[0193] In an embodiment of the present application, the first phase differential information includes information obtained by the first device performing differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information. The first phase information is obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times, and the second phase information is obtained by the second device measuring the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times.

[0194] The processing module 1320 is configured to determine the location of the terminal device according to the first phase difference information.

[0195] Alternatively, in another possible implementation, the transceiver module 1310 is configured to receive the first phase information and the second phase information.

[0196] In the embodiment of the present application, the first phase information is obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times, and the second phase information is obtained by the second device measuring the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times.

[0197] The processing module 1320 is configured to perform a differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information to obtain first phase difference information;

[0198] The processing module is further configured to determine the location of the terminal device based on the first phase difference information.

[0199] For example, FIG13 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of the present application. Taking the communication device as the first device in the above method embodiment (which may be a chip of the first device, or a module of the first device, or an internal device of the first device) as an example, the first device includes a transceiver module 1310 and a processing module 1320. The transceiver module 1310, which may also be referred to as a transceiver unit, is used to implement transceiver functions, and may be, for example, a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver, or a communication interface.

[0200] In the embodiment of the present application, the transceiver module 1310 is configured to receive second phase information from a second device.

[0201] In the embodiment of the present application, the second phase information is obtained by the second device measuring the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times.

[0202] The transceiver module is further configured to send the first phase difference information to the positioning management device.

[0203] In an embodiment of the present application, the first phase differential information includes information obtained by the first device performing differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information. The first phase information is obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times.

[0204] Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here. Optionally, the communication device may also include a storage module 1330, which can be used to store instructions and / or data, and the processing module 1320 can read the instructions and / or data in the storage module 1330.

[0205] In the embodiments of the present application, the above-mentioned communication device is presented in the form of various functional modules divided in an integrated manner. The "module" here can refer to a specific ASIC, circuit, processor and memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, integrated logic circuit, and / or other devices that can provide the above-mentioned functions. In a simple embodiment, those skilled in the art can imagine that the communication device can take the form of the communication device 600 shown in Figure 6.

[0206] For example, the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 may call the computer-executable instructions stored in the memory 603 so that the communication device 600 executes the communication method in the above method embodiment.

[0207] Specifically, the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1310 and the processing module 1320 in FIG13 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 603. Alternatively, the functions / implementation processes of the processing module 1320 in FIG13 can be implemented by the processor 601 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6 calling the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 603, and the functions / implementation processes of the transceiver module 1310 in FIG13 can be implemented by the communication interface 604 in the communication device 600 shown in FIG6. It should be understood that one or more of the above modules or units can be implemented by software, hardware, or a combination of the two. When any of the above modules or units is implemented in software, the software exists in the form of computer program instructions and is stored in the memory, and the processor can be used to execute the program instructions and implement the above method flow. The processor can be built into an SoC (system on chip) or an ASIC, or it can be an independent semiconductor chip. In addition to the core used to execute software instructions to perform calculations or processing, the processor may further include necessary hardware accelerators, such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), PLDs (programmable logic devices), or logic circuits that implement dedicated logic operations.

[0208] When the above modules or units are implemented in hardware, the hardware can be any one or any combination of a CPU, a microprocessor, a digital signal processing (DSP) chip, a microcontroller unit (MCU), an artificial intelligence processor, an ASIC, a SoC, an FPGA, a PLD, a dedicated digital circuit, a hardware accelerator or a non-integrated discrete device, which can run the necessary software or not rely on the software to execute the above method flow.

[0209] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system), which includes a processor for implementing the method in any of the above method embodiments. In one possible design, the communication device also includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary program instructions and data, and the processor can call the program code stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be in the communication device. When the communication device is a chip system, it may be composed of a chip, or it may include a chip and other discrete devices, which is not specifically limited in the embodiment of the present application.

[0210] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, which stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is run on a communication device, the communication device can execute the method described in any of the above method embodiments or any of its implementation methods.

[0211] Optionally, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication system, which includes the positioning management device described in the above method embodiment and the first device described in the above method embodiment. Optionally, the communication system also includes a second device and a third device.

[0212] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using a software program, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions according to the embodiments of the present application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via a wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) method. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that includes one or more media integrated therein. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (eg, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (eg, a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (eg, a solid state disk (SSD)).

[0213] Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art may understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments by reviewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit may implement several functions listed in the claims. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0214] Although the present application has been described with reference to specific features and embodiments thereof, it is apparent that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely illustrative of the present application as defined by the appended claims and are deemed to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, the present application is intended to include such modifications and variations as fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receive first phase differential information, where the first phase differential information includes information obtained by a first device performing differential calculation on first phase information and second phase information, where the first phase information is obtained by the first device measuring a first reference signal sent by a terminal device at different times, and the second phase information is obtained by the second device measuring a second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; The location of the terminal device is determined according to the first phase difference information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first phase difference information also includes: an identifier of the second device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The first phase information includes one or more of the following: a first reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a first reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a first accumulated distance / phase change ADR, a first moment information and a second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the terminal device sends the first reference signal, or different moments when the first device measures the first reference signal.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The second phase information includes one or more of the following: a second reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a second reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a second accumulated distance / phase change ADR, first moment information and second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the terminal device sends the second reference signal, or different moments when the second device measures the second reference signal.

5. A communication method, characterized in that: include: Receiving first phase information and second phase information, where the first phase information is obtained by the first device measuring a first reference signal sent by a terminal device at different times, and the second phase information is obtained by the second device measuring a second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; Performing differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information to obtain first phase differential information; The location of the terminal device is determined according to the first phase difference information.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that The first phase information includes one or more of the following: a first reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a first reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a first accumulated distance / phase change ADR, a first moment information and a second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the terminal device sends the first reference signal, or different moments when the first device measures the first reference signal.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The second phase information includes one or more of the following: a second reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a second reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a second accumulated distance / phase change ADR, first moment information and second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the terminal device sends the second reference signal, or different moments when the second device measures the second reference signal.

8. A communication method, characterized in that: Applied to a first device, comprising: Receiving second phase information from a second device, where the second phase information is obtained by the second device measuring a second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; Send first phase differential information to the positioning management device, where the first phase differential information includes information obtained by the first device performing differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information, and the first phase information is obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The first phase difference information also includes: an identifier of the second device.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The first phase information includes one or more of the following: a first reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a first reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a first accumulated distance / phase change ADR, a first moment information and a second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the terminal device sends the first reference signal, or different moments when the first device measures the first reference signal.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that The second phase information includes one or more of the following: a second reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a second reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a second accumulated distance / phase change ADR, first moment information and second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the terminal device sends the second reference signal, or different moments when the second device measures the second reference signal.

12. A communication device, characterized in that: include: The transceiver module is used to receive first phase difference information, where the first phase difference information includes information obtained by the first device performing differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information, where the first phase information is information obtained by the first device measuring the phase difference information sent by the terminal device at different times. The second phase information is obtained by the second device measuring the second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; A processing module is used to determine the position of the terminal device according to the first phase difference information.

13. The device according to claim 12, characterized in that The first phase difference information also includes: an identifier of the second device.

14. The device according to claim 12 or 13, characterized in that The first phase information includes one or more of the following: a first reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a first reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a first accumulated distance / phase change ADR, a first moment information and a second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the terminal device sends the first reference signal or different moments when the first device measures the first reference signal.

15. The device according to any one of claims 12 to 14, characterized in that The second phase information includes one or more of the following: a second reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a second reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a second accumulated distance / phase change ADR, first moment information and second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the terminal device sends the second reference signal, or different moments when the second device measures the second reference signal.

16. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver module, configured to receive first phase information and second phase information, wherein the first phase information is obtained by a first device measuring a first reference signal sent by a terminal device at different times, and the second phase information is obtained by a second device measuring a second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; A processing module, configured to perform differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information to obtain first phase differential information; The processing module is further used to determine the position of the terminal device according to the first phase difference information.

17. The device according to claim 16, characterized in that The first phase information includes one or more of the following: a first reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a first reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a first accumulated distance / phase change ADR, a first moment information and a second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the terminal device sends the first reference signal or different moments when the first device measures the first reference signal.

18. The device according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that The second phase information includes one or more of the following: a second reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a second reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a second accumulated distance / phase change ADR, first moment information and second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the terminal device sends the second reference signal, or different moments when the second device measures the second reference signal.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: include: A transceiver module, used to receive second phase information from a second device, where the second phase information is obtained by the second device measuring a second reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times; The transceiver module is also used to send first phase differential information to the positioning management device, wherein the first phase differential information includes information obtained by the first device performing differential calculation on the first phase information and the second phase information, and the first phase information is obtained by the first device measuring the first reference signal sent by the terminal device at different times.

20. The device according to claim 19, characterized in that The first phase difference information also includes: an identifier of the second device.

21. The device according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The first phase information includes one or more of the following: a first reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a first reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a first accumulated distance / phase change ADR, a first moment information and a second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the terminal device sends the first reference signal, or different moments when the communication device measures the first reference signal.

22. The device according to any one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that The second phase information includes one or more of the following: a second reference signal carrier phase RSCP, a second reference signal carrier phase difference RSCPD, a second accumulated distance / phase change ADR, first moment information and second moment information, wherein the first moment information and the second moment information are respectively used to indicate different moments when the terminal device sends the second reference signal, or different moments when the second device measures the second reference signal.

23. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, or comprises a module for executing the method according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

24. A communication device, characterized in that: The communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, or to cause the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, or to cause the communication device to execute the method according to any one of claims 8 to 11.

25. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The computer-readable storage medium comprises instructions, which, when executed, enable the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 to be implemented, or enable the method according to any one of claims 5 to 7 to be implemented, or enable the method according to any one of claims 8 to 11 to be implemented.

26. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product comprises instructions, which, when executed, enable the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4 to be implemented, or enable the method according to any one of claims 5 to 7 to be implemented, or enable the method according to any one of claims 8 to 11 to be implemented.

27. A communication system, characterized in that: The communication system includes a communication device according to any one of claims 12 to 15 and a communication device according to any one of claims 19 to 22.

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