Communication method and related apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and a related apparatus. The method comprises: when there are at least two satellites having different orbits among positioning satellites of a terminal device, determining the position of the terminal device on the basis of uplink positioning information of the terminal device from access network devices corresponding to the positioning satellites; when all satellites among positioning satellites have the same orbit, determining the position of a terminal device on the basis of information of a neighbor cell of a serving cell of the terminal device and uplink positioning information of the terminal device from access devices corresponding to the positioning satellites, wherein the positioning satellites include a serving satellite of the terminal device and at least one neighbor positioning satellite, the neighbor positioning satellite being a neighbor satellite of the service satellite. The present application is beneficial to improving the positioning efficiency and further improving the positioning accuracy.

Description

Communication methods and related devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202311666439.3, filed on December 5, 2023, entitled "Communication Method and Related Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and related apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] With the development of satellite communication technology, terminal devices can access networks via satellite (e.g., access network equipment via satellite). Currently, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) supports satellite-based positioning, which involves multiple round trip time (RTT) measurements to determine the location of terminal devices. However, this positioning method suffers from problems such as long processing time and low efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and related apparatus, which is beneficial to improving positioning efficiency.

[0005] Firstly, this application provides a communication method. Optionally, the subject executing this method can be a location management function, a component or device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the location management function, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the location management function. The method includes:

[0006] The terminal device receives uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite of the terminal device. The positioning satellite includes the serving satellite of the terminal device and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, wherein the neighboring positioning satellite is a neighboring satellite of the serving satellite.

[0007] The location of the terminal device is determined based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0008] In this application, positioning the terminal device based on multiple satellites is beneficial to improving positioning efficiency. Specifically, the access network devices corresponding to multiple positioning satellites, including the serving satellite of the terminal device and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, can simultaneously send the uplink positioning information of the terminal device to the location management function. Then, the location management function determines the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0010] Receive information from the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite or the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite of the access and mobility management function;

[0011] Based on the information of the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite, a first message is sent to the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite and the serving access network device. The first message is used to trigger the acquisition of the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0012] In this implementation, the serving access network device or the access and mobility management function can select neighboring positioning satellites to participate in the terminal device's positioning and send the information of the access network device corresponding to the determined neighboring positioning satellite to the location management function. This allows the location management function to subsequently request uplink positioning information from multiple access network devices, including those corresponding to the neighboring positioning satellites. This implementation scheme, where the serving access network device or the access and mobility management function selects neighboring positioning satellites that can be used for positioning, helps reduce the computational complexity of the location management function.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0014] The terminal device receives capability information indicating whether it supports positioning based on multiple satellites.

[0015] In this implementation, the terminal device can also report its own capability information to the location management function to indicate whether the terminal device supports positioning based on multiple satellites. This is beneficial for the location management function to use a positioning method based on multiple satellites when it determines that the terminal device supports positioning based on multiple satellites.

[0016] In one possible implementation, determining the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device includes:

[0017] If the terminal device supports positioning based on multiple satellites, the location of the terminal device is determined based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0018] In one possible implementation, at least two of the positioning satellites have different orbits.

[0019] In this implementation method, positioning of terminal devices is based on multiple satellites in different orbits, which helps to improve positioning accuracy.

[0020] In one possible implementation, all satellites in the positioning satellite system have the same orbit.

[0021] In one possible implementation, determining the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device includes:

[0022] The location of the terminal device is determined based on the information of the neighboring cells of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0023] In this implementation, when all the satellites in the positioning satellites have the same orbit, in order to avoid the mirroring problem of the terminal device's positioning, the location management function can combine the information of the neighboring cells of the terminal device's serving cell and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device to jointly determine the location of the terminal device, which can improve the accuracy of positioning.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0025] If the terminal device does not support positioning based on multiple satellites, the location of the terminal device is determined based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite.

[0026] In this implementation, when the terminal device does not support positioning based on multiple satellites, the location management function can determine the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device reported by the serving access network device corresponding to a single satellite (usually a serving satellite) and the information of neighboring cells. This helps to improve the positioning accuracy of the terminal device when using single-satellite positioning.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0028] If, based on satellite ephemeris and beam information, it is determined that the positioning of the terminal device suffers from a mirroring problem, information about the neighboring cells is obtained; or,

[0029] The terminal device receives a first indication information from the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite, and obtains information about the neighboring cell based on the first indication information. The first indication information indicates that the positioning of the terminal device has a mirroring problem.

[0030] In this implementation method, when there is a mirroring problem in the positioning of the terminal device, combining the information of neighboring cells for positioning can help improve the positioning accuracy of the terminal device.

[0031] In one possible implementation, obtaining the information of the neighboring cells includes:

[0032] Request information about the neighboring cells from the serving access network device, and receive information about the neighboring cells from the serving access network device; or,

[0033] The terminal device requests information about the neighboring cells, and the terminal device receives information about the neighboring cells.

[0034] In this implementation, the service access network device or terminal device can send information about neighboring cells back to the location management function based on the request sent by the location management function. This request-response implementation method is simple and highly applicable.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0036] Receive information from the neighboring cell of the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite; or...

[0037] Receive information from the neighboring cell of the terminal device.

[0038] In this implementation, the service access network device or terminal device can also proactively send neighbor cell information to the location management function, making it highly operable.

[0039] In one possible implementation, the information of the neighboring cells includes one or more of the following:

[0040] The identifier of the neighboring cell, the information of the reference signal of the neighboring cell, or the beam information of the neighboring cell.

[0041] Secondly, this application provides a communication method. Optionally, the subject executing this method can be a location management function, a component or device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system) applied to the location management function, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the location management function. The method includes:

[0042] When at least two of the positioning satellites for the terminal device have different orbits, the location of the terminal device is determined based on the uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite; and / or,

[0043] When all the satellites in the positioning satellites have the same orbit, the location of the terminal device is determined based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite.

[0044] The positioning satellites include the service satellite of the terminal device and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, wherein the neighboring positioning satellite is a neighboring satellite of the service satellite.

[0045] In this application, the location management function itself can determine multiple satellites for terminal device positioning and achieve positioning based on these multiple satellites, thereby improving the positioning efficiency of the terminal device. Specifically, when at least two of the positioning satellites for the terminal device have different orbits, the location management function can determine the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite. This improves both positioning efficiency and positioning accuracy. When all the positioning satellites have the same orbit, the location management function can determine the location of the terminal device based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite. This improves both positioning efficiency and positioning accuracy.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0047] The terminal device receives capability information indicating whether it supports positioning based on multiple satellites.

[0048] In one possible implementation, when at least two of the positioning satellites for the terminal device have different orbits, determining the location of the terminal device based on uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite includes:

[0049] If at least two of the positioning satellites of the terminal device have different orbits, and the terminal device supports positioning based on multiple satellites, the location of the terminal device is determined according to the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite.

[0050] In one possible implementation, determining the location of the terminal device based on uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite includes:

[0051] The location of the terminal device is determined based on the uplink positioning information and the downlink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0052] In this implementation, the location management function can determine the location of the terminal device based on the uplink and downlink positioning information of the terminal device, which helps to improve positioning accuracy.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0054] If the terminal device does not support positioning based on multiple satellites, the location of the terminal device is determined based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite.

[0055] In this implementation, when the terminal device does not support positioning based on multiple satellites, the location management function can determine the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device reported by the serving access network device corresponding to a single satellite (usually a serving satellite) and the information of neighboring cells. This helps to improve the positioning accuracy of the terminal device when using single-satellite positioning.

[0056] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0057] Based on the first information, the positioning satellite of the terminal device is determined, wherein the first information includes the satellite's ephemeris information and / or coverage information.

[0058] In this implementation, the location management function can specifically determine at least one neighboring positioning satellite of the terminal device based on the satellite's ephemeris information and / or coverage information, which is highly operable.

[0059] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0060] The terminal device receives uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0062] A second message is sent to the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite. The second message is used to trigger the acquisition of the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0063] In this implementation, the location management function can trigger the acquisition of uplink location information from the terminal device through a request-response approach, which is easy to implement and facilitates forward compatibility of the protocol.

[0064] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0065] If, based on satellite ephemeris and beam information, it is determined that the positioning of the terminal device suffers from a mirroring problem, information about the neighboring cells is obtained; or,

[0066] The terminal device receives a first indication information from the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite, and obtains information about the neighboring cell based on the first indication information. The first indication information indicates that the positioning of the terminal device has a mirroring problem.

[0067] In one possible implementation, obtaining the information of the neighboring cells includes:

[0068] Request information about the neighboring cells from the serving access network device, and receive information about the neighboring cells from the serving access network device; or,

[0069] The terminal device requests information about the neighboring cells, and the terminal device receives information about the neighboring cells.

[0070] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0071] Receive information from the neighboring cell of the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite; or...

[0072] Receive information from the neighboring cell of the terminal device.

[0073] In one possible implementation, the information of the neighboring cells includes one or more of the following:

[0074] The identifier of the neighboring cell, the information of the reference signal of the neighboring cell, or the beam information of the neighboring cell.

[0075] Thirdly, this application provides a communication method. Optionally, the subject executing the method may be a first network device (e.g., the first network device may be a serving access network device, or an access and mobility management function), a component or device applied to the first network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first network device. The method includes:

[0076] Obtain information about the access network device corresponding to at least one neighboring positioning satellite of the terminal device, wherein the neighboring positioning satellite is a neighboring satellite of the serving satellite of the terminal device;

[0077] Send information about the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite to the location management function.

[0078] In one possible implementation, the method further includes:

[0079] Based on the first information, the positioning satellite of the terminal device is determined, wherein the first information includes the satellite's ephemeris information and / or coverage information.

[0080] In one possible implementation, at least two of the at least one neighboring positioning satellite and the service satellite of the terminal device have different orbits.

[0081] In one possible implementation, all satellites in the at least one neighboring positioning satellite and the service satellite have the same orbit.

[0082] In one possible implementation, the first network device is a serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite, and the method further includes:

[0083] If the positioning of the terminal device is determined to have a mirroring problem based on satellite ephemeris information and beam information, the location management function sends information about the neighboring cells of the serving cell of the terminal device or first indication information, the first indication information indicating that the positioning of the terminal device has a mirroring problem.

[0084] In one possible implementation, the first network device is a serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite, and the method further includes:

[0085] Receive a request message from the location management function requesting information about the neighboring cells;

[0086] Based on the request message, information about the neighboring cells of the serving cell of the terminal device is sent to the location management function.

[0087] In one possible implementation, the information of the neighboring cells includes one or more of the following:

[0088] The identifier of the neighboring cell, the information of the reference signal of the neighboring cell, or the beam information of the neighboring cell.

[0089] In one possible implementation, the first network device is a serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite, and the method further includes:

[0090] Receive a first message from the location management function, the first message being used to trigger the acquisition of uplink location information of the terminal device;

[0091] Based on the first message, obtain the uplink positioning information of the terminal device;

[0092] Send the uplink positioning information of the terminal device to the location management function.

[0093] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device, which can be a location management function or a module within a location management function. The communication device includes:

[0094] A transceiver unit is used to receive uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite of the terminal device. The positioning satellite includes the serving satellite of the terminal device and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, wherein the neighboring positioning satellite is a neighboring satellite of the serving satellite.

[0095] The processing unit is used to determine the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0096] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used for:

[0097] Receive information from the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite or the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite of the access and mobility management function;

[0098] Based on the information of the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite, a first message is sent to the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite and the serving access network device. The first message is used to trigger the acquisition of the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0099] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used for:

[0100] The terminal device receives capability information indicating whether it supports positioning based on multiple satellites.

[0101] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is used for:

[0102] If the terminal device supports positioning based on multiple satellites, the location of the terminal device is determined based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0103] In one possible implementation, at least two of the positioning satellites have different orbits.

[0104] In one possible implementation, all satellites in the positioning satellite system have the same orbit.

[0105] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is used for:

[0106] The location of the terminal device is determined based on the information of the neighboring cells of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0107] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is used for:

[0108] If the terminal device does not support positioning based on multiple satellites, the location of the terminal device is determined based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite.

[0109] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used for:

[0110] If, based on satellite ephemeris and beam information, it is determined that the positioning of the terminal device suffers from a mirroring problem, information about the neighboring cells is obtained; or,

[0111] The terminal device receives a first indication information from the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite, and obtains information about the neighboring cell based on the first indication information. The first indication information indicates that the positioning of the terminal device has a mirroring problem.

[0112] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used for:

[0113] Request information about the neighboring cells from the serving access network device, and receive information about the neighboring cells from the serving access network device; or,

[0114] The terminal device requests information about the neighboring cells, and the terminal device receives information about the neighboring cells.

[0115] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used for:

[0116] Receive information from the neighboring cell of the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite; or...

[0117] Receive information from the neighboring cell of the terminal device.

[0118] In one possible implementation, the information of the neighboring cells includes one or more of the following:

[0119] The identifier of the neighboring cell, the information of the reference signal of the neighboring cell, or the beam information of the neighboring cell.

[0120] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device, which can be a location management function or a module within a location management function. The communication device includes:

[0121] The processing unit is configured to determine the location of the terminal device based on uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellites, when at least two of the positioning satellites of the terminal device have different orbits; and / or,

[0122] The processing unit is configured to determine the location of the terminal device based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite, when all the satellites in the positioning satellite have the same orbit.

[0123] The positioning satellites include the service satellite of the terminal device and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, wherein the neighboring positioning satellite is a neighboring satellite of the service satellite.

[0124] In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a transceiver unit, the transceiver unit being used for:

[0125] The terminal device receives capability information indicating whether it supports positioning based on multiple satellites.

[0126] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is used for:

[0127] If at least two of the positioning satellites of the terminal device have different orbits, and the terminal device supports positioning based on multiple satellites, the location of the terminal device is determined according to the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite.

[0128] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is used for:

[0129] The location of the terminal device is determined based on the uplink positioning information and the downlink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0130] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is used for:

[0131] If the terminal device does not support positioning based on multiple satellites, the location of the terminal device is determined based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite.

[0132] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is used for:

[0133] Based on the first information, the positioning satellite of the terminal device is determined, wherein the first information includes the satellite's ephemeris information and / or coverage information.

[0134] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used for:

[0135] The terminal device receives uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite.

[0136] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used for:

[0137] A second message is sent to the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite. The second message is used to trigger the acquisition of the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0138] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used for:

[0139] If, based on satellite ephemeris and beam information, it is determined that the positioning of the terminal device suffers from a mirroring problem, information about the neighboring cells is obtained; or,

[0140] The terminal device receives a first indication information from the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite, and obtains information about the neighboring cell based on the first indication information. The first indication information indicates that the positioning of the terminal device has a mirroring problem.

[0141] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used for:

[0142] Request information about the neighboring cells from the serving access network device, and receive information about the neighboring cells from the serving access network device; or,

[0143] The terminal device requests information about the neighboring cells, and the terminal device receives information about the neighboring cells.

[0144] In one possible implementation, the transceiver unit is used for:

[0145] Receive information from the neighboring cell of the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite; or...

[0146] Receive information from the neighboring cell of the terminal device.

[0147] In one possible implementation, the information of the neighboring cells includes one or more of the following:

[0148] The identifier of the neighboring cell, the information of the reference signal of the neighboring cell, or the beam information of the neighboring cell.

[0149] Sixthly, this application provides a communication device, which can be a first network device or a module within the first network device. Exemplarily, the first network device can be a serving access network device, or an access and mobility management function. The communication device includes:

[0150] The processing unit is used to obtain information about the access network device corresponding to at least one neighboring positioning satellite of the terminal device, wherein the neighboring positioning satellite is a neighboring satellite of the serving satellite of the terminal device;

[0151] The transceiver unit is used to send information about the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite to the location management function.

[0152] In one possible implementation, the processing unit is used for:

[0153] Based on the first information, the positioning satellite of the terminal device is determined, wherein the first information includes the satellite's ephemeris information and / or coverage information.

[0154] In one possible implementation, at least two of the at least one neighboring positioning satellite and the service satellite of the terminal device have different orbits.

[0155] In one possible implementation, all satellites in the at least one neighboring positioning satellite and the service satellite have the same orbit.

[0156] In one possible implementation, the first network device is a serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite, and the transceiver unit is used for:

[0157] If the positioning of the terminal device is determined to have a mirroring problem based on satellite ephemeris information and beam information, the location management function sends information about the neighboring cells of the serving cell of the terminal device or first indication information, the first indication information indicating that the positioning of the terminal device has a mirroring problem.

[0158] In one possible implementation, the first network device is a serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite, and the transceiver unit is used for:

[0159] Receive a request message from the location management function requesting information about the neighboring cells;

[0160] Based on the request message, information about the neighboring cells of the serving cell of the terminal device is sent to the location management function.

[0161] In one possible implementation, the information of the neighboring cells includes one or more of the following:

[0162] The identifier of the neighboring cell, the information of the reference signal of the neighboring cell, or the beam information of the neighboring cell.

[0163] In one possible implementation, the first network device is the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite, wherein:

[0164] The transceiver unit is used to receive a first message from the location management function, the first message being used to trigger the acquisition of uplink location information of the terminal device;

[0165] The processing unit is configured to obtain the uplink positioning information of the terminal device based on the first message;

[0166] The transceiver unit is used to send the uplink positioning information of the terminal device to the location management function.

[0167] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a communication device including a processor for executing a computer program, causing the communication device to perform the method described in any one of the first to third aspects.

[0168] In one possible design, the communication device may be a chip implementing the method of any one of the first to third aspects, or a device containing a chip.

[0169] In one possible design, the communication device also includes a transceiver. The processor and the transceiver are coupled.

[0170] In one possible design, the communication device also includes a memory. The processor and memory are coupled; the memory stores a computer program, and the processor is also used to invoke the computer program in the memory. Exemplarily, the processor and memory can also be integrated together.

[0171] Eighthly, this application provides a communication device including a processor, which uses logic circuits or execution code instructions to implement the method described in any one of the first to third aspects.

[0172] Optionally, the communication device further includes an interface circuit for receiving signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmitting them to the processor, or sending signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device.

[0173] Ninthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a computer, implement the method described in any one of the first to third aspects.

[0174] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a computer program product that, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in any one of the first to third aspects.

[0175] In one aspect, this application provides a communication system including a communication device for implementing the method described in any one of the first or second aspects, and a communication device for implementing the method described in any one of the third aspects.

[0176] The beneficial effects of aspects three through eleven can be found in the beneficial effects of aspects one and two, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0177] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application;

[0178] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the NTN-based RAN architecture applicable to the embodiments of this application;

[0179] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the mirroring problem when using a single satellite for positioning;

[0180] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0181] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a positioning satellite scenario provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0182] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an interaction flow of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0183] Figure 7 is another interactive flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0184] Figure 8 is another flowchart illustrating the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0185] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another interaction flow of the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0186] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0187] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a possible communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0188] The specific embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0189] The terms "first" and "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or apparatuses.

[0190] In this document, the term "embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a separate or alternative embodiment mutually exclusive with other embodiments. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0191] In this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more, "more than one" means two or more, "at least two (items)" means two or three or more, and "and / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0192] In this application, "sending information to... (e.g., a terminal)" can be understood as the destination of the information being the terminal. This can include sending information to the terminal directly or indirectly. "Receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)" or "receiving information from... (e.g., a terminal)" can be understood as the source of the information being the terminal, and can include receiving information from the terminal directly or indirectly. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar expressions in this application can be understood in a similar way, and will not be elaborated further here.

[0193] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the system architecture involved in the embodiments of this application will be described first below:

[0194] The technical solution of this application can be applied to non-terrestrial networks (NTN), or scenarios where NTN and terrestrial networks (TN) are integrated. NTN systems can be, for example, satellite communication systems, high altitude platform station (HAPS) communication systems, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), etc. TN systems can be, for example, 4th generation (4G) communication systems (e.g., long term evolution (LTE) systems), worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication systems, 5th generation (5G) communication systems (e.g., new radio (NR) systems), and future mobile communication systems, etc.

[0195] The communication system provided in this application may include one or more network devices and one or more terminals.

[0196] The following explanation uses the system architecture shown in Figure 1 as an example. Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the communication system used in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system 1000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Exemplarily, the communication system 1000 may also include an Internet 300. RAN 100 includes at least one network device (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). Terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to network device 110. Network device 110 is connected to core network 200 wirelessly or via a wired connection. The core network equipment in core network 200 and the network equipment 110 in RAN 100 can be different physical devices, or they can be the same physical device that integrates core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0197] It should be noted that RAN 100 can be a cellular system related to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), such as 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or evolution systems beyond 5G. RAN 100 can also be an open access network (O-RAN or ORAN), a cloud radio access network (CRAN), etc. RAN 100 can also be a communication system integrating two or more of the above systems. It should be stated that the number of network devices and terminals in Figure 1 is only illustrative and should not be considered as a specific limitation of this application. The terminals and network devices involved in the system architecture will be described in detail below.

[0198] I. Terminal

[0199] A terminal can also be called a terminal device, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), mobile terminal, mobile equipment (ME), access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user device, etc., or a device used to provide voice or data connectivity to users, or an Internet of Things (IoT) device. For example, terminal devices include handheld devices with wireless connectivity, vehicle-mounted devices, etc. Currently, terminal devices can include: mobile phones, tablets, laptops, PDAs, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wearable devices (such as smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, etc.), in-vehicle devices (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), satellite terminal devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, smart point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), wireless terminal devices in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), smart robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminal devices in autonomous driving, wireless terminal devices in telemedicine, wireless terminal devices in smart grids, wireless terminal devices in transportation safety, wireless terminal devices in smart cities, or wireless terminal devices in smart homes, and flying equipment (such as smart robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. The terminal device can also be other devices with terminal device functions. For example, the terminal device can also be a device that performs the terminal device function in D2D communication.

[0200] In addition, the terminal devices involved in the embodiments of this application are terminal devices that support NTN access technology or have NTN capabilities.

[0201] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal device. The device used to implement the function of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself; it can also be a device that supports the terminal device in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal device or used in conjunction with the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete components.

[0202] II. Network Equipment

[0203] Network devices are nodes in a radio access network (RAN), also known as access network devices or RAN nodes (or devices). Network devices help terminal devices achieve wireless access. Multiple network devices 110 in the communication system 1000 can be nodes of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of network devices 110 and terminals 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 1 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j accessing RAN 100 through network element 120i, network element 120i is a base station; but for base station 110a, network element 120i is a terminal device. Network devices 110 and terminals 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be understood as communication devices with base station functions, and network elements 120a-120j can be understood as communication devices with terminal device functions.

[0204] In one possible scenario, network equipment can be equipment with base station functions, such as evolved NodeB (eNodeB), transmitting and receiving point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), next generation NodeB (gNB), next generation base station in future mobile communication systems, and integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node.

[0205] In one possible scenario, the network device can also be a non-terrestrial network device in NTN, such as a device deployed on a high-altitude platform, like a satellite. The network device can also be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a wireless controller in a CRAN scenario. The network device can also function as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, drone communication, and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. For example, the network device can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For instance, in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, the network device can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0206] All or part of the functions of the network device in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The network device in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a network device.

[0207] In another possible scenario, multiple network devices collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with each network device performing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, network devices may include a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), or a radio unit (RU). CUs and DUs can be separate entities or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs may be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as remote radio units (RRUs), active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). It is understood that network devices can be CU nodes, DU nodes, or devices comprising both CU and DU nodes. Furthermore, CUs can be classified as network devices in the access network (RAN) or the core network (CN), without limitation.

[0208] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples. Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules.

[0209] Optionally, CN 200 may include one or more network function entities (or core network elements, logical network elements, network elements, or entities, etc.). For example, access and mobility management function (AMF), location management function (LMF), application function (AF), etc., which are not limited in this application.

[0210] In this embodiment, the form of the network device is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the network device can be the network device itself, or it can be a device that supports the network device in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device.

[0211] To facilitate understanding of the content of this solution, some terms used in the embodiments of this application will be explained below, so that those skilled in the art can understand them. This part is only for the purpose of understanding and should not be regarded as a specific limitation of this application.

[0212] I. NTN

[0213] NTN, or non-terrestrial network, is a general term for networks involving flying objects, including satellite communication networks, high altitude platform stations (HAPS), and air-to-ground networks.

[0214] HAPS (High-Altitude Mobile Network) is carried by airborne platforms, primarily aircraft, balloons, and airships. It uses high-altitude platform stations as mobile communication base stations, providing mobile services using the same frequency bands as terrestrial mobile networks. In other words, by deploying base stations or parts of their functions on non-terrestrial network equipment (such as ships, high-altitude platforms, drones, or satellites), it provides seamless communication coverage for terminal devices, thereby improving the reliability of the communication system. It should be noted that, for ease of understanding, the following description uses satellites as an example of non-terrestrial network equipment in NTN (Network Telecommunication Network) and should not be considered a specific limitation of this application.

[0215] Satellite communication networks rely on onboard platforms, primarily including low Earth orbit (LEO), medium Earth orbit (MEO), and geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites. Based on the relationship between satellites and base stations, they can be categorized into the following architectures.

[0216] For example, please refer to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of an NTN-based RAN architecture applicable to embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 2, the NTN-based RAN architecture may include terminal equipment, RAN (or NG-RAN), core network equipment, and data network (or Internet).

[0217] Figure 2(a) illustrates a transparent satellite architecture. The RAN can include remote radio units (RRUs) and network devices. RRUs can include satellites and NTN gateways. Terminal devices and network devices communicate via a user-universal terrestrial radio access network (UU) interface. The satellite enables transparent payload transmission between users and network devices. The satellite and NTN gateway can be considered as remote radio units of the network devices, achieving transparent signal forwarding. This means the satellite supports RF filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification functions without altering the signal waveform. Satellite forwarding is transparent to terminal devices; the satellite primarily acts as a Layer 1 (L1) relay, regenerating physical layer signals (i.e., radio frequency filtering, frequency conversion, and amplification), without involving other higher protocol layers. Among them, network devices and core network devices can communicate through the next generation (NG) interface, and exchange non-access stratum (NAS) signaling of the core network and service data of terminal devices through the NG interface.

[0218] Figure 2(b) illustrates a regenerative satellite architecture without an inter-satellite link. The RAN includes satellites and NTN gateways. The satellites, acting as network devices (e.g., base stations), possess the processing capabilities of base stations. Satellites communicate with the NTN gateways via the satellite radio interface (SRI). Terminal devices communicate with network devices via the Uu interface, and network devices and core network devices communicate via the NG interface. The NG interface facilitates the exchange of NAS signaling from the core network and service data from the terminal devices.

[0219] Figure 2(c) illustrates a regenerative satellite architecture with an inter-satellite link. The RAN includes satellites and NTN gateways. Satellites, acting as network devices (e.g., base stations), possess the processing capabilities of base stations. Satellites communicate with the NTN gateway via SRI. Satellites can communicate with each other via the Xn interface on the inter-satellite link (ISL). Terminal devices communicate with network devices via the Uu interface, and network devices and core network devices communicate via the NG interface. The NG interface facilitates the exchange of NAS signaling from the core network and service data from the terminal devices.

[0220] Figure 2(d) illustrates a regenerative satellite architecture with DU processing capabilities for base stations. The satellite acts as a DU, providing DU processing functionality. The CU and DU can jointly perform the functions of network devices (e.g., base stations). The CU and DU communicate via the F1 interface, and the DU communicates with the NTN gateway via the F1 interface on the SRI. Terminal devices communicate with the DU via the Uu interface, and the CU and core network devices communicate via the NG interface, exchanging NAS signaling from the core network and service data from the terminal devices.

[0221] For example, in another satellite architecture with integrated access and backhaul (IAB) functionality, the satellite acts as an IAB node. The IAB node provides wireless backhaul services to nodes (such as terminal devices) that wirelessly access the wireless backhaul node. Here, wireless backhaul service refers to data and / or signaling backhaul services provided via the wireless backhaul link.

[0222] II. Satellite Coverage Information

[0223] Satellite coverage information includes orbital parameters or operational information that can be used to predict satellite position, velocity, beam direction, beam coverage location, etc., or includes satellite coverage time or moment information indicating certain geographical locations, as well as corresponding base station IDs or Cell IDs. Optionally, satellite coverage information may also be referred to as satellite coverage availability information or satellite operational information, etc., and this application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0224] III. Ephemeral Information

[0225] Every satellite has ephemeris information, also known as satellite ephemeris. Satellite ephemeris information can include information related to satellite operation, such as trajectory tables and / or orbital parameters (e.g., altitude, velocity, inclination, orientation), or one or more of the following: the inclination of the satellite's orbital plane, the right ascension of the ascending node, the semi-major axis of the orbital ellipse, the eccentricity of the orbital ellipse, the perigee distance, and the time of the satellite's perigee.

[0226] Currently, 3GPP supports a positioning method based on the movement of a single satellite, performing multiple RTT measurements to obtain the location of a terminal device. Typically, the distance between the satellite and the terminal device can be calculated based on each acquired RTT and the speed of light. Based on at least three measurements, the location of the terminal device can be estimated. Specifically, as shown in Figure 3, for satellite 1, three RTT measurements are performed at times t1, t2, and t3. Circles are then drawn with the positions of satellite 1 at each of these three times as the center and the distance between satellite 1 and the terminal device as the distance. The intersection of these three circles can be considered the location of the terminal device. However, this method of positioning the terminal device based on a single satellite has several drawbacks. First, it requires multiple RTT measurements as the satellite moves, resulting in a long positioning time. Second, it may result in two possible locations for the terminal device (i.e., a mirroring problem), as shown by points A and B in Figure 3, thus failing to achieve accurate positioning of the terminal device.

[0227] Based on this, this application proposes a communication method that can improve positioning efficiency and positioning accuracy.

[0228] The communication method and communication device provided in this application are described in detail below:

[0229] Please refer to Figure 4, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 4, the communication method may include the following steps S401 to S402. The method execution entity shown in Figure 4 can be a location management function, or a chip within the location management function. For ease of description, this application mainly uses the location management function as the execution entity. It should be understood that Figure 4 is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the method of this application, showing detailed communication steps or operations of the method. However, these steps or operations are merely examples, and embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations of the various operations shown in Figure 4. Furthermore, the steps in Figure 4 may be executed in a different order than that presented in Figure 4, and it is possible that not all operations in Figure 4 need to be executed.

[0230] S401, The location management function receives uplink positioning information from the terminal device, which is the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite of the terminal device.

[0231] It should be understood that the positioning satellite of the terminal device in this application may refer to a satellite used for positioning the terminal device. For example, in one case, the positioning satellite of the terminal device may include the terminal device's serving satellite and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, wherein the neighboring positioning satellite may refer to the neighboring satellite of the serving satellite, that is, a satellite that is adjacent to the serving satellite; in another case, the positioning satellite of the terminal device may include the terminal device's serving satellite.

[0232] Optionally, the relationship between a positioning satellite and its corresponding access network equipment (e.g., a base station) can be understood in two ways: In a transparent satellite architecture, the positioning satellite can be considered as a remote radio unit of a base station, used to achieve transparent signal forwarding, while the base station has processing capabilities; In a regenerative satellite architecture, the positioning satellite can act as a base station, possessing the processing capabilities of a base station. Therefore, the access network equipment corresponding to the positioning satellite is equivalent to the equipment / module with processing capabilities within the positioning satellite.

[0233] Alternatively, at least two of the positioning satellites may have different orbits, or all of the positioning satellites may have the same orbit. Here, the satellite's orbit may refer to its operational trajectory.

[0234] Optionally, the location management function may send a first message to at least one access network device and serving access network device corresponding to a neighboring positioning satellite. This first message may trigger the acquisition of uplink positioning information for the terminal device, or it may request uplink measurement or uplink positioning measurement. Accordingly, the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite may perform uplink measurement based on the received first message to obtain the uplink positioning information of the terminal device, and then feed back the obtained uplink positioning information of the terminal device to the location management function. A one-to-one correspondence exists between the satellites and the access network devices.

[0235] When the positioning satellites of a terminal device include the terminal device's service satellites and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, one possible scenario is that at least two of the terminal device's positioning satellites have different orbits, and another possible scenario is that all the positioning satellites have the same orbit. The following sections will explain the different situations separately.

[0236] Generally, the aforementioned at least one neighboring positioning satellite can be selected by the serving access network device or the access and mobility management function of the terminal device. Specifically, the serving access network device or the access and mobility management function can determine at least one neighboring positioning satellite of the terminal device based on first information, which may include satellite ephemeris information and / or coverage information, etc., and this application does not limit this.

[0237] Generally, after the serving access network device or access and mobility management function identifies at least one neighboring positioning satellite, it can send information about the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite to the location management function. Furthermore, the location management function can send the first message mentioned above to the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite and the serving access network device based on the received information about the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite, which will not be elaborated further.

[0238] Optionally, the information of the access network device may be the identification information of the access network device, such as the NR cell global identifier (NCGI), the global RAN ID of the access network device, or the medium access control (MAC) address of the access network device, etc., without any restrictions.

[0239] Optionally, in one implementation, the uplink positioning information of the terminal device involved in this application includes the first transmit / receive time difference of the access network device (i.e., the time difference between when the access network device receives the uplink signal from the terminal device and when the access network device sends the downlink signal to the terminal device), or the uplink positioning information of the terminal device may include the time when the access network device receives the uplink signal from the terminal device and the time when the access network device sends the downlink signal to the terminal device, without limitation.

[0240] Optionally, in another implementation, the uplink positioning information of the terminal device involved in this application may include a third transmit / receive time difference, which is the difference between the time when the access network device receives the uplink signal from the terminal device and the time when the terminal device sends the uplink signal. Alternatively, the uplink positioning information of the terminal device may include the time when the access network device receives the uplink signal from the terminal device and the time when the terminal device sends the uplink signal.

[0241] S402, Location Management Function: Based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device, determine the location of the terminal device.

[0242] In one feasible implementation, when the terminal device and the access network device are time-synchronized, the location management function can determine the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device. For example, the location management function can determine a third transmit / receive time difference based on the uplink positioning information, and then combine this with the speed of light to determine the distance between the terminal and the satellite. Understandably, based on multiple uplink positioning information fed back by multiple access network devices corresponding to multiple positioning satellites, and combined with the speed of light, multiple distance values ​​can be determined, and the location of the terminal device can ultimately be determined based on these multiple distance values. For example, drawing circles with the positions measured by each satellite as centers and the distance values ​​between each satellite and the terminal device, the intersection of these circles can be used as the location of the terminal device. Optionally, the location of the terminal device can be its absolute location or relative location. For example, the absolute location of the terminal device can be latitude and longitude information; or, for example, the relative location of the terminal device can be its location relative to the serving satellite.

[0243] In another feasible implementation, the location management function determines the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device. Specifically, this can be understood as the location management function determining the location of the terminal device based on both the uplink and downlink positioning information of the terminal device. The downlink positioning information of the terminal device involved in this application includes the third transmit / receive time difference (i.e., the difference between the time the terminal device sends an uplink signal to the access network device and the time the terminal device receives a downlink signal from the access network device), or the downlink positioning information of the terminal device may include the time the terminal device sends an uplink signal to the access network device and the time the terminal device receives a downlink signal from the access network device; this is not limited here.

[0244] In one possible implementation, the location management function can determine the first transmit / receive time difference (TRT) of the access network device based on the received uplink positioning information, and the third TRT of the terminal device based on the received downlink positioning information. Subtracting the third TRT from the first TRT yields the round-trip time (RTT). This RRT, combined with the speed of light, allows the determination of the distance between the terminal and the satellite. Understandably, multiple uplink positioning information from multiple access network devices corresponding to multiple positioning satellites, downlink positioning information from the terminal device, and the speed of light combine to obtain multiple distance values. These multiple distance values ​​ultimately determine the location of the terminal device. For example, circles can be drawn with the positions of each satellite at the time of measurement as centers, and the distances between each satellite and the terminal device as points; the intersection of these circles represents the location of the terminal device. Optionally, the location of the terminal device can be its absolute or relative position. For example, the absolute position of the terminal device can be latitude and longitude information; the relative position can be the terminal device's position relative to the serving satellite.

[0245] Understandably, the multiple uplink positioning information mentioned in this application refers to three or more uplink positioning information. Generally speaking, when there is one positioning satellite (e.g., the one positioning satellite is a serving satellite), the serving satellite needs to perform three uplink measurements at at least three different times to obtain multiple uplink positioning information; when there are two positioning satellites (e.g., the serving satellite and neighboring positioning satellite 1), at least one of the serving satellite and neighboring positioning satellite 1 needs to perform two or more uplink measurements to obtain multiple uplink positioning information; when there are three or more positioning satellites, these positioning satellites can perform uplink measurements simultaneously to obtain multiple uplink positioning information.

[0246] Optionally, the above method further includes: the location management function sending a second message to the terminal device, the second message being used to trigger the acquisition of downlink positioning information of the terminal device, or the second message being used to request downlink measurement or downlink positioning measurement. Accordingly, after receiving the second message, the terminal device can perform downlink measurement based on the received second message to obtain the downlink positioning information of the terminal device, and feed back the obtained downlink positioning information of the terminal device to the location management function.

[0247] Optionally, the terminal device can send capability information to the location management function, indicating whether the terminal device supports positioning based on multiple satellites. Accordingly, the location management function can determine whether the terminal device supports positioning based on multiple satellites based on the capability information from the terminal device. Here, "multiple satellites" can refer to two or more satellites.

[0248] In another feasible implementation, step S402 may specifically include: when the terminal device supports positioning based on multiple satellites, the location management function determines the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0249] Optionally, the above method further includes: when the terminal device does not support positioning based on multiple satellites, determining the location of the terminal device based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite. Generally speaking, when the terminal device does not support positioning based on multiple satellites, the location management function can specifically determine the location of the terminal device based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and multiple uplink positioning information from the serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite.

[0250] In another feasible implementation, step S402 may specifically include: determining the location of the terminal device based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device. The neighboring cell information includes one or more of the following: the neighboring cell identifier, the neighboring cell reference signal information, or the neighboring cell beam information, etc. For ease of understanding, the following description will primarily use the neighboring cell identifier as an example for illustrative purposes.

[0251] In one implementation, since the neighboring cells of different mirror points are different, the location management function can determine the location of the terminal device from the candidate locations that are mirror images of the serving cell, based on the relative positional relationship between neighboring cells and the serving cell. For example, assuming the neighboring cell of the serving cell is Cell ID#11, since Cell ID#11 is located to the north of the serving cell, the candidate location to the north among the mirror images can be determined as the location of the terminal device. The use of cardinal directions (north, south, east, west) as an example of relative positional relationship is merely illustrative; other methods may exist, and this application does not limit this. It should be understood that the candidate location can be determined based on uplink positioning information, or based on both uplink and downlink positioning information.

[0252] Optionally, this implementation can be applied in the following two cases: Case 1, the positioning satellites of the terminal device include the terminal device's serving satellite and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, and all satellites in the positioning satellites have the same orbit; Case 2, the positioning satellites of the terminal device only include the terminal device's serving satellite; Case 3, the terminal device does not support positioning based on multiple satellites. In these three cases, the positioning of the terminal device may suffer from mirroring issues. To avoid mirroring issues, the location management function can determine the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device and the information of the neighboring cells of the terminal device's serving cell; alternatively, the location management function can determine the location of the terminal device based on the information of the neighboring cells of the terminal device's serving cell, the terminal device's uplink positioning information, and the terminal device's downlink positioning information.

[0253] It should be noted that when all positioning satellites have the same orbit, the uplink positioning information of the terminal device is the uplink positioning information fed back by the access network devices corresponding to each positioning satellite. When the positioning satellites only include the terminal device's serving satellite, the uplink positioning information of the terminal device is the uplink positioning information fed back by the serving access network device corresponding to that serving satellite. Here, the neighboring cell information of the terminal device's serving cell (hereinafter referred to as neighboring cell information) can be sent to the location management function by the serving access network device or the terminal device.

[0254] The location management function can obtain information about neighboring cells of the serving cell of a terminal device in the following ways:

[0255] In one implementation, the serving access network device or terminal device can proactively send information about the neighboring cell to the location management function. Accordingly, the location management function receives the information about the neighboring cell.

[0256] In another implementation, the location management function requests information about the neighboring cell from the serving access network device or the terminal device. Accordingly, the serving access network device or the terminal device can send the neighboring cell information to the location management function based on this request. For example, if the location management function determines that the terminal device's positioning has a mirroring problem based on satellite ephemeris information and beam information (e.g., angle information), the location management function requests information about the neighboring cell from the serving access network device or the terminal device. As another example, if the serving access network device or the access and mobility management function determines that the terminal device's positioning has a mirroring problem based on satellite ephemeris information and beam information, the serving access network device or the access and mobility management function can send a first indication message to the location management function. This first indication message indicates that the terminal device's positioning has a mirroring problem; therefore, the location management function can request information about the neighboring cell from the serving access network device or the terminal device based on this first indication message.

[0257] Optionally, the location management function's request for neighboring cell information from the serving access network device or terminal device can be understood as follows: the location management function sends a request to the serving access network device or terminal device to obtain neighboring cell information (or sends an instruction to request the reporting of neighboring cell information), and the serving access network device or terminal device sends the neighboring cell information to the location management function based on the request / instruction.

[0258] It should be noted that the above-mentioned feasible implementation methods can be combined with each other and are not limited thereto.

[0259] The following provides further supplementary explanations of this application in conjunction with specific scenarios. Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a positioning satellite scenario provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 5(a), the positioning satellites of the terminal device include satellite 1 (i.e., the service satellite), satellite 2, and satellite 3, wherein the orbits of satellite 2 and satellite 3 are different. As shown in Figure 5(b), the positioning satellites of the terminal device include satellite 1 (i.e., the service satellite), satellite 2, and satellite 3, wherein all satellites in the positioning satellites have the same orbit, i.e., the orbits of satellite 1, satellite 2, and satellite 3 are all the same. It should be understood that in this application, "same orbit" means the same orbit (i.e., both the orbit and the orbital altitude are the same), and "different orbit" means different orbits, not limited to whether the orbital altitudes are the same. For example, the service satellite's orbit 1 has an altitude of H0, and there are orbits 2 (also with an altitude of H0) and 3 (with an altitude of H1) that are different from orbit 1. Orbits 1, 2, and 3 can be considered as different orbits.

[0260] Understandably, as described above, at least one neighboring positioning satellite can be selected by the serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite or the access and mobility management function, and information on the access network device corresponding to at least one neighboring positioning satellite can be provided to the location management function. Therefore, these two cases will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 6 and 7 respectively:

[0261] Figure 6 illustrates a scheme where the serving access network device selects at least one neighboring positioning satellite. In Figure 6, RAN1 is the access network device (i.e., the serving access network device) corresponding to satellite 1 (i.e., the satellite), RAN2 is the access network device corresponding to satellite 2, and RAN3 is the access network device corresponding to satellite 3. Wherein:

[0262] S601, the UE, AF, or client can send a location request to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF can receive location requests from the UE, AF, or client.

[0263] Here, the location request is a request to locate the UE's position.

[0264] S602, AMF sends a location request to LMF. Correspondingly, LMF receives the location request from AMF.

[0265] In some feasible implementations, the AMF can send a location request to the LMF based on the received location request. The location request sent by the AMF includes information about the UE's serving cell, such as the identifier of the serving cell.

[0266] Optionally, when the AMF needs to obtain the UE's location, the AMF itself can initiate a location request for the UE and send the location request to the LMF. The location request carries the information of the UE's serving cell.

[0267] S603, the LMF sends a Long Term Evolution Positioning Protocol (LPP) request to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the LPP request from the LMF.

[0268] The LPP request is used to request the location capabilities / methods supported by the UE.

[0269] S604, the UE sends an LPP response to the LMF. Accordingly, the LMF receives the LPP response from the UE.

[0270] The LPP response includes information indicating whether the UE supports multi-satellite positioning capabilities.

[0271] S605, LMF sends a new radio positioning protocol A (NRPPa) request to RAN1. RAN1 then receives the NRPPa request from LMF.

[0272] The NRPPa request is used to request the UE's Uplink-Sounding Reference Signaling (UL-SRS) configuration information, such as the number / duration of UL-SRS transmissions, bandwidth, resource type, requested SRS resource sets and the number of each SRS resource set, and the carrier frequency of the SRS transmission bandwidth. Optionally, the NRPPa request may also include neighbor positioning satellite selection indication information.

[0273] The following explanations will focus on the first branch corresponding to the scenario shown in Figure 5(a) and the second branch corresponding to the scenario shown in Figure 5(b):

[0274] First branch:

[0275] S606a and RAN1 select at least one neighboring positioning satellite based on the ephemeris information of the serving satellite and the ephemeris information of the surrounding satellites of the serving satellite.

[0276] In some feasible implementations, RAN1 can determine whether positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the service satellite, based on the aforementioned selection indication information and in conjunction with the ephemeris information of the serving satellite and the surrounding satellites of the service satellite. If not, positioning is performed based on a single satellite, i.e., positioning is performed using the service satellite. If so, at least one neighboring positioning satellite is selected, wherein at least two of the neighboring positioning satellites and the service satellite of the terminal device have different orbits. For example, as shown in Figure 5(a), the orbits of satellite 2 and satellite 3 are different. It should be understood that this first branch is mainly described in the case where positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the service satellite, and at least two of the positioning satellites have different orbits.

[0277] S607a, RAN1 UE configuration.

[0278] In some feasible implementations, RAN1 can determine the UL-SRS resource set available to the UE based on the NRPPa request received in S605, and configure the UL-SRS resource set available to the UE.

[0279] S608a, RAN1 sends an NRPPa response to LMF. Correspondingly, LMF receives the NRPPa response from RAN1.

[0280] In some feasible implementations, after completing the UE configuration, the RAN can send an NRPPa response to the LMF. This NRPPa response includes UL-SRS configuration information and information about the access network device corresponding to at least one neighboring positioning satellite selected in step S606a. Alternatively, the UL-SRS configuration information may contain information about the access network device corresponding to at least one neighboring positioning satellite. The access network device information can be an identifier of the access network device or an NCGI, etc., and is not limited here.

[0281] S609-1a to S609-3a, and LMF send NRPPa measurement requests to RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3 respectively. Correspondingly, RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3 receive the NRPPa measurement requests from LMF.

[0282] In some feasible implementations, the NRPPa measurement request includes TRP measurement request information, including TRP ID, NCGI of the TRP receiving UL-SRS, UE-SRS configuration, measurement period, measurement quality, response time, etc.

[0283] Understandably, RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 can each perform uplink measurements based on the received NRPPa measurement request to obtain the UE's uplink positioning information.

[0284] S6010a, the LMF sends an LPP measurement request to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the LPP measurement request from the LMF.

[0285] In some feasible implementations, the LPP measurement request includes auxiliary data and a location request. The auxiliary data includes data required by the UE to perform downlink-positioning reference signaling (DL-PRS) measurements, such as NCGI, DL-PRS configuration of candidate TRPs, etc. The location request is used to request the UE to perform downlink measurements.

[0286] Understandably, the UE can perform downlink measurements based on the LPP measurement request to obtain the UE's downlink positioning information.

[0287] S6011-1a to S6011-3a, RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3 respectively send NRPPa measurement responses to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives NRPPa measurement responses from RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3.

[0288] The NRPPa measurement response includes the UE's uplink positioning information.

[0289] S6012a, the UE sends an LPP measurement response to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives the LPP measurement response from the UE.

[0290] The LPP measurement response includes the UE's downlink positioning information.

[0291] S6013a and LMF determine the UE's location based on the UE's uplink and downlink positioning information.

[0292] S6014a, the LMF sends a positioning response to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the positioning response from the LMF.

[0293] The location response includes the location result.

[0294] The second branch:

[0295] S606b and RAN1 select at least one neighboring positioning satellite based on the ephemeris information of the serving satellite and the ephemeris information of the surrounding satellites of the serving satellite.

[0296] In some feasible implementations, RAN1 can determine whether positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the service satellite, based on the aforementioned selection indication information, combined with the ephemeris information of the serving satellite and the ephemeris information of the surrounding satellites of the service satellite. If not, positioning is performed based on a single satellite, i.e., positioning is performed using the service satellite; if so, at least one neighboring positioning satellite is selected, wherein the orbit of this at least one neighboring positioning satellite is the same as that of all satellites in the service satellite. For example, as shown in Figure 5(b), the orbits of satellite 1, satellite 2, and satellite 3 are the same. It should be understood that this second branch is mainly described in the case where positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the service satellite, and all satellites in the positioning satellite have the same orbit.

[0297] S607b, RAN1 UE configuration.

[0298] In some feasible implementations, RAN1 can determine the UL-SRS resource set available to the UE based on the NRPPa request received in S605, and configure the UL-SRS resource set available to the UE.

[0299] S608b and RAN1 send an NRPPa response to LMF. Correspondingly, LMF receives the NRPPa response from RAN1.

[0300] In some feasible implementations, after completing the UE configuration, the RAN can send an NRPPa response to the LMF. This NRPPa response includes UL-SRS configuration information and information about the access network device corresponding to at least one neighboring positioning satellite selected in step S606a. Alternatively, the UL-SRS configuration information may contain information about the access network device corresponding to at least one neighboring positioning satellite. The access network device information can be an identifier of the access network device or an NCGI, etc., and is not limited here.

[0301] Optionally, since mirroring issues can occur whether positioning is based on a single satellite or multiple satellites in the same orbit, the NRPPa response may also include neighbor cell information, or a first indication indicating that the terminal device's positioning has a mirroring problem. In other words, RAN1 can directly send neighbor cell information to LMF whether positioning is based on a single satellite or multiple satellites in the same orbit, or it can indicate to LMF that a mirroring problem exists, allowing LMF to subsequently request neighbor cell information based on RAN1's ​​indication.

[0302] S609-1b to S609-3b and LMF send NRPPa measurement requests to RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 respectively. Correspondingly, RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 receive NRPPa measurement requests from LMF.

[0303] In some feasible implementations, the NRPPa measurement request includes TRP measurement request information, including TRP ID, NCGI of the TRP receiving UL-SRS, UE-SRS configuration, measurement period, measurement quality, response time, etc.

[0304] Optionally, the NRPPa measurement request sent by LMF to RAN1 may also include an instruction to report neighbor cell information. Therefore, in addition to reporting the UE's uplink positioning information, RAN1 should also report the neighbor cell information of the UE's serving cell.

[0305] Understandably, RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 can each perform uplink measurements based on the received NRPPa measurement request to obtain the UE's uplink positioning information.

[0306] S6010b: The LMF sends an LPP measurement request to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the LPP measurement request from the LMF.

[0307] In some feasible implementations, the LPP measurement request includes auxiliary data and a location request. The auxiliary data includes data required by the UE to perform downlink-positioning reference signaling (DL-PRS) measurements, such as NCGI, DL-PRS configuration of candidate TRPs, etc. The location request is used to request the UE to perform downlink measurements.

[0308] Optionally, the LPF may also include an instruction to report neighboring cell information in the LPP measurement request sent to the UE. Therefore, in addition to reporting the UE's downlink positioning information, the UE should also report the neighboring cell information of the UE's serving cell.

[0309] Understandably, the UE can perform downlink measurements based on the LPP measurement request to obtain the UE's downlink positioning information.

[0310] S6011-1b to S6011-3b, RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3 respectively send NRPPa measurement responses to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives NRPPa measurement responses from RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3.

[0311] The NRPPa measurement response includes the UE's uplink positioning information. Optionally, the NRPPa measurement response fed back by RAN1 may also include neighbor cell information.

[0312] S6012b: The UE sends an LPP measurement response to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives the LPP measurement response from the UE.

[0313] The LPP measurement response includes the UE's downlink positioning information. Optionally, the LPP measurement response may also include information about neighboring cells.

[0314] S6013b and LMF determine the UE's location based on the UE's uplink and downlink positioning information, as well as information from neighboring cells.

[0315] S6014b: The LMF sends a positioning response to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the positioning response from the LMF.

[0316] The location response includes the location result.

[0317] Figure 7 illustrates a scheme where the Access and Mobility Management (AMI) function selects at least one neighboring satellite for location. In Figure 7, RAN1 is the access network device (i.e., the serving access network device) corresponding to satellite 1 (i.e., the serving satellite), RAN2 is the access network device corresponding to satellite 2, and RAN3 is the access network device corresponding to satellite 3. Wherein:

[0318] S701, the UE, AF, or client can send a location request to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF can receive location requests from the UE, AF, or client.

[0319] Here, the location request is a request to locate the UE's position.

[0320] The following explanations will focus on the first branch corresponding to the scenario shown in Figure 5(a) and the second branch corresponding to the scenario shown in Figure 5(b):

[0321] First branch:

[0322] S702a and AMF select at least one neighboring positioning satellite based on the ephemeris information of the serving satellite and the ephemeris information of the surrounding satellites of the serving satellite.

[0323] In some feasible implementations, the AMF can determine whether positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the serving satellite, based on the ephemeris information of the serving satellite and the ephemeris information of surrounding satellites. If not, positioning is performed based on a single satellite, i.e., using the serving satellite. If so, at least one neighboring positioning satellite is selected, wherein at least two of the neighboring positioning satellites and the serving satellite of the terminal device have different orbits. For example, as shown in Figure 5(a), the orbits of satellite 2 and satellite 3 are different. It should be understood that this first branch is mainly described in the case where positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the serving satellite, and at least two of the positioning satellites have different orbits.

[0324] Optionally, the AMF can also determine whether positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the serving satellite, based on the coverage information of the serving satellite and the surrounding satellites. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0325] S703a, AMF sends a location request to LMF. Correspondingly, LMF receives the location request from AMF.

[0326] In some feasible implementations, the AMF can send a location request to the LMF based on the received location request. This location request sent by the AMF includes information about the UE's serving cell, such as the serving cell identifier. In addition, the location request sent by the AMF may also include information about at least one access network device corresponding to a neighboring positioning satellite. The access network device information can be an access network device identifier or NCGI, etc., and is not limited here.

[0327] Optionally, when the AMF needs to obtain the UE's location, the AMF itself can initiate a location request for the UE and send the location request to the LMF. The location request carries the information of the UE's serving cell and the information of the access network device corresponding to at least one neighboring positioning satellite.

[0328] S704a: The LMF sends an LPP request to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the LPP request from the LMF.

[0329] The LPP request is used to request the location capabilities / methods supported by the UE.

[0330] S705a: The UE sends an LPP response to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives the LPP response from the UE.

[0331] The LPP response includes information indicating whether the UE supports multi-satellite positioning capabilities.

[0332] S706a, LMF sends an NRPPa request to RAN1. Correspondingly, RAN1 receives the NRPPa request from LMF.

[0333] The NRPPa request is used to request the UE's UL-SRS configuration information, such as the number / duration of UL-SRS transmissions, bandwidth, resource type, requested SRS resource sets and the number of each SRS resource set, and the carrier frequency of the SRS transmission bandwidth.

[0334] S707a, RAN1 UE configuration.

[0335] In some feasible implementations, RAN1 can determine the UL-SRS resource set available to the UE based on the NRPPa request received in S706a, and configure the UL-SRS resource set available to the UE.

[0336] S708a and RAN1 send an NRPPa response to LMF. Correspondingly, LMF receives the NRPPa response from RAN1.

[0337] In some feasible implementations, after the UE configuration is completed, the RAN can send an NRPPa response to the LMF, which includes UL-SRS configuration information.

[0338] S709-1a to S709-3a and LMF send NRPPa measurement requests to RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 respectively. Correspondingly, RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 receive NRPPa measurement requests from LMF.

[0339] In some feasible implementations, the NRPPa measurement request includes TRP measurement request information, including TRP ID, NCGI of the TRP receiving UL-SRS, UE-SRS configuration, measurement period, measurement quality, response time, etc.

[0340] Understandably, RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 can each perform uplink measurements based on the received NRPPa measurement request to obtain the UE's uplink positioning information.

[0341] S7010a: The LMF sends an LPP measurement request to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the LPP measurement request from the LMF.

[0342] In some feasible implementations, the LPP measurement request includes auxiliary data and a location request. The auxiliary data includes data required by the UE to perform DL-PRS measurements, such as NCGI, DL-PRS configuration of candidate TRPs, etc. The location request is used to request the UE to perform downlink measurements.

[0343] Understandably, the UE can perform downlink measurements based on the LPP measurement request to obtain the UE's downlink positioning information.

[0344] S7011-1a to S7011-3a, RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3 respectively send NRPPa measurement responses to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives NRPPa measurement responses from RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3.

[0345] The NRPPa measurement response includes the UE's uplink positioning information.

[0346] S7012a, the UE sends an LPP measurement response to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives the LPP measurement response from the UE.

[0347] The LPP measurement response includes the UE's downlink positioning information.

[0348] S7013a and LMF determine the UE's location based on the UE's uplink and downlink positioning information.

[0349] S7014a, the LMF sends a positioning response to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the positioning response from the LMF.

[0350] The location response includes the location result.

[0351] The second branch:

[0352] S702b and AMF select at least one neighboring positioning satellite based on the ephemeris information of the serving satellite and the ephemeris information of the surrounding satellites of the serving satellite.

[0353] In some feasible implementations, the AMF can determine whether positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the serving satellite, based on the ephemeris information of the serving satellite and the ephemeris information of surrounding satellites. If not, positioning is performed based on a single satellite, i.e., using the serving satellite. If so, at least one neighboring positioning satellite is selected, wherein the orbit of this at least one neighboring positioning satellite is the same as that of all satellites in the serving satellite. For example, as shown in Figure 5(b), the orbits of satellite 1, satellite 2, and satellite 3 are the same. It should be understood that this second branch is mainly described in the case where positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the serving satellite, and all satellites in the positioning satellite have the same orbit.

[0354] Optionally, the AMF can also determine whether positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the serving satellite, based on the coverage information of the serving satellite and the surrounding satellites. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0355] Optionally, since mirroring issues may occur when positioning is based on a single satellite or multiple satellites in the same orbit, AMF can also determine whether mirroring issues exist in the positioning of the terminal device based on the satellite's ephemeris information and beam information.

[0356] S703b, AMF sends a location request to LMF. Correspondingly, LMF receives the location request from AMF.

[0357] In some feasible implementations, the AMF can send a location request to the LMF based on the received location request. This location request sent by the AMF includes information about the UE's serving cell, such as the serving cell identifier. In addition, the location request sent by the AMF may also include information about at least one access network device corresponding to a neighboring positioning satellite. The access network device information can be an access network device identifier or NCGI, etc., and is not limited here.

[0358] Optionally, when the AMF needs to obtain the UE's location, the AMF itself can initiate a location request for the UE and send the location request to the LMF. The location request carries the information of the UE's serving cell and the information of the access network device corresponding to at least one neighboring positioning satellite.

[0359] Optionally, if the AMF determines that the terminal device's positioning has a mirroring problem based on satellite ephemeris and beam information, the AMF can also include first indication information in the positioning request. This first indication information indicates that the terminal device's positioning has a mirroring problem. Therefore, the LMF can subsequently request information from neighboring cells based on the AMF's indication.

[0360] S704b: The LMF sends an LPP request to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the LPP request from the LMF.

[0361] The LPP request is used to request the location capabilities / methods supported by the UE.

[0362] S705b: The UE sends an LPP response to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives the LPP response from the UE.

[0363] The LPP response includes information indicating whether the UE supports multi-satellite positioning capabilities.

[0364] S706b, LMF sends an NRPPa request to RAN1. Correspondingly, RAN1 receives the NRPPa request from LMF.

[0365] The NRPPa request is used to request the UE's UL-SRS configuration information, such as the number / duration of UL-SRS transmissions, bandwidth, resource type, requested SRS resource sets and the number of each SRS resource set, and the carrier frequency of the SRS transmission bandwidth.

[0366] S707b, RAN1 UE configuration.

[0367] In some feasible implementations, RAN1 can determine the UL-SRS resource set available to the UE based on the NRPPa request received in S706b, and configure the UL-SRS resource set available to the UE.

[0368] S708b and RAN1 send an NRPPa response to LMF. Correspondingly, LMF receives the NRPPa response from RAN1.

[0369] In some feasible implementations, after the UE configuration is completed, the RAN can send an NRPPa response to the LMF, which includes UL-SRS configuration information.

[0370] S709-1b to S709-3b and LMF send NRPPa measurement requests to RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 respectively. Correspondingly, RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 receive NRPPa measurement requests from LMF.

[0371] In some feasible implementations, the NRPPa measurement request includes TRP measurement request information, including TRP ID, NCGI of the TRP receiving UL-SRS, UE-SRS configuration, measurement period, measurement quality, response time, etc.

[0372] Optionally, in the event of a mirroring problem, the NRPPa measurement request sent by the LMF to RAN1 may also include an instruction to report neighbor cell information. Therefore, in addition to reporting the UE's uplink positioning information, RAN1 should also report the neighbor cell information of the UE's serving cell.

[0373] Understandably, RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 can each perform uplink measurements based on the received NRPPa measurement request to obtain the UE's uplink positioning information.

[0374] S7010b: The LMF sends an LPP measurement request to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the LPP measurement request from the LMF.

[0375] In some feasible implementations, the LPP measurement request includes auxiliary data and a location request. The auxiliary data includes data required by the UE to perform DL-PRS measurements, such as NCGI, DL-PRS configuration of candidate TRPs, etc. The location request is used to request the UE to perform downlink measurements.

[0376] Optionally, in the event of a mirroring problem, the LPP measurement request sent by the LMF to the UE may also include an instruction to report neighboring cell information. Therefore, in addition to reporting the UE's downlink positioning information, the UE should also report the information of the neighboring cells of the UE's serving cell.

[0377] Understandably, the UE can perform downlink measurements based on the LPP measurement request to obtain the UE's downlink positioning information.

[0378] S7011-1b to S7011-3b, RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3 respectively send NRPPa measurement responses to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives NRPPa measurement responses from RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3.

[0379] The NRPPa measurement response includes the UE's uplink positioning information. Optionally, the NRPPa measurement response fed back by RAN1 may also include neighbor cell information.

[0380] S7012b: The UE sends an LPP measurement response to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives the LPP measurement response from the UE.

[0381] The LPP measurement response includes the UE's downlink positioning information. Optionally, the LPP measurement response may also include information about neighboring cells.

[0382] S7013b and LMF determine the UE's location based on the UE's uplink and downlink positioning information, as well as information from neighboring cells.

[0383] S7014b: The LMF sends a positioning response to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the positioning response from the LMF.

[0384] The location response includes the location result.

[0385] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite or the access and mobility management function can select at least one neighboring positioning satellite and provide the location management function with information about the access network device corresponding to at least one neighboring positioning satellite. Therefore, the subsequent location management function can simultaneously trigger the acquisition of uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network devices corresponding to multiple positioning satellites, including the serving satellite and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, to determine the location of the terminal device, thereby improving positioning efficiency and reducing positioning latency. In addition, if at least two of the serving satellite and at least one neighboring positioning satellite have different orbits, the mirroring problem can be avoided, which helps to improve positioning accuracy. If all the satellites of the serving satellite and at least one neighboring positioning satellite have the same orbit, the location management function can further combine the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device to finally determine the location of the terminal device, thus solving the positioning inaccuracy problem caused by the mirroring problem.

[0386] Please refer to Figure 8, which is another schematic flowchart of the communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, the communication method includes the following steps S801 to S803. The execution subject of the method shown in Figure 8 can be a location management function, or a chip in the location management function. For ease of description, this application mainly uses the location management function as the execution subject. It should be understood that Figure 8 is a schematic flowchart of an embodiment of the method of this application, which shows the detailed communication steps or operations of the method, but these steps or operations are only examples. The embodiments of this application can also perform other operations or variations of the various operations in Figure 8. In addition, the steps in Figure 8 can be performed in a different order than that presented in Figure 8, and it is possible that not all operations in Figure 8 need to be performed. Wherein:

[0387] S801, Location Management function determines the positioning satellite of the terminal device.

[0388] In one feasible implementation, the location management function can determine the positioning satellite of the terminal device based on the first information. In another feasible implementation, step S801 is an optional step. Exemplarily, the positioning satellite of the terminal device can be determined by other devices / network elements (e.g., serving access network devices or AMF) based on the first information.

[0389] For an understanding of the positioning satellites of the terminal device, please refer to the relevant description in the embodiment shown in Figure 4 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0390] The first piece of information may include satellite ephemeris information and / or coverage information.

[0391] When the positioning satellites of a terminal device include the terminal device's service satellites and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, one possible scenario is that at least two of the terminal device's positioning satellites have different orbits, and another possible scenario is that all the positioning satellites have the same orbit. The following sections will explain the different situations separately.

[0392] Optionally, after identifying the positioning satellite for the terminal device, the location management function can send a first message to the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite. This first message triggers the acquisition of uplink positioning information for the terminal device, or it requests uplink measurement or uplink positioning measurement. Accordingly, after receiving the first message, the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite can perform uplink measurement based on the received first message to obtain the uplink positioning information of the terminal device, and then feed back the obtained uplink positioning information of the terminal device to the location management function. Optionally, the location management function can also send a second message to the terminal device. This second message triggers the acquisition of downlink positioning information for the terminal device, or it requests downlink measurement or downlink positioning measurement. Accordingly, after receiving the second message, the terminal device can perform downlink measurement based on the received second message to obtain the downlink positioning information of the terminal device, and then feed back the obtained downlink positioning information of the terminal device to the location management function.

[0393] Optionally, for an understanding of uplink and downlink positioning information, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the embodiments shown in Figure 4 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0394] S802. When there are at least two satellites with different orbits among the positioning satellites of the terminal device, the location management function determines the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite.

[0395] In one feasible implementation, the terminal device can send capability information to the location management function, indicating whether the terminal device supports multi-satellite-based positioning. Accordingly, the location management function can determine whether the terminal device supports multi-satellite-based positioning based on the capability information from the terminal device.

[0396] Optionally, if the location management function determines that at least two of the positioning satellites for the terminal device have different orbits, and the terminal device supports positioning based on multiple satellites, the location management function can determine the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite. Optionally, determining the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite may include: determining the location of the terminal device based on both the uplink and downlink positioning information. Here, the implementation methods for determining the location of the terminal device based on uplink positioning information, or based on both uplink and downlink positioning information, can be referred to the relevant descriptions in the embodiment shown in Figure 4 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0397] S803. When all satellites in the positioning satellites have the same orbit, the location management function determines the location of the terminal device based on the information of the neighboring cells of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite.

[0398] In one feasible implementation, when the positioning satellites include the serving satellite of the terminal device and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, and all satellites in the positioning satellites have the same orbit, the location management function determines the location of the terminal device based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite. This can be understood as follows: when the location management function determines that all satellites in the positioning satellites have the same orbit, and the terminal device supports positioning based on multiple satellites, the location management function determines the location of the terminal device based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite.

[0399] Optionally, determining the location of the terminal device based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite includes: determining the location of the terminal device based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device, the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite, and the downlink positioning information of the terminal device. The implementation method for determining the location of the terminal device based on neighboring cell information, uplink positioning information, and downlink positioning information can be referred to the relevant description in the embodiment shown in Figure 4 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0400] Optionally, the above method further includes: when the positioning satellites only include the serving satellites of the terminal device, and / or when the terminal device does not support positioning based on multiple satellites, the location management function determines the location of the terminal device based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite.

[0401] Optionally, it should be noted that when determining the location of a terminal device, the location management function can further combine the downlink positioning information of the terminal device, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0402] Furthermore, the information on the neighboring cells of the serving cell of the aforementioned terminal device can be found in the relevant description in the embodiment shown in Figure 4, and will not be repeated here.

[0403] Optionally, the following description, in conjunction with the different scenarios shown in Figure 5, will provide further supplementary explanations of this application.

[0404] Figure 9 illustrates a scheme where the location management function itself selects at least one neighboring positioning satellite. In Figure 9, RAN1 is the access network device (i.e., the serving access network device) corresponding to satellite 1 (i.e., the serving satellite), RAN2 is the access network device corresponding to satellite 2, and RAN3 is the access network device corresponding to satellite 3. Wherein:

[0405] S901, UE, AF, or Client can send a location request to AMF. Correspondingly, AMF can receive location requests from UE, AF, or Client.

[0406] Here, the location request is a request to locate the UE's position.

[0407] S902, AMF sends a location request to LMF. Correspondingly, LMF receives the location request from AMF.

[0408] In some feasible implementations, the AMF can send a location request to the LMF based on the received location request. The location request sent by the AMF includes information about the UE's serving cell, such as the identifier of the serving cell.

[0409] Optionally, when the AMF needs to obtain the UE's location, the AMF itself can initiate a location request for the UE and send the location request to the LMF. The location request carries the information of the UE's serving cell.

[0410] S903, the LMF sends an LPP request to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the LPP request from the LMF.

[0411] The LPP request is used to request the location capabilities / methods supported by the UE.

[0412] S904, the UE sends an LPP response to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives the LPP response from the UE.

[0413] The LPP response includes information indicating whether the UE supports multi-satellite positioning capabilities.

[0414] S905, LMF sends an NRPPa request to RAN1. Correspondingly, RAN1 receives the NRPPa request from LMF.

[0415] The NRPPa request is used to request the UE's UL-SRS configuration information, such as the number / duration of UL-SRS transmissions, bandwidth, resource type, requested SRS resource sets and the number of each SRS resource set, and the carrier frequency of the SRS transmission bandwidth.

[0416] S906, RAN1 configure UE.

[0417] In some feasible implementations, RAN1 can determine the UL-SRS resource set available to the UE based on the NRPPa request received in S905, and configure the UL-SRS resource set available to the UE.

[0418] S907 and RAN1 send an NRPPa response to LMF. Correspondingly, LMF receives the NRPPa response from RAN1.

[0419] In some feasible implementations, after the UE configuration is completed, the RAN can send an NRPPa response to the LMF, which includes UL-SRS configuration information.

[0420] The following explanations will focus on the first branch corresponding to the scenario shown in Figure 5(a) and the second branch corresponding to the scenario shown in Figure 5(b):

[0421] First branch:

[0422] S908a and LMF select at least one neighboring positioning satellite based on the ephemeris information of the serving satellite and the ephemeris information of the surrounding satellites of the serving satellite.

[0423] In some feasible implementations, the LMF can determine whether positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the serving satellite, based on the ephemeris information of the serving satellite and the ephemeris information of surrounding satellites stored locally. If not, positioning is performed based on a single satellite, i.e., using the serving satellite. If so, at least one neighboring positioning satellite is selected, wherein at least two of the neighboring positioning satellites and the serving satellite of the terminal device have different orbits. For example, as shown in Figure 5(a), the orbits of satellite 2 and satellite 3 are different. It should be understood that this first branch is mainly described in the case where positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the serving satellite, and at least two of the positioning satellites have different orbits.

[0424] Optionally, the LMF can also determine whether positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the serving satellite, based on the coverage information of the serving satellite and the surrounding satellites. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0425] S909-1a to S909-3a and LMF send NRPPa measurement requests to RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 respectively. Correspondingly, RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 receive NRPPa measurement requests from LMF.

[0426] In some feasible implementations, the NRPPa measurement request includes TRP measurement request information, including TRP ID, NCGI of the TRP receiving UL-SRS, UE-SRS configuration, measurement period, measurement quality, response time, etc.

[0427] Understandably, RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 can each perform uplink measurements based on the received NRPPa measurement request to obtain the UE's uplink positioning information.

[0428] S9010a, the LMF sends an LPP measurement request to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the LPP measurement request from the LMF.

[0429] In some feasible implementations, the LPP measurement request includes auxiliary data and a location request. The auxiliary data includes data required by the UE to perform DL-PRS measurements, such as NCGI, DL-PRS configuration of candidate TRPs, etc. The location request is used to request the UE to perform downlink measurements.

[0430] Understandably, the UE can perform downlink measurements based on the LPP measurement request to obtain the UE's downlink positioning information.

[0431] S9011-1a to S9011-3a, RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3 respectively send NRPPa measurement responses to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives NRPPa measurement responses from RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3.

[0432] The NRPPa measurement response includes the UE's uplink positioning information.

[0433] S9012a, the UE sends an LPP measurement response to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives the LPP measurement response from the UE.

[0434] The LPP measurement response includes the UE's downlink positioning information.

[0435] S9013a and LMF determine the UE's location based on the UE's uplink and downlink positioning information.

[0436] S9014a, the LMF sends a positioning response to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the positioning response from the LMF.

[0437] The location response includes the location result.

[0438] The second branch:

[0439] S908b and LMF select at least one neighboring positioning satellite based on the ephemeris information of the serving satellite and the ephemeris information of the surrounding satellites of the serving satellite.

[0440] In some feasible implementations, the LMF can determine whether positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the serving satellite, based on the ephemeris information of the serving satellite and the ephemeris information of surrounding satellites. If not, positioning is performed based on a single satellite, i.e., using the serving satellite. If so, at least one neighboring positioning satellite is selected, wherein the orbit of this at least one neighboring positioning satellite is the same as that of all satellites in the serving satellite. For example, as shown in Figure 5(b), the orbits of satellite 1, satellite 2, and satellite 3 are the same. It should be understood that this second branch is mainly described in the case where positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the serving satellite, and all satellites in the positioning satellite have the same orbit.

[0441] Optionally, the LMF can also determine whether positioning can be performed using two or more satellites, including the serving satellite, based on the coverage information of the serving satellite and the surrounding satellites. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0442] Optionally, since mirroring issues may occur when positioning is based on a single satellite or multiple satellites in the same orbit, the LMF can also determine whether mirroring issues exist in the terminal device's positioning based on locally stored satellite ephemeris and beam information. Optionally, the satellite ephemeris and beam information can also be obtained from RAN1, without restriction.

[0443] S909-1b to S909-3b and LMF send NRPPa measurement requests to RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 respectively. Correspondingly, RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 receive NRPPa measurement requests from LMF.

[0444] In some feasible implementations, the NRPPa measurement request includes TRP measurement request information, including TRP ID, NCGI of the TRP receiving UL-SRS, UE-SRS configuration, measurement period, measurement quality, response time, etc.

[0445] Optionally, in the event of a mirroring problem, the NRPPa measurement request sent by the LMF to RAN1 may also include an instruction to report neighbor cell information. Therefore, in addition to reporting the UE's uplink positioning information, RAN1 should also report the neighbor cell information of the UE's serving cell.

[0446] Understandably, RAN1, RAN2 and RAN3 can each perform uplink measurements based on the received NRPPa measurement request to obtain the UE's uplink positioning information.

[0447] S9010b: The LMF sends an LPP measurement request to the UE. Correspondingly, the UE receives the LPP measurement request from the LMF.

[0448] In some feasible implementations, the LPP measurement request includes auxiliary data and a location request. The auxiliary data includes data required by the UE to perform DL-PRS measurements, such as NCGI, DL-PRS configuration of candidate TRPs, etc. The location request is used to request the UE to perform downlink measurements.

[0449] Optionally, in the event of a mirroring problem, the LPP measurement request sent by the LMF to the UE may also include an instruction to report neighboring cell information. Therefore, in addition to reporting the UE's downlink positioning information, the UE should also report the information of the neighboring cells of the UE's serving cell.

[0450] Understandably, the UE can perform downlink measurements based on the LPP measurement request to obtain the UE's downlink positioning information.

[0451] S9011-1b to S9011-3b, RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3 respectively send NRPPa measurement responses to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives NRPPa measurement responses from RAN1, RAN2, and RAN3.

[0452] The NRPPa measurement response includes the UE's uplink positioning information. Optionally, the NRPPa measurement response fed back by RAN1 may also include neighbor cell information.

[0453] S9012b: The UE sends an LPP measurement response to the LMF. Correspondingly, the LMF receives the LPP measurement response from the UE.

[0454] The LPP measurement response includes the UE's downlink positioning information. Optionally, the LPP measurement response may also include information about neighboring cells.

[0455] S9013b and LMF determine the UE's location based on the UE's uplink and downlink positioning information, as well as information from neighboring cells.

[0456] S9014b: The LMF sends a positioning response to the AMF. Correspondingly, the AMF receives the positioning response from the LMF.

[0457] The location response includes the location result.

[0458] It should be noted that in this embodiment, the location management function itself can select at least one neighboring positioning satellite and trigger the acquisition of uplink positioning information of the terminal device from multiple positioning satellites, including the serving satellite and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, to determine the location of the terminal device. This improves positioning efficiency and reduces positioning latency. Furthermore, if at least two of the serving satellite and at least one neighboring positioning satellite have different orbits, the mirroring problem can be avoided, improving positioning accuracy. If all the satellites in the serving satellite and at least one neighboring positioning satellite have the same orbit, the location management function can further combine the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device to finally determine the location of the terminal device, thus solving the positioning inaccuracy problem caused by the mirroring problem.

[0459] The communication device provided in this application will now be described in detail with reference to Figures 10 and 11.

[0460] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0461] Figures 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams illustrating the possible structures of communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the network devices in the above method embodiments, and thus also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be a network device, or it can be a module (such as a chip) applied to a network device. For example, the network device can be a location management function, a service access network device, or an access and mobility management function, etc.

[0462] As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1000 includes a processing unit 1010 and a transceiver unit 1020. The communication device 1000 is used to implement the functions of the network device in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 9 above.

[0463] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement the location management function in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 9:

[0464] In one implementation:

[0465] The transceiver unit 1020 is used to receive uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite of the terminal device. The positioning satellite includes the serving satellite of the terminal device and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, and the neighboring positioning satellite is a neighboring satellite of the serving satellite.

[0466] The processing unit 1010 is used to determine the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

[0467] In another implementation:

[0468] Processing unit 1010 is configured to determine the location of the terminal device based on uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellites, when at least two of the positioning satellites of the terminal device have different orbits; and / or,

[0469] The processing unit 1010 is configured to determine the location of the terminal device based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite, when all the satellites in the positioning satellite have the same orbit.

[0470] The positioning satellites include the service satellite of the terminal device and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, wherein the neighboring positioning satellite is a neighboring satellite of the service satellite.

[0471] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement the functions of the serving access network device or the access and mobility management function in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 9:

[0472] Processing unit 1010 is used to obtain information about access network devices corresponding to at least one neighboring positioning satellite of the terminal device, wherein the neighboring positioning satellite is a neighboring satellite of the serving satellite of the terminal device;

[0473] The transceiver unit 1020 is used to send information about the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite to the location management function.

[0474] For a more detailed description of the above-mentioned processing unit 1010 and transceiver unit 1020, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figures 4 to 9.

[0475] As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 1100 includes a processor 1110 and a memory 1120, wherein the processor 1110 is used to execute instructions in the memory 1120 to implement the functions of the network device in the above method embodiment.

[0476] Among them, network equipment can be location management functions, service access network equipment, or access and mobility management functions, etc.

[0477] The aforementioned communication device can be the aforementioned network device or a chip applied to the network device. The communication device is used to implement the functions of the network device in the above method embodiments.

[0478] It is understood that the processor in the embodiments of this application can be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0479] This application also provides a communication system, which includes a location management function and a serving access network device; it may further include an access and mobility management function, etc. The location management function implements the functions of the location management function in the above method embodiments, the serving access network device implements the functions of the serving access network device in the above method embodiments, and the access and mobility management function implements the functions of the access and mobility management function in the above method embodiments.

[0480] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a location management function, implement the functions of the location management function in the above method embodiments; when executed by a serving access network device, implement the functions of the serving access network device in the above method embodiments; and when executed by an access and mobility management function, implement the functions of the access and mobility management function in the above method embodiments.

[0481] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes computer program code. When the computer program code runs on the location management function, it is used to implement the location management function in the above method embodiments; or, when the computer program code runs on the serving access network device, it is used to implement the serving access network device in the above method embodiments; or, when the computer program code runs on the access and mobility management function, it is used to implement the access and mobility management function in the above method embodiments.

[0482] The method steps in the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can consist of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, erasable programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, registers, hard disks, portable hard disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor, enabling the processor to read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be a component of the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. Alternatively, the ASIC can reside in a network device. The processor and storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the network device.

[0483] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved entirely or partially through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are performed entirely or partially. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment, or other programmable device. The computer program or instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transferred from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program or instructions can be transferred from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, hard disk, or magnetic tape; it can also be an optical medium, such as a digital video optical disc; or it can be a semiconductor medium, such as a solid-state drive. The computer-readable storage medium may be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or may include both types of storage media.

[0484] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced mutually. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships. It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the sequence numbers of the above processes does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to location management functions, the method includes: The terminal device receives uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite of the terminal device. The positioning satellite includes the serving satellite of the terminal device and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, wherein the neighboring positioning satellite is a neighboring satellite of the serving satellite. The location of the terminal device is determined based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive information from the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite or the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite of the access and mobility management function; Based on the information of the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite, a first message is sent to the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite and the serving access network device. The first message is used to trigger the acquisition of the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives capability information indicating whether it supports positioning based on multiple satellites.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, Determining the location of the terminal device based on its uplink positioning information includes: If the terminal device supports positioning based on multiple satellites, the location of the terminal device is determined based on the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, At least two of the positioning satellites have different orbits.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, All satellites in the positioning satellite system have the same orbit.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, Determining the location of the terminal device based on its uplink positioning information includes: The location of the terminal device is determined based on the information of the neighboring cells of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the terminal device does not support positioning based on multiple satellites, the location of the terminal device is determined based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite.

9. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: If, based on satellite ephemeris and beam information, it is determined that the positioning of the terminal device suffers from a mirroring problem, information about the neighboring cells is obtained; or, The terminal device receives a first indication information from the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite, and obtains information about the neighboring cell based on the first indication information. The first indication information indicates that the positioning of the terminal device has a mirroring problem.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The process of obtaining the information of the neighboring cells includes: Request information about the neighboring cells from the serving access network device, and receive information about the neighboring cells from the serving access network device; or, The terminal device requests information about the neighboring cells, and the terminal device receives information about the neighboring cells.

11. The method according to claim 7 or 8, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive information from the neighboring cell of the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite; or... Receive information from the neighboring cell of the terminal device.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7-11, characterized in that, The information of the neighboring cells includes one or more of the following: The identifier of the neighboring cell, the information of the reference signal of the neighboring cell, or the beam information of the neighboring cell.

13. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to location management functions, the method includes: When at least two of the positioning satellites for the terminal device have different orbits, the location of the terminal device is determined based on the uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite; and / or, When all the satellites in the positioning satellites have the same orbit, the location of the terminal device is determined based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite. The positioning satellites include the service satellite of the terminal device and at least one neighboring positioning satellite, wherein the neighboring positioning satellite is a neighboring satellite of the service satellite.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives capability information indicating whether it supports positioning based on multiple satellites.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that, In the case where at least two of the positioning satellites for the terminal device have different orbits, determining the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite includes: If at least two of the positioning satellites of the terminal device have different orbits, and the terminal device supports positioning based on multiple satellites, the location of the terminal device is determined according to the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13-15, characterized in that, Determining the location of the terminal device based on the uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite includes: The location of the terminal device is determined based on the uplink positioning information and the downlink positioning information of the terminal device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, characterized in that, The method further includes: If the terminal device does not support positioning based on multiple satellites, the location of the terminal device is determined based on the neighboring cell information of the serving cell of the terminal device and the uplink positioning information of the terminal device from the serving access network device corresponding to the serving satellite.

18. The method according to any one of claims 13-17, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the first information, the positioning satellite of the terminal device is determined, wherein the first information includes the satellite's ephemeris information and / or coverage information.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13-18, characterized in that, The method further includes: The terminal device receives uplink positioning information from the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The method further includes: A second message is sent to the access network device corresponding to the positioning satellite. The second message is used to trigger the acquisition of the uplink positioning information of the terminal device.

21. The method according to any one of claims 13-20, characterized in that, The method further includes: If, based on satellite ephemeris and beam information, it is determined that the positioning of the terminal device suffers from a mirroring problem, information about the neighboring cells is obtained; or, The terminal device receives a first indication information from the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite, and obtains information about the neighboring cell based on the first indication information. The first indication information indicates that the positioning of the terminal device has a mirroring problem.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The process of obtaining the information of the neighboring cells includes: Request information about the neighboring cells from the serving access network device, and receive information about the neighboring cells from the serving access network device; or, The terminal device requests information about the neighboring cells, and the terminal device receives information about the neighboring cells.

23. The method according to any one of claims 13-20, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive information from the neighboring cell of the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite; or... Receive information from the neighboring cell of the terminal device.

24. The method according to any one of claims 13-23, characterized in that, The information of the neighboring cells includes one or more of the following: The identifier of the neighboring cell, the information of the reference signal of the neighboring cell, or the beam information of the neighboring cell.

25. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first network device, the method includes: Obtain information about the access network device corresponding to at least one neighboring positioning satellite of the terminal device, wherein the neighboring positioning satellite is a neighboring satellite of the serving satellite of the terminal device; Send information about the access network device corresponding to the at least one neighboring positioning satellite to the location management function.

26. The method according to claim 25, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the first information, the positioning satellite of the terminal device is determined, wherein the first information includes the satellite's ephemeris information and / or coverage information.

27. The method according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that, At least two of the neighboring positioning satellites and the service satellites of the terminal device have different orbits.

28. The method according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that, The at least one neighboring positioning satellite and all satellites in the service satellite have the same orbit.

29. The method according to claim 28, characterized in that, The first network device is the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite, and the method further includes: If the positioning of the terminal device is determined to have a mirroring problem based on satellite ephemeris information and beam information, the location management function sends information about the neighboring cells of the serving cell of the terminal device or first indication information, the first indication information indicating that the positioning of the terminal device has a mirroring problem.

30. The method according to any one of claims 25-29, characterized in that, The first network device is the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite, and the method further includes: Receive a request message from the location management function requesting information about the neighboring cells; Based on the request message, information about the neighboring cells of the serving cell of the terminal device is sent to the location management function.

31. The method according to claim 29 or 30, characterized in that, The information of the neighboring cells includes one or more of the following: The identifier of the neighboring cell, the information of the reference signal of the neighboring cell, or the beam information of the neighboring cell.

32. The method according to any one of claims 25-31, characterized in that, The first network device is the service access network device corresponding to the service satellite, and the method further includes: Receive a first message from the location management function, the first message being used to trigger the acquisition of uplink location information of the terminal device; Based on the first message, obtain the uplink positioning information of the terminal device; Send the uplink positioning information of the terminal device to the location management function.

33. A communication device comprising a unit or module for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-12, or comprising a unit or module for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 13-24, or comprising a unit or module for performing the method as claimed in any one of claims 25-32.

34. A communication device, characterized in that, The device includes a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices besides the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices besides the communication device. The processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-12, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 13-24, or to implement the method as described in any one of claims 25-32, through logic circuits or executing code instructions.

35. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a communication device, implement the method as described in any one of claims 1-12, or the method as described in any one of claims 13-24, or the method as described in any one of claims 25-32.

36. A computer program product, characterized in that, Includes computer program code that, when run on a computer, implements the method of any one of claims 1-12, or implements the method of any one of claims 13-24, or implements the method of any one of claims 25-32.

37. A communication system, characterized in that, The device includes a location management function and a first network device, wherein the location management function is used to implement the method of any one of claims 1-12, or to implement the method of any one of claims 13-24, and the first network device is used to implement the method of any one of claims 25-32.

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