Positioning method and device

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method and device. The method comprises: a first communication device firstly determines N second communication devices, and then acquires transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device; and the first communication device determines location information of the first communication device on the basis of the transmission delay information and the transmission beam information respectively corresponding to the N second communication devices. In the method, the transmission delay information and the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device are combined to locate the first communication device, so that the positioning precision and accuracy can be effectively improved, and the method can be suitable for various positioning scenarios (such as indoor positioning and outdoor positioning).

Description

A positioning method and apparatus

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202410511283.X, filed on April 25, 2024, entitled "A Positioning Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a positioning method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0004] Generally, positioning methods can be divided into two main categories based on the number of signal stations: single-station positioning and multi-station joint positioning. Single-station positioning utilizes a single base station for signal communication and sensing to locate the target, thus offering greater flexibility but also resulting in larger errors. Multi-station joint positioning is an important research topic in integrated sensing and communication (ISAC). It leverages the coordination between stations to quickly and accurately locate the target, and it is relatively easy to solve ideal models with known distribution measurement noise. However, due to non-ideal situations often occurring in real-world scenarios, such as errors between the actual and measured positions of the receiving station, the positioning accuracy is significantly reduced.

[0005] Currently, positioning methods can include single-station positioning, time difference of arrival (TDOA) multi-station joint positioning, angle of arrival (AOA) multi-station joint positioning, and joint positioning based on global navigation satellite system (GNSS) and TDOA, etc. While these methods have certain advantages, they also have corresponding disadvantages. For example, TDOA and AOA positioning methods locate the target (such as a terminal device) by sending a positioning reference signal (PRS) from a transmission reception point (TRP). Since the PRS signal is dedicated to positioning, this leads to a waste of time-domain resources, and the positioning accuracy is lower for obstructed targets or when at least one location is a refraction or reflection path. The GNSS and TDOA joint positioning method is suitable for outdoor positioning scenarios. Although it has higher positioning accuracy, the overall positioning process is more complex, the implementation cost is higher, and it is greatly affected by weather and other factors. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application proposes a positioning method and apparatus. This method can effectively improve the accuracy and precision of positioning with a low implementation cost, and can be applied to various positioning scenarios (such as indoor positioning, outdoor positioning, etc.).

[0007] Firstly, this application provides a positioning method that can be applied to a first communication device, or a component of the first communication device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first communication device, or a device used in conjunction with the first communication device. Taking the application of this method to a first communication device as an example, the method includes: the first communication device identifying N second communication devices; N being an integer greater than 1; acquiring transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, and transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device; and then determining the location information of the first communication device based on the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, and the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device.

[0008] For example, when the first communication device is a terminal device, the above-described positioning method can be applied to the terminal device side, such as the terminal device or the communication module in the terminal device, or the circuit or chip in the terminal device responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core). The second communication device can be, but is not limited to, a network device.

[0009] In this application, the first communication device first identifies N second communication devices, then obtains the transmission delay information and transmission beam information between each of the N second communication devices and the first communication device. Subsequently, the first communication device, based on the transmission delay information and transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, determines its location information. Typically, the method of locating the first communication device based on the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device is relatively accurate in indoor scenarios due to fewer environmental factors. However, in outdoor scenarios, due to more environmental factors, multipath transmission may occur between the first and second communication devices, resulting in inaccurate transmission delay information and consequently lower accuracy in subsequent positioning. The method of locating the first communication device based on the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device is generally suitable for outdoor use, but its positioning accuracy is lower. Therefore, this application proposes to use the transmission delay information and transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device to locate the first communication device. This can effectively improve the accuracy and precision of the positioning and is applicable to various positioning scenarios (such as indoor positioning, outdoor positioning, etc.).

[0010] In one possible implementation, the first communication device determines N second communication devices, including: the first communication device receiving synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) sent by M communication devices respectively; M being an integer greater than or equal to N; then, based on the SSBs sent by the M communication devices respectively, measuring the reference signal received power (RSRP) between the first communication device and the M communication devices respectively; and then, based on the RSRP between the first communication device and the M communication devices respectively, selecting N communication devices from the M communication devices as N second communication devices; the RSRP between the first communication device and the N communication devices respectively is not less than (i.e., greater than or equal to) the RSRP between the first communication device and other communication devices, where other communication devices are any communication device other than the N communication devices among the M communication devices, or the RSRP between the first communication device and the N communication devices respectively is not less than (i.e., greater than or equal to) a preset RSRP threshold.

[0011] In this embodiment, the condition that the N second communication devices selected by the first communication device need to meet can also be: the RSRP between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices is greater than the RSRP between the first communication device and other communication devices, or the RSRP between the first communication device and each of the N communication devices is greater than a preset RSRP threshold. That is, the first communication device selects N communication devices with good RSRP status from M communication devices as N second communication devices for subsequent positioning. The M communication devices can be communication devices that the first communication device can receive its signals (e.g., SSB).

[0012] Through this implementation method, the first communication device can effectively select a communication device with good transmission signal quality as the second communication device for subsequent positioning, thereby ensuring the stability and accuracy of subsequent positioning.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the primary synchronization signal (PSS) sent by any one of the M communication devices can be used by the first communication device to detect the corresponding synchronization status information. This synchronization status information includes the position information of the starting frame from which the communication device sent the PSS. Therefore, after receiving the PSSs sent by the M communication devices, the first communication device can detect the synchronization status information of the M communication devices based on these PSSs, and thus obtain the position information of the starting frames from which each of the M communication devices sent the PSS.

[0014] For example, the M communication devices can be, but are not limited to, M network devices, such as M base stations.

[0015] For example, three base stations (an example of M communication devices) send PSS to the terminal equipment (an example of the first communication device). After the user equipment (UE) (also called the terminal equipment) receives PSS1 from base station 1, PSS2 from base station 2, and PSS3 from base station 3, the UE detects the corresponding synchronization status information 1 of base station 1 based on PSS1 of base station 1. Synchronization status information 1 includes the position information of the start frame of PSS1 sent by base station 1. The UE detects the corresponding synchronization status information 2 of base station 2 based on PSS2 of base station 2. Synchronization status information 2 includes the position information of the start frame of PSS2 sent by base station 2. The UE detects the corresponding synchronization status information 3 of base station 3 based on PSS3 of base station 3. Synchronization status information 3 includes the position information of the start frame of PSS3 sent by base station 3. Then, the UE performs downlink synchronization with base station 1 based on the position information of the start frame of PSS1 sent by base station 1, performs downlink synchronization with base station 2 based on the position information of the start frame of PSS2 sent by base station 2, and performs downlink synchronization with base station 3 based on the position information of the start frame of PSS3 sent by base station 3.

[0016] Through this implementation method, the first communication device can effectively obtain the position information of the start frame of the PSS sent by each of the M communication devices. Then, based on the position information of the start frame of the PSS sent by each communication device, the first communication device can achieve downlink synchronization with each communication device to ensure the synchronization of subsequent communication.

[0017] In one possible implementation, the first communication device acquires transmission delay information between N second communication devices and the first communication device, which may include: first measuring the distance between the N second communication devices and the first communication device to obtain distance information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device; and then obtaining transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device based on the distance information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device.

[0018] In this embodiment, the first communication device can also use existing measurement methods to measure the time delay between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, and then, based on the time delay between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, the distance between the N second communication devices and the first communication device can be obtained. Existing measurement methods include Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM).

[0019] Through this implementation method, the first communication device can effectively and accurately obtain the transmission delay information between the first communication device and N second communication devices respectively.

[0020] In this embodiment of the application, the first communication device obtains the transmission beam information between the first communication device and N second communication devices respectively, which may be implemented in several ways including but not limited to the following:

[0021] In the first implementation method, the first communication device acquires the transmission beam information between N second communication devices and the first communication device, including:

[0022] The first communication device receives SSBs sent by N second communication devices respectively; each SSB sent by the second communication device includes the transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device; the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information.

[0023] In this embodiment, the transmitted beam direction information can be understood as the direction information corresponding to the beam transmitted by the second communication device to the first communication device, or it can be understood as the positional orientation information between the second communication device and the first communication device. The transmitted beam angle information can be understood as the width information of the beam transmitted by the second communication device to the first communication device.

[0024] Through the above implementation method one, the first communication device can effectively obtain the transmission beam information between each of the N second communication devices and the first communication device, and then obtain the direction information and / or angle information of the transmission beam corresponding to each second communication device for subsequent positioning.

[0025] In the second implementation method, the first communication device acquires the transmission beam information between the first communication device and N second communication devices respectively, including: the first communication device receiving reference signals transmitted by the N second communication devices respectively; and obtaining channel state information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device based on the reference signals transmitted by the N second communication devices respectively; the channel state information includes the transmission beam information between the second communication devices and the first communication device, and the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information.

[0026] The reference signal involved in this embodiment can be an OFDM signal, which allows for other communications while performing positioning using the reference signal, thereby effectively avoiding the waste of time domain resources. Specifically, the reference signal can be a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a tracking reference signal (TRS), a positioning reference signal (PRS), etc.

[0027] Through the above-described second implementation method, the first communication device receives reference signals from each second communication device and measures the channel state information between itself and each second communication device. This channel state information includes information about the beams transmitted by the second communication devices to the first communication device. Thus, the first communication device can effectively obtain the direction information and / or angle information of the transmitted beams corresponding to each second communication device for subsequent positioning.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the method may include: a first communication device receiving location information from N second communication devices. For example, the first communication device receives location information sent by each of the N second communication devices.

[0029] In this embodiment of the application, each second communication device can carry its own location information (e.g., location coordinates) in an SSB and send it to the first communication device. For example, in the first implementation described above, each second communication device sends an SSB to the first communication device. The SSB includes the transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device, and may also include the location information of the second communication device itself. In addition, each second communication device may also send its own location information to the first communication device in other ways, which is not limited.

[0030] Through this implementation method, the first communication device obtains the location information of N second communication devices, which is used for subsequent positioning of the first communication device, thereby enabling effective positioning of the first communication device (i.e., determining the location information of the first communication device).

[0031] In one possible implementation, the method may further include: a first communication device sending first request information to N second communication devices respectively; the first request information is used to request transmission beam information between the second communication devices and the first communication device and / or location information of the second communication devices. Optionally, this implementation can be performed before the first communication device obtains the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the location information of the N second communication devices respectively.

[0032] In the above, when the first communication device requests to obtain the transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device, as well as the location information of the second communication device, the first communication device may do so by sending the same request information or by sending different request information; there is no limitation on this.

[0033] In this implementation, the first communication device requests corresponding transmission beam information and / or location information from N second communication devices, thereby obtaining the transmission beam information and / or location information of the N second communication devices for subsequent effective positioning.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the first request information described above may be a physical random access channel (PRACH) request, which can also be used to request access to the second communication device. Optionally, the first communication device sending the PRACH request information to the second communication device can be performed before the first communication device accesses the second communication device.

[0035] Through this implementation, the first communication device can not only effectively obtain the transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device and / or the location information of the second communication device, but also reduce signaling overhead (or information overhead).

[0036] In this embodiment, the first communication device determines its location information based on the transmission delay information between the first communication device and N second communication devices, as well as the transmission beam information between the first communication device and the N second communication devices. This can be implemented in several ways, including but not limited to the following:

[0037] In the first implementation method, the first communication device determines its location information based on the transmission delay information between the first communication device and N second communication devices, as well as the transmission beam information between the first communication device and N second communication devices, including the following steps:

[0038] Step 1: Obtain the first position information based on the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the position information of the N second communication devices; the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information.

[0039] Step 2: Based on the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the location information of the N second communication devices, obtain the information of the second location.

[0040] In this first implementation method, steps one and two above can be executed simultaneously or asynchronously, and there is no restriction on the order in which steps one and two are executed.

[0041] Step 3: When the distance between the second position and the first position is less than (or less than or equal to) a preset value, the information of the second position is determined as the position information of the first communication device. In this step 3, the preset value is associated with the beams transmitted by the N second communication devices and / or the number of antennas of the N second communication devices.

[0042] Optionally, this implementation method can be applied to scenarios where there are no obstructions or multipath transmission between N second communication devices and the first communication device.

[0043] In the second implementation method, the first communication device determines its location information based on the transmission delay information between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices, as well as the transmission beam information between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices, including the following steps:

[0044] Step 1: Obtain the first position information based on the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the position information of the N second communication devices; the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information.

[0045] Step Two: Based on the information of the first location and the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, determine L second communication devices. The distance from the positioning point corresponding to each of the L second communication devices to the first location is less than (or less than or equal to) a preset value. In this step two, the preset value can be associated with the beams transmitted by the N second communication devices and / or the number of antennas of the N second communication devices.

[0046] In step two, in one possible implementation, the transmission delay information corresponding to each of the L second communication devices includes a candidate transmission delay, and the positioning point corresponding to each second communication device can be determined by the candidate transmission delay of the second communication device and the transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0047] Step 3: Determine the location information of the first communication device based on the target transmission delay between the L second communication devices and the first communication device, and / or the location information of the L second communication devices.

[0048] In this embodiment, the transmission delay information between each of the L second communication devices and the first communication device includes at least one candidate transmission delay. If the transmission delay information between the second communication device and the first communication device includes one candidate transmission delay, then that candidate transmission delay is used as the target transmission delay between the second communication device and the first communication device. If the transmission delay information between the second communication device and the first communication device includes multiple candidate transmission delays, then the candidate transmission delay corresponding to the path with higher reference signal quality (preferably the highest reference signal quality) between the second communication device and the first communication device can be used as the target transmission delay, or the candidate transmission delay corresponding to the path with reference signal quality not less than (i.e., greater than or equal to) a preset reference signal quality threshold can be used as the target transmission delay; if the reference signal quality of the paths corresponding to multiple candidate transmission delays is greater than or equal to the preset reference signal quality threshold, then any one of the candidate transmission delays can be selected as the target transmission delay.

[0049] Alternatively, the first communication device determines its location information based on the transmission delay information between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices, as well as the transmission beam information between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices, including the following steps:

[0050] Step 1: Based on one or more of the beam direction information, beam angle information, and position information of the N second communication devices, obtain the first position information.

[0051] Step 2: Based on the information of the first location and the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, determine L second communication devices. The transmission delay information between each of the L second communication devices and the first communication device includes at least one candidate transmission delay. The distance from the location point determined by the candidate transmission delay and the transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device to the first location is less than a preset value; L is a positive integer less than or equal to N; in this step 2, the preset value can be associated with the beams transmitted by the N second communication devices and / or the number of antennas of the N second communication devices.

[0052] Step 3: Determine the target transmission delay between each of the L second communication devices and the first communication device.

[0053] In this embodiment of the application, the target transmission delay between the second communication device and the first communication device is included in at least one candidate transmission delay between the second communication device and the first communication device, and is used in subsequent positioning calculations.

[0054] For step three: In one possible implementation, the first communication device determines the target transmission delay between each of the L second communication devices and the first communication device, including: if the transmission delay information between the second communication device and the first communication device includes a candidate transmission delay, the candidate transmission delay is used as the target transmission delay of the second communication device; if the transmission delay information between the second communication device and the first communication device includes multiple candidate transmission delays, the candidate transmission delay corresponding to the path with higher reference signal quality (the path with the highest reference signal quality can be selected first) can be used as the target transmission delay of the second communication device.

[0055] Step 4: Based on the target transmission delay between the L second communication devices and the first communication device respectively, obtain the target distance between the L second communication devices and the first communication device respectively.

[0056] Step 5: Based on the target distances between the L second communication devices and the first communication device, and / or the location information of the L second communication devices, determine the location information of the first communication device.

[0057] Optionally, this second implementation method can be applied to scenarios where there are obstructions or multipath transmission between N second communication devices and the first communication device.

[0058] In the embodiments of this application, the reference signal quality can be, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal receiving quality (RSRQ), and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).

[0059] Optionally, this second implementation method can be applied to scenarios where there are obstructions or multipath transmission between N second communication devices and the first communication device.

[0060] Through the above implementation methods one and two, the first communication device can effectively and accurately locate its own position information.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the method may further include: the first communication device sending at least one of the following, but not limited to, information to a third communication device that manages N second communication devices (or M communication devices):

[0062] (1) Transmission delay information between N second communication devices and the first communication device respectively; (2) Transmission beam information between N second communication devices and the first communication device respectively; (3) Location information of N second communication devices; (4) Channel status information between N second communication devices and the first communication device respectively.

[0063] Through this implementation method, the first communication device can feed back some or all of the above information to the third communication device, so that the third communication device can carry out overall operation and can meet customized needs, such as enhancing the communication capacity of one or more second communication devices, or realizing factory applications, etc.

[0064] Secondly, this application provides a positioning method that can be applied to a second communication device, or a component of the second communication device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic node, logic module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second communication device, or a device used in conjunction with the second communication device. Taking the application of this method to a second communication device as an example, the method includes: the second communication device determining transmission beam information between the second communication device and a first communication device; the second communication device transmitting the transmission beam information to the first communication device, the transmission beam information including beam direction information and / or beam angle information, the transmission beam information being used to assist in determining the position information of the first communication device.

[0065] In this embodiment of the application, the first communication device may be, but is not limited to, a terminal device, and the second communication device may be, but is not limited to, a network device (e.g., a base station, a transmission point, etc.).

[0066] In this application, the second communication device can provide the first communication device with the transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device, so that the first communication device can use the transmission beam information to assist in its own positioning, thereby improving the accuracy or precision of the positioning.

[0067] In one possible implementation, the second communication device sends the transmission beam information to the first communication device, including: the second communication device sending an SSB to the first communication device, the SSB including the transmission beam information.

[0068] In this embodiment, the PSS sent by the second communication device to the first communication device can be used by the first communication device to detect synchronization status information. The synchronization status information includes the position information of the starting frame of the PSS sent by the second communication device. Based on this, the first communication device can use the position information of the starting frame of the PSS sent by the second communication device to achieve downlink synchronization with the second communication device, so as to ensure the synchronization of subsequent communications.

[0069] In another possible implementation, the second communication device sends the transmission beam information to the first communication device, including: the second communication device sending a reference signal to the first communication device, the reference signal being used to determine channel state information between the second communication device and the first communication device, the channel state information including the transmission beam information.

[0070] In one possible implementation, the method may further include: the second communication device sending its location information to the first communication device.

[0071] In the embodiments of this application, when each second communication device sends an SSB to the first communication device, it can also send its own location information to the first communication device. For example, when each second communication device sends an SSB to the first communication device, the SSB may include the transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device and / or the location information of the second communication device itself. Each second communication device may also send its own location information to the first communication device in other ways, which is not limited.

[0072] In this implementation method, the second communication device also provides its own location information to the first communication device to assist the first communication device in effectively achieving positioning.

[0073] In one possible implementation, the method may further include: a second communication device receiving a first request message from a first communication device, the first request message being used to request the transmission of beam information and / or the location information of the second communication device.

[0074] Through this implementation, the second communication device can effectively provide the first communication device with its own transmission beam information and / or its own location information for subsequent positioning of the first communication device.

[0075] In one possible implementation, the first request information may be a request for the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), and the first request information may also be used to request access to the second communication device. Through this implementation, the second communication device can not only effectively provide the first communication device with the transmission beam information between the second and first communication devices and / or the location information of the second communication device, but also reduce signaling overhead (or information overhead).

[0076] Thirdly, this application also provides a communication device, which is a first communication device (e.g., a terminal device) or a chip corresponding to the first communication device. This communication device has the functions of implementing the first aspect and any of the possible implementations described above. The communication device can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0077] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in performing corresponding functions of the terminal device described above. The communication device may also include a memory coupled to the processor, which stores necessary program instructions and data for the communication device. Optionally, the communication device further includes interface circuitry for supporting communication between the communication device and other communication devices, such as the transmission and reception of data or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0078] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules, each used to implement the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

[0079] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples, as described in the method provided in the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0080] Fourthly, this application also provides a communication device, which is a second communication device (e.g., a network device) or a chip corresponding to a second communication device. This communication device has the functions to implement the second aspect described above and any of the possible implementations therein. The communication device can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0081] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processor configured to support the communication device in performing corresponding functions of the network device described above. The communication device may also include a memory coupled to the processor, which stores necessary program instructions and data for the communication device. Optionally, the communication device further includes interface circuitry for supporting communication between the communication device and other communication devices, such as the transmission and reception of data or signals. Exemplarily, the communication interface may be a transceiver, circuit, bus, module, or other type of communication interface.

[0082] In one possible design, the communication device includes corresponding functional modules, each used to implement the steps in the above method. The functions can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the functions described above.

[0083] In one possible design, the communication device includes a processing unit and a communication unit, which can perform the corresponding functions in the above method examples, as described in the method provided in the second aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0084] Fifthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. The processor is configured to implement the methods of the first aspect and any of the possible implementations thereof through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0085] In a sixth aspect, a communication device is provided, including a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is configured to receive signals from other communication devices outside the communication device and transmit them to the processor, or to send signals from the processor to other communication devices outside the communication device. The processor is configured to implement the methods of the second aspect and any of the possible implementations thereof through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0086] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program or instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement the methods of any one of the first and second aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0087] Eighthly, a computer program product storing instructions is provided, which, when executed by a processor, implement the methods of the first and second aspects and any possible implementation thereof.

[0088] A ninth aspect provides a chip system including a processor and potentially a memory for implementing the methods of the first and second aspects and any possible embodiments thereof. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0089] In a tenth aspect, a communication system is provided, the communication system comprising the first communication device described in the first aspect and the second communication device described in the second aspect.

[0090] It should be noted that the technical effects that can be achieved by any of the third to tenth aspects or any of the third to tenth aspects can be referred to the description of the technical effects that can be achieved by any of the first and second aspects or any of the first and second aspects, which will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0091] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a single-station positioning method;

[0092] Figure 2A is a schematic diagram of the coordinate position of a multi-station joint positioning based on AOA;

[0093] Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of multi-station joint positioning based on TDOA;

[0094] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a joint positioning based on GNSS and TDOA;

[0095] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system to which the method of the embodiments of this application can be applied;

[0096] Figure 5A shows one of the network architectures of communication systems to which embodiments of this application can be applied;

[0097] Figure 5B shows a second network architecture of a communication system to which the embodiments of this application can be applied;

[0098] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a positioning method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0099] Figure 7A is a flowchart illustrating the method described in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0100] Figure 7B is a schematic diagram of the positioning method provided in Embodiment 1 of this application;

[0101] Figure 8A is a flowchart illustrating the method described in Embodiment 2 of this application;

[0102] Figure 8B is a schematic diagram of one scenario of the positioning method provided in Embodiment 2 of this application;

[0103] Figure 8C is a schematic diagram of another case of the positioning method provided in Embodiment 2 of this application;

[0104] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0105] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another communication device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0106] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of a chip device structure according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0107] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terminology used in the following embodiments is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to be a limitation of this application. As used in the specification and appended claims of this application, the singular expressions "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," and "this" are intended to also include expressions such as "one or more," unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that in the embodiments of this application, "one or more" refers to one, two, or more; "and / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships may exist; for example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0108] References to "one embodiment" or "some embodiments" as described in this specification mean that one or more embodiments of this application include a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment," "in some embodiments," "in other embodiments," etc., appearing in different parts of this specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, but rather mean "one or more, but not all, embodiments," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. The term "implementation" in this specification is similarly understood. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to," unless otherwise specifically emphasized. Words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or descriptions, and any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. The use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a concrete manner for ease of understanding. The term "multiple" in this application refers to two or more embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, "of", "relevant" and "corresponding" can sometimes be used interchangeably. It should be noted that when their differences are not emphasized, their meanings are consistent.

[0109] It should be noted that in the description of the embodiments of this application, words such as "first" and "second," and numbers such as "1" and "2" (except when representing numerical values) are used only for the purpose of distinguishing descriptions and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, nor should they be construed as indicating or implying order. Furthermore, the term "used for indicating" mentioned in the description of the embodiments of this application can include both direct and indirect indication. When describing an indication as being used to indicate A, it can include whether the indication directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but does not necessarily mean that the indication necessarily carries A.

[0110] This application provides a positioning method. To better understand the embodiments of this application, the terminology and related technologies used in the embodiments are explained below. It should be noted that these explanations are intended to make the embodiments of this application easier to understand and should not be considered as limiting the scope of protection claimed by this application.

[0111] 1) Multipath transmission:

[0112] Multipath transmission: During the propagation of wireless signals, obstacles (such as buildings, tall structures, hills, etc.) cause reflection, refraction, or diffraction, resulting in multiple paths from the transmitter to the receiver (i.e., multiple paths exist between the transmitter and receiver). These signals arrive at the receiver at different times and phases. Because the signal travels different distances along different paths, problems such as propagation delay, power attenuation, and phase shift occur. The superposition of these signals with different times and phases forms a complex signal waveform, known as a multipath channel. Multipath channels cause signal attenuation, delay spread, and phase mismatch, thus affecting the transmission quality and reliability of wireless signals. To overcome the effects of multipath channels, various techniques, such as equalization, diversity, and coding, are typically employed to improve signal transmission quality and reliability.

[0113] 2) Initial Access / Random Access:

[0114] In this application, initial access may include cell search and random access.

[0115] Before accessing the network, terminal devices need to perform a cell search. For example, a cell search can be performed when a terminal device is powered off and then powered on again. The purpose of the cell search is to enable the terminal device to obtain system time and frequency synchronization, thereby allowing the terminal device to read system information (such as information about the cell to be accessed, system bandwidth, and other cell broadcast information) and perform subsequent data transmission.

[0116] Random access is a process initiated by the terminal device to achieve uplink synchronization with the access network device after downlink synchronization has been achieved. Random access can be divided into contention-based random access (also known as 4-step random access) and contention-free random access (also known as 2-step random access).

[0117] 3) SSB:

[0118] The SSB is one of the most important pilot channels used in 5G. Its role is related to many aspects of terminal equipment access to the cell, such as cell search, beam measurement, beam selection, and beam recovery. For example, network equipment broadcasts beams in different directions and sends SSBs to terminal equipment for synchronization during the initial access phase. During the initial access phase, the satellite can act as a network device, needing to scan all beams sequentially and configure random access resources for the terminal equipment.

[0119] Typically, an SSB comprises a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). In other words, an SSB is composed of these three parts: PSS, SSS, and PBCH. The synchronization signals (PSS and SSS, or a sequence of PSS and SSS) are used by terminal equipment for downlink synchronization and to obtain the cell's identity (ID). Downlink synchronization can include frequency synchronization and / or time synchronization. The PBCH is used by terminal equipment to obtain information about the cell it is accessing.

[0120] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the sequence can also be called a symbol sequence, a sequence of symbols, etc. The sequence of a certain (XXX) can also be called the symbol sequence corresponding to a certain (XXX), a sequence of symbols, a sequence, a symbol sequence constituting a certain (XXX), a sequence of symbols constituting a certain (XXX), or a sequence constituting a certain (XXX), etc. For example, N sequences of a synchronization signal can also be called N symbol sequences corresponding to a synchronization signal, N sequences of symbols corresponding to a synchronization signal, N sequences corresponding to a synchronization signal, N symbol sequences constituting a synchronization signal, N sequences of symbols constituting a synchronization signal, N sequences constituting a synchronization signal, etc.

[0121] 4) Sensor-integrated ISAC:

[0122] Communication refers to the transmission of information between two or more points; sensing refers to the detection of parameters of the physical environment, such as speed measurement and target location. ISAC (Information Sensing Acoustics and Acoustics) is one of the key technologies for future wireless communication systems. It integrates communication and sensing functions, enabling future wireless communication systems to simultaneously possess both communication and sensing capabilities. That is, while transmitting information through the wireless channel, it can actively recognize and analyze the channel's characteristics to sense the physical features of the surrounding environment, thus mutually enhancing the communication and sensing functions. For example, by using base station signals to sense information about the surrounding environment and designing communication links, obstacles can be avoided, improving communication performance.

[0123] The above is an introduction to some of the terms and features used in this application. The following section introduces some existing positioning methods.

[0124] With the fifth generation (5 th With the accelerated digitalization of the 5G communications industry, the demand for location services is increasingly strong in complex indoor environments, such as warehousing and logistics, intelligent manufacturing, robot navigation, and hospital equipment management, building upon outdoor positioning capabilities. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) rd The Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defines three main scenarios: indoor scenarios, urban microcell (UMi) scenarios, and urban macrocell (UMa) scenarios.

[0125] Positioning methods are typically categorized into single-station positioning and multi-station joint positioning based on the number of signal stations. Single-station positioning uses only one signal communication and sensing base station, offering significant flexibility but also resulting in relatively large errors. Multi-station joint positioning is a crucial research topic in ISAC (Integrated Signal Processing). By coordinating between stations, it can quickly and accurately locate the target. Furthermore, solving positioning problems with ideal models and known distribution of measurement noise using multiple stations is relatively straightforward. However, real-world scenarios often present non-ideal conditions, such as discrepancies between the actual and measured positions of the receiving station, which can significantly reduce positioning accuracy.

[0126] From the perspective of multiple stations as radiation sources, positioning methods are generally categorized into two main types: positioning methods based on positioning observations and direct positioning methods based on received signals. Specifically, current positioning methods can include: single-station positioning methods, multi-station joint positioning methods based on Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), multi-station joint positioning methods based on Angle of Arrival (AOA), and joint positioning methods based on GNSS and TDOA, etc.

[0127] The following section introduces some of the positioning methods involved in this application.

[0128] Single-site positioning method:

[0129] Single-site localization (BS1) methods utilize SSB (Signal-Side Path) and latency to determine the target's location. As shown in Figure 1, base station BS1 sends an SSB to the terminal device to be located. The location of the terminal device along the current path is estimated using the SSB, but its accuracy is relatively poor, typically half the angular resolution. Based on this, the distance between BS1 and the terminal device is obtained by combining the latency of the actual path (i.e., the line-of-sight (LOS) path, or direct path), further estimating the terminal device's location. However, the accuracy of estimating the terminal device's location using distance depends on the estimation method and is generally half the bandwidth.

[0130] A multi-site joint localization method based on AOA:

[0131] AOA (Angle of Arrival) positioning technology is based on the principle of signal positioning. An AOA positioning system typically consists of one or more transmitters and one receiver. The transmitters emit signals carrying azimuth information, while the receivers have built-in antenna arrays. When the signal passes through the receiver array, the phase difference between the signals received by different antennas allows the angle of arrival (AOA) to be calculated. By combining this phase difference with the position information of each receiver in the array, and using the principle of triangulation, the location of the signal source can be calculated. AOA positioning technology is commonly used in wireless sensor networks and Bluetooth positioning systems.

[0132] In 5G new radio (NR), the relative angle between the terminal device to be located and each base station can be directly obtained through the SSB (Special Support Base). The distance of the terminal device from each base station can then be calculated. The AOA (Optical Angle of View) algorithm also has low complexity, but it is highly dependent on the capabilities of the SSB. Generally, the estimation accuracy is greater than 5°, resulting in poor resolution. When the distance between the terminal device and the base station exceeds 100m, the distance resolution or accuracy is approximately 5m. In practice, one or more locations may act as refraction or reflection paths, leading to inaccurate angle estimation resolution. Furthermore, the distance depends on the angle resolution, further contributing to inaccurate distance estimation. In such cases, the base station cannot accurately locate the terminal device.

[0133] The following section introduces a possible implementation algorithm for multi-station joint localization based on AOA.

[0134] For example, referring to Figure 2A, taking two base stations (i.e., base station S1 and base station S2) as monitoring stations and the terminal device UE as the target to be located as an example. The position coordinates of S1 are (x1, y1, z1), the position coordinates of S2 are (x2, y2, z2), the position coordinates of the UE (represented by T in the following text and Figure 2A) are (x, y, z), and the coordinates of the vertical projection of the UE's position, T′, are (x, y, 0). The key angle in Figure 2A can be represented by the position coordinates of S1, the position coordinates of S2, and the position coordinates of the UE (T) as follows:

[0135] Using these four angles, as well as the position coordinates of S1 and S2, the position coordinates of UE(T) are calculated, including the following steps:

[0136] Step 1: Calculate the distance between S1 and S2

[0137] Step 2: In triangle ΔS1T′S2, by the Law of Sines, we obtain: In turn, one can obtain

[0138] Step 3: In triangle ΔTT′S1, obtain the distance from the UE to base station S1.

[0139] Step 4: The formula for calculating the position coordinates (x, y, z) of UE(T) is as follows: x = Rcosβ1 + x1; y = Rsinβ1 + y1; z = R′sinε1 + z1.

[0140] The above are just examples. For details on the localization algorithm of AOA, please refer to the existing technologies. They will not be listed in detail here.

[0141] A multi-station joint localization method based on TDOA:

[0142] When using a multi-station joint positioning method based on TDOA to locate a target, at least two monitoring stations must perform simultaneous measurements. Each monitoring station can be designed relatively simply, mainly including a receiver, antenna, and time synchronization module.

[0143] The TDOA-based multi-station joint positioning method utilizes time difference for positioning. By determining the arrival time of the target's measurement signal at each monitoring station, or the arrival time of signals from each monitoring station at the target, the distance between each monitoring station and the target can be determined. Using the distances between each monitoring station and the target (drawing a circle with the monitoring station as the center and the distance as the radius), the target's location can be determined.

[0144] However, the absolute time from the monitoring station to the target is generally difficult to measure. Therefore, by comparing the time difference (i.e., the absolute time difference) between two monitoring stations, a hyperbola can be plotted for each monitoring station with the monitoring station as the focus and the distance difference as the major axis. The intersection of multiple hyperbolas is the location of the target.

[0145] For example, as shown in Figure 2B(1), taking three base stations (BS) as monitoring stations, namely BS1, BS2 and BS3, the target UE can measure the time difference between any two of BS1, BS2 and BS3 arriving at the UE, and then draw three hyperbolas. The intersection of these three hyperbolas is the location of the UE, which is abstracted into a physical form as shown in Figure 2B(2). Considering that the angle can be calculated from the distance, the positioning accuracy is greatly improved. In addition, this method has very low requirements for the complexity of the positioning algorithm. However, in practical applications, it is easy to locate one or more locations due to the occurrence of refraction or reflection paths, resulting in low resolution of the distance estimated from the positioning results. Moreover, the angle resolution depends on the accuracy of the distance estimation. When there is an error in the transmission delay, the angle resolution will be low. Therefore, like the single-station positioning method, this method cannot distinguish whether the path from each BS to the UE is the true arrival path, and thus cannot accurately locate the target UE.

[0146] The following describes how to calculate the position of a target based on the measurement results of multi-station joint positioning using downlink TDOA. Specifically, it explains how to estimate the target's position by calculating the intersection of hyperbolas.

[0147] For example, referring to Figure 2B (2), taking three BSs (i.e., BS1, BS2 and BS3) as monitoring stations and the UE as the target to be located, assuming that the position coordinates of these three BSs are known, BS is defined as follows: i The coordinates are (x i ,y i ,z i ), i∈{1,2,3}, the position coordinates of the UE to be located are unknown, defined as (x UE ,y UE ,z UE The distance between BS1 and UE is denoted as r1, the distance between BS2 and UE is denoted as r2, and the distance between BS3 and UE is denoted as r3; r1, r2, and r3 are represented as follows:

[0148] In addition, the UE measures the arrival time of the reference signals (such as CSI-RS) of these three BSs at the UE as t. i BS1 serves as the reference base station, and the arrival time difference between BS2 and BS1 is Δt. 21The arrival time difference between BS3 and BS1 is Δt. 31 The arrival time difference between BS2 and BS3 is Δt. 23 Furthermore, according to the definition of a hyperbola (where the distance to two fixed points is constant), UE lies on a hyperbola with BS1, BS2, and BS3 as foci, and the following system of equations can be established: r1-r2=c*Δt 21 (1) r1-r3=c*Δt 31 (2) r3-r2=c*Δt 23 (3)

[0149] In the above formula, c is the speed of light (known), and only the position coordinates of the UE (x) are considered. UE ,y UE ,z UE Since the three parameters of r1, r2, and r3 are unknown, we can solve them by combining the expressions for r1, r2, and r3 with the above equations (1) to (3) to obtain x. UE ,y UE ,z UE The value of Δt is used to obtain the position coordinates of the UE to be located. In the above formula, it is assumed that Δt 21 , Δt 31 , Δt 23 For values ​​greater than 0, r1>r3>r2.

[0150] To describe it from another perspective, as shown in Figure 2B(1), firstly, the arrival time difference between the reference signal of BS1 and the reference signal of BS2 to the UE to be located is Δt. 21 The time difference between the arrival of the reference signal from BS1 and the reference signal from BS3 to the UE to be located is Δt. 31 The time difference between the arrival of the reference signal from BS2 and the reference signal from BS3 to the UE to be located is Δt. 23 .

[0151] Among them, the arrival time difference Δt 21 Multiply by the speed of light to obtain the absolute difference L1 between the distance from BS2 to UE and the distance from BS1 to UE; then calculate the arrival time difference Δt. 31 Multiply by the speed of light to obtain the absolute difference L2 between the distance from BS3 to UE and the distance from BS1 to UE; then calculate the arrival time difference Δt. 23 Multiply by the speed of light to obtain the absolute difference L3 between the distance from BS2 to UE and the distance from BS3 to UE.

[0152] Furthermore, the UE can obtain the hyperbola MN shown in Figure 2B(1) based on the functional relationship between the positions of BS1, BS2 and the absolute difference L1; obtain the hyperbola RS shown in Figure 2B(1) based on the functional relationship between the positions of BS1, BS3 and the absolute difference L2; and obtain the hyperbola PQ shown in Figure 2B(1) based on the functional relationship between the positions of BS2, BS3 and the absolute difference L3.

[0153] Finally, the UE can determine its own position coordinates and achieve positioning based on the intersection points of hyperbola MN, hyperbola RS, and hyperbola PQ.

[0154] It should be noted that in Figure 2B (1) and (2), three BSs are used to locate the UE, but this application does not limit this. In practical applications, two or more BSs can also be used to locate the UE.

[0155] A joint positioning method based on GNSS and TDOA:

[0156] As shown in Figure 3, positioning using multiple satellites can accurately obtain the UE's location information, a method commonly used in vehicle navigation systems. This algorithm requires satellite communication, making it more suitable for outdoor scenarios and offering high positioning accuracy. However, it is costly, consumes a lot of power, and its accuracy is significantly affected by weather and other factors. In outdoor scenarios, the UE performs GNSS measurements (pseudorange measurement, pseudo-Doppler frequency offset, carrier phase range, etc.) and sends these measurements to the Location Management Function (LMF) for location calculation. This process is computationally expensive, requires multi-faceted collaborative processing, and is more complex to operate.

[0157] Based on the positioning methods described above, the following drawbacks can be summarized as follows:

[0158] 1. Using a dedicated positioning reference signal (such as a PRS signal) for positioning results in a waste of time-domain resources:

[0159] For example, TDOA or AOA positioning methods use TRP to send a positioning reference signal PRS to the terminal to locate the target (such as the terminal device). The PRS signal is generated for positioning, so it can only be used for positioning, which wastes time domain resources. Furthermore, the positioning accuracy is low for occluded targets or when at least one position is a refraction or reflection path.

[0160] 2. Round trip time (RTT) positioning methods struggle to achieve high-precision positioning of occluded targets:

[0161] The RTT positioning method uses the round-trip time delay of wireless signal propagation to locate the target's position. From the perspective of positioning accuracy, the RTT positioning method is difficult to perform high-precision positioning of occluded targets.

[0162] 3. The application scenarios of the joint positioning method based on GNSS and TDOA are limited, and the implementation cost is relatively high:

[0163] The joint positioning method based on GNSS and TDOA can be applied to outdoor positioning scenarios. Although it has high positioning accuracy, the overall positioning process is complex, the implementation cost is high, and it is greatly affected by factors such as weather.

[0164] Therefore, this application proposes a positioning method that can effectively improve the accuracy and precision of positioning with a low implementation cost, and is applicable to a variety of positioning scenarios.

[0165] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as 5G or NR systems, Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems, and LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to future communication systems. Furthermore, the technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communications (MTC), and Internet of Things (IoT) communication systems. The technical solutions provided in this application can also be applied to non-terrestrial communication systems (such as satellite communication systems), wherein the non-terrestrial communication systems can be integrated or combined with terrestrial communication systems.

[0166] Of course, the technical solutions of this application embodiment can also be applied to other communication systems, as long as the communication system has positioning requirements. Furthermore, the communication system can also be adapted to future-oriented communication technologies. The systems described in this application embodiment are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this application embodiment and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment. Those skilled in the art will understand that, with the evolution of network architecture, the technical solutions provided in this application embodiment are equally applicable to similar technical problems.

[0167] Figure 4 illustrates a possible, non-limiting communication system architecture to which the method of this application applies. As shown in Figure 4, the communication system 4000 includes a radio access network (RAN) 100 and a core network (CN) 200. Optionally, the communication system 4000 may also include an Internet 300. RAN 100 includes at least one network device (110a and 110b in Figure 4, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal device (120a-120j in Figure 4, 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 4). Terminal device 120 is wirelessly connected to network device 110. Network device 110 is wirelessly or wired connected to core network 200. The core network device in core network 200 and network device 110 in RAN 100 may be different physical devices, or they may be the same physical device integrating core network logical functions and radio access network logical functions.

[0168] RAN 100 can be a 3GPP-related cellular system, such as 4G, 5G, or evolution systems beyond 5G (e.g., 6G mobile communication systems). RAN 100 can also be an open access network (open RAN, O-RAN, or ORAN) or a cloud radio access network (CRAN). RAN 100 can also be a communication system that integrates two or more of the above systems.

[0169] Network device 110 is a node in the RAN, also known as an access network device or RAN node (or device). Network device 110 assists terminal devices in achieving wireless access. Multiple network devices 110 in the communication system 4000 can be nodes of the same type or different types. In some scenarios, the roles of network device 110 and terminal device 120 are relative. For example, network element 120i in Figure 4 can be a helicopter or drone, which can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminal devices 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 device 110 and terminal device 120 are sometimes referred to as communication devices. For example, network elements 110a and 110b in Figure 4 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.

[0170] In one possible scenario, network equipment can be a base station (BS), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a Transmitting Point (TP), a Next Generation NodeB (gNB), a base station in a future mobile communication system, a satellite, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or a network device in a mobile switching center non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication system, meaning it can be deployed on high-altitude platforms or satellites. Network equipment can be a macro base station (as shown in Figure 4, 110a), a micro base station or indoor station (as shown in Figure 4, 110b), a relay node or donor node, or a radio controller in a CRAN scenario. Network equipment can also function as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, drone communication, or machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. Optionally, network equipment can also be a server, wearable device, vehicle, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the access network equipment in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0171] 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 can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control plane (CPs), CU-user plane (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be set up separately or included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). RUs can 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.

[0172] 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 O-RAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open, O)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.

[0173] 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.

[0174] Terminal equipment 120, also known as a terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., is a device used to provide voice or data connectivity to users, and can also be an Internet of Things (IoT) device. For example, terminal equipment includes 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, smart glasses, etc.), in-vehicle equipment (such as cars, bicycles, electric vehicles, airplanes, ships, trains, high-speed trains, etc.), satellite terminals, virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, smart point-of-sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), wireless terminals in industrial control, smart home devices (such as refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), smart robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in telemedicine, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes, and flying equipment (such as smart robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. Terminal devices can also be other devices with terminal functions; for example, a terminal device can also be a device that performs terminal functions in D2D communication.

[0175] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal device may have a positioning function (e.g., a positioning calculation function) or support positioning. This application does not limit the device form of the terminal device; the apparatus used to implement the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or it can be an apparatus capable of supporting the terminal device in implementing that function, such as a chip system. This apparatus can be installed in the terminal device or used in conjunction with the terminal device. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system may consist of chips, or it may include chips and other discrete components.

[0176] Core network 200 may include network elements (or devices) that process and forward user signaling and data. For example, core network 200 may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: access and mobility management function (AMF) network elements, session management function (SMF) network elements, network slice selection function (NSSF) network elements, network element function (NEF) network elements, network function repository function (NRF) network elements, application function (AF) network elements, or policy control function (PCF) network elements, location management equipment, etc. The functions or roles of each network element in core network 200 can refer to the functions or roles of network elements in current or existing technologies, and will not be described in detail here.

[0177] In this embodiment, the location management device has a location function and may include a location management function (LMF) network element, a location management component (LMC), a local location management function (LLMF) network element located in the network device, or a location server, etc., which are not limited in this application. In addition, each network element may also be referred to as a module or component of the corresponding function.

[0178] Based on the communication system architecture shown in Figure 4, Figure 5A illustrates a network architecture for a communication system to which embodiments of this application can be applied. Referring to Figure 5A, this network architecture is described as an example of a positioning network architecture based on a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN). This network architecture may include NG-RAN and terminal equipment, and optionally, it may also include a core network.

[0179] The core network can include LMF network elements, AMF network elements, a service location protocol (SLP), and an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC). The location server, i.e., the LMF network element, connects to the AMF network element, and the LMF and AMF network elements are connected via the NLs interface. Terminal devices communicate with serving base stations via the Uu link (or interface); Ng-eNB is a base station in the LTE communication system, and gNB is a base station in the 5G NR communication system; base stations communicate with each other via the Xn interface; base stations communicate with AMF network elements via the next-generation (NG) control plane interface, and the AMF network element acts as a router for communication between the gNB and the LMF network element; the LMF network element can perform location estimation for the terminal device, and the AMF network element communicates with the LMF network element via the NLs interface. The LMF network element is responsible for supporting different types of location services for the terminal device, including locating the terminal device and transmitting auxiliary data to the terminal device. The LMF network element can perform location calculations for the terminal device based on the measurement results of other devices. AMF network elements can access the fifth-generation core network positioning service (5G). th The Generation Core Network Location Services (5GC LCS) entity receives location service requests related to terminal devices, or the AMF network element itself can initiate some location services on behalf of a specific terminal device and forward the location service request to the LMF network element. After obtaining the location information returned by the terminal device, the relevant location information can be returned to the 5GC LCS entity.

[0180] For example, NG-RAN may include next-generation node B (gNB), next-generation evolved node B (ng-eNB), etc. gNBs and ng-eNBs are connected via the Xn interface, and the LMF is connected to the ng-eNB / gNB via the NG control plane interface. Optionally, a gNB can be various types of base stations or access points, or it can be a Transmission Reference Point (TRP) or a Transmission Measurement Function (TMF), etc. Similarly, an ng-eNB can be various types of base stations or access points, or it can be a Transmission Reference Point (TRP), etc.

[0181] Optionally, one or more network devices on the NG-RAN side (such as ng-eNB, gNB, etc. base stations) can be configured with resources for transmitting downlink positioning reference signals. These network devices can then transmit the downlink positioning reference signals to the terminal device. The terminal device measures these downlink positioning reference signals and can either perform its own positioning based on the measurement results or feed the measurement results back to the LMF network element to achieve positioning. For example, the downlink positioning reference signals may include, but are not limited to, common reference signals (CRS) or channel state information (CSI-RS). For instance, taking downlink CSI-RS as an example, CSI-RS resources can be configured at the cell level, such as configuring CSI-RS resources for each cell separately. After the terminal device re-establishes a radio resource control (RRC) connection with the target cell, the base station of the target cell can configure CSI-RS resources for the target cell. The terminal device acquires the CSI-RS resources configured for the target cell to receive and measure CSI-RS on these resources. Furthermore, resources for transmitting uplink positioning reference signals can be configured for one or more terminal devices (or one or more positioning assistance nodes) on the terminal device side. Subsequently, these one or more terminal devices (or one or more positioning assistance nodes) can transmit uplink positioning reference signals to the network device. The network device measures these uplink positioning reference signals and feeds back the measurement results to the LMF network element to achieve positioning.

[0182] Based on the communication system architecture shown in Figure 4, Figure 5B illustrates another network architecture for a communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 5B, this network architecture is described as an example of a communication and positioning network architecture based on the Proximity Services (ProSe) connection (ProSe communication 5, PC5) interface (i.e., a direct communication interface). This communication system's network architecture may include RAN equipment, at least one terminal device (e.g., terminal device A and terminal device B), and optionally, a core network. The specific functions of the RAN equipment, terminal devices, AMF network elements, and LMF network elements, as well as the connection relationships between these devices / network elements, can be found in the relevant sections of Figure 4 or Figure 5A above, and will not be repeated here. Unlike Figure 5A, the network architecture shown in Figure 5B includes an LMC (also called UE-LMC) in the terminal devices. The LMC is specifically deployed internally within the terminal device, such as in terminal device A or terminal device B. In this network architecture, the LMC is a function within the terminal device, therefore no new interface needs to be introduced. LMC is a component / application deployed on terminal equipment that has some of the functions of the LMF network element, used to support positioning services on the PC5 interface.

[0183] It should be understood that Figures 5A and 5B above are several exemplary illustrations of communication systems to which the embodiments of this application can be applied, and do not specifically limit the type, quantity, connection method, etc. of the network elements or devices included in the communication systems to which this application is applicable.

[0184] The solutions of the embodiments of this application will be described below.

[0185] This application provides a positioning method, which can be applied to, but is not limited to, the communication system architecture shown in Figure 4 or the network architecture of the communication system shown in Figure 5A or Figure 5B. This method can be executed by a first communication device (or a second communication device), by a module of the first communication device (or the second communication device) (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), by a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first communication device (or the second communication device), or by a device compatible with the first communication device. Furthermore, this application does not impose specific limitations on the specific structure of each executing entity (e.g., the first communication device, the second communication device) or the number of each executing entity provided in the embodiments of this application, as long as communication can be performed according to the method provided in the embodiments of this application by running a program that records the code of the method provided in the embodiments of this application.

[0186] For ease of description, the following explanation uses the interaction between a first communication device and a second communication device as an example. The first communication device is the device to be located, and the second communication device is the communication device that assists the first communication device in location. For example, the first communication device can be the terminal device in the communication system shown in Figure 4, and the second communication device can be the base station in the communication system shown in Figure 4. The order of steps in the following processes is only an example. In actual applications, the execution order of steps in each process can be adjusted, and all or some steps can be executed adaptively.

[0187] Referring to Figure 6, the specific process of this method may include the following:

[0188] S601: The first communication device determines N second communication devices; N is an integer greater than 1.

[0189] For example, the first communication device may be a terminal device, or a component of a terminal device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device, or a device used in conjunction with the terminal device. The second communication device may be a network device (e.g., a base station), or a component of a network device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the network device, or a device used in conjunction with the network device.

[0190] In one possible implementation, the first communication device determines N second communication devices, including: the first communication device receiving reference signals sent by M communication devices respectively; M being an integer greater than or equal to N; then, based on the reference signals sent by the M communication devices respectively, measuring the RSRP between the first communication device and the M communication devices respectively; and then, based on the RSRP between the first communication device and the M communication devices respectively, selecting N communication devices from the M communication devices as N second communication devices; wherein, the RSRP between the first communication device and the N communication devices is not less than (i.e., greater than or equal to) the RSRP between the first communication device and other communication devices, and the other communication devices are any communication device other than the N communication devices among the M communication devices, or the RSRP between the first communication device and the N communication devices is not less than (i.e., greater than or equal to) a preset RSRP threshold.

[0191] In this embodiment, the condition that the N second communication devices selected by the first communication device need to meet can also be: the RSRP between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices is greater than the RSRP between the first communication device and other communication devices, or the RSRP between the first communication device and each of the N communication devices is greater than a preset RSRP threshold. That is, the first communication device selects N communication devices with good RSRP status from M communication devices as N second communication devices for subsequent positioning. The M communication devices can be communication devices that the first communication device can receive its signals (e.g., SSB).

[0192] For example, the aforementioned M communication devices may be M network devices (e.g., base stations, transmission points, etc.).

[0193] For example, the UE (an example of the first communication device) receives PBCHs sent by M base stations (an example of M communication devices) respectively, and measures the downlink RSRP values ​​between the UE and the M base stations respectively; then, based on the downlink RSRP values ​​between the UE and the M base stations respectively, the UE selects the N base stations with higher RSRP values ​​as reference stations (an example of the second communication device).

[0194] In one possible implementation, the Master Synchronization Signal (PSS) sent by any one of the M communication devices can be used by the first communication device to detect the corresponding synchronization status information. This synchronization status information includes the position information of the starting frame of the PSS sent by that communication device. Therefore, after receiving the PSSs sent by the M communication devices, the first communication device can detect the synchronization status information of the M communication devices based on these PSSs, thereby obtaining the position information of the starting frames of the PSSs sent by the M communication devices. Furthermore, the first communication device can synchronize with the M communication devices using the position information of the starting frames of the PSSs corresponding to the M communication devices.

[0195] For example, the UE (an example of the first communication device) receives PSSs sent by M base stations (an example of M communication devices). Based on the PSSs of the M base stations, the UE detects the synchronization status information corresponding to each of the M base stations. The synchronization status information corresponding to each base station includes the location information of the start frame of the PSS sent by that base station. Then, the UE achieves downlink synchronization with the corresponding base station based on the location information of the start frame of the PSS sent by each base station.

[0196] S602: The first communication device acquires the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, and the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device.

[0197] In one possible implementation, the first communication device obtains transmission delay information between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices. This may include: the first communication device first measuring the distance between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices to obtain distance information between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices; and then obtaining transmission delay information between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices based on the distance information between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices.

[0198] In this embodiment, the first communication device can also use existing measurement methods to measure the time delay between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, and then, based on the time delay between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, the distance between the N second communication devices and the first communication device can be obtained. Existing measurement methods include TDOA, OFDM, etc.

[0199] In one possible implementation, the distance and transmission delay between the second communication device and the first communication device satisfy the following formula: T = L / c; Formula 1;

[0200] Where T is the transmission delay between the second communication device and the first communication device, L is the distance between the second communication device and the first communication device, c is the speed of light (known), and " / " is the division sign.

[0201] For example, in the case where there are no other transmission paths (such as reflection or refraction paths) between base station 1, base station 2, and base station 3 (examples of N second communication devices) and UE (example of the first communication device): UE measures the time delays from base station 1, base station 2, and base station 3 to UE as T1, T2, and T3 respectively using OFDM or TDOA methods; then UE can obtain the distance from base station 1 to UE as L1, the distance from base station 2 to UE as L2, and the distance from base station 3 to UE as L3 using the above formula.

[0202] For example, if there are obstructions between base stations 1, 2, and 3 (examples of N second communication devices) and the UE (example of a first communication device), causing reflections or refractions in the signal transmission path, multiple transmission paths (such as reflection or refraction paths) may occur. The UE measures the delay from base station 1 to the UE using OFDM or TDOA methods, including T11 and T12; the delay from base station 2 to the UE, including T21 and T22; and the delay from base station 3 to the UE, including T31 and T32. Furthermore, the UE can use Formula 1 above to obtain the distance from base station 1 to the UE, including L11 and L12; the distance from base station 2 to the UE, including L21 and L22; and the distance from base station 3 to the UE, including L31 and L32.

[0203] In this embodiment of the application, the first communication device obtains the transmission beam information between N second communication devices and the first communication device, which may include, but is not limited to, the following possible implementation methods:

[0204] Implementation Method 1: The first communication device acquires the transmission beam information between N second communication devices and the first communication device, including:

[0205] From the perspective of any one of the N second communication devices, a second communication device generates transmission beam information between the first communication devices, and then sends an SSB to the first communication device. The SSB may include the transmission beam information, which includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information. Accordingly, the first communication device receives the SSBs sent by the N second communication devices respectively.

[0206] In this embodiment, the transmitted beam direction information can be understood as the direction information corresponding to the beam transmitted by the second communication device to the first communication device, or it can be understood as the positional orientation information between the second communication device and the first communication device. The transmitted beam angle information can be understood as the width information of the beam transmitted by the second communication device to the first communication device.

[0207] For example, the UE receives SSB1 from base station 1 and SSB2 from base station 2. SSB1 includes information about beam 1 sent by base station 1 to the UE, and SSB2 includes information about beam 2 sent by base station 2 to the UE.

[0208] Implementation Method Two: The first communication device acquires the transmission beam information between N second communication devices and the first communication device, including:

[0209] From the perspective of any one of the N second communication devices, the second communication device transmits a reference signal to the first communication device. Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the reference signals transmitted by each of the N second communication devices; thus, based on the reference signals transmitted by the N second communication devices, channel state information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device can be obtained; the channel state information includes transmission beam information between the second communication devices and the first communication device, which includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information.

[0210] The reference signal involved in this embodiment can be an OFDM signal, which allows for other communications while performing positioning using the reference signal, thereby effectively avoiding the waste of time-domain resources. Specifically, the reference signal can be a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), etc.

[0211] In one possible implementation, the method of this application embodiment further includes: the first communication device receiving location information of N second communication devices.

[0212] In this embodiment of the application, for any one of the N second communication devices, when the second communication device sends an SSB to the first communication device, it can also send its own location information to the first communication device. For example, the second communication device can carry its own location information in the SSB and send it to the first communication device. The second communication device can also send its own location information to the first communication device in other ways.

[0213] In one possible implementation, the method of this application embodiment further includes: the first communication device sending first request information to N second communication devices respectively; the first request information is used to request transmission beam information between the second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the location information of the second communication devices.

[0214] In this embodiment, the first request information can be a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) request information. The PRACH request information is also used to request access to the second communication device; that is, the multiplexed PRACH request information is used to request transmission beam information and / or location information of the second communication device between the second and first communication devices. However, the first request information can also be other request information, and this application is not limited to this.

[0215] S603: The first communication device determines the location information of the first communication device based on the transmission delay information between the first communication device and the N second communication devices respectively, and the transmission beam information between the first communication device and the N second communication devices respectively.

[0216] In this embodiment of the application, when the first communication device performs step S603, it may be implemented in several ways, including but not limited to the following:

[0217] In one implementation method, the first communication device determines its location information based on the transmission delay information between the first communication device and N second communication devices, as well as the transmission beam information between the first communication device and N second communication devices. This can include the following steps:

[0218] Step 1: Obtain the first position information based on the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the position information of the N second communication devices; the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information.

[0219] Step 2: Based on the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, and / or the location information of the N second communication devices, obtain the information of the second location.

[0220] In this first implementation method, steps one and two above can be executed simultaneously or asynchronously, and there is no restriction on the order in which steps one and two are executed.

[0221] Step 3: When the distance between the second position and the first position is less than (or less than or equal to) a preset value, the information of the second position is determined as the position information of the first communication device. In this step 3, the preset value can be associated with the beams transmitted by N second communication devices and / or the number of antennas of N second communication devices.

[0222] Optionally, this implementation method can be applied to scenarios where there are no obstructions or multipath transmission between N second communication devices and the first communication device.

[0223] In the second implementation method, the first communication device determines its location information based on the transmission delay information between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices, as well as the transmission beam information between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices. This can include the following steps:

[0224] Step 1: Obtain the first position information based on the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the position information of the N second communication devices; the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information.

[0225] Step Two: Based on the information of the first location and the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, determine L second communication devices. The distance from the positioning point corresponding to each of the L second communication devices to the first location is less than (or less than or equal to) a preset value. In this step two, the preset value can be associated with the beams transmitted by the N second communication devices and / or the number of antennas of the N second communication devices.

[0226] In step two, in one possible implementation, the transmission delay information corresponding to each of the L second communication devices includes a candidate transmission delay, and the positioning point corresponding to each second communication device can be determined by the candidate transmission delay of the second communication device and the transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0227] For example, taking base station 1, base station 2, and base station 3 as examples of N second communication devices, the transmission delay information between base station 1 and UE (example of the first communication device) includes delay 11 and delay 12, the transmission delay between base station 2 and UE includes delay 21 and delay 22, and the transmission delay between base station 3 and UE includes delay 31 and delay 32.

[0228] The location point 11 is determined by the time delay 11 corresponding to base station 1 and the transmission beam information between base station 1 and UE. The location point 12 is determined by the time delay 12 corresponding to base station 1 and the transmission beam information between base station 1 and UE.

[0229] The location point 21 is determined by the delay 21 corresponding to base station 2 and the transmission beam information between base station 2 and UE. The location point 22 is determined by the delay 22 corresponding to base station 2 and the transmission beam information between base station 2 and UE.

[0230] The location point 31 is determined by the time delay 31 corresponding to base station 3 and the transmission beam information between base station 3 and UE. The location point 32 is determined by the time delay 32 corresponding to base station 3 and the transmission beam information between base station 3 and UE.

[0231] If the distance from the location point 11 to the first location of base station 1 is less than (or equal to) a preset value, then the delay 11 corresponding to location point 11 is taken as the candidate transmission delay of base station 1. If the distances from the location points 21 and 22 corresponding to base station 2 to the first location are less than (or equal to) preset values, then the delays 21 and 22 corresponding to location points 21 and 22 are taken as the candidate transmission delays of base station 2.

[0232] If the distances from positioning points 31 and 32 corresponding to base station 3 to the first position are greater than preset values, then base station 3 has no candidate transmission delay.

[0233] Therefore, base station 1 and base station 2 can be used for positioning in the subsequent step three.

[0234] Step 3: Determine the location information of the first communication device based on the target transmission delay between the L second communication devices and the first communication device, and / or the location information of the L second communication devices.

[0235] In this embodiment, the transmission delay information between each of the L second communication devices and the first communication device includes at least one candidate transmission delay. If the transmission delay information between the second communication device and the first communication device includes one candidate transmission delay, then that candidate transmission delay is used as the target transmission delay between the second communication device and the first communication device. If the transmission delay information between the second communication device and the first communication device includes multiple candidate transmission delays, then the candidate transmission delay corresponding to the path with higher reference signal quality (preferably the highest reference signal quality) between the second communication device and the first communication device is used as the target transmission delay, or the candidate transmission delay corresponding to the path with reference signal quality not less than (i.e., greater than or equal to) a preset reference signal quality threshold is used as the target transmission delay; if there are multiple candidate transmission delays whose paths have reference signal quality greater than or equal to the threshold, then one of the candidate transmission delays can be randomly selected as the target transmission delay.

[0236] For example, if the candidate transmission delay of base station 1 is delay 11, then delay 11 is used as the target transmission delay between base station 1 and the UE; if the candidate transmission delays of base station 2 are delay 21 and delay 22, then the reference signal quality of the paths corresponding to delay 21 and delay 22 is compared. If the reference signal quality of the path corresponding to delay 22 is higher, then delay 22 is used as the target transmission delay between base station 2 and the UE. Alternatively, it can be compared whether the reference signal quality of the paths corresponding to delay 21 and delay 22 reaches a preset signal quality threshold. The delay that reaches this threshold is used as the target transmission delay between base station 2 and the UE. If both reach the threshold, then either delay 21 or delay 22 is randomly selected as the target transmission delay between base station 2 and the UE.

[0237] Alternatively, the first communication device determines its location information based on the transmission delay information between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices, as well as the transmission beam information between the first communication device and each of the N second communication devices, including the following steps:

[0238] Step 1: Based on one or more of the beam direction information, beam angle information, and position information of the N second communication devices, obtain the first position information.

[0239] Step 2: Based on the information of the first location and the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, determine L second communication devices. The transmission delay information between each of the L second communication devices and the first communication device includes at least one candidate transmission delay. The distance from the location point determined by the candidate transmission delay and the transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device to the first location is less than a preset value; L is a positive integer less than or equal to N; in this step 2, the preset value can be associated with the beams transmitted by the N second communication devices and / or the number of antennas of the N second communication devices.

[0240] Step 3: Determine the target transmission delay between each of the L second communication devices and the first communication device.

[0241] In this embodiment of the application, the target transmission delay between the second communication device and the first communication device is included in at least one candidate transmission delay between the second communication device and the first communication device, and is used in subsequent positioning calculations.

[0242] For step three: In one possible implementation, the first communication device determines the target transmission delay between each of the L second communication devices and the first communication device, including: if the transmission delay information between the second communication device and the first communication device includes a candidate transmission delay, the candidate transmission delay is used as the target transmission delay of the second communication device; if the transmission delay information between the second communication device and the first communication device includes multiple candidate transmission delays, the candidate transmission delay corresponding to the path with higher reference signal quality (the path with the highest reference signal quality can be selected first) can be used as the target transmission delay of the second communication device.

[0243] Step 4: Based on the target transmission delay between the L second communication devices and the first communication device respectively, obtain the target distance between the L second communication devices and the first communication device respectively.

[0244] Step 5: Based on the target distances between the L second communication devices and the first communication device, and / or the location information of the L second communication devices, determine the location information of the first communication device.

[0245] In the embodiments of this application, the reference signal quality mentioned above may be, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: reference signal received power RSRP, reference signal received quality RSRQ, and reference signal signal-to-noise ratio SNR.

[0246] Optionally, this second implementation method can be applied to scenarios where there are obstructions or multipath transmission between N second communication devices and the first communication device.

[0247] In summary, this application provides a positioning method, which includes: a first communication device first identifying N second communication devices, then obtaining transmission delay information and transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device respectively, and the first communication device determining its location information based on the transmission delay information and transmission beam information corresponding to the N second communication devices respectively. Typically, positioning the first communication device using the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device is relatively accurate in indoor scenarios due to fewer environmental factors. However, in outdoor scenarios, due to more environmental factors, such as multipath transmission, the obtained transmission delay information is inaccurate, leading to lower accuracy in subsequent positioning. Therefore, this application proposes to combine the transmission delay information and transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device to position the first communication device. This effectively improves the positioning accuracy and is applicable to various positioning scenarios (e.g., indoor positioning, outdoor positioning, etc.).

[0248] The following sections will describe the scheme described in Figure 6 in detail through several specific implementation methods.

[0249] Implementation Method 1: Based on the scheme shown in Figure 6 above, where the first communication device is a UE (User Equipment), and the M communication devices (including N second communication devices) are M base stations, this implementation method describes how to achieve UE positioning through the method provided in this application embodiment, assuming that there are no other transmission paths (such as reflection paths, refraction paths, etc.) between the M base stations and the UE due to obstructions. Referring to Figure 7A, the specific process of this implementation method 1 may include the following:

[0250] S701A: M base stations send SSBs to the UE respectively; correspondingly, the UE receives the SSBs sent by the M base stations respectively; M is an integer greater than 1.

[0251] S702A: The UE detects the synchronization status information and RSRP of M base stations based on the SSB of M base stations.

[0252] In this embodiment of the application, SSB includes PSS, SSS and PBCH.

[0253] In one possible implementation, the UE receives PSS from M base stations respectively, and detects the synchronization status information and RSRP values ​​of the M base stations through the PSS of the M base stations.

[0254] In one possible implementation, after the UE obtains the synchronization status information of M base stations, the UE can use the synchronization status information of the M base stations to obtain the starting frame position of the PSS sent by each of the M base stations; then the UE can perform downlink synchronization with the M base stations based on the starting frame position of the PSS sent by each of the M base stations.

[0255] S703A: The UE selects N base stations based on the RSRP of M base stations; N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M.

[0256] In one possible implementation, the UE selects N base stations with better RSRP status from among the M base stations as reference stations.

[0257] For example, the UE receives the RSRP values ​​corresponding to base stations 1 to 5 respectively, and sorts the RSRP values ​​corresponding to base stations 1 to 5 in descending order to obtain: RSRP2 of base station 2, RSRP1 of base station 1, RSRP3 of base station 3, RSRP5 of base station 5, and RSRP4 of base station 4; the UE selects the three base stations with the highest RSRP values, namely base station 2, base station 1, and base station 3, as the reference stations.

[0258] For example, when the UE receives the RSRP values ​​corresponding to base stations 1 to 5, it determines which RSRP values ​​among the RSRP values ​​corresponding to base stations 1 to 5 are not less than a preset RSRP threshold, and uses the base station corresponding to the RSRP value that is not less than the preset RSRP threshold as the base station.

[0259] S704A: The UE sends PRACH request information to N base stations respectively to request access to the base stations.

[0260] In one possible implementation, the PRACH request information is also used to request the location coordinates of the base station and the transmission beam information between the base station and the UE.

[0261] In another possible implementation, when the UE sends PRACH request information to N base stations respectively, either before or after, it also sends first request information to N base stations respectively. The first request information is used to request the location coordinates of the base stations and the transmission beam information between the base stations and the UE.

[0262] In this application, the transmission beam between the base station and the UE can be understood as the beam emitted by the base station toward the UE, and the transmission beam information includes the position orientation between the base station and the UE and the angle information (or width information) of the beam.

[0263] S705A: N base stations send reference signals to the UE respectively; correspondingly, the UE receives the reference signals sent by the N base stations respectively.

[0264] S706A: The UE obtains the channel state information between the N reference stations and the UE by measuring the reference signals of the N reference stations. The channel state information includes the transmission beam information between the reference stations and the UE.

[0265] Optionally, the reference signal for the base station is an OFDM signal. Specifically, the reference signal can be CSI-RS, TRS, PRS, etc.

[0266] In this first implementation, if the UE establishes communication connections with N reference stations respectively, the UE can obtain the transmission beam information between the N reference stations and the UE through S705A and S706A. The transmission beam information between each reference station and the UE includes the position orientation and transmission beam angle information between the reference station and the UE.

[0267] If the UE has not yet established a communication connection with any of the N base stations: In one possible implementation, the SSBs sent by each of the N base stations to the UE include the transmission beam information between the base station and the UE, as well as the location coordinates of the base station. Accordingly, after receiving the SSBs sent by the N base stations, the UE can determine the orientation and transmission beam angle information between each base station and the UE based on the transmission beam information between each base station and the UE.

[0268] S707A: The UE obtains the coordinates of its first position based on the orientation of the N reference stations relative to the UE, the angle information of the corresponding transmission beams, and the position coordinates of the N reference stations.

[0269] In one possible implementation, the UE uses the AOA positioning method to obtain the coordinates or range of the UE's first position based on the orientation of the UE to N reference stations, the angle information of the corresponding transmission beams, and the position coordinates of the N reference stations.

[0270] For example, as shown in Figure 7B(1), taking BS1, BS2 and BS3 as reference stations, BS1 sends SSB1 to the UE through transmitting beam 1. SSB1 carries the information of beam 1 and the location coordinates of BS1. BS2 sends SSB2 to the UE through transmitting beam 2. SSB2 carries the information of beam 2 and the location coordinates of BS2. BS3 sends SSB3 to the UE through transmitting beam 3. SSB3 carries the information of beam 3 and the location coordinates of BS3.

[0271] Accordingly, after receiving SSB1, SSB2 and SSB3 respectively, the UE obtains the position orientation and beam angle (or width) between BS1 and UE through the information of beam 1, obtains the position orientation and beam angle (or width) between BS2 and UE through the information of beam 2, and obtains the position orientation and beam angle (or width) between BS3 and UE through the information of beam 3.

[0272] Furthermore, based on the orientation between BS1 and UE, the orientation between BS2 and UE, the orientation between BS3 and UE, the angle of beam 1, the angle of beam 2, the angle of beam 3, and the position coordinates of BS1, BS2, and BS3, the UE calculates the coordinates of the first position or the first position range using the AOA positioning method. The first position range can be a circular area centered on the first position, and the radius of the circle can represent the maximum allowable error, which can be a preset value.

[0273] S708A: The UE measures the time delay between the UE and N base stations respectively.

[0274] In one possible implementation, the UE can use ranging methods such as TDOA or OFDM to measure the distance between itself and N reference stations, and obtain the distance between the UE and each of the N reference stations; then, the UE can obtain the time delay between the UE and each of the N reference stations based on the distance between the UE and each of the N reference stations and Formula 1 in S602 above.

[0275] S709A: The UE obtains the coordinates of the second position based on the time delay between the UE and the N base stations respectively, and the position coordinates of the N base stations.

[0276] In another possible implementation, the UE obtains the coordinates of the second position based on the distances between the UE and the N reference stations, as well as the position coordinates of the N reference stations.

[0277] For example, assuming BS1, BS2, and BS3 are base stations, with BS1 having coordinates (x1, y1, z1), BS2 having coordinates (x2, y2, z2), and BS3 having coordinates (x3, y3, z3); ​​the UE's position coordinates are unknown, and can be represented as (x... UE ,y UE ,z UE ), which refers to the coordinates of the second position mentioned above.

[0278] The UE measures the distance between BS1 and UE as r1, the distance between BS2 and UE as r2, and the distance between BS3 and UE as r3. Therefore, the UE knows that the delay from UE to BS1 is T1, the delay from UE to BS2 is T2, and the delay from UE to BS3 is T3.

[0279] The UE can solve the following three sets of equations (1) to (3) to obtain the UE's position coordinates (x). UE ,y UE ,z UE (i.e., the coordinates of the second position mentioned above):

[0280] Alternatively, the UE can solve the following three sets of equations (4) to (6) to calculate the UE's position coordinates (x). UE ,y UE ,z UE (i.e., the coordinates of the second position mentioned above):

[0281] In the above, c is the speed of light (which is known), and "*" is a multiplication sign.

[0282] In the embodiments of this application, the processes shown in S705A to S707A above can be executed synchronously or asynchronously with the processes shown in S708A and S709A, and the order of execution is not limited.

[0283] S710A: When the UE determines that the distance from the second position to the first position is less than a preset value, the coordinates of the second position are determined as the UE's position coordinates.

[0284] For example, as shown in Figure 7B(2), the UE determines the coordinates of the first position as (x UE1 ,y UE1 ,z UE1 The coordinates of the second position are (x...). UE ,y UE ,z UE ), calculate the distance r between the first position and the second position; r satisfies the following formula:

[0285] If r is less than the preset value, the UE confirms that the error of the second position relative to the first position is small, therefore the UE can set the coordinates (x, y) of the second position. UE ,y UE ,z UE The coordinates are determined as its own position.

[0286] Alternatively, as shown in Figure 7B(2), the UE is based on the coordinates of the second position (x UE ,y UE ,z UE The UE determines whether the second position is within the range of the first position (i.e., a circle centered on the first position with a preset radius). If the second position is within the range of the first position, the UE confirms that the error of the second position relative to the first position is small. Therefore, the UE can set the coordinates (x, y) of the second position. UE ,y UE ,z UE The coordinates are determined as its own position.

[0287] In this embodiment, the accuracy of the UE's positioning based on the time delay between the UE and each of the N reference stations is ensured by using a first position or a range of the first position. If the UE determines that the distance from the second position to the first position is not less than a preset value or is not within the range of the first position, then the coordinates of the second position are inaccurate. In this case, the UE can use the time delay between the UE and each of the N reference stations, the orientation and beam angle between the UE and each of the N reference stations, and the position coordinates of the N reference stations to perform positioning calculations using a single-station positioning method to obtain the coordinates of the N positions. Then, it is determined whether the distance from each of the N positions to the first position is less than the preset value (or whether the N positions are within the range of the first position). The coordinates of the positions that meet the aforementioned conditions are used as the UE's position coordinates. If none of the N positions meet the aforementioned conditions, then the UE can use the coordinates of the first position as its position coordinates.

[0288] S711A: The UE sends feedback information to the managed main base station.

[0289] The feedback information may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following:

[0290] The location coordinates of the UE, the time delay between each base station and the UE, the distance between each base station and the UE, the channel state information between each base station and the UE, and the reference signal quality information (such as RSRP, RSRQ, and SNR) between each base station and the UE.

[0291] Accordingly, after receiving the feedback information, the managed main base station (i.e., the main base station in the area where M base stations are located, used to manage all base stations, such as the main station in the BS area shown in Figure 7B) will use it for subsequent overall operation and customized needs, such as enhancing the communication capacity of a certain base station or carrying out factory applications.

[0292] In Implementation Method 1, the UE first selects N suitable reference stations (i.e., N reference stations with good communication quality) from M base stations. Then, through the SSBs sent to the UE by the N reference stations, the UE can obtain the position orientation and corresponding beam angle between the reference stations and the UE, which is used to determine the information of the first position (such as the coordinates of the first position) or the range of the first position. In addition, the UE uses the time delay between the N reference stations and the UE to determine the information of the second position (such as the coordinates of the second position). When the distance (or error) between the second position and the first position is small or the second position is within the range of the first position, the accuracy of the information of the second position can be confirmed. Thus, the UE uses the information of the second position (such as the coordinates of the second position) as the UE's position information (such as the UE's position coordinates). Therefore, by using this implementation method for UE positioning, the accuracy or precision of UE positioning can be effectively improved.

[0293] Implementation Method 2: Based on the scheme shown in Figure 6 above, where the first communication device is a UE and the M communication devices (including N second communication devices) are M base stations, this implementation method clarifies how to achieve UE positioning through the method provided in this application embodiment, addressing the situation where multiple paths (such as reflection paths and refraction paths) occur between some or all of the N base stations and the UE due to obstructions. Referring to Figure 8A, the specific process of this implementation method 2 may include the following:

[0294] S801A: M base stations send SSBs to the UE respectively, where M is an integer greater than 1. Correspondingly, the UE receives the SSBs sent by the M base stations respectively.

[0295] S802A: The UE detects the synchronization status information and RSRP of M base stations based on the SSB of M base stations.

[0296] S803A: The UE selects N reference stations based on the RSRP of M base stations; N is an integer greater than 1 and less than or equal to M.

[0297] S804A: The UE sends PRACH request information to N base stations respectively to request access to the base stations.

[0298] S805A: N base stations send reference signals to the UE respectively; correspondingly, the UE receives reference signals from the N base stations.

[0299] S806A: The UE obtains the channel state information between the N reference stations and the UE by measuring the reference signals of the N reference stations. The channel state information includes the transmission beam information between the reference stations and the UE.

[0300] S807A: The UE obtains the coordinates of its first position based on the orientation of the N reference stations relative to the UE, the angle information of the corresponding transmission beams, and the position coordinates of the N reference stations.

[0301] The above S801A to S807A can be implemented one by one by referring to the methods described in S701A to S707A, and will not be repeated here.

[0302] S808A: The UE measures the time delay between the UE and N base stations respectively.

[0303] S808A can be implemented with reference to the above-mentioned S708A, but it differs from the above-mentioned S708A. In this S808A, the UE determines, through measurement, that some or all of the N base stations have multiple paths between itself and the UE. For any base station with multiple paths between itself and the UE, the UE can measure the time delay (or distance) corresponding to the multiple paths between the base station and the UE.

[0304] For example, assuming BS1, BS2, and BS3 are reference stations, the UE can use TDOA or OFDM measurement methods to measure the time delay corresponding to one path between BS1 and the UE, the time delay corresponding to two paths between BS2 and the UE, and the time delay corresponding to three paths between BS3 and the UE. Then, using Formula 1 in S602 above, the distance corresponding to one path between BS1 and the UE, the distance corresponding to two paths between BS2 and the UE, and the distance corresponding to three paths between BS3 and the UE can be obtained.

[0305] S809A: The UE determines its position coordinates based on the coordinates of the first position, the time delay between the UE and N reference stations respectively, and the position coordinates of the N reference stations.

[0306] In one possible implementation, when the UE executes S809A, it may specifically include the following steps:

[0307] Step 1: From the N base stations, select the base stations whose delays include candidate delays (i.e., candidate transmission delays):

[0308] In this embodiment, the candidate delay of the base station and the location point determined by the SSB of the base station to the first position are less than a preset value (i.e., the radius of the first position range), or the candidate delay of the base station and the location point determined by the SSB of the base station are within the first position range.

[0309] Example 1: Referring to Figure 8B, assume BS1, BS2, and BS3 are base stations. The UE measures one path between itself and BS1 (path 1 of BS1 in Figure 8B), with a delay of T11. The UE measures two paths between itself and BS2 (path 1 and path 2 of BS2 in Figure 8B), with corresponding delays of T21 and T22. The UE measures three paths between itself and BS3 (path 1, path 2, and path 3 of BS3 in Figure 8B), with corresponding delays of T31, T32, and T33.

[0310] Furthermore, the UE determines its position 1 (i.e., location point 1) based on the path 1 (or delay T11) of BS1 and the SSB1 (or the azimuth angle of the transmission beam 1) transmitted by BS1 through the transmission beam 1.

[0311] The UE determines its position 2 (i.e., location point 2) based on path 1 (or delay T21) of BS2 and SSB2 (or azimuth angle of transmission beam 2) transmitted by BS2 through transmission beam 2, and determines its position 3 (i.e., location point 3) based on path 2 (or delay T22) of BS2 and SSB2 (or azimuth angle of transmission beam 2) transmitted by BS2 through transmission beam 2.

[0312] The UE determines its position 4 (i.e., location point 4) based on path 1 (or delay T31) of BS3 and SSB3 (or azimuth angle of transmission beam 3) transmitted by BS3 through transmission beam 3; it determines its position 5 (i.e., location point 5) based on path 2 (or delay T32) of BS3 and SSB3 (or azimuth angle of transmission beam 3) transmitted by BS3 through transmission beam 3; and it determines its position 6 (i.e., location point 6) based on path 3 (or delay T33) of BS3 and SSB3 (or azimuth angle of transmission beam 3) transmitted by BS3 through transmission beam 3.

[0313] Determine whether the distances from the UE's position 1 (positioning point 1), position 2 (positioning point 2), position 3 (positioning point 3), position 4 (positioning point 4), position 5 (positioning point 5), and position 6 (positioning point 6) to the first position are less than a preset value (i.e., the radius of the first position range), or whether they are within the range of the first position.

[0314] Referring to Figure 8B, if the distances from position 1 of BS1 (corresponding to path 1 of BS1), position 2 of BS2 (corresponding to path 1 of BS2), position 4 of BS3 (corresponding to path 1 of BS3), and position 5 of BS3 (corresponding to path 2 of BS3) to the first position are less than a preset value or within the range of the first position, it can be concluded that the delays of BS1, BS2, and BS3 all contain candidate delays.

[0315] Example 2: Referring to Figure 8C, if only the distances from position 2 of BS2 (corresponding to path 1 of BS2), position 4 of BS3 (corresponding to path 1 of BS3), and position 5 of BS3 (corresponding to path 2 of BS3) to the first position are less than the preset value, or are within the range of the first position, then it can be said that the delays of BS2 and BS3 include candidate delays, while the delay of BS1 does not include candidate delays. In this case, the UE can select BS2 and BS3 for subsequent steps.

[0316] Step 2: Based on the candidate delays of the selected reference stations, determine the target delay for each reference station:

[0317] Example 1: Referring to Figure 8B, based on Example 1 in step 1 above, the UE selects BS1, BS2 and BS3, which contain candidate delays;

[0318] If the candidate delay of BS1 is the delay T11 corresponding to path 1 of BS1, then T11 is taken as the target delay of BS1.

[0319] If the candidate delay of BS2 is the delay T21 corresponding to path 1 of BS2, then T21 will be taken as the target delay of BS2.

[0320] The candidate delays for BS3 include: delay T31 (the delay corresponding to path 1 of BS3) and T32 (the delay corresponding to path 2 of BS3);

[0321] The UE can compare the RSRP (or RSRQ, SNR, etc.) of the reference signal of path 1 in BS3 with the RSRP (or RSRQ, SNR, etc.) of the reference signal of path 2 in BS3 to see which is better. The delay corresponding to the path with the higher RSRP value of the reference signal is taken as the target delay of BS3. If the RSRP value of the reference signal of path 1 in BS3 is higher, the candidate delay T31 is taken as the target delay of BS3.

[0322] Example 2: Referring to Figure 8C, based on Example 2 in step 1 above, the UE selects BS2 and BS3, which contain candidate delays;

[0323] Referring to the above method, the UE determines the candidate delay of BS2 as the delay T21 corresponding to path 1 of BS2, and uses T21 as the target delay of BS2;

[0324] The candidate delays for BS3 are determined to include: delay T31 (the delay corresponding to path 1 of BS3) and T32 (the delay corresponding to path 2 of BS3). The RSRP (or RSRQ, SNR, etc.) of the reference signal of path 1 of BS3 is compared to the RSRP (or RSRQ, SNR, etc.) of the reference signal of path 2 of BS3, and the candidate delay T31 is taken as the target delay of BS3.

[0325] Step 3: The UE obtains the target distance from each selected base station to the UE based on the target delay of each base station.

[0326] Example 1: Referring to Figure 8B, based on Example 1 in step 2 above, it can be seen that the target delay of BS1 is T11 (corresponding to path 1 of BS1), the target delay of BS2 is T21 (corresponding to path 1 of BS2), and the target delay of BS3 is T31 (corresponding to path 1 of BS3).

[0327] The UE obtains the target distance L1 between BS1 and UE based on the target delay of BS1 as T11 (corresponding to path 1 of BS1); the target distance L2 between BS2 and UE based on the target delay of BS2 as T21 (corresponding to path 1 of BS2); and the target distance L3 between BS3 and UE based on the target delay of BS3 as T31 (corresponding to path 1 of BS3).

[0328] Example 2: Referring to Figure 8C, based on Example 2 in step 2 above, it can be seen that the target delay of BS2 is T21 (corresponding to path 1 of BS2) and the target delay of BS3 is T31 (corresponding to path 1 of BS3).

[0329] The UE obtains the target distance L2 between BS2 and the UE based on the target delay of BS2 as T21 (corresponding to path 1 of BS2); and obtains the target distance L3 between BS3 and the UE based on the target delay of BS3 as T31 (corresponding to path 1 of BS3).

[0330] Step 4: The UE obtains the coordinates of its second position based on the distance to the selected base station and the position coordinates of the selected base station.

[0331] Example 1: Referring to Figure 8B, based on Example 1 in step 3 above, the UE calculates the second position coordinates of the UE according to the target distance L1 between BS1 and the UE (corresponding to path 1 of BS1), the target distance L2 between BS2 and the UE (corresponding to path 1 of BS2), the target distance L3 between BS3 and the UE (corresponding to path 1 of BS3), and the position coordinates of BS1, BS2, and BS3.

[0332] Example 2: Example 1: Referring to Figure 8C, based on Example 2 in step 3 above, the UE calculates the second position coordinates of the UE according to the target distance L2 between BS2 and the UE (path 1 for BS2), the target distance L3 between BS3 and the UE (path 1 for BS3), and the position coordinates of BS2 and BS3.

[0333] Step 5: If the distance from the second position to the first position is less than a preset value or is within the range of the first position, then the UE determines the coordinates of the second position as the UE's position coordinates.

[0334] Example 1: Based on Example 1 in step 4 above, as shown in Figure 8B, the UE determines whether the distance from the second position to the first position is less than a preset value or whether the second position is within the range of the first position. If so, the coordinates of the second position are determined as the UE's position coordinates.

[0335] Example 2: Based on Example 2 in step 4 above, as shown in Figure 8C, the UE determines whether the distance from the second position to the first position is less than a preset value or whether the second position is within the range of the first position. If so, the coordinates of the second position are determined as the UE's position coordinates.

[0336] S810A: The UE sends feedback information to the managed main base station.

[0337] The S810A can be implemented with reference to the S711A mentioned above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0338] In implementation method two, the UE first selects N suitable reference stations (i.e., N reference stations with good communication quality) from M base stations. Then, the UE obtains the position orientation and corresponding beam angle between the reference station and the UE through the SSBs sent to the UE by the N reference stations respectively, which is used to determine the information of the first position (such as the coordinates of the first position) or the first position range. If there is a case of multipath transmission between the reference station and the UE among the N reference stations, the UE can use the information of the first position or the first position range to select a suitable or more accurate time delay between the reference station and the UE, and then use the more accurate time delay between the reference station and the UE to locate the UE (i.e., determine the information of the second position), which can effectively improve the accuracy of the positioning. Subsequently, the UE can also use the information of the first position or the first position range to judge the accuracy of the positioning (i.e., the information of the second position), thereby further improving the accuracy of the UE positioning.

[0339] Regarding the above-described implementation methods one and two, it should be noted that:

[0340] (1) The above-mentioned implementation method one and implementation method two can be implemented separately or in combination, and no specific limitation is made in this regard.

[0341] (2) The above focuses on describing the differences between Implementation Method 1 and Implementation Method 2. Apart from the differences, Implementation Method 1 and Implementation Method 2 can be referred to each other.

[0342] (3) The step numbers in the flowcharts described in Implementation Method 1 and Implementation Method 2 are merely examples of the execution flow and do not constitute a restriction on the order of execution of the steps. There are no temporal dependencies between the steps in the various implementation methods of this application, and there is no strict execution order between them. In addition, not all the steps shown in the flowcharts are mandatory steps, and some steps can be added or deleted based on the actual needs of each flowchart.

[0343] In the embodiments provided above, the methods provided by the embodiments of this application have been described from the perspective of interaction between various devices. To implement the functions of the methods provided in the embodiments or implementations of this application, the first communication device or the second communication device may include hardware structures and / or software modules, implementing the above functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Whether a particular function is executed in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0344] The module division in this embodiment is illustrative and represents only one logical functional division; in actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in the various embodiments or implementations of this application can be integrated into a single processor, exist as separate physical entities, or be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0345] Similar to the above concept, as shown in FIG9, this application embodiment also provides a communication device 900 for implementing the functions of the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method. For example, the communication device 900 can be a software module or a chip system. In this application embodiment, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices. The communication device 900 may include: a communication unit 901 and a processing unit 902.

[0346] In this embodiment, the communication unit 901, also known as the transceiver unit, may include a sending unit and / or a receiving unit, respectively used to perform the sending and receiving steps of the first or second communication device in the above method embodiments. The processing unit 902 may be used to read instructions and / or data from the storage module so that the communication device 900 implements the aforementioned method embodiments or implementation methods.

[0347] Optionally, the communication device 900 may further include a storage unit 903, which is equivalent to a storage module and can be used to store instructions and / or data.

[0348] The communication device provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 9 and 10. It should be understood that the description of the device embodiments corresponds to the description of the method embodiments. Therefore, content not described in detail can be implemented as shown in Figures 6, 7A, and 8A above, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0349] The communication unit 901 can also be referred to as a transceiver, transceiver unit, or transceiver device. The processing unit 902 can also be referred to as a processor, processing board, processing module, or processing device. Optionally, the device in the communication unit 901 used to implement the receiving function can be considered as a receiving unit, and the device in the communication unit 901 used to implement the transmitting function can be considered as a transmitting unit; that is, the communication unit 901 includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The communication unit 901 can sometimes also be referred to as a transceiver, transceiver unit, or transceiver circuit. The receiving unit can sometimes be referred to as a receiver, receiver, or receiving circuit. The transmitting unit can sometimes be referred to as a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit.

[0350] When the communication device 900 is applied to the terminal device in the process shown in Figure 6 of the above embodiment: the processing unit 902 is used to determine N second communication devices; N is an integer greater than 1; the communication unit 901 is used to obtain the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device respectively; the processing unit 902 is also used to determine the location information of the first communication device based on the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device respectively.

[0351] In one possible implementation, when determining N second communication devices, the processing unit 902 may specifically be used to: receive synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) sent by M communication devices respectively through the communication unit 901; where M is an integer greater than or equal to N; and then, based on the SSBs sent by the M communication devices respectively, measure the reference signal received power (RSRP) between the first communication device and the M communication devices respectively; further, based on the RSRP between the first communication device and the M communication devices respectively, select N communication devices from the M communication devices as the N second communication devices; wherein, the RSRP between the first communication device and the N communication devices is not less than the RSRP between the first communication device and other communication devices, where the other communication devices are any communication device other than the N communication devices among the M communication devices, or the RSRP between the first communication device and the N communication devices is not less than a preset RSRP threshold.

[0352] In one possible implementation, when the communication unit 901 acquires the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, it can specifically be used to: measure the distance between the N second communication devices and the first communication device respectively to obtain the distance information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device respectively; and the processing unit 902 obtains the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device respectively based on the distance information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device respectively.

[0353] In one possible implementation, when the communication unit 901 acquires the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, it can specifically be used to: receive synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) transmitted by the N second communication devices respectively; the SSBs include transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device, and the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information.

[0354] In one possible implementation, when the communication unit 901 acquires the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, it can specifically be used to: receive reference signals transmitted by the N second communication devices respectively; and based on the reference signals transmitted by the N second communication devices, obtain channel state information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device respectively; the channel state information includes transmission beam information between the second communication devices and the first communication device, and the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information.

[0355] In one possible implementation, the communication unit 901 can also be used to receive the location information of the N second communication devices.

[0356] In one possible implementation, the communication unit 901 can also be used to: send first request information to the N second communication devices respectively; the first request information is used to request transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device and / or the location information of the second communication device.

[0357] In one possible implementation, the first request information is a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) request information, and the PRACH request information is also used to request access to the second communication device.

[0358] In one possible implementation, when determining the location information of the first communication device based on the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, and the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, the processing unit 902 may specifically be used to:

[0359] Based on the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the position information of the N second communication devices, the information of the first position is obtained, wherein the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information;

[0360] Based on the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the location information of the N second communication devices, the information of the second location is obtained;

[0361] When the distance between the second location and the first location is less than a preset value, the information of the second location is determined as the location information of the first communication device.

[0362] In one possible implementation, when determining the location information of the first communication device based on the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, and the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, the processing unit 902 may specifically be used to:

[0363] Based on the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the position information of the N second communication devices, the information of the first position is obtained, wherein the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information;

[0364] Based on the information of the first location and the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, L second communication devices are determined, and the distance from the positioning point corresponding to each of the L second communication devices to the first location is less than a preset value.

[0365] The location information of the first communication device is determined based on the target transmission delay between the L second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the location information of the L second communication devices.

[0366] In one possible implementation, the transmission delay information corresponding to each of the L second communication devices includes a candidate transmission delay, and the positioning point corresponding to the second communication device is determined by the candidate transmission delay of the second communication device and the transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0367] In one possible implementation, the target transmission delay between the second communication device and the first communication device is either the candidate transmission delay corresponding to the second communication device or the candidate transmission delay corresponding to the path with higher reference signal quality between the second communication device and the first communication device.

[0368] In one possible implementation, the communication unit 901 is further configured to send at least one of the following information to a third communication device for managing the N second communication devices: transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, location information of the N second communication devices, and channel state information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device.

[0369] The communication unit 901 and processing unit 902 described above can also perform other functions. For a more detailed description, please refer to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in Figures 6, 7A and 8A, which will not be repeated here.

[0370] Figure 10 illustrates another communication device 1000 provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication device shown in Figure 10 can be a hardware circuit implementation of the communication device shown in Figure 9. This communication device 1000 can be applied to the flowcharts shown above to perform the functions of the first or second communication device in the above method embodiments. For ease of explanation, Figure 10 only shows the main components of this communication device.

[0371] As shown in Figure 10, the communication device 1000 includes a communication interface 1001 and a processor 1002. The communication interface 1001 and the processor 1002 are coupled to each other. It is understood that the communication interface 1001 can be a transceiver (including a transmitter and / or receiver) or an input / output interface, or an interface circuit such as a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the communication device 1000 may further include a memory 1003 for storing instructions executed by the processor 1002, or storing input data required by the processor 1002 to execute instructions, or storing data generated after the processor 1002 executes instructions.

[0372] When the communication device 1000 is used to implement the method shown in FIG6, the communication interface 1001 is used to implement the function of the communication unit 901, and the processor 1002 is used to implement the function of the processing unit 902.

[0373] This embodiment does not limit the specific connection medium between the communication interface 1001, processor 1002, and memory 1003. In Figure 10, the memory 1003, processor 1002, and communication interface 1001 are connected via a communication bus 1004, which is represented by a thick line. The connection methods between other components are merely illustrative and not intended to be limiting. The communication bus 1004 can be divided into an address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 10, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0374] When the aforementioned communication device is a chip, Figure 11 shows a simplified schematic diagram of the chip's device structure. The chip 1100 includes an interface circuit 1101 and one or more processors 1102. Optionally, the chip 1100 may also include a bus. Wherein:

[0375] Processor 1102 may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. In implementation, each step of the method for determining the service node information described above can be completed by the integrated logic circuitry in the hardware of processor 1102 or by instructions in software form. Processor 1102 may be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. It can implement or execute the methods and steps disclosed in the embodiments of this application. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0376] The interface circuit 1101 can be used to send or receive data, instructions or information. The processor 1102 can use the data, instructions or other information received by the interface circuit 1101 to process the data, instructions or other information, and can send the processed information out through the interface circuit 1101.

[0377] Optionally, the chip also includes a memory 1103, which may include read-only memory and random access memory, and provides operation instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory 1103 may also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM).

[0378] Optionally, the memory stores executable software modules or data structures, and the processor can execute corresponding operations by calling the operation instructions stored in the memory (which may be stored in the operating system).

[0379] Optionally, the chip can be used in the first or second communication device involved in the embodiments of this application. Optionally, the interface circuit 1101 can be used to output the execution result of the processor 1102. For the positioning methods provided in one or more embodiments of this application, please refer to the foregoing embodiments or implementation methods, which will not be repeated here.

[0380] It should be noted that the functions of the interface circuit 1101 and the processor 1102 can be implemented through hardware design, software design, or a combination of hardware and software; no restrictions are imposed here.

[0381] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions for implementing the methods executed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0382] For example, when the computer program is executed by a computer, it enables the computer to implement the method executed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0383] This application also provides a computer program product containing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to implement the method performed by the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments.

[0384] This application also provides a chip, including a processor, for calling computer programs or computer instructions stored in the memory, so that the processor executes the positioning method of the implementation shown in FIG6, FIG7A and FIG8A.

[0385] In one possible implementation, the input of the chip corresponds to the receiving operation in the implementation shown in Figures 6, 7A and 8A, and the output of the chip corresponds to the transmitting operation in the implementation shown in Figures 6, 7A and 8A.

[0386] Optionally, the processor is coupled to the memory via an interface.

[0387] Optionally, the chip also includes a memory that stores computer programs or computer instructions.

[0388] The processor mentioned above can be a general-purpose central processing unit, a microprocessor, an ASIC, or one or more integrated circuits used to control the execution of a program in a positioning method for the implementation shown in Figures 6, 7A, and 8A. The memory mentioned above can be read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices capable of storing static information and instructions, such as random access memory (RAM).

[0389] It should be noted that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the explanations and beneficial effects of the relevant contents in any of the communication devices provided above can be referred to the corresponding positioning method embodiments provided above, and will not be repeated here.

[0390] In this application, the communication devices may further include a hardware layer, an operating system layer running on top of the hardware layer, and an application layer running on the operating system layer. The hardware layer may include hardware such as a central processing unit (CPU), a memory management unit (MMU), and memory (also known as main memory). The operating system layer may be any one or more computer operating systems that implement business processing through processes, such as Linux, Unix, Android, iOS, or Windows. The application layer may include applications such as browsers, address books, word processing software, and instant messaging software.

[0391] The module division in this embodiment is illustrative and represents only one logical functional division. In actual implementation, other division methods may be used. Furthermore, the functional modules in each embodiment of this application can be integrated into a single processor, exist as separate physical entities, or be integrated into a single module. The integrated modules described above can be implemented in hardware or as software functional modules.

[0392] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art will clearly understand that the embodiments of this application can be implemented in hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof. When implemented in software, the above functions can be stored in a computer-readable medium or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, wherein communication media include any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium accessible to a computer. For example, but not limited to, computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage media, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible to a computer. Furthermore, any connection can suitably be a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of the medium. As used in embodiments of this application, disks and discs include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital video discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, wherein disks typically magnetically copy data, while discs optically copy data using lasers. The combinations above should also be included within the scope of protection for computer-readable media.

[0393] In summary, the above descriptions are merely embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made based on the disclosure of this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application.

Claims

1. A positioning method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a first communication device or a chip of the first communication device, including: Identify N second communication devices; N is an integer greater than 1; Obtain the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, and the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device; Based on the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, and the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, the location information of the first communication device is determined.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The determination of N second communication devices includes: Receive synchronization signal blocks SSB sent by M communication devices respectively; M is an integer greater than or equal to N; Based on the SSBs transmitted by the M communication devices, the reference signal received power RSRP between the first communication device and the M communication devices is measured. Based on the RSRP between the first communication device and the M communication devices respectively, N communication devices are selected from the M communication devices as the N second communication devices; Wherein, the RSRP between the first communication device and each of the N communication devices is not less than the RSRP between the first communication device and other communication devices, wherein the other communication devices are any communication device other than the N communication devices among the M communication devices, or the RSRP between the first communication device and each of the N communication devices is not less than a preset RSRP threshold.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device includes: The distances between the N second communication devices and the first communication device are measured respectively to obtain the distance information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device. Based on the distance information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device is obtained.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device includes: Receive SSBs sent by the N second communication devices respectively; the SSB includes transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device, and the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The step of obtaining the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device includes: Receive reference signals sent by the N second communication devices respectively; Based on the reference signals transmitted by the N second communication devices respectively, channel state information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device is obtained; the channel state information includes transmission beam information between the second communication devices and the first communication device, and the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive the location information of the N second communication devices.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a first request message to each of the N second communication devices; the first request message is used to request the transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device and / or the location information of the second communication device.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first request information is a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) request information, and the PRACH request information is also used to request access to the second communication device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The step of determining the location information of the first communication device based on the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, and the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, includes: Based on the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the position information of the N second communication devices, the information of the first position is obtained, wherein the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information; Based on the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the location information of the N second communication devices, the information of the second location is obtained; When the distance between the second location and the first location is less than a preset value, the information of the second location is determined as the location information of the first communication device.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The step of determining the location information of the first communication device based on the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, and the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, includes: Based on the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the position information of the N second communication devices, the information of the first position is obtained, wherein the transmission beam information includes beam direction information and / or beam angle information; Based on the information of the first location and the transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, L second communication devices are determined, and the distance from the positioning point corresponding to each of the L second communication devices to the first location is less than a preset value. The location information of the first communication device is determined based on the target transmission delay between the L second communication devices and the first communication device and / or the location information of the L second communication devices.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The transmission delay information corresponding to each of the L second communication devices includes a candidate transmission delay. The positioning point corresponding to the second communication device is determined by the candidate transmission delay of the second communication device and the transmission beam information between the second communication device and the first communication device.

12. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The target transmission delay between the second communication device and the first communication device is either the candidate transmission delay corresponding to the second communication device or the candidate transmission delay corresponding to the path with higher reference signal quality between the second communication device and the first communication device.

13. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 12, characterized in that, The method further includes sending at least one of the following information to a third communication device used to manage the N second communication devices: The transmission delay information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, the transmission beam information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device, the location information of the N second communication devices, and the channel state information between the N second communication devices and the first communication device.

14. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes units or modules for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a processor and a memory, the memory being used to store program instructions, the processor causing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13 to be performed when executing the program instructions.

16. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer-readable program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13 to be performed.

17. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes a computer program or instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13.

18. A chip, characterized in that, The chip is used to read and execute computer programs or instructions in a memory to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 13.

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