Device finding method and communication apparatus

Abstract

A device finding method and a communication apparatus, relating to the field of communications. By combining acoustic waves and radio frequency for precise finding, the accuracy of device finding can be ensured across different scenarios. The method comprises: on the basis of a first measurement result and / or a first confidence level, determining whether or not to activate acoustic wave-based precise finding; and, when the acoustic wave-based precise finding is activated, on the basis of the first confidence level and a second confidence level, determining a target measurement result, the target measurement result being used to locate a lost device. The first measurement result and the first confidence level are obtained on the basis of radio frequency-based precise finding. The target measurement result is one of the following: the first measurement result, a second measurement result, or a measurement result obtained by combining the first measurement result and the second measurement result. The second confidence level and the second measurement result are obtained by means of acoustic wave-based precise finding.

Description

Device Locator and Communication Device

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411064045.5, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on August 2, 2024, entitled "Device Search Method and Communication Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to methods for locating devices and communication apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Recently, many terminal manufacturers have begun to support device search functionality, which allows for the precise retrieval of lost devices. The device search function typically consists of three parts: at long distances (e.g., more than 30 meters from the lost device), it uses a "helpful person" feature to pinpoint a rough location; at medium to close distances (e.g., within 3-30 meters), it uses a short-range precision search to pinpoint the exact location; and finally, at extremely close distances (e.g., within 3 meters), it uses a buzzer to precisely locate the lost device.

[0004] Short-range precise location tracking is a device that uses sound waves or radio frequency technology to measure the distance and angle between itself and the lost device, thereby pinpointing the device's location. Radio frequency-based precise location tracking includes methods such as starburst detection, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), or Ultra Wideband (UWB) positioning.

[0005] However, both acoustic and radio frequency (RF) based precise location methods have their advantages and disadvantages in different scenarios when searching for lost devices. Taking star-flash positioning technology as an example, acoustic-based precise location is highly accurate in close-range scenarios, but it cannot guarantee accuracy at longer distances (e.g., beyond 30 meters) and has poor noise resistance. In addition, acoustic ranging relies on Bluetooth time synchronization, which can lead to problems such as distance not being displayed promptly due to long synchronization times. On the other hand, star-flash based precise location can support accurate location at longer distances and has higher robustness, but its accuracy is not as good as acoustic-based methods at close range. Therefore, ensuring the accuracy of device location in different scenarios is an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a device location method and communication device, which can ensure the accuracy of device location in different scenarios by combining precise location with sound waves and radio frequency.

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

[0008] Firstly, a device location method is provided. This method can be executed by a location device, a component of the location device (such as its processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of locating all or part of the device. The method includes: determining whether to initiate a precise acoustic search based on a first measurement result and / or a first confidence level, wherein the first measurement result and the first confidence level are obtained based on a radio frequency (RF)-based precise search. If a precise acoustic search is initiated, a target measurement result is determined based on the first confidence level and a second confidence level. This target measurement result is used to locate the lost device. The target measurement result is one of the following: the first measurement result, a second measurement result, or a measurement result obtained by fusing the first and second measurement results, wherein the second confidence level and the second measurement result are obtained based on the precise acoustic search.

[0009] In this method, the locating device can determine whether the measurement result of the radio frequency-based precise search is reliable based on the measurement result obtained by the precise search (first measurement result) and the confidence level (second measurement result), thereby determining whether the acoustic wave-based precise search function needs to be enabled. If the measurement result of the radio frequency-based precise search is unreliable, the acoustic wave-based precise search is enabled. Then, the confidence levels of the radio frequency-based precise search and the acoustic wave-based precise search are combined to determine whether the target measurement result used to locate the lost device is obtained by the precise search based on radio frequency, the precise search based on acoustic waves, or a combination of the measurement results obtained by the precise search based on radio frequency and the precise search based on acoustic waves.

[0010] Therefore, by fully utilizing the advantages of radio frequency-based and acoustic wave-based precise location in different scenarios, such as using radio frequency-based precise location to locate lost devices when the distance is far or the first confidence level is high, and using acoustic wave-based precise location to locate lost devices when the distance is short or the second confidence level is high, and combining the measurement results of both radio frequency-based and acoustic wave-based precise location for other scenarios, the reliability and accuracy of precise location in different scenarios can be improved.

[0011] In one possible design, a higher first confidence level indicates a higher reliability of the first measurement result, and a higher second confidence level indicates a higher reliability of the second measurement result. Therefore, the confidence levels can provide feedback on the reliability of different types of precise searches. By comparing the first confidence level of radio frequency-based precise searches with the second confidence level of acoustic wave-based precise searches, it can be determined which type of measurement result is more suitable as the target measurement result in the current scenario, thereby improving the accuracy of device search.

[0012] In one possible design, the levels for dividing the first and second confidence levels can include: a first level, a second level, and a third level, with the first level being higher than the second level, and the second level being higher than the third level. Thus, the first and second confidence levels can be divided into high, medium, and low levels. These confidence levels can reflect the reliability of measurement results obtained based on different types of precise searches in different scenarios, allowing for flexible adjustments to the precise search method and ensuring the reliability and accuracy of precise searches in various scenarios.

[0013] In one possible design scheme, the scenario corresponding to the first level can satisfy the following conditions: the measurement signal strength matches the ranging result, the measurement signal strength is greater than or equal to the first measurement signal threshold or the ranging result is less than or equal to the first threshold, the interference signal strength is less than or equal to the first interference signal threshold, and the difference between the measurement results obtained from multiple measurements is less than or equal to the first difference threshold.

[0014] The scenario corresponding to the second level can satisfy at least one of the following conditions: the measured signal strength is greater than or equal to the second measured signal threshold and less than the first measured signal threshold; the interference signal strength is greater than the first interference signal threshold and less than or equal to the second interference signal threshold; the difference between the measurement results obtained from multiple measurements is greater than the first difference threshold and less than or equal to the second difference threshold.

[0015] The scenario corresponding to the third level can meet at least one of the following conditions: the measured signal strength is less than the second measured signal threshold, the interference signal strength is greater than the second interference signal threshold, the difference between the measurement results obtained from multiple measurements is greater than the second difference threshold, or angle measurement cannot be performed.

[0016] In other words, confidence levels can be classified according to the changes in measurement signal strength, interference signal strength, and measurement results under different scenarios. The confidence level can reflect the reliability of measurement results obtained based on different types of precise searches under different scenarios, so as to flexibly adjust the precise search method and thus ensure the reliability and accuracy of precise searches under different scenarios.

[0017] In one possible design, the first measurement result includes a first ranging result. Determining whether to initiate a precise acoustic search based on the first measurement result and / or a first confidence level can include: initiating a precise acoustic search if a first condition is met; or, not initiating a precise acoustic search if the first condition is not met, and identifying the target measurement result as the first measurement result. The first condition is: the first ranging result is less than a second threshold, and / or the first confidence level is at the third level. Therefore, when the reliability of the measurement result from the radio frequency-based precise search is low, a precise acoustic search can be initiated for joint searching to improve the accuracy of device location.

[0018] In one possible design scheme, determining the target measurement result based on a first confidence level and a second confidence level can include: determining the target measurement result as the first measurement result if a second condition is met; or determining the target measurement result as the second measurement result if a third condition is met; or determining the target measurement result as the measurement result obtained by fusing the first and second measurement results if neither the second nor the third condition is met. The second condition is that the first confidence level is not the third level and the second confidence level is the third level; the third condition is that the first confidence level is the third level and the second confidence level is the second level; or the third condition is that the second confidence level is the first level. Therefore, by judging the relative levels of the first and second confidence levels, it is determined which type of measurement result is more suitable as the target measurement result for the current scenario, thereby improving the accuracy of device location.

[0019] In one possible design, the method provided in this application embodiment may further include: determining to disable acoustic-based precise search when a fourth condition is met; or, continuing to determine the target measurement result based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level when the fourth condition is not met. The fourth condition is one of the following: the ranging results obtained from acoustic-based precise search for M consecutive times are all greater than a third threshold; the second confidence level obtained from acoustic-based precise search for N consecutive times is the third level and the first confidence level is not the third level; or the measurement signal strength obtained from acoustic-based precise search for K consecutive times does not match the ranging result; where M, N, and K are positive integers. Therefore, to reduce device power consumption, when both radio frequency-based precise search and acoustic-based precise search are enabled, the search device can also determine whether to disable a certain type of precise search function based on the measurement results of the two types of precise searches, such as determining whether to disable acoustic-based precise search based on the fourth condition.

[0020] In one possible design, determining to disable the acoustic-based precise search when the fourth condition is met can include: if the fourth condition is met and the radio frequency (RF)-based precise search is enabled, then determining to disable the acoustic-based precise search. Therefore, the search device, after determining that the acoustic-based precise search meets the aforementioned fourth condition, can also determine whether the RF-based precise search is currently enabled. If the RF-based precise search is enabled, the search device can disable the acoustic-based precise search.

[0021] In one possible design, the method provided in this application embodiment may further include: determining the second measurement result as the target measurement result when a fourth condition is met and the radio frequency-based precise search is in a disabled state. The fourth condition is one of the following: the ranging results obtained M consecutively based on the acoustic wave-based precise search are all greater than a third threshold; the second confidence level obtained N consecutively based on the acoustic wave-based precise search is at the third level and the first confidence level is not at the third level; or the measurement signal strength obtained K consecutively based on the acoustic wave-based precise search does not match the ranging result; where M, N, and K are positive integers.

[0022] In one possible design scheme, the method provided in this application embodiment may further include: if the fourth condition is not met but the fifth condition is met, determining to turn off radio frequency-based precise lookup and determining the target measurement result as the second measurement result; or, if neither the fourth nor the fifth condition is met, continuing to determine the target measurement result based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level. The fourth condition is one of the following: the ranging results obtained from the acoustic wave-based precise lookup for M consecutive times are all greater than a third threshold; the second confidence level obtained from the acoustic wave-based precise lookup for N consecutive times is the third level and the first confidence level is not the third level; or the measurement signal strength obtained from the acoustic wave-based precise lookup for K consecutive times does not match the ranging result; where M, N, and K are positive integers; the fifth condition is that the second confidence level obtained from the acoustic wave-based precise lookup for L consecutive times is the first level, or the fifth condition is that the first confidence level obtained from the radio frequency-based precise lookup is the third level and the second confidence level obtained from the acoustic wave-based precise lookup is the second level, where L is a positive integer.

[0023] Therefore, if the locator determines that the reliability of the acoustic wave-based precise locator is high based on the fourth condition, it can further combine the fifth condition to determine whether the confidence level of the acoustic wave-based precise locator is higher than that of the radio frequency-based precise locator. If the fifth condition is met, the locator can turn off the radio frequency-based precise locator and use the second measurement result obtained from the acoustic wave-based precise locator as the target measurement result to reduce the device's energy consumption.

[0024] In one possible design, the method provided in this application embodiment may further include: determining to initiate radio frequency-based precise search when a sixth condition is met, and determining the target measurement result based on a first confidence level and a second confidence level; or, determining the target measurement result as a second measurement result when the sixth condition is not met; wherein the sixth condition is that the second confidence level obtained by the precise search based on sound waves is at the third level for P consecutive times, or the sixth condition is that the second confidence level obtained by the precise search based on sound waves is at the second level for 2P consecutive times, where P is a positive integer. Therefore, after the search device closes the radio frequency-based precise search based on the above fourth and fifth conditions, during the measurement period based on the precise search based on sound waves, the search device may also periodically or non-periodically detect the reliability of the current precise search based on sound waves to determine whether it is necessary to restart the radio frequency-based precise search, and then combine the measurement result and confidence level obtained by the precise search based on radio frequency to locate the lost device, thereby ensuring the accuracy and reliability of device search.

[0025] Secondly, a communication device is provided for implementing the various methods described above. This communication device can be the search device described in the first aspect, or a device including the search device, or a device included in the search device, such as a chip. The communication device includes corresponding modules, units, or means for implementing the methods described in the first aspect. These modules, units, or means can be implemented in hardware, software, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions described above.

[0026] In some possible designs, the communication device includes a processing module. This processing module is configured to determine whether to initiate an acoustic-based precise search based on a first measurement result and / or a first confidence level, the first measurement result and the first confidence level being obtained based on a radio frequency-based precise search. If an acoustic-based precise search is initiated, the processing module is further configured to determine a target measurement result based on a first confidence level and a second confidence level, the target measurement result being used to locate the lost device, the target measurement result being one of the following: the first measurement result, a second measurement result, or a measurement result obtained by fusing the first and second measurement results, the second confidence level and the second measurement result being obtained based on the acoustic-based precise search.

[0027] In one possible design, a higher first confidence level indicates a higher reliability of the first measurement result, and a higher second confidence level indicates a higher reliability of the second measurement result.

[0028] In one possible design scheme, the levels of the first confidence level and the second confidence level can include: a first level, a second level, and a third level, with the first level being higher than the second level, and the second level being higher than the third level.

[0029] In one possible design scheme, the scenario corresponding to the first level can satisfy the following conditions: the measurement signal strength matches the ranging result, the measurement signal strength is greater than or equal to the first measurement signal threshold or the ranging result is less than or equal to the first threshold, the interference signal strength is less than or equal to the first interference signal threshold, and the difference between the measurement results obtained from multiple measurements is less than or equal to the first difference threshold.

[0030] The scenario corresponding to the second level can satisfy at least one of the following conditions: the measured signal strength is greater than or equal to the second measured signal threshold and less than the first measured signal threshold; the interference signal strength is greater than the first interference signal threshold and less than or equal to the second interference signal threshold; the difference between the measurement results obtained from multiple measurements is greater than the first difference threshold and less than or equal to the second difference threshold.

[0031] The scenario corresponding to the third level can meet at least one of the following conditions: the measured signal strength is less than the second measured signal threshold, the interference signal strength is greater than the second interference signal threshold, the difference between the measurement results obtained from multiple measurements is greater than the second difference threshold, or angle measurement cannot be performed.

[0032] In one possible design, the first measurement result includes a first ranging result. A processing module, configured to determine whether to initiate a precise sound-based search based on the first measurement result and / or a first confidence level, may include: a processing module configured to determine to initiate a precise sound-based search if a first condition is met; or, a processing module configured to determine not to initiate a precise sound-based search if the first condition is not met, and to determine the target measurement result as the first measurement result. The first condition is: the first ranging result is less than a second threshold, and / or the first confidence level is a third level.

[0033] In one possible design, the processing module, used to determine the target measurement result based on a first confidence level and a second confidence level, may include: a processing module used to determine the target measurement result as a first measurement result if a second condition is met; or, a processing module used to determine the target measurement result as a second measurement result if a third condition is met; or, a processing module used to determine the target measurement result as a measurement result obtained by fusing the first and second measurement results if neither the second nor the third condition is met. Wherein, the second condition is that the level of the first confidence level is not the third level and the level of the second confidence level is the third level; the third condition is that the level of the first confidence level is the third level and the level of the second confidence level is the second level; or the third condition is that the level of the second confidence level is the first level.

[0034] In one possible design, the processing module is further configured to determine to disable the acoustic-based precise search if the fourth condition is met. Alternatively, the processing module is further configured to continue determining the target measurement result based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level if the fourth condition is not met. The fourth condition is one of the following: the ranging results obtained from the acoustic-based precise search for M consecutive times are all greater than the third threshold; the second confidence level obtained from the acoustic-based precise search for N consecutive times is the third level and the first confidence level is not the third level; or the measurement signal strength obtained from the acoustic-based precise search for K consecutive times does not match the ranging result; where M, N, and K are positive integers.

[0035] In one possible design, the processing module is further configured to determine to disable acoustic wave-based precise lookup when the fourth condition is met. This may include: the processing module is configured to determine to disable acoustic wave-based precise lookup when the fourth condition is met and radio frequency-based precise lookup is enabled.

[0036] In one possible design, the processing module is further configured to determine the second measurement result as the target measurement result when the fourth condition is met and the radio frequency-based precise search is in the off state. The fourth condition is one of the following: the ranging results obtained M consecutively based on the acoustic wave-based precise search are all greater than the third threshold; the second confidence level obtained N consecutively based on the acoustic wave-based precise search is the third level and the first confidence level is not the third level; or the measurement signal strength obtained K consecutively based on the acoustic wave-based precise search does not match the ranging result; where M, N, and K are positive integers.

[0037] In one possible design, the processing module is further configured to, if the fourth condition is not met but the fifth condition is met, determine to disable radio frequency-based precise lookup and determine the target measurement result as the second measurement result; or, the processing module is further configured to, if neither the fourth nor the fifth condition is met, continue to determine the target measurement result based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level. The fourth condition is one of the following: the ranging results obtained from acoustic wave-based precise lookup for M consecutive times are all greater than the third threshold; the second confidence level obtained from acoustic wave-based precise lookup for N consecutive times is the third level and the first confidence level is not the third level; or the measurement signal strength obtained from acoustic wave-based precise lookup for K consecutive times does not match the ranging result; where M, N, and K are positive integers; the fifth condition is that the second confidence level obtained from acoustic wave-based precise lookup for L consecutive times is the first level, or the fifth condition is that the first confidence level obtained from radio frequency-based precise lookup is the third level and the second confidence level obtained from acoustic wave-based precise lookup is the second level, where L is a positive integer.

[0038] In one possible design, the processing module is further configured to determine, if the sixth condition is met, to initiate a radio frequency-based precise search and determine the target measurement result based on a first confidence level and a second confidence level; or, if the sixth condition is not met, to determine the target measurement result as the second measurement result; wherein the sixth condition is that the level of the second confidence level obtained by the precise search based on sound waves is the third level for P consecutive times, or the sixth condition is that the level of the second confidence level obtained by the precise search based on sound waves is the second level for 2P consecutive times, and P is a positive integer.

[0039] In one possible design, the communication device described in the second aspect may further include a transceiver module, which is used to implement the receiving and sending functions of the communication device described in the second aspect.

[0040] In one possible design, the transceiver module may include a receiving module and a sending module. The sending module implements the sending function of the communication device described in the second aspect, and the receiving module implements the receiving function of the communication device described in the second aspect.

[0041] In one possible design, the communication device described in the second aspect may further include a storage module storing programs or instructions. When the processing module executes the program or instructions, the communication device described in the second aspect can perform the method described in the first aspect.

[0042] Thirdly, a communication device is provided, comprising an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory stores part or all of a computer program or instructions necessary for implementing the functions described in the first aspect. The one or more processors are executable to carry out the computer program or instructions, causing the communication device to implement any possible design or implementation method described in the first aspect. The interface circuit is used to implement communication functions within the communication device and / or communication functions between the communication device and other devices or components.

[0043] In one possible design, the processor is used to communicate with other devices or components through the interface circuit.

[0044] In one possible design, the communication device may also include the memory.

[0045] The aforementioned communication device may be a terminal device, a communication module in a terminal device, or a chip in a terminal device that is responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip (also known as a baseband chip) or a SoC or SIP chip that contains a modem module.

[0046] Fourthly, a communication device is provided, comprising an interface circuit and one or more processors. The one or more processors are coupled to a memory. The memory stores part or all of a computer program or instructions necessary for implementing the functions described in the first aspect. The one or more processors are executable to carry out the computer program or instructions, causing the communication device to implement any possible design or implementation method described in the first aspect. The interface circuit is used to implement communication functions within the communication device and / or communication functions between the communication device and other devices or components.

[0047] Fifthly, a communication system is provided, comprising: a search device for performing the method described in the first aspect, and a lost device determined by the search device based on the method.

[0048] In a sixth aspect, a chip is provided, wherein instructions are stored that, when the chip is operated on a communication device, cause the method described in the first aspect to be implemented.

[0049] In a seventh aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, which stores computer-readable instructions that, when read and executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of the first aspect described above.

[0050] Eighthly, a computer program product containing instructions is provided, which, when read and executed by a computer, causes the computer to perform the method described in the first aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0051] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a scenario division for a device search function;

[0054] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a scenario where a good Samaritan's function locates a lost device;

[0055] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a scenario where a precise locator function can locate a lost device.

[0056] Figure 6 is a flowchart illustrating a device search method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating another device search method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating another device search method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0061] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the following points are explained before introducing the embodiments of this application.

[0062] First, in the embodiments of this application, the terms "first," "second," and various numerical designations are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, they distinguish different instruction information. Similarly, "first network region" and "second network region" are simply used to distinguish different regions and do not limit their order. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first," "second," etc., do not limit the quantity or execution order, and that "first," "second," etc., are not necessarily different.

[0063] Second, in the embodiments of this application, descriptions such as "when," "under the circumstances," "if," and "if" all refer to the fact that the device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device) will make corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. They are not time limits, nor do they require the device (e.g., a terminal device or a network device) to make a judgment action when implementing it, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0064] Third, in the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that they are examples, illustrations, or descriptions. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design options. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0065] Fourth, in the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can 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. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of multiple items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0066] Finally, the network architecture and business scenarios described in the embodiments of this application are for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0067] This application will present various aspects, embodiments, or features relating to a system that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches may also be used.

[0068] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various systems suitable for short-range communication, such as acoustic communication systems, Wi-Fi communication systems, Spark Link (SL) communication systems, such as Spark Link Low Energy (SLE) systems, Spark Link Basic (SLB) systems, Spark Link Position (SLP) systems, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) communication systems, and Bluetooth (BT) communication systems, such as BLE systems.

[0069] In some possible implementations, the aforementioned communication system may be used in conjunction with mobile communication systems, such as, but not limited to, 4th generation (4G) communication systems (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems), 5th generation (5G) communication systems (e.g., New Radio (NR) systems), and future mobile communication systems.

[0070] Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram illustrating a possible, non-limiting communication system. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a locator and a lost device. The locator can locate the lost device by measuring distance and angle using radio frequency or acoustic wave-based locating functions.

[0071] The lost device can also be called the searchable device, without limitation. The searchable device or lost device can be a terminal. A terminal is a device, equipment, module, chip, or chip system with transceiver functions. This terminal can also be called terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station (MS), mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user equipment. The terminals in the embodiments of this application may be mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, wireless data cards, personal computers (PCs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, handsets, laptop computers, machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), intelligent robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, and wireless terminals in smart homes. The terminal node in this application can be a wireless terminal in the home, an in-vehicle terminal, a roadside unit (RSU) with terminal function, or an aerial device (e.g., an intelligent robot, a hot air balloon, a drone, or an airplane). The terminal node can also be an in-vehicle module, in-vehicle component, in-vehicle chip, or in-vehicle unit built into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The terminal node can also be other devices with terminal function; for example, it can be a device that performs terminal function in device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0072] This application does not limit the device form of the terminal. The device used to implement the terminal's functions can be the terminal itself, or it can be any device that supports the terminal in implementing those functions, such as a chip system. This device can be installed in the terminal or used in conjunction with the terminal. In this application, the chip system can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete components.

[0073] The aforementioned device may be a device with audio processing and radio frequency signal processing units. As shown in Figure 2, the device may include at least one audio processing unit and one radio frequency processing unit.

[0074] The audio processing unit includes one or more microphones, one or more speakers (optional), one or more processors, and one or more memories. The memories are used to store instructions, audio files, etc. The processor can call the instructions and audio files in the memories, thereby causing the transmitting device to execute related methods. The processor, microphones, speakers, and memories are connected via a bus to enable data exchange. The speakers and the transmitter described in this embodiment of the invention operate under the control of the processor.

[0075] The radio frequency (RF) processing unit includes one or more receiving antennas, one or more transmitting antennas (optional), one or more processors, and one or more memories. The memories are used to store instructions, RF signal data, etc. The processor can call the instructions and RF signal data stored in the memories, thereby enabling the transmitting device to execute related methods. The processor, transmitting antennas, receiving antennas, and memories are connected via a bus to facilitate data exchange. The transmitting antennas, under the control of the processor, implement the operation of the transmitter described in this embodiment of the invention.

[0076] It should be noted that the solutions in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other communication systems, and the corresponding names can be replaced by the names of the corresponding functions in other communication systems.

[0077] The following describes the related terms or technologies involved in the embodiments of this application.

[0078] Device search function

[0079] When a device is accidentally lost, the device search function can be used to quickly locate the lost device and comprehensively ensure its safety. As shown in Figure 3, the device search function is generally divided into three parts: at long distances (e.g., more than 30 meters from the lost device), the approximate location is determined by the help of the helper function; at medium to close distances (e.g., within 3 to 30 meters from the lost device), the accurate location is determined by the short-distance precise search; and finally, at extremely close distances (e.g., within 3 meters from the lost device), the lost device is precisely located using a buzzer.

[0080] Taking the user's mobile phone as an example, the scenario diagram of the "Good Samaritan" function locating a lost device is shown in Figure 4. The lost device periodically sends BLE offline broadcasts. After receiving the BLE broadcasts, other mobile phones in the vicinity (good Samaritan phones) obtain the location information of the lost device through the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and indoor Wi-Fi, encrypt the location information, report the encrypted location information through the cloud, and then the cloud sends the location information to the user's mobile phone.

[0081] Figure 5 illustrates a scenario where the precise location function can pinpoint the lost device. At close to medium distances, the user's mobile phone connects to the lost device via BLE. Short-range precise location technologies (such as sound waves, star flashes, UWB, Wi-Fi, etc.) are used to measure the distance and angle between the two devices. Guided by the angle and distance, the user can then pinpoint the exact location of the lost device.

[0082] Among them, precise location based on radio frequency (RF) positioning technology is called RF-based precise location, such as precise location based on star flash, Wi-Fi, BLE, or UWB. Precise location based on acoustic wave positioning technology is called acoustic-based precise location, which mainly refers to precise location based on ultrasonic waves.

[0083] Precise location based on sound waves has been implemented in Huawei Tag, while precise location based on UWB has been implemented in AirTag and Apple's headphone cases. Because sound waves and radio frequency (RF) operate on different principles and have different applications, each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

[0084] Taking star-flash positioning technology as an example in radio frequency (RF) technology, sound wave-based precise location offers high accuracy in close-range scenarios but cannot guarantee accuracy at longer distances (e.g., beyond 30 meters), and suffers from poor noise immunity. Furthermore, sound wave ranging relies on Bluetooth time synchronization, which can lead to issues with timely distance display due to excessive synchronization time. In contrast, star-flash-based precise location supports accurate location at longer distances and is more robust, but its accuracy at close range is inferior to sound waves. Therefore, ensuring the accuracy of device location in different scenarios is a pressing issue that needs to be addressed.

[0085] This application provides a device locator method and communication device. By combining precise location based on sound waves and precise location based on radio frequency, the accuracy of device location in different scenarios can be improved.

[0086] The device search method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 6-8.

[0087] For example, Figure 6 is a schematic flowchart of a device search method provided in an embodiment of this application. It is understood that this application uses the device search shown in Figure 1 as an example of the execution entity, but this application does not limit the illustrated execution entity. For example, the method executed by the device search in this application can also be implemented by a module in the device search (e.g., a circuit, processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic node, logic module, or software that can implement all or part of the device search functions.

[0088] As shown in Figure 6, the device locating method includes:

[0089] S601, the locating device determines whether to initiate a precise acoustic-based search based on the first measurement result and / or the first confidence level.

[0090] The first measurement result and the first confidence level are obtained based on radio frequency-based precise lookup, which includes, but is not limited to, star flash-based precise lookup, Bluetooth-based precise lookup, UWB-based precise lookup, etc.

[0091] In this embodiment of the application, when a device is lost, the locator will first enable the radio frequency-based precise locator function by default. After enabling the radio frequency-based precise locator function, the locator can establish a radio frequency connection with the lost device within the communication range.

[0092] Whether a radio frequency connection can be established between the locating device and the lost device, or whether the connection status is connected (successful connection) or not connected (failed connection), depends on two factors: first, whether the two devices are paired, and second, whether the distance between them meets the communication requirements.

[0093] For example, the communication requirement can be that the distance between the devices does not exceed the communication distance. Thus, if the lost device and the search device are paired, and the distance between the lost device and the search device does not exceed the preset communication distance, a connection can be established between the lost device and the search device, and the connection status is "connected". Otherwise, if the distance between the lost device and the search device exceeds the preset communication distance, a connection cannot be established between the lost device and the search device, and the connection status is "not connected".

[0094] It should be understood that the preset communication distance is related to the connection method between the lost device and the locator. Taking StarScan communication as an example, that is, precise locating based on radio frequency is the same as precise locating based on StarScan. StarScan communication has a communication distance limitation. Assuming that StarScan communication fails when the distance exceeds L1, and the lost device and the locator communicate via Bluetooth, then, if both the lost device and the locator have Bluetooth enabled and have completed StarScan pairing, if the distance between the lost device and the locator is less than or equal to L1, they can establish StarScan communication. If the distance between the lost device and the locator exceeds L1, they will not be able to establish StarScan communication.

[0095] Taking Bluetooth communication as an example, Bluetooth communication also has a communication distance limitation. Suppose that Bluetooth communication fails when the distance exceeds L2, and the lost device and the found device are communicating via Bluetooth, then if the Bluetooth of both the lost device and the found device is turned on and they have completed Bluetooth pairing, they can establish Bluetooth communication if the distance between the lost device and the found device is less than or equal to L2. If the distance between the lost device and the found device exceeds L2, they will not be able to establish Bluetooth communication.

[0096] In this embodiment, the lost device and the locating device can be paired and the communication distance meets the communication requirements. Therefore, when the radio frequency connection is successful, the locating device can measure the measurement signal sent by the lost device to obtain a first measurement result and a first confidence level.

[0097] The first measurement result may include a first distance measurement result and a first angle measurement result. The first distance measurement result can be represented as d. RF The first ranging result can refer to the distance between the lost device and the locating device obtained through precise radio frequency-based search measurements, which can be used to determine how far the lost device is from the locating device; the first angle measurement result can be expressed as θ. RF The first angle measurement result can refer to the angle between the lost device and the search device, which is obtained based on radio frequency technology.

[0098] The confidence level of measurement results is typically used to quantify the reliability and accuracy of the measurement results. A higher confidence level indicates higher reliability and accuracy. In this application, the embodiments mainly involve a first confidence level obtained based on radio frequency (RF) precise search and a second confidence level obtained based on acoustic wave precise search. A higher first confidence level indicates higher accuracy and reliability of the first measurement result obtained through RF precise search, and a higher second confidence level indicates higher accuracy and reliability of the second measurement result obtained through acoustic wave precise search. Here, acoustic wave-based precise search typically refers to ultrasonic-based precise search.

[0099] The confidence level corresponding to different types of precise searches can be measured or calculated based on the magnitude and degree of change of one or more measurement parameters, such as the ranging result, the measured signal strength, and the interference signal strength. The measured signal strength can be characterized by the received signal strength indication (RSSI) and the reference signal receiving power (RSRP), etc. The ranging result can be represented as d, and the measured signal strength can be represented as R. P The interference signal strength can be expressed as RI. P .

[0100] Confidence can be expressed as a percentage. To better measure the confidence level of different types of exact searches, confidence can be divided into multiple confidence intervals. Different confidence intervals correspond to different confidence levels (or confidence levels). The higher the confidence level, the higher the reliability and accuracy of the measurement results.

[0101] In one possible design, the confidence levels (including first and second confidence levels) can be divided into three levels: first, second, and third. The first level is higher than the second, and the second level is higher than the third, corresponding to low, medium, and high levels, respectively. Each level corresponds to a confidence interval. For example, the confidence interval for the first level is (90%, 100%), the second level is (70%, 90%), and the third level is [0%, 70%). In other words, the lookup device can determine which confidence interval the calculated confidence level falls within to classify the confidence level.

[0102] It should be understood that for different types of exact searches, the confidence intervals corresponding to the same level can be different, and this is not limited. In the embodiments of this application, the first confidence level can be represented as CL. RF The second confidence level can be represented as CL. U The first, second, and third levels can be represented by 1 to 3 respectively.

[0103] For any type of exact lookup, if the confidence level is the highest, then the measurement reliability and accuracy corresponding to the exact lookup type used in the current scenario are high. In other words, the measurement results obtained by the exact lookup type used at that time are highly reliable and accurate.

[0104] For example, if the confidence level is level 1, then the measurement parameters obtained based on a certain type of precise search in the current scenario can satisfy at least one of the following conditions, or the scenario corresponding to level 1 can satisfy at least one of the following conditions: the measurement signal strength matches the ranging result, the measurement signal strength is greater than or equal to the first measurement signal threshold, the ranging result is less than or equal to the first threshold, the interference signal strength is less than or equal to the first interference signal threshold, and the difference between the measurement results obtained from multiple measurements is less than or equal to the first difference threshold.

[0105] In this context, matching the measured signal strength with the ranging result means that the magnitude of the measured signal strength must be consistent with the measured distance between the lost device and the locating device. That is, the smaller the measured signal strength, the larger the measured distance between the lost device and the locating device; conversely, the larger the measured signal strength, the smaller the measured distance. The measured signal strength and the ranging result are inversely proportional, which can be expressed as R... P =f(d).

[0106] A measured signal strength greater than or equal to a first measured signal threshold indicates that, in the current scenario, a large signal strength is obtained from multiple consecutive measurements based on a certain type of precise search, resulting in a smaller ranging result. The first measured signal threshold can be expressed as R. P,th1 Then R P ≥R P,th1 .

[0107] If the ranging result is less than or equal to the first threshold, it indicates that the distance between the lost device and the locating device, as determined by a certain type of precise search measurement in the current scenario, is close, corresponding to a high measurement signal strength. The first threshold can be represented as d. th1 Then d≤d th1 .

[0108] If the interference signal strength is less than or equal to the first interference signal threshold, it indicates that the interference signal detected within a continuous time frame based on a certain type of precise search in the current scenario is relatively small, representing a scenario with no strong interference. The first interference signal threshold can be expressed as RI. P,th1 , then RI P ≤RI P,th1 .

[0109] If the difference between multiple measurement results is less than or equal to a first difference threshold, it indicates that the fluctuation of the measurement results obtained from multiple measurements based on a certain type of precise search in the current scenario is small. The difference between multiple measurement results can refer to the variance between distances obtained from multiple consecutive measurements, and / or the variance between angles obtained from multiple consecutive measurements. In this case, the first difference threshold can be a distance variance threshold and / or an angle variance threshold. The difference between multiple measurement results can be represented as V. d or V θ V d The corresponding first difference threshold can be expressed as V d,th1 V θ The corresponding first difference threshold can be expressed as V θ,th1 Then V d ≤V d,th1 V θ ≤V θ,th1 .

[0110] If the confidence level is level 2, then the reliability and accuracy of the measurement corresponding to the exact lookup type in the current scenario are generally or moderate. In other words, the reliability and accuracy of the measurement results obtained by the exact lookup type currently used are generally or moderate (neither high nor low).

[0111] For example, if the confidence level is the second level, then the measurement parameters obtained based on a certain type of precise search in the current scenario can satisfy at least one of the following conditions, or the scenario corresponding to the second level can satisfy at least one of the following conditions: the measurement signal strength is greater than or equal to the second measurement signal threshold and less than the first measurement signal threshold; the interference signal strength is greater than or equal to the first interference and less than the second interference signal threshold; the difference between the measurement results obtained from multiple measurements is greater than or equal to the first difference threshold and less than the second difference threshold.

[0112] A measured signal strength greater than or equal to a second measured signal threshold and less than a first measured signal threshold indicates that the signal strength obtained from multiple consecutive measurements based on a certain type of precise search in the current scenario is moderate. The second measured signal threshold can be expressed as R. P,th2 Then R P,th2 ≤R P <R P,th1 .

[0113] An interference signal strength greater than a first interference signal threshold and less than or equal to a second interference signal threshold indicates that the interference signal strength detected within a continuous time frame based on a certain type of precise search in the current scenario is neither too strong nor too weak. The second interference signal threshold can be expressed as RI. P,th2 , then RI P,th1 <RIP ≤RI P,th2 .

[0114] If the difference between multiple measurement results is greater than a first difference threshold and less than or equal to a second difference threshold, it indicates that in the current scenario, the fluctuation of measurement results obtained from multiple measurements based on a certain type of precise search is neither significant nor small. Wherein, V d The corresponding second difference threshold can be expressed as V d,th2 V θ The corresponding second difference threshold can be expressed as V θ,th2 Then V d,th1 <V d ≤V d,th2 V θ,th1 <V θ ≤V θ,th2 .

[0115] If the confidence level is level 3, then the measurement reliability and accuracy corresponding to the exact lookup type in the current scenario are poor. In other words, the measurement results obtained by the exact lookup type currently used have low reliability and accuracy.

[0116] For example, if the confidence level is the second level, then the measurement parameters obtained based on a certain type of precise search in the current scenario can satisfy at least one of the following conditions, or the scenario corresponding to the third level can satisfy at least one of the following conditions: the measurement signal strength is less than the second measurement signal threshold, the interference signal strength is greater than the second interference signal threshold, the difference between the measurement results obtained from multiple measurements is greater than the second difference threshold, or angle measurement cannot be performed.

[0117] If the measured signal strength is less than the second measured signal threshold, it means that the signal strength obtained from multiple consecutive measurements based on a certain type of precise search in the current scenario is small, which can be expressed as R. P <R P,th2 .

[0118] If the interference signal strength is greater than the second interference signal threshold, it indicates that the interference detected in the current scenario based on a certain type of precise search is relatively strong within a continuous time period, which is a strong interference scenario, and can be represented as RI. P >RI P,th2 .

[0119] If the difference between multiple measurement results exceeds the second difference threshold, it indicates that the measurement results obtained from multiple measurements based on a certain type of precise search in the current scenario fluctuate greatly, which may be a strong multipath or an abnormal scenario. This can be represented as V. d >V d,th2 V θ >V θ,th2 .

[0120] "Unable to measure angle" can refer to situations where the lighting is too weak to use a certain type of precise search to complete the angle measurement, such as precise search using a single RF antenna + AR.

[0121] It should be understood that the threshold settings for the three levels mentioned above may differ for different types of exact searches, and no limitation is made on this.

[0122] It should also be understood that the threshold boundaries of the above three confidence levels can also be defined as follows: the condition satisfied by the scenario corresponding to the first level can be: R P >R P,th1 d <d th1 RI P <RI P,th1 V d <V d,th1 V θ <V θ,th1 The conditions that the second-level scenario must meet are: R P,th2 <R P ≤R P,th1 RI P,th1 ≤RI P <RI P,th2 V d,th1 ≤V d <V d,th2 V θ,th1 ≤V θ <V θ,th2 The conditions that the scenario corresponding to the third level can satisfy are: R P ≤R P,th2 RI P ≥RI P,th2 V d ≥V d,th2 V θ ≥V θ,th2 This application does not limit the scope of the embodiments.

[0123] After obtaining the first measurement result and the first confidence level using the radio frequency-based precise search function, the locating device can determine whether the first measurement result (or radio frequency-based precise search) is reliable based on the first measurement result and / or the first confidence level, and thus determine whether to activate the acoustic wave-based precise search function based on the judgment result. If the reliability of the first measurement result is high, the locating device can directly use the first measurement result as the target measurement result to locate the lost device; if the reliability of the first measurement result is low, the locating device can activate the acoustic wave-based precise search function, establish an acoustic wave connection with the lost device, and receive the measurement signal sent by the lost device based on the acoustic wave connection to obtain the second measurement result and the second confidence level. That is, the second measurement result and the second confidence level are determined based on the acoustic wave-based precise search, and the following S602 is executed.

[0124] The second measurement result may include a second distance measurement result and a second angle measurement result, wherein the second distance measurement result can be expressed as d. U The second ranging result can refer to the distance between the lost device and the locating device obtained through precise sound wave-based search measurements. This distance can be used to determine how far the lost device is from the locating device. The first angle measurement result can be expressed as θ. U The second angle measurement result can refer to the angle between the lost device and the locating device, measured using acoustic wave technology. Target measurement results include target ranging results and target angle measurement results. The target ranging result can be expressed as d. D The target angle measurement result can be expressed as θ D .

[0125] It should be understood that the factors enabling the locator to establish an acoustic connection with the lost device within the communication range are similar to those for establishing a radio frequency connection between the locator and the lost device, and will not be elaborated upon further.

[0126] In one possible implementation, the locating device can determine whether the first measurement result is reliable based on the first ranging result and / or the first confidence level in the first measurement result. In this implementation, if a first condition is met, the locating device can determine to initiate a sound wave-based precise search, thereby obtaining a second measurement result and a second confidence level based on the sound wave-based precise search.

[0127] If the first condition is not met, the locating device can determine not to initiate a precise acoustic-based search and identify the target measurement result as the first measurement result. The first condition includes: the first ranging result is less than a second threshold, and / or the first confidence level is a third level. This can be expressed as: if d RF <d th2 , and / or CL RF =3, then initiate a precise search based on sound waves; if d RF ≥d th2 , and / or CL RF If d = 1 or 2, then the precise sound wave-based search will not be initiated. D =d RF θ D =θ RF .

[0128] In some implementations, the first condition may also include: the first ranging result is less than or equal to the second threshold, and / or the first confidence level is the third level, without limitation. This can be expressed as: if d RF ≤d th2 , and / or CL RF =3, then initiate a precise search based on sound waves; if dRF >d th2 , and / or CL RF If d = 1 or 2, then the precise sound wave-based search will not be initiated. D =d RF θ D =θ RF .

[0129] In other words, since radio frequency-based precise searching has high accuracy (robustness) in searching at long distances, and sound wave-based precise searching has high accuracy (robustness) in searching at short distances, the searching device can compare the first ranging result in the first measurement result with the second threshold, and / or determine whether the first confidence level is the third level.

[0130] Therefore, if the first ranging result of the precise search based on radio frequency is greater than or equal to the second threshold, the current scenario is a long-distance search scenario. The first measurement result obtained by the precise search based on radio frequency has high robustness, and / or if the first confidence level is not the third level (i.e., the first or second level), the confidence level of the precise search based on radio frequency is high in the current scenario. Then, it can be considered that the accuracy and reliability of the first measurement result are high, and the search device can output the first measurement result and use the first measurement result as the target measurement result to locate the lost device.

[0131] Optionally, the second threshold may be set based on the minimum distance that can be measured by precise radio frequency-based searching while ensuring search or measurement accuracy.

[0132] If the first ranging result is less than the second threshold, the current scenario is a close-range search scenario. The robustness of the first measurement result obtained by the radio frequency-based precise search is poor, and / or if the first confidence level is the third level, the confidence level of the radio frequency-based precise search in the current scenario is low. Therefore, it can be considered that the accuracy and reliability of the first measurement result are not high. The search device can start the sound wave-based precise search, and then combine the second measurement result and the second confidence level of the sound wave-based precise search to determine the target measurement result for locating the lost device, as shown in S602 below.

[0133] S602. When initiating a precise search based on sound waves, determine the target measurement result based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level.

[0134] The locator determines that the reliability of the first measurement result obtained by the radio frequency-based precise search is not high. However, after initiating the acoustic wave-based precise search to obtain the second measurement result and the second confidence level, the first confidence level and the second confidence level obtained by the radio frequency-based precise search and the acoustic wave-based precise search respectively can be combined to further determine the target measurement result.

[0135] The target measurement result is used to locate the lost device. The target measurement result can be one of the following: a first measurement result, a second measurement result, or a measurement result obtained by fusing the first measurement result and the second measurement result.

[0136] The locating device can determine the target measurement result based on the level of a first confidence level obtained from a precise radio frequency-based search and the level of a second confidence level obtained from a precise acoustic search. In one possible implementation, the target measurement result can be determined as follows:

[0137] Under the condition that the second condition is met, the locating device can determine the target measurement result as the first measurement result, wherein the second condition is that the first confidence level is not the third level and the second confidence level is the third level.

[0138] This can be expressed as: if CL RF ≠3 and CL U =3, then d D =d RF θ D =θ RF Among them, CL RF ≠3 including CL RF =1 or 2.

[0139] In other words, after enabling precise search based on sound waves, the first confidence level obtained by precise search based on radio frequency is higher than the second confidence level obtained by precise search based on sound waves. That is, the first confidence level is higher but the second confidence level is lower. Therefore, the search device can output the first measurement result obtained by precise search based on radio frequency when the first confidence level is higher, and use it as the target measurement result to locate the lost device.

[0140] In this case, the locator can optionally disable sound wave-based precise locating.

[0141] If the third condition is met, the locating device can determine the target measurement result as the second measurement result. The third condition can be that the first confidence level is the third level and the second confidence level is the second level, or the third condition can be that the second confidence level is the first level.

[0142] This can be expressed as: if CL RF =3 and CL U =2 or if CLU =1, then d D =d U θ D =θ U .

[0143] In other words, after enabling precise search based on sound waves, if the second confidence level obtained by precise search based on sound waves reaches the highest confidence level or is higher than the first confidence level obtained by precise search based on radio frequency (RF), that is, if the first confidence level is low but the second confidence level is high, then the search device can output the second measurement result obtained by precise search based on sound waves as the target measurement result to locate the lost device when the second confidence level is high.

[0144] In this case, the search device may optionally disable radio frequency-based precise search.

[0145] If the second and third conditions are not met, the locating device can determine that the target measurement result is the measurement result obtained by fusing the first and second measurement results. The failure to meet the second and third conditions may include, but is not limited to: the first confidence level being the first level and the second confidence level being the first level (i.e., CL). RF =1 and CL U =1) The first confidence level is the second level and the second confidence level is not the first level (i.e., CL) RF =2 and CL U ≠1) The first confidence level is the second level and the second confidence level is the second level (i.e., CL) RF =2 and CL U =2).

[0146] In other words, after enabling precise search based on sound waves, if the first confidence level obtained by precise search based on radio frequency is roughly equal to the second confidence level obtained by precise search based on sound waves, or if the first confidence level and the second confidence level cannot be compared, then the search device can fuse the measurement results obtained from the two types of precise searches, that is, fuse the first measurement result and the second measurement result, and use the fused measurement result as the output as the target measurement result to locate the lost device.

[0147] At this point, the target measurement result can be expressed as: then d D =f(d RF ,d U ), θ D =f(θ) RF ,θ U ), f(d RF ,d U f(θ) represents the distance measurement result obtained by fusing the first and second distance measurement results. RF ,θU The angle measurement result is obtained by f(·) by fusing the first angle measurement result and the second angle measurement result. Here, f(·) can be calculated as the mean or based on the assigned weights; there is no limitation on this.

[0148] It should be understood that after initiating radio frequency-based precise search and acoustic wave-based precise search, and before disabling either type of precise search function, the search device can periodically or non-periodically perform multiple measurements using radio frequency-based precise search to obtain multiple first measurement results and multiple first confidence levels, and periodically or non-periodically perform multiple measurements using acoustic wave-based precise search to obtain multiple second measurement results and multiple second confidence levels. Therefore, after enabling acoustic wave-based precise search, the first confidence level used to determine the target measurement result may differ from the first confidence level used to determine whether to initiate acoustic wave-based precise search. Correspondingly, the first measurement result corresponding to the first confidence level used to determine the target measurement result may also differ from the first measurement result corresponding to the first confidence level used to determine whether to initiate acoustic wave-based precise search. In the embodiments of this application, the first confidence level and first measurement result used to determine the target measurement result may be the most recently measured after initiating acoustic wave-based precise search.

[0149] In the device locating method shown in Figure 6, the locator can determine whether the measurement results of the radio frequency-based precise search are accurate and / or reliable based on the measurement results obtained from the precise search (first measurement result) and the confidence level (second measurement result). This determines whether the acoustic wave-based precise search function needs to be enabled. If the measurement results of the radio frequency-based precise search are inaccurate and / or unreliable, the acoustic wave-based precise search is enabled. Then, the confidence levels of the radio frequency-based precise search and the acoustic wave-based precise search are combined to determine whether the target measurement result used to locate the lost device is obtained from the precise search based on radio frequency, the precise search based on acoustic waves, or a combination of the two. Therefore, by fully utilizing the advantages of radio frequency-based and acoustic wave-based precise location in different scenarios, such as using radio frequency-based precise location to locate lost devices when the distance is far or the first confidence level is high, and using acoustic wave-based precise location to locate lost devices when the distance is short or the second confidence level is high, and combining the measurement results of both radio frequency-based and acoustic wave-based precise location for other scenarios, the reliability and accuracy of precise location in different scenarios can be improved.

[0150] While the locator is using the precise search function to locate the lost device, if both radio frequency-based precise search and acoustic wave-based precise search are enabled, the locator can also determine whether to disable a certain type of precise search function based on the measurement results of the two types of precise search, in order to reduce device power consumption.

[0151] In one possible design scheme 1, the locating device can determine whether it is necessary to turn off the precise sound wave-based locating based on a fourth condition.

[0152] Under the condition that the fourth condition is met, the searching device can determine to disable precise sound wave-based searching. The fourth condition can be designed as follows:

[0153] (1) The fourth condition can be that the ranging results obtained from the precise search based on sound waves are all greater than the third threshold (or greater than or equal to the third threshold) for M consecutive times, where M is a positive integer. This can be expressed as: M consecutive times d U >d th3 Or M consecutive times d U ≥d th3 .

[0154] In other words, during the period when the sound wave-based precise search is enabled, the locating device can periodically or non-periodically compare the ranging results obtained from the sound wave-based precise search M times consecutively with the third threshold. That is, it can compare the M second ranging results obtained from the M consecutive measurements with the third threshold and determine whether all M second ranging results obtained from the M consecutive measurements are greater than the third threshold. If they are greater than the third threshold, the locating device can consider that the accuracy of the ranging results obtained from the sound wave-based precise search is not high and can disable the sound wave-based precise search. Then, based on the first measurement result obtained from the radio frequency-based precise search, it can further determine whether the radio frequency-based precise search needs to be enabled again, or whether the target measurement result is the same as the first measurement result, and execute the above S601 logic judgment again.

[0155] Optionally, the third threshold can be set based on the maximum distance that can be measured by a precise sound-based search while ensuring the accuracy of the search or measurement.

[0156] (2) The fourth condition can be that the second confidence level obtained by the precise search based on sound waves for N consecutive times is the third level and the first confidence level is not the third level, where N is a positive integer.

[0157] In other words, the locating device can also periodically or non-periodically determine the levels of the N second confidence levels corresponding to the ranging results obtained from the N consecutive measurements based on the acoustic wave-based precise search during the activation of the acoustic wave-based precise search. If the levels of the N second confidence levels obtained from the N consecutive measurements are all at the third level, and the level of the first confidence level obtained from the current radio frequency-based precise search is either the first or second level, then the locating device can consider that the reliability of the ranging result obtained from the current acoustic wave-based precise search is not high, while the reliability of the ranging result obtained from the radio frequency-based precise search is high. Therefore, the locating device can turn off the acoustic wave-based precise search, and then determine whether the radio frequency-based precise search needs to be activated again, or whether the target measurement result is the same as the first measurement result, such as executing the above S601 logic judgment again.

[0158] (3) The fourth condition can be that the measurement signal strength obtained by precise search based on sound waves does not match the ranging result for K consecutive times, where K is a positive integer.

[0159] In other words, the locating device can also periodically or non-periodically check whether the measured signal strength obtained from K consecutive measurements matches the second ranging result during the precise search based on sound waves. If the measured signal strength and ranging result do not match in each of the K measurements, i.e., the measured signal strength is large and the ranging result is large, or the measured signal strength is small and the ranging result is small, then the locating device can consider that the reliability of the ranging result obtained from the precise search based on sound waves is not high. Therefore, the locating device can turn off the precise search based on sound waves. Then, based on the first measurement result obtained from the precise search based on radio frequency, it can determine whether it is necessary to turn on the precise search based on radio frequency again, or whether the target measurement result is the same as the first measurement result, and execute the above S601 logic judgment again.

[0160] If the precise search based on sound waves does not meet the fourth condition mentioned above, the search device may not shut down the radio frequency search based on sound waves and may continue to determine the target measurement result based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level. For example, the search device may continue to execute the above S602.

[0161] In one possible design scheme 2, the searching device can also determine whether it is necessary to turn off the acoustic wave-based precise searching based on the fourth condition and the switch state of the radio frequency-based precise searching.

[0162] If the locator determines that the precise locator based on sound waves meets the fourth condition mentioned above, it can also determine whether the precise locator based on radio frequency is still enabled. If the precise locator based on radio frequency is enabled, the locator can disable the precise locator based on sound waves.

[0163] In other words, if the fourth condition is met and the radio frequency-based precise search is enabled, the search device can determine to disable the acoustic wave-based precise search. Furthermore, the search device can determine, based on the first measurement result obtained from the radio frequency-based precise search, whether it needs to re-enable the radio frequency-based precise search, or whether the target measurement result is the same as the first measurement result, and thus execute the logic judgment in S601 again.

[0164] If the fourth condition is met and radio frequency-based precise search is disabled, the locating device can determine the second measurement result as the target measurement result. In other words, if the measurement result obtained from acoustic wave-based precise search is currently unreliable, but radio frequency-based precise search is disabled, the locating device can use the second measurement result obtained from acoustic wave-based precise search as the target measurement result to locate the lost device.

[0165] The device search can be performed based on the fourth and fifth conditions mentioned above to determine whether radio frequency-based precise search needs to be disabled:

[0166] If the fourth condition is not met but the fifth condition is met, the search device can determine to disable radio frequency-based precise search and determine the target measurement result as the second measurement result. The fifth condition can be that the second confidence level obtained from acoustic wave-based precise search is the first level for L consecutive times, or that the first confidence level obtained from radio frequency-based precise search is the third level and the second confidence level obtained from acoustic wave-based precise search is the second level, where L is a positive integer.

[0167] In other words, if the locator determines that the reliability of the acoustic wave-based precise locator is high based on the fourth condition, it can further combine the fifth condition to determine whether the confidence level of the acoustic wave-based precise locator is higher than that of the radio frequency-based precise locator. If the fifth condition is met, the locator can turn off the radio frequency-based precise locator and use the second measurement result obtained from the acoustic wave-based precise locator as the target measurement result.

[0168] If neither the fourth nor the fifth condition is met, the search device may continue to determine the target measurement result based on the first and second confidence levels, such as by continuing to execute S602 as described above.

[0169] After the locator disables radio frequency-based precise search based on the fourth and fifth conditions mentioned above, during the measurement period based on acoustic wave-based precise search, the locator can also periodically or non-periodically detect the reliability of the current acoustic wave-based precise search to determine whether radio frequency-based precise search needs to be restarted. Then, it can combine the measurement results and confidence level obtained from the radio frequency-based precise search to locate the lost device.

[0170] In one possible design, the search device can determine whether a radio frequency-based precise search needs to be initiated based on a sixth condition.

[0171] If the sixth condition is met, the search device can determine to initiate a precise radio frequency-based search, thereby determining the target measurement result based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level.

[0172] The sixth condition can be that the second confidence level obtained by precise search based on sound waves for P consecutive times is the third level, or the sixth condition can be that the second confidence level obtained by precise search based on sound waves for 2P consecutive times is the second level, where P is a positive integer.

[0173] In other words, when the search device finds that the second confidence level of the measurement results obtained by the sound wave-based precise search is low in a series of consecutive times, the search device can restart the radio frequency-based precise search function, so that it can continue to determine the target measurement result based on the first confidence level and the second confidence level, such as the search device can continue to execute the above S602.

[0174] If the sixth condition mentioned above is not met, the locating device can determine the target measurement result as the second measurement result. That is, if the locating device finds that the second confidence level of the measurement results obtained from the precise search based on sound waves is still high after multiple consecutive searches, it can keep the precise search based on radio frequency in the off state and use the second measurement result obtained from the precise search based on sound waves as the target measurement result for locating the lost device.

[0175] Therefore, when the locator is simultaneously performing both radio frequency-based and acoustic wave-based precise locating, it can further differentiate the advantages and disadvantages of acoustic wave and radio frequency locating technologies and dynamically adjust the switching of the two types of precise locating functions. This can reduce the device's energy consumption and enable it to achieve better performance in different scenarios.

[0176] The device search method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 7 and 8.

[0177] For example, Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a device search process. As shown in Figure 7, the device search process includes:

[0178] S701, By default, radio frequency-based precise lookup is started, and the following S702 is executed;

[0179] S702, Output d RF θ RF and CL RF Perform the following S703;

[0180] S703. Does the first condition meet? If so, initiate a precise search based on sound waves and output d. U θ U and CL U And execute S704 and S705 or S706 below; otherwise, output d. D =d RF θ D =θ RF That is, the target measurement result is the first measurement result;

[0181] S704. Does the second condition satisfy? If so, output d. D =d RF θ D =θ RF The target measurement result is the first measurement result;

[0182] S705. Does the third condition satisfy? If so, output d. D =d U θ D =θ U That is, the target measurement result is the second measurement result;

[0183] If both the second and third conditions are not met, then output d. D =f(d RF ,d U ), θ D =f(θ) RF ,θ U That is, the target measurement result is the measurement result obtained by fusing the first measurement result and the second measurement result;

[0184] S706. Is the fourth condition met? If yes, then disable the precise search based on sound waves and execute S702 again. If not, then continue to execute S704 and S705.

[0185] As another example, Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another device search process provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, the device search process includes:

[0186] S801, By default, radio frequency-based precise lookup is started, and the following S802 is executed;

[0187] S802, Output d RF θ RF and CL RF Perform the following S803;

[0188] S803. Does the first condition meet? If so, initiate a precise search based on sound waves and output d. U θ U and CL UAnd execute S804 and S805 or S806 as described below; otherwise, output d. D =d RF θ D =θ RF That is, the target measurement result is the first measurement result;

[0189] S804. Does the second condition satisfy? If so, output d. D =d RF θ D =θ RF The target measurement result is the first measurement result;

[0190] S805. Does the third condition satisfy? If so, output d. D =d U θ D =θ U That is, the target measurement result is the second measurement result;

[0191] If both the second and third conditions are not met, then output d. D =f(d RF ,d U ), θ D =f(θ) RF ,θ U That is, the target measurement result is the measurement result obtained by fusing the first measurement result and the second measurement result;

[0192] S806. Is the fourth condition satisfied? If yes, then execute S807 below; if no, then execute S808 below.

[0193] S807: Check if radio frequency-based precise lookup is enabled. If yes, disable acoustic wave-based precise lookup and execute S802 again. If no, output d. D =d U θ D =θ U That is, the target measurement result is the second measurement result;

[0194] S808: Does the fifth condition meet? If so, disable radio frequency-based precise lookup and output d. D =d U θ D =θ U If the target measurement result is the second measurement result, then continue to execute S804 and S805.

[0195] S809: If radio frequency-based precise search is off and acoustic wave-based precise search is on, determine if the sixth condition is met. If yes, start radio frequency-based precise search and continue executing S804 and S805. If no, output d. D =d U θ D =θ U That is, the target measurement result is the second measurement result.

[0196] The specific descriptions of the first to sixth conditions shown in Figures 7 and 8 can be found in the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0197] Therefore, by fully utilizing the advantages of acoustic wave search technology and radio frequency search technology, the accurate search function can achieve superior performance in different scenarios.

[0198] In addition, in this embodiment of the application, when multiple search devices search for a lost device in sequence: when the first search device records the location of the lost device (e.g., via GNSS + indoor Wi-Fi) and the results of short-range ranging and angle measurement, when the second search device opens the precise search to search for the lost device, it can know the relative position of the lost device from the currently searched device, that is, it roughly knows the environmental conditions, and can directly choose to use radio frequency or acoustic wave technology to search, without having to perform the adaptive method of the above embodiment.

[0199] It is understood that, in the above embodiments, the methods and / or steps implemented by the network device can also be implemented by components (e.g., processors, chips, chip systems, circuits, logic modules, or software) that can be used in the network device; and the methods and / or steps implemented by the terminal device can also be implemented by components (e.g., processors, chips, chip systems, circuits, logic modules, or software) that can be used in the terminal device.

[0200] The foregoing mainly describes the solutions provided in this application. Accordingly, this application also provides a communication device for implementing various methods in the above method embodiments. This communication device can be a network device in the above method embodiments, or a device containing a network device, or a component usable in a network device, such as a chip or chip system. Alternatively, the communication device can be a terminal device in the above method embodiments, or a device containing a terminal device, or a component usable in a terminal device, such as a chip or chip system.

[0201] It is understood that, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0202] This application embodiment can divide the communication device into functional modules according to the above method embodiment. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0203] Taking the communication device as an example of the search device in the above method embodiment, Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 9, the communication device 900 includes a processing module 901 and a transceiver module 902. The processing module 901 is used to execute the processing function of the search device in the above method embodiment. The transceiver module 902 is used to execute the transceiver function of the search device in the above method embodiment. All relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to in the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0204] In one possible design, in this embodiment of the application, the transceiver module 902 may include a receiving module and a transmitting module (not shown in FIG9). The transmitting module and the receiving module are used to implement the transmitting and receiving functions of the communication device 900, respectively.

[0205] In one possible design, the communication device 900 may further include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 9) that stores programs or instructions. When the processing module 901 executes the program or instructions, the communication device 900 can perform the device lookup function shown in FIG. 6.

[0206] In some embodiments, the processing module 901 involved in the communication device 900 may be implemented by a processor or processor-related circuit components, and may be a processor or processing unit; the transceiver module 902 may be implemented by a transceiver or transceiver-related circuit components, and may be a transceiver or transceiver unit.

[0207] For example, FIG10 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication device can be a lookup device as described in the above method embodiments, or it can be a chip (system) or other component or assembly that can be disposed in the lookup device. As shown in FIG10, the communication device 1000 may include a processor 1001, a bus 1002, a communication interface 1003, and a memory 1004. The processor 1001, the memory 1004, and the communication interface 1003 communicate via the bus 1002. The communication device 1000 can be the aforementioned network device or terminal device. It should be understood that this application does not limit the number of processors and memories in the communication device 1000.

[0208] Bus 1002 can be a Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus or an Extended Industry Standard Architecture (EISA) bus, etc. Buses can be categorized as address buses, data buses, control buses, etc. For ease of illustration, only one line is used in Figure 10, but this does not imply that there is only one bus or one type of bus. Bus 1002 can include pathways for transmitting information between various components of the communication device 1000 (e.g., memory 1004, processor 1001, communication interface 1003).

[0209] The processor 1001 may include any one or more processors such as a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a microprocessor (MP), or a digital signal processor (DSP).

[0210] The memory 1004 may include volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM). The processor 1001 may also include non-volatile memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, hard disk drive (HDD), or solid state drive (SSD).

[0211] The communication interface 1003 uses transceiver modules such as, but not limited to, network interface cards and transceivers to enable communication between the communication device 1000 and other devices or communication networks.

[0212] The memory 1004 stores executable program code, which the processor 1001 executes to implement the functions of the network device or the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiments. That is, the memory 1004 stores instructions for executing the above methods.

[0213] In another aspect, embodiments of this application also provide a computer program product containing instructions, including computer program code, which, when run on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the methods described in any of the above embodiments.

[0214] Furthermore, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a communication device, enable the communication device to perform the methods described in any of the above embodiments.

[0215] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software programs, implementation can be, in whole or in part, in the form of a computer program product. This computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device containing one or more servers, data centers, etc., that can be integrated with the medium. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., DVDs), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid-state disks, SSDs).

[0216] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0217] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0218] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0219] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs. Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

[0220] If the aforementioned functions are implemented as software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0221] Although this application has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, those skilled in the art, by reviewing the accompanying drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims, will understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in carrying out the claimed application. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "a" or "an" does not exclude multiple instances. A single processor or other unit can implement several functions listed in the claims. While different dependent claims may recite certain measures, this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

[0222] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Accordingly, this specification and drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of this application as defined by the appended claims, and are considered to cover any and all modifications, variations, combinations, or equivalents within the scope of this application. Clearly, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and modifications to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if such modifications and modifications of this application fall within the scope of the claims of this application and their equivalents, this application is also intended to include such modifications and modifications.

Claims

1. A device search method, characterized by, The method comprises: determining whether to start a sound wave-based fine search according to a first measurement result and / or a first confidence level, the first measurement result and the first confidence level being obtained according to a radio frequency-based fine search; in a case where the sound wave-based fine search is started, determining a target measurement result for locating a lost device according to the first confidence level and a second confidence level, the target measurement result being one of the first measurement result, a second measurement result, or a measurement result obtained by fusing the first measurement result and the second measurement result, the second confidence level and the second measurement result being obtained according to a sound wave-based fine search.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The higher the first confidence level, the higher the reliability of the first measurement result; the higher the second confidence level, the higher the reliability of the second measurement result.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, The first confidence level and the second confidence level are divided into a first level, a second level, and a third level, the first level being higher than the second level, and the second level being higher than the third level.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, The first level corresponds to a scenario satisfying the following conditions: a measurement signal strength matches a ranging result, the measurement signal strength is greater than or equal to a first measurement signal threshold or the ranging result is less than or equal to a first threshold, an interference signal strength is less than or equal to a first interference signal threshold, and a difference between measurement results obtained by multiple measurements is less than or equal to a first difference threshold; The second level corresponds to a scenario satisfying at least one of the following conditions: the measurement signal strength is greater than or equal to a second measurement signal threshold and less than the first measurement signal threshold, the interference signal strength is greater than the first interference signal threshold and less than or equal to a second interference signal threshold, and the difference between the measurement results obtained by the multiple measurements is greater than the first difference threshold and less than or equal to a second difference threshold; The third level corresponds to a scenario satisfying at least one of the following conditions: the measurement signal strength is less than the second measurement signal threshold, the interference signal strength is greater than the second interference signal threshold, the difference between the measurement results obtained by the multiple measurements is greater than the second difference threshold, or angle measurement cannot be performed.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The first measurement result comprises a first ranging result, and the determination of whether to start the sound wave-based fine search according to the first measurement result and / or the first confidence level comprises: in a case where a first condition is satisfied, determining to start the sound wave-based fine search; or in a case where the first condition is not satisfied, determining not to start the sound wave-based fine search, and determining the target measurement result to be the first measurement result; wherein the first condition is that the first ranging result is less than a second threshold, and / or the level of the first confidence level is the third level.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3-5, characterized in that, The determination of the target measurement result according to the first confidence level and the second confidence level comprises: in a case where a second condition is satisfied, determining the target measurement result to be the first measurement result; or in a case where a third condition is satisfied, determining the target measurement result to be the second measurement result; or determining the target measurement result as a measurement result obtained by fusing the first measurement result and the second measurement result, in a case where the second condition and the third condition are not met; wherein the second condition is that the level of the first confidence degree is not the third level and the level of the second confidence degree is the third level, and the third condition is that the level of the first confidence degree is the third level and the level of the second confidence degree is the second level, or the third condition is that the level of the second confidence degree is the first level.

7. The method according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, The method further comprises: determining to close the sound wave-based accurate finding, in a case where a fourth condition is met; or, continuing to determine the target measurement result according to the first confidence degree and the second confidence degree, in a case where the fourth condition is not met; wherein the fourth condition is one of: ranging results obtained by the sound wave-based accurate finding for M consecutive times are all greater than a third threshold value; levels of the second confidence degree obtained by the sound wave-based accurate finding for N consecutive times are all the third level and the level of the first confidence degree is not the third level; or measured signal strengths obtained by the sound wave-based accurate finding for K consecutive times do not match ranging results; wherein M, N and K are positive integers.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The determining to close the sound wave-based accurate finding, in a case where the fourth condition is met, comprises: determining to close the sound wave-based accurate finding, in a case where the fourth condition is met and the radio frequency-based accurate finding is in an open state.

9. The method according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, The method further comprises: determining the second measurement result as the target measurement result, in a case where the fourth condition is met and the radio frequency-based accurate finding is in a closed state; wherein the fourth condition is one of: ranging results obtained by the sound wave-based accurate finding for M consecutive times are all greater than a third threshold value; levels of the second confidence degree obtained by the sound wave-based accurate finding for N consecutive times are all the third level and the level of the first confidence degree is not the third level; or measured signal strengths obtained by the sound wave-based accurate finding for K consecutive times do not match ranging results; wherein M, N and K are positive integers.

10. The method of any one of claims 3-6, wherein, The method further comprises: determining to close the radio frequency-based accurate finding and determining the second measurement result as the target measurement result, in a case where the fourth condition is not met and a fifth condition is met; or, continuing to determine the target measurement result according to the first confidence degree and the second confidence degree, in a case where the fourth condition is not met and the fifth condition is not met; wherein the fourth condition is one of: ranging results obtained by the sound wave-based accurate finding for M consecutive times are all greater than a third threshold value; levels of the second confidence degree obtained by the sound wave-based accurate finding for N consecutive times are all the third level and the level of the first confidence degree is not the third level; or measured signal strengths obtained by the sound wave-based accurate finding for K consecutive times do not match ranging results; wherein M, N and K are positive integers. The fifth condition is that the level of the second confidence obtained according to the acoustic wave-based accurate search is the first level for L consecutive times, or the fifth condition is that the level of the first confidence obtained according to the radio frequency-based accurate search is the third level and the level of the second confidence obtained according to the acoustic wave-based accurate search is the second level, L being a positive integer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, The method further comprises: determining to start the radio frequency-based accurate search when a sixth condition is met; determining the target measurement result according to the first confidence and the second confidence; or, determining the target measurement result to be the second measurement result when the sixth condition is not met; The sixth condition is that the level of the second confidence obtained according to the acoustic wave-based accurate search is the third level for P consecutive times, or the sixth condition is that the level of the second confidence obtained according to the acoustic wave-based accurate search is the second level for 2P consecutive times, P being a positive integer.

12. A communications device, characterized by comprising a module for performing the method of any one of claims 1-11.

13. A communications device, characterized by comprising: a memory for storing computer instructions and a processor for executing the computer instructions, so that the method of any one of claims 1-11 is implemented.

14. A communication chip, comprising: instructions stored therein, when the chip is running on a communication device, so that the method of any one of claims 1-11 is implemented.

15. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer program or instructions stored in the computer readable storage medium, when executed by a communication device, implement the method of any one of claims 1-11.

16. A computer program product, characterised in that, comprising computer program code, when the computer program code is running on a communication device, the communication device implements the method of any one of claims 1-11. comprising computer program code, when the computer program code is running on a communication device, the communication device implements the method of any one of claims 1-11.

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