Non-terrestrial network communication method and apparatus

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a non-terrestrial network communication method and apparatus, which are applied to an NTN scenario. In the communication method, by means of acquiring auxiliary information of a satellite participating in positioning, a positioning measurement main unit, such as a terminal, can determine a window for detecting a periodic positioning reference signal, the window being referred to as a measurement window. By using the measurement window to detect a periodic positioning reference signal sent by a satellite, the detection time can be minimized while ensuring reception efficiency, thereby enabling reduction of power consumption. In addition, considering that measurements may impact service data transmission of the terminal, the method of the present application can minimize this impact.

Description

Non-terrestrial network communication method and device

[0001] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411081060.0, filed on August 7, 2024, and entitled "Non-terrestrial network communication method and device", the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments of the present application relate to the technical field of non-terrestrial network communication, in particular to a non-terrestrial network communication method and device. BACKGROUND

[0003] Satellite network is a hot topic in the world today, and satellite communication technology has become mature, for example, non-terrestrial network (NTN) uses satellite on-board radio frequency network or network segment to realize communication, which can provide wider coverage, but when the terminal uses NTN network for positioning, the terminal may consume more power when measuring satellite positioning signals due to the long distance between the satellite and the terminal. Therefore, for terminal devices in satellite coverage scenarios, how to save power consumption for measuring satellite positioning signals is a problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a non-terrestrial network communication method and device, which can save power consumption of the terminal in the positioning measurement scenario of NTN communication.

[0005] In a first aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a terminal device or a component (such as a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in the terminal device, comprising:

[0006] receiving first information, the first information comprising first assistance information;

[0007] determining a time window for measuring a reference signal based on the first assistance information, measuring the reference signal in the time window to obtain a measurement result, the measurement result being used for terminal positioning;

[0008] reporting the measurement result.

[0009] Since measuring in the NTN scenario will cause the terminal to consume more power, and the terminal cannot perform business data transmission during measurement. In the embodiments of the present application, the terminal determines the measurement window through the assistance information, which is more reasonable than the traditional mechanism, can better meet the detection reference signal occasion, save power consumption, and has less effect on user business during positioning.

[0010] In some possible implementations, the time window is in granularity of time slots, and the time window includes a start time slot and an end time slot.

[0011] In some possible implementations, the first assistance information includes at least one of a reference signal sending time point, a satellite orbit height, a satellite measurement time difference, a satellite-to-beam center point distance, or a beam coverage radius.

[0012] In some possible implementations, when the reference signal is measured, the measurement is stopped without continuously measuring to the end time slot of the time window.

[0013] In some possible implementations, the start time slot t start,i is calculated according to a formula as follows:

[0014] wherein n i is a time slot number or a positioning reference signal (PRS) start symbol in which the satellite sends the reference signal; μ is based on a subcarrier spacing (SCS); h m is a satellite orbit height; and the down bracket represents rounding down, and the part less than one time slot is discarded.

[0015] Alternatively, the start time slot t start,i is calculated according to a formula as follows:

[0016] wherein D is a satellite-to-beam center point distance; and R is a beam coverage radius.

[0017] In some possible implementations, the end time slot t end,i is calculated according to a formula as follows:

[0018] wherein n i is a time slot number or a positioning reference signal (PRS) start symbol in which the satellite sends the reference signal; μ is based on a subcarrier spacing; e is an earth radius; h m is a satellite orbit height; c is a light speed; and the up bracket represents rounding up, and the part less than one time slot is also regarded as one time slot. Alternatively, the end time slot t endi is calculated according to a formula as follows:

[0019] wherein D is a satellite-to-beam center point distance; and R is a beam coverage radius.

[0020] In some possible implementation manners, the formula of the start time slot and the end time slot further includes an adjustment value epsilon, which is used for adjustment when the terminal is located at a non-negligible altitude or is used for overcoming residual time caused by clock synchronization error.

[0021] In some possible implementation manners, the time window uses absolute time.

[0022] The start time multiplexes the determination of the start time slot, and the difference lies in that the lower bracket integer symbol is removed.

[0023] The end time multiplexes the determination of the end time slot, and the difference lies in that the upper bracket integer symbol is removed.

[0024] In some possible implementation manners, the assistance information includes information of at least one satellite.

[0025] In some possible implementation manners, the first message is a response message in response to a sent request message.

[0026] In some possible implementation manners, the measurement is specifically blind detection.

[0027] In a second aspect, a communication method is provided, which is applied to a network device or a component (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in the network device, and includes the following steps:

[0028] receiving second information, the second information including second assistance information;

[0029] determining a time window for measuring a reference signal based on the second assistance information, measuring the reference signal in the time window to obtain a measurement result, and the measurement result being used for terminal positioning;

[0030] reporting the measurement result.

[0031] The positioning measurement can also be performed by a satellite, but the satellite is in space, and power supply cannot be guaranteed, and therefore power consumption is also an important consideration factor. In the embodiment of the application, the satellite determines the measurement window through the assistance information, the measurement window is more reasonable compared with a traditional mechanism, the detection reference signal occasion can be better met, and the effect of better saving power consumption when the terminal is positioned by the satellite is achieved.

[0032] In some possible implementation manners, the time window is in a time slot granularity, and the time window includes a start time slot and an end time slot.

[0033] In some possible implementation manners, the second assistance information includes at least one of a reference signal sending moment, a terminal altitude, and terminal beam information.

[0034] In some possible implementation manners, the measuring is stopped when the reference signal is measured, and the measuring is not continued to the end slot of the time window.

[0035] In some possible implementation manners, the formula for calculating the start slot t start,i is as follows:

[0036] wherein n i is a slot number or a positioning reference signal (PRS) start symbol at which the terminal transmits the reference signal; μ is based on a subcarrier spacing (SCS); h m is a satellite height; the down bracket represents a down rounding, and a part less than one slot is discarded; or, the formula for calculating the start slot t start,i is as follows:

[0037] wherein D is a distance from the satellite to a beam center point at which the terminal is located; and R is a coverage radius of the beam.

[0038] In some possible implementation manners, the formula for calculating the end slot t end,i is as follows:

[0039] wherein n i is a slot number or a PRS start symbol at which the satellite transmits the reference signal; μ is based on a SCS; e is an earth radius; h m is a satellite height; c is a light speed; and the up bracket represents an up rounding, and a part less than one slot is also regarded as one slot; or, the formula for calculating the end slot t endi is as follows:

[0040] wherein D is a distance from the satellite to a beam center point at which the terminal is located; and R is a coverage radius of the beam.

[0041] In some possible implementation manners, the formula for calculating the start slot and the end slot further includes an adjustment value ε, which is used for adjustment when the terminal is located at a non-negligible altitude, or is used for overcoming a residual time caused by a clock synchronization error. At this time, the formula is as follows:

[0042] Other parameters have the same meanings as above.

[0043] In some possible implementation manners, the time window uses absolute time,

[0044] The determination of the start time multiplexing the start time slot is different in that the lower bracket integer symbol is removed.

[0045] The determination of the end time multiplexing the end time slot is different in that the upper bracket integer symbol is removed.

[0046] In some possible implementation manners, the second message is a response message in response to a request message.

[0047] In some possible implementation manners, the measurement is performed by any one satellite within the field of view of the terminal requiring positioning.

[0048] In some possible implementation manners, the measurement is blind detection.

[0049] In a third aspect, an electronic device is provided, and the communication device has the functions of any one of the above aspects. The functions can be implemented by hardware, or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the above functions. For example, a transceiving module or unit, a processing module or unit, an obtaining module or unit, and the like.

[0050] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a communication device, including a memory and a processor, the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to cause the communication device to perform the communication method in any one of the above aspects when the computer program is invoked.

[0051] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a chip system, and the chip system includes a processor, the processor is coupled with a memory, and the processor executes a computer program stored in the memory to implement the communication method in any one of the above aspects.

[0052] The chip system can be a single chip, or a chip module composed of multiple chips.

[0053] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer readable storage medium, and the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, and the computer program is executed by a processor to implement the communication method in any one of the above aspects.

[0054] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a computer program product, and when the computer program product runs on a communication device, the communication device performs the communication method in any one of the above aspects.

[0055] It can be understood that the beneficial effects of the above third aspect to seventh aspect can be referred to the related description in the above aspects, and will not be repeated here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0056] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system framework according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0057] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0058] FIG. 3a is a schematic diagram of a satellite network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0059] FIG. 3b is a schematic diagram of another satellite network architecture according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0060] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a reference signal detection method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0062] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a positioning scenario according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0063] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of another reference signal detection method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0064] FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of yet another reference signal detection method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0065] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of another positioning method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0066] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of yet another reference signal detection method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0067] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of a positioning method flow according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0068] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of yet another reference signal detection method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0069] FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of another positioning scenario according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0070] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of another positioning method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0071] FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of another positioning method flow according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0072] FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0073] FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0074] FIG. 18 is a schematic structural diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0075] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: a long term evolution (LTE) system, a long term evolution-advanced (LTE-A) system, an LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) system, an LTE time division duplex (TDD), a universal mobile communication system (UMTS), a worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) communication system, a next generation communication system (for example, a fifth generation (5G) communication system), a fusion system of multiple access systems, or an evolved system, three application scenarios of a 5G mobile communication system, that is, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC), and enhanced machine type communication (eMTC), or a new communication system to be generated in the future. The technical solutions provided in the present application can also be applied to future communication systems, such as a sixth generation mobile communication system. The present application is not limited in this regard.

[0076] The technical solutions provided in the present application can also be applied to machine type communication (MTC), long term evolution-machine (LTE-M), device-to-device (D2D) network, machine to machine (M2M) network, internet of things (IoT) network or other network. The IoT network may, for example, include a vehicle network. In the vehicle network system, the communication mode is collectively referred to as vehicle to X (V2X, X can represent any thing), for example, the V2X may include vehicle to vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) communication, vehicle to pedestrian (V2P) communication or vehicle to network (V2N) communication, etc.

[0077] The network device in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as a (radio) access network device ((R)AN). The (R)AN can manage radio resources, provide access services for terminal devices, and complete forwarding of terminal device data between terminal devices and a core network. The (R)AN can also be understood as a base station in a network, which is a device deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication functions for a mobile station (MS).

[0078] Exemplarily, the access network device in the embodiments of the present application can be any kind of communication device with wireless transceiving functions for communicating with terminal devices. The access network device includes but is not limited to an evolved Node B (eNB), a radio network controller (RNC), a Node B (NB), a base station controller (BSC), a base transceiver station (BTS), a home evolved NodeB (HeNB) or a home Node B (HNB), a baseband unit (BBU), an access point (AP) in a wireless fidelity (WiFi) system, a wireless relay node, a wireless backhaul node, a transmission point (TP), or a transmission and reception point (TRP), and the like. For 5G, the access network device can be a gNB or a TP in an NR system, one or a group of (including multiple antenna panels) antenna panels of a base station in a 5G system, or a network node constituting a gNB or a TP, such as a baseband unit (BBU) or a distributed unit (DU), and the like. It can be understood that all or part of the functions of the access network device in the present application can also be implemented by software functions running on hardware, or by virtualized functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform).

[0079] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present application, first, a communication system applicable to the embodiments of the present application is described in conjunction with FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, the communication system includes a radio access network 100. The radio access network 100 can include at least one network device (such as 110a, 110b, and 110c in FIG. 1) and at least one terminal (such as 120a to 120g in FIG. 1).

[0080] In addition, in a network structure, the access network device can include a centralized unit (CU) node, or a distributed unit (DU) node, or a RAN device including the CU node and the DU node. The RAN device including the CU node and the DU node splits the protocol layers of the gNB in the NR system, and the functions of part of the protocol layers are placed in the CU for centralized control, and the functions of the remaining part or all of the protocol layers are distributed in the DU and controlled by the CU. The centralized unit CU can also be divided into a control plane (CU-CP) and a user plane (CU-UP). The CU-CP is responsible for the control plane function, mainly including RRC and the control plane corresponding PDCP, i.e. PDCP-C. The PDCP-C is mainly responsible for the encryption and decryption of the control plane data, integrity protection, data transmission, etc. The CU-UP is responsible for the user plane function, mainly including SDAP and the user plane corresponding PDCP, i.e. PDCP-U. The SDAP is mainly responsible for processing the data of the core network and mapping the flow to the bearer. The PDCP-U is mainly responsible for the encryption and decryption of the data plane, integrity protection, header compression, sequence number maintenance, data transmission, etc. The CU-CP and the CU-UP are connected through the E1 interface. The CU-CP represents the gNB connected to the core network through the NG interface. The control plane of the F1 interface, i.e. F1-C, is connected to the DU. The CU-UP is connected to the DU through the F1 interface user plane, i.e. F1-U. Of course, there is also a possible implementation that the PDCP-C is also in the CU-UP. The RAN device can be responsible for the functions of radio resource management, quality of service (QoS) management, data compression and encryption, etc. on the air interface side. The AN device provides access services for the terminal device, and then completes the forwarding of control signals and user data between the terminal device and the core network.

[0081] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the communication system can include an orchestration layer 210 with a non-real-time RAN intelligent controller, a function layer 220 with a near-real-time RAN intelligent controller, an O-CU 230, an O-DU 240, and an O-RU 250. The O-CU 230 can also include an O-CU control plane (CP) and an O-CU user plane (UP).

[0082] The interface between the orchestration layer 210 with the non-real-time RAN intelligent controller and the function layer 220 with the near-real-time RAN intelligent controller is an A1 interface, the interface between the function layer 220 with the near-real-time RAN intelligent controller and the O-CU 230 and the O-DU 240 is an E2 interface, the interface between the O-CU 230 and the O-DU 240 is an F1 interface, the interface between the O-DU 240 and the O-RU 250 is a front-haul interface (such as an open front-haul), and the interface between the O-CU control plane in the O-CU 230 and the O-CU user plane is an E1 interface.

[0083] The terminal device in the embodiments of the present application can also be referred to as a user equipment (UE), a terminal, an access terminal, a user unit, a user station, a mobile station, a mobile station, a remote station, a remote terminal, a mobile device, a user terminal, a wireless communication device, a user agent, or a user apparatus. The terminal in the embodiments of the present application can be a mobile phone, a pad, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal, an augmented reality (AR) terminal, a wireless terminal in industrial control, a wireless terminal in self driving, a wireless terminal in remote medical treatment, a wireless terminal in smart grid, a wireless terminal in transportation safety, a wireless terminal in smart city, a wireless terminal in smart home, a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a terminal in a 5G network, or a terminal in a future evolution network, etc.

[0084] Among them, the wearable device can also be called a wearable smart device, which is a general term for devices that can be worn, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes, which are designed and developed by applying wearable technology to daily wear. The wearable device is a portable device that can be directly worn on the body or integrated into the user's clothes or accessories. The wearable device is not only a hardware device, but also a powerful function realized through software support and data interaction, cloud interaction. The general wearable smart device includes functions, large size, and can realize complete or partial functions without relying on a smart phone, such as smart watches or smart glasses, and focuses on a certain application function, such as various smart wristbands, smart jewelry, and other devices that need to be used with a smart phone.

[0085] In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device for implementing the function of the network device can be a network device, a network device with base station part function, or a device capable of supporting the network device to realize the function, such as a chip system, which can be installed in the network device.

[0086] The non-terrestrial network refers to a network or network segment using a satellite, unmanned aerial system (UAS) platform or high-altitude platform RF (Radio Frequency, RF). Among them, the most typical non-terrestrial network is to provide communication services through satellites.

[0087] Satellite communication has the advantages of wide coverage, long communication distance, high reliability, great flexibility, high throughput, etc., especially not affected by geographical environment, climate conditions and natural disasters, and has good development prospects. Current satellite communication has been widely used in aviation communication, maritime communication, military communication and other fields. Introducing satellites into the future 5th-Generation (5G) mobile network can provide communication services for areas that traditional ground networks cannot cover, such as oceans, forests, etc. It can also enhance the reliability of 5G communication, such as providing more stable and high-quality communication services for trains, airplanes and users on these transportation tools, and providing more data transmission resources to support a larger number of connections. Thanks to the concept of "anytime, anywhere" communication today, the status of satellite communication networks will further improve in the future.

[0088] Generally, the higher the orbit of a satellite, the larger the coverage area, but the longer the communication delay. Generally, the orbit of a satellite can be divided into low earth orbit (LEO), medium earth orbit (MEO), and geosynchronous orbit (GEO) according to the altitude. Non-Geosynchronous orbit (NGSO) includes low earth orbit with an altitude of about 300 kilometers to 1500 kilometers and medium earth orbit with an altitude of about 7000 kilometers to 25000 kilometers. NTN cells are divided into fixed cells (or stationary cells), quasi-fixed cells, and mobile cells.

[0089] Fixed cell refers to a beam or a cell or a satellite that fixedly covers a geographical area. For example, a geosynchronous orbit satellite can provide a fixed cell.

[0090] Quasi-earth fixed: It can also be referred to as quasi-fixed cell. A beam or a cell or a satellite covers a geographical area for a limited time and covers a different geographical area at another time (for example, in the case of a NGSO (Non-Geosynchronous orbit) satellite generating steerable beams). For example, a satellite is at three different positions on the orbit at three different times, respectively, but the satellite can always cover a specific geographical area at the same time and possibly within a certain range (for example, when the satellite reaches the earth's back relative to the terminal, it is impossible to provide service due to angle problems) by adjusting the angle of the antenna or the attitude of the satellite, for example.

[0091] Earth moving: A beam or a cell or a satellite covers an area that slides on the earth's surface (for example, in the case of a NGSO satellite generating fixed or non-steerable beams). The satellite is at three different positions on the orbit at T1, T2, and T3, respectively. Due to the change of position, the three times correspond to three different geographical areas 1, 2, and 3, respectively. It is easy to understand that the three geographical areas can be continuous and intersected.

[0092] For example, FIG. 3a is a schematic diagram of a satellite network architecture. In this network, the satellite works in a transparent mode and can realize the function of relay forwarding. The gateway can realize all or part of the functions of a base station (gNB). At this time, the satellite and the gateway can be regarded as a remote radio unit (RRU) in a wireless access network. The gNB and the gateway can be located on the ground. The gNB can be deployed together with (or close to) the gateway, or the gNB can be deployed separately from (or far from) the gateway. The feeder link in FIG. 3a can be implemented through an air interface (such as a new radio air interface (NR Uu)). The delay of the feeder link can include the delay from the satellite to the gateway and the delay from the gateway to the gNB.

[0093] In FIG. 3a, the new radio interface signals are transmitted on the feeder link between the gateway and the satellite. When the network side transmits downlink data to the UE, the satellite can copy the transmitted new radio interface signals on the feeder link to the service link between the UE and the satellite. When the UE transmits uplink data to the network side, the satellite can copy the transmitted radio signals on the service link between the UE and the satellite to the feeder link. The gateway can support all the functions necessary for forwarding the radio signals. Different transmission satellites can be connected to the same base station (gNB).

[0094] FIG. 3b is a schematic diagram of another satellite network architecture. In this network, the satellite works in a regenerative mode and has data processing capabilities, and can implement all or part of the functions of a base station (gNB). At this time, the satellite can be regarded as a base station. The feeder link in FIG. 3b can be implemented through an NG interface. At this time, the interface between the UE and the satellite can be a radio interface.

[0095] In FIG. 3b, the satellite can implement regeneration of signals received from the ground as a form of a base station. The satellite can include a gNB or a DU. The new radio interface signals are transmitted on the service link between the UE and the satellite. When the UE transmits uplink data to the network side, the UE can transmit new radio interface signals to the satellite. The satellite can transmit data to the gateway through a satellite radio interface (SRI), and the gateway forwards the data to the core network equipment on the ground.

[0096] In the case of effective use of these satellites in orbit, good positioning services can be provided for terminals located on the earth.

[0097] In a conventional positioning scenario, the principle of trilateration is usually applied to estimate the position of a target by calculating the intersection of multiple circles, as shown in FIG. 4. It is assumed that the positions of four base stations are known. The coordinates of the i-th satellite are defined as (x i ,y i ,z i ),

[0098] In the above equation set, c is the speed of light, Δt is the clock error (the error caused by the clock drift of the UE, which can also be referred to as the clock difference), d i is the distance between the UE and the i-th satellite, and i is a positive integer.

[0099] As can be seen, if the coordinates of each satellite in the equation and the distance or time t iThe above equation set can be solved to obtain the coordinates of the UE. However, factors such as inevitable clock errors, measurement errors, position errors of anchor nodes, and the like in practice can cause errors in the coordinates of the UE. Therefore, more satellites are needed to jointly solve to reduce the impact of various errors. Moreover, due to the existence of measurement errors, the above equation set generally does not have a closed-form solution, and a classical optimization algorithm such as a least squares algorithm or a particle swarm filter algorithm is used in engineering to estimate the optimal solution of the above equation set.

[0100] It can be seen that the basic condition for realizing positioning is to send a positioning reference signal, then measure it to obtain time information or angle information, and then calculate the distance and position. Moreover, there is a limitation that the receiver of the positioning reference signal needs to be able to see the sender of the positioning reference signal, or in other words, the sender and the receiver need to be in a visible environment or a line of sight (LOS) environment.

[0101] Further, from the perspective of the object of position settlement, the positioning method can also be divided into UE-based and UE-assisted. Among them, UE-based refers to that the UE calculates the position information by itself, at this time, the UE needs to know the position information of the satellite, and measure the arrival time, angle, phase, and the like (measurement quantity) of the reference signal sent by the satellite. The characteristic of this method is that the UE does not need to report the measurement result. UE-assisted positioning needs the UE to measure the arrival time, angle, phase, and the like (measurement quantity) of the satellite signal and report the measurement result, and the network calculates the position according to the information and the position of the satellite. The characteristic of this method is that the UE does not need to know the position of the satellite.

[0102] From the above embodiments, it can be seen that the satellite positioning method based on low-orbit satellites is basically the same as the positioning method in the ground communication system, but there are still some differences between the two.

[0103] For positioning of a ground communication system, such as a ground cellular network, the ground base stations are fixed and they all periodically send positioning reference signals, and the UE only needs to periodically measure the positioning reference signals of each base station and report the measurement result.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 5, the base station 1 and the base station 2 periodically transmit downlink positioning reference signals, and it is assumed that the period of the signals transmitted by the two base stations is 5 milliseconds. In a ground scenario, since the terminal and the base station are very close in position, the positioning reference signal sent by the base station is received by the terminal within one time slot (one time slot corresponds to 1 millisecond). For example, in actual application scenarios, the distance between the ground base station and the terminal is commonly 500-1500 meters, and the transmission of the positioning reference signal at this distance takes about 1.6 microseconds-5 microseconds, which is much smaller than the length of one time slot. Therefore, the UE can directly perform blind detection on the downlink positioning reference signals transmitted by the base station 1 and the base station 2 in the time slot where the positioning reference signal is located.

[0105] Here, the blind detection refers to performing a cyclic cross-correlation operation on the local reference signal of the UE and the received positioning reference signal, and performing peak detection. Intuitively, if the local signal and the received signal are perfectly aligned in time, the highest correlation value, i.e., the peak value, will appear, and the time domain sampling point corresponding to the peak value is the transmission time length of the signal.

[0106] However, when the scenario switches to NTN, new problems will arise. As shown in FIG. 6, a non-synchronous orbit satellite has a very high speed, and even if the UE is stationary, the relative distance to the satellite is constantly changing rapidly every moment.

[0107] In addition, the distance between the satellite and the UE is much larger than the distance between the base station and the UE in the ground scenario. Even for a low-orbit satellite, the distance to the UE on the ground is generally several hundred to several thousand kilometers. For example, when the distance is 900 kilometers, the transmission time length of the positioning reference signal from the satellite to the UE will reach 3 milliseconds, so that the positioning reference signal cannot arrive at the UE within the time slot in which it is transmitted. As shown in FIG. 7, assuming that the satellite is stationary relative to the UE, then at a distance of 900 kilometers, the positioning reference signal will arrive at the UE after 3 milliseconds. However, in reality, due to the relative movement of the satellite, the time length of the positioning reference signal transmitted at different moments to arrive at the UE is different. In FIG. 7, the first positioning reference signal takes 3 milliseconds to arrive at the UE, while the fourth takes only 2 milliseconds, because the satellite is getting closer and closer to the UE, and the transmission time delay is also getting shorter and shorter.

[0108] The time consumption of reference signal transmission is relatively long and changes relatively large in satellite positioning, and the UE does not know the exact time delay of the reference signal sent by the satellite, so the UE needs to start blind detection at the time when the satellite sends the reference signal to avoid missing detection, as shown in FIG. 8, there is a relatively long blind detection window in each period. However, when the distance between the satellite and the UE is relatively far, there will be no desired reference signal reaching the UE in the first few time slots of the start of transmission, resulting in the waste of the UE's measurement power consumption on the one hand, and the increase of the UE's detection time delay of the reference signal on the other hand, resulting in the too large time delay of the whole positioning process. At the same time, because the UE may not be able to normally receive data during blind detection, the too long blind detection time will also affect the user experience. Then, the following problem is how to shorten the blind detection time of the UE without being too short to cause missing detection of the reference signal sent by the satellite.

[0109] In view of this, the present application analyzes the operation rules of the satellite itself, as shown in FIG. 9, and obtains two characteristics thereof:

[0110] On the one hand, there is a theoretical minimum distance between the satellite and the UE, that is, when the UE is just located at the position directly below the satellite, the position of the UE can also be called the subsatellite point. At this time, the satellite, the UE and the center of the earth form a straight line, because the moving speed of the UE relative to the satellite can be ignored, so the UE is regarded as stationary, and then the satellite will always be greater than or equal to the distance from the satellite to the subsatellite point no matter where it moves. The distance from the satellite to the subsatellite point can also be called the orbital height h of the satellite.

[0111] On the other hand, the distance between the satellite and the UE will have a maximum value in the visible range of the satellite (the UE exceeds the visible range of the satellite and cannot communicate, so it is not discussed), that is, when the elevation angle of the UE to the satellite is 0°. At this time, the line connecting the UE to the center of the earth is perpendicular to the line connecting the satellite to the UE. Or the line connecting the satellite to the UE is tangent to the earth's surface. The position of the UE at this time can be called the edge point. According to the Pythagorean theorem, the distance d from the satellite to the UE at this time has:

[0112] where h is the orbital height of the satellite, and e is the radius of the earth.

[0113] In summary, the UE determines the starting time of blindly detecting the reference signal sent by each satellite according to the orbital height of the satellite, wherein the shortest time delay of signal transmission, i.e., the starting time of blind detection, can be determined based on the orbital height of the satellite; the longest time delay, i.e., the ending time of blind detection, can be determined based on the orbital height and the radius of the earth. Accordingly, the effect of FIG. 10 can be obtained. It should be noted that in the first three periods, the UE directly ends the blind detection after detecting the target reference signal. When an anomaly occurs and the target reference signal is not detected, as in the last period, the theoretical longest time delay, i.e., the ending time of blind detection, is used. Because the longest time delay exceeds the blind detection window, the reference signal will not arrive. Therefore, the UE can avoid unnecessary blind detection, waste of power consumption, and impact on services.

[0114] The present application also provides possible implementation modes for the interaction between the UE, the satellite, and the network device.

[0115] The method provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in combination with FIGS. 11-15. It can be understood that the present application is schematically illustrated by taking the flow and device shown in FIGS. 11-15 as an example, and the present application is not limited to the execution subject, which can be other devices with the same function, methods in different flowcharts, or mutual use. Moreover, for the steps listed in FIGS. 11 and 15, some of them are optional in the case of implementation scheme.

[0116] As shown in FIG. 11, the present application provides an implementation mode of interaction between devices.

[0117] S1101, the network device sends interaction positioning related information to the serving satellite of the UE.

[0118] In a possible case, the network device herein can be an LMF or the like positioning server.

[0119] In a possible case, the interaction positioning related information includes the position information of the satellite, such as the orbital height of the satellite, ephemeris, etc.; can also include the period and time of sending the reference signal; in addition, can also include the configuration parameters of the reference signal and the like information.

[0120] S1102, the network device sends assistance data to the UE.

[0121] Before performing positioning measurement, the UE needs to obtain the configuration information of the reference signal sent by each satellite participating in positioning, and then can detect the corresponding reference signal.

[0122] In a possible case, each satellite participating in positioning periodically sends the reference signal.

[0123] In a possible case, the configuration information comprises orbit height information of each satellite, and a measurement time difference of each satellite.

[0124] In a possible case, the configuration information is sent based on an active request of the UE.

[0125] S1103. The network device sends a message to the UE, requesting to perform positioning measurement.

[0126] The network device sends a positioning request message to the UE, requesting the UE to measure the configured reference signal.

[0127] In a possible case, the network device also indicates a period for reporting the measurement information. The reporting period is used for the UE to report the measurement information, that is, the UE can measure the reference signal multiple times and then report the measurement information once.

[0128] In a possible case, the UE can also not need to be indicated by the network device, and after obtaining the assistance information of S1102, that is, after having the measurement condition, the UE can measure and report the measurement information according to a preset value or actual needs.

[0129] S1104. The UE determines a starting time slot of blind detection of the reference signal according to the assistance data, and measures the reference signal.

[0130] In a possible case, the UE determines the starting time slot t of blind detection of the reference signal according to the reference signal sending time of the satellite in the assistance data, the orbit height information h of the satellite, and the measurement time difference Δt of the satellite. start,i , as follows:

[0131] wherein n i is the time slot number (or the starting symbol of PRS) of the i-th sent reference signal; μ is obtained based on a subcarrier spacing (SCS) (for example, when the SCS is 15 KHz, μ is 0; when the SCS is 30 KHz, μ is 1; when the SCS is 60 KHz, μ is 2; when the SCS is 120 KHz, μ is 3), the time slot length corresponding to different subcarrier spacings is different; h m is the orbit height of the m-th satellite, indicated by the network in S1103; c is the speed of light. The down bracket used in the formula represents the floor operation, which is used to remove the part less than 1 time slot, because the UE is in the granularity of time slot here, so the floor operation is used to avoid starting too late and missing the arrival time of the signal on the basis of being as accurate as possible;

[0132] In a possible case, t is determined according to the transmission time length Δt corresponding to the orbit height indicated by the network m to determine the starting time slot t of blind detection of the reference signal start,i : tstart,i =n i +Δt m

[0133] Typically, the satellite transmits a reference signal. The UE, based on the initial timeslot obtained above, detects the reference signal a certain time after the satellite transmission and stops the detection process once the corresponding reference signal is detected. However, due to satellite movement, the actual duration of the UE's reference signal detection may vary each time. In real-world scenarios, extreme conditions may prevent the detection of the reference signal, such as signal interference from solar storms or the UE being obstructed by buildings. In such cases, the UE cannot maintain a blind detection state indefinitely, resulting in unnecessary power consumption waste and service disruption. Therefore, this application proposes an end time for the UE's blind detection of the reference signal.

[0134] In one possible scenario, the end time of the blind inspection can be calculated using the following formula:

[0135] In the above formula, n i The time slot number or the start symbol of the positioning reference signal (PRS) for which the satellite transmits the reference signal, h m denoted as the orbital altitude of the m-th satellite, indicated by the network; e is the Earth's radius, and c is the speed of light; the upper bracket in the formula represents rounding up, used to fill in any fractional timeslots in the result, since the UE is granular in timeslots. Therefore, rounding up helps to prevent premature termination of blind detection, which could lead to missing the arrival time of the signal.

[0136] In one possible scenario, besides using time slots as the granularity as described above, the UE can also use absolute time to determine the start and end times of the blind detection reference signal. Furthermore, the formula described above can be reused, requiring only the removal of the rounding sign.

[0137] In one possible scenario, when using absolute time, the network device can also directly instruct the UE, either by configuring a blind detection start time plus a blind detection end time, or by configuring a blind detection start time plus a maximum blind detection duration.

[0138] It should be noted that although the present application proposes multiple schemes, the time when the UE actually detects the reference signal is uncertain. Therefore, the theoretical detection window is given above, and when the UE actually detects the reference signal, the actual detection window is from the blind detection reference signal starting slot (time) determined above to the time when the reference signal is actually detected. As shown in FIG. 12, it can be seen that the range of the theoretical detection window can cover the reference signal. It should also be understood that the theoretical maximum detection window shown in the figure is the maximum blind detection duration. The detection window (detection duration) actually used by the UE starts from the starting slot (time) and ends after the reference signal is actually detected. Only when the reference signal cannot be detected, the maximum blind detection duration will end.

[0139] In a possible case, the UE has a certain altitude, for example, on an airplane, or is located in a mountainous area, etc., then the shortest distance between the satellite and the UE needs to be reduced by the height of the UE itself. As shown in FIG. 13, compared with the position of the UE on the ground, the reference signal of the satellite reaches the UE at a high altitude faster, and therefore, for this scenario, the starting slot t start,i , of the blind detection reference signal in the above should be optimized to add a constant ε:

[0140] Wherein, ε is a fine value determined by the UE itself. For example, the UE knows the current altitude (the UE has an altimeter, an altimeter, an altimeter, etc. that can directly obtain the altitude, or can obtain it from an external device with these devices), the shortest distance between the satellite and the UE should be reduced by the altitude of the UE; if the UE does not know the specific altitude, a fixed value can be set according to the corresponding scene, for example, 30us is set when on an airplane (civilian airplanes are generally between 6000m and 9600m in height, which is converted into time between 20us and 32us); in addition, the residual time caused by clock synchronization error (UE and satellite, satellite and satellite) can also be considered.

[0141] S1105, the UE reports the measurement information to the network device.

[0142] In a possible case, after measuring the reference signal, the UE reports the measurement result to the network, such as TOA / RSTD / Phase, etc.; referred to as UE-assisted positioning mode.

[0143] In a possible case, the UE periodically reports the measurement result, which can achieve the effect of periodic positioning of the UE.

[0144] S1106, the network device calculates the position of the UE according to the measurement result reported by the UE and the position information of the satellite.

[0145] In a possible case, the position information of the satellite includes position information of all satellites participating in positioning.

[0146] In a possible case, the network device sends the UE position information to the UE.

[0147] Through the above method, on the one hand, the time for the UE to blindly detect the reference signal of each satellite is shortened, the UE measurement power consumption is saved, the positioning delay is reduced, the detection start time is more reasonable, and the maximum detection time is configured for each period, so that the waste caused by continuous detection in an abnormal case is avoided. On the other hand, the influence of positioning on communication interruption can also be reduced, and the UE can continue to receive data within the time before the expected blind detection of the positioning reference signal arrives.

[0148] In addition to the method of determining the detection window based on the sub-point in FIG. 9, there is also a method in FIG. 14. If the satellite sends the positioning reference signal in a beam-based form, the satellite can know the coverage range of each beam on the ground through its own height and beam angle. Based on this, in addition to the above scheme, the following cases exist.

[0149] For S1102, when in a beam-based form, the network device can send the beam information corresponding to the positioning reference signal of each satellite that can participate in positioning to the UE. The beam information includes the distance D from the satellite to the beam center point and the coverage radius R of the beam.

[0150] In a possible case, each satellite can be configured with multiple sets or multiple reference signal resources, and each reference signal can be transmitted according to a certain period. Therefore, the beam information needs to be specified for each transmission of the same reference signal resource. For a ground communication scenario, a reference signal resource can be configured with a beam direction, and the beam direction does not change at each transmission. However, for a satellite positioning scenario, the satellite position changes with each transmission of the reference signal, so the beam direction also needs to be changed at each transmission to point to the ground UE. Therefore, in the scheme of the present application, when the UE is configured with the positioning reference signal, the beam information of each periodically transmitted reference signal needs to be configured, such as the position of the beam center point, the coverage radius of the beam, the distance from the beam center point to the satellite, the angle (azimuth angle and zenith angle) of the beam, and the like.

[0151] With the above information, the UE in a certain beam can determine the time range for blindly detecting the reference signal according to the beam coverage range of the satellite.

[0152] For the case in S1104, when in the form of beam, as shown in FIG. 14, when the subsatellite point is not in the coverage of the beam, then on the beam edge point, there is a point farthest from the satellite, with a distance of D1; and on the beam edge point, there is a point closest to the satellite, with a distance of D2. The beam has a ground coverage with a radius R. Here, the beam ground coverage can be considered as approximately circular; or as elliptical, in which case R is the length of the semi-major axis. Then, according to the triangle side length relationship, the distance of the UE to the satellite has the following relationship:

[0153] Since the distance d of any position in the beam to the satellite is between D1 and D2, then d∈[D-R, D+R] can also be obtained.

[0154] Another special case is when the subsatellite point is in the coverage of the beam, then on the beam edge point, there is still a point farthest from the satellite, with a distance of D1; and the point closest to the satellite is the subsatellite point, with a distance of h. Then, according to the triangle relationship above, D+R≥D1 still exists, but at this time, the closest distance is the subsatellite point h, so the distance of the UE to the satellite is the subsatellite point to D1, at this time, D∈[h, D+R] exists.

[0155] Thus, if the method of S1104 is used in the form of a beam, then the UE blind detection reference signal start time can be determined using the following method:

[0156] If D-R>h, the following formula is used

[0157] If D-R≤h, the following formula (same as S1104) is used

[0158] The UE blind detection reference signal end time can be calculated using the following formula:

[0159] In the above formula, the meanings of other parameters are the same as those of the same parameters in S1104. Correspondingly, the scheme with additional ε in S1104 also applies, which will not be described in detail here.

[0160] When in the form of a beam, when the satellite sends its beam related information (more detailed information, such as the position of the beam center point, the radius of the beam) to the UE, the UE can further narrow down the blind detection time of the reference signal on the basis of the method of FIG. 11 introduced above.

[0161] Alternatively, there is also a positioning method as shown in the flow of FIG. 15. Relative to the downlink positioning method introduced in FIG. 11, that is, the terminal detects the reference signal, the uplink positioning method introduced in FIG. 15 is that the satellite detects the reference signal sent by the UE, and the satellite determines the start and end time of the blind detection reference signal. The following will be described in detail in combination with the drawings.

[0162] S1501, the network device interacts with the serving satellite and the neighboring satellite of the UE to exchange positioning related information.

[0163] In a possible case, the network device herein can be an LMF or the like positioning server.

[0164] In a possible case, the exchanged positioning related information includes the position information of the satellite, such as the orbital height of the satellite, ephemeris, etc.; the period and time of the reference signal sent by the UE; and the configuration parameters of the reference signal and the like.

[0165] In addition, the neighboring satellite herein is analogous to the neighboring area and the neighboring station in the ground scene. It refers to the satellite that has a connection with the current serving satellite, or has a certain relationship, can monitor and manage each other, or can be used for the UE to camp in the future.

[0166] S1502, the network device sends configuration information to the UE.

[0167] In a possible case, before the UE sends the reference signal, the network device sends the reference information configured by the serving satellite or the satellite participating in positioning to the UE.

[0168] In a possible case, the sent information includes the period, the time domain and frequency domain position, the sequence generation manner and the like of the reference signal sending.

[0169] S1503, the network device requests the assistance data from the UE.

[0170] The network device also needs the assistance data of the UE, such as the altitude of the UE, which is used in the subsequent determination of the blind detection start and end time.

[0171] S1504, the UE sends the assistance data to the network device.

[0172] In response to S1503, the UE sends the assistance data of the UE to the network device.

[0173] S1504a, the network device sends the terminal assistance information to each satellite involved in the positioning.

[0174] It can be understood that the each satellite herein includes the serving satellite and the neighboring satellite mentioned in S1501.

[0175] S1505, the UE sends a reference signal to the satellite.

[0176] The UE sends the uplink reference signal according to the satellite configuration information in the assistance data received in S1502.

[0177] S1506, the satellite measures the reference signal.

[0178] It can be understood that the reference signal sent by the UE is blindly detected by all satellites participating in positioning to attempt to receive.

[0179] Each satellite determines the blind detection start time of the reference signal according to the reference signal sending time in the received assistance data and the orbital height or beam information. The specific behavior and formula used are the same as in S1104, and will not be described again.

[0180] S1507, the satellite reports the measurement result to the network device.

[0181] In one possible case, the satellite reports the measurement result obtained by detecting the reference signal to the network, such as time of arrival (TOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), phase, etc.

[0182] S1508, the network device performs position calculation.

[0183] The network calculates the position of the UE according to the measurement result reported by the satellite and the position information of the satellite.

[0184] By using this method, on the one hand, the time for each satellite to blindly detect the UE reference signal is shortened, the measurement power consumption of the satellite is saved, the positioning time delay is reduced, the detection start time is more reasonable, and the maximum detection time is configured for each period, so that the waste caused by continuous detection in abnormal cases is avoided.

[0185] The device embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in combination with FIGS. 16-18. It should be understood that the description of the method embodiments and the description of the device embodiments correspond to each other, and therefore, the parts not described in detail can be referred to the foregoing method embodiments.

[0186] FIG. 16 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication device 1600 shown in FIG. 16 can be used in the terminal device in the foregoing embodiments. The communication device 1600 can be a terminal device, a device (for example, a processor, a chip, a chip system, a circuit, or a functional module, etc.) in a terminal device, or a device capable of being matched with a terminal device, and can also be a logic module or software capable of realizing all or part of a terminal device.

[0187] As shown in FIG. 16, the communication apparatus 1600 includes a receiving unit 1610 and a measuring unit 1620, specifically as follows:

[0188] The receiving unit 1610 is configured to receive first information, the first information including first assistance information.

[0189] The measuring unit 1620 is configured to measure a reference signal in the time window to obtain a measurement result, the measurement result being used for terminal positioning.

[0190] The sending unit 1630 is configured to send measurement information.

[0191] The solving unit 1640 is configured to solve the measurement information to obtain position information.

[0192] Optionally, the time window is in time slot granularity, and the time window includes a start time slot and an end time slot.

[0193] Optionally, the first assistance information includes at least one of a reference signal sending time, a satellite orbit height, a satellite measurement time difference, a satellite-to-beam center point distance, or a beam coverage radius.

[0194] Optionally, when the reference signal is measured, the measurement is stopped, and the measurement is not continuously performed to the end time slot of the time window.

[0195] Optionally, the start time slot is based on a time slot number in which the satellite sends the reference signal or a positioning reference signal start symbol, a satellite orbit height, a satellite-to-beam center point distance, a beam coverage radius, or a light speed.

[0196] Optionally, the formula of the start time slot and the end time slot further includes an adjustment value ε, which is used for adjustment when the terminal is located at a non-negligible altitude or is used for overcoming a residual time caused by a clock synchronization error.

[0197] Optionally, the time window uses absolute time.

[0198] Optionally, the assistance information includes related information of multiple satellites.

[0199] Optionally, the first message is a response to a sent request message.

[0200] FIG. 17 is a schematic structural diagram of a communication apparatus according to an embodiment of the present application. The communication apparatus 1700 shown in FIG. 17 can be used in the network device in the foregoing embodiments. The communication apparatus 1700 can be a network device, a device (processor, chip, chip system, circuit or a functional module, etc.) in the network device, or a device capable of matching the network device, and can also be a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device.

[0201] As shown in FIG. 17, the communication apparatus 1700 includes a determining unit 1710 and a sending unit 1720.

[0202] The determining unit 1710 is configured to determine a time window for measuring a reference signal.

[0203] The sending unit 1720 is configured to send the measurement result.

[0204] The receiving unit 1730 is configured to receive the measurement result.

[0205] The solving unit 1740 is configured to solve the measurement information to obtain the position information.

[0206] Optionally, the determining unit 1710 and the sending unit 1720 can be applied to a terminal or a satellite.

[0207] Optionally, the receiving unit 1730 and the solving unit 1740 can be applied to a network device, for example, an LMF.

[0208] FIG. 18 is a schematic structural diagram of a device according to an embodiment of the present application. The dashed line in FIG. 18 indicates that the unit or module is optional. The device 1800 can be used to implement the method described in the foregoing method embodiments. The device 1800 can be a chip or a communication apparatus.

[0209] The apparatus 1800 can include one or more processors 1810. The processor 1810 can support the apparatus 1800 to implement the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. The processor 1810 can be a general processor or a special-purpose processor. For example, the processor can be a central processing unit (CPU). Alternatively, the processor can also be other general processors, microprocessor units (MPU), microcontroller units (MCU), graphics processing units (GPU), artificial intelligence processors (AI processor) or neural network processors (NPU), digital signal processors (DSP), application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, discrete gates or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, etc. The general processor can be a microprocessor or the processor can also be any conventional processor.

[0210] The apparatus 1800 can also include one or more memories 1820. The memory 1820 stores programs, which can be executed by the processor 1810, so that the processor 1810 performs the methods described in the preceding method embodiments. The memory 1820 can be independent of the processor 1810 or integrated in the processor 1810. In the embodiments of the present application, the memory 1820 can include, but is not limited to, a cache, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solid-state drive (SSD), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), or a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc.

[0211] The apparatus 1800 can further include a transceiver 1830. The processor 1810 can communicate with other devices or chips through the transceiver 1830. For example, the processor 1810 can perform data transceiving with other devices or chips through the transceiver 1830.

[0212] It should be noted that the information interaction, execution process and the like between the above apparatus / units are based on the same concept as the method embodiments of the present application, and specific functions and brought technical effects can be referred to the method embodiments part, which will not be repeated here.

[0213] Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, only the above-mentioned division of functional units and modules is exemplified, and in actual application, the above-mentioned functions can be completed by different functional units and modules according to needs, that is, the internal structure of the apparatus is divided into different functional units or modules to complete all or part of the functions described above. Each functional unit and module in the embodiment can be integrated in one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically, or two or more units can be integrated in one unit. The integrated unit can be realized in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional unit. In addition, the specific name of each functional unit and module is only for convenient distinction, and does not limit the protection scope of the present application. The specific working process of the unit and module in the system can refer to the corresponding process in the foregoing method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0214] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium stores a computer program, when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer program makes the computer realize the steps in each method embodiment.

[0215] The embodiment of the present application further provides a computer program product, the computer program product includes a computer program, when the computer program runs on a computer, the computer program makes the computer realize the steps in each method embodiment.

[0216] The embodiment of the present application further provides a chip, the chip includes a processor and a memory, the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and run the computer program stored in the memory, so that the apparatus or device (such as a communication apparatus) installed with the chip executes the steps in each method embodiment.

[0217] The integrated unit, if implemented in the form of a software function unit and sold or used as an independent product, can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the present application can implement all or part of the processes in the above-mentioned embodiment methods through a computer program to instruct relevant hardware to complete, and the computer program can be stored in a computer readable storage medium. When the computer program is executed by a processor, the steps of each method embodiment described above can be implemented. The computer program includes computer program code, which can be in the form of source code, object code, executable files, or some intermediate forms. The computer readable storage medium at least includes any entity or device capable of carrying the computer program code to the device, recording medium, computer memory, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), electrical carrier signal, telecommunication signal, and software distribution medium. For example, U disk, mobile hard disk, magnetic disk or optical disk, etc. In some jurisdictions, according to legislation and patent practice, the computer readable storage medium can not be an electrical carrier signal and a telecommunication signal.

[0218] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own focus, and the parts not described or recorded in detail in a certain embodiment can be referred to the relevant description of other embodiments.

[0219] Those of ordinary skill in the art can realize that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein can be realized by electronic hardware or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether the functions are performed 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 the present application.

[0220] In the embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the modules or units is only a logical function division, and there can be another division in actual implementation. For example, a plurality of units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. In addition, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between the units shown or discussed can be indirect coupling or communication connection through some interface, device or unit, and can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0221] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components displayed as units may or may not be physical units, that is, may be located in one place, or may also be distributed to multiple network units. Part or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of the embodiment scheme according to actual needs.

[0222] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, but not limit them; although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solutions recorded in the foregoing embodiments can still be modified, or some technical features can be replaced by equivalents; and these modifications or replacements do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A positioning method applied to a terminal, comprising: receiving first information, wherein the first information comprises first assistance information; determining a time window for measuring a reference signal based on the first assistance information, wherein a measurement result is obtained by measuring the reference signal in the time window, and the measurement result is used for terminal positioning; and reporting the measurement result. The time window is in time slot granularity, and the time window comprises a start time slot and an end time slot. The first assistance information comprises at least one of a reference signal sending time, a satellite orbit height, a satellite measurement time difference, a satellite-to-beam center point distance, or a beam coverage radius. When the reference signal is measured, the measurement is stopped, and the measurement is not continuously performed to the end time slot of the time window.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, Wherein, D is the distance from the satellite to the beam center point; and R is the coverage radius of the beam.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, Wherein, D is the distance from the satellite to the beam center point; and R is the coverage radius of the beam.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein, The formula of the start time slot and the end time slot further comprises an adjustment value ε, which is used for adjustment when the terminal is located at a non-negligible altitude, or is used for overcoming residual time caused by clock synchronization error.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, The formula for the start time slot t start,i is: wherein n i is the slot number or the positioning reference signal (PRS) starting symbol in which the satellite transmits the reference signal; μ is based on the subcarrier spacing (SCS); h m is the satellite orbital height; the lower bracket represents the floor function, discarding the part less than one slot; Alternatively, the starting time slot t start,i The formula is: The time window uses absolute time.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, The formula for the cut-off time slot t is: end,i The formula for the cut-off time slot t is: wherein n i is the slot number or the starting symbol of the positioning reference signal in which the satellite transmits the reference signal; μ is based on the subcarrier spacing; e is the earth radius; h m is the orbit height of the satellite; c is the speed of light; the upper bracket represents rounding up, and the part less than one slot is also regarded as one slot; or, the formula for calculating the cutoff slot t end,i is: The start time reuses the determination manner of the start time slot, and the difference lies in removing the lower bracket integer symbol.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The end time reuses the determination manner of the end time slot, and the difference lies in removing the upper bracket integer symbol.

8. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The assistance information comprises information of at least one satellite. The first message is a response to a sent request message. 11.A positioning method applied to a satellite, comprising: receiving second information, wherein the second information comprises second assistance information; determining a time window for measuring a reference signal based on the second assistance information, wherein a measurement result is obtained by measuring the reference signal in the time window, and the measurement result is used for terminal positioning; and reporting the measurement result.

9. The method according to any one of claims 3-6, characterized in that, The time window is in time slot granularity, and the time window comprises a start time slot and an end time slot.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, The second assistance information comprises at least one of a reference signal sending time, a terminal altitude, or beam information in which the terminal is located. When the reference signal is measured, the measurement is stopped, and the measurement is not continuously performed to the end time slot of the time window. Wherein, D is the distance from the satellite to the beam center point; and R is the coverage radius of the beam. Wherein, D is the distance from the satellite to the beam center point; and R is the coverage radius of the beam. The formula of the start time slot and the end time slot further comprises an adjustment value ε, which is used for adjustment when the terminal is located at a non-negligible altitude, or is used for overcoming residual time caused by clock synchronization error.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, The time window uses absolute time.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, The start time reuses the determination manner of the start time slot, and the difference lies in removing the lower bracket integer symbol.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein, The end time reuses the determination manner of the end time slot, and the difference lies in removing the upper bracket integer symbol.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein, The formula for the start time slot t start,i is: wherein n i is the slot number or the PRS starting symbol in which the terminal transmits the reference signal; μ is based on the SCS; h m is the satellite altitude; the lower bracket represents the floor function, i.e., the fractional part of less than one slot is discarded; alternatively, the starting slot t start,i is calculated by the formula: The second message is a response to a sent request message.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, The formula for the cut-off time slot t is: end,i The formula for the cut-off time slot t is: wherein n i is the slot number or the starting symbol of the positioning reference signal in which the satellite transmits the reference signal; μ is based on the subcarrier spacing; e is the earth radius; h m is the satellite altitude; c is the speed of light; the upper bracket represents rounding up, and the part less than one slot is also regarded as one slot; or, the formula for calculating the cutoff slot t end,i is: The method is performed by any one satellite in the field of view of the terminal which needs to be positioned.

17. The method according to claim 15 or 16, characterized in that The method comprises:

18. The method of claim 15 or 16, wherein, A module or unit for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10 or 11 to 20. The method comprises: ​ 19. The method of claim 11, wherein, ​ 20. The method of any of claims 11-19, wherein, ​ 21. A communications device, characterized by ​ ​ 22. A communications device, characterized by ​ A processor coupled with a memory for storing a computer program which, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 or 11 to 20.

23. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer readable storage medium has stored thereon a computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 or 11 to 20.

24. A computer program product, characterised in that, Comprising: A computer program which, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 or 11 to 20.

25. A chip, characterized by Comprising: A processor coupled with a memory for storing a computer program which, when executed by the processor, causes the apparatus to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 or 11 to 20.

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