Location method and apparatus, and storage medium and program product

Abstract

A location method and apparatus, and a storage medium and a program product, which relate to the field of communications, and are used for improving the location precision. In the present application, the method comprises: a location management apparatus receiving a first message, wherein the first message comprises a first channel response; the positioning management apparatus acquiring a second delay, the second delay being the signal propagation duration corresponding to the first path between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus. the location management apparatus adjusting, to the second time delay, a first time delay corresponding to the first path of the first channel response, so as to obtain a second channel response, and performing location on the basis of the second channel response. In the solution, a first message is used for determining a first time delay corresponding to a first path in a first channel response, such that the probability of a first path identified by a location management apparatus and a first path identified by a first communication apparatus being the same path is high, and thus the location management apparatus can more accurately adjust the first channel response on the basis of the identified first path, thereby improving the location precision.

Description

Positioning method, apparatus, storage medium and program product

[0001] Cross-reference to Related Applications

[0002] The present application claims priority to the Chinese patent application No. 202411377979.4, filed on September 29, 2024, and entitled “A positioning method, apparatus, storage medium and program product”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] The present application relates to the field of communication, and in particular to a positioning method, apparatus, storage medium and program product. BACKGROUND

[0004] With the rapid development of communication technology, high-precision positioning has gradually been determined as an important research project in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) 5th generation mobile communication technology (5G). The scenarios of new radio (NR) positioning mainly include: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) outdoor, eMBB indoor, ultra-reliable and low latency communications (URLLC), and massive machine type of communication (mMTC) / internet of things (IOT). The positioning technology also requires high security, scalability, high availability, and precision guarantee in high-speed applications.

[0005] In the 3GPP standard, multiple positioning technologies are supported, such as carrier phase positioning technology, time of arrival (TOA), angle of departure (AOD), time difference of arrival (TDOA), angle of arrival (AOA), round trip time (RTT), etc. With market demand, how to accurately position terminal equipment is a technical problem to be solved. SUMMARY

[0006] The application provides a positioning method, device, storage medium and program product, which are used for transmitting measurement results and information of antennas corresponding to the measurement results, so as to assist positioning and improve positioning accuracy.

[0007] The application provides a possible positioning method, which can position a communication device to be positioned based on channel responses (for example, fingerprint information of a channel) corresponding to signals. The positioning method (for example, which can be referred to as a fingerprint positioning method) can not depend on a line of sight (LOS) path, so that the influence of a non-line of sight (NLOS) path on positioning accuracy can be reduced, and positioning accuracy can be improved. In another aspect, the channel responses (for example, fingerprint information of a channel) corresponding to the signals can have deviations, and embodiments of the application provide that the channel responses are adjusted in several possible ways, so that positioning accuracy can be further improved.

[0008] For example, a network device and / or a terminal device can indicate a first path in a first channel response and / or indicate a first time delay corresponding to the first path to a positioning management device, so that the first path in the first channel response identified by the positioning management device is the same as the first path identified by the network device (and / or the terminal device) as much as possible, so that the accuracy of adjustment of the first channel response by the positioning management device can be improved, and positioning accuracy can be improved.

[0009] For another example, the network device and / or the terminal device adjust the first channel response, so that the problem of reduced positioning accuracy caused by the first path identified by the positioning management device being different from the first path identified by the network device (and / or the terminal device) can be avoided, the accuracy of adjustment of the first channel response can be improved, and positioning accuracy can be improved.

[0010] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning method, which can be applied to a positioning management apparatus. The positioning management apparatus can be a positioning management device or a unit, module or chip (or chip system, or circuit) inside the positioning management device. The positioning management device can include a location management function (LMF) or a location management component (LMC), or can be a local location management function (LLMF) in a network device, or a positioning server. The positioning management device can also include a network device (such as an access network device) or a terminal device with a positioning function. The network device can include an access network device, a backhaul module of a core network, a core network element, a module (such as a distributed unit (DU), a centralized unit (CU) or a RAN intelligent controller (RIC)) in an open RAN (O-RAN), etc. In the present application, RAN is the English abbreviation of radio access network (RAN).

[0011] The positioning management apparatus receives a first message. The first message includes a first channel response, which is a channel impulse response and / or a channel frequency response corresponding to a signal transmitted between a first communication apparatus and a second communication apparatus, and the first message is used to determine a first time delay corresponding to a first path in the first channel response. The positioning management apparatus obtains a second time delay, which is a signal propagation time corresponding to the first path between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus; for example, the second time delay is a time of flight (ToF) of a signal transmitted between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus. The positioning management apparatus adjusts the first time delay corresponding to the first path in the first channel response to the second time delay to obtain a second channel response. The positioning management apparatus performs positioning according to the second channel response.

[0012] Since the positioning management device can determine the first path and / or the first time delay corresponding to the first path in the first channel response through the first message, the probability that the first path identified by the positioning management device is the same path as the first path identified by the first communication device is relatively high. Since the first path (e.g., the first path) determined by the first communication device can be used to determine the second time delay corresponding to the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device. The positioning management device then needs to adjust the first time delay of the first path identified in the first channel response to the second time delay. When the first path identified in the first channel response by the positioning management device is the same path or a path very close to the first path used by the first communication device to determine the second time delay, the first channel response adjusted by the positioning management device can be relatively accurate, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0013] In a possible implementation, the first time delay includes a signal propagation time corresponding to the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device, and at least one of the following: a deviation between a clock of the first communication device and a clock of the second communication device, a signal processing time delay of the first communication device, or a signal processing time delay of the second communication device. The first time delay includes some deviations, and the second time delay includes a signal propagation time corresponding to the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device. The second time delay does not include the deviation between the clock of the first communication device and the clock of the second communication device, the signal processing time delay of the first communication device, and the signal processing time delay of the second communication device. Therefore, the positioning management device can obtain a relatively accurate channel response after adjusting the first channel response based on the second time delay and the first time delay.

[0014] In a possible implementation, the second time delay is determined based on at least one of RTT, relative time of arrival (RTOA), or TDOA. In this way, a relatively accurate signal propagation time corresponding to the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device can be obtained, and then the first channel response can be adjusted based on the second time delay, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0015] In a possible implementation, the first message further includes an index of the first path and / or information of the first time delay. The positioning management device determines the first time delay corresponding to the first path according to the index of the first path and / or the information of the first time delay. In this scheme, the first message can explicitly indicate the first path and / or the first time delay corresponding to the first path. The scheme can enable the positioning management device to determine the first path and / or the first time delay based on the index of the first path and / or the information of the first time delay, and can simplify the processing complexity on the side of the positioning management device.

[0016] In a possible implementation, the first channel response is obtained by truncating the channel impulse response and / or the channel frequency response based on the first path. The positioning management device determines the index of the first path according to the first channel response. The positioning management device determines the first delay corresponding to the first path according to the index of the first path. In this scheme, the first message can implicitly indicate the first path and / or the first delay corresponding to the first path. In this scheme, the first message can not carry other information for indicating the first path and / or the first delay, and the positioning management device can determine the first path and / or the first delay according to the received first channel response. This scheme can reduce signaling overhead.

[0017] In a possible implementation, the positioning management device sends request information, and the request information is used to request information of the first path and / or the delay of the first path in the first channel response. In this implementation, the positioning management device can send its actual requirements to the first communication device through the request information, and then the first communication device can send corresponding information to the positioning management device according to the requirements of the request information. This scheme can make the first communication device send information meeting the requirements of the positioning management device, so that the positioning management device is more convenient to manage various communication devices.

[0018] In a possible implementation, the first path includes a first path or a main path or other paths. When the first path is a first path or a main path or other paths that are easier to identify, the positioning management device, the first communication device, or the second communication device can more easily identify the first path from the algorithm level, thereby reducing the complexity of the scheme.

[0019] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning method, which can be applied to a first communication device. The first communication device can be a terminal device or a unit, module or chip (or chip system, or circuit) inside the terminal device. The first communication device can also be a network device or a unit, module or chip (or chip system, or circuit) inside the network device. The network device of the present application can include, for example, an access network device, a backhaul module of a core network, a core network element, a module (for example, a distributed unit (DU), a centralized unit (CU) or a RAN intelligent controller (RIC)) in an open RAN (O-RAN). RAN is an abbreviation of radio access network (RAN) in English.

[0020] The first communication device obtains a first channel response. The first channel response is a channel impulse response and / or a channel frequency response corresponding to a signal transmitted between the first communication device and the second communication device. The first communication device sends a first message. The first message comprises the first channel response, and the first message is used to determine a first time delay corresponding to a first path in the first channel response. For example, the first time delay is used to determine a second channel response, and the second channel response is obtained by adjusting the first time delay corresponding to the first path in the first channel response to a second time delay, where the second time delay is a signal propagation time corresponding to the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device, and the second channel response is used for positioning.

[0021] Since the first message is used to determine the first time delay corresponding to the first path in the first channel response, the positioning management device can determine the first path in the first channel response and / or the first time delay corresponding to the first path through the first message. Therefore, the probability that the first path identified by the positioning management device is the same as the first path identified by the first communication device is relatively high. In addition, the first path (for example, the first path) determined by the first communication device can be used to determine the signal propagation time corresponding to the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device, that is, the second time delay. The positioning management device needs to adjust the first time delay of the first path identified in the first channel response to the second time delay. When the first path in the first channel response identified by the positioning management device is the same as or very close to the first path used by the first communication device to determine the second time delay, the first channel response adjusted by the positioning management device can be relatively accurate, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0022] In a possible implementation, the first communication device receives request information, and the request information is used to request information of the first path in the first channel response and / or the time delay of the first path. For details, refer to the description of the first aspect or the possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0023] For details of the first time delay, the second time delay, the first message, the first channel response, and the first path, refer to the description of the first aspect or the possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0024] In a third aspect, the embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method, which can be applied to a first communication device. The first communication device can be a terminal device or a unit, module or chip (or chip system, or circuit) inside the terminal device. The first communication device can also be a network device or a unit, module or chip (or chip system, or circuit) inside the network device. For details of the network device, refer to the description of the second aspect.

[0025] The first communication device receives the first signal. The first communication device measures the first signal to obtain a first channel response, the first channel response being a channel impulse response and / or a channel frequency response corresponding to a signal transmitted between the first communication device and the second communication device. The first communication device obtains a first time delay corresponding to a first path in the first channel response. The first communication device obtains a second time delay, the second time delay being a signal propagation time corresponding to the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device. The first communication device adjusts the first time delay corresponding to the first path in the first channel response to the second time delay to obtain a second channel response. The first communication device transmits the second channel response and indication information, the indication information being used to indicate that the time delay corresponding to the first path in the second channel response is the adjusted time delay.

[0026] The first communication device determines the first path (e.g., the first path) to determine the second time delay, which is a signal propagation time corresponding to the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device. Therefore, the first communication device adjusts the first time delay of the first path identified in the first channel response to the second time delay, and the adjusted first channel response can be more accurate, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0027] In a possible implementation, the first time delay includes a signal propagation time corresponding to the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device, and at least one of the following: a deviation between a clock of the first communication device and a clock of the second communication device, a signal processing time delay of the first communication device, or a signal processing time delay of the second communication device. The first time delay includes some deviations, and the second time delay includes a signal propagation time corresponding to the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device. The second time delay does not include the deviation between the clock of the first communication device and the clock of the second communication device, the signal processing time delay of the first communication device, and the signal processing time delay of the second communication device. Therefore, the positioning management device can obtain a more accurate channel response after adjusting the first channel response based on the second time delay and the first time delay.

[0028] In a possible implementation, the second time delay is determined based on at least one of RTT, RTOA, or TDOA. In this way, a more accurate signal propagation time corresponding to the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device can be obtained, and the first channel response can be adjusted based on the second time delay, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0029] The second time delay is determined based on a round trip time (RTT) for example. For example, the first communication device sends a second signal to the second communication device. The first communication device receives a third signal from the second communication device. The first communication device receives information of a receiving time of the second signal and information of a sending time of the third signal. The first communication device determines the second time delay according to the sending time and the receiving time of the second signal and the sending time and the receiving time of the third signal. In this way, a more accurate signal propagation time corresponding to the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device can be obtained, and the first channel response can be adjusted more accurately based on the second time delay, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0030] In a possible implementation, the first path includes a first path or a main path or other path. When the first path is a first path or a main path or other path that is easier to identify, the positioning management device, the first communication device or the second communication device can more easily identify the first path from an algorithm level, thereby reducing the complexity of the scheme.

[0031] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a positioning method, which can be applied to a positioning management device. The positioning management device can be a positioning management apparatus or a unit, a module or a chip (or a chip system or a circuit) inside the positioning management apparatus. The positioning management apparatus is described in the foregoing first aspect, and will not be described here.

[0032] The positioning management device receives a second channel response and indication information, and the indication information is used to indicate that a time delay corresponding to the first path in the second channel response is an adjusted time delay. The positioning management device performs positioning according to the second channel response. Since the adjusted first channel response is more accurate, the positioning accuracy can be improved.

[0033] In a possible implementation, the positioning management device sends information of a receiving time of the second signal and information of a sending time of the third signal. The information of the receiving time of the second signal and the information of the sending time of the third signal are used to determine the second time delay, and the second time delay is used to adjust the first channel response to the second channel response. In this way, the first communication device can calculate the second time delay, and then adjust the first channel response more accurately based on the second time delay, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0034] In a fifth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus can be the first communication apparatus or the positioning management apparatus. The communication apparatus can include a communication unit and a processing unit to perform any of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, or perform any possible implementation of the first aspect to the fifth aspect. The communication unit is configured to perform functions related to transmitting and receiving. Optionally, the communication unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. In one design, the communication apparatus is a communication chip, the processing unit can be one or more processors or processor cores, and the communication unit can be input / output circuits or ports of the communication chip.

[0035] In another design, the communication unit can be a transmitter and a receiver.

[0036] Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes various means for performing any of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, or performing any possible implementation of the first aspect to the fifth aspect.

[0037] In a sixth aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus can be the first communication apparatus or the positioning management apparatus. The communication apparatus can include a processor. The processor can perform any of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, or perform any possible implementation of the first aspect to the fifth aspect. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a transceiver. In one possible implementation, the communication apparatus further includes a memory. The memory is configured to store a computer program or instructions, and the processor is configured to invoke and execute the computer program or instructions from the memory. When the processor executes the computer program or instructions from the memory, the communication apparatus performs any of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, or performs any possible implementation of the first aspect to the fifth aspect.

[0038] Optionally, the processor is one or more, and the memory is one or more.

[0039] Optionally, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory can be located separately from the processor.

[0040] Optionally, the transceiver can include a transmitter (transmitter) and a receiver (receiver).

[0041] In a seventh aspect, a communication apparatus is provided. The communication apparatus can be the first communication apparatus or the positioning management apparatus. The communication apparatus can include a processor to perform any of the first aspect to the fifth aspect, or perform any possible implementation of the first aspect to the fifth aspect. The processor is coupled to a memory. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes the memory. Optionally, the communication apparatus further includes a communication interface, and the processor is coupled to the communication interface.

[0042] In an implementation form, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface, when the communication apparatus is the first communication apparatus or the positioning management apparatus. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0043] In yet another implementation form, the communication interface can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin or related circuitry on the chip or chip system, when the communication apparatus is the chip or chip system. The processor can also be embodied as a processing circuit or a logic circuit.

[0044] In an implementation form, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface, when the communication apparatus is the first communication apparatus or the positioning management apparatus. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0045] In an implementation form, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface, when the communication apparatus is the first communication apparatus or the positioning management apparatus. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0046] In an implementation form, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface, when the communication apparatus is the first communication apparatus or the positioning management apparatus. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0047] In an implementation form, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface, when the communication apparatus is the first communication apparatus or the positioning management apparatus. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0048] In an implementation form, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface, when the communication apparatus is the first communication apparatus or the positioning management apparatus. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0049] In an implementation form, the communication interface can be a transceiver, or an input / output interface, when the communication apparatus is the first communication apparatus or the positioning management apparatus. Optionally, the transceiver can be a transceiver circuit. Optionally, the input / output interface can be an input / output circuit.

[0050] In the implementation, the processing device can be a chip, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by a receiver, for example, but not limited to. The output signal output by the output circuit can be output to and transmitted by a transmitter, for example, but not limited to. The input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. The specific implementation of the processor and various circuits is not limited in the present application.

[0051] In an implementation, the communication device can be a first communication device or a positioning management device. The interface circuit can be a radio frequency processing chip in the first communication device or the positioning management device, and the processing circuit can be a baseband processing chip in the first communication device or the positioning management device.

[0052] In another implementation, the communication device can be a part of an integrated circuit product, such as a system chip or a communication chip, in the first communication device or the positioning management device. The interface circuit can be an input / output interface, an interface circuit, an output circuit, an input circuit, a pin, or a related circuit on the chip or the chip system. The processing circuit can be a logic circuit on the chip. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0053] FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram of another communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0054] FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of another communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0055] FIG. 1C is a schematic diagram of another communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0056] FIG. 1D is a schematic diagram of another communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0057] FIG. 1E is a schematic diagram of another communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0058] FIG. 1F is a schematic diagram of another communication system architecture according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0059] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a possible positioning principle according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0060] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a possible channel response;

[0061] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a possible channel response;

[0062] FIG. 5 is a possible flow diagram of a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0063] FIG. 6 is a diagram of a possible first channel response sent by a first communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] FIG. 7 is a diagram of a possible first channel response sent by a first communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0065] FIG. 8 is a possible flow diagram of a method for determining a second time delay according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] FIG. 9 is a diagram of a possible second channel response according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0067] FIG. 10 is a diagram of a possible second channel response according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0068] FIG. 11 is a possible flow diagram of another positioning method according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0069] FIG. 12 is a diagram of a structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0070] FIG. 13 is a diagram of a structure of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0071] The following first introduces the terms and phrases involved in the embodiments of the present application.

[0072] (1) Signal

[0073] The signal (for example, any one of the first signal, the second signal, or the third signal involved in the subsequent description) in the embodiments of the present application can be a positioning reference signal (PRS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), or one or more of a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS), a phase-tracking reference signal (PTRS), a cell reference signal (CRS), a synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel block (SSB), and a sidelink sounding reference signal (SL-SRS).

[0074] (2) ToF.

[0075] For example, the ToF is a signal propagation time corresponding to a first path between the first communication device and the second communication device. For example, the ToF includes / is the time for the signal to propagate in the air. The value obtained by multiplying the ToF by the speed of light corresponds to the path propagation distance.

[0076] (3) Fingerprint.

[0077] Because the multipath propagation of the signal has dependence on the environment, for each position, the multipath structure of the channel at the position is unique. The radio waves emitted by the device are reflected and refracted to produce a specific pattern of multipath signals closely related to the surrounding environment, and such a multipath feature is called the “fingerprint” of the position.

[0078] (4) Fingerprint information.

[0079] The fingerprint information includes information for indicating the fingerprint. For example, the fingerprint information is signal measurement information obtained by measuring the signal, and the fingerprint information type is, for example, a channel impulse response (CIR), a channel frequency response (CFR), or the like.

[0080] (5) Fingerprint positioning method.

[0081] The fingerprint positioning method can realize positioning of the terminal device based on the fingerprint information of the signal.

[0082] The fingerprint positioning can be divided into two stages: an offline training stage and an online positioning stage. In the offline stage, fingerprint information at each position can be collected as fingerprint information capable of representing the position. Based on the collected {fingerprint information, position} dataset, training (or machine learning, such as neural network, decision tree, support vector machine, and other machine learning methods) is performed to obtain a model. For example, the {fingerprint information, position} dataset is trained to obtain an artificial intelligence (AI) model. The AI model can be used to realize mapping of the fingerprint information of the channel to the position. The AI model refers to a function model that maps an input of a certain dimension to an output of a certain dimension, and the model parameters are obtained through machine learning training. In the online stage, the collected fingerprint information of the channel can be input into the model (such as the AI model) to obtain the output result of the model, and the output result of the model is the position of the terminal device.

[0083] For example, the base station receives the reference signal sent by the terminal device, the base station obtains the fingerprint information based on channel estimation, and sends the fingerprint information to the positioning management apparatus. The positioning management apparatus inputs the fingerprint information of different base stations into the AI model, and the AI model outputs the position of the terminal device.

[0084] FIG. 1A exemplarily shows an architecture schematic diagram of a communication system 1000 to which embodiments of the present application are applicable. As shown in FIG. 1A, the communication system includes a radio access network 100 and a core network 200. Optionally, the communication system 1000 can also include the Internet 300. The radio access network 100 can include at least one radio access network device (such as 110a and 110b in FIG. 1A), and can also include at least one terminal device (such as 120a-120j in FIG. 1A). The terminal device is connected to the radio access network device in a wireless manner, and the radio access network device is connected to the core network in a wireless or wired manner. The core network device and the radio access network device can be independent and different physical devices, or can be integrated into the same physical device with the functions of the core network device and the logical functions of the radio access network device, or can be a physical device integrated with part of the functions of the core network device and part of the functions of the radio access network device. The terminal device and the terminal device, and the radio access network device and the radio access network device can be connected to each other in a wired or wireless manner. FIG. 1A is only a schematic diagram, and the communication system can also include other network devices, such as wireless relay devices and wireless backhaul devices, which are not shown in FIG. 1A.

[0085] The network device involved in the embodiments of the present application, for example, includes a radio access network (RAN) device. The radio access network device can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB for short), a transmission reception point (TRP), a transmission point (TP), a base station in a 5th generation (5G) mobile communication system, a base station in a future mobile communication system, an access node in a WiFi system, etc.; it can also be a module or unit that completes part of the functions of a base station, for example, it can be a central unit (CU), or a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). The CU here completes the functions of the radio resource control protocol and the packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) of the base station, and can also complete the function of the service data adaptation protocol (SDAP); the DU completes the functions of the radio link control layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer of the base station, and can also complete part of the physical layer or the entire physical layer. The specific description of the above-mentioned protocol layers can refer to the relevant technical specifications of the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). The CU and the DU can be separately arranged, or can also be included in the same network element, such as a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in a radio frequency device or a radio frequency unit, such as a remote radio unit (RRU), an active antenna processing unit (AAU), or a remote radio head (RRH). In different systems, the CU, DU or RU can also have different names, but those skilled in the art can understand their meanings.For example, in an open radio access network (ORAN) system, the CU can also be referred to as an open central unit (O-CU), the DU can also be referred to as an open distributed unit (O-DU), and the RU can also be referred to as an open radio unit (O-RU). Any of the CU, the central unit control plane (CU-CP), the central unit user plane (CU-UP), or the RU in this application can be implemented by a software module, a hardware module, or a combination of a software module and a hardware module. The CU-CP can also be referred to as an open central unit control plane (O-CU-CP), and the CU-UP can also be referred to as an open central unit user plane (O-CU-UP).

[0086] The radio access network device can be a macro base station (such as 110a in FIG. 1A), a micro base station or an indoor station (such as 110b in FIG. 1A), a relay device, a relay node, a donor node, or the like. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the radio access network device. For ease of description, the following describes a base station as an example of the radio access network device.

[0087] The terminal device can also be referred to as a terminal, a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, a mobile terminal device, or the like. The terminal device can be widely applied to various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle to everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IOT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, remote medical treatment, smart power grid, smart furniture, smart office, smart wear, smart transportation, smart city, or the like. The terminal device can be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a computer with wireless transceiver function, a wearable device, a vehicle, a drone, a helicopter, an airplane, a ship, a robot, a mechanical arm, a smart home device, a sensor, or the like. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device.

[0088] The terminal device can establish a connection with the operator network through an interface (for example, N1, etc.) provided by the operator network, and use data and / or voice services provided by the operator network. The terminal device can also access a domain name system (DNS) through the operator network, use operator services deployed on the DNS, and / or third-party services. The third party can be a service provider other than the operator network and the terminal device, and can provide the terminal device with data and / or voice services. The specific form of the third party can be determined according to actual application scenarios, which is not limited here.

[0089] The base station and the terminal device can be fixed in position or mobile. The base station and the terminal device can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; can also be deployed on the water surface; and can also be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and artificial satellites in the air. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the application scenarios of the base station and the terminal device.

[0090] The roles of the base station and the terminal device can be relative, for example, the helicopter or the unmanned aerial vehicle 120i in FIG. 1A can be configured as a mobile base station, and for terminal devices 120j that access the wireless access network 100 through 120i, the terminal device 120i is a base station; but for the base station 110a, 120i is a terminal device, that is, 110a and 120i communicate through a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate through an interface protocol between base stations and base stations, and in this case, 120i is also a base station relative to 110a. Therefore, the base station and the terminal device can be collectively referred to as a communication device, 110a and 110b in FIG. 1A can be referred to as a communication device with a base station function, and 120a-120j in FIG. 1A can be referred to as a communication device with a terminal device function.

[0091] The base station and the terminal device, the base station and the base station, and the terminal device and the terminal device can communicate through a licensed frequency spectrum, an unlicensed frequency spectrum, or both. They can communicate through a frequency spectrum below 6 gigahertz (GHz), a frequency spectrum above 6 GHz, or both. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the frequency spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0092] In the embodiments of the present application, the functions of the base station can also be performed by a module (such as a chip) in the base station, or by a control subsystem containing the functions of the base station. The control subsystem containing the functions of the base station herein can be a control center in the above-mentioned application scenarios such as smart grid, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart city. The functions of the terminal device can also be performed by a module (such as a chip or a modem) in the terminal device, or by a device containing the functions of the terminal device.

[0093] In the present application, the base station sends a downlink signal or downlink information to the terminal device, and the downlink information is carried on a downlink channel; the terminal device sends an uplink signal or uplink information to the base station, and the uplink information is carried on an uplink channel. In order to communicate with the base station, the terminal device needs to establish a wireless connection with a cell controlled by the base station. The cell with which the terminal device establishes a wireless connection is called the service cell of the terminal device. When the terminal device communicates with the service cell, it will also be interfered by signals from neighboring cells.

[0094] The core network involved in the embodiments of the present application can include network devices for processing and forwarding signaling and data of users. For example, it includes core network devices such as access and mobility management function (AMF), session management function (SMF), user plane gateway, and positioning management device. The user plane gateway can be a server with functions of mobility management, routing, forwarding, etc. for user plane data, and is generally located at the network side, such as a serving gateway (SGW), a packet data network gateway (PGW), a user plane function (UPF), etc. The AMF and the SMF are equivalent to the mobility management entity (MME) in the long term evolution (LTE) system. The AMF is mainly responsible for admission, and the SMF is mainly responsible for session management. Of course, other network elements can also be included in the core network, which are not listed here.

[0095] The positioning management device has a positioning function. The positioning management device can include a location management function (LMF) or a location management component (LMC), or can be a local location management function (LLMF) in a network device, or a location server. The embodiments of the present application do not limit this. For convenience of description, the following embodiments are described by taking the positioning management device as an LMF.

[0096] FIG. 1B exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system architecture provided by an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG. 1B, the O-RAN can include an open central unit user plane (O-CU-UP), an open central unit user plane (O-CU-UP), an O-DU, and an O-RU. The system architecture can also include an open cloud (O-cloud), a service management and orchestration framework (SMO), an open eNB (O-eNB), and a near-real-time RAN intelligent controller (Near-RT RIC) and a non-real-time RAN intelligent controller (Non-RT RIC).

[0097] The function of the SMO is similar to that of a network management. The Non-RT RIC can be used to implement non-real-time intelligent management of RAN functions, for example, can implement an artificial intelligence (AI) / machine learning (ML) workflow including model training and model updating, and can guide applications / functions in the Near-RT RIC based on a policy. The Non-RT RIC can be located in the SMO module, and can implement monitoring, configuration, management and control of wireless resources of at least one of a plurality of O-CU-CPs, O-CU-UPs, DUs or O-eNBs. The Near-RT RIC can be used to implement near-real-time intelligent management of the RAN, for example, can implement near-real-time control and optimization of modules and resources of the O-RAN through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface.

[0098] The O-CU, for example, can implement radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer and other control functions in the 3GPP standards. The O-CU-CP can be similar to the CU-CP in the NR system, for implementing the functions of the RRC layer, and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer. It can belong to the O-CU. The O-CU-UP can be for implementing the functions of the SDAP layer, and the user plane functions of the PDCP layer, and can belong to the O-CU. Based on the low-layer function split, the O-DU can be for implementing the radio link control (RLC) layer, the media access control (MAC) layer, and the higher physical layer (Higher PHY) in the 3GPP standards. The functions of the higher physical layer include one or more of the following: forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding, scrambling / descrambling, or modulation / demodulation. Based on the low-layer function split, the O-RU can be for implementing the lower physical layer (Lower PHY) functions and the radio frequency functions in the 3GPP standards. The functions of the lower physical layer include one or more of the following: fast fourier transform (FFT) transform / inverse fast fourier transformation (iFFT) transform, digital beamforming, or extraction and filtering of the physical random access channel (PRACH), etc. Similar to the transmission reception point (TRP) or the remote radio head (RRH) in the 3GPP, but including the low physical layer functions, such as FFT / iFFT or extraction of the PRACH. The O-Cloud can be a cloud computing platform, including physical infrastructure nodes, for hosting O-RAN functions, such as RIC, O-DU, etc.; supporting software components (such as operating systems, virtual machine monitors, container runtimes), management and orchestration functions.

[0099] As shown in FIG. 1B, the interfaces defined by 3GPP include, for example, El, Fl (e.g., Fl-c, Fl-u), NG (e.g., NG-c, NG-u), Xn (e.g., Xn-c, Xn-u), X2 (e.g., X2-c, X2-u). For example, the O-RAN communication system also includes some interfaces, such as Ol, O2, E2, Al, Open-front hual (FH) (e.g., Open-FH control (M)-plane, for example, Open-FH control, user and synchronization (CUS)-plane), and the like. The names of the various interfaces and the connection modes of the various units shown in FIG. 1B are examples, and in actual applications, the O-RAN system can include more or fewer interfaces, or include more or fewer units. Other contents of FIG. 1B can also be referred to the related description of the foregoing FIG. 1A, and will not be described in detail.

[0100] FIG. 1C exemplarily shows a communication system architecture diagram to which embodiments of the present application are applicable, which is exemplarily shown by taking the positioning architecture in LTE and NR Rel-16 as an example. As shown in FIG. 1C, the network elements / modules involved mainly include three parts of a next generation radio access network (NG RAN), a terminal device and a core network.

[0101] The core network includes a location management function (LMF), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a service location protocol (SLP), an evolved serving mobile location center (E-SMLC), and the like. The positioning server, i.e., the location management function (LMF), is connected to the AMF, and the LMF and the AMF are connected through an NLs interface. The UE communicates with a serving base station through a Uu link; the ng-eNB is a base station of LTE, and the gNB is a base station of NR, and the base stations communicate with each other through an Xn interface; the base station and the AMF communicate through an NG-C interface, and the AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) is equivalent to a router for communication between the gNB and the LMF; the LMF implements location estimation of the UE, and the AMF and the LMF communicate through an NLs interface. The LMF is responsible for supporting different types of location services related to terminal devices, including positioning of terminal devices and delivery of assistance data to terminal devices. The LMF can perform positioning calculation on the terminal device according to the measurement results of other network elements. The AMF can receive a location service request related to the terminal device from a 5th generation core network location service (5GC LCS) entity, or the AMF itself can also initiate some location services on behalf of a specific terminal device, and forward the location service request to the LMF. After obtaining the location information returned by the terminal device, the relevant location information is returned to the 5GC LCS entity.

[0102] The NG RAN can include a next generation node B (gNB), a next generation evolved node B (ng-eNB), and the like. The gNB and the ng-eNB are connected through an Xn interface, and the LMF is connected to the ng-eNB / gNB through an NG-C interface.

[0103] One or more network devices on the NG RAN side configure resources for sending a reference signal, and send the reference signal to the terminal device, the terminal device measures the reference signal and the like downlink signal, and feeds back the measurement result to the LMF to support positioning. It should be understood that the reference signal for positioning can also be referred to as a positioning reference signal. For example, the positioning reference signal can be a PRS, a common reference signal (CRS), a channel state information (CSI)-RS, and the like. In one possible implementation, the PRS resource can be configured at the cell level, that is, the PRS resource is configured for each cell. When the terminal device re-establishes the RRC connection with the target cell, the base station of the target cell can configure the PRS resource for the target cell, and the terminal device acquires the PRS resource configured for the target cell to receive and measure the PRS on the PRS resource.

[0104] The communication method provided by the embodiments of the present application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: LTE system, 5G system (such as NR), and future communication system (such as 6th generation mobile communication technology (6G)) and the like. Of course, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other communication systems, as long as the communication system has the positioning demand for the terminal device. In addition, the communication system can also be applicable to future-oriented communication technology, and the system described in the embodiments of the present application is to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can know that, with the evolution of network architecture, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0105] FIG. 1D shows a network architecture of another communication system to which the embodiments of the present application are applicable, which includes a core network, an NG-RAN and a terminal device. The core network includes LMF, AMF, secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP) and enhanced serving mobile location centre (E-SMLC) and the like network element / module, the NG RAN includes gNB, ng-eNB and the like network element / module, wherein the specific functions of LMF, AMF, SLP, E-SMLC, gNB and ng-eNB and the like network element / module, the connection relationship between each network element / module can refer to the introduction of the related part of FIG. 1C above, which will not be repeated here.

[0106] Different from Fig. 1C, in the network architecture shown in Fig. 1D, the LMC is added in the NG-RAN, and the LMC is specifically deployed inside the base station, such as being deployed in the gNB or being deployed in the ng-ENB. In this network architecture, the LMC is a function inside the base station, and thus a new interface does not need to be introduced. The LMC can assume part of the functions of the LMF, and in this architecture, the gNB can not report the measurement results of the signals used for positioning to the LMF of the core network, thereby saving signaling overhead and reducing positioning latency.

[0107] Fig. 1E shows another network architecture of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applicable. As shown in Fig. 1E, the communication system also includes a core network, an NG-RAN, and a terminal device. Different from Fig. 1D, in the network architecture shown in Fig. 1E, the LMC is a separate logical node in the NG-RAN and is connected to the base station through a new interface, for example, in Fig. 1E, the LMC is connected to the gNB-CU through the interface Itf.

[0108] Fig. 1F shows another network architecture of a communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applicable. As shown in Fig. 1F, the communication system also includes a core network, an NG-RAN, and a terminal device. Different from Fig. 1E, in the network architecture shown in Fig. 1F, the LMC is a separate logical node in the NG-RAN and can be connected to multiple base stations through the new interface. Fig. 1F takes an example in which the LMC is connected to two base stations, but in actual implementation, the LMC can also be connected to more base stations.

[0109] It should be understood that the above Figs. 1C, 1D, 1E, and 1F are several exemplary descriptions of the communication system to which embodiments of the present application are applicable, and do not specifically limit the types, numbers, and connection manners of the network elements included in the communication system to which the present application is applicable. The network elements / modules shown by the dashed lines in Figs. 1C, 1D, 1E, and 1F are optional, for example, the E-SMLC or the SLP is not essential; or the network elements / modules shown by the dashed lines are another form of existence, for example, the gNB or the ng-eNB is also called a transmission reception point (TRP) in some embodiments, and the terminal device is called a SUPL enabled terminal (SET) in some embodiments, where SUPL is the abbreviation of secure user plane location (SUPL).

[0110] In a positioning process of a terminal device, the terminal device can measure a signal from a network device (e.g., an access network device, or a chip (or chip system, or circuit, or unit, or module) in the access network device) to obtain a measurement result, and / or the network device measures a signal from the terminal device to obtain a measurement result. A positioning management device can determine a position of the terminal device according to one or more measurement results. The positioning management device can perform positioning based on a positioning method such as time of arrival (ToA), time difference of arrival (TDoA), received signal strength (RSS), difference of received signal strength (DRSS), frequency of arrival (FoA), frequency difference of arrival (FDoA), angle of arrival (AoA), etc. However, these positioning methods have a common shortcoming: they are susceptible to NLOS (LOS can also be referred to as line of sight or a straight-line signal propagation path between a transmitter and a receiver). The influence of NLOS on positioning performance is described below using the ToA positioning method as an example. As shown in FIG. 2, the ToA positioning principle is introduced, which uses a multilateral (e.g., trilateral) measurement method to achieve positioning by measuring distances (d1, d2, and d3) from a terminal device to be positioned to three network devices (BS1, BS2, and BS3). For each network device, a circle is drawn with the network device as the center and the measured distance between the terminal device and the network device as the radius. The intersection of the three circles is the position of the terminal device. When the distance between the terminal device and the network device is determined based on an NLOS path (not a LOS path), the distance between the terminal device and the network device will be biased, which will cause the intersection of multiple circles to be different from the true position of the terminal device, thereby introducing positioning errors. In a scenario with a large number of NLOS paths, these solutions are more difficult to meet the high-precision positioning requirements.

[0111] To improve positioning accuracy, embodiments of this application provide a positioning method that can use channel responses (e.g., fingerprint information of a channel) for positioning. Since channel responses (e.g., fingerprint information of a channel) can reflect information about multipath signals related to the surrounding environment, this positioning method (which can be referred to as a fingerprint positioning method) can not rely on LOS paths and can accurately position even in a scenario without LOS paths. Therefore, this solution can reduce the influence of NLOS paths on positioning accuracy and improve positioning accuracy.

[0112] In another aspect, in the positioning process, the clocks between the terminal device and the network device can be unsynchronized, in which case the channel response (e.g., the fingerprint information of the channel) obtained by the terminal device and / or the network device can be biased, which in turn leads to a decrease in positioning accuracy. The following is described by way of an example, with the ToF of the first path between the terminal device and the network device (which can also be referred to as the ToF of the real first path) being 25.43 nanoseconds (ns) for example. For example, when the clock of the terminal device is 20 ns slower than the clock of the network device, the ToF of the first path in the channel response (e.g., the fingerprint information of the channel) obtained by the network device is 45.43 ns (45.43 = 25.43 + 20), rather than 25.43 ns. As can be seen, due to the clock bias between the terminal device and the network device, the fingerprint information is inaccurate (e.g., the ToF of the first path in the fingerprint information is inaccurate), which in turn leads to a decrease in positioning accuracy. Since the clock bias between the terminal device and the network device is dynamically changing, the bias of the fingerprint information is also dynamically changing (e.g., the ToF of the first path in the fingerprint information differs from the real ToF by a random time delay), which in turn leads to a decrease in fingerprint positioning accuracy.

[0113] Based on the above problem, an embodiment of the present application provides a scheme in which the terminal device and / or the network device can obtain a first channel response (the first channel response may, for example, include fingerprint information of the channel). The first path in the first channel response corresponds to a first time delay. The first channel response can be time-domain compensated based on a second time delay corresponding to the first path, thereby improving positioning accuracy. FIG. 3 exemplarily shows a schematic diagram of a channel response. In the diagram for representing the channel response in the embodiment of the present application, the abscissa may represent time, and the ordinate may represent channel response information. The meanings of the coordinate values in the diagrams of other channel responses can be referred to herein, and will not be repeatedly described herein. In FIG. 3, the first path is taken as the first path by way of example. For example, the ToF of the first path of the first channel response is 45.43 ns. The ToF of the actual first path is 25.43 ns. The first channel response can be shifted to the left until the ToF of the first path of the first channel response is 25.43 ns, which process can be referred to as time-domain compensation. In order to distinguish, the first channel response after time-domain compensation can be referred to as a second channel response. (a) in FIG. 3 represents the first channel response, and (b) in FIG. 3 represents the second channel response. As can be seen, the ToF of the first path in the second channel response is the same as the actual ToF, and positioning based on the second channel response can improve positioning accuracy.

[0114] The terminal device, the network device, or the positioning management device can perform the time-domain compensation on the first channel response. When the positioning management device performs the time-domain compensation on the first channel response, the positioning management device needs to determine a first time delay corresponding to a first path (e.g., a first path) in the first channel response based on the first channel response. However, because the method used by the positioning management device to search for the first path (e.g., the first path) can be different from the method used by the network device (or the terminal device) to search for the first path (e.g., the first path), the first path (e.g., the first path) searched by the positioning management device and the first path (e.g., the first path) searched by the network device (or the terminal device) can not be the same path. For example, the first path (e.g., the first path) searched by the positioning management device is path #1, and the first path (e.g., the first path) searched by the network device (or the terminal device) is path #2. The actual ToF (which can be an example of the second time delay involved later) between the network device and the terminal device is determined based on the first path (i.e., path #2) searched by the network device (or the terminal device). The positioning management device aligns the ToF of the first path (i.e., path #1) in the first channel response with the ToF of the actual first path (i.e., path #2) instead of aligning the ToF of path #2 in the first channel response with the ToF of the actual first path (i.e., path #2). This example can be seen from the schematic diagram provided in FIG. 4. In FIG. 4, (a) shows a possible example of the first channel response, and (b) shows the channel response obtained after the positioning management device performs the time-domain compensation on the first channel response. As can be seen from FIG. 4, the positioning management device cannot accurately perform the time-domain compensation on the first channel response, thereby causing a decrease in positioning accuracy.

[0115] To solve the above problems, the embodiments of the present application provide another possible implementation. In this implementation, the network device and / or the terminal device can indicate the first path in the first channel response and / or indicate the first time delay corresponding to the first path to the positioning management device, so that the first path in the first channel response identified by the positioning management device and the first path identified by the network device (and / or the terminal device) are the same path as much as possible, thereby improving the accuracy of the time delay compensation on the first channel response by the positioning management device and improving the positioning accuracy. In another possible implementation, the terminal device and / or the network device can perform the time-domain compensation on the first channel response. In this way, the problem of a decrease in positioning accuracy caused by the difference between the first path identified by the positioning management device and the first path identified by the network device (and / or the terminal device) can be avoided, the accuracy of the time delay compensation on the first channel response can be improved, and the positioning accuracy can be improved. The schemes provided by the embodiments of the present application are further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0116] Based on the embodiments shown in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 1C, FIG. 1D, FIG. 1E, FIG. 1F, FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, and other content described above, FIG. 5 exemplarily shows a flow diagram of a possible positioning method provided by the embodiments of the present application.

[0117] For ease of understanding, the embodiments shown in FIG. 5 are introduced from the perspective of the interaction of the first communication device, the second communication device and the positioning management device. The positioning management device in the embodiments of the present application can be the positioning management device or the chip (system) in the positioning management device involved in the foregoing FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 1C, FIG. 1D, FIG. 1E or FIG. 1F. The positioning management device can include one or more of LMF, LMC or LLMF.

[0118] The first communication device in the embodiments of the present application can be the network device or the chip (or chip system, or circuit, or unit) inside the network device in the foregoing FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 1C, FIG. 1D, FIG. 1E or FIG. 1F, or the terminal device or the chip (or chip system, or circuit, or unit) inside the terminal device in the foregoing FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 1C, FIG. 1D, FIG. 1E or FIG. 1F. The network device is, for example, the module in the access network device or ORAN in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 1C, FIG. 1D, FIG. 1E or FIG. 1F. For example, the first communication device can also be a module in the ORAN, such as a DU, a CU or a RIC.

[0119] The second communication device in the embodiments of the present application can be the network device or the chip (or chip system, or circuit, or unit) inside the network device in the foregoing FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 1C, FIG. 1D, FIG. 1E or FIG. 1F, or the terminal device or the chip (or chip system, or circuit, or unit) inside the terminal device in the foregoing FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 1C, FIG. 1D, FIG. 1E or FIG. 1F. The network device is, for example, the module in the access network device or ORAN in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 1C, FIG. 1D, FIG. 1E or FIG. 1F. For example, the second communication device can also be a module in the ORAN, such as a DU, a CU or a RIC.

[0120] There is no restriction relationship between the first communication device and the second communication device, for example, the first communication device is a terminal device or a chip (or chip system, or circuit, or unit) inside the terminal device, and the second communication device is a network device or a chip (or chip system, or circuit, or unit) inside the network device. For another example, the first communication device is a network device or a chip (or chip system, or circuit, or unit) inside the network device, and the second communication device is a terminal device or a chip (or chip system, or circuit, or unit) inside the terminal device. For another example, the first communication device is a terminal device or a chip (or chip system, or circuit, or unit) inside the terminal device, and the second communication device is a terminal device or a chip (or chip system, or circuit, or unit) inside the terminal device.

[0121] As shown in FIG. 5, the method can include the following steps.

[0122] Step 501, the second communication device sends a first signal.

[0123] Correspondingly, the first communication device receives the first signal.

[0124] For example, the first signal can be a reference signal. For example, the first signal can include one or more of PRS, SRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PTRS, CRS, SSB, or SL-SRS.

[0125] Step 502, the first communication device obtains a first channel response according to the signal.

[0126] For example, the first communication device can measure the first signal, and obtain the first channel response according to the measurement result. For example, the first channel response is a channel impulse response and / or a channel frequency response corresponding to the signal transmitted between the first communication device and the second communication device. The channel impulse response includes, for example, a CIR or part of the CIR. The channel frequency response includes, for example, a CFR or part of the CFR. The first channel response can also be replaced by fingerprint information, fingerprint feature information, a CIR fingerprint, a CFR fingerprint, etc.

[0127] For example, since the channel delay distribution is relatively concentrated, for example, concentrated in the [20, 40] sampling point range, the first channel response can include / for the sequence corresponding to the [20, 40] interval. The sampling point in the [20, 40] interval refers to the sequence corresponding to the 20th sampling point to the 40th sampling point in N sampling points in a single sampling under the current sampling rate. N can be a positive integer, such as N can be 4096, or 8192, etc.

[0128] In the embodiments of the present application, the second communication device transmits the signal, and the first communication device obtains the channel response according to the signal. In actual application, the first communication device can also transmit the signal, and the second communication device receives the signal and obtains the channel response according to the signal. The scheme is similar to the embodiment of FIG. 5, and will not be described in detail.

[0129] In step 503, the first communication device transmits a first message to the positioning management device.

[0130] Correspondingly, the positioning management device receives the first message.

[0131] The first message includes the first channel response.

[0132] The first message is used to determine a first time delay corresponding to a first path in the first channel response. In the embodiments of the present application, the first path can refer to a path corresponding to the signal transmitted between the first communication device and the second communication device, for example, the first path can be the first path. For another example, the first path is the main path, the path with the strongest signal instruction, the path with the strongest RSRP, or other paths. For another example, the first path can be the LOS path or the NLOS path. In order to facilitate understanding, the subsequent part will be introduced taking the first path as the first path as an example.

[0133] In the embodiments of the present application, the first message can indicate the first path and / or the first time delay corresponding to the first path in an explicit or implicit manner, so that the positioning management device determines that the first path (for example, the first path) in the first channel response is the same path as the first path (for example, the first path) determined by the first communication device. For another example, the first path (for example, the first path) determined by the first communication device can be used to determine the second time delay. And the positioning management device needs to adjust the first time delay of the first path identified in the first channel response to the second time delay. When the first path in the first channel response identified by the positioning management device is the same path or very close to the first path used by the first communication device to determine the second time delay, the first channel response adjusted by the positioning management device can be more accurate, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0134] The following illustrates three ways of indicating the first path or the first delay corresponding to the first path by the first message through Embodiment A1, Embodiment A2 and Embodiment A3. In Embodiment A1 and Embodiment A2, the first message can carry some information for indicating the first path or the first delay corresponding to the first path. For example, in Embodiment A1, the first message can include the first channel response and the index of the first path. For another example, in Embodiment A2, the first message can include the first channel response and the information of the first delay. In Embodiment A3, the first message can implicitly indicate the first path or the first delay corresponding to the first path by the first channel response. In Embodiment A3, the first message can not carry additional information for indicating the first path or the first delay corresponding to the first path, thus saving signaling overhead. For example, in Embodiment A3, the first message includes / for the first channel response, and the first channel response is obtained by truncating the channel impulse response and / or the channel frequency response based on the first path.

[0135] In Embodiment A1, the first message can include the first channel response and the index of the first path.

[0136] The positioning management device determines the first delay corresponding to the first path according to the index of the first path, and then performs time domain compensation on the first channel response according to the first delay.

[0137] For example, the first channel response includes a sequence of channel responses corresponding to multiple sampling points. For example, the first channel response includes a sequence of [x1, x2, x3, …, x22, x23, … xn], where x1 represents the channel response information corresponding to the first sampling point, x2 represents the channel response information corresponding to the second sampling point, x3 represents the channel response information corresponding to the third sampling point, x22 represents the channel response information corresponding to the twenty-second sampling point, x23 represents the channel response information corresponding to the twenty-third sampling point, and xn represents the channel response corresponding to the nth sampling point, where n is a positive integer, n is an integer greater than 23 in this example, and n can be the total number of sampling points. For example, the delay between two adjacent sampling points is 2.0345 ns, and the first path is the first path, for example, the first path delay is 45.43 ns, and the first path is located between the twenty-second sampling point and the twenty-third sampling point. FIG. 6 illustrates a possible schematic diagram of a first channel response, as shown in FIG. 6, the first path is the first path, and the first path is located between the twenty-second sampling point and the twenty-third sampling point. The index of the first path sent by the first communication device can include / be 22 or 23. Alternatively, the index of the first path can include / be [22, 23].

[0138] Correspondingly, after receiving the index of the first path, the positioning management device can perform the first path time delay estimation with the index of the first path as the center. In this way, the positioning management device can search for the first path in the range of 22-23 samples, i.e., in the time delay range [44.759ns, 46.7935ns], and then determine that the first path time delay is 45.43ns.

[0139] As can be seen, after the first communication device sends the index of the first path (e.g., the index of the first path) to the positioning management device, the positioning management device performs the first path search (e.g., the first path search) based on the index of the first path, and the probability that the first path (e.g., the first path) searched by the positioning management device is the same path as the first path (e.g., the first path) searched by the first communication device is relatively high. Therefore, the positioning management device can improve the accuracy of the time domain compensation of the first channel response, and thus improve the positioning accuracy.

[0140] In an embodiment A2, the first message can include the information of the first channel response and the first time delay.

[0141] The positioning management device determines the first time delay corresponding to the first path according to the information of the first time delay in the first message, and then performs the time domain compensation on the first channel response according to the first time delay.

[0142] For example, the first channel response includes a sequence of channel responses corresponding to a plurality of sampling points. For example, the first channel response includes a sequence of [x1, x2, x3, …, x22, x23, …, xn], where x1 represents the channel response information corresponding to the first sampling point, x2 represents the channel response information corresponding to the second sampling point, x3 represents the channel response information corresponding to the third sampling point, x22 represents the channel response information corresponding to the twenty-second sampling point, x23 represents the channel response information corresponding to the twenty-third sampling point, and xn represents the channel response corresponding to the nth sampling point, where n is a positive integer, and in this example, n is an integer greater than 23. n can be the total number of sampling points. Taking the first path as the first path as an example, the first path time delay is 45.43ns. The information of the first time delay included in the first message sent by the first communication device can include / be 45.43ns.

[0143] Correspondingly, after receiving the information of the first time delay, the positioning management device can perform the first path time delay estimation based on the first time delay. In this way, the positioning management device can search for the path corresponding to 45.43ns in the time delay range [44.759ns, 46.7935ns], and determine the path as the first path.

[0144] It can be seen that after the first communication device sends the first time delay information (e.g., the time delay of the first path) to the positioning management device, the positioning management device performs a first path search (e.g., a first path search) based on the first time delay information. The first path (e.g., the first path) searched by the positioning management device has a high probability of being the same path as the first path (e.g., the first path) searched by the first communication device. Therefore, the positioning management device can improve the accuracy of the time domain compensation of the first channel response in the subsequent process, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0145] In an implementation A3, the first channel response in the first message is obtained by truncating the channel impulse response and / or the channel frequency response based on the first path.

[0146] For example, the first message can not include other additional information for indicating the first path or the first time delay, and the first message is the first channel response. In this way, the signaling overhead can be saved. In the implementation A3, the positioning management device determines the index of the first path based on the first channel response, and determines the first time delay corresponding to the first path based on the index of the first path.

[0147] For example, the first path is the first path, and the first channel response is the first path truncated channel response. The first path truncated channel response is, for example, the first path truncated CIR and / or the first path truncated CFR. In the embodiments of the present application, the truncation of the channel impulse response and / or the channel frequency response based on the first path may, for example, refer to that the sequence of the first channel response is divided by the sampling point near the first path as the dividing point, and the channel response information corresponding to the sampling point near the first path in the first message reported by the first communication device is taken as the starting sampling point (instead of taking the first sampling point in the first channel response as the first sampling point in the first message).

[0148] For example, the first channel response includes a sequence of channel responses corresponding to multiple sampling points. For instance, the first channel response includes the sequence [x1, x2, x3, ..., x22, x23, ..., xn], where x1 represents the channel response information corresponding to the first sampling point, x2 represents the channel response information corresponding to the second sampling point, x3 represents the channel response information corresponding to the third sampling point, x22 represents the channel response information corresponding to the twenty-second sampling point, x23 represents the channel response information corresponding to the twenty-third sampling point, and xn represents the channel response corresponding to the nth sampling point, where n is a positive integer, and in this example, n is an integer greater than 23. n can also be the total number of sampling points. Taking the first path as the starting path as an example, for instance, the starting path is located between the twenty-second and twenty-third sampling points. The first channel response in the first message can be truncated from the twenty-second sampling point; for example, the first channel response in the first message includes the sequence [x22, x23, ..., xn]. In implementation A3, the first channel response in the first message does not include the sequence [x1, x2, x3, ..., x21]. Figure 7 illustrates a possible schematic diagram of a first channel response. As shown in Figure 7, taking the first path as the first path, and the first path being located between the 22nd and 23rd sampling points as an example, the first channel response includes the channel response information corresponding to the sampling points between the 22nd and nth sampling points.

[0149] Correspondingly, after receiving the first channel response, the positioning management device also determines the location of the first path corresponding to the first channel response in the first message, that is, near the first channel response information reported by the first channel response. Based on this, the positioning management device can perform a first path (e.g., the first path) search in this area. The probability that the first path (e.g., the first path) searched by the positioning management device is the same as the first path (e.g., the first path) searched by the first communication device is relatively high. Therefore, the subsequent positioning management device can improve the accuracy of the time-domain compensation of the first channel response, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0150] The above-described embodiments A1, A2, and A3 can be executed individually or in combination. For example, when embodiments A1 and A2 are executed together, the first message may include an index of the first path and information about the first delay, thereby more accurately assisting the positioning management device in identifying the first path. Alternatively, embodiments A1 and A3 can be executed together, where the first channel response in the first message is obtained by truncating the channel impulse response and / or channel frequency response based on the first path, and the first message also includes an index of the first path, thereby more accurately assisting the positioning management device in identifying the first path. Alternatively, embodiments A2 and A3 can be combined, or embodiments A1, A2, and A3 can be used together; the relevant content is similar to the foregoing description and will not be repeated here.

[0151] In another possible implementation, the positioning management apparatus can send a request information. Correspondingly, the first communication apparatus receives the request information. For example, the request information can comprise / be a channel response measurement request or a fingerprint measurement request (e.g., a CIR fingerprint measurement request, or a CFR fingerprint measurement request). For another example, the request information is used to request information of a first path in the first channel response and / or a time delay of the first path. The first communication apparatus can determine the specific content of the first message to be reported according to the request information. For example, if the request information indicates that the first communication apparatus reports an index of the first path, the first communication apparatus can send the index of the first path (see implementation A1). For another example, if the request information indicates that the first communication apparatus reports information of the first time delay, the first communication apparatus can send the information of the first time delay (see implementation A2). For yet another example, if the request information indicates that the first communication apparatus reports a channel response obtained by truncating a channel impulse response and / or a channel frequency response based on the first path, the first communication apparatus can send the channel response obtained by truncating the channel impulse response and / or the channel frequency response based on the first path (see implementation A3).

[0152] In step 504, the positioning management apparatus obtains a second time delay.

[0153] For example, the second time delay is a signal propagation time length corresponding to the first path between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus. For example, the second time delay is a TOF of a signal transmitted between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus.

[0154] The first time delay and the second time delay can be the same or can have a deviation. For example, the first time delay comprises a signal propagation time length corresponding to the first path between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus, and other time delays. The other time delays comprise at least one of the following, for example: a deviation between a clock of the first communication apparatus and a clock of the second communication apparatus, a signal processing time delay of the first communication apparatus, or a signal processing time delay of the second communication apparatus. The second time delay does not comprise the other time delays mentioned above, for example, the second time delay does not comprise the deviation between the clock of the first communication apparatus and the clock of the second communication apparatus, the signal processing time delay of the first communication apparatus, and the signal processing time delay of the second communication apparatus.

[0155] Since the first time delay comprises some other time delays, the accuracy of the first channel response is reduced. In the embodiments of the present application, the positioning management apparatus can adjust the first time delay corresponding to the first path in the first channel response to the second time delay according to the second time delay. The first time delay corresponding to the first path in the first channel response after the adjustment can not comprise some deviations (e.g., a clock deviation between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus), that is, the first channel response after the adjustment is more consistent with the actual channel condition, and thus the positioning accuracy can be improved.

[0156] The positioning management apparatus in the embodiments of the present application can obtain the second time delay through various schemes. For example, the second time delay is determined based on at least one of RTT, RTOA or TDOA.

[0157] Taking RTT as an example, a scheme in which the positioning management apparatus obtains the second time delay is introduced. For example, the positioning management apparatus initiates Multi-RTT positioning. FIG. 8 shows a possible flowchart of determination of the second time delay. As shown in FIG. 8, the first communication apparatus sends a second signal to the second communication apparatus, and the first communication apparatus records the sending time t0 of the second signal. The second communication apparatus receives the second signal and records the receiving time t1 of the second signal. The second communication apparatus sends a third signal to the first communication apparatus, and the second communication apparatus records the sending time t2 of the third signal. The first communication apparatus receives the third signal and records the receiving time t3 of the third signal. The positioning management apparatus receives t0 and t3 from the first communication apparatus, and receives t2 and t1 from the second communication apparatus. The positioning management apparatus calculates the second time delay = ((t3-t0)-(t2-t1)) / 2, wherein “ / ” represents division.

[0158] In step 505, the positioning management apparatus adjusts the first time delay corresponding to the first path of the first channel response to the second time delay, to obtain a second channel response.

[0159] For example, the positioning management apparatus obtains the first time delay t_first corresponding to the first path in the first channel response, and obtains the second time delay t_of. The positioning management apparatus can calculate the difference Δt = t_of-t_first. The positioning management apparatus can move (for example, right shift or left shift) the first channel response (for example, CIR fingerprint) in the time domain by Δt, so that the time delay of the first path (for example, the first path) in the first channel response (for example, CIR fingerprint) is equal to t_of. At this time, the LMF obtains the channel response (for example, CIR fingerprint information) in which the time delay of the first path (for example, the first path) is aligned to the second time delay (for example, ToF).

[0160] Since the first time delay includes some other time delays, the accuracy of the first channel response is reduced. In the embodiments of the present application, the positioning management apparatus can adjust the first time delay corresponding to the first path in the first channel response to the second time delay according to the second time delay, so that the time delay corresponding to the first path in the adjusted first channel response can not include some deviations (for example, clock deviation between the first communication apparatus and the second communication apparatus), that is, the adjusted first channel response is more consistent with the actual channel condition, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0161] FIG. 9 illustrates a possible diagram of a second channel response after time domain compensation of the first channel response shown in FIG. 6. As shown in FIG. 9, the positioning management device searches for the first path (e.g., the first path) in the range of the twenty-second and twenty-third sampling points of the first channel response, or in the vicinity of the first time delay 45.43 ns, and finds the first path (e.g., the first path) with a time delay of 45.43 ns. The second time delay (e.g., ToF calculated based on RTT) obtained by the positioning management device is 25.43 ns, and the positioning management device moves the curve (e.g., the curve corresponding to the CIR sequence) corresponding to the first channel response information to the left by 20 ns (45.43 ns-25.43 ns=20 ns), so that the time delay of the first path (e.g., the first path) in the first channel response is adjusted from 45.43 ns to 25.43 ns. The time delay of the first path (e.g., the first path) in the first channel response is aligned to the second time delay (e.g., ToF) of the first path (e.g., the first path). Thus, the positioning based on the second channel response by the positioning management device can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0162] FIG. 10 illustrates a possible diagram of a second channel response after time domain compensation of the first channel response shown in FIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 10, the first message includes the first channel response truncated based on the first path. The positioning management device searches for the first path (e.g., the first path) in the vicinity of the first channel response information (the channel response information corresponding to the twenty-second sampling point) in the received first channel response, and finds the first path (e.g., the first path) with a time delay of 0.671 ns (45.43-22*2.0345=0.671 ns, the values in the formula can be referred to the description in the foregoing example provided in FIG. 7). The second time delay (e.g., ToF calculated based on RTT) obtained by the positioning management device is 25.43 ns, and the positioning management device moves the curve (e.g., the curve corresponding to the CIR sequence) corresponding to the first channel response information to the right by 24.759 ns (25.43-0.671=24.759 ns), so that the time delay of the first path (e.g., the first path) in the first channel response is adjusted from 0.671 ns to 25.43 ns. The time delay of the first path (e.g., the first path) in the first channel response is aligned to the second time delay (e.g., ToF) of the first path (e.g., the first path). Thus, the positioning based on the second channel response by the positioning management device can improve the positioning accuracy.

[0163] In step 506, the positioning management device performs positioning based on the second channel response.

[0164] As can be seen from the scheme shown in FIG. 5, since the positioning management apparatus can determine the first path in the first channel response and / or the first time delay corresponding to the first path through the first message, the probability that the first path identified by the positioning management apparatus is the same path as the first path identified by the first communication apparatus is relatively high. In addition, the first path (e.g., the first path) determined by the first communication apparatus can be used to determine the second time delay. Then, the positioning management apparatus needs to adjust the first time delay of the first path identified in the first channel response to the second time delay. When the first path in the first channel response identified by the positioning management apparatus is the same path or a path very close to the first path used by the first communication apparatus to determine the second time delay, the first channel response adjusted by the positioning management apparatus can be relatively accurate, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0165] Based on the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 1E, 1F, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, and other content described above, FIG. 11 exemplarily shows a flow diagram of a possible positioning method provided by the embodiments.

[0166] For ease of understanding, the embodiments shown in FIG. 11 are introduced from the perspective of the interaction of the first communication apparatus, the second communication apparatus, and the positioning management apparatus. The content of the first communication apparatus, the second communication apparatus, and the positioning management apparatus in the embodiments can be referred to the description of FIG. 5 above, and will not be described herein again.

[0167] As shown in FIG. 11, the method can include the following steps.

[0168] In step 1101, the second communication apparatus sends a first signal.

[0169] Correspondingly, the first communication apparatus receives the first signal.

[0170] The content of step 1101 can be referred to the description of step 501 above, and will not be described herein again.

[0171] In step 1102, the first communication apparatus acquires a first channel response according to the signal.

[0172] The content of the first channel response, the first path in the first channel response, and the first time delay corresponding to the first path in the first channel response can be referred to the content of FIG. 5 above, and will not be described herein again.

[0173] The content of step 1102 can be referred to the description of step 502 above, and will not be described herein again.

[0174] In step 1103, the first communication apparatus acquires a second time delay.

[0175] The content of the second time delay can be referred to the content of FIG. 5 above, and will not be described herein again.

[0176] The first communication device in the embodiments of the present application can obtain the second time delay through various schemes. A scheme for the first communication device to obtain the second time delay is introduced by taking RTT as an example. For example, the positioning management device initiates Multi-RTT positioning. The first communication device sends a second signal to the second communication device, and records the sending time t2 of the second signal. The second communication device receives the second signal and records the receiving time t3 of the second signal. The second communication device sends a third signal to the first communication device, and records the sending time t0 of the third signal. The first communication device receives the third signal and records the receiving time t1 of the third signal. The first communication device receives (for example, from the positioning management device)

[0177] the information of the receiving time of the second signal and the information of the sending time of the third signal. The first communication device determines the second time delay according to the sending time and the receiving time of the second signal, and the sending time and the receiving time of the third signal. For example, the positioning management device receives t2 and t1 from the second communication device, and sends t2 and t1 (or the difference between t2 and t1) to the first communication device. The second time delay calculated by the first communication device = ((t3-t0)-(t2-t1)) / 2, wherein “ / ” represents division.

[0178] The positioning management device can send t2 and t1 (or the difference between t2 and t1) to the first communication device through a measurement request (for example, the request information involved in FIG. 5, such as a CIR fingerprint measurement request), or through other signaling.

[0179] Step 1104, the first communication device adjusts the first time delay corresponding to the first path of the first channel response to the second time delay, to obtain a second channel response.

[0180] The first communication device can search for the first path in the first channel response, and then perform step 1104. The content of step 1104 can refer to the content of the aforementioned step 505. The manner in which the first communication device obtains the second channel response is similar to the manner in which the positioning management device obtains the second channel response. The difference is that the positioning management device needs to determine the first path in the first channel response in combination with the first message, and the first communication device does not need to use the first message. The first communication device can search for the first path in the first channel response. Other contents are similar to the description of FIG. 5, and will not be described here.

[0181] Step 1105, the first communication device sends the second channel response to the positioning management device.

[0182] Correspondingly, the positioning management device receives the second channel response.

[0183] Step 1106, the positioning management device performs positioning according to the second channel response.

[0184] The content of step 1106 can refer to the description of step 506, and will not be repeated here.

[0185] As can be seen from the scheme shown in FIG. 11, the first communication device adjusts the first delay of the first path identified in the first channel response to a second delay. The adjusted first channel response can be more accurate, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0186] In a possible implementation, the first communication device can further send indication information. The indication information can be carried in the same message as the second channel response, or in two separate messages. The indication information is used to indicate that the delay corresponding to the first path in the second channel response is the adjusted delay. For example, the indication information can occupy one bit. If the bit value of the bit is 1, it can indicate that the delay corresponding to the first path in the channel response sent by the first communication device to the positioning management device is the adjusted delay; if the bit value of the bit is 0, it can indicate that the delay corresponding to the first path in the channel response sent by the first communication device to the positioning management device is the unadjusted delay. In this way, the positioning management device can determine the accuracy of the received channel response according to the indication information. For example, the positioning management device can use the channel response with the adjusted delay as the training data of the network, thereby improving the accuracy of fingerprint positioning.

[0187] It can be understood that, in order to implement the functions in the above embodiments, the second communication device, the first communication device and the positioning management device can include hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the respective functions. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and method steps of the examples described in the embodiments disclosed in the present application, the present application can be realized in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a certain function is implemented in hardware or computer software driven hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0188] Based on the same concept, FIG. 12 and FIG. 13 are structural schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided by the embodiments of the present application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of the terminal or base station in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects possessed by the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of the present application, the communication device can be a terminal device, a network device (such as a RAN node) or a positioning management device as shown in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 1C, FIG. 1D, FIG. 1E, FIG. 1F, or a chip system applied to the terminal device, the network device or the positioning management device shown in FIG. 1A, FIG. 1B, FIG. 1C, FIG. 1D, FIG. 1E, FIG. 1F.

[0189] As shown in FIG. 12, the communication apparatus 1300 includes a processing unit 1310 and a transceiver unit 1320. The communication apparatus 1300 is configured to implement the functions of the first communication apparatus, the second communication apparatus, or the positioning management apparatus in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 11.

[0190] When the communication apparatus 1300 is configured to implement the functions of the positioning management apparatus in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the processing unit 1310 is configured to: receive, by the transceiver unit 1320, the first message, obtain the second time delay, adjust the first time delay corresponding to the first path of the first channel response to the second time delay, obtain the second channel response, and perform positioning according to the second channel response.

[0191] In a possible implementation, when the communication apparatus 1300 is configured to implement the functions of the positioning management apparatus in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the processing unit 1310 is configured to: determine the first time delay corresponding to the first path according to the index of the first path and / or the information of the first time delay.

[0192] In a possible implementation, when the communication apparatus 1300 is configured to implement the functions of the positioning management apparatus in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the processing unit 1310 is configured to: determine the index of the first path according to the first channel response, and determine the first time delay corresponding to the first path according to the index of the first path.

[0193] In a possible implementation, when the communication apparatus 1300 is configured to implement the functions of the positioning management apparatus in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the processing unit 1310 is configured to: send, by the transceiver unit 1320, the request information.

[0194] In a possible implementation, when the communication apparatus 1300 is configured to implement the functions of the first communication apparatus in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the processing unit 1310 is configured to: obtain the first channel response, and send, by the transceiver unit 1320, the first message.

[0195] In a possible implementation, when the communication apparatus 1300 is configured to implement the functions of the first communication apparatus in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the processing unit 1310 is configured to: receive, by the transceiver unit 1320, the request information.

[0196] In a possible implementation, when the communication apparatus 1300 is configured to implement the functions of the first communication apparatus in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the processing unit 1310 is configured to: receive, by the transceiver unit 1320, the first signal, perform measurement on the first signal to obtain the first channel response, obtain the first time delay corresponding to the first path in the first channel response, obtain the second time delay, adjust the first time delay corresponding to the first path of the first channel response to the second time delay, obtain the second channel response, and send, by the transceiver unit 1320, the second channel response and the indication information.

[0197] In a possible implementation, when the communication apparatus 1300 is configured to implement the function of the first communication apparatus in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the processing unit 1310 is configured to: send, by the transceiver unit 1320, the second signal to the second communication apparatus, receive, by the transceiver unit 1320, the third signal from the second communication apparatus, receive, by the transceiver unit 1320, the information of the receiving time of the second signal and the information of the sending time of the third signal, and determine the second time delay according to the sending time and the receiving time of the second signal and the sending time and the receiving time of the third signal.

[0198] In a possible implementation, when the communication apparatus 1300 is configured to implement the function of the positioning management apparatus in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the processing unit 1310 is configured to: receive, by the transceiver unit 1320, the second channel response and the indication information, and perform positioning according to the second channel response.

[0199] In a possible implementation, when the communication apparatus 1300 is configured to implement the function of the positioning management apparatus in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 11, the processing unit 1310 is configured to: send, by the transceiver unit 1320, the information of the receiving time of the second signal and the information of the sending time of the third signal.

[0200] For more detailed description of the processing unit 1310 and the transceiver unit 1320, refer to the description in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 11.

[0201] As shown in FIG. 13, the communication apparatus 1400 includes a processor 1410 and an interface circuit 1420. The processor 1410 and the interface circuit 1420 are coupled with each other. It can be understood that the interface circuit 1420 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface. Optionally, the communication apparatus 1400 can further include a memory 1430 configured to store instructions executed by the processor 1410 or store input data required by the processor 1410 to execute instructions or store data generated after the processor 1410 executes instructions.

[0202] When the communication apparatus 1400 is configured to implement the method shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 11, the processor 1410 is configured to implement the function of the processing unit 1310, and the interface circuit 1420 is configured to implement the function of the transceiver unit 1320.

[0203] When the communication device is a chip applied to a terminal, the terminal chip implements the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiments. The terminal chip receives information from the base station, which can be understood as the information being received by other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal first, and then being sent to the terminal chip by the modules. The terminal chip sends information to the base station, which can be understood as the information being sent to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the terminal first, and then being sent to the base station by the modules.

[0204] When the communication device is a chip applied to a base station, the base station chip implements the functions of the network device in the method embodiments. The base station chip receives information from the terminal, which can be understood as the information being received by other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the base station first, and then being sent to the base station chip by the modules. The base station chip sends information to the terminal, which can be understood as the information being sent to other modules (such as a radio frequency module or an antenna) in the base station first, and then being sent to the terminal by the modules.

[0205] Based on the same concept, the embodiments of the present application provide a computer readable storage medium, and the storage medium stores a computer program or instructions. When the computer program or instructions are executed by a communication device, the functions of the first communication device, the second communication device, or the positioning management device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 11 are implemented.

[0206] Based on the same concept, the embodiments of the present application provide a computer program product, and the computer program product stores a computer program. The computer program includes program instructions, and the program instructions implement the functions of the first communication device, the second communication device, or the positioning management device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. 11 when the program instructions are executed by a computer.

[0207] In the present application, entity A sending information to entity B can be A directly sending to B, or A indirectly sending to B through other entities. Similarly, entity B receiving information from entity A can be entity B directly receiving the information sent by entity A, or entity B indirectly receiving the information sent by entity A through other entities. Here, entity A and B can be RAN nodes or terminals, or modules inside RAN nodes or terminals. The sending and receiving of information can be the information interaction between RAN nodes and terminals, for example, the information interaction between a base station and a terminal. The sending and receiving of information can also be the information interaction between two RAN nodes, for example, the information interaction between a CU and a DU. The sending and receiving of information can also be the information interaction between different modules inside one device, for example, the information interaction between a terminal chip and other modules in the terminal, or the information interaction between a base station chip and other modules in the base station.

[0208] It is appreciated that the processor in the embodiments of the present application can be a central processing unit (CPU), and can also be other general-purpose processors, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components or any combination thereof. The general-purpose processor can be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0209] The method steps in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented in hardware or in software instructions executable by a processor. The software instructions can be composed of corresponding software modules, which can be stored in a random access memory, a flash memory, a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an erasable programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a register, a hard disk, a mobile hard disk, a CD-ROM or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor, so that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. The storage medium can also be an integral part of the processor. The processor and the storage medium can be located in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC can be located in a base station or a terminal. The processor and the storage medium can also exist as discrete components in the base station or the terminal.

[0210] In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by software, all or part of the embodiments can be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer programs or instructions. When the computer programs or instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions of the embodiments are performed. The computer can be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a computer network, a network device, a user equipment or other programmable apparatus. The computer programs or instructions can be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transferred from one computer readable storage medium to another computer readable storage medium, for example, the computer programs or instructions can be transferred from one website site, computer, server or data center to another website site, computer, server or data center through wired or wireless manner. The computer readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center and the like integrated with one or more available media. The available media can be a magnetic medium, such as a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape; or an optical medium, such as a digital video disc; or a semiconductor medium, such as a solid state disk. The computer readable storage medium can be a volatile or non-volatile storage medium, or can include both volatile and non-volatile storage media.

[0211] In various embodiments of the present application, the terms and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referred to each other if there is no special description and logical conflict, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0212] In the present application, "at least one" means one or more, and "multiple" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of the associated objects, which means that there can be three kinds of relationships, for example, A and / or B, which can represent the following cases: A exists alone, A and B exist together, B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the literal description of the present application, the character " / ", generally represents that the front and rear associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of the present application, the character " / ", represents that the front and rear associated objects are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B or C" can represent: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0213] It can be understood that various numbers (such as the numerical numbers "first", "second", such as the alphabetical numbers "A1", "A2", etc.) involved in the embodiments of the present application are only for the convenience of differentiation, and are not used to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application. The size of the serial number of the above processes does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of the processes should be determined according to its function and inherent logic.

Claims

1. A positioning method, characterized by, The method comprises: receiving a first message, the first message comprising a first channel response corresponding to a channel impulse response and / or a channel frequency response of a signal transmitted between a first communication device and a second communication device, and the first message being used to determine a first time delay corresponding to a first path in the first channel response; obtaining a second time delay corresponding to a signal propagation time of the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device; adjusting the first time delay corresponding to the first path in the first channel response to the second time delay to obtain a second channel response; performing positioning according to the second channel response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, The first time delay comprises a signal propagation time of the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device, and at least one of the following: a deviation between a clock of the first communication device and a clock of the second communication device, a signal processing time delay of the first communication device, or a signal processing time delay of the second communication device.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The second time delay is determined based on at least one of a round trip time (RTT), a relative time of arrival (RTOA), or a time difference of arrival (TDOA).

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first message further comprises an index of the first path, and / or information of the first time delay. The method further comprises: determining the first time delay corresponding to the first path according to the index of the first path and / or the information of the first time delay.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The first channel response is obtained by truncating the channel impulse response and / or the channel frequency response based on the first path. The method further comprises: determining the index of the first path according to the first channel response; determining the first time delay corresponding to the first path according to the index of the first path.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, Before the first message is received, the method further comprises: sending request information, the request information being used to request information of the first path and / or a time delay of the first path in the first channel response.

7. A positioning method characterized by, The method comprises: obtaining a first channel response corresponding to a channel impulse response and / or a channel frequency response of a signal transmitted between a first communication device and a second communication device; sending a first message, the first message comprising the first channel response, and the first message being used to determine a first time delay corresponding to a first path in the first channel response.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, The first time delay is used to determine a second channel response obtained by adjusting the first time delay corresponding to the first path in the first channel response to a second time delay, the second time delay being a signal propagation time of the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device, and the second channel response being used for positioning.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, The second time delay is determined based on at least one of a round trip time (RTT), a relative time of arrival (RTOA), or a time difference of arrival (TDOA).

10. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that, The first time delay comprises a signal propagation time of the first path between the first communication device and the second communication device, and at least one of the following: a deviation between a clock of the first communication device and a clock of the second communication device, a signal processing time delay of the first communication device, or a signal processing time delay of the second communication device. a deviation between a clock of the first communication device and a clock of the second communication device, a signal processing delay of the first communication device, or a signal processing delay of the second communication device.

11. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 10, wherein, The first message further comprises an index of the first path and / or information of the first delay.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 11, characterized in that, The first channel response is obtained by truncating the channel impulse response and / or the channel frequency response based on the first path.

13. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 12, wherein, Before the first message is sent, the method further comprises: receiving request information, the request information being used to request information of the first path and / or a delay of the first path in the first channel response.

14. A communications device, characterized by comprising a module for performing the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or a module for performing the method of any one of claims 7 to 13.

15. A communications device, characterized by comprising a processor and an interface circuit for receiving signals from other communication devices and transmitting signals to the processor or sending signals from the processor to other communication devices, the processor being configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method of any one of claims 7 to 13, by means of logic circuitry or by executing code instructions.

16. A communications device, characterized by comprising a processor, the processor being configured to implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method of any one of claims 7 to 13, by means of logic circuitry or by executing code instructions.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method of any one of claims 7 to 13.

18. A computer program product, characterised in that, The computer program product stores a computer program, the computer program comprising program instructions, which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 6, or the method of any one of claims 7 to 13.

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