Positioning methods, devices, system and storage medium

Abstract

Provided in the present disclosure are positioning methods, devices, a system and a storage medium. A method comprises: sending a first message to an ambient Internet of Things device, wherein the first message is used for initiating a positioning process, and the positioning process is used for positioning the ambient Internet of Things device. The present disclosure can support positioning, addressing, etc., in an Internet of Things scenario, especially an ambient Internet of Things scenario, thereby improving the availability of Internet of Things technology.

Description

Positioning methods, devices, systems, and storage media Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of communications, and in particular to positioning methods, devices, systems and storage media. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, the application of the Internet of Things (IoT) is becoming increasingly widespread, especially in the field of passive IoT (Ambient Internet of Things). Ambient IoT devices can obtain energy from the outside world and be charged, thus having better application prospects. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To improve the usability of Internet of Things (IoT) technology, embodiments of this disclosure provide a positioning method, device, system, and storage medium.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a positioning method is provided, the method being performed by a first device, the first device being a reader of an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device, the method comprising:

[0005] A first message is sent to the environmental IoT device, the first message being used to initiate a positioning process, the positioning process being used to locate the environmental IoT device.

[0006] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a positioning method is provided, the method being performed by an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device, the method comprising:

[0007] The system receives a first message sent by a first device, which is a reader of the environmental IoT device. The first message is used to initiate a positioning process, which is the process of locating the environmental IoT device.

[0008] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a positioning method is provided, the method being performed by a second device, the second device being a device for transmitting a sine wave to an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device, the method comprising:

[0009] The system receives a first message from a first device, which is a reader for an environmental IoT device. The first message is used to initiate a positioning process, which is used to locate the environmental IoT device.

[0010] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided, the first device being a reader for an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device, the first device comprising:

[0011] The transceiver module is configured to send a first message to the environmental IoT device, the first message being used to initiate a positioning process, the positioning process being used to locate the environmental IoT device.

[0012] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, an environmental IoT device is provided, the environmental IoT device comprising:

[0013] The transceiver module is configured to receive a first message sent by a first device, which is a reader of the environmental IoT device. The first message is used to initiate a positioning process, which is the process of locating the environmental IoT device.

[0014] According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided, the second device being a device for transmitting a sine wave to an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device, the second device comprising:

[0015] The transceiver module is configured to receive a first message sent by a first device, which is a reader of an environmental IoT device. The first message is used to initiate a positioning process, which is used to locate the environmental IoT device.

[0016] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided, comprising:

[0017] One or more processors;

[0018] The processor is used to execute the positioning method described in any one of the first aspects.

[0019] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device is provided, comprising:

[0020] One or more processors;

[0021] The processor is used to execute the positioning method described in any one of the second aspects.

[0022] According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided, comprising:

[0023] One or more processors;

[0024] The processor is used to execute the positioning method described in any one of the third aspects.

[0025] According to a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication system is provided, comprising:

[0026] A first device, the first device being configured to implement the positioning method as described in any one of the first aspects;

[0027] An environmental IoT device, the environmental IoT device being configured to implement the positioning method described in any one of the second aspects;

[0028] The second device is configured to implement the positioning method described in any one of the third aspects.

[0029] According to an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, a storage medium is provided that stores instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform a positioning method as described in any one of the first, second, or third aspects.

[0030] According to a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, is used to implement the positioning method described in any one of the first, second, or third aspects.

[0031] In this embodiment of the disclosure, the first device can send a first message to the environmental IoT device to initiate a positioning process, supporting positioning and addressing in IoT scenarios, especially environmental IoT scenarios, thereby improving the usability of IoT technology.

[0032] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Attached Figure Description

[0033] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

[0034] Figure 1A is an exemplary schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 1B is an exemplary schematic diagram of an inventory process provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 1C is an exemplary schematic diagram of different device states provided according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 2A is one of the exemplary interactive schematic diagrams of the positioning method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 2B is a second exemplary interactive schematic diagram of the positioning method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 3A is one of the exemplary flowcharts of a positioning method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 3B is a second exemplary flowchart of a positioning method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 3C is a third exemplary flowchart of a positioning method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 3D is a fourth exemplary flowchart of a positioning method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 3E is a fifth exemplary flowchart of a positioning method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0044] Figure 3F is a sixth exemplary flowchart of a positioning method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0045] Figure 3G is a seventh exemplary flowchart of a positioning method provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0046] Figure 4A is a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario of single-phase frequency hopping transmission provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] Figure 4B is a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario of multiphase frequency hopping transmission provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0048] Figure 4C is a schematic diagram of an exemplary scenario of baseband processing operation provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0049] Figure 5A is an exemplary block diagram of a first device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0050] Figure 5B is an exemplary block diagram of an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0051] Figure 5C is an exemplary block diagram of a second device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0052] Figure 6A is an exemplary interactive schematic diagram of a communication device provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] Figure 6B is an exemplary interactive schematic diagram of a chip provided according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0054] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numerals in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present invention. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the invention as detailed in the appended claims.

[0055] This disclosure provides a positioning method, device, system, and storage medium.

[0056] In a first aspect, embodiments of this disclosure propose a positioning method, which is executed by a first device, the first device being a reader for an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device. The method includes: sending a first message to the environmental IoT device, the first message being used to initiate a positioning process, the positioning process being used to locate the environmental IoT device.

[0057] In the above embodiments, the first device can send a first message to the environmental IoT device to initiate the positioning process, supporting positioning and addressing in IoT scenarios, especially environmental IoT scenarios, thereby improving the availability of IoT technology.

[0058] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving at least one feedback signal sent by the environmental IoT device to obtain at least one first signal, wherein the at least one feedback signal is a signal sent by the environmental IoT device to the first device after receiving a sine wave at at least one frequency point; and determining a measurement quantity related to the positioning process based on the at least one first signal.

[0059] In the above embodiments, the first device can determine the measurement quantity related to the positioning process based on at least one received first signal, thereby supporting positioning, addressing, etc. in IoT scenarios, especially environmental IoT scenarios, and improving the availability of IoT technology.

[0060] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: transmitting the sine wave to the environmental IoT device at the at least one frequency point.

[0061] In the above embodiments, the first device can send a sine wave to the environmental IoT device, which is simple to implement and highly available.

[0062] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, a first duration is spaced between the first time point and the second time point, the first time point being the end time when the first device sends the first message, the second time point being the end time when the first device sends the sine wave, and the first duration being the shortest duration for the environmental IoT device to parse the first message.

[0063] In the above embodiments, a first duration is required between the end time of sending the first message and the end time of sending the sine wave, so that the environmental IoT device can parse the first message, thereby improving the reliability of the positioning process.

[0064] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: performing a frequency hopping operation; and sending the sine wave to the environmental IoT device at at least one frequency point after the frequency hopping.

[0065] In the above embodiments, the first device can perform frequency hopping and send the sine wave to the environmental IoT device at at least one frequency point after frequency hopping. This effectively combines the positioning process with frequency hopping, resulting in a simple and highly usable solution.

[0066] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending the first message again to the environmental IoT device.

[0067] In the above embodiments, the first device can send the first message to the environmental IoT device again after performing the frequency hopping operation, so that the environmental IoT device can determine that the first device has performed the frequency hopping operation, thereby improving the reliability of the positioning process.

[0068] In some embodiments, in conjunction with the first aspect, the method further includes: sending the first message to a second device, the second device being a device for sending the sine wave to the environmental Internet of Things device.

[0069] In the above embodiments, the second device can send a sine wave to the environmental IoT device, saving the resources of the first device and making it simple to implement and highly available.

[0070] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending indication information to the second device, the indication information being used to instruct the second device to perform a frequency hopping operation.

[0071] In the above embodiments, the first device can trigger the second device to perform frequency hopping, effectively combining the positioning process with the frequency modulation operation, thereby improving the reliability of the positioning process.

[0072] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following: at least one first frequency point, the at least one first frequency point being the frequency point at which the second device sends the sine wave to the environmental IoT device after performing the frequency hopping operation; and a third time point, the third time point being the time point at which the second device performs the frequency hopping operation.

[0073] In the above embodiments, the indication information may instruct the second device to transmit at least one first frequency point of a sine wave after performing a frequency hopping operation, and / or instruct the second device to perform the frequency hopping operation at a third time point. This improves the reliability of the second device performing the frequency hopping operation.

[0074] In some embodiments, in conjunction with the first aspect, the method further includes: sending positioning measurement information to the core network equipment, wherein the positioning measurement information includes at least the measurement quantity.

[0075] In the above embodiments, the first device can provide positioning measurement information to the core network device so that the core network device can determine the positioning result, thereby improving the availability and reliability of positioning in IoT scenarios, especially in environmental IoT scenarios.

[0076] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the positioning measurement information further includes at least one of the following: device identifier, which is the identifier of the environmental IoT device or the temporary identification identifier of the environmental IoT device; frequency point information.

[0077] In the above embodiments, the positioning measurement information may further include at least one of the above-mentioned items, which improves the reliability and usability of positioning.

[0078] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the measured quantity includes at least one of the following: phase information, the phase information being used to indicate the phase of the feedback signal arriving at the first device; and phase difference information, the phase difference information being used to indicate the phase difference between at least two feedback signals arriving at the first device.

[0079] In the above embodiments, the measurement quantity may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the above, which is simple to implement and highly usable.

[0080] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the feedback signal includes any one of the following: a second signal, the second signal being a signal that backscatters the sine wave without performing baseband processing; a first sequence, the first sequence being a sequence that has performed baseband processing; wherein the baseband processing includes at least frequency offset processing.

[0081] In the above embodiments, the feedback signal may include, but is not limited to, any of the above, supporting positioning, addressing, etc. in IoT scenarios, especially environmental IoT scenarios, thereby improving the usability of IoT technology.

[0082] In conjunction with some embodiments of the first aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending a second message to the environmental IoT device, the second message being used to terminate the positioning process.

[0083] In the above embodiments, the first device can terminate the positioning process through the second message, thereby improving the reliability of the positioning process.

[0084] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure propose a positioning method, which is executed by an environmental IoT device. The method includes: receiving a first message sent by a first device, wherein the first device is a reader of the environmental IoT device, and the first message is used to initiate a positioning process, wherein the positioning process is a process of locating the environmental IoT device.

[0085] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: sending at least one feedback signal to the first device based on the received sine wave, wherein the at least one feedback signal is a signal sent to the first device by the environmental IoT device after receiving the sine wave at at least one frequency point.

[0086] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes any one of the following: receiving the sine wave transmitted by the first device at the at least one frequency point; receiving the sine wave transmitted by the second device at the at least one frequency point, wherein the second device is a device for transmitting the sine wave to the environmental Internet of Things device.

[0087] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the feedback signal includes any one of the following: a second signal, the second signal being a signal that backscatters the sine wave without performing baseband processing; a first sequence, the first sequence being a sequence that has performed baseband processing; wherein the baseband processing includes at least frequency offset processing.

[0088] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: the positioning process ends, and a switch to a first state is made, the first state including at least one of the following: a charging state; an information detection state, the information detection state being used to detect information sent by the first device.

[0089] In conjunction with some embodiments of the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes at least one of the following: determining the end of the positioning process when the duration for which the first energy value is less than or equal to the first value reaches a second duration, wherein the first energy value is the energy value of the sine wave; determining the end of the positioning process when receiving a second message sent by the first device, wherein the second message is used to terminate the positioning process.

[0090] Thirdly, embodiments of this disclosure propose a positioning method, which is executed by a second device, the second device being a device for sending a sine wave to an environmental IoT device. The method includes: receiving a first message sent by a first device, the first device being a reader of the environmental IoT device, the first message being used to initiate a positioning process, the positioning process being used to locate the environmental IoT device.

[0091] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: based on the first message, sending the sine wave to the environmental IoT device at at least one frequency point.

[0092] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, a first duration is spaced between the fourth time point and the fifth time point, wherein the fourth time point is the time when the second device receives the first message, the fifth time point is the end time when the second device sends the sine wave, and the first duration is the shortest duration for the environmental IoT device to parse the first message.

[0093] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving indication information sent by the first device, the indication information being used to instruct the second device to perform a frequency hopping operation; performing the frequency hopping operation based on the indication information; and sending the sine wave to the environmental IoT device at at least one first frequency point, the at least one first frequency point being the frequency point at which the second device sends the sine wave to the environmental IoT device after performing the frequency hopping operation.

[0094] In conjunction with some embodiments of the third aspect, in some embodiments, the indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the at least one first frequency point; and a third time point, the third time point being the time point at which the second device performs the frequency hopping operation.

[0095] Fourthly, this disclosure provides a first device, which is a reader for an environmental IoT device. The first device includes a transceiver module configured to send a first message to the environmental IoT device. The first message is used to initiate a positioning process, which is used to locate the environmental IoT device.

[0096] Fifthly, this disclosure provides an environmental IoT device, which includes a transceiver module configured to receive a first message sent by a first device, wherein the first device is a reader of the environmental IoT device, and the first message is used to initiate a positioning process, wherein the positioning process is a process of locating the environmental IoT device.

[0097] In a sixth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a second device for transmitting a sine wave to an environmental IoT device. The second device includes a transceiver module configured to receive a first message sent by a first device, wherein the first device is a reader for the environmental IoT device, and the first message is used to initiate a positioning process for locating the environmental IoT device.

[0098] In a seventh aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a first device comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processors are configured to perform the positioning method described in any one aspect.

[0099] Eighthly, embodiments of this disclosure provide an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device, comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processors are configured to perform the positioning method described in any one of the second aspects.

[0100] In a ninth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a second device comprising: one or more processors; wherein the processors are configured to perform the positioning method described in any one of the third aspects.

[0101] In a tenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a communication system comprising: a first device configured to implement the positioning method described in any one of the first aspects; an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device configured to implement the positioning method described in any one of the second aspects; and a second device configured to implement the positioning method described in any one of the third aspects.

[0102] Eleventhly, embodiments of this disclosure provide a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on a communication device, cause the communication device to perform a positioning method as described in any one of the first, second, or third aspects.

[0103] In a twelfth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a computer program product, including a computer program that, when executed by a processor, is used to implement the positioning method described in any one of the first, second, or third aspects.

[0104] In a thirteenth aspect, embodiments of this disclosure provide a chip or chip system. The chip or chip system includes processing circuitry configured to perform the methods described according to optional implementations of the first, second, or third aspects above.

[0105] It is understood that the first device, environmental IoT device, second device, communication system, storage medium, computer program product, chip or chip system described above are all used to perform the methods proposed in the embodiments of this disclosure. Therefore, the beneficial effects that can be achieved can be referred to the beneficial effects in the corresponding methods, and will not be repeated here.

[0106] This disclosure provides a positioning method, device, system, and storage medium. In some embodiments, the terms "positioning method" and "information transmission method," "communication method," etc., can be used interchangeably; the terms "positioning device" and "information transmission device," "communication device," etc., can be used interchangeably; and the terms "communication system," "positioning system," "information transmission system," etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0107] This disclosure is not exhaustive, but merely illustrative of some embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure. Unless otherwise specified, each step in a particular embodiment can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the steps can be arbitrarily combined. For example, a solution after removing some steps in a particular embodiment can also be implemented as an independent embodiment, and the order of the steps in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily interchanged. Furthermore, the optional implementation methods in a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined; moreover, the embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, for example, some or all steps of different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined, and a particular embodiment can be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementation methods of other embodiments.

[0108] In each of the disclosed embodiments, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of the embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0109] The terminology used in the embodiments of this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0110] In this embodiment of the disclosure, unless otherwise stated, elements expressed in the singular form, such as "a," "an," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "the," "this," etc., can mean "one and only one," or "one or more," "at least one," etc. For example, when using articles such as "a," "an," "the," etc. in translation, the noun following the article can be understood as either a singular expression or a plural expression.

[0111] In the embodiments disclosed herein, "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0112] In some embodiments, the terms “at least one of”, “one or more”, “a plurality of”, “multiple”, etc., may be used interchangeably.

[0113] In some embodiments, the notation "at least one of A and B", "A and / or B", "A in one case, B in another", "in response to one case A, in response to another case B", etc., may include the following technical solutions depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execute A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execute B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed); in some embodiments, A and B (both A and B are executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0114] In some embodiments, the notation "A or B" may include the following technical solutions, depending on the situation: in some embodiments, A (execution of A regardless of B); in some embodiments, B (execution of B regardless of A); in some embodiments, execution is selected from A and B (A and B are selectively executed). The same applies when there are more branches such as A, B, C, etc.

[0115] The prefixes "first," "second," etc., used in the embodiments of this disclosure are merely for distinguishing different descriptive objects and do not impose restrictions on the position, order, priority, quantity, or content of the descriptive objects. The description of the descriptive objects is found in the claims or the context of the embodiments, and the use of prefixes should not constitute unnecessary restrictions. For example, if the descriptive object is a "field," the ordinal numbers preceding "field" in "first field" and "second field" do not restrict the position or order of the "fields." "First" and "second" do not restrict whether the "fields" they modify are in the same message, nor do they restrict the order of "first field" and "second field." Similarly, if the descriptive object is a "level," the ordinal numbers preceding "level" in "first level" and "second level" do not restrict the priority between "levels." Furthermore, the number of descriptive objects is not limited by ordinal numbers and can be one or more. For example, in "first device," the number of "devices" can be one or more. Furthermore, the objects modified by different prefixes can be the same or different. For example, if the object being described is "device", then "first device" and "second device" can be the same device or different devices, and their types can be the same or different. Similarly, if the object being described is "information", then "first information" and "second information" can be the same information or different information, and their content can be the same or different.

[0116] In some embodiments, “including A,” “containing A,” “for indicating A,” and “carrying A” can be interpreted as directly carrying A or indirectly indicating A.

[0117] In some embodiments, the terms “in response to…”, “in response to determining…”, “in the case of…”, “when…”, “if…”, “if…”, etc., can be used interchangeably.

[0118] In some embodiments, the terms “greater than,” “greater than or equal to,” “not less than,” “more than,” “more than or equal to,” “not less than,” “higher than,” “higher than or equal to,” “not lower than,” and “above” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not greater than,” “less than,” “less than or equal to,” “not more than,” “lower than,” “lower than or equal to,” “not higher than,” and “below”.

[0119] In some embodiments, devices, etc., can be interpreted as physical or virtual, and their names are not limited to the names recorded in the embodiments. Terms such as “device”, “equipment”, “circuit”, “network element”, “node”, “function”, “unit”, “section”, “system”, “network”, “chip”, “chip system”, “entity”, and “subject” can be used interchangeably.

[0120] In some embodiments, the acquisition of data, information, etc., may comply with the laws and regulations of the country where the location is situated.

[0121] In some embodiments, data, information, etc., may be obtained with the user's consent.

[0122] Furthermore, each element, each row, or each column in the table of this disclosure can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and any combination of any element, any row, or any column can also be implemented as an independent embodiment.

[0123] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0124] As shown in Figure 1A, the communication system 100 includes an Ambient IoT device 101 and a first device 102.

[0125] In some embodiments, the Ambient IoT device 101 includes, for example, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, autonomous driving devices, etc. Exemplarily, the Ambient IoT device 101 may include, but is not limited to, a device that, when triggered by the first device 102, sends data and / or signaling, and is equipped with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, which can be read by the first device 102 for operations such as tag inventory and data reporting.

[0126] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may be a reader of the Ambient IoT device 101.

[0127] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may be a terminal, such as a general terminal, including at least one of the following: mobile phone, wearable device, car with communication function, smart car, tablet computer, computer with wireless transceiver function, virtual reality (VR) terminal device, augmented reality (AR) terminal device, wireless terminal device in industrial control, wireless terminal device in self-driving, wireless terminal device in remote medical surgery, wireless terminal device in smart grid, wireless terminal device in transportation safety, wireless terminal device in smart city, and wireless terminal device in smart home, but not limited thereto.

[0128] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may be a network device, including but not limited to access network devices and core network devices.

[0129] In some embodiments, the access network device described above is, for example, a node or device that connects a terminal to a wireless network. The access network device may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following in a 5G communication system: evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), next-generation Node B (gNB), node B (NB), home node B (HNB), home evolved node B (HeNB), wireless backhaul device, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), base band unit (BBU), mobile switching center, base station in a 6G communication system, open RAN, cloud RAN, base station in other communication systems, and access node in a Wi-Fi system.

[0130] In some embodiments, the access network device described above may be composed of a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU). The CU may also be called a control unit. By adopting the CU-DU structure, the protocol layer of the access network device can be separated. Some of the protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining part or all of the protocol layer functions are distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU. However, this is not the only possibility.

[0131] In some embodiments, the core network equipment described above may be a single device, including one or more network elements, or multiple devices or a group of devices. Network elements may be virtual or physical. The core network may include, for example, at least one of the Evolved Packet Core (EPC), 5G Core Network (5GCN), and Next Generation Core (NGC).

[0132] In some embodiments, the technical solutions of this disclosure can be applied to the Open RAN architecture. In this case, the interfaces between or within access network devices involved in the embodiments of this disclosure can be transformed into internal interfaces of Open RAN. The processes and information interactions between these internal interfaces can be implemented by software or programs.

[0133] In some embodiments, the first device 102 is a network device, and when it acts as a reader, it can directly send commands, data, or information to the Ambient IoT device 101.

[0134] Accordingly, Ambient IoT device 101 can send commands or data to network devices.

[0135] In some embodiments, the network device can send commands, data or information to ordinary terminals, relay devices, etc., and the ordinary terminals or relay devices, as relay nodes (or intermediate nodes), forward the commands, data or information to the Ambient IoT device 101.

[0136] Accordingly, commands or data sent by Ambient IoT device 101 can be forwarded to network devices through ordinary terminals.

[0137] In some embodiments, the first device 102 is a terminal, relay, etc., and can be located between the network device and the Ambient IoT device 101. That is, it acts as an intermediate node to receive commands, data, or information sent by the network device and forward the commands, data, or information to the Ambient IoT device 101. And / or, it can receive commands or data sent by the Ambient IoT device 101 and forward them to the network device.

[0138] In some embodiments, system 100 may further include a second device 103. The second device 103 may be a device for sending a sine wave to Ambient IoT device 101.

[0139] In one example, the second device 103 may be a terminal, relay, network device, server, etc., and this disclosure does not limit it.

[0140] It is understood that the communication system described in this disclosure is for the purpose of more clearly illustrating the technical solutions of this disclosure, and does not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure. As those skilled in the art will know, with the evolution of system architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions proposed in this disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0141] The following embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to the communication system 100 shown in FIG1A, or to some of the main bodies, but are not limited thereto. The main bodies shown in FIG1A are illustrative. The communication system may include all or some of the main bodies in FIG1A, or it may include other main bodies outside of FIG1A. The number and form of each main body are arbitrary. Each main body may be physical or virtual. The connection relationship between the main bodies is illustrative. The main bodies may not be connected or may be connected. The connection can be in any way, it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection, it can be a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0142] In Ambient IoT design, it's essential to support non-activated devices. These devices lack inherent radio frequency transmission capabilities and require backscattering to acquire transmission energy. In one example, basic use cases such as tag inventory and sensor data reporting can be supported. The design can be referenced from RFID, where the command set for inventory counting is shown in Table 1.

[0143] Table 1

[0144] Table 1 is for illustrative purposes only, and all RFID use cases referred to herein should fall within the scope of this disclosure.

[0145] In the Ambient IoT scenario, the corresponding inventory commands and data can be carried by channels such as the Physical Reader to Device Channel (PRDCH) and / or the Physical Device to Reader Channel (PDRCH), including but not limited to access network devices. For example, in the scenario where the base station acts as a reader for environmental IoT devices, the specific inventory process is shown in Figure 1B.

[0146] In an Ambient IoT scenario, upon receiving a Query command, a device enters an arbitrate state, as shown in Figure 1C. The arbitrate state can be considered a "holding" state for the device. It sets a corresponding counter value based on the Q value in the command and decrements this value by 1 each time a QueryRep command is received. When the value reaches 0, the device transitions to a response state and backscatters an RN16 (16-bit random number). If an ACK is received, the device's access is confirmed as successful; otherwise, if an invalid ACK or an ACK with an erroneous RN16 is received, or if no corresponding command is received before the timer T2 (maximum value) expires, the device returns to the arbitrate state.

[0147] In some embodiments, a continuous wave (CW) can also be called a "sine wave". Its waveform is an unmodulated single-tone waveform or a multi-tone waveform. The device transmits channels and / or signals to the reader by modulating the CW and backscattering it.

[0148] Currently, it supports two use cases: inventory and command. In order to improve the applicability of IoT technology, especially environmental IoT technology, it is also necessary to support the positioning use case.

[0149] In some embodiments, supporting positioning allows the reader not only to know which devices are within its coverage area, but also to obtain the location information of the corresponding devices, which can support useful scenarios such as object finding and address finding.

[0150] In some embodiments, this disclosure provides a method for positioning based on carrier phase, as follows:

[0151] First, the reader sends a continuous wave to the device. Then, the device performs backscatter modulation on the continuous wave. Finally, the reader's antenna receives the reverse signal and extracts the phase information. The relationship between distance and phase can be expressed by the following formula 1:

[0152] in, Let f be the phase of the reverse signal received by the reader, f be the operating frequency of the corresponding continuous wave, and c be the speed of light.

[0153] In carrier phase positioning, the periodicity of the phase introduces ambiguity due to integer multiples of the period, as shown in Equation 2.

[0154] Here, m represents the introduced integer periodic ambiguity. When the actual distance exceeds the maximum unambiguous distance for resolution, the ranging result will be ambiguous.

[0155] One of the uncertainties is that, due to the periodicity of carrier phase measurement, it is impossible to directly determine the number of complete cycles of the carrier signal. This uncertainty is called integer ambiguity.

[0156] In radar systems, the effects of ambiguous distance can be eliminated to some extent based on the phase difference of arrival (PDOA). Specifically, the reader can send two continuous waves at frequencies f1 and f2 to the device simultaneously, and the reflected signals can be reduced or eliminated by differential methods, as shown in Equation 3.

[0157] Where, Δf=f1-f2, Let be the phase difference of the reverse signal received by the reader, and c be the speed of light.

[0158] Extending this approach, for backscatter transmissions at K frequency points and from N devices, a location algorithm can be employed, such as, but not limited to, maximum likelihood, least squares, or clustering-based constrained minimum mean square error search algorithms, to jointly calculate the locations of multiple devices. Here, K represents the number of frequency points from which the reader transmits continuous waves, and N represents the number of devices; both K and N can be positive integers.

[0159] To support the positioning process in IoT scenarios, this disclosure provides the following positioning methods, devices, systems, and storage media.

[0160] Figure 2A is an interactive schematic diagram of a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2A, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a positioning method, which includes:

[0161] In step S2101, the first device 102 sends a first message to the environmental IoT device 101.

[0162] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may serve as a reader for the environmental Internet of Things device 101.

[0163] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may be a network device, such as at least one of an access network device and a core network device. Alternatively, the first device 102 may be an intermediate node such as a terminal or a relay.

[0164] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 may be an IoT device, an autonomous driving device, or the like.

[0165] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives a first message.

[0166] In some embodiments, the first message is used to initiate a location process, wherein the location process is used to locate the environmental IoT device 101.

[0167] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may send a first message to the environmental IoT device 101 when it is necessary to locate the environmental IoT device 101.

[0168] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may send a first message to the environmental IoT device 101 based on a triggering action by a network device, such as a core network device.

[0169] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may send a first message to the environmental IoT device 101 after performing an inventory of the environmental IoT device 101.

[0170] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 determines that a location process has been initiated based on the first message.

[0171] In some embodiments, the name of the first message is not limited and can be interchanged with "Reader to Device (R2D) message", "Location Initiation message", etc.

[0172] In some embodiments, the content of the first message is not limited, and any message that can initiate the location process should fall within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0173] In step S2102, the first device 102 sends a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101.

[0174] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may send a sine wave to an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device 101 at a frequency.

[0175] In some embodiments, in order to improve positioning performance and positioning efficiency, the first device 102 can simultaneously send sine waves to an environmental IoT device 101 at multiple frequency points.

[0176] In some embodiments, in order to improve positioning performance and accuracy, the first device 102 may send sine waves to an environmental IoT device 101 at multiple frequency points.

[0177] In some embodiments, to improve positioning efficiency, the first device 102 can send a sine wave to multiple environmental IoT devices 101 on a single frequency. Specifically, the first device 102 can send a sine wave to multiple environmental IoT devices 101 simultaneously on that frequency, or the first device 102 can send a sine wave to each of the multiple environmental IoT devices 101 on that frequency.

[0178] In some embodiments, in order to improve positioning efficiency, the first device 102 can simultaneously send sine waves to multiple environmental IoT devices 101 at multiple frequency points.

[0179] In some embodiments, to improve positioning performance and accuracy, the first device 102 may transmit sine waves to multiple environmental IoT devices 101 at multiple frequency points. This disclosure does not limit the number of frequency points at which the first device 102 transmits sine waves, the number of environmental IoT devices 101, or the order in which the sine waves are transmitted.

[0180] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives a sine wave.

[0181] In some embodiments, the end time of the first device 102 sending the first message can be referred to as the first time point, and the end time of the first device 102 sending the sine wave can be referred to as the second time point. The first time point and the second time point can be separated by a first duration, which can be the shortest duration for the environmental IoT device 101 to parse the first message.

[0182] It is understandable that the first time interval between the first time point and the second time point is to ensure that the environmental IoT device 101 can complete the parsing of the first message and confirm that the first device 102 has initiated the positioning process by receiving the sine wave at the latest, so as to provide a feedback signal to the first device 101 based on the received sine wave.

[0183] In one example, the first device 102 starts a timer T at the end time of the first message transmission (i.e., the first time point). R2D_min The timer T R2D_min The timing duration can be the first duration mentioned above, when timer T... R2D_minIf the timeout occurs, the first device 102 can stop sending a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101.

[0184] In one example, to ensure that the environmental IoT device 101 has completed parsing the first message, the first device 102 may start sending a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101 after an interval greater than a first duration following the end time of the first message's transmission. That is, the interval between the end time of the first message's transmission and the start time of the sine wave's transmission can exceed the first duration.

[0185] In one example, the duration between the start time of sending the first message and the start time of sending the sine wave can be greater than or equal to a first duration, where the first duration can be the shortest duration for the environmental IoT device 101 to parse the first message.

[0186] Considering that the duration of the first message and the sine wave transmission may be different, in order to ensure that the environmental IoT device 101 can successfully parse the first message, the interval between the start time of the first message transmission and the start time of the sine wave transmission can be longer than the first duration.

[0187] The above is merely an illustrative example. Any scheme in which the first device 102 sends a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101 after a certain time interval following the sending of the first message, thereby ensuring that the environmental IoT device 101 has successfully parsed the first message, should fall within the protection scope of this disclosure.

[0188] In step S2103, the first device 102 performs a frequency hopping operation.

[0189] In some embodiments, considering the joint positioning results of multiple frequency points, the positioning accuracy and positioning performance can be effectively improved. In this disclosure, the first device 102 can perform frequency hopping operations to obtain relevant measurements on multiple frequency points, thereby improving the positioning performance of IoT devices, especially environmental IoT devices.

[0190] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may perform a frequency hopping operation, switching from a previous frequency to a second frequency. This second frequency may be the frequency at which the first device 102 transmits a sine wave after performing the frequency hopping operation.

[0191] In one example, the timing of the frequency switching of the first device 102 can be determined based on a predefined method or by the first device 102 based on its own strategy, and this disclosure does not limit this.

[0192] In one example, the time when the first device 102 switches frequencies is transparent to the environmental IoT device 101, meaning that the environmental IoT device 101 does not need to know the time when the first device 102 switches frequencies.

[0193] In step S2104, the first device 102 sends the first message to the environmental IoT device 101 again.

[0194] In some embodiments, when the first device 102 performs a frequency hopping operation, it may send the first message to the environmental IoT device 101 again.

[0195] In some embodiments, when the first device 102 performs a frequency switching, it may send the first message to the environmental IoT device 101 again.

[0196] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives the first message again and determines that the first device 102 has performed a frequency hopping operation.

[0197] In some embodiments, if the environmental IoT device 101 receives the first message again, it can be determined that the first device 102 has initiated the positioning process again.

[0198] In some embodiments, step S2104 is an optional step. For example, if the first device 102 does not perform frequency hopping, step S2104 may not be performed.

[0199] In step S2105, the first device 102 sends a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101 at at least one frequency point after frequency hopping.

[0200] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives a sine wave.

[0201] In some embodiments, at least one frequency point after frequency hopping of the first device 102 may refer to at least one second frequency point.

[0202] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may send a sine wave to an environmental Internet of Things device 101 at one or more second frequency points after frequency hopping.

[0203] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may transmit sine waves to a plurality of environmental IoT devices 101 at one or more second frequency points.

[0204] The method by which the first device 102 transmits sine waves at one or more second frequency points is similar to the aforementioned step S2102, and will not be repeated here.

[0205] For example, as shown in Figure 4A, in the case of single phase, the first device 102 can send a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101 at frequency point f1 during time period t1, and send a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101 at frequency point f2 during time period t2.

[0206] Alternatively, in the case of multiple phases, the first device 102 can send sine waves to the environmental IoT device 101 at frequencies f1 and f2 during time period t1, and send sine waves to the environmental IoT device 101 at frequencies f2 and f3 during time period t2.

[0207] Step S2105 is an optional step. For example, if the first device 102 does not perform frequency hopping, step S2105 may not be performed.

[0208] In step S2106, the environmental IoT device 101 sends a feedback signal to the first device 102.

[0209] In some embodiments, the first device 102 receives a feedback signal to obtain a first signal.

[0210] In some embodiments, steps S2103 to S2105 may be omitted. After receiving the sine wave, the environmental IoT device 102 directly sends a feedback signal to the first device 102, that is, after executing step S2102, step S2106 is executed directly.

[0211] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 102 sends a feedback signal to the first device 102 after receiving a sine wave, that is, it executes step S2106 after executing step S2102. Alternatively, after executing steps S2103 to S2105, step S2106 can also be executed, in which case the environmental IoT device 102 sends a feedback signal to the first device 102 after receiving a sine wave sent by the first device 102 (at at least one frequency point after frequency hopping).

[0212] In some embodiments, if a first device sends a sine wave to an environmental IoT device 101 at a certain frequency, the environmental IoT device 101 sends a feedback signal to the first device 102 at that frequency, and the first device 102 receives the feedback signal to obtain a first signal.

[0213] In some embodiments, if a first device sends a sine wave to an environmental IoT device 101 at multiple frequency points, the environmental IoT device 101 sends feedback signals to the first device 102 at the multiple frequency points respectively, and the first device 102 receives the multiple feedback signals to obtain multiple first signals.

[0214] In some embodiments, if a first device transmits a sine wave to multiple environmental IoT devices 101 at a certain frequency, the multiple environmental IoT devices 101 will respectively transmit feedback signals to the first device 102 at that frequency. The first device 102 can obtain multiple first signals by receiving the feedback signals transmitted by the multiple environmental IoT devices 101. Each environmental IoT device 101 can transmit one corresponding feedback signal.

[0215] In some embodiments, if a first device sends a sine wave to multiple environmental IoT devices 101 at multiple frequency points, then the multiple environmental IoT devices 101 respectively send feedback signals to the first device 102 at multiple frequency points. The first device 102 receives the multiple feedback signals sent by the multiple environmental IoT devices 101 and can obtain multiple first signals. Each environmental IoT device 101 can send multiple feedback signals accordingly.

[0216] In some embodiments, the feedback signal can be a second signal, which is a signal that backscatters the sine wave without performing baseband processing. That is, after receiving the sine wave, the environmental IoT device 101 directly backscatters the sine wave without performing any baseband processing.

[0217] In some embodiments, the feedback signal can be a first sequence. After receiving a sine wave, the environmental IoT device 101 performs baseband processing on the first sequence and then sends it as a feedback signal to the first device 102.

[0218] In one example, the first sequence may be a sequence that enables the first device 102 to determine the measurement.

[0219] In one example, the first sequence can be at least one of the following: a preamble sequence; a midamble sequence; or a postamble sequence. This is merely an example; the first sequence can also be other sequences, and this disclosure does not limit its application.

[0220] In some embodiments, the baseband processing operations, such as those shown in FIG4C, may include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) attachment processing, channel coding processing, linear coding processing, frequency offset processing, modulation processing, etc.

[0221] In one example, CRC attachment processing may refer to appending a fixed-length checksum to a first sequence for verification at the receiving end (in this disclosure, the receiving end may refer to the first device 102) to ensure the integrity and correctness of the data.

[0222] In one example, channel coding processing may include, but is not limited to, forward error correction and interleaving coding. Forward error correction can detect and correct errors at the receiving end (in this disclosure, the receiving end may refer to the first device 102) by adding error correction codes to the signal. Interleaving coding involves interleaving data for storage and transmission to reduce continuous errors caused by channel fading.

[0223] In one example, linear encoding can linearly transform an input signal into an output signal. This linear transformation makes the transmitted data more stable, more resistant to interference, and easier to perform error correction and data security processing.

[0224] In one example, frequency offset processing allows multiple environmental IoT devices 101 to send a first sequence to a first device 102 using frequency division multiplexing (FDM), thereby improving the efficiency of locating the environmental IoT devices 101.

[0225] In one example, frequency offset processing can be achieved, but is not limited to, repetition of Manchester-coded codewords.

[0226] In one example, frequency offset processing can be implemented by performing an XOR operation with a square wave, but not limited to this. The square wave can be determined through negotiation between the first device 102 and the environmental IoT device 101, or it can be agreed upon by a protocol; this disclosure does not limit this.

[0227] In one example, modulation processing can be achieved by changing a parameter of the modulated signal (such as amplitude, frequency, phase, etc.) to make it change according to the variation pattern of the modulating signal.

[0228] Step S2107, the environmental IoT device 101 switches to the first state.

[0229] In some embodiments, the first state may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: charging state; information detection state.

[0230] In one example, the charging state can refer to the state in which the environmental IoT device 101 obtains energy from the outside and is charging.

[0231] In one example, the information detection state can be used to detect information sent by the first device 102.

[0232] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 switches to a first state after the positioning process ends.

[0233] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 may determine that the positioning process has ended when the duration for which the first energy value is less than or equal to the first value reaches a second duration.

[0234] In one example, the first energy value refers to the energy value of the sine wave.

[0235] In one example, the second duration may be determined based on a predefined method, and / or may be determined based on an instruction from the first device 102, which is not limited in this disclosure.

[0236] In one example, the first value may be determined based on a predefined method, and / or may be determined based on an instruction from the first device 102, which is not limited in this disclosure. The first value may be greater than or equal to 0.

[0237] For example, if the first value is 0 and the second duration is 5 milliseconds, the environmental IoT device 101 can determine that the positioning process has ended when the first energy value is 0 and the duration reaches 5ms.

[0238] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 may determine the end of the positioning process upon receiving a second message sent by the first device 102.

[0239] In one example, the second message is used to end the location process.

[0240] For example, the content of the second message can be the same as the content of the first message.

[0241] For example, the content of the second message may differ from the content of the first message.

[0242] The above is merely an illustrative example, and this disclosure does not limit the content of the second message.

[0243] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 may determine that the positioning process has ended when the duration for which the first energy value is less than or equal to the first value reaches a second duration and a second message is received.

[0244] The above is merely an illustrative example, and this disclosure does not limit the scheme for determining the end of the positioning process of the environmental IoT device 101.

[0245] Step S2108: The first device 102 determines the measurement quantity.

[0246] In some embodiments, the measurement is related to the positioning process.

[0247] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may determine the measurement quantity based on at least one received first signal.

[0248] In some embodiments, the measured quantities include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following: phase information; phase difference information.

[0249] In one example, phase information is used to indicate the phase at which the feedback signal arrives at the first device 102.

[0250] For example, the phase information can be calculated based on Formula 1 or Formula 2 above.

[0251] In one example, phase difference information is used to indicate the phase difference between at least two feedback signals arriving at the first device 102.

[0252] For example, the phase difference information can be calculated based on Formula 3 above.

[0253] This disclosure does not limit the method by which the first device 102 determines the measured quantity.

[0254] In step S2109, the first device 102 sends positioning measurement information to the core network device.

[0255] In some embodiments, the positioning measurement information includes at least the aforementioned measurement quantities.

[0256] In some embodiments, to improve the accuracy of the positioning results, the positioning measurement information may further include at least one of the following: device identifier; frequency point information.

[0257] In one example, the device identifier may be the identifier of the environmental IoT device 101 or a temporary identification identifier of the environmental IoT device 101. This disclosure does not limit this.

[0258] In one example, frequency information can indicate the frequency at which the first device 102 transmits a sine wave.

[0259] The above is merely an illustrative example, and this disclosure does not limit the content of the positioning measurement information.

[0260] In some embodiments, core network equipment may include, but is not limited to, a Location Management Function (LMF).

[0261] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may send positioning measurement information to the core network device in any of the following formats:

[0262] Format 1, {Device identifier or temporary device identifier, frequency information (e.g., f1), phase information (e.g., f1)} )}.

[0263] Format 2, {Device identifier or temporary device identifier, multiple frequency point information (e.g., f1 and f2), phase difference information (e.g., corresponding to IoT devices in the same environment)} )}.

[0264] Format 3, {Multiple device identifiers or multiple temporary device identifiers, frequency point information (e.g., f1), phase difference information (e.g., corresponding to multiple environmental IoT devices)} )}.

[0265] In some embodiments, the core network device receives positioning measurement information.

[0266] In some embodiments, the first device 102 is a network device, such as an access network device, and the first device 102 can send the positioning measurement information to the core network device through the New Radio Positioning Protocol a (NRPPa).

[0267] In some embodiments, the first device 102 is an intermediate node between the network device and the environmental IoT device 101, such as a terminal or relay. The first device 102 can send the positioning measurement information to the core network device through the Long Term Evolution Positioning Protocol (LPP).

[0268] In some embodiments, the core network device determines the location result of the environmental IoT device 101 based on positioning measurement information. The location result may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: the geographical location of the environmental IoT device 101; the moving speed of the environmental IoT device 101; and the angle value of the environmental IoT device 101.

[0269] In one example, the angle values ​​of the environmental IoT device 101 include, but are not limited to, horizontal angle values ​​and / or zenith angle values. The horizontal angle value refers to the angle obtained by projecting the lines connecting the environmental IoT device 101 and the reference device from a reference point (such as the Earth's center or other specified location points) onto a horizontal plane. The zenith angle value refers to the angle of the line connecting the environmental IoT device 101 and the reference device relative to the ground normal. The reference device can be a pre-specified device, such as a network device, terminal, or IoT device; this disclosure does not limit its scope.

[0270] In some embodiments, the names of information, etc., are not limited to the names described in the embodiments. Terms such as "information", "message", "signal", "signaling", "report", "configuration", "indication", "instruction", "command", "channel", "parameter", "domain", "field", "symbol", "symbol", "codebook", "codeword", "codepoint", "bit", "data", "program", and "chip" can be used interchangeably.

[0271] In some embodiments, terms such as “send,” “transmit,” “report,” “distribute,” “transfer,” “bidirectional transmission,” “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably.

[0272] In some embodiments, “get,” “obtain,” “receive,” “transmit,” “bidirectional transmission,” and “send and / or receive” can be used interchangeably and can be interpreted as receiving from other entities, obtaining from protocols, obtaining from higher layers, obtaining through self-processing, or autonomous implementation, among other meanings.

[0273] In some embodiments, terms such as "certain," "preset," "default," "set," "indicated," "a certain," "any," "first," and "specified" can be used interchangeably. "Certain A," "preset A," "default A," "set A," "indicated A," "a certain A," "any A," and "first A" can be interpreted as A pre-defined in a protocol or the like, or as A obtained through setting, configuration, or instruction, or as specific A, a certain A, any A, or first A, but are not limited thereto.

[0274] In some embodiments, the data transmission method involved in this disclosure may include at least one of steps S2101 to S2107. For example, step S2101 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, step S2102 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, step S2101 + step S2102 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, step S2103 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, step S2104 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, step S2103 + step S2104 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, step S2105 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment, and step S2103 + step S2104 + step S2105 may be implemented as a standalone embodiment. Step S2106 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2107 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2106 + step S2107 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2108 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2109 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, step S2108 + step S2109 can be implemented as an independent embodiment, and steps S2101 to S2109 can be implemented as independent embodiments, but are not limited thereto.

[0275] In some embodiments, steps S2101 to S2109 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0276] In some embodiments, the execution order of steps S2101 to S2109 is not limited.

[0277] In the above embodiments, the first device can send a first message to the environmental IoT device to initiate the positioning process. Furthermore, the first device can send a sine wave to the environmental IoT device so that the first device can obtain the first signal based on the feedback signal sent by the environmental IoT device, determine the measurement quantity related to the positioning process, and report it to the core network device. This achieves the purpose of positioning and addressing in IoT scenarios, especially environmental IoT scenarios, and improves the availability of IoT technology.

[0278] Figure 2B is an interactive schematic diagram of a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 2B, the embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a positioning method, which includes:

[0279] In step S2201, the first device 102 sends a first message to the second device 103 and the environmental IoT device 101.

[0280] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives a first message.

[0281] In some embodiments, the second device 103 receives the first message.

[0282] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may serve as a reader for the environmental Internet of Things device 101.

[0283] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may be a network device, such as at least one of an access network device and a core network device. Alternatively, the first device 102 may be an intermediate node such as a terminal or a relay.

[0284] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 may be an IoT device, an autonomous driving device, or the like.

[0285] In some embodiments, the second device 103 may be a node or device dedicated to sending sine waves to the environmental IoT device 101.

[0286] In some embodiments, the second device 103 may be a network device, such as at least one of an access network device and a core network device. Alternatively, the second device 103 may be a terminal, a relay, or other device.

[0287] In some embodiments, the first message is used to initiate a location process, wherein the location process is used to locate the environmental IoT device 101.

[0288] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may send a first message to the second device 103 and the environmental IoT device 101 when it is necessary to locate the environmental IoT device 101.

[0289] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may send a first message to the second device 103 and the environmental IoT device 101 based on a triggering event from a network device, such as a core network device.

[0290] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may send a first message to the second device 103 and the environmental IoT device 101 after performing an inventory of the environmental IoT device 101.

[0291] In some embodiments, the second device 103 determines that a location process has been initiated based on the first message.

[0292] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 determines that a location process has been initiated based on the first message.

[0293] In step S2202, the second device 103 sends a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101.

[0294] In some embodiments, the second device 103 may send a sine wave to an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device 101 at one or more frequency points.

[0295] In some embodiments, the second device 103 may send sine waves to a plurality of environmental IoT devices 101 at one or more frequency points.

[0296] This disclosure does not limit the number of frequencies at which the second device 103 transmits sine waves, the number of environmental IoT devices 101, or the order in which the sine waves are transmitted.

[0297] In some embodiments, the second device 103 transmits a sine wave in a manner similar to that of the first device 102 in step S2102, and will not be described again here. In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives a sine wave.

[0298] In some embodiments, the time when the second device 103 receives the first message can be referred to as the fourth time point, and the end time when the second device 103 sends the sine wave can be referred to as the fifth time point. The fourth time point and the fifth time point can be separated by a first duration, which can be the shortest duration for the environmental IoT device 101 to parse the first message.

[0299] In one example, the second device 103 can start a timer T' when it receives the first message (i.e., the fourth time point). The duration of the timer T' can be the first duration mentioned above. When the timer T' expires, the second device 103 can stop sending sine waves to the environmental IoT device 101.

[0300] In one example, after receiving the first message, the second device 103 can wait for a certain period of time before sending a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101. The waiting period for the second device 103 can be greater than or equal to the first duration. That is, the time interval between the reception time of the first message and the start time of the sine wave transmission can be greater than or equal to the first duration.

[0301] In one example, to ensure that the environmental IoT device 101 has completed parsing the first message, the second device 103 may wait longer than a first duration after receiving the first message before sending a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101.

[0302] In step S2203, the first device 102 sends an instruction message to the second device 103.

[0303] In some embodiments, considering the joint positioning results of multiple frequency points, the positioning accuracy and positioning performance can be effectively improved. In this disclosure, the first device 102 can instruct the second device 103 to perform frequency hopping operation through instruction information, so that the first device 102 can obtain relevant measurements on multiple frequency points, thereby improving the positioning performance of IoT devices, especially environmental IoT devices.

[0304] In some embodiments, the second device 103 receives the instruction information.

[0305] In some embodiments, the instruction information is used to instruct the second device 103 to perform a frequency hopping operation.

[0306] In one example, the indication information may occupy one or more bits, thereby instructing the second device 103 to perform a frequency hopping operation.

[0307] For example, the indication information occupies 1 bit. When the value of this bit is assumed to be "1", it instructs the second device 103 to perform a frequency hopping operation.

[0308] In some embodiments, the indication information may be used to indicate at least one of the following: at least one first frequency point; a third time point.

[0309] In one example, at least one first frequency point is the frequency point at which the second device 103 sends the sine wave to the environmental IoT device after performing the frequency hopping operation.

[0310] In one example, the third time point is the time when the second device performs the frequency hopping operation.

[0311] In some embodiments, the instruction information may also include other content, which is not limited herein.

[0312] In some embodiments, the name of the indication information is not limited and can be interchanged with "frequency hopping indication information", "frequency adjustment information", etc.

[0313] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may send an instruction message to the second device 103 when it is necessary to trigger the second device 103 to perform frequency adjustment.

[0314] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may send indication information to the second device 103 based on a triggering event from a network device, such as a core network device.

[0315] In step S2204, the second device 103 performs a frequency hopping operation.

[0316] In some embodiments, the second device 103 may perform frequency hopping operations based on indication information.

[0317] In some embodiments, considering that the second device 103 needs to transmit a sine wave, the second device 103 can perform a frequency hopping operation, without the first device 102 needing to perform a frequency hopping operation, thus avoiding wasting the energy consumption of the first device 102.

[0318] In some embodiments, the indication information includes at least one first frequency point, the second device 103 can perform a frequency hopping operation, and the frequency point at which the sine wave is transmitted after frequency hopping can be at least one first frequency point.

[0319] In some embodiments, if the indication information does not include at least one first frequency point, the second device 103 may perform a frequency hopping operation, and the frequency point at which the sine wave is transmitted after frequency hopping may be at least one third frequency point. The third frequency point may be determined by the second device 103 based on a predefined method and / or based on the second device 103's own decision.

[0320] In some embodiments, the indication information includes a third time point, and the second device 103 may perform a frequency hopping operation when the third time point is reached.

[0321] In some embodiments, the indication information does not include a third time point. The second device 103 may perform frequency hopping immediately upon receiving the indication information, or the second device 103 may perform frequency hopping after receiving the indication information and waiting for a third duration. The third duration may be determined based on at least one of the following methods: a predefined method; a command sent by the first device 102; or a decision made by the second device 103 itself.

[0322] In some embodiments, the time when the second device 103 switches frequencies is transparent to the environmental IoT device 101, that is, the environmental IoT device 101 does not need to know the time when the second device 103 switches frequencies.

[0323] In some embodiments, after the second device 103 performs a frequency hopping operation, it sends a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101 at at least one first frequency point.

[0324] In step S2205, the first device 102 sends the first message to the environmental IoT device 101 again.

[0325] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may send the first message to the environmental IoT device 101 again after sending the instruction information to the second device 103.

[0326] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives the first message again and determines that the second device 103 has performed a frequency hopping operation.

[0327] In some embodiments, step S2205 is an optional execution step. For example, if the second device 103 does not perform a frequency hopping operation, step S2205 may not be executed. As another example, if the first device 102 wants to acquire measurements corresponding to multiple frequency points, even if the second device 103 performs a frequency hopping operation, it can be considered that the current positioning process has not ended, and the first device 102 does not need to send the first message to the environmental IoT device 101 again. In this case, step S2205 may not be executed.

[0328] In step S2206, the second device 103 sends a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101 at at least one frequency point after frequency hopping.

[0329] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives a sine wave.

[0330] In some embodiments, if the indication information includes at least one first frequency point, the second device 103 may send a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101 on at least one first frequency point after performing a frequency hopping operation.

[0331] In some embodiments, if the indication information does not include at least one first frequency point, the second device 103 may send a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101 on at least one third frequency point to which the second device 103 switches after performing a frequency hopping operation.

[0332] In some embodiments, the second device 103 sends a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101 at at least one frequency point after frequency hopping in a manner similar to the aforementioned step S2202, and will not be described again here.

[0333] In step S2207, the environmental IoT device 101 sends a feedback signal to the first device 102.

[0334] In some embodiments, steps S2203 to S2206 may be omitted. After receiving the sine wave sent by the second device 103, the environmental IoT device 102 directly sends a feedback signal to the first device 102, that is, after executing step S2202, step S2207 is executed directly.

[0335] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 102 sends a feedback signal to the first device 102 after receiving a sine wave sent by the second device 103, that is, it executes step S2207 after executing step S2202. Alternatively, after executing steps S2203 to S2206, step S2207 can also be executed, in which case the environmental IoT device 102 sends a feedback signal to the first device 102 after receiving a sine wave sent by the second device 103 (at at least one frequency point after frequency hopping).

[0336] In some embodiments, step S2206 is implemented in a similar manner to step S2106 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0337] Step S2208, the environmental IoT device 101 switches to the first state.

[0338] In some embodiments, step S2208 is implemented in a similar manner to step S2107 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0339] Step S2209: The first device 102 determines the measurement quantity.

[0340] In some embodiments, step S2209 is implemented in a similar manner to step S2108 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0341] In step S2210, the first device 102 sends positioning measurement information to the core network device.

[0342] In some embodiments, step S2210 is implemented in a similar manner to step S2109 described above, and will not be repeated here.

[0343] In some embodiments, steps S2201 to S2210 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0344] In some embodiments, the execution order of steps S2201 to S2210 is not limited.

[0345] In the above embodiments, the first device can send a first message to the environmental IoT device and the second device to initiate the positioning process. Furthermore, the second device can send a sine wave to the environmental IoT device so that the first device can determine the measurement quantity related to the positioning process after obtaining the first signal based on the feedback signal sent by the environmental IoT device, and report it to the core network device. This achieves the purpose of positioning and addressing in IoT scenarios, especially environmental IoT scenarios, and improves the availability of IoT technology.

[0346] Figure 3A is a flowchart illustrating a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3A, the present disclosure relates to a positioning method, which can be executed by a first device 102, and the method includes:

[0347] Step S3101: Send the first message.

[0348] In some embodiments, the first message is used to initiate a location process for locating the IoT device in the environment.

[0349] In some embodiments, the first device 102 sends a first message to the environmental Internet of Things device 101.

[0350] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives a first message.

[0351] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3101 can be found in optional implementations of step S2101 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0352] In some embodiments, the first device 102 sends a first message to the second device 103 and the environmental IoT device 101.

[0353] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives a first message.

[0354] In some embodiments, the second device 103 receives the first message.

[0355] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3101 can be found in optional implementations of step S2201 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0356] In the above embodiments, the first device can send a first message to initiate the positioning process, supporting positioning and addressing in IoT scenarios, especially environmental IoT scenarios, thereby improving the availability of IoT technology.

[0357] Figure 3B is a flowchart illustrating a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3B, the present disclosure relates to a positioning method, which can be executed by a first device 102, and the method includes:

[0358] Step S3201: Send the first message.

[0359] In some embodiments, the first message is used to initiate a location process for locating the IoT device in the environment.

[0360] In some embodiments, the first device 102 sends a first message to the environmental Internet of Things device 101.

[0361] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives a first message.

[0362] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3201 can be found in optional implementations of step S2101 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0363] Step S3202: Send a sine wave.

[0364] In some embodiments, the first device 102 sends a sine wave to the environmental Internet of Things device 101.

[0365] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives a sine wave.

[0366] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3202 can be found in optional implementations of step S2102 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0367] Step S3203: Perform frequency hopping operation.

[0368] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3203 can be found in optional implementations of step S2103 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0369] Step S3204: Send the first message again.

[0370] In some embodiments, the first device 102 sends the first message to the environmental IoT device 101 again.

[0371] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3204 can be found in optional implementations of step S2104 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0372] Step S3205: Send a sine wave.

[0373] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may send a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101 at at least one frequency after frequency hopping.

[0374] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3205 can be found in optional implementations of step S2105 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0375] Step S3206: Obtain the first signal.

[0376] In some embodiments, the first device 102 receives a feedback signal from the environmental Internet of Things device 101 to obtain a first signal.

[0377] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may receive a feedback signal from the environmental IoT device 101 to obtain the first signal, but is not limited thereto; it may also receive a feedback signal sent by other entities to obtain the first signal. The first device may include, but is not limited to, network devices and intermediate nodes.

[0378] In some embodiments, the first device 102 acquires a first signal defined by the protocol, in which case step S3206 is omitted.

[0379] In some embodiments, the first device 102 obtains the first signal from the upper layer(s), in which case step S3206 is omitted.

[0380] In some embodiments, the first device 102 processes the signal to obtain the first signal, in which case step S3206 is omitted.

[0381] In some embodiments, the first device 102 autonomously implements the function indicated by the first signal, or the above function is a default or default value, in which case step S3206 is omitted.

[0382] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3206 can be found in optional implementations of step S2106 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0383] Step S3207: Determine the measurement quantity.

[0384] In some embodiments, the measurement is related to the positioning process.

[0385] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3205 can be found in optional implementations of step S2108 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0386] Step S3208: Send positioning measurement information.

[0387] In some embodiments, the positioning measurement information includes at least the aforementioned measurement quantities.

[0388] In some embodiments, the positioning measurement information may further include at least one of the following: device identifier; frequency point information.

[0389] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3208 can be found in optional implementations of step S2109 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0390] In some embodiments, steps S3201 to S3208 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0391] In some embodiments, the execution order of steps S3201 to S3208 is not limited.

[0392] In the above embodiments, the first device can send a first message to the environmental IoT device to initiate the positioning process. Furthermore, the first device can send a sine wave to the environmental IoT device so that the first device can obtain the first signal based on the feedback signal sent by the environmental IoT device, determine the measurement quantity related to the positioning process, and report it to the core network device. This achieves the purpose of positioning and addressing in IoT scenarios, especially environmental IoT scenarios, and improves the availability of IoT technology.

[0393] Figure 3C is a flowchart illustrating a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3C, the present disclosure relates to a positioning method, which can be executed by a first device 102, and the method includes:

[0394] Step S3301: Send the first message.

[0395] In some embodiments, the first device 102 sends a first message to the second device 103 and the environmental IoT device 101.

[0396] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives a first message.

[0397] In some embodiments, the second device 103 receives the first message.

[0398] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3301 can be found in optional implementations of step S2201 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0399] Step S3302: Send instruction information.

[0400] In some embodiments, the first device 102 sends instruction information to the second device 103.

[0401] In some embodiments, the second device 103 receives the instruction information.

[0402] In some embodiments, the instruction information is used to instruct the second device 103 to perform a frequency hopping operation.

[0403] In some embodiments, the indication information may be used to indicate at least one of the following: at least one first frequency point; a third time point.

[0404] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3302 can be found in optional implementations of step S2203 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0405] Step S3303: Send the first message again.

[0406] In some embodiments, the first device 102 sends the first message to the environmental IoT device 101 again.

[0407] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3303 can be found in optional implementations of step S2205 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0408] Step S3304: Obtain the first signal.

[0409] In some embodiments, the first device 102 receives a feedback signal from the environmental Internet of Things device 101 to obtain a first signal.

[0410] In some embodiments, the first device 102 may receive a feedback signal from the environmental IoT device 101 to obtain the first signal, but is not limited thereto; it may also receive a feedback signal sent by other entities to obtain the first signal. The first device may include, but is not limited to, network devices and intermediate nodes.

[0411] In some embodiments, the first device 102 acquires a first signal defined by the protocol, in which step S3304 is omitted.

[0412] In some embodiments, the first device 102 obtains the first signal from the upper layer(s), in which case step S3304 is omitted.

[0413] In some embodiments, the first device 102 processes the signal to obtain the first signal, in which step S3304 is omitted.

[0414] In some embodiments, the first device 102 autonomously implements the function indicated by the first signal, or the above function is a default or default value, in which case step S3304 is omitted.

[0415] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3304 can be found in optional implementations of step S2207 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0416] Step S3305: Determine the measurement quantity.

[0417] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3305 can be found in optional implementations of step S2209 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0418] Step S3306: Send positioning measurement information.

[0419] In some embodiments, the first device 102 sends positioning measurement information to the core network device.

[0420] In some embodiments, the core network device receives positioning measurement information.

[0421] In some embodiments, the positioning measurement information includes at least the aforementioned measurement quantities.

[0422] In some embodiments, the positioning measurement information may further include at least one of the following: device identifier; frequency point information.

[0423] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3306 can be found in optional implementations of step S2210 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0424] In some embodiments, steps S3301 to S3306 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0425] In some embodiments, the execution order of steps S3301 to S3306 is not limited.

[0426] In the above embodiments, the first device can send a first message to the environmental IoT device and the second device to initiate the positioning process. Furthermore, the first device can determine the measurement quantity related to the positioning process after obtaining the first signal based on the feedback signal sent by the environmental IoT device, and report it to the core network device. This achieves the purpose of positioning and addressing in IoT scenarios, especially environmental IoT scenarios, and improves the availability of IoT technology.

[0427] Figure 3D is a flowchart illustrating a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3D, the present disclosure relates to a positioning method that can be executed by an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device 101, and the method includes:

[0428] Step S3401: Obtain the first message.

[0429] In some embodiments, the first message is used to initiate a location process, which is the process of locating IoT devices in the environment.

[0430] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 may obtain a first message from the first device 102, but is not limited thereto; it may also receive a first message sent by other entities. The first device may include, but is not limited to, network devices and intermediate nodes.

[0431] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 obtains a first message defined by the protocol, in which step S3401 is omitted.

[0432] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 obtains a first message from the upper layer(s), in which case step S3401 is omitted.

[0433] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 processes the data to obtain the first message, in which step S3401 is omitted.

[0434] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 autonomously implements the function indicated by the first message, or the above function is a default or default value, in which case step S3401 is omitted.

[0435] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3401 can be found in optional implementations of step S2101 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0436] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3401 can be found in optional implementations of step S2201 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0437] In the above embodiments, the environmental IoT device can determine that a positioning process has been initiated based on the first message sent by the first device, thereby achieving the purpose of positioning and addressing in IoT scenarios, especially environmental IoT scenarios, and improving the availability of IoT technology.

[0438] Figure 3E is a flowchart illustrating a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3E, the present disclosure relates to a positioning method, which can be executed by an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device 101. The method includes:

[0439] Step S3501: Obtain the first message.

[0440] In some embodiments, the first message is used to initiate a location process, which is the process of locating IoT devices in the environment.

[0441] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 may obtain a first message from the first device 102, but is not limited thereto; it may also receive a first message sent by other entities. The first device may include, but is not limited to, network devices and intermediate nodes.

[0442] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 obtains a first message defined by the protocol, in which step S3501 is omitted.

[0443] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 obtains a first message from the upper layer(s), in which case step S3501 is omitted.

[0444] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 processes the data to obtain the first message, in which step S3501 is omitted.

[0445] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 autonomously implements the function indicated by the first message, or the above function is a default or default value, in which case step S3501 is omitted.

[0446] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3501 can be found in optional implementations of step S2101 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0447] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3501 can be found in optional implementations of step S2201 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0448] Step S3502: Obtain the sine wave.

[0449] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 may acquire a sine wave from the first device 102, but is not limited thereto; it may also receive a sine wave transmitted by other entities. The first device may include, but is not limited to, network devices and intermediate nodes.

[0450] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 may acquire a sine wave from the second device 103, but is not limited thereto; it may also receive a sine wave transmitted by another entity. The second device may be a device specifically designed for transmitting sine waves.

[0451] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 acquires a sine wave defined by a protocol, in which case step S3502 is omitted.

[0452] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 obtains a sine wave from the upper layer(s), in which case step S3502 is omitted.

[0453] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 processes the data to obtain a sine wave, in which case step S3502 is omitted.

[0454] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 autonomously implements the function indicated by the sine wave, or the above function is the default or default value, in which case step S3502 is omitted.

[0455] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3502 can be found in step S2102 and step S2105 of FIG2A, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0456] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3502 can be found in step S2202 and step S2206 of FIG2B, as well as other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0457] Step S3503: Send a feedback signal.

[0458] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 sends a feedback signal to the first device 102.

[0459] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3503 can be found in optional implementations of step S2106 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0460] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3503 can be found in optional implementations of step S2207 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0461] Step S3504: Switch to the first state.

[0462] In some embodiments, the first state may include, but is not limited to, at least one of the following: charging state; information detection state.

[0463] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3504 can be found in optional implementations of step S2107 in FIG2A and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2A, which will not be repeated here.

[0464] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3504 can be found in optional implementations of step S2208 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0465] In some embodiments, steps S3501 to S3504 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0466] In some embodiments, the execution order of steps S3501 to S3504 is not limited.

[0467] In the above embodiments, the environmental IoT device can determine that a positioning process has been initiated based on the first message sent by the first device, and send a feedback signal to the first device based on the received sine wave, thereby achieving the purpose of positioning and addressing in IoT scenarios, especially environmental IoT scenarios, and improving the availability of IoT technology.

[0468] Figure 3F is a flowchart illustrating a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3F, the present disclosure relates to a positioning method, which can be executed by a second device 103, and the method includes:

[0469] Step S3601: Obtain the first message.

[0470] In some embodiments, the first message is used to initiate a location process, which is the process of locating IoT devices in the environment.

[0471] In some embodiments, the second device 103 may obtain the first message from the first device 102, but is not limited thereto; it may also receive the first message sent by other entities. The first device may include, but is not limited to, network devices and intermediate nodes.

[0472] In some embodiments, the second device 103 obtains the first message defined by the protocol, in which step S3601 is omitted.

[0473] In some embodiments, the second device 103 obtains the first message from the upper layer(s), in which case step S3601 is omitted.

[0474] In some embodiments, the second device 103 processes the data to obtain the first message, in which case step S3601 is omitted.

[0475] In some embodiments, the second device 103 autonomously implements the function indicated by the first message, or the above function is a default or default value, in which case step S3601 is omitted.

[0476] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3601 can be found in optional implementations of step S2201 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0477] In the above embodiments, the second device can determine that a positioning process has been initiated based on the first message sent by the first device, thereby achieving the purpose of positioning and addressing in IoT scenarios, especially environmental IoT scenarios, and improving the availability of IoT technology.

[0478] Figure 3G is a flowchart illustrating a positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3G, the present disclosure relates to a positioning method, which can be executed by a second device 103, and the method includes:

[0479] Step S3701: Obtain the first message.

[0480] In some embodiments, the first message is used to initiate a location process, which is the process of locating IoT devices in the environment.

[0481] In some embodiments, the second device 103 may obtain the first message from the first device 102, but is not limited thereto; it may also receive the first message sent by other entities. The first device may include, but is not limited to, network devices and intermediate nodes.

[0482] In some embodiments, the second device 103 obtains the first message defined by the protocol, in which step S3701 is omitted.

[0483] In some embodiments, the second device 103 obtains the first message from the upper layer(s), in which case step S3701 is omitted.

[0484] In some embodiments, the second device 103 processes the data to obtain the first message, in which case step S3701 is omitted.

[0485] In some embodiments, the second device 103 autonomously implements the function indicated by the first message, or the above function is a default or default value, in which case step S3701 is omitted.

[0486] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3701 can be found in optional implementations of step S2201 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0487] Step S3702: Send a sine wave.

[0488] In some embodiments, the second device 103 sends a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101.

[0489] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives a sine wave.

[0490] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3702 can be found in optional implementations of step S2202 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0491] Step S3703: Obtain instruction information.

[0492] In some embodiments, the instruction information is used to instruct the second device 103 to perform a frequency hopping operation.

[0493] In some embodiments, the indication information may be used to indicate at least one of the following: at least one first frequency point; a third time point.

[0494] In some embodiments, the second device 103 may obtain indication information from the first device 102, but is not limited thereto, and may also receive indication information sent by other entities. The first device may include, but is not limited to, network devices and intermediate nodes.

[0495] In some embodiments, the second device 103 obtains instruction information specified by the protocol, in which case step S3703 is omitted.

[0496] In some embodiments, the second device 103 obtains indication information from the upper layer(s), in which case step S3703 is omitted.

[0497] In some embodiments, the second device 103 processes the information to obtain the instruction information, in which case step S3703 is omitted.

[0498] In some embodiments, the second device 103 autonomously implements the function indicated by the instruction information, or the above function is a default or default value, in which case step S3703 is omitted.

[0499] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3703 can be found in optional implementations of step S2203 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0500] Step S3704: Perform frequency hopping operation.

[0501] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3704 can be found in optional implementations of step S2204 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0502] Step S3705: Send a sine wave.

[0503] In some embodiments, the second device 103 transmits a sine wave to the environmental IoT device 101 at at least one frequency point after frequency hopping.

[0504] In some embodiments, the environmental IoT device 101 receives a sine wave.

[0505] In some embodiments, optional implementations of step S3705 can be found in optional implementations of step S2206 in FIG2B and other related parts in the embodiments involved in FIG2B, which will not be repeated here.

[0506] In some embodiments, steps S3701 to S3705 are optional, and one or more of these steps may be omitted or substituted in different embodiments.

[0507] In some embodiments, the execution order of steps S3701 to S3705 is not limited.

[0508] In the above embodiments, the second device can send a sine wave to the environmental IoT device based on the first message, so that the first device can obtain the first signal based on the feedback signal sent by the environmental IoT device, determine the measurement quantity related to the positioning process, and report it to the core network device. This achieves the purpose of positioning and addressing in IoT scenarios, especially environmental IoT scenarios, and improves the availability of IoT technology.

[0509] The above process is further illustrated with examples below.

[0510] In this embodiment of the disclosure, a method for locating A_IoT devices by carrier phase is provided.

[0511] First, the reader (i.e., the first device) sends a first R2D message to indicate the triggering of the carrier phase positioning process for the device (i.e., the environmental IoT device).

[0512] After sending this command, the reader in T R2D_min Then, it begins transmitting CW on one or more frequency points, or, after receiving the command, the CW node (second device) transmits CW on one or more frequency points after the aforementioned time.

[0513] Among them, T R2D_min The minimum time for device processing, CW is a sine wave, CW node is a network node dedicated to transmitting CW, and the frequency point is a frequency point within the A-IOT system bandwidth (R2D);

[0514] Furthermore, if CW is configured or predefined as multi-tone, after sending this command, the reader or CW node will transmit CW on multiple frequency points, such as simultaneously transmitting CW on two frequency points, f1 and f2.

[0515] Furthermore, if CW is configured or predefined as single-tone, then after sending this command, the reader or CW node will transmit CW on multiple single-frequency points, such as transmitting CW on a single frequency point f1.

[0516] The specific frequency points can be predefined by the protocol, or selected by the base station within the A-IOT system bandwidth for topology #1, or configured by the base station to intermediate nodes, such as terminals, for topology #2.

[0517] In topology #1, the base station communicates directly with the environmental IoT device. However, in topology #1, there is an intermediate node between the base station and the environmental IoT device, which needs to forward information and / or data.

[0518] The single-tone and multi-tone mentioned above can be used in conjunction with frequency hopping:

[0519] For example, as shown in Figure 4A, in the case of single-tone, after the reader or CW node transmits on f1 for a period of time, it switches to f2 to continue transmitting CW.

[0520] For example, as shown in Figure 4B, in the case of multi-tone, after the reader or CW node has been sending on f1 and f2 for a period of time, it switches to f2 and f3 to continue sending CW.

[0521] Furthermore, the reader can specify the corresponding frequency point for the CW node, as well as the time for switching frequencies; the device is transparent to this information.

[0522] Optionally, when switching frequency points, the corresponding first R2D information can be sent again. The device can then obtain the information that R2D information has started by listening to the start-indicator part of the corresponding R2Dpreamble.

[0523] Secondly, the behavior of A-IoT devices is as follows:

[0524] One implementation method is that after receiving the first R2D information, the device directly backscatters the CW without performing a baseband processing process. The baseband processing process, as shown in Figure 4C, includes, but is not limited to, CRC attachment, channel coding, linear coding, frequency shifting, modulation steps, etc.

[0525] Another implementation method is that the device uses the sequence in the related technology to perform D2R transmission. In this case, the above-mentioned processing steps are included. Different devices can perform FDM transmission with different frequency offsets, which can increase positioning efficiency.

[0526] Specifically, the frequency offset can be achieved through repetition of the Manchester codeword, or by performing an XOR operation with a square wave.

[0527] Specifically, a fixed sequence is used for transmission, including but not limited to transmission using at least one of D2R's preamble, midamble, and postamble.

[0528] Furthermore, the device determines the end of positioning by: the disappearance of CW energy for a period of time, and / or by receiving a second R2D message thereafter (or the aforementioned first R2D message), which indicates the end of positioning; at this time, the device can resume charging or detecting R2D information.

[0529] In addition, the Reader reports the corresponding measurement results to the LMF.

[0530] Intermediate nodes (corresponding to topology #2) or base stations (corresponding to topology #1) will report the corresponding measurement results, which can be reported in the following format:

[0531] {Device ID or temporary identification ID, corresponding frequency information (e.g., f1), phase information}; or

[0532] {Device ID or temporary identification ID, corresponding two frequency points (e.g., f1, f2), phase difference information (for f1-f2)}; or

[0533] {Two Device IDs or temporary identification IDs, corresponding frequency point information (e.g., f1), phase difference information (for Device 1-Device2)} etc.

[0534] Specifically, the intermediate UE transmits the above information via the LPP protocol, while the base station transmits the above information via the NRPPa protocol.

[0535] After collecting phase correlation measurements at one or more frequency points corresponding to one or more devices, LMF completes the position calculation for each device.

[0536] In the embodiments disclosed herein, some or all of the steps and their optional implementations may be arbitrarily combined with some or all of the steps in other embodiments, or may be arbitrarily combined with the optional implementations in other embodiments.

[0537] This disclosure also provides embodiments of apparatus for implementing any of the above methods. For example, an apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the first device in any of the above methods. Alternatively, another apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the environmental IoT device in any of the above methods. Yet another apparatus is provided that includes units or modules for implementing the steps performed by the second device in any of the above methods.

[0538] It should be understood that the division of units or modules in the above device is only a logical functional division. In actual implementation, they can be fully or partially integrated into a single physical entity, or they can be physically separated. Furthermore, the units or modules in the device can be implemented by a processor calling software: for example, the device includes a processor connected to a memory containing instructions. The processor calls the instructions stored in the memory to implement any of the above methods or to implement the functions of the units or modules in the above device. The processor can be, for example, a general-purpose processor, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU) or a microprocessor, and the memory can be internal or external to the device. Alternatively, the units or modules in the device can be implemented in the form of hardware circuits. The functionality of some or all of the units or modules can be achieved through the design of these hardware circuits, which can be understood as one or more processors. For example, in one implementation, the hardware circuit is an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The functionality of some or all of the units or modules is achieved through the design of the logical relationships between the components within the circuit. In another implementation, the hardware circuit can be implemented using a programmable logic device (PLD). Taking a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) as an example, it can include a large number of logic gates. The connection relationships between the logic gates are configured through configuration files, thereby achieving the functionality of some or all of the units or modules. All units or modules of the above device can be implemented entirely through processor-called software, entirely through hardware circuits, or partially through processor-called software with the remaining parts implemented through hardware circuits.

[0539] In this embodiment, the processor is a circuit with signal processing capabilities. In one implementation, the processor can be a circuit with instruction read and execute capabilities, such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a microprocessor, a graphics processing unit (GPU) (which can be understood as a microprocessor), or a digital signal processor (DSP). In another implementation, the processor can implement certain functions through the logical relationships of hardware circuits. The logical relationships of the aforementioned hardware circuits are fixed or reconfigurable. For example, the processor is a hardware circuit implemented using an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a programmable logic device (PLD), such as an FPGA. In a reconfigurable hardware circuit, the process of the processor loading a configuration document and configuring the hardware circuit can be understood as the process of the processor loading instructions to implement the functions of some or all of the above units or modules. Furthermore, it can also be a hardware circuit designed for artificial intelligence, which can be understood as an ASIC, such as a Neural Network Processing Unit (NPU), a Tensor Processing Unit (TPU), or a Deep Learning Processing Unit (DPU).

[0540] Figure 5A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 5A, the first device 5100 may include a transceiver module 5101.

[0541] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5101 is configured to send a first message to the environmental IoT device, the first message being used to initiate a positioning process, the positioning process being used to locate the environmental IoT device.

[0542] Optionally, the transceiver module 5101 is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the first device 5100 in any of the above methods (e.g., steps S2101, S2102, S2104, S2105, S2106, S2109, S2201, S2203, S2205, S2207, S2210, but not limited thereto), which will not be elaborated here.

[0543] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5101 is further configured to: receive at least one feedback signal sent by the environmental IoT device to obtain at least one first signal, wherein the at least one feedback signal is a signal sent by the environmental IoT device to the first device after receiving a sine wave at at least one frequency point;

[0544] The device also includes (duration not shown in Figure 5A):

[0545] Processing module 5102 is configured to determine a measurement quantity related to the positioning process based on the at least one first signal.

[0546] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5101 is further configured to transmit the sine wave to the environmental IoT device at the at least one frequency point.

[0547] In some embodiments, a first duration is spaced between the first time point and the second time point, the first time point being the end time when the first device sends the first message, the second time point being the end time when the first device sends the sine wave, and the first duration being the shortest duration for the environmental IoT device to parse the first message.

[0548] In some embodiments, the processing module 5102 is further configured to perform a frequency hopping operation; the transceiver module 5101 is further configured to send the sine wave to the environmental IoT device at at least one frequency point after frequency hopping.

[0549] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5101 is further configured to send the first message to the environmental IoT device again.

[0550] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5101 is further configured to send the first message to a second device, the second device being a device for sending the sine wave to the environmental IoT device.

[0551] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5101 is further configured to send indication information to the second device, the indication information being used to instruct the second device to perform a frequency hopping operation.

[0552] In some embodiments, the indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following: at least one first frequency point, the at least one first frequency point being the frequency point at which the second device sends the sine wave to the environmental IoT device after performing the frequency hopping operation; and a third time point, the third time point being the time point at which the second device performs the frequency hopping operation.

[0553] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5101 is further configured to send positioning measurement information to the core network device, wherein the positioning measurement information includes at least the measurement quantity.

[0554] In some embodiments, the positioning measurement information further includes at least one of the following: device identifier, which is the identifier of the environmental IoT device or a temporary identification identifier of the environmental IoT device; frequency point information.

[0555] In some embodiments, the measurement quantity includes at least one of the following: phase information, which indicates the phase at which the feedback signal arrives at the first device; and phase difference information, which indicates the phase difference between at least two feedback signals arriving at the first device.

[0556] In some embodiments, the feedback signal includes any one of the following: a second signal, the second signal being a signal that backscatters the sine wave without performing baseband processing; a first sequence, the first sequence being a sequence in which baseband processing has been performed; wherein the baseband processing includes at least frequency offset processing.

[0557] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5101 is further configured to send a second message to the environmental IoT device, the second message being used to terminate the positioning process.

[0558] Figure 5B is a schematic diagram of the structure of an environmental IoT device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 5B, the environmental IoT device 5200 may include a transceiver module 5201.

[0559] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5201 is configured to receive a first message sent by a first device, the first device being a reader of the environmental IoT device, and the first message being used to initiate a positioning process, the positioning process being the process of locating the environmental IoT device.

[0560] Optionally, the transceiver module 5201 is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the environmental IoT device 5200 in any of the above methods (e.g., steps S2101, S2102, S2104, S2105, S2106, S2201, S2202, S2205, S2206, S2207, but not limited thereto), which will not be elaborated here.

[0561] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5201 is further configured to: send at least one feedback signal to the first device based on the received sine wave, wherein the at least one feedback signal is a signal sent to the first device by the environmental IoT device after receiving the sine wave at at least one frequency point.

[0562] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5201 is further configured to: receive the sine wave transmitted by the first device at the at least one frequency point; receive the sine wave transmitted by the second device at the at least one frequency point, wherein the second device is a device for transmitting the sine wave to the environmental IoT device.

[0563] In some embodiments, the feedback signal includes any one of the following: a second signal, the second signal being a signal that backscatters the sine wave without performing baseband processing; a first sequence, the first sequence being a sequence in which baseband processing has been performed; wherein the baseband processing includes at least frequency offset processing.

[0564] In some embodiments, the device further includes (not shown in FIG5B):

[0565] The processing module 5202 is configured to switch to a first state after the positioning process ends. The first state includes at least one of the following: a charging state; an information detection state, wherein the information detection state is used to detect information sent by the first device.

[0566] In some embodiments, the processing module 5202 is further configured to: determine the end of the positioning process when the duration for which the first energy value is less than or equal to the first value reaches a second duration, wherein the first energy value is the energy value of the sine wave; and determine the end of the positioning process upon receiving a second message sent by the first device, wherein the second message is used to terminate the positioning process.

[0567] Figure 5C is a schematic diagram of the structure of the second device proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. As shown in Figure 5C, the second device 5300 may include a transceiver module 5301.

[0568] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5301 is configured to receive a first message sent by a first device, the first device being a reader of an environmental IoT device, the first message being used to initiate a positioning process, the positioning process being used to locate the environmental IoT device.

[0569] Optionally, the transceiver module 5301 is used to perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving performed by the second device 5300 in any of the above methods (e.g., steps S2201, S2202, S2203, S2206, but not limited thereto), which will not be elaborated here.

[0570] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5301 is further configured to: based on the first message, send the sine wave to the environmental IoT device at at least one frequency point.

[0571] In some embodiments, a first duration is spaced between the fourth time point and the fifth time point, wherein the fourth time point is the time when the second device receives the first message, the fifth time point is the end time when the second device sends the sine wave, and the first duration is the shortest duration for the environmental IoT device to parse the first message.

[0572] In some embodiments, the transceiver module 5301 is further configured to: receive indication information sent by the first device, the indication information being used to instruct the second device to perform a frequency hopping operation;

[0573] The device also includes (not shown in FIG5C):

[0574] Processing module 5302 is configured to perform the frequency hopping operation based on the indication information;

[0575] The transceiver module 5301 is further configured to transmit the sine wave to the environmental IoT device at at least one first frequency point, wherein the at least one first frequency point is the frequency point at which the second device transmits the sine wave to the environmental IoT device after performing the frequency hopping operation.

[0576] In some embodiments, the indication information is used to indicate at least one of the following: the at least one first frequency point; and a third time point, the third time point being the time when the second device performs the frequency hopping operation.

[0577] In some embodiments, the transmitting module and / or receiving module may be referred to as a transceiver module, which may be separate or integrated. Optionally, the transceiver module may be interchangeable with a transceiver.

[0578] Figure 6A is a schematic diagram of the structure of the communication device 6100 proposed in an embodiment of this disclosure. The communication device 6100 can be an environmental IoT device (e.g., an IoT device, an autonomous driving device, etc.), a first device (e.g., a terminal, a network device, a relay device, etc.), or a second device. It can also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the environmental IoT device in implementing any of the above methods; it can also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the first device in implementing any of the above methods; or it can be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the second device in implementing any of the above methods. The communication device 6100 can be used to implement the methods described in the above method embodiments, and specific details can be found in the descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0579] As shown in Figure 6A, the communication device 6100 includes one or more processors 6101. The processor 6101 can be a general-purpose processor or a dedicated processor, such as a baseband processor or a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU can be used to control communication devices (e.g., base stations, baseband chips, terminal devices, terminal device chips, DUs or CUs, environmental IoT devices, relay devices, etc.), execute programs, and process program data. Optionally, the communication device 6100 can be used to execute any of the above methods. Optionally, one or more processors 6101 can be used to invoke instructions to cause the communication device 6100 to execute any of the above methods.

[0580] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more transceivers 6102. When the communication device 6100 includes one or more transceivers 6102, the transceivers 6102 perform at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above method (e.g., steps S2101, S2102, S2104, S2105, S2106, S2109, S2201, S2202, S2203, S2205, S2206, S2207, S2210, but not limited thereto), and the processor 6101 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., steps S2103, S2107, S2108, S2204, S2208, S2209, but not limited thereto). In optional embodiments, the transceivers may include a receiver and / or a transmitter, which may be separate or integrated together. Optionally, terms such as transceiver, transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver circuit, interface circuit, and interface can be used interchangeably; terms such as transmitter, transmitting unit, transmitter, and transmitting circuit can be used interchangeably; and terms such as receiver, receiving unit, receiver, and receiving circuit can be used interchangeably.

[0581] In some embodiments, the communication device 6100 further includes one or more memories 6103 for storing data. Optionally, all or part of the memories 6103 may be located outside the communication device 6100. In optional embodiments, the communication device 6100 may include one or more interface circuits 6104. Optionally, the interface circuits 6104 are connected to the memories 6103 and can be used to receive data from the memories 6103 or other devices, and to send data to the memories 6103 or other devices. For example, the interface circuits 6104 can read data stored in the memories 6103 and send that data to the processor 6101.

[0582] The communication device 6100 described in the above embodiments may be a network device or a terminal, but the scope of the communication device 6100 described in this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the structure of the communication device 6100 may not be limited by FIG. 6A. The communication device may be a standalone device or a part of a larger device. For example, the communication device may be: (1) a standalone integrated circuit IC, or chip, or chip system or subsystem; (2) a collection of one or more ICs, optionally, the IC collection may also include storage components for storing data and programs; (3) an ASIC, such as a modem; (4) a module that can be embedded in other devices; (5) a receiver, terminal device, smart terminal device, cellular phone, wireless device, handheld device, mobile unit, vehicle device, network device, cloud device, artificial intelligence device, etc.; (6) others, etc.

[0583] Figure 6B is a schematic diagram of the structure of chip 6200 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. For cases where the communication device 6100 can be a chip or a chip system, please refer to the schematic diagram of chip 6200 shown in Figure 6B, but it is not limited thereto.

[0584] Chip 6200 includes one or more processors 6201. Chip 6200 is used to perform any of the methods described above.

[0585] In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more interface circuits 6202. Optionally, terms such as interface circuit, interface, and transceiver pin can be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, chip 6200 further includes one or more memories 6203 for storing data. Optionally, all or part of the memories 6203 may be located outside chip 6200. Optionally, interface circuit 6202 is connected to memory 6203, and interface circuit 6202 can be used to receive data from memory 6203 or other devices, and interface circuit 6202 can be used to send data to memory 6203 or other devices. For example, interface circuit 6202 can read data stored in memory 6203 and send the data to processor 6201.

[0586] In some embodiments, the interface circuit 6202 performs at least one of the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method (e.g., steps S2101, S2102, S2104, S2105, S2106, S2109, S2201, S2202, S2203, S2205, S2206, S2207, S2210, but not limited thereto). The interface circuit 6202 performing the communication steps such as sending and / or receiving in the above-described method refers, for example, to the interface circuit 6202 performing data interaction between the processor 6201, the chip 6200, the memory 6203, or the transceiver device. In some embodiments, the processor 6201 performs at least one of other steps (e.g., steps S2103, S2107, S2108, S2204, S2208, S2209, but not limited thereto).

[0587] The modules and / or devices described in the various embodiments, such as virtual devices, physical devices, and chips, can be combined or separated arbitrarily as needed. Optionally, some or all steps can also be performed collaboratively by multiple modules and / or devices, which is not limited here.

[0588] This disclosure also proposes a storage medium storing instructions that, when executed on the communication device 6100, cause the communication device 6100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the storage medium is an electronic storage medium. Optionally, the storage medium is a computer-readable storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a storage medium readable by other devices. Optionally, the storage medium may be a non-transitory storage medium, but not limited thereto; it may also be a temporary storage medium.

[0589] This disclosure also provides a program product that, when executed by the communication device 6100, causes the communication device 6100 to perform any of the above methods. Optionally, the program product is a computer program product.

[0590] This disclosure also proposes a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform any of the above methods.

[0591] Other embodiments of this disclosure will readily occur to those skilled in the art upon consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This disclosure is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of this disclosure that follow the general principles of this disclosure and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The specification and examples are to be considered exemplary only, and the true scope and spirit of this disclosure are indicated by the following claims.

[0592] It should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the precise structures described above and shown in the accompanying drawings, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from its scope. The scope of this disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A positioning method, characterized in that, The method is performed by a first device, which is a reader of an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device, and the method includes: A first message is sent to the environmental IoT device, the first message being used to initiate a positioning process, the positioning process being used to locate the environmental IoT device.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Receive at least one feedback signal sent by the environmental IoT device to obtain at least one first signal, wherein the at least one feedback signal is a signal sent by the environmental IoT device to the first device after receiving a sine wave at at least one frequency point; Based on the at least one first signal, measurements related to the positioning process are determined.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The sine wave is transmitted to the environmental IoT device at at least one frequency point.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, There is a first time interval between the first time point and the second time point. The first time point is the end time when the first device sends the first message, the second time point is the end time when the first device sends the sine wave, and the first time interval is the shortest time for the environmental IoT device to parse the first message.

5. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Perform frequency hopping operation; The sine wave is transmitted to the environmental IoT device at at least one frequency point after frequency hopping.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first message is sent again to the environmental IoT device.

7. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes: The first message is sent to a second device, which is a device used to send the sine wave to the environmental IoT device.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send an instruction message to the second device, the instruction message being used to instruct the second device to perform a frequency hopping operation.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The instruction information is used to indicate at least one of the following: At least one first frequency point, wherein the at least one first frequency point is the frequency point at which the second device sends the sine wave to the environmental IoT device after performing the frequency hopping operation; The third time point is the time when the second device performs the frequency hopping operation.

10. The method according to any one of claims 2-9, characterized in that, The method further includes: The positioning measurement information is sent to the core network equipment, and the positioning measurement information includes at least the measurement quantity.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The positioning measurement information also includes at least one of the following: Device identifier, which is the identifier of the environmental IoT device or a temporary identification identifier of the environmental IoT device; Frequency information.

12. The method according to any one of claims 2-11, characterized in that, The measured quantity includes at least one of the following: Phase information, which indicates the phase at which the feedback signal arrives at the first device; Phase difference information, which is used to indicate the phase difference between at least two feedback signals arriving at the first device.

13. The method according to any one of claims 2-12, characterized in that, The feedback signal includes any of the following: The second signal is a signal that backscatters the sine wave without performing baseband processing. The first sequence is a sequence that has performed baseband processing operations; The baseband processing operation includes at least frequency offset processing.

14. The method according to any one of claims 1-13, characterized in that, The method further includes: A second message is sent to the environmental IoT device, the second message being used to terminate the positioning process.

15. A positioning method, characterized in that, The method is performed by an environmental IoT device, and the method includes: The system receives a first message sent by a first device, which is a reader of the environmental IoT device. The first message is used to initiate a positioning process, which is the process of locating the environmental IoT device.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the received sine wave, at least one feedback signal is sent to the first device. The at least one feedback signal is a signal sent to the first device by the environmental IoT device after receiving the sine wave at at least one frequency point.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The method further includes any one of the following: Receive the sine wave transmitted by the first device at the at least one frequency point; The device receives the sine wave transmitted by the second device at the at least one frequency point, the second device being a device for transmitting the sine wave to the environmental Internet of Things device.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that, The feedback signal includes any of the following: The second signal is a signal that backscatters the sine wave without performing baseband processing. The first sequence is a sequence that has performed baseband processing operations; The baseband processing operation includes at least frequency offset processing.

19. The method according to any one of claims 16-18, characterized in that, The method further includes: The positioning process ends, and the system switches to a first state, which includes at least one of the following: Charging status; Information detection status, which is used to detect information sent by the first device.

20. The method according to claim 19, characterized in that, The method further includes at least one of the following: When the duration for which the first energy value is less than or equal to the first value reaches a second duration, the positioning process is determined to be over. The first energy value is the energy value of the sine wave. Upon receiving a second message from the first device, it is determined that the positioning process has ended; the second message is used to terminate the positioning process.

21. A positioning method, characterized in that, The method is performed by a second device, which is a device for sending a sine wave to an environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device, and the method includes: The system receives a first message from a first device, which is a reader for an environmental IoT device. The first message is used to initiate a positioning process, which is used to locate the environmental IoT device.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the first message, the sine wave is sent to the environmental IoT device at at least one frequency.

23. The method according to claim 22, characterized in that, The interval between the fourth time point and the fifth time point is a first duration. The fourth time point is the time when the second device receives the first message, the fifth time point is the end time when the second device sends the sine wave, and the first duration is the shortest duration for the environmental IoT device to parse the first message.

24. The method according to claim 22 or 23, characterized in that, The method further includes: The device receives an indication message sent by the first device, the indication message being used to instruct the second device to perform a frequency hopping operation; Based on the indicated information, the frequency hopping operation is performed; The sine wave is transmitted to the environmental IoT device at at least one first frequency point, wherein the at least one first frequency point is the frequency point at which the second device transmits the sine wave to the environmental IoT device after performing the frequency hopping operation.

25. The method according to claim 24, characterized in that, The instruction information is used to indicate at least one of the following: The at least one first frequency point; The third time point is the time when the second device performs the frequency hopping operation.

26. A first device, characterized in that, The first device is a reader for environmental IoT devices, and the first device includes: The transceiver module is configured to send a first message to the environmental IoT device, the first message being used to initiate a positioning process, the positioning process being used to locate the environmental IoT device.

27. An environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device, characterized in that, The environmental IoT devices include: The transceiver module is configured to receive a first message sent by a first device, which is a reader of the environmental IoT device. The first message is used to initiate a positioning process, which is the process of locating the environmental IoT device.

28. A second device, characterized in that, The second device is a device for sending sine waves to environmental IoT devices, and the second device includes: The transceiver module is configured to receive a first message sent by a first device, which is a reader of an environmental IoT device. The first message is used to initiate a positioning process, which is used to locate the environmental IoT device.

29. A first device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; The processor is used to execute the positioning method according to any one of claims 1-14.

30. An environmental Internet of Things (IoT) device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; The processor is used to execute the positioning method according to any one of claims 15-20.

31. A second device, characterized in that, include: One or more processors; The processor is used to execute the positioning method according to any one of claims 21-25.

32. A communication system, characterized in that, include: A first device, configured to implement the positioning method according to any one of claims 1-14; An environmental IoT device, the environmental IoT device being configured to implement the positioning method according to any one of claims 15-20; A second device is configured to implement the positioning method according to any one of claims 21-25.

33. A storage medium storing instructions, characterized in that, When the instruction is executed on the communication device, the communication device performs the positioning method as described in any one of claims 1-14, 15-20, or 21-25.

34. A computer program product, comprising a computer program, characterized in that, When executed by a processor, the computer program is used to implement the positioning method according to any one of claims 1-14, 15-20, or 21-25.

Images