Positioning method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of communications. Provided are a positioning method and apparatus. The method comprises: a terminal device performing positioning on the basis of a first manner; if performing positioning in the first manner fails, the terminal device sending first information to a target network element, wherein the first information is used for indicating that performing positioning in the first manner fails, or the first information is used for indicating the selection of a second manner for performing positioning, the first manner is used for representing a manner in which a radio-frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information for performing positioning, and the second manner is used for representing a manner in which the radio-frequency channel map is not used as auxiliary information for performing positioning; and on the basis of the first information, the target network element selecting the second manner for performing positioning, and sending second information to the terminal device, wherein the second information is used for determining the second manner, such that the terminal device can perform positioning on the basis of the second manner. In this way, a radio-frequency channel map is not used as auxiliary information for performing positioning, thereby facilitating improving the probability of positioning success.

Description

Positioning method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411720460.1, filed on November 27, 2024, entitled "Positioning Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communications, and in particular to a positioning method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] Radio frequency channel maps are essentially regional channel data. The generation of radio frequency channel maps first involves describing the physical world through environmental reconstruction, then dividing the scene into grids, and finally solving for the radio frequency channel map through the reconstructed environment or the real physical world.

[0004] Currently, radio frequency channel maps can be used as auxiliary information for locating terminal devices.

[0005] However, this method can result in location failures. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This application provides a positioning method and apparatus, which helps to improve the probability of successful positioning.

[0007] Firstly, a positioning method is provided. This method can be executed by a terminal-side communication device, or by other entities, and this application does not limit the scope of the method. The terminal-side communication device can be a terminal device, or software, functional modules, communication modules, chips, chip systems, or circuits within the terminal device (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip containing a modem core, or a system-in-package (SIP) chip, etc.). For ease of description, the following explanation uses a terminal device as an example.

[0008] The method may include: sending first information, the first information being used to indicate that the first method of positioning has failed, or the first information being used to indicate that a second method of positioning is selected, the first method being used to indicate a method of positioning using radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information, and the second method being used to indicate a method of positioning without using radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information; and receiving second information, the second information being used to determine the second method.

[0009] The method provided in this application enables positioning through a second method based on the indication of the first information. Compared with the first method, the second method does not use radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information, which helps to reduce the impact of radio frequency channel maps on positioning and thus helps to increase the probability of successful positioning.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: positioning based on a first method; sending first information, including: sending first information if positioning by the first method fails.

[0011] If the first information is used to indicate that the first method of positioning has failed, the terminal device sends the first information to the target network element to inform the target network element of the result of the first method of positioning, so that the target network element can choose other methods of positioning, which is conducive to improving the probability of successful positioning.

[0012] If the first information is used to indicate the selection of the second method for positioning, the terminal device sends the first information to the target network element to assist the target network element in selecting the appropriate method for positioning, which helps to increase the probability of successful positioning.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the first approach is used to represent a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using multiple network elements for positioning; or, the first approach is used to represent a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using a single network element for positioning.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the first mode is used to indicate a mode of positioning using a radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and a single network element; the method further includes: sending third information, the third information being used to indicate that positioning using the third mode has failed, or the third information being used to indicate that positioning using the first mode is selected, the third mode being used to indicate a mode of positioning using a radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and multiple network elements; and receiving fourth information, the fourth information being used to determine the first mode.

[0015] Both the third and first methods use radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information for positioning, but they use different numbers of network elements. Thus, if the third method fails to locate, the first method can be used. Using different methods that use radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information for positioning can help increase the probability of successful positioning.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the first mode is used to indicate a mode in which the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and multiple network elements are used for positioning; the method further includes: sending fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that the fourth mode of positioning has failed, or the fifth information being used to indicate that the first mode of positioning is selected, the fourth mode being used to indicate a mode in which the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and a single network element is used for positioning; and receiving sixth information, the sixth information being used to determine the first mode.

[0017] Both the fourth and first methods use radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information for positioning, but they use different numbers of network elements. Thus, if the third method fails to locate the target, the first method can be used. Using different methods that use radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information for positioning can help increase the probability of successful positioning.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the method further includes sending a seventh message indicating that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application, which is the application for which services are required after successful location.

[0019] The first method indicates that the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information for positioning. If the positioning fails using the first method, it indicates that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application. The terminal device can inform the target network element that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application, so that the target network element can choose not to use the radio frequency channel map for positioning, which is beneficial to improving the probability of successful positioning.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: performing positioning based on the second method; if the positioning is successful using the second method, sending an eighth message, the eighth message indicating that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location, the target spatial location being the spatial location of the positioning result obtained by the second method in the radio frequency channel map.

[0021] If the second method of positioning is successful, it indicates that the location of the terminal device is more suitable for positioning using the first method than the second method. Therefore, the terminal device can send the eighth message to the target network element to inform it that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location. This allows the target network element to choose not to use the radio frequency channel map for positioning within the target spatial location, thus increasing the probability of successful positioning.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the target spatial location is used to represent a region or a grid in the radio frequency channel map.

[0023] In one possible implementation, the radio frequency channel map is used to indicate one or more pieces of information, such as multipath elements, channel state information, or channel matrix.

[0024] In one possible implementation, a positioning failure includes one or more of the following: no positioning result can be obtained, the positioning quality does not meet a first threshold, or the positioning accuracy does not reach a second threshold.

[0025] In the first method, the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information. If the radio frequency channel map has a negative effect on positioning, it may result in no positioning result, positioning quality not meeting the first threshold, or positioning accuracy not reaching one or more of the first thresholds. In the case of positioning failure in the first method, positioning can be achieved through the second method by means of the first information. In this way, not using the radio frequency channel map helps to reduce the impact of the radio frequency channel map on positioning, thereby helping to improve positioning accuracy.

[0026] Secondly, a positioning method is provided. This method can be executed by a network-side communication device, or by other entities, and this application does not limit the scope of execution. The network-side communication device can be a location management function (LMF), a network element, or software, functional modules, communication modules, chips, chip systems, or circuits within the network element (such as modem chips, also known as baseband chips, or SoC chips or SIP chips containing modem cores). For ease of description, the target network element will be used as an example below.

[0027] The method may include: receiving first information, the first information indicating that the first method of positioning has failed, or the first information indicating that a second method of positioning is selected, the first method indicating a method of positioning using radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information, and the second method indicating a method of positioning without using radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information; and sending second information based on the first information, the second information being used to determine the second method.

[0028] In one possible implementation, the first method is used to indicate a method of using a radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using a single network element for positioning; the method further includes: receiving third information, the third information being used to indicate that the third method of positioning has failed, or the third information being used to indicate that the first method of positioning is selected, the third method being used to indicate a method of using a radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using multiple network elements for positioning; and based on the third information, sending fourth information, the fourth information being used to determine the first method.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the first mode is used to indicate a mode of positioning using radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using multiple network elements; the method further includes: receiving fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that positioning using the fourth mode has failed, or the fifth information being used to indicate that positioning using the first mode is selected, the fourth mode being used to indicate a mode of positioning using radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using a single network element; and based on the fifth information, sending sixth information, the sixth information being used to determine the first mode.

[0030] In one possible implementation, the method further includes receiving seventh information, which indicates that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application, the target application being the application for which services are required after successful location.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: updating the radio frequency channel map based on the seventh information to obtain an updated radio frequency channel map, the updated radio frequency channel map including information that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application.

[0032] In this way, the updated radio frequency channel map includes information that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application. This is beneficial for the target network element to avoid selecting the first method for positioning triggered by the target application, which will help improve the probability of successful positioning.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the method further includes receiving eighth information, the eighth information being used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location, the target spatial location being the spatial location of the positioning result obtained by the second method in the radio frequency channel map.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the method further includes: updating the radio frequency channel map based on the eighth information to obtain an updated radio frequency channel map, the updated radio frequency channel map including information that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location.

[0035] In this way, the updated radio frequency channel map includes information that is not applicable to the target spatial location, which is beneficial for subsequent updates to the relevant parameters of the radio frequency channel map for the target spatial location and for better subsequent positioning assistance.

[0036] The target spatial location, radio frequency channel map, and explanation of positioning failure can be found in the first aspect above, and will not be repeated here.

[0037] Thirdly, a communication apparatus is provided for executing the method in any of the possible implementations of the above aspects. Specifically, the communication apparatus includes a module for executing the method in any of the possible implementations of the above aspects.

[0038] Fourthly, this application provides another communication device, including a processor coupled to a memory, which can be used to execute instructions in the memory to implement the methods in any of the possible implementations of the foregoing aspects. Optionally, the communication device further includes a memory. Optionally, the communication device further includes a communication interface, to which the processor is coupled.

[0039] In one implementation, the communication device is a terminal device or a network element. When the communication device is a terminal device or a network element, the communication interface can be a transceiver or an input / output interface.

[0040] In another implementation, the communication device is a chip applicable to a terminal device or a network element. When the communication device is a chip applicable to a terminal device or a network element, the aforementioned communication interface can be an input / output interface.

[0041] Fifthly, a processor is provided, comprising: an input circuit, an output circuit, and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is used to receive signals through the input circuit and transmit signals through the output circuit, causing the processor to execute the method in any possible implementation of the above aspects.

[0042] In the specific implementation process, the processor can be a chip, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, gate circuit, flip-flop, and various logic circuits. The input signal received by the input circuit can be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a receiver, and the signal output by the output circuit can be output to, for example, but not limited to, a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter. Furthermore, the input circuit and the output circuit can be the same circuit, which is used as the input circuit and the output circuit at different times. This application does not limit the specific implementation of the processor and various circuits.

[0043] Sixthly, a communication device is provided, including a processor. The processor can receive signals via a receiver and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the methods in any of the possible implementations of the foregoing aspects. The communication device may have one or more processors.

[0044] Optionally, the communication device may further include a memory. The processor can be used to read instructions stored in the memory and can receive signals via a receiver and transmit signals via a transmitter to execute the methods in any of the possible implementations of the above aspects. The memory may consist of one or more units.

[0045] Alternatively, the memory can be integrated with the processor, or the memory can be set up separately from the processor.

[0046] In the specific implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated with the processor on the same chip or set on different chips. This application does not limit the type of memory or the way the memory and processor are set.

[0047] It should be understood that the relevant data interaction process, such as sending instruction information, can be a process of outputting instruction information from the processor, and receiving capability information can be a process of the processor receiving input capability information. Specifically, the processed output data can be output to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can come from the receiver. Here, the transmitter and receiver can be collectively referred to as transceivers.

[0048] The communication device in the sixth aspect above can be a chip. The processor can be implemented in hardware or software. When implemented in hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, integrated circuit, etc. When implemented in software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor that reads software code stored in memory. The memory can be integrated into the processor or located outside the processor and exist independently.

[0049] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, comprising: a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run, causes a computer to perform a method in any of the possible implementations of the foregoing aspects.

[0050] Eighthly, a computer-readable storage medium is provided that stores a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform the methods in any of the possible implementations of the foregoing aspects.

[0051] It should be understood that the third to seventh aspects of this application correspond to the technical solutions of the first and second aspects of this application, and the beneficial effects achieved by each aspect and the corresponding feasible implementation are similar, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0052] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the generation of a radio frequency channel map according to an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a radio frequency channel map region provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 4 is a schematic interactive diagram of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 5 is a schematic interactive diagram of a terminal device performing positioning based on a first method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 6 is a schematic interactive diagram of another positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 7 is a schematic interactive diagram of another positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 8 is a schematic interactive diagram of another positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0060] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a method for reversing positioning provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0061] Figure 10 is a schematic interactive diagram of another positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0062] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0063] Figure 12 is a schematic block diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0064] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0065] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used to distinguish identical or similar items with essentially the same function and effect. For example, the first method and the second method are only used to distinguish different methods and do not limit their order. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terms "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity or execution order, and the terms "first" and "second" do not necessarily imply that they are different.

[0066] It should be noted that, in the embodiments of this application, the words "exemplarily" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplarily" or "for example" in this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design schemes. Specifically, the use of the words "exemplarily" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0067] In this application embodiment, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "more than one" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A alone, A and B simultaneously, or B alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent: a, b, c, ab, a--c, bc, or abc, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

[0068] In the embodiments of this application, the terms and English abbreviations, such as radio frequency channel map and positioning quality, are merely illustrative examples given for ease of description and should not be construed as limiting this application in any way. This application does not preclude the possibility of defining other terms that can achieve the same or similar functions in existing or future protocols.

[0069] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems, such as: Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, such as LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) systems and LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD) systems, 5th Generation (5G) systems or New Radio (NR) systems, future communication systems, etc.

[0070] To facilitate understanding of the embodiments of this application, the communication system applicable to the embodiments of this application will be described in detail first with reference to FIG1.

[0071] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 100, wherein the RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 110), and may also include at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110. Terminals and RAN nodes can be interconnected via wired or wireless means. The communication system may also include a core network 200. The RAN node 110 is connected to the core network 200 wirelessly or via wired means. The core network equipment in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 may be independent and different physical devices, or they may be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of the core network equipment and the logical functions of the RAN node. The communication system may also include the Internet 300.

[0072] RAN 100 can be an evolved universal terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA) system, a new radio (NR) system, or a future radio access system as defined in the 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP). RAN 100 can also include two or more of the above-mentioned different radio access systems. RAN 100 can also be an open RAN (O-RAN).

[0073] RAN nodes, also known as radio access network devices, RAN entities, or access nodes, are used to help terminals access communication systems wirelessly. In one application scenario, an RAN node can be a base station, an evolved NodeB (eNodeB), a transmission reception point (TRP), a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in a 5th generation (NR) mobile communication system, or a base station in a future mobile communication system. RAN nodes can be macro base stations (as shown in Figure 1, 110a), micro base stations or indoor stations (as shown in Figure 1, 110b), and can also be relay nodes or donor nodes.

[0074] In another application scenario, multiple RAN nodes can collaborate to help terminals achieve wireless access, with different RAN nodes implementing different functions of the base station. For example, a RAN node can be a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), or a radio unit (RU). Here, the CU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Resource Control (RRC) and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and can also perform the functions of the Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP). The DU performs the functions of the base station's Radio Link Control (RANC) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers, and can also perform some or all of the physical layer functions. For specific descriptions of these protocol layers, refer to the relevant 3GPP technical specifications. The RU can be used to implement radio frequency signal transmission and reception. The CU and DU can be two independent RAN nodes or integrated into the same RAN node, such as within a baseband unit (BBU). The RU can be included in radio frequency equipment, such as in a remote radio unit (RRU) or an active antenna unit (AAU). The CU can be further divided into two types of RAN nodes: CU-control plane and CU-user plane.

[0075] In different systems, RAN nodes may have different names. For example, in an O-RAN system, a CU can be called an open CU (O-CU), a DU can be called an open DU (O-DU), and an RU can be called an open RU (O-RU). The RAN nodes in the embodiments of this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software and hardware modules. For example, a RAN node can be a server loaded with the corresponding software modules. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the RAN nodes. For ease of description, a base station is used as an example of a RAN node in the following description.

[0076] A terminal is a device with wireless transceiver capabilities, capable of sending signals to or receiving signals from a base station. Terminals can also be called terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), mobile station, mobile terminal, etc. Terminals can be widely used in various scenarios, such as device-to-device (D2D), vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), Internet of Things (IoT), virtual reality, augmented reality, industrial control, autonomous driving, telemedicine, smart grids, smart furniture, smart offices, smart wearables, smart transportation, smart cities, etc. Terminals can be mobile phones, tablets, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, wearable devices, vehicles, airplanes, ships, robots, robotic arms, smart home devices, etc. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technology or device form used in the terminal.

[0077] Base stations and terminals can be fixed or mobile. They can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can be deployed on aircraft, balloons, and satellites. The embodiments of this application do not limit the application scenarios of the base stations and terminals.

[0078] The roles of base stations and terminals can be relative. For example, the helicopter or drone 120i in Figure 1 can be configured as a mobile base station. For terminals 120j that access the wireless access network 100 through 120i, terminal 120i is a base station; however, for base station 110a, 120i is a terminal, meaning that 110a and 120i communicate via a wireless air interface protocol. Of course, 110a and 120i can also communicate via a base station-to-base station interface protocol. In this case, relative to 110a, 120i is also a base station. Therefore, both base stations and terminals can be collectively referred to as communication devices. 110a and 110b in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with base station functions, and 120a-120j in Figure 1 can be called communication devices with terminal functions. In the embodiments of this application, the "protocol" involved can refer to standard protocols in the field of communication, such as 3GPP standard protocols, which this application does not limit.

[0079] Communication between base stations and terminals, between base stations, and between terminals can be conducted using licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or both simultaneously. Communication can be conducted using spectrum below 6 GHz, spectrum above 6 GHz, or both simultaneously. The embodiments of this application do not limit the spectrum resources used for wireless communication.

[0080] In the embodiments of this application, the functions of the base station can be executed by modules (such as chips) within the base station, or by a control subsystem that includes base station functions. This control subsystem, including base station functions, can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. Similarly, the functions of the terminal can be executed by modules (such as chips or modems) within the terminal, or by a device that includes terminal functions.

[0081] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the terminology involved in the embodiments of this application will be introduced first.

[0082] 1. Radio Frequency Channel Map

[0083] Wireless sensing technology, as one of the electromagnetic wave sensing technologies, can be used as an important alternative technology for security inspection, hidden object detection, environmental reconstruction and monitoring due to its penetration and security.

[0084] In future communication systems, acquiring sensing information from the environment will become essential. To conserve spectrum, hardware resources, and computing power, the integration of communication and sensing is becoming a trend. Utilizing environmental information obtained from sensing to assist communication in achieving higher spectral efficiency, or obtaining more robust, resilient, and easily recoverable networks, has become an important topic in sensing-assisted communication. Generating a radio frequency channel mapping map through methods such as sensing prediction can be called a radio frequency map (RF map) or radio frequency channel map; this application does not limit the specific terminology used. For ease of description, the following explanation uses a radio frequency channel map as an example.

[0085] The generation of radio frequency channel maps begins with describing the physical world through environmental reconstruction. Then, the scene is divided into grids. After the grids are divided, the radio frequency channel map is solved by reconstructing the environment or the real physical world.

[0086] The process of generating the radio frequency channel map is described below using Figure 2.

[0087] Figure 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of the process of generating a radio frequency channel map. Figure 2a shows a street scene from a physical world map, including buildings A, B, and C. A grid device can sense and reconstruct this street scene to obtain a virtual street scene. This virtual street scene can be shown in Figure 2b; however, the virtual street scene may differ from the real street scene.

[0088] The grid device can divide a virtual street scene into multiple grids based on a certain resolution, as shown in Figure 2c, and calculate the corresponding channel data for each grid, as shown in Figure 2d. The channel data for each grid can include multipath information, which may include, but is not limited to, power, delay, angle of arrival (AOA), and angle of departure (AOD).

[0089] For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 2c, the grid device can generate the transmission delay, received power, AOA, AOD of radio signals, and identifiers of objects that reflect, scatter, or transmit radio signals in each grid based on the location information of the network devices, hardware parameters, and the location information of each grid within the area. Objects in the environment that reflect, scatter, or transmit radio signals can be referred to as scatterers.

[0090] Radio frequency channel map data can exist in multiple formats.

[0091] In one possible implementation, the data format of the radio frequency channel map can be a grid-based data format. In one example, the data format of a grid-based radio frequency channel map can be as shown in Table 1.

[0092] Table 1

[0093] Each grid can include a starting point and a grid resolution. The starting point determines the initial position of the grid, and the grid resolution determines the size of the grid. In Table 1, the radio frequency channel map can include N grids, and the position of the i-th grid in these N grids can be represented by (x... i ,y i ,z i The channel data of each grid can include multipath information. The multipath information of the i-th grid can be represented as {(Power1,Delay1,AOA1,AOD1), (Power2,Delay2,AOA2,AOD2), ..., (Power... k Delay k AOA k AOD k)} indicates that, among which, Power k Delay is used to represent the received power of the k-th path in the i-th grid. k AOA is used to represent the transmission delay of the k-th path in the i-th grid. k AOA and AOD are used to represent the k-th path in the i-th grid. k The AOD is used to represent the k-th path in the i-th grid, where i is greater than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to N, and k is greater than or equal to 0. When k equals 0, it can be used to indicate that the i-th grid is in a blind zone.

[0094] The scatterers included in the environment can be represented as {P1, P2, P3, ..., P...} n} indicates that, in the multipath information included in the i-th grid, the scatterer identifier corresponding to the j-th path can be {P1, P2, P3, ..., P}. n One or more of the scatterer identifiers in the set, or empty. Here, j is greater than 1 and less than or equal to i. The order of the scatterer identifiers in the set can also be used to represent the order of the scatterers experienced by the j-th path.

[0095] In some examples, the scatterer identifier corresponding to the j-th path can be {P1, P3, P...} n The uplink or downlink path can first pass through P1 for reflection or transmission, then through P3 for reflection or transmission, and finally through P... n Reflection or transmission.

[0096] In other examples, the scatterer identifier corresponding to the j-th path can be {P1, P3, P...} n The uplink or downlink path can first pass through P. n It is reflected or transmitted, then reflected or transmitted through P3, and finally reflected or transmitted through P1.

[0097] The perceived quality S of the i-th grid i Used to represent the difference between the grid measurement channel and the grid channel generated by the radio frequency channel map.

[0098] In one example, the perceived quality S of the i-th grid i It can be defined as:

[0099] Where K represents the number of paths included in the i-th grid, AOX k Delay is used to represent the AOD of the k-th path in the i-th grid. k Used to represent the transmission delay of the k-th path in the i-th grid. For actual transmission latency, For true AOX, Power kThis represents the received power of the k-th path in the i-th grid. The actual transmission delay represents the transmission delay of the i-th grid in practical applications. The actual AOX represents the AOX of the i-th grid in practical applications. AOX can include AOA and AOD.

[0100] In another possible implementation, the data format of the radio frequency channel map can be a region-based data format. In one example, the region-based radio frequency channel map data format can be as shown in Table 2.

[0101] Table 2

[0102] As shown in Table 2, the data format of the radio frequency channel map can include region identifiers, edge information, extended expressions, scalable minimum resolution, and associated scatterers. The region identifier (Region ID) represents the identifier of the region after partitioning the radio frequency channel map, and can be denoted by R, where the i-th region can be denoted by Ri. The edge information (Gird ID) represents the edge grid ID of the region range, and can be denoted by {S1, S2, ..., S...}. n The extended expression is used to represent multipath information based on grid IDs. For example, the ID of a grid in a region is represented by (x, y). This grid can include multipath information, and the information of a specific path in the multipath information can be represented by (Power). xy Delay xy AOX xy ) indicates. Among them, Power xy Delay xy AOX xy All of these can be represented using extended expressions. For example, the parameter of an extended expression can be {p}. 00 ,p 01 ,p 10 ,p 11 ,p 02 ,p 20 ,…,p ij},{d 00 ,d 01 ,d 10 ,d 11 ,d 02 ,d 20 ,…,d kl}, {a 00 ,a 01 ,a 10 ,a 11 ,a 02 ,a 20 ,…,a op}, then the extended expression can be represented as Powerxy =p 00 +p 10 x+p 01 y+…+p ij x i y j Delay xy =d 00 +d 10 x+d 01 y+…+d kl x k y l AOX xy =a 00 +a 10 x+a 01 y+…+a op x o y p The parameters of the extended expression used by different grids within the same region can be the same.

[0103] The scalable minimum resolution corresponding to the extended expression can be represented by T. i express.

[0104] The scatterer identifier associated with the extended expression can be {P1, P2, P3, ..., P} n One or more of the characters in}, or empty. To better understand the data format of the region-based radio frequency channel map shown in Table 2 above, a specific example is given below.

[0105] Figure 3 shows a schematic diagram of a region in an RF channel map. As shown in Figure 3, the black-filled region can be any region of the RF channel map, and the edge information of this region can be represented as {4,5,11,14,18,23,26,32,35,39,43,46,51,53,60}. The scalable minimum resolution can be 0.01m. The associated scatterers can be {12,34}. It should be noted that the relevant information of the scatterers is not shown in Figure 3.

[0106] There is another expression for the aforementioned edge information. For example, the content of region edge information data in a region-based radio frequency channel map can be shown in Table 3.

[0107] Table 3

[0108] As shown in Table 3, the regional edge information data may include edge identifier, edge information expression, edge information coordinate range, associated partition ID, and scalable minimum resolution. Specifically, the edge ID represents the edge information of the radio frequency channel map. The edge information expression describes the detailed information of the radio frequency channel map boundary region. The edge information coordinate range describes the range of the radio frequency channel map boundary region. The associated scatterers represent the associated scatterers of the regions on both sides of the edge information. The associated partition ID represents the associated partitions of the regions on both sides of the edge information. The scalable minimum resolution represents the scalable minimum resolution corresponding to the edge information expression.

[0109] 2. Data format of radio frequency channel map

[0110] Radio frequency channel map data formats can include three types: multipath components (MPCs), channel state information (CSI), and channel matrix. It's important to note that these data can be converted into each other; for example, the channel matrix can be generated from multipath components, and multipath components can be extracted from the channel matrix.

[0111] The main components of MPCs can include: delay, angle (e.g., AOA, DOA), power, phase, order (i.e., the number of bounces of the path), etc. Among them, delay is equivalent to the transmission distance of the path, or in other words, the transmission distance of the path and delay can be converted into each other.

[0112] CSI mainly includes: channel rank indicator (CRI), rank indicator (RI), channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), and layer indicator (LI).

[0113] A channel matrix is ​​a mathematical model used to describe the transmission of signals between different channels. The elements of the channel matrix can represent factors such as attenuation, interference, and delay as a signal travels from one channel to another. In wireless communication systems, the channel matrix describes the fading characteristics of signals transmitted between different wireless channels. Fading can be caused by various factors, such as multipath propagation, shadowing, and the Doppler effect. The channel matrix can capture these fading characteristics and provide a quantitative assessment of signal transmission quality.

[0114] The main applications of radio frequency channel mapping can include: positioning, beamforming, and MIMO.

[0115] For positioning, the time delay in the multipath elements of the radio frequency channel map can be mainly used. If the angle measurement accuracy of the base station or terminal equipment is limited, the angle information in the multipath elements of the radio frequency channel map can be quantized to a certain number of bytes (bits). Generally, for the completeness of the solution, the data format of the radio frequency channel map for positioning can include the three data formats mentioned above, namely MPCs, CSI, and channel matrix, but the time delay in MPCs is generally the primary one.

[0116] In terms of beamforming, some examples can primarily use the angle and power from the multipath elements in the RF channel map; in other examples, the MPCs and CSI data formats in the RF channel map can be used; and in still other examples, the MPCs, CSI, and channel matrix data formats in the RF channel map can be used.

[0117] MIMO is the application scenario with the highest and most demanding data requirements. In this scenario, the channel matrix in the radio frequency channel map can be used primarily.

[0118] Different data formats for radio frequency channel maps can support different application scenarios, and some data formats may not be able to support specific application scenarios. Furthermore, different data formats support varying levels of accuracy for different application scenarios. For example, if only the time delay from multipath elements is used for assisted positioning, the positioning accuracy can be 1 meter; if both time delay and angle from multipath elements are used for assisted positioning, the positioning accuracy can be improved to 0.5 meters.

[0119] Currently, radio frequency channel maps can be used as auxiliary information for locating terminal devices. LMF (Local Frequency Mapping) is a network element that selects an appropriate method for positioning, and it can choose to use radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information for positioning.

[0120] However, using radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information for positioning can lead to positioning failures.

[0121] The location failure occurs because the radio frequency channel map is a regional channel information generated based on a virtual environment through ray tracing, machine learning, or deep learning. This virtual environment is obtained by perceiving and reconstructing the real environment. If the error between the virtual environment and the real environment is large, situations may arise where no location result can be obtained, the location quality does not meet the threshold, or the location accuracy does not meet the preset requirements, leading to location failure. Location quality refers to multiple aspects such as the accuracy, timeliness, stability, and continuity of the location result. The location result can also be referred to as location data, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0122] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a positioning method and apparatus. A terminal device can send first information to a target network element. The first information is used to indicate that the positioning method using radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information has failed, or the first information is used to indicate that the positioning method without using radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information is selected. In this way, the target network element can choose to locate without using radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information, which is beneficial to improving the probability of successful positioning.

[0123] The target network element refers to the network element used to select an appropriate positioning method. For example, the target network element can be an LMF. The target network element is merely an example name and can also be referred to as the first network element. This application embodiment does not limit this.

[0124] In the embodiments of this application, the function of the target network element can be executed by a module (such as a chip) within the target network element, or by a control subsystem containing the target network element's function. This control subsystem containing the target network element's function can be a control center in the aforementioned application scenarios such as smart grids, industrial control, intelligent transportation, and smart cities. The function of the terminal can also be executed by a module (such as a chip or modem) within the terminal, or by a device containing terminal functions. For ease of description, the method of the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below using the target network element and terminal device as the execution entities.

[0125] It should be understood that the terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the terminal device in implementing the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the terminal device; the target network element can be the target network element itself, or a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the target network element in implementing the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, or a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the target network element, and this application does not specifically limit it in this regard.

[0126] To better understand the embodiments of this application, the methods provided by the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to Figures 4 to 10. The embodiments shown in this application illustrate the methods provided by the embodiments of this application from the perspective of device interaction. The specific forms and quantities of the devices shown are merely examples and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation of the methods provided by the embodiments of this application.

[0127] For example, Figure 4 shows a schematic interactive diagram of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application. This method can be applied to the communication system shown in Figure 1 above, but the embodiments of this application are not limited thereto. As shown in Figure 4, the method may include the following steps:

[0128] S401. The terminal device can perform positioning based on the first method, whereby the first method indicates a positioning method that uses the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information.

[0129] The method of using radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information for positioning can be called the first method or the first positioning method, and this application does not limit this.

[0130] Using radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information for positioning can be understood as using radio frequency channel maps during the positioning process. Therefore, as long as radio frequency channel maps are used, regardless of the proportion of radio frequency channel maps in the positioning process, it can be called using radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information for positioning.

[0131] In some examples, the use of radio frequency (RF) channel maps in enhanced cell-ID (E-CID) positioning technology can be referred to as the first method. The use of RF channel maps in downlink-time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), uplink-time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), downlink-angle of departure (DL-AOD), uplink-angle of arrival (UL-AOA), and multiple-round trip time (Muti-RTT) can also be referred to as the first method.

[0132] In some examples, the methods of using radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information for localization can be divided into two categories: one is to use radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information and use a single network element for localization, and the other is to use radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information and use multiple network elements for localization.

[0133] The method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and employing a single network element for positioning can be understood as using the radio frequency channel map during the positioning process and requiring the participation of a single network element. The method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and employing multiple network elements for positioning can be understood as using the radio frequency channel map during the positioning process and requiring the participation of multiple network elements.

[0134] The positioning process can be understood as obtaining a location service request, obtaining the configuration process of parameters before positioning, determining the positioning result, and reporting the positioning result.

[0135] The positioning of the terminal device based on the first method may include: the process of interaction between the positioning terminal device and the target network element, which will not be described in detail here.

[0136] S402. If the first method of positioning fails, the terminal device may send first information to the target network element. The first information is used to indicate that the first method of positioning has failed. Alternatively, the first information is used to indicate that the second method of positioning is selected. The second method is used to indicate a method of positioning without using radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information.

[0137] In one possible implementation, the first information is used to indicate that the first method of positioning has failed, so as to inform the target network element of the result of the positioning and enable it to choose other methods for positioning, which is beneficial to improving the probability of successful positioning.

[0138] In another possible implementation, the first information is used to indicate the selection of the second method for positioning, so as to assist the target network element in selecting the appropriate method for positioning, which is conducive to improving the probability of successful positioning.

[0139] In one example, the second method may include multiple methods such as E-CID, DL-TDOA, UL-TDOA, DL-AOD, UL-AOA, and Multi-RTT.

[0140] Optionally, a positioning failure may include one or more of the following: no positioning result can be obtained, the positioning quality does not meet the first threshold, or the positioning accuracy does not reach the second threshold.

[0141] It is understandable that failure to obtain a positioning result, failure of positioning quality to meet the first threshold, and failure of positioning accuracy to meet the second threshold can all indicate positioning failure.

[0142] S403. Based on the first information, the target network element can choose the second method for positioning.

[0143] In one possible implementation, the first information is used to indicate that the first method of positioning has failed. The target network element can then select a second method from a variety of alternative methods for positioning based on the first information.

[0144] In another possible implementation, the first information is used to indicate whether to select the second method for positioning. The target network element can select the second method for positioning based on the first information. Alternatively, the target network element can determine whether to revert to the second method for positioning based on the first information; if so, it can select the second method for positioning.

[0145] S404. The target network element can send second information to the terminal device. The second information is used to determine the second method.

[0146] The second information is used to determine the second method. It can be understood that the second information is information related to the second method. The terminal device can determine to use the second method for positioning based on the second information.

[0147] The second piece of information can exist in many possible forms.

[0148] In one example, the second information can be used to indicate the use of a second method for positioning. In this way, the terminal device can directly determine to use the second method for positioning based on the second information, which is simple to implement.

[0149] In another example, the second information can be used to indicate the identifier (or index) of the second method. The terminal device can determine to use the second method for positioning based on the identifier (or index) of the second method and the mapping between identifiers of different methods and different methods. The identifier (or index) of the second method can be represented by one or more of numbers, characters, letters, or symbols; this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0150] For example, the identifier for the second method can be 1. The second information can be used to indicate the identifier 1 of the second method. The terminal device can determine to use the second method for positioning based on the identifier 1 of the second method and the mapping between the identifiers of different methods and different methods.

[0151] In this way, using identifiers or indexes to transmit information helps to save signaling overhead.

[0152] The target network element sends second information to the terminal device, which can then use the second method to locate itself based on this second information. This eliminates the need to use radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information for location, thus increasing the probability of successful location.

[0153] To better understand the above method, the process of the terminal device locating based on the first method will be explained in detail below.

[0154] For example, Figure 5 shows a schematic interaction diagram of a terminal device performing positioning based on a first method. As shown in Figure 5, the method may include the following steps:

[0155] S501a: The terminal device sends a Location Service Request to the access and mobility management function (AMF) to request location.

[0156] The S501b and Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) can send location service requests to the AMF in order to request location services.

[0157] S501c and AMF determine that location is needed and generate a location service request.

[0158] S501a, S501b, and S501c can be understood as the triggering conditions for the location service. Any one of these three can trigger the location service.

[0159] S502 and AMF can send location service requests to LMF.

[0160] Regardless of which device among S501a, S501b, and S501c initiates the location service request, the AMF can send the location service request to the LMF, or in other words, the AMF will pass the location service request to the LMF.

[0161] S503, the terminal device and LMF can exchange the positioning capability information of the associated radio frequency channel map of the terminal device.

[0162] In some examples, the location capability information of the terminal device associated with the radio frequency channel map can be as shown in Table 4.

[0163] Table 4

[0164] As shown in Table 4, the positioning capability information of the terminal device associated with the radio frequency channel map may include whether the radio frequency channel map is stored. Here, 1 can be used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is stored, and 0 can be used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is not stored.

[0165] If a radio frequency channel map is stored, the positioning capability information of the terminal device associated with the radio frequency channel map may also include the stored radio frequency channel map parameters and the accuracy or level corresponding to each parameter. The stored radio frequency channel map parameters may also be referred to as the relevant parameters of the stored radio frequency channel map or the data format of the stored radio frequency channel map; this embodiment does not limit this. In some examples, the stored radio frequency channel map parameters may include parameters such as latency, AOD, and AOA. The accuracy or level corresponding to each parameter can be represented by an integer value from 1 to 10.

[0166] The positioning capability information of the terminal device associated with the radio frequency channel map may also include the terminal device's computing power. The computing power of the terminal device indicates whether it supports using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information for positioning. In some examples, 1 can be used to indicate that the terminal device supports using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information for positioning, and 0 can be used to indicate that the terminal device does not support using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information for positioning.

[0167] S504, LMF can select the first method for positioning based on one or more of the following: the positioning capability information of the terminal device associated with the radio frequency channel map, the QoS requirements of the application being positioned, or the positioning methods supported by LMF.

[0168] In this application embodiment, the first method is to use a radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information for positioning. In one example, the first method may be to use a radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and perform positioning using a single network element. In another example, the first method may be to use a radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and perform positioning using multiple network elements.

[0169] S505 and LMF can send information to the terminal device to indicate that a first method of positioning has been selected, so that the terminal device can determine to use the first method of positioning.

[0170] S506 and LMF can perform the terminal device positioning process.

[0171] If the LMF determines that the base station needs to participate in the positioning process, the LMF can interact with the base station to obtain PRS measurement values ​​or auxiliary data. These data may include radio frequency channel maps, such as parameters like latency, AOD, and AOA. In some examples, these data may also involve interaction information from neighboring cells.

[0172] If the LMF determines that the terminal device needs to participate in this interaction process, the LMF can interact with the terminal device through non-access stratum (NAS) messages to perform relevant positioning processes, such as obtaining location information, obtaining PRS measurement values, or auxiliary data.

[0173] S507, LMF can send a location service response to AMF, wherein the location service response may include the results required for positioning, such as positioning success or positioning failure, and the location estimate of the terminal device.

[0174] If the location service request is initiated by the terminal device, the AMF can execute S508a, that is, send a location service response to the terminal device.

[0175] If the location service request is initiated by the GMLC, the AMF can execute S508b, which sends a location service response to the GMLC.

[0176] If the location service request is initiated by the AMF, the AMF can execute S508c, that is, respond to the location service request and generate a location service response, which can serve the application that initiated the location.

[0177] In the method shown in Figure 5, LMF can be understood as the target network element in Figure 4 above, used to select an appropriate method for positioning.

[0178] The method provided in this application embodiment, which performs positioning through a first method, namely, selecting the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information for positioning, is beneficial to meeting positioning requirements.

[0179] In the method shown in Figure 5 above, if the first method of positioning fails, the terminal device can send a first message to the LMF, which indicates that the first method of positioning has failed, or the first message indicates that a second method of positioning should be selected, which indicates a method of positioning without using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information.

[0180] For example, Figure 6 shows a schematic interactive diagram of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the method may include the following steps:

[0181] Following S506, the base station can execute S601, which involves sending downlink information to the terminal device.

[0182] The role of downlink information can vary depending on the approach. In some examples, downlink information can be a positioning reference signal (PRS).

[0183] S602. Terminal devices can perform positioning based on downlink information.

[0184] In some examples, if the downlink information is PRS, the terminal device can determine the PRS measurement value based on the PRS and perform positioning based on the PRS measurement value.

[0185] S603. If the first method of positioning fails, the terminal device may send the first information to the LMF.

[0186] S604 and LMF can select a second method for positioning based on the first information. The second method is used to indicate a positioning method that does not use radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information.

[0187] The second method can also be called the traditional positioning method, and this application does not limit this method in its embodiments.

[0188] In some examples, the initial information can be carried in the fallback signaling. In this example, the first method of location failed, and the system falls back to using the second method for location.

[0189] S605 and LMF can send second information to the terminal device. The second information is used to determine the second method so that the terminal device can determine to use the second method for positioning.

[0190] S606 and LMF can perform the terminal device positioning process to facilitate positioning via a second method.

[0191] In the second method, if the base station involved in the positioning process has not changed compared to the first method, the base station may not send downlink information to the terminal device.

[0192] S607. The terminal device can perform the steps related to the second method for positioning.

[0193] The positioning method provided in this application, after failing to locate using the first method, reverts to locating using the second method, without using radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information, which helps to improve the probability of successful positioning.

[0194] As can be seen from the above embodiments, the first method can be a method that uses the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and a single network element for positioning. Alternatively, the first method can be a method that uses the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and multiple network elements for positioning. Therefore, there are two cases for the first method. The positioning methods of the first method under different cases are described below.

[0195] In one possible implementation, the first method is used to indicate a method of using a radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using a single network element for positioning; then the method further includes: the terminal device can send third information to the target network element, the third information being used to indicate that the third method of positioning has failed, or the third information being used to indicate that the first method of positioning is selected, the third method being used to indicate a method of using a radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using multiple network elements for positioning; the target network element can determine to use the first method of positioning based on the third information, and send fourth information to the terminal device, the fourth information being used to determine the first method, so that the terminal device can perform positioning through the first method.

[0196] In other words, before determining to use the first method for positioning, the terminal device can attempt positioning based on the third method. If positioning using the third method fails, it sends third information to the target network element. Based on this third information, the target network element can then determine to use the first method for positioning.

[0197] The fourth information is used to determine the first method. It can be understood that the fourth information is information related to the first method. The terminal device can determine to use the first method for positioning based on the fourth information.

[0198] The fourth piece of information can exist in many possible forms.

[0199] In one example, the fourth piece of information can be used to indicate the use of the first method for positioning. In this way, the terminal device can directly determine whether to use the first method for positioning based on the second piece of information, simplifying the process.

[0200] In another example, the fourth piece of information can be used to indicate the identifier (or index) of the first method. The terminal device can determine to use the first method for positioning based on the identifier (or index) of the first method and the mapping between identifiers and different methods. In this way, using identifiers or indexes to transmit information helps to save signaling overhead.

[0201] To better understand the method provided in the embodiments of this application, the method will be described in detail using LMF as the target network element.

[0202] For example, Figure 7 shows a schematic interactive diagram of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 7, the method may include the following steps:

[0203] S701 and LMF select the third method for positioning. The third method is used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and multiple network elements are used for positioning.

[0204] S702 and LMF can send information to the terminal device to indicate that a third method of positioning has been selected, so that the terminal device can determine to use the third method of positioning.

[0205] S703 and LMF can perform the terminal device positioning process.

[0206] LMF can perform positioning procedures related to third-mode methods.

[0207] S704, Base Station 1 can send downlink information 1 to the terminal device.

[0208] In the third method, multiple network elements are used for positioning, and base station 1 can be used to represent multiple network elements. In some examples, downlink information 1 can be PRS.

[0209] S705, the terminal device can perform positioning based on downlink information 1.

[0210] S706. If the third method of positioning fails, the terminal device may send third information to the LMF. The third information is used to indicate that the third method of positioning has failed. Alternatively, the third information is used to indicate that the first method of positioning is selected. The first method is used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and a single network element is used for positioning.

[0211] The third information can be carried in the fallback signaling, that is, if the third method of positioning fails, it will fall back to the first method of positioning.

[0212] S707 and LMF can use third-party information to select the first method for positioning.

[0213] S708 and LMF can send fourth information to the terminal device. The fourth information is used to determine the first method so that the terminal device can determine to use the first method for positioning.

[0214] The difference between the first method and the third method lies in the number of network elements involved in the localization process. The third method involves more network elements than the first method, therefore, the LMF can also determine the network elements involved in the first method. In one example, the network elements involved in the first method can be called next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) nodes.

[0215] LMF can also send a radio frequency channel map to a specific network element to facilitate positioning via the first method.

[0216] S709 and LMF can perform the terminal device positioning process.

[0217] S710, base station 2 can send downlink information 2 to terminal equipment.

[0218] In the first approach, a single network element is used for positioning, and base station 2 can be used to represent that single network element. In some examples, downlink information 2 can be PRS.

[0219] In one example, in the third method, base station 1 represents multiple network elements. Switching from the third method to the first method for positioning, the LMF can select one network element from the multiple network elements to obtain base station 2, thus achieving positioning via the first method. S711, the terminal device can perform positioning based on downlink information 2.

[0220] The positioning method provided in this application, after failing to locate using the third method, selects to locate using the first method. Using different methods that use radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information for positioning helps to improve the probability of successful positioning.

[0221] In another possible implementation, the first method is used to indicate a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using multiple network elements for positioning; then the above method further includes: the terminal device can send fifth information to the target network element, the fifth information is used to indicate that the fourth method of positioning has failed, or the fifth information is used to indicate that the first method of positioning is selected, and the third method is used to indicate a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using a single network element for positioning; the target network element can determine to use the first method of positioning based on the fifth information, and send sixth information to the terminal device, the sixth information is used to determine the first method, so that the terminal device can perform positioning through the first method.

[0222] In other words, before determining to use the first method for positioning, the terminal device can attempt positioning using the fourth method. If positioning using the fourth method fails, it sends the fifth piece of information to the target network element. Based on the fifth piece of information, the target network element can then determine to use the first method for positioning.

[0223] The sixth piece of information can be found in the fourth piece of information above, and will not be repeated here.

[0224] To better understand the method provided in the embodiments of this application, the method will be described in detail using LMF as the target network element.

[0225] For example, Figure 8 shows a schematic interactive diagram of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 8, the method may include the following steps:

[0226] S801 and LMF select the fourth method for positioning. The fourth method is used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and a single network element is used for positioning.

[0227] S802 and LMF can send information to the terminal device to indicate that the fourth method of positioning has been selected, so that the terminal device can determine to use the fourth method of positioning.

[0228] LMF can interact with terminal devices to achieve positioning using a fourth method, as described in S703 to S705 above.

[0229] S803. If the fourth method of positioning fails, the terminal device may send a fifth message to the LMF. The fifth message is used to indicate that the fourth method of positioning has failed. Alternatively, the fifth message is used to indicate that the first method of positioning should be selected. The first method is used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and multiple network elements are used for positioning.

[0230] The fifth piece of information can be carried in the fallback signaling, that is, if the fourth method of positioning fails, the system will fall back to the first method of positioning.

[0231] S804 and LMF can use the fifth information to select the first method for positioning.

[0232] S808 and LMF can send sixth information to the terminal device. The sixth information is used to determine the first method so that the terminal device can determine to use the first method for positioning.

[0233] The difference between the first and fourth methods is the number of network elements involved in the positioning process. The fourth method involves fewer network elements than the first method. Therefore, LMF can also determine the multiple network elements involved in the first method's positioning process.

[0234] LMF can also send radio frequency channel maps to multiple defined network elements to facilitate positioning via the first method.

[0235] LMF can interact with terminal devices to achieve positioning using the first method, as described in S709 to S711 above.

[0236] The positioning method provided in this application, after failing to locate using the fourth method, selects to locate using the first method. Using different methods that use radio frequency channel maps as auxiliary information for positioning helps to improve the probability of successful positioning.

[0237] As shown in Figures 1, 7, and 8 above, the first method represents the method of positioning using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information. When the first method requires the use of multiple network elements during positioning, it can be called the third method; when the first method requires the use of a single network element during positioning, it can be called the fourth method. The second method represents the method of positioning without using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information.

[0238] The third and fourth methods can revert to each other; the third method can revert to the second method, and the fourth method can revert to the second method.

[0239] For example, Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of a method for reversing a positioning process. As shown in Figure 9, there are various methods for reversing a positioning process.

[0240] The first rollback method: If the third method fails, you can roll back to the fourth method. If the fourth method fails, you can roll back to the second method. In other words, execute steps 1 and 2 of Figure 9. This two rollbacks increase the probability of successful positioning.

[0241] The second fallback method: If the third method fails to locate the target, you can directly fall back to the second method. That is, execute the fallback step 3 in Figure 9. In this way, by not using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information, the probability of successful positioning is improved.

[0242] The third rollback method: If the fourth method fails, you can roll back to the third method. If the third method fails, you can roll back to the second method. In other words, execute steps 4 and 5 in Figure 9. This two rollbacks increase the probability of successful positioning.

[0243] The fourth fallback method: If the fourth method fails to locate the target, it can directly fall back to the second method. That is, execute the fallback step 6 in Figure 9. In this way, by not using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information, the probability of successful positioning is improved.

[0244] In the method shown in Figure 1 above, if the first method of positioning fails, the terminal device can send first information to the target network element. In some examples, the method may further include: if the first method of positioning fails, the terminal device may also send seventh information to the target network element, the seventh information indicating that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application, and the target application is the application required for service after successful positioning.

[0245] The target application is the application that provides the service required after successful location, or in other words, the target application is the application that triggers the location request. The target application is merely a name example, and this application embodiment does not limit it.

[0246] The first method indicates that the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information for positioning. If the positioning fails using the first method, it indicates that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application. The terminal device can inform the target network element that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application, so that the target network element can choose not to use the radio frequency channel map for positioning, which is beneficial to improving the probability of successful positioning.

[0247] Optionally, the above method further includes: the target network element updating the radio frequency channel map based on the seventh information to obtain an updated radio frequency channel map, wherein the updated radio frequency channel map includes information that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application.

[0248] There are several possible ways to update the radio frequency channel map for target network elements.

[0249] In one possible implementation, the target network element can add a flag to the radio frequency channel map based on the seventh information to obtain an updated radio frequency channel map. This flag is used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map does not support information about the target application.

[0250] For example, the radio frequency channel map is in a grid-based data format. The updated radio frequency channel map can be shown in Table 5.

[0251] Table 5

[0252] As shown in Table 5, the updated RF channel map adds an application support flag compared to the previous one. In this flag, OFF indicates that the RF channel map does not support the target application. For example, the RF channel map data format is a region-based data format. The updated RF channel map can be shown in Table 6.

[0253] Table 6

[0254] As shown in Table 6, the updated radio frequency channel map adds an application support flag compared to the previous radio frequency channel map. In this application support flag, OFF indicates that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application. The information used to indicate the target application may include one or more of the following: the type of the target application, the ID of the corresponding path, or the corresponding parameters.

[0255] In another possible implementation, the radio frequency channel map may include information about the radio frequency channel map's support for the target application. Based on the seventh information, the target network element can change the information about the radio frequency channel map's support for the target application to information about the radio frequency channel map's inability to support the target application, thus obtaining an updated radio frequency channel map.

[0256] Information about the target application supported by the radio frequency channel map can be represented as ON. Information about the target application not supported by the radio frequency channel map can be represented as OFF.

[0257] In this way, the updated radio frequency channel map includes information that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application. This is beneficial for the target network element to avoid selecting the first method for positioning triggered by the target application, which will help improve the probability of successful positioning.

[0258] Optionally, the updated radio frequency channel map may include data in the radio frequency channel map used for positioning that does not support the target service. For example, if the first method of positioning fails, then the data in the radio frequency channel map involved in the first method used for positioning does not support the target service.

[0259] For example, during the positioning process of the first method, time delay information is used, and only one or several paths of data are used in the multipath information. If the positioning of the first method fails, the updated radio frequency channel map may include the time delay information used, and the ID of one or several paths used does not support the target service.

[0260] This makes it clearer that data does not support the target business, which is beneficial for selecting the appropriate positioning method in the future.

[0261] In the method shown in Figure 1 above, if the first method fails to locate, the terminal device can locate based on the second method. If the second method successfully locates, the terminal device can send the eighth information to the target network element. The eighth information is used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location. The target spatial location is the spatial location of the location result obtained by the second method in the radio frequency channel map.

[0262] The positioning result obtained through the second method can be understood as the location of the terminal device. The radio frequency channel map can be divided into multiple spatial locations, and the terminal device can be located at any of these locations; in other words, the location of the terminal device belongs to a specific spatial location within the radio frequency channel map. This spatial location can be called the target spatial location; however, this name is merely an example and is not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0263] Optionally, if the radio frequency channel map uses a network or region division, the target spatial location is used to represent a region or a grid in the radio frequency channel map.

[0264] If the second method of positioning is successful, it indicates that the location of the terminal device is more suitable for positioning using the first method compared to the second method. Therefore, the terminal device can send the eighth message to the target network element to inform it that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location. This allows the target network element to choose not to use the radio frequency channel map for positioning within the target spatial location, thus increasing the probability of successful positioning.

[0265] Optionally, the above method further includes: the target network element can update the radio frequency channel map based on the eighth information to obtain an updated radio frequency channel map, the updated radio frequency channel map including information that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location.

[0266] The method for updating the radio frequency channel map for target network elements can be found in Tables 5 and 6 above, and will not be elaborated here.

[0267] In this way, the updated radio frequency channel map includes information that is not applicable to the target spatial location, which is beneficial for subsequent updates to the relevant parameters of the radio frequency channel map for the target spatial location and for better subsequent positioning assistance.

[0268] To better understand the above method, the method will be explained in detail below with reference to Figure 10.

[0269] For example, Figure 10 shows a schematic interactive diagram of a positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 10, the method may include the following steps:

[0270] S1001, The terminal device performs positioning based on the first method.

[0271] S1002. The terminal device sends first information to the target network element. The first information is used to indicate that the first method of positioning has failed, or the first information is used to indicate that the second method of positioning should be selected.

[0272] S1001 and S1002 can be referred to as S401 and S402 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0273] S1003. The terminal device can also send a seventh message to the target network element. The seventh message is used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application.

[0274] The terminal device can execute S1002 and S1003 simultaneously or sequentially; this application embodiment does not limit this.

[0275] S1004. Based on the first information, the target network element can choose the second method for positioning.

[0276] This step can be referred to in S403 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0277] S1005. Based on the seventh information, the target network element can update the radio frequency channel map and obtain the updated radio frequency channel map.

[0278] This step can be referred to in Table 5 or Table 6 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0279] S1006. The target network element can send second information to the terminal device. The second information is used to determine the second method.

[0280] This step can be referred to in S403 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0281] S1007. Based on the second information, the terminal device can perform positioning based on the second method.

[0282] S1008. If the second method of positioning is successful, the terminal device can send the eighth information to the target network element. The eighth information is used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location.

[0283] S1009. Based on the eighth information, the target network element can update the updated radio frequency channel map again to obtain the updated radio frequency channel map.

[0284] The method provided in this application, when the first positioning method fails, selects the second positioning method, which helps improve the probability of successful positioning. Furthermore, updating the radio frequency channel map based on the seventh information helps avoid selecting the first positioning method for subsequent positioning requests initiated by the target application, further increasing the probability of successful positioning. In addition, updating the radio frequency channel map again based on the eighth information facilitates subsequent updates to the relevant parameters of the radio frequency channel map for the target's spatial location, thus improving subsequent positioning assistance.

[0285] It is understood that the various numerical designations used in the embodiments of this application are merely for descriptive convenience and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. The order of the process numbers described above does not imply the order of execution; the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic.

[0286] In the various embodiments of this application, unless otherwise specified or in case of logical conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. The technical features of different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments according to their inherent logical relationship.

[0287] It is understood that, in order to achieve the functions in the above embodiments, the terminal device or network device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the units and method steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed in this application, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed by hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application scenario and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0288] Figures 11 and 12 are schematic diagrams of possible communication devices provided in embodiments of this application. These communication devices can be used to implement the functions of terminal devices or target network elements in the above method embodiments, and thus can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device can be the terminal 120 shown in Figure 1, the base station 110 shown in Figure 1, or a module (such as a chip) applied to the terminal 120 or the base station 110.

[0289] As shown in Figure 11, the communication device 1100 includes a processing unit 1110 and a transceiver unit 1120. The communication device 1100 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device or target network element in the method embodiment shown in Figure 4 above.

[0290] In one possible implementation, the device 1100 is used to implement the steps corresponding to the terminal device in the method 400 described above.

[0291] The transceiver unit 1120 is used to send first information, which indicates that the first method of positioning has failed, or the first information indicates that a second method of positioning is selected. The first method indicates that the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information for positioning, and the second method indicates that the radio frequency channel map is not used as auxiliary information for positioning. The transceiver unit 1120 is used to receive second information, which is used to determine the second method.

[0292] Optionally, the processing unit 1110 is used to perform positioning based on the first method; the transceiver unit 1120 is further used to: send first information if positioning fails using the first method.

[0293] Optionally, the first method is used to represent a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using multiple network elements for positioning; or, the first method is used to represent a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using a single network element for positioning.

[0294] Optionally, the first mode is used to indicate a mode in which the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and a single network element is used for positioning; the transceiver unit 1120 is further used to: send third information, the third information being used to indicate that the third mode of positioning has failed, or, the third information being used to indicate that the first mode of positioning is selected, the third mode being used to indicate a mode in which the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and multiple network elements are used for positioning; and receive fourth information, the fourth information being used to determine the first mode.

[0295] Optionally, the first mode is used to indicate a mode in which the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and multiple network elements are used for positioning; the transceiver unit 1120 is further used to: send fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that the fourth mode of positioning has failed, or the fifth information being used to indicate that the first mode of positioning is selected, the fourth mode being used to indicate a mode in which the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and a single network element is used for positioning; and receive sixth information, the sixth information being used to determine the first mode.

[0296] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1120 is also used to: send a seventh message, the seventh message being used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application, the target application being the application for which services are required after successful location.

[0297] Optionally, the processing unit 1120 is further configured to: perform positioning based on the second method; the transceiver unit 1120 is further configured to: if the positioning is successful by the second method, send an eighth message, the eighth message being used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location, the target spatial location being the spatial location of the positioning result obtained by the second method in the radio frequency channel map.

[0298] Optionally, the target spatial location is used to represent a region or a grid in the radio frequency channel map.

[0299] Optionally, the radio frequency channel map is used to indicate one or more pieces of information, such as multipath elements, channel state information, or channel matrix.

[0300] Optionally, the failure of the first positioning method is used to indicate that: no positioning result can be obtained, or the positioning quality does not meet the threshold.

[0301] In another possible implementation, the device 1100 is used to implement the steps corresponding to the target network element in the method 400 described above.

[0302] The transceiver unit 1120 is used to receive first information, which indicates that the first method of positioning has failed, or the first information indicates that the second method of positioning is selected. The first method indicates that the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information for positioning, and the second method indicates that the radio frequency channel map is not used as auxiliary information for positioning. Based on the first information, the transceiver unit 1120 sends second information, which is used to determine the second method.

[0303] Optionally, the first method is used to indicate a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using a single network element for positioning; the transceiver unit 1120 is further used to: receive third information, the third information being used to indicate that the third method of positioning has failed, or, the third information being used to indicate that the first method of positioning is selected, the third method being used to indicate a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using multiple network elements for positioning; based on the third information, send fourth information, the fourth information being used to determine the first method.

[0304] Optionally, the first method is used to indicate a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using multiple network elements for positioning; the transceiver unit 1120 is further used to: receive fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that the fourth method of positioning has failed, or, the fifth information being used to indicate that the first method of positioning is selected, the fourth method being used to indicate a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using a single network element for positioning; and based on the fifth information, send sixth information, the sixth information being used to determine the first method.

[0305] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1120 is also configured to: receive seventh information, which indicates that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application, and the target application is the application for which services are required after successful positioning.

[0306] Optionally, the processing unit 1110 is used to update the radio frequency channel map based on the seventh information to obtain an updated radio frequency channel map, the updated radio frequency channel map including information that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application.

[0307] Optionally, the transceiver unit 1120 is further configured to: receive eighth information, the eighth information being used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location, the target spatial location being the spatial location of the positioning result obtained by the second method in the radio frequency channel map.

[0308] Optionally, the processing unit 1110 is further configured to: update the radio frequency channel map based on the eighth information to obtain an updated radio frequency channel map, wherein the updated radio frequency channel map includes information that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location.

[0309] The above examples can be used to explain the target spatial location, radio frequency channel map, and the failure of the first method of positioning, and will not be repeated here.

[0310] It should be understood that the communication device 1100 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" here can refer to an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuitry, a processor (e.g., a shared processor, a proprietary processor, or a group processor, etc.) and memory for executing one or more software or firmware programs, combined logic circuitry, and / or other suitable components supporting the described functions. In an alternative example, those skilled in the art will understand that the communication device 1100 can specifically be a terminal device or a target network element in the above embodiments. The communication device 1100 can be used to execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the terminal device or target network element in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, these will not be described again here.

[0311] The aforementioned communication device 1100 has the function of implementing the corresponding steps executed by the terminal device or target network element in the above method; the above functions can be implemented by hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. In the embodiments of this application, the communication device 1100 in FIG11 can also be a chip, such as a SOC.

[0312] As shown in Figure 12, the communication device 1200 may include a processor 1201, a transceiver 1202, and a memory 1203. The processor 1201, transceiver 1202, and memory 1203 communicate with each other via an internal connection. The memory 1203 stores instructions, and the processor 1201 executes the instructions stored in the memory 1203 to control the transceiver 1202 to send and / or receive signals.

[0313] It should be understood that the communication device 1200 may specifically be a terminal device or a target network element in the above embodiments, and may be used to execute the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the terminal device or target network element in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 1203 may include a read-only memory and a random access memory, and provide instructions and data to the processor. A portion of the memory may also include non-volatile random access memory. For example, the memory may also store device type information. The processor 1201 may be used to execute instructions stored in the memory, and when the processor 1201 executes instructions stored in the memory, the processor 1201 is used to execute the various steps and / or processes of the above method embodiments. The transceiver 1202 may include a transmitter, a receiver, and an antenna. The transmitter may be used to implement the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the transceiver for performing the transmission action. For example, the transmitter may be used to transmit information to another device via the antenna. The receiver may be used to implement the various steps and / or processes corresponding to the transceiver for performing the reception action. For example, the receiver may be used to receive information from another device via the antenna.

[0314] It should be understood that, in the embodiments of this application, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), or it may be other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor.

[0315] In implementation, each step of the above method can be completed by integrated logic circuits in the processor's hardware or by instructions in software. The steps of the method disclosed in the embodiments of this application can be directly manifested as execution by a hardware processor, or as a combination of hardware and software modules within the processor. The software modules can reside in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory, electrically erasable programmable memory, registers, or other mature storage media in the art. This storage medium is located in memory, and the processor executes the instructions in the memory, combining them with its hardware to complete the steps of the above method. To avoid repetition, detailed descriptions are omitted here.

[0316] This application also provides a chip system for a terminal device. This chip system can execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, these will not be described again here.

[0317] This application also provides a chip system for a target network element. This chip system can execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the target network element in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, these will not be described again here.

[0318] This application also provides a processor. This processor can execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the terminal device in the above method embodiments; to avoid repetition, they will not be described again here.

[0319] This application also provides another processor. This processor can execute the various processes and / or steps corresponding to the target network element in the above method embodiments, which will not be described again here to avoid repetition.

[0320] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program for implementing the methods shown in the above-described method embodiments.

[0321] This application also provides a computer program product, which includes a computer program (also referred to as code or instructions) that, when run on a computer, allows the computer to perform the methods shown in the above-described method embodiments.

[0322] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the modules and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0323] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and modules described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0324] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple modules or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or modules may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0325] The modules described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. Similarly, the components shown as modules may or may not be physical modules; they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network modules. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment, depending on actual needs.

[0326] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing module, or each module can exist physically separately, or two or more modules can be integrated into one module.

[0327] If a function is implemented as a software module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a portion of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a target network element, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

[0328] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the protection scope of the embodiments of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiments of this application should be included within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of the embodiments of this application should be determined by the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A positioning method, characterized in that, include: Send a first message, which indicates that the first method of positioning has failed, or the first message indicates that a second method of positioning is selected, where the first method indicates that the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information for positioning, and the second method indicates that the radio frequency channel map is not used as auxiliary information for positioning. Receive second information, which is used to determine the second method.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: Positioning is performed based on the first method; The sending of the first information includes: If the first method fails to locate the target, then the first information is sent.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The first method is used to indicate a method that uses the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and uses multiple network elements for positioning; or, The first method is used to indicate a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using a single network element for positioning.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first method is used to indicate a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using a single network element for positioning; The method further includes: Send a third message, the third message being used to indicate that the third method of positioning has failed, or the third message being used to indicate that the first method of positioning is selected, the third method being used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and multiple network elements are used for positioning; Receive fourth information, which is used to determine the first method.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The first method is used to indicate a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using multiple network elements for positioning; The method further includes: Send a fifth message, which indicates that the fourth method of positioning has failed, or the fifth message indicates that the first method of positioning is selected, whereby the fourth method indicates that the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and a single network element is used for positioning. Receive the sixth information, which is used to determine the first method.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a seventh message, which indicates that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application, the target application being the application for which services are required after successful location.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: Positioning is performed based on the second method; If the second method of positioning is successful, then an eighth message is sent, which indicates that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location, which is the spatial location of the positioning result obtained by the second method in the radio frequency channel map.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that, The target spatial location is used to represent a region or a grid in the radio frequency channel map.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The radio frequency channel map is used to indicate one or more pieces of information, such as multipath elements, channel state information, or channel matrix.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The positioning failure includes one or more of the following: no positioning result can be obtained, the positioning quality does not meet the first threshold, or the positioning accuracy does not reach the second threshold.

11. A positioning method, characterized in that, include: Receive first information, the first information is used to indicate that the first method of positioning has failed, or, the first information is used to indicate that a second method of positioning is selected, the first method is used to indicate a method of positioning using radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information, and the second method is used to indicate a method of positioning without using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information; Based on the first information, second information is sent, which is used to determine the second method.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The first method is used to indicate a method that uses the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and uses multiple network elements for positioning; or, The first method is used to indicate a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using a single network element for positioning.

13. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The first method is used to indicate a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using a single network element for positioning; The method further includes: Receive third information, the third information being used to indicate that the third method of positioning has failed, or the third information being used to indicate that the first method of positioning is selected, the third method being used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and multiple network elements are used for positioning; Based on the third information, a fourth information is sent, which is used to determine the first method.

14. The method according to claim 11 or 12, characterized in that, The first method is used to indicate a method of using the radio frequency channel map as auxiliary information and using multiple network elements for positioning; The method further includes: Receive fifth information, the fifth information being used to indicate that the fourth method of positioning has failed, or the fifth information being used to indicate that the first method of positioning is selected, the fourth method being used to indicate that the radio frequency channel map is used as auxiliary information and a single network element is used for positioning; Based on the fifth information, a sixth information is sent, which is used to determine the first method.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, characterized in that, The method further includes: The seventh message is received, which indicates that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application, and the target application is the application that needs to provide services after successful location.

16. The method according to claim 15, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the seventh piece of information, the radio frequency channel map is updated to obtain an updated radio frequency channel map, which includes information that the radio frequency channel map does not support the target application.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, characterized in that, The method further includes: The eighth information is received, which indicates that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location, which is the spatial location of the positioning result obtained by the second method in the radio frequency channel map.

18. The method according to claim 17, characterized in that, The method further includes: Based on the eighth information, the radio frequency channel map is updated to obtain an updated radio frequency channel map, which includes information that the radio frequency channel map is not applicable to the target spatial location.

19. The method according to claim 17 or 18, characterized in that, The target spatial location is used to represent a region or a grid in the radio frequency channel map.

20. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, characterized in that, The radio frequency channel map is used to indicate one or more pieces of information, such as multipath elements, channel state information, or channel matrix.

21. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 20, characterized in that, Location failure may include one or more of the following: location results cannot be obtained, location quality does not meet the first threshold, or location accuracy does not reach the second threshold.

22. A communication device, characterized in that, It includes a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or a module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 11 to 21.

23. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A processor coupled to a memory for storing a computer program, wherein when the processor invokes the computer program, the communication device performs the method of any one of claims 1 to 10, or performs the method of any one of claims 11 to 21.

24. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 to be performed, or causes the method of any one of claims 11 to 21 to be performed.

25. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes instructions that, when executed, cause the method of any one of claims 1 to 10 to be performed, or cause the method of any one of claims 11 to 21 to be performed.

Images