Direction finding method, apparatus and system

Abstract

The present application discloses a direction finding method, an apparatus and a system. The method comprises: a positioning device acquires first information, the first information being related to the following two items: an absolute direction of a target device, and direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device; and the positioning device determines direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device on the basis of the first information and second information, the second information being used for indicating an absolute direction of the positioning device. In the solution, a signal measurement process can be performed by the target device, so that the hardware design complexity of the positioning device can be reduced, the manufacturing costs of the positioning device can be reduced, the use costs of users can be reduced, the portability of the positioning device can be improved, and user experience can be improved. In addition, no additional hardware costs are required for the target device. The solution has a wide range of application and great commercial value.

Description

A method, apparatus and system for measuring direction Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of short-range wireless communication technology, and in particular to a direction measurement method, apparatus and system. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, short-range wireless communication technologies, such as SparkLink, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and Ultra Wide Bandwidth (UWB), are widely used in smart homes, smart wearable devices, and industrial automation due to their advantages of low power consumption, low cost, and high bandwidth. In many application scenarios, the demand for direction finding (i.e., measuring direction) is increasing. For example, in a car-finding scenario, it is necessary to measure the vehicle's exact location and orientation to quickly locate it. Similarly, in screen-streaming scenarios, it is necessary to measure the position and orientation of the target device to achieve seamless screen-streaming transmission.

[0003] Existing direction-finding technologies largely rely on multi-antenna systems, such as dual-antenna UWB systems. These require integrating multiple antennas into the UWB device, which not only increases the device's size and weight but also raises hardware costs, limiting its application in the consumer market. Furthermore, the complexity of multi-antenna systems increases power consumption, impacting the device's battery life.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide a direction finding solution that is low in hardware cost and has a wide range of applications. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a direction measurement method, apparatus, and system, offering a direction finding solution with low hardware cost and wide applicability.

[0006] Firstly, a direction measurement method is provided, which can be executed by a positioning device or by a chip or module in the positioning device. Taking the method executed by a positioning device as an example: the positioning device acquires first information, which is related to the following two items: the absolute direction of the target device and the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device; the positioning device determines the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the first information and the second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate the absolute direction of the positioning device.

[0007] In this embodiment, the positioning device can acquire first information related to the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device and the absolute direction of the target device, and combine the first information and the absolute direction of the target device to obtain the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device. In this scheme, the signal measurement process can be performed by the target device, therefore, it is not required that the positioning device support a multi-antenna communication mode, or in other words, it is not necessary to add an antenna to the positioning device; that is, positioning devices with a single-antenna communication mode can also be applicable to this scheme. Firstly, it can reduce the manufacturing cost of the positioning device and the user's usage cost; secondly, it can reduce the size and weight of the positioning device, improving its portability and user experience; thirdly, it can reduce the complexity of hardware design, reduce the power consumption of the positioning device, and improve its battery life; fourthly, it can also be applied to small devices or positioning devices with strict size requirements, such as smartwatches and smart glasses, making the scheme widely applicable and commercially valuable.

[0008] In one possible design, the positioning device is a single-antenna device. This allows the single-antenna device to measure the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device.

[0009] In one possible design, the first information includes a first sub-information determined based on the absolute orientation of the target device and the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device, the first sub-information being used to indicate the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

[0010] In this way, the positioning device can directly obtain the first sub-information determined based on the absolute direction of the target device and the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device, which can reduce the amount of calculation for the positioning device.

[0011] In one possible design, the first information includes a second sub-information and a third sub-information. The second sub-information is used to indicate the absolute direction of the target device, and the third sub-information is used to indicate the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

[0012] This reduces the computational load on the target device.

[0013] In one possible design, the positioning device can also acquire location information, which is used to indicate the distance between the positioning device and the target device; the positioning device determines the distance between the target device and the positioning device based on the location information.

[0014] In this way, the positioning device can simultaneously obtain the distance and direction of the target device relative to the positioning device, which can further improve the efficiency of positioning the target device.

[0015] In one possible design, the positioning device may receive first information from the target device; alternatively, the positioning device may receive first information from the target device from other devices. This application does not limit the specific method by which the positioning device acquires the first information.

[0016] In one possible design, the positioning device can acquire the second information based on pre-configured information; alternatively, the positioning device can acquire the second information based on sensors. This application does not limit the specific method by which the positioning device acquires the second information.

[0017] In one possible design, the positioning device can calculate the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the first and second information. Alternatively, the positioning device can send third information to other devices, which is related to the first and second information; the positioning device can also receive fourth information from other devices, which indicates the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device. This application does not limit the specific method by which the positioning device determines the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device.

[0018] In one possible design, the positioning device can send a detection signal, which is used by the target device to measure at least one of the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device and the distance of the positioning device relative to the target device.

[0019] In this way, it can provide support for determining the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device and the distance of the positioning device relative to the target device, thereby improving the reliability of the solution.

[0020] In one possible design, the first information is carried in the request message, or the first information is carried in the feedback message of the request message, and the request message is used to request the measurement direction.

[0021] Secondly, a direction measurement method is provided, which can be executed by a target device or by a chip or module in the target device. Taking the method being executed by the target device as an example: the target device acquires first information, which is related to the following two items: the absolute direction of the target device and the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device; the target device sends the first information, which is used to determine the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device.

[0022] In this embodiment, the target device can acquire first information related to the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device and the absolute direction of the target device, and send the first information so that the positioning device can obtain the first information. Then, by combining the first information and the absolute direction of the target device, the target device can obtain the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device. In this scheme, the signal measurement process can be performed by the target device. Many target devices inherently possess multi-antenna hardware capabilities; for example, in a vehicle-finding scenario, the vehicle itself has four positioning nodes. Therefore, positioning detection can be achieved using existing hardware without incurring additional hardware costs.

[0023] In one possible design, the first information includes a first sub-information determined based on the absolute orientation of the target device and the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device, the first sub-information being used to indicate the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

[0024] In one possible design, the first information includes a second sub-information and a third sub-information. The second sub-information is used to indicate the absolute direction of the target device, and the third sub-information is used to indicate the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

[0025] In one possible design, the target device can also acquire location information, which is used to indicate the distance between the positioning device and the target device; the target device sends location information, which is used to determine the distance between the target device and the positioning device.

[0026] In one possible design, the target device can receive a detection signal from the positioning device; the target device determines at least one of the following based on the received detection signal: the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device and the distance of the positioning device relative to the target device.

[0027] In one possible design, the target device can send first information to the positioning device; or, the target device can send first information to other devices.

[0028] In one possible design, the target device includes: at least two first positioning nodes, which are in single-antenna communication mode; and / or, a second positioning node, which is in multi-antenna communication mode.

[0029] In one possible design, the first information is carried in the request message, or the first information is carried in the feedback message of the request message, and the request message is used to request the measurement direction.

[0030] Thirdly, an improvement is made to a measuring device, which includes modules, units, or technical means for implementing the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect.

[0031] For example, the device includes:

[0032] The transceiver module is used to acquire first information, which is related to the following two items: the absolute direction of the target device and the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

[0033] The processing module is used to determine the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the first information and the second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate the absolute orientation of the positioning device.

[0034] Fourthly, an improvement is made to a measuring device, which includes modules, units, or technical means for implementing the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect.

[0035] For example, the device includes:

[0036] The processing module is used to acquire first information, which is related to the following two items: the absolute direction of the target device and the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device;

[0037] The transceiver module is used to send first information, which is used to determine the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device.

[0038] Fifthly, a measuring device is provided, comprising at least one processor; and a communication interface communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the at least one processor executes instructions stored in a memory to cause the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect to be executed, or to cause the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect to be executed.

[0039] In a sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, the storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a device, implement the method as described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, or implement the method as described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0040] In a seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, the computer program product storing instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to perform the method as described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, or cause the computer to perform the method as described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0041] Eighthly, a communication system is provided, comprising:

[0042] A positioning device for performing the method as described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect;

[0043] The target device is used to perform the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0044] The technical effects of the second to eighth aspects mentioned above are described in the first aspect and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario provided by an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of another possible application scenario provided by the embodiments of this application;

[0047] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a direction measurement method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figures 4A to 4D show scenario examples of positioning devices and target devices;

[0049] Figure 5 shows a scenario example involving a positioning device, a target device, and a third-party device;

[0050] Figure 6A shows an example of a positioning device outputting orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device;

[0051] Figure 6B shows an example of the positioning device outputting the orientation and position information of the target device relative to the positioning device.

[0052] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a measuring device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another measuring device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a chip provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0055] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application, some terms mentioned in the embodiments of this application will be explained and described below.

[0056] 1. Absolute direction: This refers to a direction that is unaffected by the observer's position and perspective. This text uses the example of absolute directions determined by fixed points on Earth, such as north, east, south, and west. Of course, in practical applications, absolute directions can be implemented in other ways, without limitation.

[0057] 2. Absolute orientation of the equipment: This refers to the absolute orientation obtained by the equipment. For example, the absolute orientation of a positioning device refers to the absolute orientation obtained by the positioning device. Similarly, the absolute orientation of a target device refers to the absolute orientation obtained by the target device.

[0058] Depending on the device's orientation (such as facing direction, direction of movement, etc.), the information describing the absolute direction can differ. For example, taking Figure 4A below as an example, the absolute directions of the positioning device are: due west coincides with the direction directly in front of the positioning device, due east coincides with the direction directly behind the positioning device, due south coincides with the direction directly to the left of the positioning device, and due north coincides with the direction directly to the right of the positioning device; the absolute directions of the target device are: due north coincides with the direction directly in front of the target device, due south coincides with the direction directly behind the target device, due west coincides with the direction directly to the left of the target device, and due east coincides with the direction directly to the right of the target device.

[0059] It is understandable that, given accurate absolute direction, the absolute directions obtained by different devices correspond to the same location points on Earth. For example, the north obtained by the positioning device and the target device are both directions close to the Earth's North Pole, and the south obtained by the positioning device and the target device are both directions close to the Earth's South Pole.

[0060] 3. Orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device: This information describes the orientation of the positioning device relative to the target device; that is, it indicates the orientation of the positioning device relative to the target device. It can be understood that this orientation information is obtained from the perspective of the target device observing the orientation of the positioning device relative to the target device, and is affected by the observer's (i.e., the target device's) position and viewing angle.

[0061] [Corrected according to Rule 91, March 3, 2025] 4. Orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device: This information describes the orientation of the target device relative to the positioning device, that is, it indicates the orientation of the target device relative to the positioning device. It can be understood that the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device here is the orientation information obtained from the perspective of the positioning device observing the orientation of the target device relative to the positioning device, and is affected by the position and perspective of the observer (i.e., the positioning device).

[0062] [Corrected according to Rule 91, March 3, 2025] 5. Target device: refers to the target that needs to be located. In some embodiments, the target device may also be referred to as the target node or target anchor point, or other names.

[0063] [Corrected according to Rule 91 03.03.2025] 6. Positioning device: refers to a device that performs positioning on a target. In some embodiments, the positioning device may also be referred to as a positioning anchor point or positioning station or location anchor point or beacon, or other names.

[0064] [Corrected according to Rule 91, March 3, 2025] 7. In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more than one" means 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. In the textual description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formulas of this application, the character " / " indicates that the preceding and following related objects are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B, and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B, and C.

[0065] [Corrected according to Rule 91, 03.03.2025] 8. The terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, mentioned in the description of the embodiments of this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include other steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices. It should be noted that in the embodiments of this application, words such as "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations, or explanations. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0066] The following describes the application scenarios of the embodiments of this application.

[0067] The technical solutions provided in this application can be applied to various wireless communication scenarios, such as vehicle positioning, direction finding, ranging, angle measuring, or sensing scenarios; indoor positioning, direction finding, ranging, angle measuring, or sensing scenarios; or other wide-area wireless communication or local wireless communication scenarios. This application does not impose any limitations. Specific wireless communication technologies include, but are not limited to, Sparklink, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), or Ultra Wide Bandwidth (UWB).

[0068] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the steps of positioning, direction finding, distance finding, angle finding, and sensing are similar, so any one of these terms can be used to refer to "positioning", "direction finding", "distance finding", "angle finding", "sensing", etc.

[0069] Referring to Figure 1, this is a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario provided by an embodiment of this application. In a car-finding scenario (such as finding a car in a garage), the car is the target to be located (i.e., the target device or target node), and four positioning nodes (also called positioning anchors, positioning stations, location anchors, beacons, or measurement nodes) are deployed on the car, such as nodes a, b, c, and d. The user device, such as a mobile phone (or car key, wearable device, etc.), is the device that performs positioning on the target (i.e., positioning device or positioning node). In this scenario, the positioning nodes can send and / or receive detection signals, and measure the received detection signals to obtain corresponding measurement quantities. By calculating the measurement quantities between the positioning device and the positioning nodes, the location information and orientation information of the car (e.g., the distance and orientation of the car relative to the mobile phone) can be obtained.

[0070] In wireless communication scenarios, a certain communication area or range may include multiple communication domains. A communication domain refers to a system consisting of a group of communication nodes with communication relationships, and the communication connections (i.e., communication links) between these nodes. A communication domain includes a master communication node (which can be simply referred to as the master node or G node) and at least one slave communication node (which can be simply referred to as a slave node or T node). The master node, also known as the management node, is responsible for managing the time and frequency resources of the communication domain and has the function of scheduling resources for communication or location between communication nodes in the communication domain. The communication link from the G node to the T node is called the G link or downlink, and the communication link from the T node to the G node is called the T link or uplink.

[0071] Taking the scenario shown in Figure 1 as an example, the positioning nodes, mobile phones, etc., can form a communication domain. Among them, the mobile phone can be the master node (G node), and each positioning node is a slave node (T node); or, one positioning node is the master node, and the other positioning nodes and the mobile phone are slave nodes, or each positioning node and the mobile phone are slave nodes (T nodes), and the other nodes on the vehicle are the master nodes (G nodes). This application does not impose any restrictions.

[0072] Referring to Figure 2, which is a schematic diagram of another possible application scenario provided by an embodiment of this application. In a screen transition scenario, devices A, B, C, D, etc., can share their screen content with device E. In this scenario, device E needs to determine the display position of each device on its own screen based on the orientation of each of devices A, B, C, D, etc., relative to itself. Devices A, B, C, D, etc., are the targets to be located (i.e., target devices or target nodes), and device E is the device that performs the location of the targets (i.e., location device or location node).

[0073] It is understood that the scenarios shown in Figures 1 and 2 are merely examples, and in actual applications, the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other direction finding scenarios.

[0074] The following introduces a direction-finding technique:

[0075] Dual-antenna (or multi-antenna) UWB direction finding technology is a widely used high-precision direction finding method. This technology uses two or more antennas to determine the direction of a target based on the time difference of arrival (TDOA) or phase difference of arrival (PDOA). Specifically, the working principle of dual-antenna UWB direction finding technology is as follows:

[0076] 1. Antenna configuration: Two or more UWB antennas are integrated into the positioning device. These antennas are usually arranged at a certain interval to form an antenna array.

[0077] 2. Signal transmission and reception: One antenna of the positioning device transmits a UWB signal. After the target device receives the signal, it returns a response signal, which is received by each antenna in the receiving antenna array of the positioning device.

[0078] 3. Signal Processing: By analyzing the time difference or phase difference of the signals received by different antennas of the positioning device, the direction of the target device is calculated.

[0079] 1) Time difference measurement: Measure the time difference of signals received by different antennas, and use these time differences to calculate the azimuth of the target.

[0080] 2) Phase difference measurement: Measure the phase difference of the signals received by different antennas, and use these phase differences to calculate the azimuth angle of the target.

[0081] 4. Data fusion: The direction finding results from multiple antennas are fused to improve the accuracy and reliability of direction finding.

[0082] 5. Output results: Finally, the calculated orientation information of the target device will be output to the user or application system.

[0083] Although dual-antenna UWB direction finding technology performs well in terms of direction finding accuracy and reliability, it still has some significant drawbacks in practical applications:

[0084] 1. High cost: Dual-antenna UWB systems require integrating multiple antennas into the positioning device, which not only increases the manufacturing cost of the device but also raises the user's operating costs. For the consumer market, the high cost limits the widespread application of this technology.

[0085] 2. Hardware Complexity: The complexity of the dual-antenna UWB system increases the size and weight of the device, affecting its portability and user experience. Furthermore, the complex hardware design also increases power consumption, impacting battery life.

[0086] 3. Limited application scenarios: Dual-antenna UWB direction finding technology requires the integration of multiple antennas in the device, which is difficult to achieve in some small devices or scenarios with strict size requirements. For example, the integration of multi-antenna systems is quite difficult in small devices such as smartwatches and smart glasses.

[0087] With the widespread adoption of smart terminal devices and the increasing diversification of application demands, the need for end-to-end "direction finding" capabilities is growing. For example, in scenarios such as screen scrolling and finding a car in a garage, users need not only distance information to the target device but also its direction information for more accurate positioning and navigation. However, existing single-antenna devices can only provide ranging functionality and cannot achieve direction finding, which greatly limits their effectiveness in practical applications and user experience. While multi-antenna solutions (such as dual-antenna UWB technology) can provide direction finding functionality, they have several significant drawbacks. First, multi-antenna devices are relatively expensive, resulting in low market penetration. Second, multi-antenna devices are more complex, increasing not only the difficulty of hardware design but also the cost of system integration and maintenance. Finally, multi-antenna devices consume more power, which is detrimental to the long-term use of mobile devices.

[0088] Therefore, the technical solution provided in this application enables single-antenna devices to have direction-finding capabilities without increasing additional hardware costs, thereby meeting user needs in scenarios such as screen scrolling and finding a car in a garage. It is understood that this application is not only applicable to scenarios where a single-antenna device is used for direction finding of a target device, but also to scenarios where multiple antenna devices are used for direction finding of a target device.

[0089] Referring to Figure 3, which is a flowchart of a direction measurement method provided in an embodiment of this application, the method includes the following steps S301 to S303:

[0090] S301, The target device obtains the first information.

[0091] The first piece of information relates to the following two items: the absolute orientation of the target device and the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device. The definitions of the absolute orientation of the target device and the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0092] In one possible implementation, the target device obtains the absolute orientation based on its own sensors. For example, the target device may obtain the absolute orientation based on at least one of a magnetometer, an inertial navigation system (INS), a global positioning system (GPS), a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), or a visual positioning system. In another possible implementation, the target device obtains its absolute orientation based on pre-configured information, which indicates the target device's absolute orientation. For example, if a technician has pre-stored the pre-configured information on the positioning device, the positioning device can directly read the pre-configured information from storage to determine the target device's absolute orientation.

[0093] The orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device indicates the orientation of the positioning device relative to the target device. For ease of description, the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device obtained from the observation of the target device is referred to here as the first orientation information.

[0094] Taking a mobile phone as the positioning device and a car as the target device as an example, and referring to Figures 4A and 4B, several possible descriptions of the orientation of the positioning device relative to the target device, as observed by the target device, are given:

[0095] In Figure 4A, the target device is described in terms of front, back, left, and right directions. The positioning device is located in front of the right side of the target device, specifically 30° to the right.

[0096] In Figure 4B, the target device is described by its clockwise direction (i.e., a 12-hour clock face is drawn along 360 degrees with the target device's location as the center, the target device facing is 12 o'clock, the target device facing away is 6 o'clock, the right side is 3 o'clock, and the left side is 9 o'clock). The positioning device is located at the 1 o'clock position of the target device.

[0097] It is understandable that Figures 4A to 4B are merely some possible descriptions and are not actually limited to these.

[0098] In Figure 4A or Figure 4B, if the target device changes its orientation (i.e., the observer changes their viewing angle), the first directional information changes accordingly. For example, see Figure 4C, which is a schematic diagram of the target device in Figure 4A after it changes from facing due north to facing due south, with the positioning device located to the left rear of the target device, specifically 60° to the left and down. For example, see Figure 4D, which is a schematic diagram of the target device in Figure 4B after it changes from facing due north to facing due south, with the positioning device located at the 7 o'clock position of the target device.

[0099] In one possible design, the first information, related to the above two items, refers to: the first information including first sub-information determined based on the absolute orientation of the target device and the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device (i.e., the first orientation information), the first sub-information being used to indicate the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device. In other words, the first sub-information is determined based on the above two items.

[0100] It can be understood that the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device indicated by the first sub-information here is the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device recalculated by the target device by combining the absolute orientation of the target device and the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device (i.e., the first orientation information). This orientation information is not affected by the position and viewing angle of the observer (i.e., the target device). For ease of distinction and description, the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device recalculated by the target device is referred to here as the second orientation information.

[0101] Taking Figure 4A as an example, the direction of the positioning device relative to the target device is that the positioning device is located 30° to the right of the target device (i.e., the first direction information). Combined with the absolute direction of the target device (e.g., due north coincides with the direction directly in front of the target device, due south coincides with the direction directly behind the target device, due west coincides with the direction directly to the left of the target device, and due east coincides with the direction directly to the right of the target device), it can be determined that the positioning device is located 30° north of east of the target device.

[0102] Taking Figure 4B as an example, the direction of the positioning device relative to the target device is that the positioning device is located at the 1 o'clock position of the target device (i.e., the first direction information). Combined with the absolute direction of the target device (for example, the due north direction coincides with the 12 o'clock position of the target device, the due south direction coincides with the 6 o'clock position of the target device, the due east direction coincides with the 3 o'clock position of the target device, and the due west direction coincides with the 9 o'clock position of the target device), it can be determined that the positioning device is located at 30° north of east of the target device.

[0103] In Figure 4A or Figure 4B, even if the target device changes its orientation (i.e., the observer changes their viewing angle, and the first direction information changes), the second direction information can remain unchanged. In the Earth's reference frame, the positioning device is always located in the direction of 30° east of north of the target device. For example, see Figure 4C, which is a schematic diagram of the target device in Figure 4A after it changes its orientation from due north to due south; the positioning device is still located in the direction of 30° east of north of the target device. For example, see Figure 4D, which is a schematic diagram of the target device in Figure 4B after it changes its orientation from due north to due south; the positioning device is still located in the direction of 30° east of north of the target device.

[0104] In practice, the second direction information can be determined (or calculated) by the target device or by other devices, without restriction.

[0105] For example, the target device sends its absolute orientation and the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device (i.e., the first orientation information) to other devices. The other devices determine the second orientation information based on the target device's absolute orientation and the positioning device's orientation information, and then send the second orientation information to the target device. These other devices can be, for example, network devices (such as routers), terminal devices (such as another mobile phone), or cloud servers, without restriction. It can be understood that these other devices can also be referred to as third-party devices.

[0106] As an example, referring to Figure 5, in a car-finding scenario, the mobile phone is the positioning device, and the car is the target device. The target device can send its absolute direction and first direction information to the cloud server. The cloud server determines the second direction information based on the target device's absolute direction and first direction information, and then sends the second direction information to the target device. By having other devices determine the second direction information based on the target device's absolute direction and the positioning device's direction relative to the target device, the computational load on the target device can be reduced. Even if a target device has insufficient computing power, it can still obtain the second direction information, improving the applicability of the solution.

[0107] In another possible design, the first information is related to the above two items, meaning that the first information can be the above two items themselves. For example, the first information includes a second sub-information and a third sub-information. The second sub-information is used to indicate the absolute direction of the target device, and the third sub-information is used to indicate the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device (i.e., the third sub-information is the first direction information).

[0108] Taking Figure 4A as an example, the third sub-information indicates that the positioning device is located 30° to the right of the target device, and the second sub-information indicates the absolute direction of the target device (for example, the due north direction coincides with the direction directly in front of the target device, the due south direction coincides with the direction directly behind the target device, the due west direction coincides with the direction directly to the left of the target device, and the due east direction coincides with the direction directly to the right of the target device).

[0109] Taking Figure 4B as an example, the third sub-information indicates that the positioning device is located at the 1 o'clock position of the target device, and the second sub-information indicates the absolute direction of the target device (the due north direction coincides with the 12 o'clock direction, the due south direction coincides with the 6 o'clock direction, the due east direction coincides with the 3 o'clock direction, and the due west direction coincides with the 9 o'clock direction).

[0110] S302, the target device sends the first information, and the corresponding positioning device obtains the first information.

[0111] The first piece of information is used to determine the orientation of the target device relative to the positioning device. The definition of the orientation of the target device relative to the positioning device can be found in the previous text and will not be repeated here.

[0112] In one possible implementation, the target device directly sends the first information to the positioning device, and the positioning device receives the first information from the target device. For example, there is a direct link between the target device and the positioning device (e.g., a direct link established based on SparkLink, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, BLE, or UWB), through which the target device sends the first information and the positioning device receives the first information.

[0113] In the above implementation method, the first information is sent directly from the target device to the positioning device, resulting in a short transmission path and high efficiency.

[0114] In another possible implementation, the target device sends the first information to the positioning device via other devices, and the positioning device receives the first information from the target device from the other devices. For example, the target device sends the first information to other devices, and after receiving the first information, the other devices forward it to the positioning device. These other devices can be, for example, network devices (such as routers), terminal devices (such as another mobile phone), or cloud servers, etc., without limitation. It is understood that the number of other devices can be one or more, meaning the first information can be forwarded via one or more devices. It is also understood that these other devices can be referred to as third-party devices.

[0115] As an example, referring to Figure 5, in a car-finding scenario, the mobile phone is the positioning device, and the car is the target device. Both the positioning device and the target device can communicate with the cloud server. The target device can send the first information to the cloud server, and the cloud server forwards the first information to the positioning device. It can be understood that the other devices that forward the first information here, and the other devices that calculate the second direction information mentioned above, can be the same device (e.g., the same cloud server) or different devices (e.g., different cloud servers), without restriction.

[0116] The above implementation method forwards the first information through other devices. Even if the communication conditions between the target device and the positioning device are poor, the first information can still be sent to the positioning device, which improves the applicability of the solution.

[0117] S303. The positioning device determines the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the first information and the second information.

[0118] The second piece of information is used to indicate the absolute orientation of the positioning device. The definition of absolute orientation can be found above and will not be repeated here.

[0119] In one possible implementation, the positioning device obtains the absolute direction based on its own sensors. For example, the positioning device obtains the absolute direction based on at least one of a magnetometer, INS, GPS, GNSS, visual positioning system, etc.

[0120] In another possible implementation, the positioning device obtains the second information based on pre-configured information, which is either a parameter or an indicator of the second information. For example, if a technician has pre-stored the second information on the positioning device, the device can directly read the second information from its storage.

[0121] Taking the first information received by the positioning device as an example, which includes the first sub-information, the positioning device determines the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the first sub-information and the second information. Taking any scenario in Figures 4A to 4D as an example, the first sub-information indicates that the positioning device is located in the direction of 30° east of north of the target device. Combined with the second information obtained by the positioning device (such as the east, south, west, and north directions of the positioning device), it can be determined that the target device is located in the direction of 30° west of south of the positioning device.

[0122] Taking the first information received by the positioning device as including the second sub-information and the third sub-information as an example, the positioning device determines the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the second sub-information, the third sub-information, and the second information.

[0123] In one possible implementation, the positioning device calculates the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device (based on the first and second information). For example, the positioning device first determines the second orientation information based on the second and third sub-information, and then determines the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the second orientation information and the second information.

[0124] Taking the scenario in Figure 4A as an example, the first sub-information indicates the absolute direction of the target device (e.g., due north coincides with the direction directly in front of the target device, due south coincides with the direction directly behind the target device, due west coincides with the direction directly to the left of the target device, and due east coincides with the direction directly to the right of the target device). The second sub-information indicates that the positioning device is located 30° to the right of the target device. The second sub-information indicates the absolute direction of the positioning device (e.g., due west coincides with the direction directly in front of the positioning device, due east coincides with the direction directly behind the positioning device, due south coincides with the direction directly to the left of the positioning device, and due north coincides with the direction directly to the right of the positioning device). Based on the above information, the positioning device can determine that the target device is located in the southwest direction of the positioning device, specifically 30° west of south.

[0125] It is understandable that the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device can be described in the Earth reference frame, that is, it is not affected by the observer's viewpoint and position. For example, in any of the scenarios in Figures 4A to 4D, the target device is located in the direction of 30° south of west of the positioning device.

[0126] The orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device can also be described from the perspective of the target device, that is, it is affected by the perspective of the target device. For example, in the scenarios shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the target device is located at 30° south of west of the positioning device, which can also be described as the target device being located at 60° to the left of the positioning device, or the target device being located at the 10 o'clock position of the positioning device, etc.

[0127] In the above implementation method, the positioning device directly calculates the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device locally, which is fast.

[0128] In another possible implementation, other devices calculate the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device (based on the first and second information). For example, the positioning device sends third information to other devices, which is related to the first and second information (e.g., the third information includes both the first and second information); after receiving the third information, the other devices calculate the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the third information; the other devices then send fourth information, which the positioning device receives from the other devices. This fourth information indicates the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device (e.g., the fourth information includes or is the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device).

[0129] As an example, see Figure 5. In the car-finding scenario, the mobile phone is the positioning device and the car is the target device. The positioning device can send third information to the cloud server, such as the third information including the first and second information. After receiving the third information, the cloud server calculates the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the third information. The cloud server sends fourth information, and the mobile phone receives the fourth information. The fourth information is used to indicate the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device.

[0130] In scenarios where other devices calculate the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device, an alternative implementation is as follows: the target device directly sends the first information to the other devices, and the positioning device sends the second information to the other devices. The target device does not need to send the first information to the positioning device. After receiving the first and second information, the other devices calculate the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the first and second information, and then send the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device to the positioning device.

[0131] For example, in the car-finding scenario shown in Figure 5, the target device (i.e., the car) can directly send the first information to the cloud server, and the positioning device (i.e., the mobile phone) can send the second information to the cloud server. The cloud server calculates the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the first and second information, and then sends the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device to the mobile phone.

[0132] For details on how other devices calculate the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device, please refer to the specific implementation method of the positioning device calculating the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device, which will not be elaborated here.

[0133] It is understood that the other devices that calculate the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device and the other devices that calculate the second direction information (or the other devices that forward the first information) can be the same device or different devices, without restriction.

[0134] The above implementation method calculates the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device through other devices, which can save the computational load of the positioning device. Even if there is a positioning device with insufficient computing power, the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device can still be obtained, thus improving the applicability of the solution.

[0135] In this embodiment of the application, the target device includes multiple antennas, each of which can receive detection information from the positioning device. By analyzing the arrival time difference or phase difference of the signals received by different antennas, the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device is calculated.

[0136] In one specific example, the target device includes at least two first positioning nodes, each of which is in single-antenna communication mode (i.e., each first positioning node includes one antenna).

[0137] In one specific example, the target device includes a second positioning node, which is in multi-antenna communication mode (i.e., the second positioning node includes multiple antennas).

[0138] In one specific example, the target device includes both positioning nodes in single-antenna communication mode and positioning nodes in multi-antenna communication mode.

[0139] In summary, the target device as a whole needs to be equipped with multiple antennas to support the target device in measuring the direction of the positioning device relative to the target device (optionally, also measuring the distance of the positioning device relative to the target device). For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 1, the car is the target device, and the car itself has four positioning nodes, each of which can be in single-antenna communication mode. For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 2, device A (or B, C, or D) is the target device, and device A (or B, C, or D) is in multi-antenna communication mode.

[0140] The multiple antennas of the target device can be integrated into one physical device or distributed across multiple physical devices. In other words, the target device can be a single device, such as the car shown in Figure 1, or device A (or B, C, or D) shown in Figure 2; the target device can also be multiple devices. For example, in a home scenario, if the network topology of multiple single-antenna electronic devices (such as air conditioners, televisions, or stereos) is known, then multiple single-antenna electronic devices can constitute a multi-antenna target device without limitation.

[0141] In this embodiment, the positioning device can be a single-antenna device (i.e., a device with a single-antenna communication mode) or a multi-antenna device (i.e., a device with a multi-antenna communication mode), without limitation. For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 1, the mobile phone is the positioning device, which can be a single-antenna device or a multi-antenna device. For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 1, device E is the positioning device, which can be a single-antenna device or a multi-antenna device.

[0142] It is understood that the single antenna and multiple antennas described above refer to antennas that support short-range wireless communication functions (such as star flash, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, BLE or UWB, etc.).

[0143] In the above technical solution, the target device sends first information related to the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device and the absolute direction of the target device to the positioning device. The positioning device combines the first information and the absolute direction of the target device to obtain the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device. In this solution, the signal measurement process can be performed by the target device, that is, the target device determines the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device (i.e., the first direction information or the second direction information mentioned above).

[0144] For target devices, many target devices themselves have the hardware conditions of multiple antennas. For example, the car in the scenario shown in Figure 1 has four positioning nodes. Therefore, positioning and detection can be achieved by using the existing hardware conditions without adding extra hardware costs.

[0145] For positioning devices, it is no longer required that they support multi-antenna communication modes, or in other words, it is not necessary to add antennas to the positioning devices. That is, positioning devices with single-antenna communication modes can also be applicable to the solution in this application. Firstly, it can reduce the manufacturing cost of positioning devices and the user's operating cost; secondly, it can reduce the size and weight of positioning devices, improving portability and user experience; thirdly, it can reduce the complexity of hardware design, reduce power consumption, and improve battery life; fourthly, it can also be applied to small devices or positioning devices with strict size requirements, such as smartwatches and smart glasses. The solution has a wide range of applications and significant commercial value.

[0146] In one possible design, after determining the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device, the positioning device can also output the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device. The output method can be displaying text, images, or playing voice, etc., without limitation. For example, as shown in Figure 6A, the mobile phone can display that the car is located at 30° south of west of the phone.

[0147] This helps users find vehicles and other target equipment more efficiently.

[0148] In one possible design, after the positioning device determines the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device, it can also send the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device to the target device or other devices.

[0149] In this way, the target device or other devices can obtain the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device.

[0150] In one possible design, the target device can also acquire location information, which indicates the distance between the positioning device and the target device. The target device sends the location information, and the positioning device receives the location information. The positioning device determines the distance between the target device and the positioning device based on the location information. In specific implementations, the location information and the first piece of information can be sent in the same message or in two separate messages; there is no restriction. It can be understood that the process of the target device acquiring and sending location information can be implemented separately from the process of the target device acquiring and sending the first piece of information, or they can be implemented in combination; there is no restriction.

[0151] In this way, the positioning device can simultaneously obtain the distance and direction of the target device relative to the positioning device, which can further improve the efficiency of locating the target device. For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 6B, the mobile phone can indicate to the user that the car is located at a direction of 30° south of west from the user's location, 42 meters away from the user.

[0152] In one possible design, the positioning device also sends a probe signal (such as a starburst signal, Bluetooth signal, or UWB signal). Correspondingly, the target device receives the probe signal from the positioning device; based on the received probe signal, the target device determines at least one of the following: the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device, and the distance between the positioning device and the target device.

[0153] This provides support for determining the orientation and distance of the positioning device relative to the target device, thus improving the reliability of the solution.

[0154] In one possible design, the first information can be carried in the request message, which requests the measurement direction (or the measurement azimuth, positioning, etc.). Alternatively, the first information can be carried in the feedback message of the request message. The feedback message indicates agreement on the measurement direction, or it may include the direction measurement results, etc.

[0155] The frame structure of a request message or feedback message can be shown in Table 1 or Table 2:

[0156] Table 1

[0157] The destination address refers to the destination address of the message. For example, if the positioning device is a key, then the destination address is the address of the key.

[0158] In the examples given in Table 1, the reference direction for the angle is assumed to be due north. The angle value represents the offset of the measured direction relative to the reference direction, and the offset direction is, for example, clockwise or counterclockwise (or left or right). Taking a clockwise offset direction as an example, 45.01 means that the measured direction is 45.01° east of north.

[0159] Table 2

[0160] The examples in Table 2 also include a reference direction for the angle, such as due south. The angle value represents the offset of the measured direction relative to the reference direction, and the offset direction can be clockwise or counterclockwise (or left or right). Taking a clockwise offset direction as an example, 45.01 means that the measured direction is 45.01° west of south. The examples in Table 2 can reduce the numerical magnitude of the angle, saving bit overhead.

[0161] Of course, the frame structures shown in Tables 1 and 2 are only one possible example and are not limited to this in practice.

[0162] It is understood that the above embodiments can be implemented individually or in combination, and this application does not impose any restrictions.

[0163] The methods provided by the embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. The apparatus provided by the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0164] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application provide a measuring device, which includes a module / unit / means for performing the methods executed by the transmitting device and / or receiving device in the above-described method embodiments. This module / unit / means can be implemented in software, or in hardware, or implemented in hardware executing corresponding software.

[0165] For example, referring to FIG7, the device may include a transceiver module 1101 and a processing module 1102.

[0166] As an example, when the device is a positioning device or when the device is located on a positioning device:

[0167] The transceiver module 1101 is used to acquire first information, which is related to the following two items: the absolute direction of the target device and the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

[0168] The processing module 1102 is used to determine the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the first information and the second information, wherein the second information is used to indicate the absolute direction of the positioning device.

[0169] In one possible design, the first information includes a first sub-information determined based on the absolute orientation of the target device and the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device, the first sub-information being used to indicate the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

[0170] In one possible design, the first information includes a second sub-information and a third sub-information. The second sub-information is used to indicate the absolute direction of the target device, and the third sub-information is used to indicate the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

[0171] In one possible design, the transceiver module 1101 is further configured to: acquire location information, which is used to indicate the distance between the positioning device and the target device; the processing module 1102 is further configured to: determine the distance between the target device and the positioning device based on the location information.

[0172] In one possible design, the transceiver module 1101 is used to: receive first information from the target device; or receive first information from the target device from other devices.

[0173] In one possible design, the processing module 1102 is further configured to: acquire second information based on pre-configured information; or acquire second information based on a sensor.

[0174] In one possible design, the processing module 1102 is used to: calculate the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the first information and the second information; or, control the transceiver module 1101 to send third information to other devices, the third information being related to the first information and the second information; and control the transceiver module 1101 to receive fourth information from other devices, the fourth information being used to indicate the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device.

[0175] In one possible design, the transceiver module 1101 is further configured to: send a detection signal, the detection signal being used by the target device to measure at least one of the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device and the distance of the positioning device relative to the target device.

[0176] In one possible design, the positioning device is a single-antenna device.

[0177] In one possible design, the first information is carried in the request message, or the first information is carried in the feedback message of the request message, and the request message is used to request the measurement direction.

[0178] As an example, when the device is the target device or when the device is located on the target device:

[0179] Processing module 1102 is used to acquire first information, which is related to the following two items: the absolute direction of the target device and the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device;

[0180] The transceiver module 1101 is used to send first information, which is used to determine the orientation information of the target device relative to the positioning device.

[0181] In one possible design, the first information includes a first sub-information determined based on the absolute orientation of the target device and the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device, the first sub-information being used to indicate the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

[0182] In one possible design, the first information includes a second sub-information and a third sub-information. The second sub-information is used to indicate the absolute direction of the target device, and the third sub-information is used to indicate the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

[0183] In one possible design, the processing module 1102 is further configured to: acquire location information, which is used to indicate the distance between the positioning device and the target device; the transceiver module 1101 is further configured to: send location information, which is used to determine the distance between the target device and the positioning device.

[0184] In one possible design, the transceiver module 1101 is further configured to: receive a detection signal from the positioning device; the processing module 1102 is further configured to: determine at least one of the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device and the distance of the positioning device relative to the target device based on the received detection signal.

[0185] In one possible design, the transceiver module 1101 is used to: send first information to the positioning device; or send first information to other devices.

[0186] In one possible design, the target device includes: at least two first positioning nodes, which are in single-antenna communication mode; and / or, a second positioning node, which is in multi-antenna communication mode.

[0187] In one possible design, the first information is carried in the request message, or the first information is carried in the feedback message of the request message, and the request message is used to request the measurement direction.

[0188] Optionally, the transceiver module 1101 may include a transmitting submodule and a receiving submodule, wherein the transmitting submodule is used to transmit information or signals, and the receiving submodule is used to receive information or signals.

[0189] For example, when the device is a positioning device or when the device is located on a positioning device: the transmitting submodule can be used to transmit a detection signal, the receiving submodule can be used to receive the first information, and so on.

[0190] For example, when the device is a target device or when the device is located on a target device: the transmitting submodule can be used to transmit first information, the receiving submodule can be used to receive probe signals, and so on.

[0191] Optionally, the processing module 1102 may include a direction measurement (or calculation) submodule, a distance measurement (or calculation) submodule, etc. The direction measurement (or calculation) submodule is used to measure (or calculate) the direction, and the distance measurement submodule is used to measure (or calculate) the distance.

[0192] For example, when the device is the target device or when the device is located on the target device: the orientation measurement submodule is used to measure the orientation information of the positioning device relative to the target device, the distance measurement submodule is used to measure the distance of the positioning device relative to the target device, and so on.

[0193] For example, when the device is a positioning device or when the device is located on a positioning device: the direction measurement submodule is used to determine the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the first information and the second information, the distance measurement submodule is used to determine the distance of the target device relative to the positioning device based on the distance of the positioning device relative to the target device, and so on.

[0194] It should be understood that all relevant content of each step involved in the above method embodiments can be referenced from the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

[0195] In practical implementation, the above-mentioned device can take many product forms. Several possible product forms are introduced below.

[0196] As shown in Figure 8, this application embodiment also provides a measuring device, including:

[0197] At least one processor 1201; and a communication interface 1203 communicatively connected to the at least one processor 1201; the at least one processor 1201 causes the device to perform the method steps in the above method embodiment through the communication interface 1203 by executing instructions stored in the memory 1202.

[0198] When the device executes the method steps in the above method embodiments, the communication interface 1203 can be used to implement the functions of the transceiver module 1101, and the processor 1201 can be used to implement the functions of the processing module 1102.

[0199] Optionally, the memory 1202 is located outside the device.

[0200] Optionally, the device includes the memory 1202, which is connected to the at least one processor 1201, and stores instructions executable by the at least one processor 1201. Figure 8 shows, with dashed lines, that the memory 1202 is optional for the device.

[0201] The processor 1201 and the memory 1202 can be coupled through an interface circuit or integrated together; no restriction is imposed here.

[0202] This embodiment does not limit the specific connection medium between the processor 1201, memory 1202, and communication interface 1203. In Figure 8, the processor 1201, memory 1202, and communication interface 1203 are connected via a bus 1204, which is represented by a thick line. The connection methods between other components are only illustrative and not intended to be limiting. The bus can be classified as an address bus, data bus, control bus, etc. For ease of illustration, only one thick line is used in Figure 8, but this does not indicate that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

[0203] Optionally, the communication interface 1203 can be a transceiver or an input / output interface, etc.

[0204] Optionally, the processor 1201 may include a central processing unit (CPU), or 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. Optionally, the measuring device may also include at least one of sensors, such as a magnetometer, INS, GPS, GNSS, visual positioning systems, etc., for measuring absolute direction (e.g., east, south, west, north, etc.).

[0205] In some possible examples, the sensor can also be used as a processor, as shown in Figure 8.

[0206] Based on the same technical concept, this application also provides a chip, as shown in Figure 9. This chip may include logic circuitry and input / output interfaces. Optionally, it may also include a memory. The input / output interfaces can be used to receive code instructions (stored in the memory, which can be read directly from the memory or through other devices) and transmit them to the logic circuitry; the logic circuitry can be used to execute the code instructions to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments.

[0207] It should be understood that the processor mentioned in the embodiments of this application 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, implemented by reading software code stored in memory.

[0208] It should be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of this application can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memory. The non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or flash memory. The volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous linked dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct rambus RAM (DR RAM).

[0209] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, or discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0210] It should be noted that the memories described herein are intended to include, but are not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memories.

[0211] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of this application also provide a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions, which, when executed by a device, implements the method steps described in the above method embodiments.

[0212] Based on the same technical concept, this application also provides a computer program product, which stores instructions that, when run on a computer, cause the computer to execute the method steps described in the above method embodiments.

[0213] Those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, this application can take the form of a completely hardware embodiment, a completely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects. Furthermore, this application can take the form of a computer program product embodied on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) containing computer-usable program code.

[0214] This application is described with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems), and computer program products according to this application. It should be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, embedded processor, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart illustrations and / or one or more blocks of the block diagrams.

[0215] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium produce an article of manufacture including instruction means that implement the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

[0216] These computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions, which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus, provide steps for implementing the functions specified in one or more flowcharts and / or one or more block diagrams.

Claims

1. A method of direction measurement, characterized by, The method comprises: The positioning device acquires first information, the first information being related to the absolute direction of the target device and the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device; The positioning device determines the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device according to the first information and second information, the second information being used to indicate the absolute direction of the positioning device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein The first information comprises first sub-information determined according to the absolute direction of the target device and the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device, the first sub-information being used to indicate the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

3. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein The first information comprises second sub-information and third sub-information, the second sub-information being used to indicate the absolute direction of the target device, and the third sub-information being used to indicate the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further comprises: The positioning device acquires position information, the position information being used to indicate the distance of the positioning device relative to the target device; The positioning device determines the distance of the target device relative to the positioning device according to the position information.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The positioning device acquires first information, comprising: The positioning device receives the first information from the target device; or The positioning device receives the first information from the target device from other devices.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein, Further comprising: The positioning device acquires the second information according to preconfigured information; or The positioning device acquires the second information based on sensors.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein The positioning device determines the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device according to the first information and second information, comprising: The positioning device calculates the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device according to the first information and second information; or The positioning device sends third information to other devices, the third information being related to the first information and second information; and the positioning device receives fourth information from the other devices, the fourth information being used to indicate the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein The method further comprises: The positioning device sends a probe signal, the probe signal being used by the target device to measure at least one of the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device and the distance of the positioning device relative to the target device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein, The positioning device is a single-antenna device.

10. The method of any one of claims 1-9, wherein, The first information is carried in a request message, or the first information is carried in a feedback message of a request message, the request message being used to request direction measurement.

11. A method of direction finding, characterized by, The method comprises: The target device acquires first information, the first information being related to the absolute direction of the target device and the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device; The target device sends the first information, the first information being used to determine the direction information of the target device relative to the positioning device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein The first information comprises first sub-information determined according to absolute direction of the target device and direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device, and the first sub-information is used to indicate the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

13. The method of claim 11 or 12, wherein, The first information comprises second sub-information and third sub-information, the second sub-information is used to indicate the absolute direction of the target device, and the third sub-information is used to indicate the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device.

14. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein, The method further comprises: The target device acquires position information, and the position information is used to indicate the distance of the positioning device relative to the target device. The target device sends the position information, and the position information is used to determine the distance of the target device relative to the positioning device.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein, The method further comprises: The target device receives a probe signal from the positioning device. The target device determines at least one of the direction information of the positioning device relative to the target device and the distance of the positioning device relative to the target device according to a reception result of the probe signal.

16. The method of any one of claims 11-15, wherein, The target device sends the first information, comprising: The target device sends the first information to the positioning device; or The target device sends the first information to other devices.

17. The method of any one of claims 11-16, wherein, The target device comprises: At least two first positioning nodes, and the first positioning nodes are in a single-antenna communication mode; and / or One second positioning node, and the second positioning node is in a multi-antenna communication mode.

18. The method of any one of claims 11-17, wherein, The first information is carried in a request message, or the first information is carried in a feedback message of the request message, and the request message is used to request direction measurement.

19. A measuring device, characterized by A module for executing the method of any one of claims 1-10, or a module for executing the method of any one of claims 11-18.

20. A measuring device, characterized by Comprise: At least one processor; And a communication interface in communication connection with the at least one processor; The at least one processor executes the method of any one of claims 1-10 or the method of any one of claims 11-18 by executing instructions stored in a memory.

21. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The storage medium stores a computer program or instructions, and when the computer program or instructions are executed, the method of any one of claims 1-10 is implemented, or the method of any one of claims 11-18 is implemented.

22. A computer program product, characterised in that, The instructions, when executed on a computer, cause the method of any one of claims 1-10 to be implemented, or the method of any one of claims 11-18 to be implemented.

23. A measurement system characterized by, Comprise: A positioning device for executing the method of any one of claims 1-10; A target device for executing the method of any one of claims 11-18.

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