Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which are applied to the technical field of communications. The method comprises: acquiring first information of a plurality of second apparatuses, wherein the first information of the second apparatuses is frequency information determined on the basis of positioning signals received by the second apparatuses from a first apparatus; and sending second information to some or all of the plurality of second apparatuses, wherein the second information is used by the second apparatuses to measure the positioning signals, and is frequency information determined on the basis of the first information of the plurality of second apparatuses. It can be seen that, on the basis of the frequency information determined by the plurality of second apparatuses, the method determines the frequency information used by the second apparatuses to measure the positioning signals, helping to improve the accuracy of the frequency information used by the second apparatuses to measure the positioning signals, thereby improving the accuracy of measuring the positioning signals by the second apparatuses, and further improving positioning accuracy.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202510123225.4, filed on January 24, 2025, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

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

[0003] Passive Internet of Things (PIOT) is a passive IoT technology aimed at low cost, low power consumption, and low maintenance costs. PIOT tags transmit positioning signals, and base stations measure the received signals to achieve tag localization. However, oscillator mismatch between the PIOT tag and the base station leads to a sampling frequency offset (SFO). Therefore, the base station needs to estimate the SFO and measure the positioning signal based on the estimated SFO. Clearly, the estimated SFO by the base station affects positioning accuracy, and improving the accuracy of PIOT positioning requires further research. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that can ensure PIOT positioning accuracy.

[0005] Firstly, this application provides a communication method applicable to a fourth device. For example, the fourth device may be a network device, a component within the network device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, or functional module), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. As another example, the fourth device may be a location management function network element, a component within the location management function network element (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, or functional module), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the location management function network element's functions.

[0006] The method includes: a fourth device acquiring first information from a plurality of second devices, the first information of the second devices being frequency information determined based on positioning signals received by the second devices from the first devices; the fourth device sending second information to some or all of the plurality of second devices, the second information being used by the second devices to measure positioning signals, the second information being frequency information determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices.

[0007] As can be seen, in this method, the fourth device can acquire frequency information determined by multiple second devices based on the positioning signals received from the first device. Therefore, the fourth device determines the frequency information used by the second devices to measure the positioning signals based on the frequency information determined by the multiple second devices. This method helps improve the accuracy of the frequency information used by the second devices to measure the positioning signals, thereby improving the accuracy of the second devices' measurement of the positioning signals, and consequently, improving positioning accuracy. When applied to PIOT, this method can improve the positioning accuracy of PIOT.

[0008] Understandably, the quality of the positioning signal received by the second device from the first device will affect the accuracy of the frequency information determined by the second device based on the positioning signal. Relatively speaking, the second device with better received positioning signal quality has relatively higher accuracy in determining the frequency information based on the positioning signal, while the second device with poorer received positioning signal quality has relatively lower accuracy in determining the frequency information based on the positioning signal. In the method provided in this application embodiment, the fourth device determines the frequency information used by the second device to measure the positioning signal based on the frequency information determined by multiple second devices based on the positioning signal. Therefore, the second device with relatively poor received positioning signal quality can use more accurate frequency information to measure the positioning signal, thereby improving the accuracy of positioning based on the measurement results of multiple second devices.

[0009] In one alternative implementation, the first information of the second device is used to indicate one or more of the following: the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, or the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device.

[0010] In one alternative implementation, the second information is used to indicate one or more of the following: a frequency offset determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices, a percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices, or a frequency determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices.

[0011] In one optional embodiment, the method further includes: a fourth device acquiring third information from a plurality of second devices; and the fourth device determining second information based on the third information from the plurality of second devices and the first information from the plurality of second devices. The third information from the second devices includes one or more of the following: confidence information of the first information from the second devices, power information of the positioning signal received by the second devices, or signal-to-noise ratio information of the positioning signal received by the second devices.

[0012] Based on the above scheme, the fourth device can determine the confidence level of the first information of the second device, and / or the power of the positioning signal received by the second device, and / or the signal-to-noise ratio of the positioning signal received by the second device based on the third information of the second device.

[0013] In this process, the fourth device determines the confidence level of the first information of the second device, which helps the fourth device to combine the first information with a relatively high confidence level to determine the second information and improve the reliability of the second information.

[0014] In addition, the power of the positioning signal received by the second device and / or the signal-to-noise ratio of the positioning signal received by the second device can reflect the quality of the positioning signal received by the second device, which is beneficial for the fourth device to combine the first information of the second device with the relatively high quality of the received positioning signal to determine the second information and improve the reliability of the second information.

[0015] Secondly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a second device. For example, the second device can be a network device, or a component within the network device (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, or functional module), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network device's functions. As another example, the second device can be a reader / writer, or a component within the reader / writer (e.g., a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, or functional module), or a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the network reader / writer's functions.

[0016] The method includes: a second device sending first information, the first information being frequency information determined by the second device based on a positioning signal received from a first device, the second device being one of a plurality of second devices; the second device receiving second information, the second information being frequency information determined based on the first information from the plurality of second devices; and the second device measuring the positioning signal based on the second information.

[0017] In one alternative implementation, the first information of the second device is used to indicate one or more of the following: the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, or the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device.

[0018] In one alternative implementation, the second information is used to indicate one or more of the following: a frequency offset determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices, a percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices, or a frequency determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices.

[0019] In an optional implementation, the method further includes: the second device sending third information, the third information being used to determine the second information by combining the first information from multiple second devices. The third information from the second devices includes one or more of the following: confidence information of the first information from the second devices, power information of the positioning signal received by the second device, or signal-to-noise ratio information of the positioning signal received by the second device.

[0020] The various embodiments in this aspect also have the same beneficial effects as those in the first aspect described above, which will not be described in detail here.

[0021] Thirdly, this application provides a communication method that can be applied to a third device, the third device including a baseband processing device shared by multiple second devices.

[0022] The method includes: a third device determining frequency information based on fourth information from a plurality of second devices, the fourth information of the second devices being associated with positioning signals received by the second devices from a first device; and the third device measuring the positioning signals received by the plurality of second devices based on the frequency information.

[0023] In one optional implementation, the fourth information of the second device is the baseband information of the positioning signal received by the second device; or, the fourth information of the second device includes one or more of the following: the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, or the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device.

[0024] In one alternative implementation, the frequency information includes one or more of the following: frequency offset determined based on fourth information from multiple second devices, percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined based on fourth information from multiple second devices, or frequency determined based on fourth information from multiple second devices.

[0025] Fourthly, this application also provides a communication device. This communication device can be a fourth device, a chip, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a fourth device, and has the function of implementing some or all of the embodiments described in the first aspect above. Alternatively, the communication device can be a second device, or a chip, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a second device, and has the function of implementing some or all of the embodiments described in the second aspect above. Alternatively, the communication device can be a third device, or a chip, or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of a third device, and has the function of implementing some or all of the embodiments described in the third aspect above. The functions can be implemented in hardware or by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more units or modules corresponding to the above functions.

[0026] In one possible design, the communication device may include a processing unit configured to support the communication device in performing the corresponding functions described in the above methods. Optionally, the communication device may also include a communication unit for supporting communication between the communication device and other communication devices. Optionally, the communication device may further include a storage unit coupled to the processing unit and the communication unit, which stores necessary program instructions and data for the communication device. Additionally, the processing unit may be used to control the communication unit to transmit and receive data / signaling.

[0027] In one embodiment, a processing unit is configured to acquire first information from a plurality of second devices, the first information of which is frequency information determined based on positioning signals received by the second devices from a first device. A communication unit is configured to send second information to some or all of the plurality of second devices, the second information being used by the second devices to measure positioning signals, the second information being frequency information determined based on the first information from the plurality of second devices.

[0028] In addition, other alternative implementations of the communication device in this regard can be found in the relevant content of the first aspect above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0029] In another embodiment, a communication unit is configured to transmit first information, which is frequency information of a positioning signal received by a second device from a first device. The communication device is one of a plurality of second devices. The communication unit is also configured to receive second information, which is frequency information determined based on the first information from the plurality of second devices. A processing unit is configured to measure the positioning signal based on the second information.

[0030] In addition, other alternative implementations of the communication device in this regard can be found in the relevant content of the second aspect above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0031] In another embodiment, the processing unit is configured to determine frequency information based on fourth information from a plurality of second devices, the fourth information of the second devices being associated with positioning signals received by the second devices from the first device. The processing unit is also configured to measure the positioning signals received by the plurality of second devices based on the frequency information.

[0032] In addition, other alternative implementations of the communication device in this regard can be found in the relevant content of the third aspect above, and will not be described in detail here.

[0033] As an example, the communication unit can be a transceiver or a communication interface, the storage unit can be a memory, and the processing unit can be a processor. The processor is coupled to the memory, which is used to store programs or instructions. The processor can be used to execute the computer programs or instructions stored in the memory, and / or, through logic circuitry, cause the communication device to perform the methods described in the first, second, third, or fourth aspects above. The transceiver or communication interface can be used to transmit and receive signals and / or data.

[0034] In another embodiment, the communication device is a chip or chip system. The processing unit may also be a processing circuit or logic circuit; the transceiver unit may be an input / output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin, or related circuit on the chip or chip system.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the processor can be used for, for example, but not limited to, baseband-related processing, and the transceiver or communication interface can be used for, for example, but not limited to, radio frequency transceiver. The aforementioned devices can be disposed on separate chips, or at least partially or entirely on the same chip. For example, the processor can be further divided into analog baseband processors and digital baseband processors. The analog baseband processor can be integrated with the transceiver (or communication interface) on the same chip, while the digital baseband processor can be disposed on a separate chip. With the continuous development of integrated circuit technology, more and more devices can be integrated on the same chip. For example, a digital baseband processor can be integrated with multiple application processors (e.g., but not limited to graphics processors, multimedia processors, etc.) on the same chip. Such a chip can be called a system-on-a-chip (SoC). Whether the various devices are disposed independently on different chips or integrated on one or more chips often depends on the needs of the product design. This application does not limit the implementation form of the aforementioned devices.

[0036] Fifthly, this application also provides a processor for executing the various methods described above. In executing these methods, the processes of sending and receiving the aforementioned information can be understood as the process of the processor outputting the aforementioned information and the process of the processor inputting the aforementioned information. When outputting the aforementioned information, the processor outputs the aforementioned information to a transceiver so that the transceiver (or communication interface) can transmit it. After being output by the processor, the aforementioned information may require further processing before reaching the transceiver (or communication interface). Similarly, when the processor receives the input information, the transceiver (or communication interface) receives the aforementioned information and inputs it into the processor. Furthermore, after the transceiver (or communication interface) receives the aforementioned information, the aforementioned information may require further processing before being input into the processor.

[0037] Unless otherwise specified, or unless it contradicts its actual function or internal logic in the relevant description, the transmission and reception operations involved by the processor can be more generally understood as processor output and reception, input and other operations, rather than transmission and reception operations directly performed by radio frequency circuits and antennas.

[0038] In implementation, the processor can be a dedicated processor for executing these methods, or it can be a processor that executes computer instructions stored in memory to execute these methods, such as a general-purpose processor. 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 disposed on different chips. This application does not limit the type of memory or the arrangement of the memory and processor.

[0039] Sixthly, this application also provides a communication system including means for performing the method described in the first aspect and means for performing the method described in the second aspect. Optionally, the system may further include other devices that interact with the means for performing the method described in the first aspect, and / or other devices that interact with the means for performing the method described in the second aspect.

[0040] In a seventh aspect, this application also provides a communication system including means for performing the method described in the third aspect. The system may further include other devices that interact with the means for performing the method described in the third aspect.

[0041] Eighthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program that, when run, causes the methods described in the first, second, or third aspect above to be performed.

[0042] Ninthly, this application also provides a computer program product including instructions, the computer program product comprising: computer program code, which, when executed, causes the methods described in the first, second, or third aspects above to be performed.

[0043] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a chip including at least one processor for executing instructions to cause the methods described in the first, second, or third aspects to be performed. Optionally, the chip further includes an interface circuit for receiving the executed instructions and transmitting them to the processor. And / or, the interface circuit is used to receive information from the processor and output information. Optionally, the chip further includes a memory for storing instructions and data. Attached Figure Description

[0044] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of an NG-RAN terminal positioning architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a UL-TDOA positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0046] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another UL-TDOA positioning provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a frequency hopping positioning method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a sampling frequency offset provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0049] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system architecture provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 7 is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0051] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0053] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0054] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0056] Figure 13 is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of a multi-base station shared baseband board provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0058] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0059] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram of another communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0060] The embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0061] The technical solutions of this application embodiment can be applied to various communication systems. For example, the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE) system, 4th Generation (4G) mobile communication system, 5th Generation (5G) mobile communication system, New Radio (NR) system, Next Generation (NG) mobile communication system, and, with the continuous development of communication technology, the technical solutions of this application embodiment can also be used in future communication systems. This application embodiment can also be applied to the Internet of Things (IoT), Passive Internet of Things (PIOT), and Ambient Internet of Things (AIoT).

[0062] This application embodiment can also be applied to positioning scenarios in various communication systems. For example, please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a terminal positioning architecture for an NG-Radio Access Network (RAN) provided by an embodiment of this application. This architecture includes a terminal, NG-RAN, a Location Management Function (LMF) network element, and an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) network element. NG-RAN includes next-generation eNodeBs (ng-eNBs) and 5G base stations (gNodeBs, gNBs). ng-eNBs are LTE base stations, and gNBs are NR base stations. Base stations communicate with each other via the Xn interface, and base stations communicate with AMF network elements via the NG-C interface. The terminal can also be referred to as user equipment (UE), and the UE communicates with the serving base station via a Uu link.

[0063] For example, the UE and ng-eNB can communicate via the LTE-Uu interface. The UE and gNB can communicate via the NR-Uu interface. The ng-eNB and gNB can communicate via the Xn interface. The ng-eNB and AMF network elements can communicate via the NG-C interface. The gNB and AMF network elements can communicate via the NG-C interface. The AMF network elements and LMF network elements can communicate via the NLs (e.g., NL1) interface.

[0064] Optionally, as shown in Figure 1, the UE in the NG-RAN terminal positioning architecture can also be replaced with a SUPL-enabled terminal (SET). The ng-eNB can also be replaced with a transmission point (TP). The gNB can also be replaced with a transmission and reception point (TRP).

[0065] Optionally, as shown in Figure 1, the NG-RAN terminal positioning architecture may also include an enhanced serving mobile location center (E-SMLC) and a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0066] The LMF (Location-Based Function) network element is a device or component deployed in the core network to provide positioning functionality for the UE. The LMF network element can be used to achieve UE location estimation. It can also exchange signaling with the UE / gNB for measurement requests, measurement reporting, and other related tasks.

[0067] An AMF (Active Mobility Management) network element is a network element deployed in the core network to provide mobility management and connectivity management for the network. An AMF network element typically acts as an intermediate route between LMF (Local Management Function) network elements, Session Management Function (SMF) network elements, and the RAN (Radio RAN). In other words, an AMF network element is equivalent to a router for communication between the gNB (Gateway NB) and the LMF network element.

[0068] An eNB is a device deployed in a radio access network that meets 4G standards to provide wireless communication functions for a UE. eNBs can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small cells), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, and vehicle-mounted equipment. An eNB can also be a TRP (Transportation Reference Point).

[0069] A gNB is a device deployed in a radio access network that meets 5G standards to provide wireless communication functions for a user interface (UE). A gNB can include various forms of macro base stations, micro base stations (also known as small cells), relay stations, access points, wearable devices, and vehicle-mounted equipment. A gNB can also be a transmission measurement function (TRP) or a transmission measurement function (TMF). A gNB can include a central unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) integrated on it.

[0070] UE includes various handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, computing devices, or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem with wireless communication capabilities. UE can also be a mobile station (MS), subscriber unit, cellular phone, smartphone, wireless data card, personal digital assistant (PDA) computer, tablet computer, wireless modem, handset, laptop computer, machine type communication (MTC) terminal, tag, etc.

[0071] The deployment methods and forms of the network elements / devices listed above are merely examples. As standard technologies evolve, other deployment forms and forms may exist, and this application does not limit them.

[0072] The relevant concepts involved in the embodiments of this application are described below.

[0073] 1. Positioning technology

[0074] Positioning technologies include the following: downlink (DL) time difference of arrival (TDOA) positioning, downlink angle of departure (AOD) positioning, uplink (UL) TDOA positioning, uplink angle of arrival (AOA) positioning, multi-round trip time (multi-RTT) positioning, carrier phase positioning, and sidelink positioning.

[0075] Among them, DL-TDOA positioning, UL-TDOA positioning, and multi-RTT positioning are positioning technologies based on time of arrival. In time-of-arrival positioning technologies, a transmitting end sends a signal (e.g., a reference signal), and multiple receiving ends measure the arrival time of the signal sent by the transmitting end. Based on the signal arrival time, the distance information between the transmitting end and the receiving end is determined, and the location of the transmitting end is determined based on the distance information between the multiple receiving ends and the transmitting end. Here, the transmitting end is the target to be located; the transmitting end can be, for example, a terminal, and the receiving end can be, for example, a base station.

[0076] DL-AOD positioning and UL-AOA positioning are angle-based positioning technologies. In angle-based positioning technologies, multiple transmitters at known locations send signals (e.g., reference signals), and a receiver measures the angle of arrival (Angle of Arrival) of the signals sent by each transmitter. The receiver's position is determined based on the angle information (including the Angle of Arrival) between the receiver and the multiple transmitters with known location information. Here, the receiver is the target to be located; the receiver can be, for example, a terminal, and the transmitters can be, for example, a base station.

[0077] In positioning scenarios, distance or angle information between a terminal and multiple base stations at the same time or within the same time period is obtained by measuring signals, and then the terminal's location is determined based on this distance or angle information. For example, when using triangulation or triangulation positioning technologies (e.g., DL-TDOA, UL-TDOA, DL-AOD, UL-AOA) to locate a terminal, it is necessary to obtain distance or angle information between the terminal and multiple base stations, thus requiring multi-cell or multi-site measurements. Due to frequency reuse between networks, to suppress inter-cell interference, the signal of a single cell can generally only cover a single cell. To ensure the measurement quality of neighboring cells during positioning measurements, a positioning reference signal is introduced. The positioning reference signal can cover multiple cells to ensure the measurement quality of neighboring cells, thereby obtaining multi-cell / multi-site measurements and completing triangulation or triangulation positioning.

[0078] The following example uses UL-TDOA positioning as a case study:

[0079] UL-TDOA positioning is an uplink-based positioning technology. Taking a terminal and a base station as an example: the terminal sends an uplink positioning reference signal, the base station measures the arrival time of the uplink positioning reference signal, and determines the terminal's location based on the arrival time of the uplink positioning reference signal. The uplink positioning reference signal can be, for example, a sounding reference signal (SRS).

[0080] Optionally, referring to Figure 2, in UL-TDOA positioning, the LMF network element sends a location information request to the terminal's serving base station. This location information request is used to request the SRS configuration information. The serving base station sends a location information response to the LMF network element, which includes the SRS configuration information. The serving base station also sends the SRS configuration information to the terminal so that the terminal can send the SRS. The LMF network element sends the SRS configuration information to neighboring base stations (excluding the serving base station) among multiple base stations. The LMF network element sends measurement requests to multiple base stations (including the serving base station and neighboring base stations), which are used to request the base stations to measure the SRS sent by the terminal. After receiving the measurement request, each base station begins to receive the SRS sent by the terminal, measures the arrival time of the SRS, and reports the measurement results to the LMF network element. The LMF network element determines the terminal's location based on the measurement results reported by multiple base stations.

[0081] For example, referring to Figure 3, assume the base stations involved in the positioning are base station #1, base station #2, and base station #3. The locations of base station #1, base station #2, and base station #3 are all known. The coordinates of base station #1 are (x1, y1), the coordinates of base station #2 are (x2, y2), and the coordinates of base station #3 are (x3, y3). The target to be positioned is a terminal, and the coordinates of the terminal are represented as (x1, y1). UE ,y UE Base station #1 is the reference base station. The difference Δt between the arrival time of the SRS from the terminal measured by base station #2 and the arrival time of the SRS from the terminal measured by base station #1 is... 21 It can be used to determine the hyperbola l 21 , l 21 Can be used to characterize Δt 21 The difference Δt between the arrival time of the SRS from the terminal measured by base station #3 and the arrival time of the SRS from the terminal measured by base station #1. 31 It can be used to determine the hyperbola l 31 , l 31 Can be used to characterize Δt 31 Since the distance between any point on the hyperbola and the two fixed points is constant, the terminal lies on the hyperbola with the two base stations as its foci. UE y UE It satisfies the following formulas (1) and (2).

[0082] Where c is the speed of light. Combining equations (1) and (2) to form a system of equations, we can determine x. UE and y UE This determines the terminal's location coordinates. However, due to measurement errors when the base station measures the SRS, this system of equations generally does not have a closed-form solution. In engineering practice, classic optimization algorithms such as least squares algorithm or particle swarm filtering algorithm can be used to estimate the optimal solution of the above system of equations.

[0083] 2. PIOT positioning

[0084] PIOT is a passive Internet of Things (IoT) technology designed for low cost, low power consumption, and low maintenance. PIOT tags can absorb external electromagnetic signals to obtain energy for communication, modulation, and other operations. The PIOT tags themselves do not require a power source and are widely used in logistics, warehousing, and material and asset management. Additionally, PIOT tags can also be referred to as PIOT terminals.

[0085] PIOT positioning can be used to locate PIOT tags. PIOT tags have the following characteristics:

[0086] (1) Low transmission power. Due to the low power consumption of PIOT tags, their transmission power is generally in the range of 1 microwatt (uW) to 100uW.

[0087] (2) Low bandwidth. Due to the low-cost hardware of PIOT tags, their communication and positioning bandwidth is small, less than or equal to 180 kilohertz (kHz).

[0088] In scenarios where PIOT positioning is achieved using the time of arrival (TOA) of a signal, the PIOT tag sends a signal for positioning (e.g., a reference signal or a positioning reference signal). The base station measures the time of arrival (TOA) of the signal in the air to the base station based on the received signal, and then obtains the TOA measured by different base stations. PIOT positioning is achieved based on the TOA measured by multiple base stations.

[0089] It is evident that the measurement accuracy of ToA (or the estimation accuracy of ToA) affects the positioning accuracy, and the positioning accuracy is positively correlated with the measurement accuracy of ToA. Combining estimation theory with orthogonal frequency divided multiplexing (OFDM) transmission systems, the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRB) of the ToA estimation mean square error can be determined. τ As shown in formula (3) below. Among them, the Cramer-Rao lower bound can be used to measure the theoretical accuracy bound of parameter estimation. The Cramer-Rao lower bound of the mean square error of ToA estimation can be used to determine the theoretical minimum value of the ToA estimation error. The actual ToA estimation error can only approach the Cramer-Rao lower bound infinitely, and will not be less than the Cramer-Rao lower bound.

[0090] Where SNR is the signal-to-noise ratio of the positioning reference signal received by the base station. c is the speed of light. B is the bandwidth occupied by the signal used for positioning in the frequency domain.

[0091] As can be seen from formula (3), the ToA estimation error is inversely correlated with the signal bandwidth. The larger the signal bandwidth, the smaller the Cramer-Rao lower bound of the ToA estimation error, and the higher the estimation accuracy of ToA.

[0092] Because the maximum bandwidth of a single PIOT tag transmission is 180kHz, the bandwidth of the signal used for positioning is relatively small, which may lead to poor positioning accuracy. To improve positioning accuracy, one option is to increase the bandwidth of the signal used for positioning. Optionally, the PIOT tag can use different frequency domain resources to transmit positioning signals in different time domain symbols. The base station then concatenates the channels in different frequency domains obtained based on signal and channel estimation in different time domain symbols, thereby combining low-bandwidth signals from multiple time domain symbols into a large-bandwidth signal to improve positioning accuracy. This method achieves positioning by frequency hopping, and can also be called frequency hopping positioning.

[0093] For example, referring to Figure 4, the PIOT tag transmits a positioning reference signal via RB1 on symbol 1, via RB2 on symbol 2, via RB3 on symbol 3, and via RB4 on symbol 4. Here, RB1, RB2, RB3, and RB4 are different RBs, each with a bandwidth of 180 kHz. The base station can perform channel estimation based on the received positioning reference signals on symbols 1, 2, 3, and 4, obtaining the channels h1, h2, h3, and h4 on symbols 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively. Then, h1, h2, h3, and h4 are concatenated to obtain a large-bandwidth channel with a bandwidth of 180 × 3 = 720 kHz. The base station performs TOA estimation based on this concatenated large-bandwidth channel, which improves the accuracy of TOA estimation and thus enhances positioning accuracy.

[0094] 3. Sampling frequency offset (SFO)

[0095] Sampling frequency deviation is the difference between the actual sampling frequency and the ideal or specified sampling frequency during the sampling process. For the signal transmitter and receiver, oscillator mismatch between the transmitter and receiver will cause a sampling frequency deviation between them.

[0096] For example, taking the transmission of positioning signals between a PIOT tag and a base station as an example, referring to Figure 5, assume the system's preset positioning sequence frequency is 10 Hz. Generally, the high clock precision of a base station enables it to generate accurate positioning sequences, such as a positioning base sequence s(t) with a frequency of 10.0001 Hz. However, the PIOT tag has inferior hardware; it should be transmitting a 10 Hz positioning signal, but its poor clock precision results in transmitting a positioning signal x(t) with an actual frequency of 10.1 Hz. This shows a sampling frequency deviation between the base station and the tag. If the base station measures the actual 10.1 Hz positioning signal x(t) according to its generated 10.0001 Hz positioning base sequence s(t), it will lead to poor measurement accuracy, affecting positioning accuracy. Therefore, the base station needs to estimate the sampling frequency deviation between the base station and the PIOT tag to obtain the true frequency of the positioning signal transmitted by the PIOT tag for measurement, thereby improving measurement accuracy.

[0097] In PIOT positioning, the PIOT tag is located by multiple base stations simultaneously receiving positioning signals transmitted by the PIOT tag. However, due to the poor hardware of the PIOT tag leading to poor clock accuracy, a Signal-of-Arrival (SFO) error exists between the PIOT tag and the base stations. When the PIOT tag is in the center of the base station's coverage area, the base station receives a high-energy signal, allowing it to estimate the SFO relatively accurately. However, in time-of-arrival (TOA) based PIOT positioning, the PIOT tag must be within the coverage area of ​​at least three base stations. Often, only one or two of these three stations receive high-quality signals, enabling a good SFO estimation. Base stations with poor coverage receive poor-quality signals, resulting in inaccurate SFO estimations and decreased measurement accuracy, thus affecting positioning accuracy. Therefore, since at least three base stations receive the same positioning signal, theoretically, their estimated SFOs should be identical. However, the poor signal quality received by some base stations leads to inaccurate SFO estimations by those base stations, resulting in decreased positioning accuracy.

[0098] For example, taking base stations #1, #2, and #3 involved in the positioning process as an example, the PIOT tag transmits a positioning signal; base station #1 receives the positioning signal y1, and estimates the SFO between itself and the PIOT tag to be 10Hz; base station #2 receives the positioning signal y2, and estimates the SFO between itself and the PIOT tag to be 10Hz; base station #3 receives the positioning signal y3, and estimates the SFO between itself and the PIOT tag to be 25Hz. Base stations #1, #2, and #3 each generate a new positioning base sequence according to their respective estimated SFOs, and perform channel measurements on their respective received positioning signals based on their generated positioning base sequences to determine the TOA measurement.

[0099] Among them, the signal power of y1 is -75dBm, the signal power of y2 is -80dBm, and the signal power of y3 is -95dBm. It is evident that the signal power of y1 is higher than that of y2, and the signal power of y2 is higher than that of y3. Therefore, relatively speaking, base station #1 estimates the SFO with higher accuracy, followed by base station #2, and base station #3 estimates the SFO with lower accuracy. Poor SFO estimation accuracy leads to low TOA measurement accuracy, thus resulting in low positioning accuracy.

[0100] Therefore, embodiments of this application provide a communication method that can improve positioning accuracy.

[0101] The embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0102] First, the apparatus involved in the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application is described, including: a first apparatus and a second apparatus. However, this application does not limit the subject executing the method. For example, the apparatus in the embodiments of this application may also be a chip, chip system, or processor that supports the apparatus in implementing the corresponding method, or it may be a logic module, unit, or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the apparatus. The first apparatus and the second apparatus are described exemplarily below.

[0103] 1. First device

[0104] In the embodiments of this application, the first device is a terminal device, or it may be a chip, chip system, hardware or processor in the terminal device, or it may be a module, software or unit in the terminal device, etc.

[0105] Alternatively, the first device may be an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or it may be a chip, chip system, hardware or processor in an IoT device, or it may be a module, software or unit in an IoT device, etc.

[0106] Optionally, the IoT device can be an active or passive IoT device. The IoT device can be an IoT device with or without energy harvesting. For example, the IoT device is passive and has energy harvesting capabilities. Another example is an active IoT device with energy harvesting capabilities. Yet another example is an active IoT device without energy harvesting capabilities. Yet another example is a semi-passive IoT device with an energy storage module capable of storing a small amount of energy.

[0107] Optionally, the IoT device can be a tag. For example, the IoT device can be a PIOT tag or an AIoT tag. Optionally, the tag can be a battery-free radio frequency device with energy harvesting capabilities, or it can also be a radio frequency device with a small battery and energy harvesting capabilities (such as a semi-passive tag with an energy storage module), etc.

[0108] Optionally, the IoT device can be a terminal device in the Internet of Things, such as a terminal device in PIOT or a terminal device in AIoT.

[0109] In the embodiments of this application, the terminal device may also be referred to as UE, user communication device, terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), mobile device, user terminal, user agent, or user equipment.

[0110] Terminal devices can be handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, vehicle communication modules or other embedded communication modules, wearable devices, computing devices or other processing devices connected to a wireless modem, or devices used to provide voice or data connectivity to users. Terminal devices can also be terminals capable of connecting to cellular base stations.

[0111] For example, terminal devices can be cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, laptops, handheld computers, mobile internet devices (MIDs), wireless data cards, personal computers (PCs), personal digital assistant (PDA) computers, wireless modems, handsets, handheld terminals, laptop computers, machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, wearable devices (such as smartwatches, smart bracelets, pedometers, smart glasses, etc.), vehicle terminals (such as hardware or software in private vehicles, commercial vehicles, etc.), shipboard terminals (such as hardware or software in private boats, commercial vessels, etc.), and airborne terminals (such as hardware or software in civil aviation, airplanes, etc.).

[0112] Terminal devices can also include virtual reality (VR) terminal devices, augmented reality (AR) terminal devices, smart point of sale (POS) machines, customer-premises equipment (CPE), light user equipment (UE), reduced capability user equipment (REDCAP UE), wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless communication equipment in smart factories, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, electricity meters, etc.), smart robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, and flying equipment (e.g., smart robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes), etc. Terminal devices can also be vehicle devices, such as vehicle devices, vehicle modules, vehicle chips, on-board units (OBUs) or telematics boxes (T-BOXs). Terminal devices can also be other devices with terminal functions. For example, a terminal device can also be a device that performs terminal functions in D2D communication.

[0113] The deployment methods and forms of the first device listed above are merely examples. As standard technologies evolve, the first device may have other deployment forms and / or forms, and this application does not limit these.

[0114] 2. Second device

[0115] In this embodiment, the second device may be a network device or a reader / writer. The reader / writer can serve as the peer device of the tag, and can be analogous to a network device. Alternatively, the second device may be a chip, chip system, hardware, or processor that supports the device in implementing the corresponding method (such as a chip, chip system, hardware, or processor in a network device, or a chip, chip system, hardware, or processor in a reader / writer), or a logic module, software, or unit that can implement all or part of the device's functions (such as a module, software, or unit in a network device, or a module, software, or unit in a reader / writer), etc.

[0116] Network devices are entities on the network side capable of transmitting and receiving signals, possessing wireless transceiver capabilities. Network devices include, but are not limited to: access network equipment, radio access network (RAN) equipment, radio network controllers (RNCs), base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), home network equipment (e.g., home evolved Node B, or home Node B, HNB), baseband units (BBUs), relay equipment, donor nodes, radio controllers in cloud radio access network (CRAN) scenarios, transceiver nodes, wireless backhaul nodes, TRPs, TPs, wireless fidelity (WiFi) access points (APs) (i.e., WiFi APs), integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, mobile switching centers, and network devices in non-terrestrial network (NTN) communication systems, which can be deployed on high-altitude platforms or satellites. Network equipment can also function as a base station in device-to-device (D2D) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, drone communication, and machine-to-machine (M2M) communication. Optionally, network equipment can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, the access network equipment can be a roadside unit (RSU).

[0117] Access network equipment can be a base station (BS), a device deployed in a wireless access network that provides wireless communication capabilities. Examples include evolved Node Bs (eNBs or e-NodeBs) and Node Bs in LTE systems, gNodeBs or gNBs in 5G systems, and base stations in future communication systems. A base station can contain a Base Unit (BBU) and a Remote Radio Unit (RRU). The BBU and RRU can be located in different places; for example, the RRU can be remotely deployed in high-traffic areas, while the BBU is located in the central equipment room. Alternatively, the BBU and RRU can be located in the same equipment room. They can also be different components within the same rack. Base stations can take the following forms: macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), indoor stations, pico base stations, relay stations, access points, balloon stations, etc.

[0118] Optionally, multiple network devices can collaborate to assist terminal devices in achieving wireless access, with different network devices each implementing a portion of the base station's functions. For example, network devices can be central units (CUs), distributed units (DUs), CU-control planes (CPs), CU-user planes (UPs), or radio units (RUs), etc. CUs and DUs can be configured separately or included in the same network element, such as a BBU. RUs can be included in radio equipment or radio units, such as RRUs, active antenna units (AAUs), or remote radio heads (RRHs). It is understood that network devices can be CU nodes, DU nodes, or devices comprising both CU and DU nodes. Furthermore, CUs can be classified as network devices in the RAN or as network devices in the core network (CN), without limitation.

[0119] In different systems, CU (or CU-CP and CU-UP), DU, or RU may have different names, but those skilled in the art will understand their meaning. For example, in an open-radio access network (O-RAN) system, CU can also be called an open CU (open-CU, O-CU), DU can also be called O-DU, CU-CP can also be called O-CU-CP, CU-UP can also be called O-CU-UP, and RU can also be called O-RU. Network equipment can be a base station in ORAN, or an O-DU, O-CU, or a RAN intelligent controller (RIC). Any of the units among CU (or CU-CP, CU-UP), DU, and RU in this application can be implemented through software modules, hardware modules, or a combination of software modules and hardware modules.

[0120] For example, referring to Figure 6, which is a schematic diagram of an O-RAN system architecture provided in an embodiment of this application, the differences between the O-RAN system architecture and the traditional RAN system architecture include: the RAN system architecture can be composed of a series of modules, such as antennas, RRUs, and BBUs. The traditional RAN architecture does not concern itself with the transmission and communication between internal modules, but only with the overall reception and output. Therefore, for traditional RAN equipment, all modules in the RAN come from the same manufacturer. O-RAN defines the architectural connections and interface standardization between various modules within the RAN. Thus, such a RAN can be decomposed into multiple modules. Because of the standardized interfaces, it can be assembled from modules from different equipment manufacturers. For example, for O-RAN, antennas from company A, RRUs from company B, and BBUs from company C can be purchased and finally assembled into a RAN device. In addition, O-RAN also defines some new network elements to make the RAN architecture clearer and the functions more decoupled.

[0121] Referring to Figure 6, the O-RAN system architecture may include some or all of the following network elements:

[0122] Service Management and Orchestration Framework (SMO): Its function is similar to that of a network management system.

[0123] Non-real-time RAN intelligent controller (Non-RT RIC): This is used to implement non-real-time intelligent management of RAN functions. It enables artificial intelligence (AI) or machine learning (ML) workflows, including model training and model updates, and guides applications / functions within the Near-RT RIC based on policies. The Non-RT RIC is located within the SMO module.

[0124] Real-time RAN Intelligent Controller (RT RIC): An RT RIC can also be a near-real-time RAN Intelligent Controller (Near-RT RIC), used to achieve near-real-time intelligent management of the RAN. Through data collection and related operations on the E2 interface, it enables near-real-time control and optimization of O-RAN modules and resources.

[0125] O-RAN central unit (O-CU): can be used to implement the radio resource control (RRC) layer, packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, and other control functions in the 3GPP standard.

[0126] O-RAN Central Unit Control Plane (O-CU-CP): Similar to the CU-CP in the NR system, it is used to implement the functions of the RRC layer and the control plane functions of the PDCP layer. The O-CU-CP is a part of the O-CU.

[0127] O-RAN Central Unit User Plane (O-CU-UP): Similar to the CU-UP in the NR system, it is used to implement the functions of the SDAP layer and the user plane functions of the PDCP layer. O-CU-UP is a part of O-CU.

[0128] O-RAN distributed unit (O-DU): Based on low-layer function segmentation, it can be used to implement the radio link control (RLC) layer, media access control (MAC) layer, and higher physical layer (Higher PHY) layer in the 3GPP standard. The higher physical layer functions include one or more of the following: forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding, scrambling / descrambling, or modulation / demodulation.

[0129] The O-RAN radio unit (O-RU) is based on low-layer function partitioning and can be used to implement lower physical layer (PHY) functions and radio frequency (RF) functions in the 3GPP standard. These PHY functions include one or more of the following: Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) / Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (iFFT), digital beamforming, or extraction and filtering of the physical random access channel (PRACH). It can be similar to a transmission reception point (TRP) or remote radio head (RRH) in 3GPP, but includes PHY functions such as FFT / iFFT or PRACH extraction.

[0130] O-RAN Cloud (O-Cloud): It can serve as a cloud computing platform, including physical infrastructure nodes, for hosting O-RAN functions such as RIC and O-DU; it can also support software components (such as operating systems, virtual machine monitoring, container runtimes), management and orchestration functions.

[0131] Referring to Figure 6, the O-RAN interfaces that may be included in the O-RAN system architecture are described below:

[0132] A1 Interface: The interface between Non-RT RIC and Near-RT RIC, used for intelligent and dynamic control of radio resources within the O-RAN. Non-RT RIC provides policies, rich information, and ML model updates to Near-RT RIC through the A1 interface, while Near-RT RIC provides policy feedback to Non-RT RIC through the A1 interface.

[0133] E2 Interface: The E2 interface is an open interface between two endpoints used to connect the Near-RT RIC and the RAN node. RAN nodes include, for example, CU and DU in 5G, O-RAN compatible eNB in ​​4G, O-CU (O-CU-CP and / or O-CU-UP) and / or O-DU in O-RAN, etc. The RIC can obtain data collection and feedback from the RAN node through the E2 interface, and the RAN node can obtain control feedback from the Near-RT RIC through the E2 interface.

[0134] O1 Interface: The interface between the management entity in the SMO and the O-RAN module is used for operation management. Through this interface, fault, configuration, accounting, performance and security (FCAPS) management, software management, and file management are implemented.

[0135] O2 Interface: The interface between the SMO and the infrastructure management framework that supports O-RAN virtual network functionality.

[0136] The open fronthaul control user synchronization plane (CUS-plane, Open FH Cus-plane) interface includes a control plane (C-Plane), a user plane (U-Plane), and a synchronization plane (S-Plane). The control plane is used for real-time control between the O-DU and O-RU, such as transmitting beamforming weights from the O-DU to the O-RU or performing power control from the O-DU to the O-RU. The user plane is used to transmit communication data between the DU and RU for access network equipment and terminals. The synchronization plane is used by the O-DU to provide clock synchronization for the O-RU.

[0137] The O-RAN system architecture may also include the following 3rd generation partnership project (3GPP) interfaces:

[0138] NG interface: The interface between NR RAN equipment (such as base stations, CUs, CU-CPs, or CU-UPs) and the NR core network; among them, NG-u is the user plane NG interface, and NG-c is the control plane NG interface.

[0139] Xn interface: The interface between NR RAN devices (such as base stations, CUs, CU-CPs, or CU-UPs); where Xn-u is the user plane Xn interface and Xn-c is the control plane Xn interface.

[0140] X2 Interface: The interface between LTE RAN devices; X2-u is the user plane X2 interface, and X2-c is the control plane X2 interface. In NR, the X2 interface is mainly used in the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) New Radio Interface (E-UTRA-NR) dual connectivity (EN-DC) scenario, where the master station is an LTE RAN device that connects to the LTE core network through the X2 interface.

[0141] E1 interface: The interface between CU-CP and CU-UP.

[0142] F1-C interface: The interface between CU-CP and DU.

[0143] F1-U interface: The interface between CU-UP and DU.

[0144] Furthermore, the embodiments of this application do not limit the specific technologies or device forms used in the network devices. For ease of description, a base station is used as an example of a network device in the following description. It is understood that a base station can be referred to as a communication device. For example, a base station can be understood as a device with base station functions. For example, the device used to implement the functions of a base station can be a base station; or some components in a base station, such as CU, DU, etc. It can also be a device that can support the base station in implementing this function, such as a chip system, hardware circuit, software module, or hardware circuit plus software module, which can be installed in a base station or can be used in conjunction with a base station. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0145] The deployment methods and forms of the second device listed above are merely examples. As standard technologies evolve, the second device may have other deployment forms and / or forms, and this application does not limit these.

[0146] The embodiments disclosed in this application will be presented to illustrate various aspects, embodiments, or features of this application in relation to systems including multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and appreciated that individual systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, combinations of these approaches may also be used.

[0147] Please refer to Figure 7, which is a flowchart illustrating a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. The communication method includes the following steps.

[0148] S101, the fourth device acquires first information from multiple second devices, the first information of the second devices being frequency information determined based on the positioning signal received by the second device from the first device.

[0149] The positioning signal sent by the first device can be, for example, an uplink positioning signal, such as an uplink detection reference signal.

[0150] In addition, in this embodiment of the application, the plurality of second devices may include, for example, a second device that provides services to the first device, and a second device adjacent to the second device that provides services to the first device. For example, the second device is a base station, and the plurality of second devices include the serving base station and the neighboring base station of the first device.

[0151] S102, the fourth device sends second information to some or all of the plurality of second devices, the second information being frequency information determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices. Correspondingly, some or all of the plurality of second devices receive the second information.

[0152] S103. Some or all of the multiple second devices measure the positioning signal based on the second information.

[0153] In one optional approach, the fourth device is a device other than the first device and the plurality of second devices. For example, the fourth device may be a location management function (LMF) network element, or it may be a chip, chip system, hardware or processor in the location management function network element, or it may be a module, software or unit in the location management function network element, etc.

[0154] In the case where the fourth device is a device other than the first device and the plurality of second devices, each of the plurality of second devices sends first information, and the fourth device acquires the first information of the plurality of second devices by receiving the first information from the plurality of second devices. The fourth device determines second information based on the first information of the plurality of second devices and sends the second information to all the plurality of second devices. The second devices among the plurality of second devices measure the received positioning signal based on the received second information.

[0155] For example, the fourth device is a positioning management function network element, the second device is a base station, and multiple base stations are base station #1, base station #2, and base station #3. Referring to Figure 8, base station #1 sends first information #1 to the positioning management function network element. First information #1 is frequency information determined by base station #1 based on the positioning signal received from the first device. Base station #2 sends first information #2 to the positioning management function network element. First information #2 is frequency information determined by base station #2 based on the positioning signal received from the first device. Base station #3 sends first information #3 to the positioning management function network element. First information #3 is frequency information determined by base station #3 based on the positioning signal received from the first device. The positioning management function network element receives first information #1, first information #2, and first information #3, and determines second information based on these three information sets. The positioning management function network element sends the second information to base stations #1, #2, and #3. Base station #1 measures the positioning signal based on the second information, base station #2 measures the positioning signal based on the second information, and base station #3 measures the positioning signal based on the second information.

[0156] In an alternative embodiment, the fourth device is one of a plurality of second devices. In this case, the fourth device acquires fourth information, including: the fourth device determining frequency information based on a positioning signal received from the first device, which serves as the fourth device's first information; additionally, each of the plurality of second devices other than the fourth device transmits the first information, and the fourth device receives the first information from the other second devices. Based on its own first information and the first information from the other second devices, the fourth device determines second information and transmits the second information to the other second devices. The fourth device measures the positioning signal based on the second information, and the other second devices measure the positioning signal based on the received second information.

[0157] For example, the second device is a base station, and multiple base stations are base station #1, base station #2, and base station #3. The fourth device is base station #3. Referring to Figure 9, base station #1 sends first information #1 to base station #3. First information #1 is frequency information determined by base station #1 based on the positioning signal received from the first device. Base station #2 sends first information #2 to base station #3. First information #2 is frequency information determined by base station #2 based on the positioning signal received from the first device. Base station #3 receives first information #2 and first information #3. Base station #3 also determines frequency information based on the positioning signal it receives from the first device, and this frequency information serves as first information #3 for base station #3. Base station #3 determines second information based on first information #1, first information #2, and first information #3, and sends the second information to base station #1 and base station #2. Base station #1 measures the positioning signal based on the second information, base station #2 measures the positioning signal based on the second information, and base station #3 measures the positioning signal based on the second information.

[0158] The following is an illustrative example of this communication method.

[0159] First, the first information of the second device is illustrated by way of example. The first information of the second device is frequency information determined (e.g., estimated) based on the positioning signal received by the second device from the first device.

[0160] In one alternative implementation, the first information of the second device is used to indicate one or more of the following: the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, or the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device.

[0161] For example, the first information of the second device includes the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal. As another example, the first information of the second device includes the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal. Yet another example, the first information of the second device includes the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device.

[0162] In addition, in the embodiments of this application, frequency offset can also be understood as: frequency deviation, or frequency offset, sampling frequency offset, or sampling frequency offset.

[0163] 1. The frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device

[0164] In one alternative approach, the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device can also be understood as: the actual frequency of the positioning signal received by the first device, or the absolute frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device.

[0165] For example, the absolute frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device is 1050Hz.

[0166] For example, the absolute frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device is 980Hz.

[0167] 2. The second device determines the frequency offset based on the positioning signal.

[0168] In one alternative approach, the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal is determined based on the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device and the frequency of the original positioning sequence. In this embodiment, the frequency of the original positioning sequence can be predefined, preconfigured, or preset, and there is no limitation thereto.

[0169] Optionally, the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal is equal to the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device minus the frequency of the original positioning sequence. It can also be understood that the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal can be interpreted as the absolute value of the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal.

[0170] The following example assumes the original positioning sequence has a frequency of 1000Hz:

[0171] For example, if the positioning signal received by the second device has a frequency of 1050Hz, and 1050Hz - 1000Hz = 50Hz, then the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal is 50Hz. Therefore, the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device is shifted upwards by 50Hz relative to the frequency of the original positioning sequence.

[0172] For example, if the second device receives a positioning signal at a frequency of 980Hz, then 980Hz - 1000Hz = -20Hz. The second device then determines a frequency offset of -20Hz based on the positioning signal. Therefore, the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device is offset downwards by 20Hz relative to the frequency of the original positioning sequence.

[0173] 3. The second device determines the percentage of frequency offset based on the positioning signal.

[0174] In one alternative approach, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal is the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device and the frequency of the original positioning sequence.

[0175] Optionally, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal is equal to the percentage of the frequency of the original positioning sequence occupied by the first value, where the first value is equal to the value obtained by subtracting the frequency of the original positioning sequence from the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device. It is understandable that the first value can also be understood as the absolute amount of the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal. In another possible approach, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal can be replaced with a proportion corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal. This proportion is equal to the ratio of the frequency of the original positioning sequence occupied by the first value, and can be expressed as a percentage, fraction, or decimal, without limitation.

[0176] The following example assumes the original positioning sequence has a frequency of 1000Hz:

[0177] For example, the positioning signal received by the second device has a frequency of 1050Hz. The second device determines the frequency offset to be 5% based on the positioning signal. This means the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device is shifted upwards by 5% relative to the frequency of the original positioning sequence.

[0178] For example, the second device receives a positioning signal at a frequency of 980Hz. The second device determines the frequency offset as a percentage of -2% based on the positioning signal. This indicates that the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device is offset downwards by 2% relative to the frequency of the original positioning sequence.

[0179] Furthermore, the first information determined by different second devices based on the received positioning signals may be the same or different. Understandably, after the first device sends a positioning signal, the positioning signals received by different second devices may be different, causing the first information determined by different second devices based on the received positioning signals to be different. This may be related to one or more of the following factors: the distance between different second devices and the first device may be different, the environment in which different second devices are located may be different, and the ability of different second devices to receive and process positioning signals may be different, etc.

[0180] For example, the first device sends a positioning signal, the second device #1 receives positioning signal y1, the second device #2 receives positioning signal y2, and the second device #3 receives positioning signal y3. Any of the frequency offsets determined by the second device #1 based on y1, the second device #2 based on y2, and the second device #3 based on y3 may be different. Any of the frequencies at which the second device #1 receives y1, the second device #2 receives y2, and the second device #3 receives y3 may also be different.

[0181] In one optional implementation, before the fourth device sends the second information, the method further includes: the fourth device determining the second information based on the first information from the plurality of second devices. It is understood that after the fourth device acquires the frequency information determined by the plurality of second devices based on the positioning signal, it can perform a fusion estimation of the frequency information determined by the plurality of second devices based on the positioning signal to determine the second information.

[0182] Optionally, the method further includes: a fourth device acquiring third information from a plurality of second devices. The fourth device determines second information based on first information from the plurality of second devices, including: the fourth device determining the second information based on the first information and the third information from the plurality of second devices. The third information from the second devices includes one or more of the following: confidence information of the first information from the second devices, power information of the positioning signal received by the second device, or signal-to-noise ratio information of the positioning signal received by the second device.

[0183] In this process, the fourth device acquires third information from multiple second devices, similar to the acquisition of first information from multiple second devices described above. The following is a brief explanation: When the fourth device is a device other than the first device and the multiple second devices, each of the multiple second devices sends third information, and the fourth device acquires the third information from the multiple second devices by receiving the third information from them. When the fourth device is one of the multiple second devices, acquiring the fourth information includes: the fourth device determining its own third information; additionally, each of the multiple second devices other than the fourth device sends third information; and the fourth device receives the third information from the other second devices.

[0184] Regarding the second device that sends the first and third information, this embodiment of the application does not restrict the order in which it sends the first and third information. For example, the second device may send the first information first, and then send the third information. Another example is that the second device may send the third information first, and then send the first information. Yet another example is that the second device may send the first and third information simultaneously, for instance, by transmitting the first and third information within the same message.

[0185] The confidence information of the first information of the second device, the power information of the positioning signal received by the second device, and the signal-to-noise ratio information are illustrated below by way of example.

[0186] 1. Confidence information of the first information of the second device

[0187] In one optional implementation, the confidence information of the first information of the second device is used to indicate the confidence level of the first information of the second device. It is understood that if the third information of the second device includes the confidence information of the first information of the second device, the third information of the second device can indicate the confidence level of the first information of the second device.

[0188] In this embodiment of the application, the confidence level of the first information of the second device can also be understood as the reliability of the first information of the second device. For example, if the confidence level of the first information #1 of the second device #1 is 90%, it means that the reliability of the frequency information determined by the second device #1 based on the received positioning signal is 90%.

[0189] In addition, the confidence information of the first information of the second device indicates the confidence level of the first information of the second device, which can be implemented by direct indication (for example, the confidence information of the first information of the second device includes: the confidence level of the first information of the second device), or it can be implemented by indirect indication (for example, the confidence information of the first information of the second device includes: information associated with the confidence level of the first information of the second device).

[0190] Optionally, one possible way to determine the confidence level of the first information of the second device is to summarize the mapping relationship between the power of the signal received by the second device and the confidence level (e.g., a mapping table) based on historical data, and the second device determines the confidence level of the first information based on the power of the currently received positioning signal.

[0191] Furthermore, the confidence levels of the first information determined when different second devices receive positioning signals with the same power may be the same or different. The difference in confidence levels of the first information determined when different second devices receive positioning signals with the same power may be related to one or more of the following factors: different distances between the different second devices and the first device, different environments in which the different second devices are located, and different capabilities of the different second devices themselves.

[0192] For example, based on historical data, the mapping table between the power and confidence level of the signal received by the second device #1 is shown in Table 1 below.

[0193] Table 1

[0194] Based on Table 1, if the power of the positioning signal received by the second device #1 from the first device is P1, then the confidence level of the first information determined by the second device #1 based on this positioning signal is 95%. If the power of the positioning signal received by the second device #1 from the first device is P2, then the confidence level of the first information determined by the second device #1 based on this positioning signal is 88%. If the power of the positioning signal received by the second device #1 from the first device is P3, then the confidence level of the first information determined by the second device #1 based on this positioning signal is 80%. If the power of the positioning signal received by the second device #1 from the first device is P4, then the confidence level of the first information determined by the second device #1 based on this positioning signal is 70%.

[0195] In addition, based on historical data, a mapping table between the power and confidence level of the received signal of the second device #2 is shown in Table 2 below.

[0196] Table 2

[0197] As can be seen from Tables 1 and 2, when the power of the positioning signal received by the second device #1 is the same as that of the second device #2, the confidence level of the first information #1 determined by the second device #1 based on the received positioning signal is different from the confidence level of the first information #2 determined by the second device #2 based on the received positioning signal.

[0198] It should be noted that the power and corresponding confidence level of the signal received by the second device in Tables 1 and 2 above are only examples, and the specific mapping relationship between the power and confidence level of the signal received by the second device in the embodiments of this application is not limited.

[0199] 2. Power information of the positioning signal received by the second device

[0200] In one optional implementation, the power information of the positioning signal received by the second device indicates the power of the positioning signal used by the second device to determine the first information. It is understood that if the third information of the second device includes the power information of the positioning signal received by the second device, the third information of the second device can indicate the power of the positioning signal used by the second device to determine the first information.

[0201] Furthermore, the power information of the positioning signal received by the second device can be used to characterize the quality of the positioning signal received by the second device. For example, the higher the power of the positioning signal received by the second device, the better the quality of the positioning signal received by the second device.

[0202] Optionally, the power of the positioning signal used by the second device to determine the first information can be the average power of the positioning signal used by the second device to determine the first information. For example, the average power of the positioning signal used by the second device to determine the first information is -90 dBm, and the power information of the positioning signal received by the second device indicates that the average power of the positioning signal used by the second device to determine the first information is -90 dBm.

[0203] 3. Signal-to-noise ratio information of the positioning signal received by the second device

[0204] In one optional implementation, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) information of the positioning signal received by the second device indicates the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) or signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (SINR) of the positioning signal used by the second device to determine the first information. It is understood that if the third information of the second device includes the SNR information of the positioning signal received by the second device, the third information of the second device can indicate the SNR or SINR of the positioning signal used by the second device to determine the first information.

[0205] Furthermore, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the positioning signal received by the second device can be used to characterize the quality of the positioning signal received by the second device. For example, the higher the SNR of the positioning signal received by the second device, the better the quality of the positioning signal received by the second device.

[0206] For example, the SNR or SINR of the positioning signal used by the second device to determine the first information is 13 dB, and the signal-to-noise ratio information of the positioning signal received by the second device indicates that the SNR or SINR of the positioning signal used by the second device to determine the first information is 13 dB.

[0207] The following are exemplary descriptions of possible implementations for determining second information based on first information from multiple second devices, as described in optional methods 1 to 4.

[0208] Option 1: The second information is determined by averaging the first information from multiple second devices.

[0209] The following examples illustrate the concept of multiple second devices, namely second device #1, second device #2, and second device #3:

[0210] For example, the first information #1 of the second device #1 includes the frequency offset Δf1 determined by the second device #1 based on the received positioning signal. The first information #2 of the second device #2 includes the frequency offset Δf2 determined by the second device #2 based on the received positioning signal. The first information #3 of the second device #3 includes the frequency offset Δf3 determined by the second device #3 based on the received positioning signal. The average of Δf1, Δf2, and Δf3 is then taken to obtain... The fourth device is based on Determine the second piece of information.

[0211] For example, the first information #1 of the second device #1 includes the percentage A% corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device #1 based on the positioning signal. The first information #2 of the second device #2 includes the percentage B% corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device #2 based on the positioning signal. The first information #3 of the second device #3 includes the percentage C% corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device #3 based on the positioning signal. The average of A%, B%, and C% is then used to obtain the value. The fourth device is based on Determine the second piece of information.

[0212] For example, the first information #1 of the second device #1 includes the frequency f1 of the positioning signal received by the second device #1. The first information #2 of the second device #2 includes the frequency f2 of the positioning signal received by the second device #2. The first information #3 of the second device #3 includes the frequency f3 determined by the positioning signal received by the second device #3. The average value of f1, f2, and f3 is then taken to obtain... The fourth device is based on Determine the second piece of information.

[0213] Option 2: The second information is obtained by weighted averaging of the first information from multiple second devices.

[0214] The following examples illustrate the concept of multiple second devices, namely second device #1, second device #2, and second device #3:

[0215] For example, the first information #1 of the second device #1 includes the frequency offset Δf1 determined by the second device #1 based on the received positioning signal. The first information #2 of the second device #2 includes the frequency offset Δf2 determined by the second device #2 based on the received positioning signal. The first information #3 of the second device #3 includes the frequency offset Δf3 determined by the second device #3 based on the received positioning signal. A weighted average of Δf1, Δf2, and Δf3 is then obtained. Where a, b, and c represent the weight information corresponding to the first information #1, the first information #2, and the first information #3, respectively. The fourth device is based on... Determine the second piece of information.

[0216] For example, the first information #1 of the second device #1 includes the percentage A% corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device #1 based on the positioning signal. The first information #2 of the second device #2 includes the percentage B% corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device #2 based on the positioning signal. The first information #3 of the second device #3 includes the percentage C% corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device #3 based on the positioning signal. The average of A%, B%, and C% is then used to obtain the value. Where a, b, and c represent the weight information corresponding to the first information #1, the first information #2, and the first information #3, respectively. The fourth device is based on... Determine the second piece of information.

[0217] For example, the first information #1 of the second device #1 includes the frequency f1 of the positioning signal received by the second device #1. The first information #2 of the second device #2 includes the frequency f2 of the positioning signal received by the second device #2. The first information #3 of the second device #3 includes the frequency f3 determined by the positioning signal received by the second device #3. The average value of f1, f2, and f3 is then taken to obtain... Where a, b, and c represent the weight information corresponding to the first information #1, the first information #2, and the first information #3, respectively. The fourth device is based on... Determine the second piece of information.

[0218] Option 3: The second information is determined based on the first information with the highest confidence level among the first information from multiple second devices. Optionally, the second information is the same as the first information with the highest confidence level among the first information from multiple second devices.

[0219] Option 3 can be applied to a scenario where the fourth device also receives third information from the second device, and the third information from the second device includes confidence information of the first information from the second device. In this scenario, the fourth device can determine the first information with the highest confidence among the first information from the multiple second devices based on the third information from the multiple second devices, and then determine the second information based on the first information with the highest confidence among the first information from the multiple second devices.

[0220] For example, suppose there are multiple second devices: second device #1, second device #2, and second device #3. The third information #1 of second device #1 indicates that the confidence level of the first information #1 is 90%. The third information #2 of second device #2 indicates that the confidence level of the first information #2 is 85%. The third information #3 of second device #3 indicates that the confidence level of the first information #3 is 87%. It is evident that among the first information #1, first information #2, and first information #3, the first information #1 has the highest confidence level, and the fourth device can determine the content of the first information #1 as the content of the second information.

[0221] Option 4: The second information is determined based on the first information of the second device among the multiple second devices that receives the highest quality positioning signal. Optionally, the second information is the same as the first information of the second device among the multiple second devices that receives the highest quality positioning signal.

[0222] Option 4 can be applied to a scenario where the fourth device also receives third information from the second device, and the third information from the second device includes quality information of the positioning signal received by the second device (e.g., power information and / or signal-to-noise ratio information of the positioning signal received by the second device). In this scenario, the fourth device can determine the second device with the highest quality positioning signal among the multiple second devices based on the third information of the multiple second devices, and then use the first information of the second device with the highest quality positioning signal to determine the second information.

[0223] For example, suppose there are multiple second devices: second device #1, second device #2, and second device #3. The third information #1 of second device #1 indicates that the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the positioning signal received by second device #1 is 13 dB. The third information #2 of second device #2 indicates that the SNR of the positioning signal received by second device #2 is 17 dB. The third information #3 of second device #3 indicates that the SNR of the positioning signal received by second device #3 is 10 dB. It is evident that among second devices #1, second device #2, and second device #3, the positioning signal received by second device #2 has the highest SNR, and the fourth device can determine the content of the first information of second device #2 as the content of the second information.

[0224] The above examples illustrate possible ways to determine the second information. However, the embodiments of this application do not limit the ways to determine the second information based on the first information of multiple second devices. For example, it can also be implemented based on artificial intelligence or machine learning algorithms.

[0225] In one alternative implementation, the second information is used to indicate one or more of the following: a frequency offset determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices, a percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices, or a frequency determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices.

[0226] Example 1: The second information includes the frequency offset determined based on the first information from multiple second devices.

[0227] For example, the first information of the second device includes the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, and the second information includes the frequency offset determined based on the first information of multiple second devices. The value of the frequency offset included in the second information is equal to the average value of the frequency offset determined by the multiple second devices based on the positioning signal.

[0228] For example, the first information of the second device includes the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal. The fourth device also acquires third information from multiple second devices. The third information of the second devices includes confidence information of the first information of the second devices. The second information includes the frequency offset determined based on the first information of multiple second devices. The frequency offset included in the second information is the frequency offset in the first information with the highest confidence among the first information of multiple second devices.

[0229] For example, the first information of the second device includes the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal. The fourth device also acquires third information from multiple second devices. The third information of the second devices includes quality information of the positioning signal received by the second device (e.g., power information and / or signal-to-noise ratio information of the positioning signal received by the second device). The second information includes the frequency offset determined based on the first information of multiple second devices. The frequency offset included in the second information is the frequency offset in the first information of the second device with the highest quality positioning signal received by the multiple second devices. In other words, the frequency offset included in the second information is the frequency offset determined by the second device with the highest quality positioning signal received by the multiple second devices based on the positioning signal.

[0230] Example 2: The second information includes the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined based on the first information from multiple second devices.

[0231] For example, the first information of the second device includes the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, and the second information includes the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined based on the first information of multiple second devices. The value of the percentage included in the second information is equal to the average of the percentages corresponding to the frequency offset determined by multiple second devices based on the positioning signal.

[0232] For example, the first information of the second device includes the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal. The fourth device also acquires third information from multiple second devices, and the third information of the second devices includes confidence information of the first information of the second devices. The second information includes the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined based on the first information of multiple second devices, and the percentage included in the second information is the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset included in the first information with the highest confidence among the first information of multiple second devices.

[0233] For example, the first information of the second device includes the percentage of frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal. The fourth device also acquires third information from multiple second devices. The third information of the second devices includes quality information of the positioning signal received by the second device (e.g., power information and / or signal-to-noise ratio information of the positioning signal received by the second device). The second information includes the percentage of frequency offset determined based on the first information of multiple second devices. The percentage included in the second information is the percentage of frequency offset included in the first information of the second device with the highest quality positioning signal among the multiple second devices. In other words, the percentage included in the second information is the percentage of frequency offset determined by the second device with the highest quality positioning signal among the multiple second devices based on the positioning signal.

[0234] Example 3: The second information includes a frequency determined based on the first information from multiple second devices.

[0235] For example, the first information of the second device includes the frequency at which the second device receives positioning signals. The second information includes a frequency determined based on the first information of multiple second devices, the value of which is equal to the average of the frequencies at which the multiple second devices receive positioning signals.

[0236] For example, the first information of the second device includes the frequency at which the second device receives the positioning signal. The fourth device also acquires third information from multiple second devices, and the third information of the second devices includes confidence information of the first information of the second devices. The second information includes a frequency determined based on the first information of multiple second devices, which is the frequency included in the first information of the multiple second devices with the highest confidence.

[0237] For example, the first information of the second device includes the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device. The fourth device also acquires third information from multiple second devices. The third information of the second devices includes quality information of the positioning signal received by the second device (e.g., power information and / or signal-to-noise ratio information of the positioning signal received by the second device). The second information includes a frequency determined based on the first information of the multiple second devices. This frequency is the frequency included in the first information of the second device among the multiple second devices that has the highest quality positioning signal received. In other words, the frequency included in the second information is the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device among the multiple second devices that has the highest quality positioning signal received.

[0238] In summary, in this communication method, the fourth device acquires first information from multiple second devices, the first information of which is frequency information determined based on the positioning signal received by the second device from the first device; the fourth device sends second information to some or all of the multiple second devices, the second information being used by the second devices to measure the positioning signal, the second information being frequency information determined based on the first information of the multiple second devices.

[0239] As can be seen, in this method, the fourth device can acquire frequency information determined by multiple second devices based on the positioning signals received from the first device. Therefore, the fourth device determines the frequency information used by the second devices to measure the positioning signals based on the frequency information determined by the multiple second devices. This method helps improve the accuracy of the frequency information used by the second devices to measure the positioning signals, thereby improving the accuracy of the second devices' measurement of the positioning signals, i.e., improving the positioning measurement accuracy, and thus improving the overall positioning accuracy. When applied to PIOT, this method can improve the positioning accuracy of PIOT.

[0240] Understandably, the quality of the positioning signal received by the second device from the first device will affect the accuracy of the frequency information determined by the second device based on the positioning signal. Relatively speaking, the second device with better received positioning signal quality has relatively higher accuracy in determining the frequency information based on the positioning signal, while the second device with poorer received positioning signal quality has relatively lower accuracy in determining the frequency information based on the positioning signal. In the method provided in this application embodiment, the fourth device determines the frequency information used by the second device to measure the positioning signal based on the frequency information determined by multiple second devices based on the positioning signal. Therefore, the second device with relatively poor received positioning signal quality can use more accurate frequency information to measure the positioning signal, thereby improving the accuracy of positioning based on the measurement results of multiple second devices.

[0241] Based on the communication method described in Figure 7, this application embodiment also provides an exemplary communication method, as described below.

[0242] Example 1: The fourth device is a positioning management function network element. For this scenario, this application embodiment provides an exemplary communication method, as shown in Figure 10. The communication method shown in Figure 10 includes the following steps.

[0243] S201. The interaction process related to positioning measurement requests between the positioning management function network element, the first device, and multiple second devices. This process can be referred to in Figure 2 above for the interaction of positioning information request, positioning information response, SRS configuration information, and measurement request, and will not be described again.

[0244] S202, The first device sends a positioning signal. Correspondingly, multiple second devices receive the positioning signal.

[0245] S203, Each of the plurality of second devices determines first information based on the received positioning signal.

[0246] The first information of the second device is frequency information determined based on the positioning signal received by the second device from the first device.

[0247] S204. Each of the multiple second devices sends first information to the positioning management function network element. Correspondingly, the positioning management function network element receives the first information from the multiple second devices.

[0248] S205. The positioning management function network element determines the second information based on the first information from multiple second devices.

[0249] The second information is frequency information determined based on the first information from multiple second devices.

[0250] S206. The positioning management function network element sends second information to multiple second devices. Correspondingly, the multiple second devices receive the second information.

[0251] S207. Each of the multiple second devices measures the received positioning signal based on the second information to obtain the measurement result.

[0252] S208. Each of the multiple second devices sends its measurement results to the positioning management function network element. Correspondingly, the positioning management function network element receives the measurement results from the multiple second devices.

[0253] S209. The positioning management function network element positions the first device based on the measurement results of multiple second devices.

[0254] For details regarding the communication method shown in Figure 10, please refer to the relevant explanations in the communication method described in Figure 7 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0255] Example 2: The fourth device is one of a plurality of second devices. For this scenario, this application provides an exemplary communication method, as shown in FIG11. The communication method shown in FIG11 includes the following steps.

[0256] S301. The interaction process related to positioning measurement requests between the positioning management function network element, the first device, and multiple second devices. This process can be referred to in Figure 2 above for the interaction of positioning information request, positioning information response, SRS configuration information, and measurement request, and will not be described again.

[0257] S302, The first device sends a positioning signal. Correspondingly, multiple second devices receive the positioning signal.

[0258] S303, the fourth device determines first information based on the received positioning signal, the first information being the first information of the fourth device. And each of the plurality of second devices, excluding the fourth device, determines the first information based on the received positioning signal.

[0259] The first information of the second device is frequency information determined based on the positioning signal received by the second device from the first device.

[0260] S304. Each of the plurality of second devices, excluding the fourth device, sends first information to the fourth device. Correspondingly, the fourth device receives the first information from the second devices, excluding the fourth device.

[0261] S305. The fourth device determines the second information based on the first information of the fourth device and the first information of the second devices other than the fourth device among the plurality of second devices.

[0262] The second information is frequency information determined based on the first information from multiple second devices.

[0263] S306, the fourth device sends second information to the second device other than the fourth device among the plurality of second devices. Correspondingly, the second device other than the fourth device among the plurality of second devices receives the second information.

[0264] S307. Each of the plurality of second devices, excluding the fourth device, measures the received positioning signal based on the second information and obtains a measurement result. Also, the fourth device measures the received positioning signal based on the second information and obtains a measurement result.

[0265] S308. The second device (excluding the fourth device) sends measurement results to the positioning management function network element, and the fourth device sends measurement results to the positioning management function network element. Correspondingly, the positioning management function network element receives the measurement results.

[0266] S309. The positioning management function network element positions the first device based on the measurement results of multiple second devices.

[0267] For details regarding the communication method shown in Figure 11, please refer to the relevant explanations in the communication method described in Figure 7 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0268] Example 3: The second device is an RU or DU, and the fourth device is a CU. For this scenario, this application provides an exemplary communication method, as shown in Figure 12. This method can be applied to the O-RAN system architecture. The communication method shown in Figure 12 includes the following steps.

[0269] S401. The interaction process related to positioning measurement requests between the positioning management function network element, the first device, and multiple RU / DUs. This process can be referred to in Figure 2 above for the interaction of positioning information request, positioning information response, SRS configuration information, and measurement request, and will not be described again.

[0270] S402, The first device sends a positioning signal. Correspondingly, multiple RU / DUs receive the positioning signal.

[0271] S403, Each of the multiple RU / DUs determines first information based on the received positioning signal.

[0272] The first information of the RU / DU is frequency information determined based on the positioning signal received by the RU / DU from the first device.

[0273] S404. Each of the multiple RU / DUs sends the first information to the CU. Correspondingly, the CU receives the first information from the multiple RU / DUs.

[0274] S405 and CU determine the second information based on the first information from multiple RU / DUs.

[0275] The second information is frequency information determined based on the first information from multiple RUs / DUs.

[0276] S406, CU sends the second information to multiple RU / DU. Correspondingly, multiple RU / DU receive the second information.

[0277] S407. Each of the multiple RU / DUs measures the received positioning signal based on the second information to obtain the measurement result.

[0278] S408. Each of the multiple RU / DUs sends its measurement results to the positioning management function network element. Correspondingly, the positioning management function network element receives the measurement results from the multiple RU / DUs.

[0279] S409. The positioning management function network element positions the first device based on the measurement results of multiple RU / DUs.

[0280] For details regarding the communication method shown in Figure 12, please refer to the relevant explanations in the communication method described in Figure 7 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0281] Please refer to Figure 13, which is a flowchart illustrating another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. This communication method includes the following steps:

[0282] S501, the third device determines frequency information based on the fourth information of multiple second devices, wherein the fourth information of the second devices is associated with the positioning signal received by the second device from the first device.

[0283] S502, the third device measures the positioning signals received by multiple second devices based on frequency information.

[0284] For example, this communication method can be applied to a scenario where multiple second devices share a baseband processing device. The third device includes the baseband processing device shared by the multiple second devices.

[0285] For example, the baseband processing device can be a baseband board. For instance, referring to Figure 14, the second device is a base station. Multiple base stations sharing a baseband board can be represented as follows: each base station's AAU is connected to the same baseband board, and the AAU down-converts the received positioning signal to obtain baseband information. Each base station can upload the baseband information to the baseband board, or upload information determined based on the baseband information to the baseband board.

[0286] For example, the baseband processing device can also be a DU module in ORAN, or it can be other devices used for baseband processing.

[0287] In one optional implementation, the fourth information of the second device is the baseband information of the positioning signal received by the second device, which may include the baseband data of the positioning signal received by the second device.

[0288] Optionally, the third device determines the frequency information based on the baseband information of the positioning signals received by the multiple second devices.

[0289] Alternatively, the third device determines first information of the multiple second devices based on the baseband information of the positioning signals received by the multiple second devices, and determines frequency information based on the first information of the multiple second devices. The first information of the second devices includes one or more of the following: the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, or the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device. For a detailed explanation of the first information of the second devices, please refer to the relevant explanation of the first information of the second devices in the communication method described in Figure 7 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0290] In another optional implementation, the fourth information of the second device includes one or more of the following: the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, or the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device. In this mode, the fourth information of the second device is consistent with the first information of the second device in the communication method described in FIG7 above. Refer to the relevant description of the first information of the second device in the communication method described in FIG7 above; it will not be repeated here. Optionally, the second device determines the fourth information based on the baseband information of the received positioning signal and reports the fourth information to the third device. The third device determines the frequency information based on the fourth information of the second device.

[0291] In one optional implementation, the frequency information includes one or more of the following: a frequency offset determined based on the fourth information of the multiple second devices, a percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined based on the fourth information of the multiple second devices, or a frequency determined based on the fourth information of the multiple second devices. This frequency information can be referred to the relevant description of the second information in the communication method described in Figure 7 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0292] In addition, the implementation method of the third device determining the frequency information based on the fourth information of multiple second devices is similar to the implementation method of determining the second information based on the first information of multiple second devices in the communication method described in Figure 7 above. Please refer to the relevant descriptions above, and they will not be repeated here.

[0293] In summary, in this communication method, the third device determines frequency information based on fourth information from multiple second devices, and the fourth information of the second devices is associated with the positioning signals received by the second devices from the first device. The third device then measures the positioning signals received by the multiple second devices based on the frequency information.

[0294] Understandably, the quality of positioning signals received from the first device by different second devices may vary. In the method provided in this application, the third device determines frequency information for measuring the positioning signals received by the second devices based on information associated with positioning signals received from the first device by multiple second devices. This improves the determined frequency information, thereby enhancing the accuracy of measuring the positioning signals received by the second devices and ultimately improving positioning accuracy. This method can improve the positioning accuracy of PIOT when applied.

[0295] To achieve the functions of the methods provided in the embodiments of this application, the network element / device may include hardware structures and / or software modules, implementing the above functions in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules. Whether a particular function is executed in the form of hardware structures, software modules, or a combination of hardware structures and software modules depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution.

[0296] As shown in Figure 15, this application embodiment provides a communication device 1500. The communication device 1500 can be used for the steps executed by the device in the above method embodiments, as described in the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments. The communication device 1500 can also be other communication units used to implement the methods in the method embodiments of this application. The communication device 1500 may include a processing unit 1501. Optionally, the communication device 1500 may further include a communication unit 1502. The processing unit 1501 is used to control the communication unit 1502 to perform data / signaling transmission and reception. The communication unit 1502 may also be called a transceiver unit. Optionally, the communication unit 1502 may include a sending unit and a receiving unit. The sending unit can be used to send data / signaling, and the receiving unit can be used to receive data / signaling. Optionally, the communication device 1500 may further include a storage unit 1503. The storage unit 1503 can be used to store information and / or data and / or instructions, etc. The storage unit 1503 can interact with the processing unit 1501 and can also interact with the communication unit 1502.

[0297] In one possible design, regarding the case where the communication device 1500 is used to implement the function of the fourth device in the above method embodiments:

[0298] Processing unit 1501 is configured to acquire first information from a plurality of second devices, wherein the first information of the second devices is frequency information determined based on positioning signals received by the second devices from the first devices. Communication unit 1502 is configured to send second information to some or all of the plurality of second devices, wherein the second information is used by the second devices to measure positioning signals, and the second information is frequency information determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices.

[0299] In another possible design, regarding the case where the communication device 1500 is used to implement the function of the second device in the above method embodiment:

[0300] Communication unit 1502 is used to transmit first information, which is frequency information of a positioning signal received by a second device from a first device. Communication device 1500 is one of a plurality of second devices. Communication unit 1502 is also used to receive second information, which is frequency information determined based on the first information from the plurality of second devices. Processing unit 1501 is used to measure the positioning signal based on the second information.

[0301] In another possible design, regarding the case where the communication device 1500 is used to implement the function of the third device in the above method embodiments:

[0302] Processing unit 1501 is configured to determine frequency information based on fourth information from a plurality of second devices, wherein the fourth information of the second devices is associated with positioning signals received by the second devices from the first device. Processing unit 1501 is also configured to measure the positioning signals received by the plurality of second devices based on the frequency information.

[0303] The embodiments of this application and the method embodiments shown above are based on the same concept and have the same technical effects. For the specific principles, please refer to the description of the embodiments shown above, which will not be repeated here.

[0304] This application also provides a communication device 1600, as shown in FIG16. The communication device 1600 can be used for the steps performed by the fourth device, the second device, or the third device in the above method embodiments, as described in the relevant descriptions in the above method embodiments.

[0305] The communication device 1600 may include one or more processors 1601. The processor 1601 may be used to implement some or all of the functions of the device in the above method through logic circuits or by running computer programs. The processor 1601 may be a general-purpose processor or a special-purpose processor, etc. For example, it may be one or a combination of one or more of the following: baseband processor, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field-programmable gate array or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, central processing unit (CPU), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), digital signal processor (DSP), microprocessor unit (MPU), microcontroller unit (MCU), graphics processing unit (GPU), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), artificial intelligence processor (AI processor), or neural processing unit (NPU). The baseband processor can be used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the central processing unit can be used to control communication devices, execute software programs, and process data from software programs. Communication devices include, for example, base stations, baseband chips, terminals, terminal chips, DUs, or CUs.

[0306] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may include one or more memories 1602, which may store instructions 1604 that can be executed on the processor 1601, causing the communication device 1600 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Optionally, the memory 1602 may also store data. The processor 1601 and the memory 1602 may be provided separately or integrated together.

[0307] The memory 1602 may include, but is not limited to, non-volatile memories such as cache, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), hard disk drive (HDD), or solid-state drive (SSD). The memory 1602 may also include random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), ROM, or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), etc. Memory is any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code having an instruction or data structure form and accessible by a computer, but is not limited to this. The memory in the embodiments of this application may also be a circuit or any other device capable of implementing a storage function for storing computer programs or instructions, and / or data.

[0308] Optionally, the communication device 1600 may further include a transceiver 1605 and an antenna 1606. The transceiver 1605 may be referred to as a transceiver unit, transceiver, or transceiver circuit, etc., and is used to implement the transmission and reception functions. The transceiver 1605 may include a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver may be referred to as a receiver or receiving circuit, etc., and is used to implement the receiving function; the transmitter may be referred to as a transmitter or transmitting circuit, etc., and is used to implement the transmitting function.

[0309] In one possible design, regarding the case where the communication device 1600 is used to implement the function of the fourth device in the above method embodiments:

[0310] Processor 1601 is used to acquire first information from a plurality of second devices, the first information of which is frequency information determined based on positioning signals received by the second devices from the first devices. Transceiver 1605 is used to transmit second information to some or all of the plurality of second devices, the second information being used by the second devices to measure positioning signals, the second information being frequency information determined based on the first information from the plurality of second devices.

[0311] In another possible design, regarding the case where the communication device 1600 is used to implement the function of the second device in the above method embodiment:

[0312] Transceiver 1605 is used to transmit first information, which is frequency information of a positioning signal received by a second device from a first device. Communication device 1600 is one of a plurality of second devices. Transceiver 1605 is also used to receive second information, which is frequency information determined based on the first information from the plurality of second devices. Processor 1601 is used to measure the positioning signal based on the second information.

[0313] In another possible design, regarding the case where the communication device 1600 is used to implement the function of the third device in the above method embodiments:

[0314] Processor 1601 is configured to determine frequency information based on fourth information from a plurality of second devices, the fourth information of the second devices being associated with positioning signals received by the second devices from a first device. Processor 1601 is also configured to measure the positioning signals received by the plurality of second devices based on the frequency information.

[0315] The embodiments of this application and the method embodiments shown above are based on the same concept and have the same technical effects. For the specific principles, please refer to the description of the embodiments shown above, which will not be repeated here.

[0316] In another possible design, the processor 1601 may include a transceiver for implementing receive and transmit functions. For example, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit, an interface, or an interface circuit. The transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit for implementing receive and transmit functions may be separate or integrated. The aforementioned transceiver circuit, interface, or interface circuit may be used for reading and writing code / data, or for transmitting or relaying signals.

[0317] In another possible design, the processor 1601 may optionally store instructions 1603, which, when executed on the processor 1601, cause the communication device 1600 to perform the methods described in the above method embodiments. Instructions 1603 may be embedded in the processor 1601; in this case, the processor 1601 may be implemented in hardware.

[0318] In another possible design, the communication device 1600 may include circuitry that can perform the functions of transmitting, receiving, or communicating as described in the foregoing method embodiments. The processor and transceiver described in this application embodiment can be implemented on integrated circuits (ICs), analog ICs, radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), mixed-signal ICs, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), printed circuit boards (PCBs), electronic devices, etc. The processor and transceiver can also be manufactured using various IC process technologies, such as complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS), n-metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS), p-type metal oxide semiconductors (PMOS), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), bipolar CMOS (BiCMOS), silicon germanium (SiGe), gallium arsenide (GaAs), etc.

[0319] Those skilled in the art will also understand that the various illustrative logical blocks and steps listed in the embodiments of this application can be implemented by electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. Whether such functionality is implemented through hardware or software depends on the specific application and the overall system design requirements. Those skilled in the art can use various methods to implement the described functionality for a specific application, but such implementation should not be construed as exceeding the scope of protection of the embodiments of this application.

[0320] The embodiments of this application and the above-described method embodiments are based on the same concept and have the same technical effects. For the specific principles, please refer to the description in the above-described method embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0321] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing computer software instructions that, when executed by a communication device, implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0322] This application also provides a computer program product for storing computer software instructions, which, when executed by a communication device, implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0323] This application also provides a computer program that, when run on a computer, implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0324] This application also provides a chip including a processor. The processor is used to execute code or instructions to implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments. Optionally, the chip further includes an interface, and the processor is coupled to the interface, which is used to receive or output signals.

[0325] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVDs)), or semiconductor media (e.g., SSDs), etc.

[0326] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

[0327] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions of different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced by each other. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0328] It is understood that some optional features in the various embodiments of this application may not depend on other features in certain scenarios, or may be combined with other features in certain scenarios, without limitation.

[0329] It is understood that the solutions in the embodiments of this application can be used in combination, and the explanations or descriptions of various terms, similar operations or steps appearing in the embodiments can be referenced or explained to each other in the various embodiments, and this application does not limit them.

[0330] 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 mean: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, or B exists 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. "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, and c can mean: a, or, b, or, c, or, a and b, or, a and c, or, b and c, or, a, b, and c. Here, a, b, and c can each be single or multiple.

[0331] In this application, the terms "first," "second," and various numerical designations are used for ease of description and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of this application. For example, they may be used to distinguish different messages, rather than to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such descriptions can be interchanged where appropriate to describe solutions other than those described in this application.

[0332] In this application, the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units that are explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units that are not explicitly listed or that are inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0333] In this application, "for indicating" can include both direct and indirect indication. When describing an indication message as indicating A, it can include whether the indication message directly indicates A or indirectly indicates A, but does not necessarily mean that the indication message carries A.

[0334] In this application, "sending information to XX (device / network element)" can be understood as the destination of the information being that device / network element. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to that device / network element. "Receiving information from XX (device / network element), or receiving information from XX (device / network element)" can be understood as the source of the information being that device / network element. This can include receiving information directly or indirectly from that device / network element. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source.

[0335] In this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. 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 terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Acquire first information from multiple second devices, wherein the first information of the second devices is frequency information determined based on positioning signals received by the second devices from the first devices; Send second information to some or all of the plurality of second devices, the second information being used by the second devices to measure the positioning signal, the second information being frequency information determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first information of the second device is used to indicate one or more of the following: The frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, or the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The second information is used to indicate one or more of the following: Frequency offset determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices, or the frequency determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The method further includes: Obtain third information from the plurality of second devices; The second information is determined based on the third information of the plurality of second devices and the first information of the plurality of second devices; The third information of the second device includes one or more of the following: the confidence information of the first information of the second device, the power information of the positioning signal received by the second device, or the signal-to-noise ratio information of the positioning signal received by the second device.

5. A communication method, characterized in that, The method includes: Send first information, which is frequency information determined by the second device based on receiving a positioning signal from the first device; the second device is one of a plurality of second devices. Receive second information, the second information being frequency information determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices; Based on the second information, the positioning signal is measured.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first information of the second device is used to indicate one or more of the following: The frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, or the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device.

7. The method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that, The second information is used to indicate one or more of the following: Frequency offset determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices, or the frequency determined based on the first information of the plurality of second devices.

8. The method according to any one of claims 5 to 7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Send a third message, which is used to determine the second message by combining the first message of the plurality of second devices; The third information of the second device includes one or more of the following: the confidence information of the first information of the second device, the power information of the positioning signal received by the second device, or the signal-to-noise ratio information of the positioning signal received by the second device.

9. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a third device, the third device including a baseband processing device shared by multiple second devices, the method includes: Based on the fourth information from multiple second devices, frequency information is determined, wherein the fourth information from the second devices is associated with the positioning signal received by the second devices from the first device; Based on the frequency information, the positioning signals received by the plurality of second devices are measured.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The fourth information of the second device is the baseband information of the positioning signal received by the second device; or, The fourth information of the second device includes one or more of the following: the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined by the second device based on the positioning signal, or the frequency of the positioning signal received by the second device.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The frequency information includes one or more of the following: frequency offset determined based on the fourth information of the plurality of second devices, the percentage corresponding to the frequency offset determined based on the fourth information of the plurality of second devices, or the frequency determined based on the fourth information of the plurality of second devices.

12. A communication device, characterized in that, The apparatus includes modules or units for implementing the method of any one of claims 1 to 4, or modules or units for implementing the method of any one of claims 5 to 8, or modules or units for implementing the method of any one of claims 9 to 11.

13. A communication device, characterized in that, Includes at least one processor; The processor is configured to cause the communication device to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 4, or to perform the method of any one of claims 5 to 8, or to perform the method of any one of claims 9 to 11, by executing a computer program or instructions stored in a memory, and / or by using logic circuitry.

14. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program that, when executed, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 5 to 8 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 11 to be performed.

15. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes: computer program code that, when executed, causes the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 4 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 5 to 8 to be performed, or causes the method as described in any one of claims 9 to 11 to be performed.

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