Localization method and apparatus

Abstract

The present application provides a localization method, which is applied to indoor environment localization. A virtual anchor in an environment is localized on the basis of a terminal device at a known position and by means of association configuration information issued by a network device, an association relationship between data is calculated on the basis of multipath measurement data measured by a terminal device at an unknown position and by means of the association configuration information issued by the network device, and the terminal device can obtain its own position information on the basis of the associated multipath measurement data and the position of a corresponding virtual anchor, thereby implementing localization of the terminal device.

Description

A positioning method and device

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese patent application filed on February 7, 2025, with application number 202510136855.5 and entitled "A Positioning Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of terminal positioning, specifically to a positioning method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] With the rapid development of mobile internet and the increasing demand for location information services, outdoor positioning technologies such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) have been widely and maturely applied, providing relatively accurate location navigation and geographic information queries in open outdoor environments. However, when terminal devices (such as smartphones and smart wearable devices) enter indoor environments, the attenuation of indoor satellite signals makes them unable to meet indoor positioning needs, thus posing a significant challenge.

[0004] To overcome this deficiency, numerous indoor positioning technologies have emerged. However, indoor positioning technologies typically rely on a large amount of prior information or historical measurement data to achieve accurate positioning, resulting in low positioning quality and excessively high costs. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a positioning method that improves the accuracy and efficiency of indoor positioning. This application also provides corresponding devices, computer-readable storage media, and computer program products.

[0006] The first aspect of this application provides a positioning method applied to a first communication device. The method includes: receiving association configuration information from a second communication device; wherein the association configuration information includes association calculation information and first location information, the association calculation information is used to determine whether signal data at different times in first multipath measurement data originate from the same signal source, the first multipath measurement data includes signal data measured by multiple first communication devices at different times, and the first location information is used to indicate the location of the signal source associated with the first multipath measurement data; and obtaining the location information of the first communication device based on the associated multipath measurement data and the location of the corresponding signal source.

[0007] In this application, the first communication device can be a terminal device or a component of the terminal device, such as a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core), a chip system or processor, etc., which can be applied to the terminal device. It can also be a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0008] In this application, the second communication device can be a network device or a component of an access network device, such as a communication module, processor, chip, chip system, or circuit that can be applied in the access network device, or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the access network device.

[0009] In this application, the number of first communication devices can be one or more. When there are multiple first communication devices, the second communication device can send associated configuration information to each first communication device respectively.

[0010] In this application, the associated configuration information can be generated by the second communication device based on the demand information reported by the first communication device, or it can be generated by the second communication device based on the default configuration. The default configuration can be pre-configured by the second communication device before leaving the factory, or it can be predefined, or it can be set by the second communication device based on historical experience. The method of obtaining the default configuration is not limited here.

[0011] Pre-configured content typically refers to information pre-recorded / written into the hardware and / or software of the second communication device itself, determined by the equipment manufacturer, and can be modified through software or hardware. Predefined content typically refers to standard-defined information that does not require configuration from other devices, pre-recorded / written into the hardware and / or software of the second communication device itself, or can be understood as information that cannot be modified by network devices or other terminal devices. Pre-configuration can be performed by the network through system information blocks (SIBs) or RRC signaling.

[0012] In this application, the associated configuration information includes associated calculation information and first location information. The first location information is used to indicate the location of the signal source associated with the first multipath measurement data. The signal source associated with the first multipath measurement data can be an actual base station or a virtual anchor (VA).

[0013] In this application, a virtual base station is a conceptual base station constructed based on multipath signals and base station mirroring. In non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environments, wireless signals undergo reflection, refraction, and scattering, resulting in the receiver receiving multipath signals. These multipath signals can be processed to decompose them into multiple LOS signals, which can be equivalent to signals directly transmitted by one or more virtual base stations.

[0014] In this application, Non-Direct Oriented Environment (NLOS) refers to a situation in wireless communication where the signal propagation path is not a straight line. In such an environment, signal propagation is interfered with by various obstacles, such as buildings, mountains, and trees, causing the signal to reach the receiving end through multiple means such as reflection, refraction, scattering, or diffraction.

[0015] In this application, multipath signal refers to the phenomenon arising from the diversity of signal propagation paths in a wireless communication environment. After a wireless signal is emitted from the transmitter, it reaches the receiver through multiple different paths. These paths include direct path (LOS), reflected path, refracted path, and diffracted path. For example, in an urban environment, a signal may propagate directly from the base station to the mobile device (direct path), or it may reach the mobile device through other paths such as reflection from buildings or diffraction from streets. These signals that have traveled through different paths together constitute a multipath signal.

[0016] In this application, the signal received by the first communication device is the superposition of these multipath signals. The first communication device can decompose the multipath signals into multiple LOS signals, thereby using the base station image obtained based on the multiple LOS signals as a virtual base station.

[0017] In this application, the associated configuration information sent by the second communication device to the first communication device may be sent after receiving a positioning request from the first communication device, or it may be written when the first communication device leaves the factory, or it may be sent when the firmware of the first communication device is upgraded, or it may be actively sent to the first communication device when it is predicted that the first communication device may enter an area that requires positioning related to the associated configuration information.

[0018] In this application, the correlation calculation information is used to determine whether signal data at different times in the first multipath measurement data originate from the same signal source. The first multipath measurement data includes signal data measured by multiple first communication devices at different times. For example, the first multipath measurement data may be signal data measured by the first communication device at times t1, t2, and t3, respectively. The number of signal data can be set by the first communication device itself based on historical experience, or it can be instructed by the second communication device.

[0019] In this application, signal data may include signal-related data obtained based on time, distance, and / or angle measurements. For example, signal data may be channel state information (CSI), time of arrival (ToA), time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), angle of departure (AoD), direction of arrival (DoA), received signal strength (RSS), or relative measurement data obtained from the above data, such as time difference of arrival (TDoA), frequency difference of arrival (FDoA), etc., or any combination of multiple types of data mentioned above. The type of measurement data is not limited here.

[0020] In this application, the first communication device can extract signal data at multiple moments from the channel impulse response (CIR) using a modem as first multipath measurement data.

[0021] In this application, the first location information may be determined by the third communication device based on the third location information of the third communication device and the second multipath measurement data measured by the third communication device. The signal source of the second multipath measurement data is the same as the signal source of the first multipath measurement data. The third communication device and the first communication device are in the same environment.

[0022] In this application, the third communication device can be a terminal device whose location is known, or a component of the terminal device, such as a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core), a chip system or processor, etc., or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0023] The first location information can be pre-stored in a database by the third communication device, and the second communication device can obtain the first location information by calling the database. Alternatively, the first location information can be directly imported by the third communication device, which measures the first location information and then imports it into the second communication device. Therefore, there are many ways to obtain the first location information, and no specific limitations are made here.

[0024] In the first aspect described above, the method by which the first communication device correlates signal data measured at multiple different times using association configuration information sent by the second communication device enables the first communication device to calculate the multipath correlation between multipath measurement data and identify the true signal path, thereby improving the positioning accuracy of the first communication device. Furthermore, by having the first communication device calculate its location information locally using association configuration information sent by the second communication device, the calculation process runs only within the first communication device, avoiding the exposure of the obtained location information of the first communication device to the second communication device, thus improving the positioning security and privacy of the first communication device.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the first communication device may also send a positioning request to the second communication device; wherein the positioning request includes demand information, which is used to request the second communication device to send associated configuration information that matches the first multipath measurement data.

[0026] In this application, the requirement information may include the data type and data length of the data to be correlated. The data length refers to the specific length of the data to be correlated in the time domain, i.e., how many different time-time measurement data points are included in the first multipath measurement data. For example, if the first multipath measurement data includes signal data measured by the first communication device at three different times t1, t2, and t3, then the data length is 3.

[0027] In this application, if the first communication device does not send the request information to the second communication device, the second communication device will send the associated configuration information of the default configuration to the first communication device.

[0028] In this possible implementation, the first communication device reports demand information, enabling the second communication device to issue association configuration information that is more consistent with the first multipath measurement data based on the demand information. Therefore, it can make a more accurate judgment on the multipath relationship of the first multipath measurement data, thereby improving the positioning accuracy of the first communication device.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the association calculation information includes association probabilities; wherein the association probabilities include a first probability and a second probability, the first probability being the posterior probability of the first multipath measurement data, and the second probability being the transition probability of the first multipath measurement data, the transition probability being used to indicate the probability that the signal data at the first time moment and the signal data at the second time moment in the first multipath measurement data belong to the same signal source.

[0030] In this application, the posterior probability of the first multipath measurement data is the probability used to calculate whether the estimated value of the first multipath measurement data conforms to the measured value. The probability distribution function of the posterior probability can include forms such as Gaussian truncated distribution and exponential distribution. The estimated value used to predict whether the first multipath measurement data conforms to the measured value in the posterior probability can be obtained by the second communication device based on historical experience measurement data, or it can be calculated by the second communication device using a probability prediction model.

[0031] By calculating the posterior probability of the first multipath measurement data, unrelated measurement data can be eliminated during the association process of multipath measurement data, improving the accuracy of the association relationship, thereby improving the accuracy of subsequent calculation of the location information of the first communication device based on the first multipath measurement data.

[0032] In this application, the transition probability of the first multipath measurement data is used to indicate the probability that the signal data at the first time moment and the signal data at the second time moment belong to the same signal source. When the probability is greater than a preset threshold, the signal data at the second time moment is confirmed to be a temporal change of the signal data at the first time moment, that is, the signal data at the first time moment and the signal data at the second time moment are data obtained from the same signal source.

[0033] For example, in the first multipath measurement data, there is a signal data x1 measured at time t1 and another signal data x2 measured at time t2. If the calculated transition probability of the signal data x1 measured at time t1 and the signal data x2 measured at time t2 is greater than a preset threshold, then the first communication device confirms that the signal data x2 and the signal data x1 are emitted from the same signal source.

[0034] In this possible implementation, the measurement data to be associated are filtered by posterior probability and transition probability, which improves the reliability of the association relationship of multipath measurement data, thereby improving the positioning accuracy of the first communication device.

[0035] In one possible implementation, the association calculation information may further include association constraints and association judgment thresholds; wherein, the association constraints are used to filter the multipath measurement data to be associated, and the association judgment thresholds are used to determine whether the first multipath measurement data are associated.

[0036] In this application, the association constraint filters the measurement data to be associated, thereby improving the association efficiency. The association judgment threshold is set by the probability threshold of the quantity of the first multipath measurement data at time, to determine whether the data at different times are associated.

[0037] In this possible implementation, the second communication device can filter the data to be associated by adding association constraints and association judgment thresholds to the association configuration information it sends out, thereby reducing the data processing workload when the first communication device calculates the positioning information and improving the positioning accuracy and efficiency of the first communication device.

[0038] In one possible implementation, if the data type of the first multipath measurement data is relative measurement data, then the associated configuration information also includes the reference data of the relative measurement data.

[0039] In this application, relative measurement data refers to the measurement result obtained by comparing it with a certain reference data. It reflects the degree of difference or change of the measured object relative to the reference.

[0040] For example, when the first multipath measurement data is the time difference of arrival (TDoA), the associated configuration information can use the arrival time obtained at the initial moment in the first multipath measurement data as the reference data, and subtract the arrival time obtained at the initial moment from the arrival time obtained at the subsequent moments to obtain the arrival time difference at each moment.

[0041] In this application, relative measurement data can also be generated using permutations and combinations. For example, the first multipath measurement data includes four arrival times, t1, t2, t3, and t4. By grouping the data in pairs, six combinations can be obtained through permutation and combination calculations: (t1, t2), (t1, t3), (t1, t4), (t2, t3), (t2, t4), and (t3, t4). The arrival time difference can be obtained by calculating the time difference between each of these six combinations.

[0042] In this possible implementation, by adding a reference data generation method to the relative measurement data in the associated configuration information, the first communication device can be instructed to generate relative measurement data, and the correlation relationship of multipath data can be calculated through the relative measurement data. This reduces the impact of possible system errors in the measurement process on the positioning results, thereby improving the reliability and accuracy of the positioning of the first communication device.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the first communication device obtains its location information based on the associated multipath measurement data and the location of the corresponding signal source, including: calculating the association relationship of the first multipath measurement data based on association calculation information; determining the signal source to which the first multipath measurement data belongs based on the association relationship of the first multipath measurement data; and obtaining the location information of the first communication device based on the first multipath measurement data and the first location information of the signal source corresponding to the first multipath measurement data.

[0044] In this application, the first communication device can calculate the correlation of the first multipath measurement data based on the posterior probability and the transition probability, that is, determine whether the signal data comes from the same signal source by the probability of the signal transitioning from one path state to another path state at different times.

[0045] In this application, the first communication device can also calculate the correlation of the first multipath measurement data by traversing all possible multipath data correlation combinations, and define a cost function to calculate the cost value of each combination, and find the combination whose cost value meets the condition as the data with correlation.

[0046] In this application, the first communication device can also calculate the correlation of the first multipath measurement data by a method of direct matching of multipath data, that is, directly matching based on one or more features of the multipath data.

[0047] In this application, after the first communication device obtains the correlation relationship of the first multipath measurement data, it can determine which data come from the same signal source based on the correlation relationship, and obtain the location information of the first communication device based on the first location information of the signal source and the first multipath measurement data related to the signal source. Wherein, the first multipath measurement data related to the signal source refers to the measurement data from that signal source.

[0048] In this application, the method for obtaining the location information of the first communication device based on the first location information of the signal source and the first multipath measurement data related to the signal source may include a trilateration method, a triangulation method, and / or a location method based on relative observation measurements. The location method can be determined according to the data type of the first multipath measurement data, and is not limited thereto.

[0049] In this possible implementation, the first communication device obtains the correlation between the first multipath measurement data through the first location information of the signal source and the associated configuration information sent by the second communication device. This enables the first communication device to obtain its own location information in complex environments, improving the positioning accuracy of the first communication device. Furthermore, by selecting the data to be associated through the associated configuration information sent by the second communication device, the computational load of the first communication device is reduced, improving the positioning efficiency of the first communication device. Moreover, the first communication device calculates the location information locally, and the calculation process only runs within the first communication device, avoiding the exposure of the obtained location information of the first communication device to the second communication device, thus improving the positioning security and privacy of the first communication device.

[0050] A second aspect of this application provides a communication method applied to a second communication device, the method comprising:

[0051] The association configuration information is sent to the first communication device. The association configuration information includes association calculation information and first location information. The association configuration information is used to associate the first multipath measurement data. The association calculation information is used to determine whether the signal data at different times in the first multipath measurement data comes from the same signal source. The first multipath measurement data includes signal data measured by multiple first communication devices at different times. The first location information is used to indicate the location of the signal source related to the first multipath measurement data. The location information of the first communication device is determined based on the associated multipath measurement data and the location of the corresponding signal source.

[0052] One possible implementation method also includes:

[0053] A positioning request is received from the first communication device; wherein the positioning request includes demand information, the demand information being used to request the second communication device to send associated configuration information that matches the first multipath measurement data.

[0054] In one possible implementation, the association calculation information includes association probabilities; wherein the association probabilities include a first probability and a second probability, the first probability being the posterior probability of the first multipath measurement data, the second probability being the transition probability of the first multipath measurement data, and the transition probability being used to indicate the probability that the signal data at a first time moment and the signal data at a second time moment in the first multipath measurement data belong to the same signal source.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the association calculation information further includes association constraints and association judgment thresholds; wherein the association constraints are used for the multipath measurement data to be associated, and the association judgment thresholds are used to determine whether the first multipath measurement data are associated.

[0056] In the second aspect mentioned above, the second communication device sends the associated configuration information to the first communication device, enabling the first communication device to obtain the multipath correlation relationship between the data in the first multipath measurement data according to the associated configuration information, thereby realizing the positioning of the first communication device in an unknown environment based on the location information of the signal source associated with the measurement data.

[0057] A third aspect of this application provides a communication device, which can be a first communication device, including: a transceiver module and a processing module;

[0058] The transceiver module is used to receive association configuration information from the second communication device; wherein, the association configuration information includes association calculation information and first location information, the association calculation information is used to determine whether the signal data at different times in the first multipath measurement data comes from the same signal source, the first multipath measurement data includes signal data measured by multiple first communication devices at different times, and the first location information is used to indicate the location of the signal source related to the first multipath measurement data;

[0059] The processing module is used to obtain the location information of the first communication device based on the associated multipath measurement data and the location of the corresponding signal source.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to send a positioning request to the second communication device; wherein the positioning request includes demand information, which is used to request the second communication device to send associated configuration information that matches the first multipath measurement data.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the association calculation information includes association probabilities; wherein the association probabilities include a first probability and a second probability, the first probability being the posterior probability of the first multipath measurement data, and the second probability being the transition probability of the first multipath measurement data, the transition probability being used to indicate the probability that the signal data at the first time moment and the signal data at the second time moment in the first multipath measurement data belong to the same signal source.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the association calculation information further includes association constraints and association judgment thresholds; wherein, the association constraints are used to filter the multipath measurement data to be associated, and the association judgment thresholds are used to determine whether the first multipath measurement data is associated. In another possible implementation, if the data type of the first multipath measurement data is relative measurement data, the association configuration information also includes the reference data of the relative measurement data.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to calculate the correlation relationship of the first multipath measurement data based on the correlation calculation information; determine the signal source to which the first multipath measurement data belongs based on the correlation relationship of the first multipath measurement data; and obtain the position information of the first communication device based on the first multipath measurement data and the first position information of the signal source corresponding to the first multipath measurement data.

[0064] A fourth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which can be a second communication device that communicates with a first communication device, the communication device comprising: a transceiver module and a processing module;

[0065] The transceiver module is used to send association configuration information to the first communication device; wherein, the association configuration information includes association calculation information and first location information, the association calculation information is used to determine whether the signal data at different times in the first multipath measurement data comes from the same signal source, the first multipath measurement data includes signal data measured by multiple first communication devices at different times, the first location information is used to indicate the location of the signal source related to the first multipath measurement data, and the first multipath measurement data and association configuration information are used by the first communication device to obtain the second location information of the first communication device.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the transceiver module is further configured to receive a positioning request from the first communication device; wherein the positioning request includes demand information, which is used to request the second communication device to send associated configuration information that matches the first multipath measurement data.

[0067] In one possible implementation, the association calculation information includes association probabilities; wherein the association probabilities include a first probability and a second probability, the first probability being the posterior probability of the first multipath measurement data, and the second probability being the transition probability of the first multipath measurement data, the transition probability being used to indicate the probability that the signal data at the first time moment and the signal data at the second time moment in the first multipath measurement data belong to the same signal source.

[0068] In one possible implementation, the association calculation information also includes association constraints and association judgment thresholds; wherein, the association constraints are used to filter the multipath measurement data to be associated, and the association judgment thresholds are used to determine whether the first multipath measurement data is associated.

[0069] A fifth aspect of this application provides a communication device including a processor. The processor is configured to invoke and execute computer programs or instructions, causing the processor to implement as described in the first aspect or any of the implementations in the first aspect.

[0070] Optionally, the communication device also includes a transceiver; the processor is also used to control the transceiver to send and receive signals.

[0071] Optionally, the communication device includes a memory in which computer programs or instructions are stored.

[0072] The communication device mentioned in the fifth aspect above can be a device or a chip (system) in a device.

[0073] A sixth aspect of this application provides a communication device including a processor. The processor is configured to invoke and execute computer programs or instructions, causing the processor to implement as described in the second aspect or any of the implementations in the second aspect.

[0074] Optionally, the communication device also includes a transceiver; the processor is also used to control the transceiver to send and receive signals.

[0075] Optionally, the communication device includes a memory in which computer programs or instructions are stored.

[0076] The communication device described in the sixth aspect above can be a device or a chip (system) in a device.

[0077] The seventh aspect of this application provides a communication device, which may be a first communication device or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) in the first communication device that corresponds to the execution of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the first aspect.

[0078] The eighth aspect of this application provides a communication device, which may be a second communication device or a module or unit (e.g., a chip, a chip system, or a circuit) in the second communication device that corresponds to the execution of the methods / operations / steps / actions described in the second aspect.

[0079] The ninth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform an implementation as described in the first aspect or any of the first aspects.

[0080] The tenth aspect of this application provides a computer-readable storage medium including a computer program or instructions that, when executed on a computer, cause the computer to perform an implementation as described in the second aspect or any of the second aspects.

[0081] The eleventh aspect of this application provides a computer program product including a computer program or instructions, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform an implementation as described in the first aspect or any of the first aspects.

[0082] The twelfth aspect of this application provides a computer program product including a computer program or instructions, which, when run on a computer, causes the computer to perform an implementation as described in the second aspect or any of the second aspects.

[0083] The thirteenth aspect of this application provides a chip device including a processor for calling a computer program or instructions in memory to cause the processor to execute the first aspect or any implementation thereof.

[0084] Optionally, the memory may be located inside or outside the chip device.

[0085] The fourteenth aspect of this application provides a chip device including a processor for calling a computer program or instructions stored in a memory, so that the processor executes the second aspect or any implementation thereof described above.

[0086] Optionally, the memory may be located inside or outside the chip device.

[0087] The fifteenth aspect of this application provides a communication system, which includes a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device is used to execute the first aspect or any one of the implementations of the first aspect, and the second communication device is used to execute the second aspect or any one of the implementations of the second aspect.

[0088] The technical effects of the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, the fifth aspect, the seventh aspect, the ninth aspect, the eleventh aspect, the thirteenth aspect or the fifteenth aspect can be found in the first aspect or the technical effects of different possible implementations of the first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

[0089] The technical effects of the fourth aspect or any possible implementation of the fourth aspect, the sixth aspect, the eighth aspect, the tenth aspect, the twelfth aspect, the fourteenth aspect, or the fifteenth aspect can be found in the technical effects of the second aspect or different possible implementations of the second aspect, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0090] Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of an example application scenario of the positioning system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0091] Figure 1B is another example schematic diagram of the application scenario of the positioning system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0092] Figure 1C is another example schematic diagram of the application scenario of the positioning system provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0093] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the positioning method provided in this application;

[0094] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the positioning method provided in this application;

[0095] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the positioning method provided in this application;

[0096] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the positioning method provided in this application;

[0097] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the positioning method provided in this application;

[0098] Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram of the positioning device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0099] Figure 8 is another structural schematic diagram of the positioning device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0100] Figure 9 is another structural schematic diagram of the positioning device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0101] Figure 10 is another structural schematic diagram of the positioning device provided in the embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0102] The embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. As those skilled in the art will understand, with the development of technology and the emergence of new scenarios, the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of this application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

[0103] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and are not necessarily used to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such data can be interchanged where appropriate so that the embodiments described herein can be implemented in a sequence other than that illustrated or described herein. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion; for example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that comprises a series of steps or units is not necessarily limited to those steps or units explicitly listed, but may include other steps or units not explicitly listed or inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0104] This application provides a positioning method for locating terminal devices in unknown locations in indoor positioning applications by utilizing the location of virtual base stations and the correlation of multipath signals. This application also provides corresponding apparatus, computer-readable storage media, and computer program products. These are described in detail below.

[0105] The technical solutions of this application can be applied to various communication systems, such as: satellite communication, 5th generation (5G) systems or new radio (NR), long term evolution (LTE) systems, LTE frequency division duplex (FDD) systems, LTE time division duplex (TDD) systems, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), future communication systems after 5G networks, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication systems, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, machine-type communication (MTC), internet of things (IoT) communication systems, or other communication systems. Satellite communication systems can be communication systems integrated with 4G, 5G mobile communication systems, or future communication systems, such as non-terrestrial networks (NTN). NTN systems can be, for example, satellite communication systems, and can also include unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), high altitude platform stations (HAPS), and other aerial access network equipment; this application does not limit this.

[0106] The communication system described in this application can be a communication system based on orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) and / or time division multiplexing (TDM), or a communication system or communication and sensing system based on frequency modulated continuous waveform (FMCW).

[0107] The terminal equipment and network equipment of this application are described below.

[0108] Terminal equipment can be a device capable of receiving core network information or a wireless terminal device that handles network device scheduling and instruction information. Wireless terminal equipment can be a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to a user, a handheld device with wireless connectivity, another processing device connected to a wireless modem, or a device with sensing capabilities.

[0109] Terminal equipment, also known as user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), mobile terminal (MT), etc., is a device that includes wireless communication functions, such as handheld devices or vehicle-mounted devices with wireless connectivity.

[0110] Terminal devices can communicate with one or more core networks or the Internet via a radio access network (RAN). Terminal devices can be mobile terminal devices, such as mobile phones (or "cellular" phones), computers, and data cards. For example, they can be portable, pocket-sized, handheld, computer-embedded, or vehicle-mounted mobile devices that exchange voice and / or data with the RAN. Examples include personal communication service (PCS) phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, and computers with wireless transceiver capabilities. Wireless terminal equipment can also be referred to as a system, subscriber unit, subscriber station, mobile station (MS), remote station, access point (AP), remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, user agent, subscriber station (SS), customer premises equipment (CPE), terminal, user equipment, mobile terminal, etc. In satellite communication, terminal equipment can be a satellite communication terminal, such as a very small aperture terminal (VSAT), as well as portable stations, fixed stations, vehicle-mounted or airborne satellite communication terminals, etc. It should be understood that in these scenarios, satellite communication terminals communicate with satellites and can act as micro base stations or satellite data stations to further provide data interfaces to user equipment accessing the satellite communication terminal.

[0111] By way of example and not limitation, in this embodiment, the terminal device can also be a wearable device. Wearable devices, also known as wearable smart devices or smart wearable devices, are a general term for devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as glasses, gloves, watches, clothing, and shoes. Wearable devices are portable devices that are worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories. Wearable devices are not merely hardware devices, but also achieve powerful functions through software support, data interaction, and cloud interaction. Broadly speaking, wearable smart devices include those that are feature-rich, large in size, and can achieve complete or partial functions without relying on a smartphone, such as smartwatches or smart glasses, as well as those that focus on a specific type of application function and require the use of other devices such as smartphones, such as various smart bracelets, smart helmets, and smart jewelry for vital sign monitoring.

[0112] Furthermore, terminal devices can also be terminal devices for communication systems evolved from fifth-generation (5G) communication systems (such as 5G Advanced or future communication systems). For example, the form and function of communication terminals can be further expanded, including but not limited to vehicles, cellular network terminals (integrating satellite terminal functions), drones, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, as well as virtual reality (VR) devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication, wireless terminals in self-driving vehicles, wireless terminals in remote medical surgery, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, or wireless terminals in smart homes. For example, wireless terminals in V2X communication can be in-vehicle equipment, vehicle-mounted equipment, in-vehicle modules, vehicles, etc. Wireless terminals in industrial control can be cameras, robots, etc. Wireless terminals in smart homes can be televisions, air conditioners, robot vacuums, speakers, set-top boxes, etc.

[0113] In this embodiment, the apparatus for implementing the functions of the terminal device can be the terminal device itself, or a component of the terminal device, such as a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (e.g., a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-a-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core), a chip system, or a processor, etc., or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the terminal device. In this embodiment, the terminal device is used as an example to illustrate the apparatus for implementing the functions of the terminal device, and this does not constitute a limitation on the solution of this embodiment.

[0114] The network device in this application embodiment is a means deployed in a radio access network to provide wireless communication functions for terminal devices. It can refer to a radio access network (RAN) node (or device) or base station that connects the terminal device to the wireless network. Currently, some common examples of access network nodes (or devices) include: Node B (NB), evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB), generation node B (gNB) in 5G NR systems, nodes in future communication systems (e.g., xNodeB), transmission reception point (TRP), transmitting point (TP), transmission measurement function (TMF), radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), base transceiver station (BTS), access point (AP), etc. Furthermore, in network architectures such as cloud radio access network (CloudRAN) or open radio access network (ORAN), the access network device can be a device including CU and / or DU. In the RAN system, which includes CUs and DUs, the protocol layers of gNBs are separated. Some protocol layer functions are centrally controlled by the CU, while the remaining functions are distributed in the DU, which is centrally controlled by the CU. The separation of CUs and DUs can be based on the protocol stack. For example, one possible separation method is to deploy the RRC, Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layers in the CU, and the remaining Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) layers in the DU. CUs and DUs are connected via the F1 interface. A CU, representing its associated gNB, connects to the core network via the NG interface, and a CU, representing its associated gNB, connects to other gNBs (or other CUs) via the Xn interface. In the actual deployment of RAN equipment, in addition to the logical gNBs composed of CUs and DUs, the RAN equipment also includes RUs (not shown in the figure).An RU is a hardware unit that includes some PHY layer functionality and / or antenna equipment. Optionally, the RU can be configured independently of the antenna equipment (e.g., an antenna line device (ALD)) or integrated with it. For example, in a 5G NR system, the aforementioned RU can be an active antenna unit (AAU), which is a processing unit integrating a remote radio unit (RRU) (or remote radio head (RRH)) and antenna equipment. In a satellite communication system, the network equipment can be a satellite or access network equipment mounted on a satellite.

[0115] It should be noted that in practical applications, there may be multiple ways to deploy access network devices, and this application does not limit them.

[0116] In some examples, the CU can be split into control plane CU nodes (central unit-control plane (CU-CP)) and user plane CU nodes (central unit-user plane (CU-UP)). The CU-CP is a logical node carrying the RRC layer and the PDCP-C (control plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's control plane functions. The CU-CP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement control plane functions. These network elements in the core network can be access and mobility function (AMF) network elements, such as the access and mobility management function (AMF) in a 5G system. The AMF network element is responsible for mobility management in the mobile network, such as terminal device location updates, terminal device registration with the network, and terminal device handover. The CU-UP is a logical node carrying the SDAP layer and the PDCP-U (user plane part of PDCP) layer, used to implement the CU's user plane functions. The CU-UP can interact with network elements in the core network used to implement user plane functions. In the core network, network elements used to implement user plane functions, such as the user plane function (UPF) in a 5G system, are responsible for forwarding and receiving data in terminal devices. The above configuration of CU and DU is merely an example; the functions of CU and DU can be configured as needed. For example, CU or DU can be configured to have more protocol layer functions, or to have only some protocol layer processing functions. For instance, some RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions above the RLC layer can be placed in the CU, while the remaining RLC layer functions and protocol layer functions below the RLC layer can be placed in the DU. Furthermore, the functions of CU or DU can be divided according to service type or other system requirements, such as by latency, placing functions that need to meet low latency requirements in the DU and functions that do not need to meet such latency requirements in the CU.

[0117] In some examples, a DU is a logical node that carries the RLC layer, MAC layer, higher physical layer (Higher PHY) layer, and other functions. In some examples, a DU can control at least one RU. The DU connects to the RU through interfaces, which can be fronthaul interfaces. In some examples, the Higher PHY layer includes the PHY layer processing, such as forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, and demodulation.

[0118] In some examples, the RU is a logical node that carries both lower physical layer (PHY) and radio frequency (RF) processing. In some examples, the RU can be a 3GPP TRP or RRH or other similar entity. In some examples, the Low-PHY includes PHY processing functions such as Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), digital beamforming, and filtering. The RU communicates with one or more UEs via a radio link.

[0119] The DU and RU can be co-located or not. The DU and RU exchange control plane and user plane information via a lower-layer split-control, user, and synchronization (LLS-CUS) interface through a fronthaul link. LLS-CUS may include LLS-C and LLS-U interfaces that provide the control plane (C-Plane) and user plane (U-Plane), respectively. In some examples, the control plane (C-Plane) refers to real-time control between the DU and RU. The DU and RU exchange management information via an LLS-M interface on the fronthaul link; the management plane (M-Plane) refers to non-real-time management operations between the DU and RU.

[0120] DU and RU can cooperate to implement the functions of the PHY layer. A DU can be connected to one or more RUs. The functions of DU and RU can be configured in various ways depending on the design. For example, a DU can be configured to implement baseband functions, and an RU can be configured to implement mid-RF functions. Another example is that a DU can be configured to implement higher-level functions in the PHY layer, and an RU can be configured to implement lower-level functions in the PHY layer, or to implement both lower-level and RF functions. Higher-level functions in the physical layer can include a portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the MAC layer, while lower-level functions in the physical layer can include another portion of the physical layer's functions that are closer to the mid-RF side.

[0121] 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 ORAN system, CU can also be called O-CU (open 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. For ease of description, this application uses CU, CU-CP, CU-UP, DU, and RU as examples.

[0122] In this embodiment, the apparatus for implementing the functions of the network device can be a network device itself, or a component of an access network device, such as a communication module, processor, chip, chip system, or circuit that can be applied in the access network device. It can also be a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the access network device. This apparatus can be installed in the network device or used in conjunction with the network device. In this embodiment, only a network device is used as an example to illustrate the apparatus for implementing the functions of the access network device, and this does not constitute a limitation on the solution of this embodiment.

[0123] It should be noted that network devices and / or terminal devices can be deployed on land, including indoors or outdoors, handheld or vehicle-mounted; they can also be deployed on water; and they can also be deployed in the air on airplanes, balloons, and satellites. This application does not limit the scenario in which the network devices and terminal devices are located. Furthermore, terminal devices and network devices can be hardware devices; they can also be software functions running on dedicated or general-purpose hardware, such as virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (e.g., a cloud platform); or they can be entities that include dedicated or general-purpose hardware devices and software functions. This application does not limit the specific form of terminal devices and network devices.

[0124] For ease of understanding, the technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application are briefly introduced below:

[0125] (1) Non-line-of-sight (NLOS): Non-line-of-sight refers to a situation where the propagation path of a signal from the transmitter to the receiver is not a straight line that is directly visible, but is blocked by various obstacles, so that the signal cannot reach the receiver in a direct manner.

[0126] (2) A virtual anchor (VA) is a conceptual base station built based on multipath signals and base station mirroring. In an NLOS environment, wireless signals undergo reflection, refraction, and scattering, resulting in the receiver receiving multipath signals. Multipath signals can be processed to decompose them into multiple LOS signals, which can be equivalent to signals directly transmitted by one or more virtual base stations.

[0127] (3) Multipath measurement data: refers to a series of measurable information generated in wireless communication due to the phenomenon of multipath propagation of signals.

[0128] (4) Multipath correlation: In multipath propagation, the signal starts from the transmitter and arrives at the receiver through different paths (such as direct transmission, reflection, refraction, scattering, etc.). Multipath correlation refers to the correlation between signal data obtained at multiple different measurement times.

[0129] (5) Channel state information (CSI): describes the overall impact of the channel on the signal when the signal propagates in the wireless communication channel. It contains a variety of information, such as the amplitude, phase and frequency response of the signal. In essence, it reflects the characteristics of the wireless channel.

[0130] (6) Time of arrival (ToA): refers to the time it takes for a signal to travel from the transmitter to the receiver after passing through the wireless channel.

[0131] (7) Time of flight (ToF): refers to the time it takes for a signal to travel through space. It is often used to describe the time it takes for signals such as light and ultrasound to travel from transmission to reception.

[0132] (8) Angle of arrival (AoA): refers to the angle of incidence when the signal arrives at the receiver, which is the angle between the direction of signal propagation and a certain reference direction of the receiver (such as the axial direction of the receiving antenna).

[0133] (9) Angle of departure (AoD): refers to the angle of a signal relative to a certain reference direction when the signal departs from the transmitter. It corresponds to AoA and describes the initial direction information of the signal transmission.

[0134] (10) Direction of arrival (DoA): Indicates the angle of direction of arrival of the signal at the receiver.

[0135] (11) Received signal strength (RSS): refers to the strength of the wireless signal received by the receiver, usually expressed in power (such as dBm).

[0136] (12) Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA): In actual wireless communication environments, the propagation of a signal from the transmitter to the receiver is not a simple straight-line propagation, but is affected by various obstacles. When a signal encounters objects such as buildings, mountains, and trees, reflection, refraction, and scattering occur, resulting in multiple different propagation paths, which is called multipath propagation. Since the lengths of different propagation paths are different, the time it takes for the signal to propagate to the receiver along each path is also different. This difference in the time it takes for the signal to arrive at the receiver along different paths is called the time difference of arrival.

[0137] (13) Frequency difference of arrival (FDoA): Due to the different propagation distances and relative motion during the propagation process of signals along different paths, according to the Doppler effect, signals from each path will have different frequency shifts when they arrive at the receiver. The frequency difference between these signals arriving at the receiver from different paths is the FDoA in multipath measurement data.

[0138] (14) Configuration and Pre-configuration: In this application, both configuration and pre-configuration are used. Configuration refers to the network device / server sending configuration information or parameter values ​​to the terminal via messages or signaling, so that the terminal can determine communication parameters or transmission resources based on these values ​​or information. Pre-configuration is similar to configuration; it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​negotiated in advance between the network device / server and the terminal device, or it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​used by the base station / network device or terminal device as specified in standard protocols, or it can be parameter information or parameter values ​​pre-stored in the base station / server or terminal device. This application does not limit this.

[0139] Furthermore, these values ​​and parameters can be changed or updated.

[0140] (15) The terms "system" and "network" in the embodiments of this application can be used interchangeably. "Multiple" refers to two or more. "And / or" describes the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. 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. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after 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" includes A, B, C, AB, AC, BC or ABC. And, unless otherwise specified, the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects and are not used to limit the order, sequence, priority or importance of multiple objects.

[0141] (16) In the embodiments of this application, "send" and "receive" indicate the direction of signal transmission. For example, "send information to XX" can be understood as the destination of the information being XX, which may include sending directly through the air interface or sending indirectly through the air interface by other units or modules. "Receive information from YY" can be understood as the source of the information being YY, which may include receiving directly from YY through the air interface or receiving indirectly from YY through the air interface by other units or modules. "Send" can also be understood as the "output" of the chip interface, and "receive" can also be understood as the "input" of the chip interface.

[0142] In other words, sending and receiving can occur between devices, such as between network devices and terminal devices, or within a device, such as between components, modules, chips, software modules, or hardware modules within the device via buses, wiring, or interfaces.

[0143] It is understandable that information may undergo necessary processing, such as encoding and modulation, between the source and destination, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source. Similar statements in this application can be interpreted in a similar way and will not be elaborated further.

[0144] (17) In the embodiments of this application, "instruction" may include direct instruction and indirect instruction, as well as explicit instruction and implicit instruction. The information indicated by a certain piece of information (as described below, the instruction information) is called the information to be instructed. In the specific implementation process, there are many ways to indicate the information to be instructed, such as, but not limited to, directly indicating the information to be instructed, such as the information to be instructed itself or its index. It can also indirectly indicate the information to be instructed by indicating other information, where there is an association between the other information and the information to be instructed; or it can only indicate a part of the information to be instructed, while the other parts of the information to be instructed are known or pre-agreed upon. For example, the instruction can be implemented by using a pre-agreed (e.g., protocol pre-defined or pre-configured) arrangement order of various information, thereby reducing the instruction overhead to a certain extent. This application does not limit the specific method of instruction. It is understood that for the sender of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to indicate the information to be instructed, and for the receiver of the instruction information, the instruction information can be used to determine the information to be instructed.

[0145] In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other. In the various embodiments of this application, and the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment, unless otherwise specified or logically conflicting, the terminology and / or descriptions between different embodiments and between the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment are consistent and can be mutually referenced. The technical features in different embodiments and the various methods / designs / implementations within each embodiment can be combined to form new embodiments, methods, or implementations based on their inherent logical relationships. The following descriptions of the embodiments of this application do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

[0146] The positioning method provided in this application embodiment can be applied to the positioning systems shown in Figures 1A to 1C.

[0147] Please refer to Figure 1A, which is a schematic diagram of the architecture of the positioning system 1000 used in the embodiments of this application. As shown in Figure 1A, the positioning system may include a radio access network (RAN) 100. Optionally, the positioning system 1000 may also include a core network 200 and an Internet 300. The RAN 100 includes at least one RAN node (110a and 110b in Figure 1A, collectively referred to as 110) and at least one terminal (120a-120j in Figure 1A, collectively referred to as 120). The RAN 100 may also include other RAN nodes, such as wireless relay devices and / or wireless backhaul devices (not shown in Figure 1A). The terminal 120 is wirelessly connected to the RAN node 110, and the RAN node 110 is wirelessly or wiredly connected to the core network 200. The core network equipment in the core network 200 and the RAN node 110 in the RAN 100 may be independent and different physical devices, or they may be the same physical device integrating the logical functions of the core network equipment and the logical functions of the RAN node. Terminals can be connected to each other, as can RAN nodes, via wired or wireless means.

[0148] Taking the positioning system shown in Figure 1A as an example, different devices (including network devices to network devices, network devices to terminal devices, and / or terminal devices to terminal devices) perform communication-related services. As shown in Figure 1B, multiple terminal devices to be located can exist within the network coverage area of ​​a network device. Each terminal device can obtain the multipath correlation of measurement data through the association configuration information issued by the network device, thereby achieving positioning of its own terminal device.

[0149] The positioning method provided in this application embodiment can also be applied to the indoor communication environment shown in Figure 1C. As shown in Figure 1C, in the indoor environment where terminals 1 and 2 are located, interference from obstacles (such as walls) prevents the terminal devices from sensing a specified number of real base stations, resulting in significant deviations in the positioning results of the terminal devices in the indoor environment, or even the inability to locate. For example, the signal 1B received by terminal 1 from PA3 is obtained through reflection from the wall; therefore, terminal 1 cannot sense the actual location of PA3.

[0150] For the aforementioned indoor communication environment, the terminal can decompose the multipath signal received in the NLOS environment to obtain multiple LOS signals, and use the base station mirror as another VA, thereby obtaining more base stations as positioning anchors to achieve terminal positioning. The VA can be a base station / antenna or its mirror.

[0151] Taking terminal 1 as an example, terminal 1 receives signals from three paths from PA31, namely signal 1A, signal 1B, and signal 1C. For convenient positioning, signals 1B and 1C reflected off the wall can be regarded as signals emitted by virtual base stations VA3_1 and VA3_2, thereby enabling terminal 1 to obtain more base stations as positioning anchor points and realize terminal positioning.

[0152] The positioning method provided in this application can be implemented through the interaction of a first communication device and a second communication device. The first communication device can be a communication device for receiving and sending information, or a positioning device capable of supporting the communication device in implementing the positioning method, such as a chip. Exemplarily, the first communication device is a terminal device, or a chip disposed in a terminal device to implement the functions of the terminal device, or other components for implementing the functions of the terminal device. In the following description, the example of the first communication device being a terminal device will be used. The second communication device can be a communication device for data exchange and communication, or a communication device capable of supporting the communication device in implementing the positioning method, such as a chip. Exemplarily, the second communication device is a network device, or a chip disposed in a network device to implement the functions of the network device, or other components for implementing the functions of the network device. In the following description, the example of the second communication device being a network device will be used.

[0153] As shown in Figure 2, the positioning method provided in this application embodiment includes:

[0154] S201. The second communication device sends association configuration information to the first communication device, and correspondingly, the first communication device receives association configuration information from the second communication device.

[0155] In this application, the associated configuration information can be determined by the demand information sent by the first communication device to the second communication device, or it can be sent by the second communication device to the second communication device according to a preset configuration. When the second communication device does not receive the demand information from the first communication device, the second communication device sends the information to the second communication device according to the preset configuration.

[0156] In this application, the default configuration can be pre-configured by the second communication device before leaving the factory, or it can be predefined, or it can be set by the second communication device based on historical experience. The method of obtaining the default configuration is not limited here.

[0157] Pre-configured content typically refers to information pre-recorded / written into the hardware and / or software of the second communication device itself, determined by the equipment manufacturer, and can be modified through software or hardware. Predefined content typically refers to standard-defined information that does not require configuration from other devices, pre-recorded / written into the hardware and / or software of the second communication device itself, or can be understood as information that cannot be modified by network devices or other terminal devices. Pre-configuration can be performed by the network through system information blocks (SIBs) or RRC signaling.

[0158] In this application, the associated configuration information may be sent by the second communication device after receiving the positioning request from the first communication device, or it may be written by the second communication device when the first communication device leaves the factory, or it may be sent by the second communication device when the firmware of the first communication device is upgraded, or it may be actively sent by the second communication device to the first communication device when the second communication device predicts that the first communication device may enter an area related to the second communication device and the first communication device needs to be located.

[0159] In this application, the demand information may be included in the positioning request sent by the first communication device to the second communication device, or it may be sent by the first communication device alone using a channel or signaling. The method by which the first communication device sends the demand information is not limited here.

[0160] In this application, the requirement information may include the data type of the first multipath measurement data to be associated, such as ToA, AoA, TDoA, etc., used to determine the calculation method for calculating the association probability in the association configuration information. The requirement information may also include the data length of the first multipath measurement data, which indicates the length of the first multipath measurement data in the time domain, i.e., how many time points the measurement data includes. The data length can be used to determine the size of the association threshold in the association configuration information. For example, if the first multipath measurement data includes signal data measured by the first communication device at three different times t1, t2, and t3, then the data length is 3.

[0161] In the above manner, the first communication device reports the demand information to the second communication device, enabling the second communication device to issue association configuration information that is more consistent with the first multipath measurement data based on the demand information. This allows the first communication device to make a more accurate judgment on the multipath relationship of the first multipath measurement data, thereby improving the positioning accuracy of the first communication device.

[0162] In this application, the associated configuration information includes associated calculation information and first location information. The associated calculation information is used to determine whether the signal data at different times in the first multipath measurement data comes from the same signal source. The first multipath measurement data includes signal data measured by multiple first communication devices at different times. The first location information is used to indicate the location of the signal source related to the first multipath measurement data.

[0163] For example, the first multipath measurement data can be signal data measured by the first communication device at times t1, t2, and t3, respectively. The number of signal data can be set by the first communication device itself based on historical experience, or it can be instructed by the second communication device.

[0164] In this application, signal data may include signal-related data obtained based on time, distance, and / or angle measurements. For example, signal data may be channel state information (CSI), time of arrival (ToA), time of flight (ToF), angle of arrival (AoA), angle of departure (AoD), direction of arrival (DoA), received signal strength (RSS), or any combination of the above-mentioned measurement data, or relative measurement data obtained based on the above-mentioned measurement data. The data type of signal data is not limited herein.

[0165] In this application, the first multipath measurement data can be obtained by the first communication device extracting signal data from the channel impulse response (CIR) at multiple moments via a modem. The first multipath measurement data can be pre-measured by the first communication device and stored in a database, which can be retrieved by calling the database when the first communication device needs to locate itself. Alternatively, the first communication device can collect the first multipath measurement data and calculate its own location information after receiving associated configuration information from the second communication device.

[0166] In this application, the association calculation information may include association probability; wherein, the association probability includes a first probability and a second probability, the first probability is the posterior probability of the first multipath measurement data, the second probability is the transition probability of the first multipath measurement data, and the transition probability is used to indicate the probability that the signal data at the first time and the signal data at the second time in the first multipath measurement data belong to the same signal source.

[0167] In this application, the first probability is used to calculate the probability that the first multipath measurement data is the actual measured signal data. The probability distribution function of the posterior probability can include forms such as Gaussian truncated distribution and exponential distribution. The formula for calculating the first probability can be P([measured value]_t|[estimated value]_t), where the [estimated value]_t can be obtained by the second communication device based on experience with historical signal data, or it can be obtained by the second communication device through a prediction model.

[0168] After the first communication device obtains the posterior probability using the association probability in the association configuration information, it can filter the first multipath measurement data using the association judgment threshold in the association configuration information to filter out signal data that is not associated. For example, the association judgment threshold can be 0.7. When the calculated association probability is greater than or equal to 0.7, the first communication device can determine that the data at the current two moments are associated and can be used for subsequent positioning; when the association probability is less than 0.7, the data at the current two moments are not associated.

[0169] In the above manner, the associated configuration information can help the first communication device filter the measurement data to be associated, improve the accuracy of the association relationship, and thus improve the accuracy of the subsequent calculation of the position information of the first communication device based on the first multipath measurement data.

[0170] In this application, the second probability is used to indicate the probability that the signal data at the first time moment and the signal data at the second time moment in the first multipath measurement data belong to the same signal source. When the probability is greater than a preset threshold, it is confirmed that the signal data at the second time moment is a temporal change of the signal data at the first time moment, that is, the signal data at the first time moment and the signal data at the second time moment are data obtained from measurements taken from the same signal source.

[0171] The formula for calculating the second probability can be P(a_t1|a_t2)=P(〖Measured value〗_t1〖(Measured value〗_t2+Δ measured value)). Here, a_t1 and a_t2 represent the signal data at time t1 and t2 respectively. The Δ measured value has different calculation methods depending on the data type of the signal data, such as ToA, TDoA, etc. The Δ measured value can be obtained by the second communication device based on experience with historical signal data, or it can be obtained by the second communication device through a prediction model.

[0172] For example, in the first multipath measurement data, there is a signal data x1 measured at time t1 and another signal data x2 measured at time t2. If the calculated transition probability of the signal data x1 measured at time t1 and the signal data x2 measured at time t2 is greater than the association judgment threshold in the association configuration information, then the first communication device considers that the signal data x2 and the signal data x1 are emitted from the same signal source.

[0173] By using the above method, the correlation between the multipath measurement data at two time points is determined by the posterior probability and the transition probability, and the reliability of the correlation of the first multipath measurement data is improved by the subsequent correlation constraints, thereby improving the positioning accuracy of the first communication device.

[0174] In this application, the association calculation information may further include association constraints and association judgment thresholds; wherein, the association constraints are used to filter the multipath measurement data to be associated, and the association judgment thresholds are used to determine whether the first multipath measurement data are associated.

[0175] In this application, the association constraint condition filters the first multipath measurement data based on the measurement location of the first multipath measurement data, and the association judgment threshold is set by setting a probability threshold based on the number of the first multipath measurement data at time to determine whether the first multipath measurement data is associated.

[0176] In this possible embodiment, the second communication device can filter the data to be associated by adding association constraints and association judgment thresholds to the association configuration information it sends, thereby reducing the data processing workload when the first communication device calculates the positioning information and improving the positioning accuracy and efficiency of the first communication device.

[0177] In this application, the first location information may be determined by the third communication device based on the third location information of the third communication device and the second multipath measurement data measured by the third communication device. The signal source of the second multipath measurement data is the same as the signal source of the first multipath measurement data. The third communication device and the first communication device are in the same environment.

[0178] In this application, the third communication device can be a terminal device whose location is known, or a component of the terminal device, such as a communication module, a circuit or chip responsible for communication functions (such as a modem chip, also known as a baseband chip, or a system-on-chip (SoC) chip or system-in-package (SIP) chip containing a modem core), a chip system or processor, etc., or a logic module or software that can realize all or part of the functions of the terminal device.

[0179] The first location information can be pre-stored in a database by the third communication device, and the second communication device can obtain the first location information by calling the database. Alternatively, the first location information can be directly imported by the third communication device, which measures the first location information and then imports it into the second communication device. Therefore, there are many ways to obtain the first location information, and no specific limitations are made here.

[0180] S202. The first communication device determines its location information based on the associated multipath measurement data and the location of the corresponding signal source.

[0181] In this application, the location information of the first communication device is calculated and stored locally by the first communication device. By ensuring that the calculation process only runs within the first communication device, the obtained location information of the first communication device is not exposed to the second communication device, thus improving the location security and privacy of the first communication device.

[0182] In this way, the association configuration information sent by the second communication device can not only help the first communication device to filter the measurement data to be associated, but also confirm the association relationship of the first multipath measurement data. This solves the signal multipath problem caused by the complex indoor environment, allowing the first communication device to determine which signal source the first multipath measurement data belongs to. Based on the location of the signal source, the first communication device's location information can be determined, improving the positioning accuracy of the first communication device. Furthermore, by filtering the first multipath measurement data through association configuration information, the computational load of the first communication device can be reduced, thereby improving the positioning efficiency of the first communication device.

[0183] In one possible embodiment, the first communication device can calculate its own location information based on the method shown in FIG3.

[0184] S301. Calculate the correlation relationship of the first multipath measurement data based on the correlation calculation information.

[0185] In this application, the first communication device can calculate the correlation of the first multipath measurement data based on the transfer probability, that is, determine whether the signal data comes from the same signal source by the probability of the signal transferring from one path state to another path state at different times.

[0186] In this application, the first communication device can also calculate the correlation of the first multipath measurement data by traversing all possible multipath data correlation combinations, and define a cost function to calculate the cost value of each combination, and find the combination whose cost value meets the condition as the data with correlation.

[0187] In this application, the first communication device can also calculate the correlation of the first multipath measurement data by directly matching multipath data, that is, directly matching based on one or more features of the multipath data. Taking arrival time as an example, if the arrival times of two multipath signals are close within a certain threshold range, they are considered to be correlated.

[0188] Optionally, the first communication device can also use the power information of the multipath data to filter the correlation of the first multipath measurement data. For example, for two multipath signals at different times t1 and t2, the rate of change of their power is calculated. If the rate of change of power exceeds a preset reasonable range, it is considered that the two signals are unlikely to belong to the same propagation path. An upper limit of the rate of change of power can be set to k; if the calculated rate of change of power between the two signals at two times is greater than k, the possibility of correlation between the two signals is excluded.

[0189] S302. Determine the signal source to which the first multipath measurement data belongs based on the correlation relationship of the first multipath measurement data.

[0190] In this application, after the first communication device obtains the correlation relationship of the first multipath measurement data, it can determine which data originate from the same signal source based on the correlation relationship, and obtain the location information of the first communication device based on the first location information of the signal source and the first multipath measurement data related to the signal source. Wherein, the first multipath measurement data related to the signal source refers to signal data measured based on signals transmitted by that signal source.

[0191] S303. Obtain the position information of the first communication device based on the first multipath measurement data and the first position information of the signal source corresponding to the first multipath measurement data.

[0192] In this application, the method for obtaining the location information of the first communication device based on the first location information of the signal source and the first multipath measurement data related to the signal source may include a trilateration method, a triangulation method, and / or a location method based on relative observation measurements. The location method can be determined according to the data type of the first multipath measurement data, and is not limited thereto.

[0193] In this possible embodiment, the first communication device obtains the correlation between the first multipath measurement data through the first location information of the signal source and the association configuration information sent by the second communication device. This enables the first communication device to obtain its own location information in complex environments, improving the positioning accuracy of the first communication device. Furthermore, by selecting the measurement data to be associated through the association configuration information sent by the second communication device, the computational load of the first communication device is reduced, improving the positioning efficiency of the first communication device. Moreover, the first communication device calculates the location information locally, and the calculation process only runs within the first communication device, avoiding the exposure of the obtained location information of the first communication device to the second communication device, thus improving the positioning security and privacy of the first communication device.

[0194] In one possible embodiment, if the data type of the first multipath measurement data is relative measurement data, the associated configuration information also includes the reference data of the relative measurement data.

[0195] In this application, relative measurement data refers to the measurement result obtained by comparing it with a certain reference data. It reflects the degree of difference or change of the measured object relative to the reference.

[0196] For example, when the first multipath measurement data is the time difference of arrival (TDoA), the associated configuration information can use the arrival time obtained at the initial moment in the first multipath measurement data as the reference data, and subtract the arrival time obtained at the initial moment from the arrival time obtained at the subsequent moments to obtain the arrival time difference at each moment.

[0197] In this application, relative measurement data can also be generated using permutations and combinations. For example, the first multipath measurement data includes four arrival times, t1, t2, t3, and t4. By grouping the data in pairs, six combinations can be obtained through permutation and combination calculations: (t1, t2), (t1, t3), (t1, t4), (t2, t3), (t2, t4), and (t3, t4). The arrival time difference can be obtained by calculating the time difference between each of these six combinations.

[0198] In this possible embodiment, by adding a reference data generation method to the relative measurement data in the associated configuration information, the first communication device can be instructed to generate relative measurement data, and the correlation relationship of multipath data can be calculated through the relative measurement data. This reduces the impact of possible system errors in the measurement process on the positioning results, thereby improving the reliability and accuracy of the positioning of the first communication device.

[0199] In one possible embodiment, the positioning method provided in this application can be described in conjunction with Figure 4, based on the entire positioning system.

[0200] S401. Terminal equipment generates requirement information.

[0201] In this application, the requirements information includes the data type and length of the data to be associated.

[0202] S402. The terminal device reports the required information to the network device.

[0203] In this application, step S402 is not necessary. If the terminal device does not generate requirement information or does not report the requirement information to the network device, the network device will generate preset associated configuration information.

[0204] S403. Network devices generate associated configuration information.

[0205] In this application, the associated configuration information can be generated by the network device according to the preset configuration, or it can be generated by the network device according to the requirement information reported by the terminal device.

[0206] S404. The network device sends associated configuration information to the terminal device.

[0207] The associated configuration information issued also includes the location information of the virtual base station (VA) that has been located in the current environment, i.e., the first location information.

[0208] S405. The terminal device generates relative measurement data.

[0209] In this application, if the data type of the data to be associated is relative measurement data, the terminal device will also determine the reference data in the relative measurement data according to the reference data determination method issued in the configuration information, thereby obtaining the data result of the relative measurement data.

[0210] S406. The terminal device associates the data and performs UE positioning.

[0211] S407. The terminal device obtains the UE positioning result.

[0212] In this possible embodiment, the terminal device solves the problem of associating different types of multipath time-domain data in an unknown environment by using the associated configuration parameters issued by the network device and the first location information, thereby realizing the positioning of the terminal device.

[0213] In one possible embodiment, the first location information in the associated configuration information can be calculated by a third communication device. The specific calculation method can be shown in the steps of Figure 5.

[0214] In this application, the third communication device can be a crowdsourcing terminal device that knows its own location.

[0215] S501. Terminal equipment generates requirement information.

[0216] In this application, the requirements information includes the data type and length of the data to be associated. The requirements information may also include the spatial range of movement of the third communication device when acquiring the second multipath measurement data.

[0217] S502. The terminal device reports the required information to the network device.

[0218] In this application, step S502 is not necessary. If the terminal device does not generate requirement information or does not report the requirement information to the network device, the network device will generate preset associated configuration information.

[0219] S503. Network devices generate associated configuration information.

[0220] In this application, the associated configuration information can be generated by the network device according to the preset configuration, or it can be generated by the network device according to the requirement information reported by the terminal device.

[0221] The associated configuration information may also include the search range of the virtual base station, which can be determined based on the initial position of the third communication device and the measured maximum ToA.

[0222] S504. Network devices send associated configuration information to terminal devices.

[0223] S505. The terminal device generates relative measurement data.

[0224] In this application, if the data type of the data to be associated is relative measurement data, the terminal device will also determine the reference data in the relative measurement data according to the reference data determination method issued in the configuration information, thereby obtaining the data result of the relative measurement data.

[0225] S506. The terminal device associates the data and performs VA positioning.

[0226] The VA positioning result includes the first location information of the virtual base station, which may include the location or location range of the virtual base station.

[0227] S507. The terminal device reports the VA location result to the network device.

[0228] In one possible embodiment, for indoor scenarios where the environment is unknown (base station distribution and location are unknown), the second multipath measurement data and the corresponding collection location (the location of the crowdsourcing terminal is known) are collected by the crowdsourcing terminal device, i.e., the third communication device. Combined with the configuration parameter information issued by the network device, the multipath data is correlated and located to obtain the VA location information in the environment.

[0229] In one possible embodiment, in the entire positioning system, the second communication device obtains the location information of the VA based on the location of the third communication device at a known location, thereby enabling the first communication device at an unknown location to obtain its own location information, as shown in Figure 6.

[0230] In this application, the third communication device includes known location information of the terminal device and multipath measurement data obtained by the third communication device, which can realize the positioning of the virtual base station in an unknown environment, thereby confirming the location information of the first communication device at an unknown location based on the location of the virtual base station.

[0231] In this application, after the first communication device obtains the VA location, it can calculate the correlation relationship of the first multipath measurement data based on the association configuration information sent by the second communication device, and then calculate the location information of the first communication device based on the correlation relationship, the VA location, and the first multipath measurement data.

[0232] The positioning system and positioning method in the embodiments of this application have been introduced above. The positioning device provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described. Referring to Figure 7, the embodiments of this application provide a positioning device 700. This positioning device 700 can realize the functions of the first communication device or the second communication device in the above method embodiments, and therefore can also achieve the beneficial effects of the above method embodiments. In the embodiments of this application, the positioning device 700 can be the first communication device or the second communication device, or it can be an integrated circuit or component inside the first communication device or the second communication device, such as a chip, baseband chip, modem chip, SoC chip (e.g., an SoC chip containing a modem core), SIP chip, communication module, chip system, processor, etc.

[0233] It should be noted that the transceiver unit 702 can also be called a transceiver module, which may include a sending unit (also called a sending module) and / or a receiving unit (also called a receiving module), which are used to perform the sending and receiving operations in the embodiment, respectively.

[0234] In one possible implementation, when the device 700 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in FIG2 and related embodiments, the device 700 includes a processing unit 701 and a transceiver unit 702; the transceiver unit 702 is used to receive association configuration information from the second communication device; wherein, the association configuration information includes association calculation information and first location information, the association calculation information is used to determine whether the signal data at different times in the first multipath measurement data comes from the same signal source, the first multipath measurement data includes signal data measured by multiple first communication devices at different times, and the first location information is used to indicate the location of the signal source associated with the first multipath measurement data; the processing unit 701 obtains the location information of the first communication device based on the associated multipath measurement data and the location of the corresponding signal source.

[0235] In one possible implementation, when the device 700 is used to execute the method performed by the second communication device in FIG2 and related embodiments, the device 700 includes a processing unit 701 and a transceiver unit 702; the transceiver unit 702 is used to send association configuration information to the first communication device; wherein, the association configuration information includes association calculation information and first location information, the association calculation information is used to determine whether the signal data at different times in the first multipath measurement data comes from the same signal source, the first multipath measurement data includes signal data measured by multiple first communication devices at different times, the first location information is used to indicate the location of the signal source related to the first multipath measurement data, and the first multipath measurement data and the association configuration information are used by the first communication device to obtain the second location information of the first communication device.

[0236] In one possible design, when the positioning device 700 is a terminal device or a communication module within a terminal, the function of the processing unit 701 can be implemented by one or more processors. Specifically, the processor may include a modem chip, a SoC chip (such as a SoC chip containing a modem core), or a SIP chip. The function of the transceiver unit 702 can be implemented by transceiver circuitry.

[0237] In one possible design, when the positioning device 700 is a circuit or chip in the terminal responsible for communication functions, such as a modem chip, a SoC chip, or a SoC chip or SIP chip containing a modem core, the function of the processing unit 701 can be implemented by a circuit system in the aforementioned chip that includes one or more processors or processor cores. The function of the transceiver unit 702 can be implemented by the interface circuit or data transceiver circuit on the aforementioned chip.

[0238] It should be noted that the information execution process of the unit of the positioning device 700 described above can be found in the description of the method embodiment shown in the foregoing of this application, and will not be repeated here.

[0239] Please refer to Figure 8, which is another schematic structural diagram of the positioning device 800 provided in this application. The positioning device 800 includes a logic circuit 801 and an input / output interface 802. The positioning device 800 can be a chip or an integrated circuit.

[0240] In this context, the transceiver unit 702 shown in Figure 7 can be a communication interface, which can be the input / output interface 802 in Figure 8, and the input / output interface 802 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication interface can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0241] In one possible implementation, when the device 800 is used to execute the method performed by the first communication device in FIG2 and related embodiments, the input / output interface 802 is used to receive association configuration information from the second communication device; wherein, the association configuration information includes association calculation information and first location information, the association calculation information is used to determine whether signal data at different times in the first multipath measurement data comes from the same signal source, the first multipath measurement data includes multiple signal data measured by the first communication device at different times, the first location information is used to indicate the location of the signal source associated with the first multipath measurement data, and the logic circuit 801 is used to obtain the location information of the first communication device based on the associated multipath measurement data and the location of the corresponding signal source.

[0242] In one possible implementation, when the device 800 is used to execute the method performed by the second communication device in FIG2 and related embodiments, the input / output interface 802 is used to send association configuration information to the first communication device; wherein, the association configuration information includes association calculation information and first location information, the association configuration information is used to associate the first multipath measurement data, the association calculation information is used to determine whether the signal data at different times in the first multipath measurement data comes from the same signal source, the first multipath measurement data includes multiple signal data measured by the first communication device at different times, the first location information is used to indicate the location of the signal source related to the first multipath measurement data, and the location information of the first communication device is determined based on the associated multipath measurement data and the location of the corresponding signal source.

[0243] The logic circuit 801 and the input / output interface 802 can also perform other steps performed by the first or second communication device in any embodiment and achieve corresponding beneficial effects, which will not be elaborated here.

[0244] In one possible implementation, the processing unit 701 shown in FIG7 can be the logic circuit 801 in FIG8.

[0245] Optionally, the logic circuit 801 can be a processing device, the functions of which can be partially or entirely implemented in software.

[0246] Optionally, the processing apparatus may include a memory and a processor, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor reads and executes the computer program stored in the memory to perform the corresponding processing and / or steps in any of the method embodiments.

[0247] Optionally, the processing device may consist of only a processor. Memory for storing computer programs is located outside the processing device, and the processor is connected to the memory via circuitry / wires to read and execute the computer programs stored in the memory. The memory and processor may be integrated together or physically independent.

[0248] Optionally, the processing device may be one or more chips, or one or more integrated circuits. For example, the processing device may be one or more field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), system-on-chips (SoCs), central processing units (CPUs), network processors (NPs), digital signal processors (DSPs), microcontroller units (MCUs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), or other integrated chips, or any combination of the above chips or processors.

[0249] Please refer to Figure 9, which shows the positioning device 900 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. Specifically, the positioning device 900 can be the positioning device as a terminal device in the above embodiments. The example shown in Figure 9 is that the terminal device is implemented through the terminal device (or the components in the terminal device).

[0250] The positioning device 900 is shown in a possible logical structure diagram. The positioning device 900 may include, but is not limited to, at least one processor 901 and a communication port 902.

[0251] In Figure 7, the transceiver unit 702 can be a communication interface, which can be the communication port 902 in Figure 9. The communication port 902 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the communication port 902 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0252] Further optionally, the device may include at least one of a memory 903 and a bus 904. In the embodiments of this application, at least one processor 901 is provided for controlling the operation of the positioning device 900.

[0253] Furthermore, the processor 901 can be a central processing unit, a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor, an application-specific integrated circuit, a field-programmable gate array, or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It can implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processor can also be a combination that implements computing functions, such as a combination of one or more microprocessors, a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, etc. Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0254] It should be noted that the positioning device 900 shown in Figure 9 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the terminal device in the aforementioned method embodiment and achieve the corresponding technical effect of the terminal device. The specific implementation of the terminal device shown in Figure 9 can be referred to the description of the first communication device or the second communication device in the aforementioned method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0255] Please refer to Figure 10, which is a structural schematic diagram of the positioning device 10000 involved in the above embodiments provided in the embodiments of this application. The positioning device 10000 can specifically be the positioning device as a network device in the above embodiments. The example shown in Figure 10 is that the network device is implemented through the network device (or the component in the network device). The structure of the positioning device can refer to the structure shown in Figure 10.

[0256] The positioning device 10000 includes at least one processor 1011 and at least one network interface 1014. Further optionally, the positioning device 10000 also includes at least one memory 1012, at least one transceiver 1013, and one or more antennas 1015. The processor 1011, memory 1012, transceiver 1013, and network interface 1014 are connected, for example, via a bus. In this embodiment, the connection may include various interfaces, transmission lines, or buses, etc., and this embodiment is not limited thereto. The antenna 1015 is connected to the transceiver 1013. The network interface 1014 enables the positioning device to communicate with other communication devices through a communication link. For example, the network interface 1014 may include a network interface between the positioning device and core network equipment, such as an S1 interface, or a network interface between the positioning device and other communication devices (e.g., other network devices or core network equipment), such as an X2 or Xn interface.

[0257] In this context, the transceiver unit 702 shown in Figure 7 can be a communication interface, which can be the network interface 1014 in Figure 10. The network interface 1014 can include an input interface and an output interface. Alternatively, the network interface 1014 can also be a transceiver circuit, which can include an input interface circuit and an output interface circuit.

[0258] The processor 1011 is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, control the entire positioning device, execute software programs, and process data from the software programs, for example, to support the positioning device in performing the actions described in the embodiments. The positioning device may include a baseband processor and a central processing unit (CPU). The baseband processor is mainly used to process communication protocols and communication data, while the CPU is mainly used to control the entire terminal device, execute software programs, and process data from the software programs. The processor 1011 in Figure 10 can integrate the functions of both the baseband processor and the CPU. Those skilled in the art will understand that the baseband processor and the CPU can also be independent processors interconnected via technologies such as buses. Those skilled in the art will understand that the terminal device may include multiple baseband processors to adapt to different network standards, and the terminal device may include multiple CPUs to enhance its processing capabilities. The various components of the terminal device can be connected via various buses. The baseband processor can also be described as a baseband processing circuit or a baseband processing chip. The CPU can also be described as a central processing circuit or a central processing chip. The function of processing communication protocols and communication data can be built into the processor or stored in memory as a software program, which is then executed by the processor to implement the baseband processing function.

[0259] The memory is primarily used to store software programs and data. The memory 1012 can exist independently or be connected to the processor 1011. Optionally, the memory 1012 can be integrated with the processor 1011, for example, integrated within a single chip. The memory 1012 can store program code that executes the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and its execution is controlled by the processor 1011. The various types of computer program code being executed can also be considered as drivers for the processor 1011.

[0260] Figure 10 shows only one memory and one processor. In actual terminal devices, there may be multiple processors and multiple memories. Memory can also be called storage medium or storage device, etc. Memory can be a storage element on the same chip as the processor, i.e., an on-chip storage element, or it can be a separate storage element; this application does not limit this.

[0261] Transceiver 1013 can be used to support the reception or transmission of radio frequency (RF) signals with a terminal. Transceiver 1013 can be connected to antenna 1015. Transceiver 1013 includes a transmitter Tx and / or a receiver Rx. Specifically, one or more antennas 1015 can receive RF signals. The receiver Rx of transceiver 1013 is used to receive the RF signals from the antennas, convert the RF signals into digital baseband signals or digital intermediate frequency (IF) signals, and provide the digital baseband signals or IF signals to processor 1011 so that processor 1011 can perform further processing on the digital baseband signals or IF signals, such as demodulation and decoding. In addition, the transmitter Tx in transceiver 1013 is also used to receive modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals from processor 1011, convert the modulated digital baseband signals or IF signals into RF signals, and transmit the RF signals through one or more antennas 1015. Specifically, the receiver Rx can selectively perform one or more stages of downmixing and analog-to-digital conversion on the radio frequency signal to obtain a digital baseband signal or a digital intermediate frequency (IF) signal. The order of these downmixing and IF conversion processes is adjustable. The transmitter Tx can selectively perform one or more stages of upmixing and digital-to-analog conversion on the modulated digital baseband signal or digital IF signal to obtain a radio frequency signal. The order of these upmixing and IF conversion processes is also adjustable. The digital baseband signal and the digital IF signal can be collectively referred to as digital signals.

[0262] The transceiver 1013 can also be called a transceiver unit, transceiver, transceiver device, etc. Optionally, the device in the transceiver unit that performs the receiving function can be regarded as the receiving unit, and the device in the transceiver unit that performs the transmitting function can be regarded as the transmitting unit. That is, the transceiver unit includes a receiving unit and a transmitting unit. The receiving unit can also be called a receiver, input port, receiving circuit, etc., and the transmitting unit can be called a transmitter, transmitter, or transmitting circuit, etc.

[0263] It should be noted that the positioning device 10000 shown in Figure 10 can be used to implement the steps implemented by the network device in the aforementioned method embodiment and achieve the corresponding technical effect of the network device. The specific implementation of the positioning device 10000 shown in Figure 10 can be referred to the description of the first communication device or the second communication device in the aforementioned method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0264] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable instructions. When the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the processor performs the method described in the possible implementations of the first or second communication device in the foregoing embodiments.

[0265] This application also provides a computer program product (or computer program) that, when executed by a processor, executes the method described above for the possible implementation of the first or second communication device.

[0266] This application also provides a chip system including at least one processor for supporting the positioning device in implementing the functions involved in the possible implementations of the positioning device described above. Optionally, the chip system further includes an interface circuit that provides program instructions and / or data to the at least one processor. In one possible design, the chip system may also include a memory for storing the program instructions and data necessary for the positioning device. The chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices, wherein the positioning device may specifically be the first communication device or the second communication device in the aforementioned method embodiments.

[0267] This application also provides a positioning system, which includes the first communication device in any of the above embodiments.

[0268] Optionally, the communication system may also include a second communication device.

[0269] In the embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms. Whether a function is implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0270] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0271] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit. If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. A positioning method, said method being applied to a first communication device, characterized in that, The method includes: Receive association configuration information from a second communication device; wherein, the association configuration information includes association calculation information and first location information, the association configuration information is used to associate the first multipath measurement data, the association calculation information is used to determine whether the signal data at different times in the first multipath measurement data comes from the same signal source, the first multipath measurement data includes multiple signal data measured by the first communication device at different times, and the first location information is used to indicate the location of the signal source related to the first multipath measurement data; The location information of the first communication device is obtained based on the associated multipath measurement data and the location of the corresponding signal source.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method further includes: A positioning request is sent to the second communication device; wherein the positioning request includes demand information, the demand information being used to request the second communication device to send associated configuration information that matches the first multipath measurement data.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The association calculation information includes association probabilities; wherein, the association probabilities include a first probability and a second probability, the first probability is the posterior probability of the first multipath measurement data, the second probability is the transition probability of the first multipath measurement data, and the transition probability is used to indicate the probability that the signal data at the first time and the signal data at the second time in the first multipath measurement data belong to the same signal source.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The association calculation information also includes association constraints and association judgment thresholds; wherein, the association constraints are used to filter the multipath measurement data to be associated, and the association judgment thresholds are used to determine whether the first multipath measurement data are associated.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, If the data type of the first multipath measurement data is relative measurement data, then the associated configuration information also includes the reference data of the relative measurement data.

6. A positioning method, characterized in that, The method is applied to a second communication device, and the method includes: The first communication device sends association configuration information; wherein the association configuration information includes association calculation information and first location information, the association configuration information is used to associate the first multipath measurement data, the association calculation information is used to determine whether the signal data at different times in the first multipath measurement data comes from the same signal source, the first multipath measurement data includes multiple signal data measured by the first communication device at different times, the first location information is used to indicate the location of the signal source related to the first multipath measurement data, and the location information of the first communication device is determined based on the associated multipath measurement data and the location of the corresponding signal source.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The method further includes: A positioning request is received from the first communication device; wherein the positioning request includes demand information, the demand information being used to request the second communication device to send associated configuration information that matches the first multipath measurement data.

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that, The association calculation information includes association probabilities; wherein, the association probabilities include a first probability and a second probability, the first probability is the posterior probability of the first multipath measurement data, the second probability is the transition probability of the first multipath measurement data, and the transition probability is used to indicate the probability that the signal data at the first time and the signal data at the second time in the first multipath measurement data belong to the same signal source.

9. The method according to any one of claims 6-8, characterized in that, The association calculation information also includes association constraints and association judgment thresholds; wherein, the association constraints are used to filter the multipath measurement data to be associated, and the association judgment thresholds are used to determine whether the first multipath measurement data are associated.

10. A positioning device, characterized in that, Includes at least one processor; The at least one processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions to enable the positioning device to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The positioning device according to claim 10, characterized in that, The positioning device also includes a memory; The processor is coupled to the memory; The memory is used to store the computer program or instructions.

12. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed, cause the method described in any one of claims 1 to 9 to be performed.

13. A computer program product, characterized in that, When the program instructions are run on a computer, the computer causes the computer to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

Images