Base Station Downtilt Angle Measurement for 3D Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing positioning methods in wireless communications fail to accurately determine the position of a User Equipment (UE) due to the unavailability of altitude difference between the UE and the evolved Node B (eNB), leading to significant errors in positioning results.
Innovation Solution
The evolved Node B (eNB) determines the downtilt angle of the beam from uplink channel measurements or Pre-coding Matrix Indicator (PMI) feedback, allowing it to calculate the angle of arrival, downtilt angle, and timing advance, which are then used to derive the altitude difference and improve positioning precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If positioning is performed using only cell_ID, TA, and AoA methods, then the positioning can be implemented with existing network measurements, but the positioning accuracy deteriorates significantly due to unavailable altitude difference information
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from 2D positioning (horizontal plane only) to 3D positioning by introducing the vertical dimension through downtilt angle measurement. The downtilt angle provides information about the vertical separation between eNB and UE, enabling calculation of altitude difference and achieving accurate three-dimensional positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses downtilt angle as an intermediary parameter to indirectly obtain altitude difference information. Instead of directly measuring altitude, the system measures the downtilt angle of the beam and uses trigonometric relationships to derive the vertical distance, thus obtaining the missing altitude information through a measurable intermediary.
2Measurement precision
If downtilt angle measurement is added to existing positioning methods, then positioning accuracy improves through altitude difference calculation, but the measurement complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent leverages the existing downtilt angle measurement capability of the eNB, which was originally designed for beamforming and signal optimization purposes. By making this existing measurement available for positioning calculations, the system achieves enhanced positioning accuracy without adding dedicated hardware or measurement mechanisms, thus avoiding increased device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The eNB uses its own existing beamforming and channel measurement capabilities to obtain the downtilt angle information needed for positioning. The system serves its own positioning needs by utilizing measurements already being performed for other network functions, eliminating the need for separate positioning-specific measurement infrastructure.
Data Source
AI summary
An embodiment of the present application relates to the technical field of wireless communications, in particular to a positioning information determination method and device, for solving the problem of large positioning result errors in the prior art due to the fact that existing positioning methods cannot acquire the height difference between a UE and a base station. The positioning information determination method provided in the embodiment of the present invention comprises: a base station receives an uplink signal from a UE; and the base station determines the angle of arrival, beam declination angle and timing advance of the UE according to the received uplink signal. By determining the angle of arrival, beam declination angle and timing advance of a UE according to the received uplink signal, the base station determines the height difference between the UE and the base station according to the beam declination angle, thus reducing positioning result error and improving positioning precision.