Base Station NTN Positioning via Propagation Delay and Timing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In next-generation wireless communication systems, particularly in Non-Terrestrial Networks (NTN), the large distance between base stations in the air and terminals, along with the complex communication path involving feeder and service links, makes it challenging for conventional methods to accurately verify terminal location information.
Innovation Solution
A base station is equipped with a transmission unit to send a first reference signal to a terminal via a non-terrestrial communication device and a reception unit to receive timing information from the terminal. The base station then transmits propagation delay and timing information to the Location Management Function (LMF), using a time difference between reception timings of the first and second reference signals.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional location verification methods are used in NTN systems, then the network cannot sufficiently verify terminal location information, but implementing new positioning methods increases system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The positioning method is segmented into distinct phases: reference signal transmission from base station through non-terrestrial device to terminal, reception timing measurement at terminal, and location calculation at LMF. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while maintaining overall accuracy in the NTN environment
Solution Approach 2:
The non-terrestrial communication device (satellite or HAPS) acts as an intermediary in the signal path between base station and terminal. The positioning method accounts for this intermediary by measuring propagation delay through the intermediary and using it to calculate terminal location, thereby resolving the verification accuracy issue without requiring direct line-of-sight measurement
2Reliability
If reference signals are transmitted via non-terrestrial communication devices, then location verification becomes possible, but the communication path complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The terminal measures and reports reception timing information back to the base station, which then reports to LMF. This feedback loop enables the network to verify terminal location by comparing reported timing with expected timing based on known base station and non-terrestrial device positions, achieving reliable location verification despite complex communication paths
Solution Approach 2:
The method changes the measurement parameter from direct distance measurement to propagation delay measurement. By measuring the time delay of signals traveling through the non-terrestrial communication device and using this parameter to calculate location, the system achieves reliable positioning while accounting for the complex feeder and service link structure
Data Source
AI summary
A base station in a network system includes: a transmission unit configured to transmit a first reference signal to a terminal via a first non-terrestrial communication device; and a reception unit configured to receive information related to a reception timing at the terminal from the terminal. The transmission unit transmits information related to a propagation delay of the first reference signal and information related to the reception timing to LMF (Location Management Function), and the information related to the reception timing is a time difference between a reception timing of the first reference signal and a reception timing of a second reference signal that is transmitted from the base station or from a second base station that is different from the base station via a second non-terrestrial communication device.