WO2023011193A1

WO2023011193A1 - Method for sending positioning reference signal, device, and storage medium

Info

Publication number: WO2023011193A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/106885
Authority: WO
Inventors: 李成; 黄甦; 司源; 刘慧锋
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2021-08-06
Filing date: 2022-07-20
Publication date: 2023-02-09
Also published as: CN115913478A

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a method for sending a positioning reference signal, a device, a storage medium, and a computer program product. The provided method comprises: a terminal device receives instruction information associated with the positioning reference signal, the instruction information instructing the terminal device to send the positioning reference signal in the manner of antenna switching; and the terminal device sends the positioning reference signal to an access network device in the manner of antenna switching on the basis of the instruction information.

Description

Method, device and storage medium for sending positioning reference signal

technical field

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of communication technologies, and more specifically, relate to a method, device, storage medium, and computer program product for sending a positioning reference signal.

Background technique

With the development of science and technology, the whole society is currently in the process of transforming to intelligence, such as intelligent chemical factories, smart malls, smart cities, etc., one of the key technologies is wireless positioning technology. In order to meet various high-precision positioning requirements, such as automatic driving, logistics tracking, etc., the accuracy of wireless positioning needs to be further enhanced.

The positioning technology based on time of arrival estimation (TOA, timing of arrival) is one of the most widely used technologies in wireless positioning. Taking uplink positioning as an example, the terminal device sends a positioning reference signal, and the serving base station and the neighboring cell base station respectively measure the relative time of arrival (RTOA, relative time of arrival) of the positioning reference signal through the direct path (LOS, line of sight). The RTOA measured by different base stations can obtain the distance relationship between the terminal equipment and different base stations, and combined with the known location information of the base stations, the position of the terminal equipment can be calculated.

Contents of the invention

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure propose methods, apparatuses, computer readable storage media and computer program products for transmitting positioning reference signals.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a method for sending a positioning reference signal is proposed. In the method, a terminal device receives indication information associated with a positioning reference signal. The indication information instructs the terminal device to send the positioning reference signal in the antenna switching manner. The method further includes the terminal device sending a positioning reference signal to the access network device in a manner of antenna switching based on the indication information.

In the first implementation manner of the first aspect, the terminal device may send the positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device on multiple consecutively adjacent resources in the time domain; The positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device are sequentially sent on one or more resources in different signal transmission periods.

In a second implementation manner of the first aspect, the terminal device may send the positioning reference signal on multiple consecutive adjacent symbols within a single time slot.

In the third implementation manner of the first aspect, the terminal device may send the positioning reference sent by the first part of the multiple antenna ports of the terminal device on the first group of consecutive adjacent symbols in a single time slot signals, and transmit positioning reference signals sent by a second part of the antenna ports in the plurality of antenna ports on a second group of consecutive adjacent symbols within the single time slot. The first group of consecutively adjacent symbols and the second group of consecutively adjacent symbols may or may not be adjacent to each other.

In a fourth implementation manner of the first aspect, the terminal device may send the positioning reference signal at different frequencies on different time resources in each of the different transmission periods.

In a fifth implementation manner of the first aspect, the indication information may be carried in configuration information of the positioning reference signal.

In the sixth implementation manner of the first aspect, if the terminal device receives a request from the positioning server for a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device, the terminal device may send an indication of the capability to the positioning server. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval; the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals; or the number of antennas the terminal device has.

In a seventh implementation manner of the first aspect, the terminal device may send an indication of a capability associated with the location of the terminal device to the access network device. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals.

In the eighth implementation manner of the first aspect, the terminal device may associate the positioning reference signal with different antenna ports of the terminal device or associate the positioning reference signal resource carrying the positioning reference signal with the different antenna ports.

According to the method proposed in the first aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to realize a scheme of positioning reference signals by using different antennas in turn to transmit the positioning reference signal in the manner of antenna switching, so that the space diversity gain of the antenna can be used to compensate for the coverage problem of a single antenna, so as to Boost the strength of reference signals in different directions. In this way, the problem of weak head path caused by a single antenna can be avoided, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a method for sending a positioning reference signal is proposed. In this method, the access network device sends indication information associated with the positioning reference signal to the terminal device. The indication information may instruct the terminal device to send the positioning reference signal in a manner of antenna switching. The method further includes that the access network device receives from the terminal device the positioning reference signal sent by the terminal device in a manner of switching the antenna.

In a first implementation manner of the second aspect, the access network device may receive, from the terminal device, an indication of a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals. The access network device may generate the positioning reference signal based on the configuration information indicated.

In a second implementation manner of the second aspect, the access network device receives an indication of a capability associated with positioning of the terminal device from a positioning server. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals. The access network device may generate the positioning reference signal based on the configuration information indicated.

In a third implementation manner of the second aspect, the access network device jointly estimates the arrival time of the positioning reference signal from the terminal device to the access network device according to the positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may, together with the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, an access network device is provided. The terminal device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code may, together with the at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform the method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a system is proposed, and the system may include the access network device and a positioning server according to the fourth aspect of the present disclosure. The location server is used to manage operations associated with location of terminal devices.

According to a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium is proposed. Computer-executable instructions are stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when executed by a processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the processor to execute the method according to the first aspect or the second aspect of the present disclosure.

According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is proposed. The computer program product comprises computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to the first or second aspect of the present disclosure.

According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a transceiver unit. The transceiving unit is configured to receive indication information associated with the positioning reference signal and send the positioning reference signal to the access network device in a manner of antenna switching based on the indication information.

In the first implementation manner of the eighth aspect, the transceiving unit is further configured to transmit the positioning reference signal sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device on a plurality of consecutively adjacent resources in the time domain; or in the The positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device are sequentially sent on one or more resources in different transmission periods of the positioning reference signals.

In a second implementation manner of the eighth aspect, the transceiving unit is further configured to transmit the positioning reference signal on multiple consecutive adjacent symbols within a single time slot.

In a third implementation manner of the eighth aspect, the transceiver unit is further configured to transmit a signal sent by a first part of the multiple antenna ports of the terminal device on a first group of consecutive adjacent symbols within a single time slot and transmitting the positioning reference signals sent by the second part of the antenna ports in the plurality of antenna ports on a second group of consecutive adjacent symbols in the single time slot. The first group of consecutively adjacent symbols and the second group of consecutively adjacent symbols may or may not be adjacent to each other.

In a fourth implementation manner of the eighth aspect, the transceiving unit is further configured to transmit positioning reference signals at different frequencies on different time resources in each of the different transmission periods.

In the fifth implementation manner of the eighth aspect. The indication information may be carried in the configuration information of the positioning reference signal.

In the sixth implementation manner of the eighth aspect, the transceiving unit is further configured to, if the terminal device receives a request for a capability associated with positioning of the terminal device from the positioning server, the terminal device may send an indication of the capability to the positioning server. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval; the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals; or the number of antennas the terminal device has.

In a seventh implementation manner of the eighth aspect, the transceiving unit is further configured such that the terminal device can send an indication of a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device to the access network device. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals.

According to a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided. The communication device includes a transceiver unit. The transceiving unit is configured to receive a random access response from the access network device. The determining unit is configured to send indication information associated with the positioning reference signal to the terminal device, the indication information instructing the terminal device to send the positioning reference signal in an antenna switching manner and to receive the positioning reference signal from the terminal device The positioning reference signal sent by the terminal device in a manner of switching the antenna.

In a first implementation manner of the ninth aspect, the transceiving unit is configured to receive, from the terminal device, an indication of a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals. The communication device may include a determining unit configured to generate the configuration information of the positioning reference signal based on the instruction.

In a second implementation manner of the ninth aspect, the transceiving unit is configured such that the access network device receives an indication of a capability associated with positioning of the terminal device from a positioning server. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals. The communication device may include a determining unit configured to generate the configuration information of the positioning reference signal based on the instruction.

In a third implementation manner of the ninth aspect, the communication apparatus may include a determining unit configured to jointly estimate the positioning reference signal from the terminal device to the access point according to the positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device. Arrival time of network devices.

In a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a positioning server is provided. The positioning server may send a request for capabilities associated with the positioning of the terminal device to the terminal device. If the positioning server receives the capability indication from the terminal device, the positioning server may send the capability indication to the access network device.

In some embodiments, the positioning server may also send a positioning request for the terminal device to the access network device.

In some embodiments, the positioning server may also receive a measurement report associated with the positioning of the terminal device from the access network device.

In the eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, including at least one processor, and the at least one processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions in the memory, so that the communication device performs the above-mentioned first aspect or the second Methods of various embodiments of aspects.

In a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, including: a processor, a transceiver, and a memory; the processor is configured to execute a computer program or instructions in the memory, so that the communication device performs the first The method of each embodiment of the aspect or the second aspect.

In a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a communication device is provided, including: a processor and a memory; the processor is used to execute computer programs or instructions in the memory, so that the communication device performs the above-mentioned first aspect or the first aspect. The method of each embodiment of two aspects.

In the fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure, another communication device is provided, including: an interface circuit and a logic circuit; where the interface circuit can be understood as an input-output interface, and the logic circuit can be used to run code instructions to perform the above-mentioned first aspect or the first aspect The method of each embodiment of two aspects.

According to the solution proposed in the present disclosure, the problem of weak head path caused by the directivity of a single antenna can be significantly improved, so that the influence of the above problem on the positioning accuracy can be avoided, and the system efficiency can be improved.

Description of drawings

The above and other features, advantages and aspects of the various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent with reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, identical or similar reference numerals denote identical or similar elements, wherein:

Figure 1 shows a schematic diagram of an example network environment in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

Fig. 2 shows a signaling interaction diagram for sending a positioning reference signal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3A shows a timing diagram for sending a positioning reference signal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3B shows a schematic diagram of an antenna port for transmitting a positioning reference signal terminal device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 shows a timing diagram for sending a positioning reference signal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 shows a timing diagram for sending a positioning reference signal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6A shows a timing diagram for sending a positioning reference signal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 6B shows a schematic diagram of an antenna port of a terminal device for sending a positioning reference signal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6C shows a timing diagram for sending a positioning reference signal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 shows a timing diagram for sending a positioning reference signal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of a method for sending a positioning reference signal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 shows a flowchart of a method for sending a positioning reference signal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure;

Figure 12 shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 13 shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed ways

Some example embodiments will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Although example embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided for further A thorough and complete understanding of this disclosure. It should be understood that the drawings and embodiments of the present disclosure are for exemplary purposes only, and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the present disclosure.

As used herein, the terms "communication network", "wireless network" refer to a network conforming to any appropriate communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) and more. Furthermore, communications between terminal devices and access network devices in the communications network may be performed according to any suitable generation of communications protocols, including but not limited to first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75 G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, and fifth generation (5G) communication protocols and/or any other currently known or to be developed in the future. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied in various communication systems, including cellular and non-cellular communication systems. Given the rapid evolution of communications, there will of course also be future types of communications technologies and systems that may embody the present disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the present disclosure should not be considered limited to the systems described above. For purposes of illustration, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to a 5G communication system.

The terms "terminal equipment" and "user equipment" used herein refer to any terminal equipment capable of wireless communication. As illustrative and non-limiting examples, a terminal device may also be called a communication device, user equipment (UE), subscriber station (SS), portable subscriber station, mobile station (MS) or access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include but are not limited to mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, Voice over Internet Phone (VoIP, Voice over Internet Phone), wireless local loop phones, tablet computers, wearable terminal devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), Laptop computers, desktop computers, image capture terminal equipment (for example, digital cameras), game terminal equipment, music storage and playback equipment, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal equipment, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, laptop built-in equipment (LEE), laptop external device (LME), Universal Serial Bus (USB, Universal Serial Bus) dongle, smart device, wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), Internet of Things (loT) device, watch or other wearable device, head-mounted display ( HMD), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and/or other wireless devices operating in industrial and/or automated process chain environments), consumer Electronic equipment, equipment commercial operations and/or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" are used interchangeably.

The term "access network device" used herein includes, but is not limited to, a base station (BS), a gateway, a registration management entity, and other appropriate devices in a communication system. The term "base station" or "BS" means Node B (NodeB or NB), Evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), New Radio (NR, New Radio) NB (also known as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), radio Headend (RH), Remote Radio Head (RRH), relay, low power nodes (eg femto, pico, etc.). In addition, the "access network device" can be a centralized unit (Central Unit, CU) or a distributed unit (Distributed Unit, DU). In some example embodiments, the CU and DU may be placed in different locations, for example, the CU is placed in a central office and the DU is placed in a high traffic area. In some other exemplary embodiments, the CU and the DU may also be placed in the same place, for example, in the same equipment room, or different components in the same rack.

As used herein, the term "comprise" and its variants mean open inclusion, ie "including but not limited to". The term "or" means "and/or" unless otherwise stated. The term "based on" means "based at least in part on". The terms "example embodiments" and "certain embodiments" mean "at least one example embodiment." Other definitions, both express and implied, may also be included below.

As mentioned above, the positioning technology based on time of arrival (TOA, timing of arrival) is one of the most widely used technologies in wireless positioning. Taking uplink positioning as an example, the terminal device sends a positioning reference signal, and the serving base station and the neighboring cell base station respectively measure the relative time of arrival (RTOA, relative time of arrival) of the positioning reference signal through the direct path (LOS, line of sight). The RTOA measured by different base stations can obtain the distance relationship between the terminal equipment and different base stations, and combined with the known location information of the base stations, the position of the terminal equipment can be calculated.

Currently, in the wireless positioning technology, the requirements for positioning accuracy are constantly increasing. When TOA is used as a positioning technology, the antenna of the terminal equipment usually cannot achieve ideal omnidirectional radiation characteristics due to hardware limitations. The non-ideal radiation characteristics lead to different signal strengths in different directions, and the LOS paths detected by different base station equipment The signal energies also vary. Even if there is a direct path between the base station and the terminal equipment in the weak radiation direction of the terminal antenna, the low signal energy of the direct path will cause the problem of weak first path, and the energy of the first path (LOS, Line of sight) will be absorbed by the non-direct path (NLOS, non-line of sight) submerged, it is difficult for the base station in this direction to accurately estimate the arrival time information of the LOS path, resulting in limited positioning accuracy.

Therefore, it is considered to adopt a multi-port positioning reference signal transmission mode based on antenna switching to obtain full channel state information. However, due to coverage considerations, the positioning reference signal only supports a single-port configuration mode, and does not consider the transmission mode based on antenna switching, thus facing the problem of antenna directivity.

For example, the transmitting antenna of the terminal device may have strong signal radiation capability at certain angles, but weak signal radiation capability at certain angles. The LOS path received at an angle with weak signal radiation capability may be affected by non-NLOS paths in other angle directions, so that the TOA estimated by the base station equipment is often the time of arrival corresponding to the NLOS path rather than the arrival time of the LOS path. Positioning accuracy is limited due to the deviation of the arrival time of the NLOS trail from the arrival time of the LOS trail.

An example process for transmitting a positioning reference signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be discussed below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7 .

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an example network environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 1 , a network environment 100 may provide network coverage for user equipment (such as terminal equipment 110 ) within a certain area. The network environment may include access network equipment 120 , which corresponds to cell 102 . In this disclosure, the access network device may also be referred to as base station device 120 . The terminal device 110 may communicate with the access network device within the coverage of the access network device 120 (for example, the cell 102 ).

The network environment 100 may also include a location server 130 . The location server 130 may also be called a location management function (LMF, location management function), which may be regarded as a location management function node in the core network. The location server 130 can communicate with the terminal device 110 and the access network device 120 .

It should be understood that the network environment 100 is for exemplary purposes only and does not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be embodied in other network environments or architectures. In addition, it should be understood that the network environment 100 may also include other elements or entities for realizing communication connection, data transmission and other purposes. In order to simplify the description, these elements or entities are not shown in FIG. 1 , but it does not mean that the embodiments of the present disclosure do not have them.

The network environment 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be a wireless network following any protocols currently known or to be developed in the future, including but not limited to narrowband Internet of Things (Narrow Band-Internet of Things, NB-IoT), global Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Code Division Multiple Access 2000 system (Code Division Multiple Access, CDMA2000), time division synchronous code division multiple access system (Time Division-Synchronization Code Division Multiple Access, TD-SCDMA), long term evolution system (Long Term Evolution, LTE) and 5G mobile communication system Three major application scenarios Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB, Enhanced Mobile Broadband), Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communications (URLLC, Ultra-reliable and Low Latency Communications) and Enhanced Massive Machine Type Communication (eMTC, Enhanced Massive Machine Type Communication) .

As described above, the terminal device 110 in the network environment 100 can be located. Usually, the core network functional entity Access and Mobility Function (AMF, Access and Mobility Function) can receive location service requests about the terminal device 110 initiated by other network elements in the network. The AMF may send the received request to the positioning server 130 . The LMF is responsible for processing received positioning requests and initiating related positioning procedures. For example, the positioning server 130 may initiate a positioning request for the terminal device 110 to a serving base station of the terminal device 110 , such as the base station device 120 . The base station device 120 can estimate the positioning of the terminal device 110 based on the positioning reference signal received from the terminal device 110 . The base station device 120 may also report the positioning measurement report for the terminal device 110 to the positioning server 130 . During the positioning process for the terminal device 110 , the accuracy of the positioning estimation for the terminal device 110 performed by the base station device 120 may be affected due to the directivity problem of the transmitting antenna of the terminal device 110 .

Therefore, embodiments of the present disclosure propose a method for sending positioning reference signals. In this method, the terminal device receives indication information associated with the positioning reference signal. The indication information instructs the terminal device to send the positioning reference signal in the antenna switching manner. The terminal device also sends the positioning reference signal to the access network device in a manner of antenna switching based on the indication information. In this manner, the problem of weak head path caused by the directivity of a single antenna can be significantly improved, thereby avoiding the impact of the above problem on positioning accuracy and improving system efficiency.

Referring now to FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 shows a signaling interaction diagram for an initial random access procedure 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. This example interaction process 200 may involve the terminal device 110, the access network device 120 and the positioning server 130 as shown in FIG. 1 . For purposes of discussion, process 200 will be described below with reference to FIG. 1 , but it should be understood that the process is equally applicable to other communication scenarios and devices.

At 205 , if the positioning server 130 receives a positioning request for the terminal device 110 , the positioning server 130 sends a capability request message to the terminal device 110 . The capability may include a capability associated with uplink positioning of the terminal device 110 .

In some embodiments, the capability request message may be carried in LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP, LTE Positioning Protocol) signaling.

In some embodiments, the capability may be, for example, the capability of the terminal device 110 to send positioning reference signals. The capability of the terminal device 110 to send the positioning reference signal may be related to, for example, the transceiving capability of the antenna of the terminal device 110 .

In some embodiments, the positioning reference signal may be understood as any reference signal associated with the positioning process of the terminal device 110 . For example, it may include one of Sounding Reference Signal (SRS, Sounding Reference Signal) and Positioning Reference Signal (PRS, Positioning Reference Signal).

At 210 , after the terminal device 110 receives the capability request message from the positioning server 130 , the terminal device 110 may generate an indication of a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device 110 .

In some embodiments, the indication may include an indication of whether the terminal device is capable of zero handover interval. This indication can be expressed as "srs-NonGapSwitch:{enabled, disabled}", for example.

In some embodiments, the indication may include, for example, an indication of antenna capabilities of the terminal device 110 . The antenna capability of the terminal device 110 may include, for example, the number of antennas that the terminal device 110 has.

In some embodiments, the antenna capability of the terminal device 110 may also include the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for receiving reference signals, the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for transmitting reference signals, and the simultaneous At least one of the number of antennas for transmitting reference signals.

In some embodiments, if the indication of the antenna capability of the terminal device 110 includes an indication of the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for simultaneously receiving reference signals and an indication of the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for simultaneously transmitting reference signals, the terminal device The indication of the antenna capability of 110 may be expressed as "srs-TxSwitch:{t1r2, t1r4, t2r4}", which respectively indicate that the terminal device 110 has the ability to simultaneously receive reference signals with two antennas and transmit reference signals with one antenna , the terminal device 110 has the ability to simultaneously receive reference signals with four antennas and transmit reference signals with one antenna, and the terminal device 110 has the capability to simultaneously receive reference signals with four antennas and simultaneously transmit reference signals with two antennas.

In some embodiments, if the indication of the antenna capability of the terminal device 110 includes the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for simultaneously transmitting reference signals, the indication of the antenna capability of the terminal device 110 may be expressed as "srs-TxCapability:{t1 ,t2,t4}". The indications respectively indicate that the terminal device 110 has the capability of transmitting reference signals with one antenna, the terminal device 110 has the capability of transmitting reference signals with two antennas simultaneously, and the terminal device 110 has the capability of transmitting reference signals with four antennas simultaneously.

At 215 , the terminal device 110 may send the generated indication of capabilities associated with the positioning of the terminal device 110 to the positioning server 130 . The indication can be carried in LPP protocol signaling. Specifically, the indication may be carried by a "ProvideCapabilities" message in the LPP protocol signaling.

At 220 , the positioning server 130 sends a positioning information request message to the serving base station of the terminal device 110 , ie, the base station device 120 , to request the base station device 120 to report the configuration information of the positioning reference signal configured for the terminal device 110 . Indication information may be included in the positioning information request message.

The indication information instructs the base station device 120 to configure the configuration information of the positioning reference signal based on antenna switching for the terminal device 110 . In some embodiments, the indication information may be expressed as "AntennaSwitching: {enabled, disabled}", which indicates whether the terminal device 110 transmits the positioning reference signal in the manner of antenna switching.

In some embodiments, the indication information may also indicate whether the terminal device has the capability of zero handover interval. This indication can be represented as "NonGapSwitch: {enabled, disabled}", for example.

In some embodiments, the indication information may also indicate the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for receiving reference signals, the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for transmitting reference signals, and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for simultaneously transmitting reference signals At least one of the number of antennas.

In some embodiments, the positioning information request message sent by the positioning server 130 to the base station device 120 may be carried in the "NRPPA PositioningInformationRequest" message.

In some embodiments, it is also possible that at 225 the base station device 120 receives from the terminal device 110 an indication of capabilities associated with the positioning of the terminal device 110 . Likewise, the indication includes, for example, whether the terminal device 110 has the capability of zero handover interval. In addition, the indication may also include the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for receiving reference signals, the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for transmitting reference signals, and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for simultaneously transmitting reference signals at least one.

The base station device 120 generates the configuration information of the positioning reference signal for the terminal device 110 based on the indication of the capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device 110 received from the positioning server 130 or the terminal device 110 . At 230 , the base station device 120 sends the generated configuration information to the terminal device 110 .

In some embodiments, the configuration information may at least include indication information associated with the terminal device 110 sending the positioning reference signal, which instructs the terminal device 110 to send the positioning reference signal in a manner of antenna switching. The indication information may be expressed as "AntennaSwitching: {enabled, disabled}".

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 sending the positioning reference signal in the manner of antenna switching may be understood as sending the positioning reference signal in the manner of antenna port switching.

In addition, the configuration information may at least include indication information of one or more resources allocated for the terminal device 110 for sending positioning reference signals.

After completing the configuration of the positioning reference signal for the terminal device 110, at 235, the base station device 120 feeds back the configuration information of the positioning reference signal of the terminal device 110 to the positioning server 130. In some embodiments, the feedback of the configuration information may be carried in a New Radio Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa, New Radio Positioning Protocol A) message.

At 240, after receiving the configuration information of the positioning reference signal from the base station device 120, the terminal device 110 sends the positioning reference signal to the base station device 120 in a manner of antenna switching based on the configuration information and its own antenna capability. The antenna capability of the terminal device 110 itself may particularly include the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 that can simultaneously transmit positioning reference signals.

If the terminal device 110 has the capability of sending positioning reference signals through multiple antennas at the same time, the terminal device 110 may transmit the positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device 110 on multiple consecutively adjacent resources in the time domain.

In some embodiments, the antenna port of the terminal device 110 represents a logical transmission channel, which can be mapped to a physical antenna unit, and the physical transmission channels (ie, channels) between different antenna ports can be considered to be different from each other. An antenna port can be mapped to one or more antenna elements. The terminal device sending a signal through a certain antenna port may be understood as sending a signal through a physical antenna unit mapped to the antenna port.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may associate positioning reference signals to different antenna ports of the terminal device.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may associate the positioning reference signal resources carrying the positioning reference signal to different antenna ports of the terminal device.

In some embodiments, the multiple consecutively adjacent resources in the time domain may include multiple consecutively adjacent time slots or multiple consecutively adjacent symbols within one slot. In the present disclosure, a symbol may refer to an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) symbol, for example. In this application, multiple resources that are consecutively adjacent in the time domain may be understood as there is no gap between the multiple resources.

The sending of the positioning reference signal by the terminal device 110 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3A to FIG. 7 with reference to different antenna capabilities of the terminal device. Referring now to FIG. 3A , FIG. 3A illustrates a timing diagram for transmitting a positioning reference signal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

If the terminal device 110 has four antennas and is capable of sending positioning reference signals simultaneously with the four antennas, the terminal device 110 can transmit the positioning reference signals on four consecutive resources allocated by the base station for the terminal device 110 in the time domain. Signal. For example, the terminal device 110 may transmit positioning reference signals on four consecutive adjacent symbols in a single time slot.

As shown in FIG. 3A , the four antennas of the terminal device 110 can simultaneously transmit positioning reference signals on

symbols

301 , 302 , 303 and 304 of a time slot 310 . Terminal devices may also transmit positioning reference signals on

symbols

305 , 306 , 307 and 308 of time slot 320 . There are no gaps between

symbols

301 , 302 , 303 and 304 and between

symbols

305 , 306 , 307 and 308 .

For example, the first antenna of the terminal device 110 transmits the first positioning reference signal on the symbol 301 of the time slot 310, the second antenna of the terminal device 110 transmits the second positioning reference signal on the symbol 302 of the time slot 310, and the terminal device 110's The third antenna transmits a third positioning reference signal on symbol 303 of time slot 310 and the fourth antenna of terminal device 110 transmits a fourth positioning reference signal on symbol 304 of time slot 310 . It should be understood that the mapping relationship between each antenna of the terminal device 110 and the symbol used to send the positioning reference signal on a single time slot may not be limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, it is also possible that the fourth antenna of the terminal device 110 sends the first positioning reference signal on the symbol 301 of the time slot 310, and the third antenna of the terminal device 110 sends the second positioning reference signal on the symbol 302 of the time slot 310, The second antenna of the terminal device 110 transmits the third positioning reference signal on the symbol 303 of the time slot 310 and the first antenna of the terminal device 110 transmits the fourth positioning reference signal on the symbol 304 of the time slot 310 . In addition, other mapping relationships between each antenna of the terminal device 110 and the symbols used to send the positioning reference signal in a single time slot can also be realized.

Although the consecutively adjacent resources in the time domain shown in FIG. 3A are multiple consecutively adjacent symbols on a single slot, it should be understood that the consecutively adjacent resources in the time domain may also include multiple contiguous adjacent time slots or a group of contiguously contiguous resources in the time domain at any resource granularity.

The embodiment shown in conjunction with FIG. 3A is also applicable to the case where the terminal device 110 has two antennas and supports simultaneous transmission of positioning reference signals with two antennas, that is, the terminal device 110 can allocate The positioning reference signals are sent on two consecutive adjacent resources in the time domain.

Fig. 3B shows a schematic diagram of an antenna unit for transmitting positioning reference signals according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3B , the terminal device 110 may have radio frequency elements 101-1 to 101-4. The radio frequency element 101-1 is connected to the antenna unit 103-1, the radio frequency element 101-2 is connected to the antenna unit 103-2, the radio frequency element 101-3 is connected to the antenna unit 103-3, and the radio frequency element 101-4 is connected to the antenna unit 103-4.

The antenna ports 1 to 4 of the terminal device 110 are mapped to the antenna units 103-1 to 103-4, respectively. The mapping relationship between the antenna port and the antenna unit can be shown in the following table.

Table 1: Mapping relationship between antenna port and antenna unit

天线端口1Antenna port 1	天线单元103-1Antenna unit 103-1
天线端口2 Antenna port 2	天线单元103-3Antenna unit 103-3
天线端口3Antenna port 3	天线单元103-3Antenna unit 103-3
天线端口4Antenna port 4	天线单元103-4Antenna unit 103-4

In the case that the terminal device 110 has four antennas and has the ability to transmit positioning reference signals simultaneously with the four antennas, the antenna ports 1 to 4 of the terminal device 110 and the multiple positioning reference signals sent by the terminal device (taking SRS as an example) The mapping relationship can be shown in the following table:

Table 2: Mapping relationship between antenna ports and multiple positioning reference signals (taking SRS as an example) sent by terminal equipment

天线端口1Antenna port 1	SRS1SRS1	SRS2SRS2	SRS3SRS3	SRS4 SRS4

天线端口2Antenna port 2	SRS4SRS4	SRS1SRS1	SRS2SRS2	SRS3SRS3
天线端口3Antenna port 3	SRS3SRS3	SRS4SRS4	SRS1SRS1	SRS2SRS2
天线端口4Antenna port 4	SRS2SRS2	SRS3SRS3	SRS4SRS4	SRS1SRS1

It should be understood that the mapping relationship between the antenna port and the antenna unit and the mapping relationship between the antenna port and multiple positioning reference signals sent by the terminal device may not be limited to the examples described above, and other achievable mapping relationships are also applicable to the present disclosure. scheme.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 has four antennas and is capable of sending positioning reference signals simultaneously with two antennas. The positioning reference signal is sent on the resource.

Referring now to FIG. 4 , another timing diagram for transmitting positioning reference signals is shown, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In the case that the terminal device 110 has four antennas and is capable of sending positioning reference signals simultaneously with two antennas, if the terminal device 110 can support sending positioning reference signals in an alternate switching manner, as shown in FIG. 4 , the terminal device 110 The two antennas of the terminal device 110 may transmit positioning reference signals at the symbols 401 and 402 of the time slot 410 at the same time, and the other two antennas of the terminal device 110 may transmit positioning reference signals at the

symbols

403 and 404 of the time slot 410 . Similarly, the two antennas of the terminal device 110 can simultaneously transmit positioning reference signals on

symbols

405 and 406 of the time slot 420 , and the other two antennas of the terminal device 110 can transmit positioning reference signals on

symbols

407 and 407 of the time slot 430 . There are no gaps between

symbols

401, 402, 403 and 404 and between

symbols

405, 406, 407 and 408.

For example, the first antenna of terminal device 110 and the second antenna of terminal device 110 can transmit positioning reference signals simultaneously on symbols 401 and 402 of time slot 410 respectively, and the third antenna of terminal device 110 and the second antenna of terminal device 110 The fourth antenna may transmit positioning reference signals simultaneously on

symbols

403 and 404 of slot 410, respectively. It should be understood that the mapping relationship between each antenna of the terminal device 110 and the symbol used to send the positioning reference signal on a single time slot may not be limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, it is also possible that the first antenna of the terminal device 110 and the fourth antenna of the terminal device 110 may simultaneously transmit positioning reference signals on symbols 401 and 402 of the time slot 410 respectively, and the second antenna of the terminal device 110 and the The third antenna of the terminal device 110 may simultaneously transmit positioning reference signals on

symbols

403 and 404 of the time slot 410, respectively. In addition, other mapping relationships between each antenna of the terminal device 110 and the symbols used to send the positioning reference signal in a single time slot can also be realized.

Reference is now made to FIG. 5 , which illustrates another timing diagram for transmitting positioning reference signals in accordance with an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In the case that the terminal device 110 has four antennas and has the ability to send positioning reference signals simultaneously with two antennas, if the terminal device 110 does not support sending positioning reference signals in an alternate switching manner, as shown in FIG. 5 , the terminal device 110 The two antennas of the terminal device 110 may transmit positioning reference signals at the

symbols

501 and 502 of the time slot 510 at the same time, and the other two antennas of the terminal device 110 may transmit positioning reference signals at the symbols 503 and 504 of the time slot 510 . Between

symbols

501 and 502 of slot 510 and symbols 503 and 504 of slot 510 there is a gap 511 for antenna switching.

Similarly, the two antennas of the terminal device 110 can simultaneously transmit positioning reference signals on symbols 504 and 506 of the time slot 520 , and the other two antennas of the terminal device 110 can transmit positioning reference signals on symbols 507 and 508 of the time slot 510 . Between symbols 505 and 506 of slot 510 and symbols 507 and 507 of slot 510 there is a gap 512 for antenna switching.

For example, the first antenna of terminal device 110 and the second antenna of terminal device 110 can transmit positioning reference signals simultaneously on

symbols

501 and 502 of time slot 510 respectively, and the third antenna of terminal device 110 and the second antenna of terminal device 110 The fourth antenna may transmit positioning reference signals simultaneously on symbols 503 and 504 of slot 510, respectively. It should be understood that the mapping relationship between each antenna of the terminal device 110 and the symbol used to send the positioning reference signal on a single time slot may not be limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, it is also possible that the first antenna of the terminal device 110 and the fourth antenna of the terminal device 110 may simultaneously transmit positioning reference signals on the

symbols

501 and 502 of the time slot 510 respectively, and the second antenna of the terminal device 110 and the The third antenna of the terminal device 110 may simultaneously transmit positioning reference signals on symbols 503 and 504 of the time slot 510, respectively. In addition, other mapping relationships between each antenna of the terminal device 110 and the symbols used to send the positioning reference signal in a single time slot can also be realized.

Although the multiple consecutively adjacent resources in the time domain shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are multiple consecutively adjacent symbols on a single time slot, it should be understood that the consecutively adjacent resources in the time domain are also It can include multiple contiguous adjacent time slots or a group of contiguously contiguous resources in the time domain at any resource granularity.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may sequentially transmit positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device 110 on one or more resources in different transmission periods of the positioning reference signal.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 has four antennas and is capable of sending positioning reference signals with one antenna at the same time, and each antenna of the terminal device 110 can be on one or more resources allocated by the base station device 120 for the terminal device 110 The positioning reference signals are sent sequentially in multiple transmission periods of the .

Reference is now made to FIG. 6A , which illustrates yet another timing diagram for transmitting positioning reference signals, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. In the case that the terminal device 110 has four antennas and is capable of sending positioning reference signals with one antenna at the same time, as shown in FIG. send positioning reference signals. Similarly, the second antenna of the terminal device 110 can transmit the positioning reference signal on the resource 602 in the second transmission period 620, and the third antenna of the terminal device 110 can transmit the positioning reference signal on the resource 603 in the third transmission period 630. The reference signal, and the fourth antenna of the terminal device 110 may send the positioning reference signal on the resource 604 in the fourth transmission period 640 .

It should be understood that the transmitting order of the four antennas of the terminal device 110 may not be limited to the situation described in the above embodiments. The four antennas of the terminal device 110 may have any transmission order. For example, it is also possible that the fourth antenna of the terminal device 110 may transmit a positioning reference signal on the resource 601 in the first transmission period 610 . Similarly, the second antenna of the terminal device 110 can transmit the positioning reference signal on the resource 602 in the second transmission period 620, and the first antenna of the terminal device 110 can transmit the positioning reference signal on the resource 603 in the third transmission period 630. The reference signal, and the third antenna of the terminal device 110 may send the positioning reference signal on the resource 604 in the fourth transmission period 640 .

Fig. 6B shows a schematic diagram of an antenna unit for transmitting a positioning reference signal terminal device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 6B, the terminal device 110 may have radio frequency elements 101-1 to 101-4. The radio frequency element 101-1 is connected to the antenna unit 103-1, the radio frequency element 101-2 is connected to the antenna unit 103-2, the radio frequency element 101-3 is connected to the antenna unit 103-3, and the radio frequency element 101-4 is connected to the antenna unit 103-4.

Table 3: Mapping relationship between antenna port and antenna unit

In the case that the terminal device 110 has four antennas and has the ability to transmit positioning reference signals with one antenna at the same time, the mapping between the antenna ports 1 to 4 of the terminal device 110 and the positioning reference signal (taking SRS as an example) sent by the terminal device Relationships can be shown in the table below:

Table 4: Mapping relationship between antenna ports and positioning reference signals sent by terminal equipment (taking SRS as an example)

the	第一发射周期first launch cycle	第二发射周期second launch cycle	第三发射周期third launch cycle	第四发射周期Fourth launch cycle
天线端口1Antenna port 1	SRS1SRS1	--	--	--
天线端口2Antenna port 2	--	SRS1SRS1	--	--
天线端口3Antenna port 3	--	--	SRS1SRS1	--
天线端口4Antenna port 4	--	--	--	SRS1SRS1

It should be understood that the mapping relationship between the antenna port and the antenna unit and the mapping relationship between the antenna port and the positioning reference signal sent by the terminal device may not be limited to the examples described above, and other achievable mapping relationships are also applicable to the solution of the present disclosure. .

In some embodiments, in the case that each antenna of the terminal device 110 sequentially transmits positioning reference signals in multiple transmission periods on one or more resources allocated for the terminal device 110, in each transmission period, the corresponding The transmitting antenna can transmit positioning reference signals in a frequency hopping manner. Reference is now made to FIG. 6C , which illustrates yet another timing diagram for transmitting positioning reference signals, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 6C, in the case that the terminal device 110 has four antennas and has the ability to transmit positioning reference signals with one antenna at the same time, the first antenna of the terminal device 110 can use the resources in the first transmission period 610' 601' to send a positioning reference signal. Similarly, the second antenna of the terminal device 110 may transmit the positioning reference signal on the resource 602' in the second transmission period 620', and the third antenna of the terminal device 110 may transmit the positioning reference signal on the resource 603 in the third transmission period 630'. ', and the fourth antenna of the terminal device 110 may transmit the positioning reference signal on the resource 604' in the fourth transmission period 640'. It should be understood that the transmitting order of the four antennas of the terminal device 110 may not be limited to the situation described in the above embodiments. The four antennas of the terminal device 110 may have any transmission order. For example, it is also possible that the fourth antenna of the terminal device 110 may transmit a positioning reference signal on the resource 601' in the first transmission period 610'. Similarly, the second antenna of the terminal device 110 may transmit the positioning reference signal on the resource 602' in the second transmission period 620', and the first antenna of the terminal device 110 may transmit the positioning reference signal on the resource 603 in the third transmission period 630'. ', and the third antenna of the terminal device 110 may transmit the positioning reference signal on the resource 604' in the fourth transmission period 640'.

For example, a positioning reference signal sent on transmission cycle 610' may be sent on a different frequency of transmission cycle 610'. The same is true for transmit periods 620', 630' and 640'.

For example, the first antenna of the terminal device 110 sends the positioning reference signal carried by the positioning reference signal resource on a different frequency in the transmission period 610', and the next antenna transmission period 620' is switched to the second antenna in the transmission period 620'. Send the positioning reference signal carried by the positioning reference signal resource on a different frequency, and then switch to the third antenna in the next antenna transmission cycle 630' to send the positioning reference signal carried by the positioning reference signal resource on a different frequency in the transmission cycle 620' In the next antenna transmission period 640', switch to the fourth antenna to transmit the positioning reference signal carried by the positioning reference signal resource on a different frequency in the transmission period 640'.

In some embodiments, if the terminal device 110 has the capability of transmitting positioning reference signals with multiple antennas at the same time, the terminal device 110 may transmit positioning reference signals transmitted by different antenna ports of the terminal device 110 on multiple resources in the time domain . Gaps may exist between the plurality of resources.

Reference is now made to FIG. 7 , which illustrates a timing diagram for transmitting positioning reference signals, according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure.

If terminal device 110 has four antennas and is capable of sending positioning reference signals simultaneously with four antennas, terminal device 110 may send positioning reference signals on four resources in the time domain allocated for terminal device 110 by the base station device. For example, the terminal device 110 may transmit the positioning reference signal on four symbols in a single slot. There may be gaps between the four resources in the time domain or the four symbols in a single slot.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the four antennas of the terminal device 110 can simultaneously transmit positioning reference signals on

symbols

701 , 702 , 703 and 704 of a time slot 710 . There is a gap 711 between

symbols

701 and 702 , there is a gap 712 between

symbols

702 and 703 , and there is a gap 713 between

symbols

703 and 704 .

For example, the first antenna of terminal device 110 transmits a positioning reference signal on symbol 701 of time slot 710, the second antenna of terminal device 110 transmits a positioning reference signal on symbol 702 of time slot 710, and the third antenna of terminal device 110 transmits a positioning reference signal on symbol 702 of time slot 710. The positioning reference signal is transmitted on symbol 703 of the time slot 710 and the positioning reference signal is transmitted on symbol 704 of the time slot 710 by the fourth antenna of the terminal device 110 . It should be understood that the mapping relationship between each antenna of the terminal device 110 and the symbol used to send the positioning reference signal on a single time slot may not be limited to the above-described embodiments. For example, it is also possible that the fourth antenna of the terminal device 110 transmits the positioning reference signal on the symbol 701 of the time slot 710, the third antenna of the terminal device 110 transmits the positioning reference signal on the symbol 702 of the time slot 710, and the positioning reference signal of the terminal device 110 The second antenna transmits a positioning reference signal on symbol 703 of time slot 710 and the first antenna of the terminal device 110 transmits a positioning reference signal on symbol 704 of time slot 710 . In addition, other mapping relationships between each antenna of the terminal device 110 and the symbols used to send the positioning reference signal in a single time slot can also be realized.

Although the multiple resources in the time domain shown in FIG. 7 are multiple symbols on a single time slot, it should be understood that the multiple resources in the time domain may also include multiple slots or have multiple symbols in the time domain A set of resources of arbitrary resource granularity.

The above embodiments describe different schemes in which multiple antennas of the terminal device 110 transmit positioning reference signals. By transmitting positioning reference signals sent by different antennas of the terminal device 110 in the manner of antenna switching proposed in this disclosure, the space diversity gain of the antenna can be used to compensate for the coverage problem of a single antenna, so as to enhance the strength of reference signals in different directions . In this way, the problem of weak head path caused by a single antenna can be avoided, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

Referring now to FIG. 2 again, at 245 , the positioning server 130 may send a measurement information request for the positioning of the terminal device 110 to the base station device 120 . At 250, the base station device 120 jointly estimates position information of the terminal device 110 based on the positioning reference signals received from different antennas of the terminal device 110 . The positioning information may include, for example, the time of arrival from the terminal device 110 to the base station device 120 .

At 255, the base station device 120 may report the estimated location information of the terminal device 110 to the positioning server.

By adopting the method of transmitting positioning reference signals proposed in the present disclosure, the accuracy of the position information estimated on the base station device side about the terminal device can be significantly improved, because the base station device can combine positioning reference signals based on different antennas of the terminal device accurately estimate the location information of the terminal device. In this way, the problem of weak head path caused by a single antenna can be compensated, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

It should be understood that while the above discussion contains certain specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any claims, but rather as a description of what may be directed to certain example embodiments. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate example embodiments can also be implemented integrally in a single example embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single example embodiment can also be implemented in multiple example embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Fig. 8 shows a flowchart of a method 800 for sending a positioning reference signal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 800 may be implemented at the terminal device 110 shown in FIG. 1 . For convenience of discussion, the method 800 will be described below in conjunction with FIG. 1 . It should be understood that the method 800 is also applicable to other communication scenarios and devices.

At 810, the terminal device 110 receives indication information associated with a positioning reference signal.

At 820, the terminal device 110 sends a positioning reference signal to the access network device 120 in a manner of antenna switching based on the indication information.

In some exemplary embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit the positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device 110 on multiple resources that are consecutively adjacent in the time domain; The positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device 110 are sent sequentially on one or more resources in different transmission periods.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit the positioning reference signal on a plurality of consecutive adjacent symbols within a single time slot.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may transmit the positioning reference signals sent by the first part of the antenna ports of the multiple antenna ports of the terminal device 110 on the first group of consecutive adjacent symbols within a single time slot, and sending positioning reference signals sent by a second part of the antenna ports in the plurality of antenna ports on a second group of consecutive adjacent symbols in the single time slot. The first group of consecutively adjacent symbols and the second group of consecutively adjacent symbols may or may not be adjacent to each other.

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may send the positioning reference signal at different frequencies on different time resources in each of the different transmission periods.

In some example embodiments, the indication information may be carried in configuration information of the positioning reference signal.

In some exemplary embodiments, if the terminal device 110 receives a request from the positioning server for the capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device 110, the terminal device 110 may send an indication of the capability to the positioning server. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device 110 has the capability of zero switching interval; the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for simultaneously transmitting positioning reference signals; or the number of antennas that the terminal device 110 has .

In some example embodiments, the terminal device 110 may send an indication of capabilities associated with the location of the terminal device 110 to the access network device 120 . The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device 110 has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals.

In some embodiments, the terminal device 110 may associate the positioning reference signal with different antenna ports of the terminal device or associate the positioning reference signal resources carrying the positioning reference signal with different antenna ports of the terminal device.

Fig. 9 shows a flowchart of a method 900 for sending a positioning reference signal according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 900 may be implemented at the terminal device 110 shown in FIG. 1 . For convenience of discussion, the method 900 will be described below in conjunction with FIG. 1 . It should be understood that the method 900 is also applicable to other communication scenarios and devices.

At 910 , the access network device 120 sends indication information associated with the positioning reference signal to the terminal device 110 . The indication information may instruct the terminal device 110 to send the positioning reference signal in a manner of antenna switching.

At 920, the access network device 120 receives from the terminal device 110 the positioning reference signal sent by the terminal device 110 in the antenna switching manner.

In some example embodiments, the access network device 120 may receive from the terminal device 110 an indication of capabilities associated with the positioning of the terminal device 110 . The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device 110 has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals. The access network device 120 may generate the positioning reference signal based on the configuration information indicated.

In some example embodiments, the access network device 120 receives an indication of a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device 110 from a positioning server. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device 110 has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device 110 for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals. The access network device 120 may generate the positioning reference signal based on the configuration information indicated.

In some exemplary embodiments, the access network device 120 jointly estimates the arrival time of the positioning reference signal from the terminal device 110 to the access network device 120 according to the positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device 110 .

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a communication device 1000 according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication apparatus 1000 may be implemented as the terminal device 110 shown in FIG. 1 , the access network device 120 , a part of the above-mentioned devices, or a chip in the above-mentioned devices, and the like. It should be understood that the communication device 1000 is used for exemplary purposes only and does not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be embodied in different communication devices. In addition, it should also be understood that the communication device 1000 may also include other elements, modules or entities, which are not shown for the purpose of clarity, but it does not mean that the embodiments of the present disclosure do not have these elements or entities. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the communication device 1000 includes an input and output interface 1010 and a logic circuit 1020 . The input-output interface 1010 is coupled to a logic circuit 1020 . In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the input and output interfaces 1010 may be integrated together to implement the sending and receiving function, and may also be implemented as independent components as an input interface for receiving and an output interface for sending. For example, the input and output interface 1010 shown in FIG. 10 is an example implementation of integration.

In an embodiment where the communication apparatus 1000 is implemented as a terminal device 110 as shown in FIG. 1 , the input and output interface 1010 may be configured to receive indication information associated with a positioning reference signal. The indication information instructs the terminal device to send the positioning reference signal in the antenna switching manner. The input-output interface 1010 is further configured to send a positioning reference signal to the access network device in a manner of antenna switching based on the indication information.

In some example embodiments, the input-output interface 1010 is further configured to transmit the positioning reference signal on a plurality of consecutive adjacent symbols within a single time slot.

In some exemplary embodiments, the input and output interface 1010 is further configured to transmit the positioning signals sent by the first part of the plurality of antenna ports of the terminal device on the first group of consecutive adjacent symbols within a single time slot. a reference signal, and transmit positioning reference signals sent by a second part of the antenna ports in the plurality of antenna ports on a second group of consecutive adjacent symbols in the single time slot. The first group of consecutively adjacent symbols and the second group of consecutively adjacent symbols may or may not be adjacent to each other.

In some example embodiments, the input-output interface 1010 is further configured to transmit positioning reference signals at different frequencies on different time resources in each of the different transmission periods.

In some exemplary embodiments, the input-output interface 1010 is further configured such that if the terminal device receives a request for the capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device from the positioning server, the terminal device may send an indication of the capability to the positioning server. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval; the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals; or the number of antennas the terminal device has.

In some example embodiments, the input-output interface 1010 is further configured to send an indication of a capability associated with the location of the terminal device to the access network device. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals.

In some example embodiments, the logic circuit 102 is configured to associate the positioning reference signal to different antenna ports of the terminal device or associate the positioning reference signal resources carrying the positioning reference signal to different antenna ports of the terminal device. Antenna port.

In an embodiment where the communication apparatus 1000 is implemented as the access network device 120 shown in FIG. 1 , the input and output interface 1010 may be configured to send indication information associated with the positioning reference signal to the terminal device. The indication information may instruct the terminal device to send the positioning reference signal in a manner of antenna switching. The input-output interface 1010 is further configured to receive, from the terminal device, the positioning reference signal sent by the terminal device in a manner of switching the antenna.

In some example embodiments, the input-output interface 1010 is further configured to receive from a terminal device an indication of a capability associated with the location of the terminal device. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals. The access network device may generate the positioning reference signal based on the configuration information indicated.

In some example embodiments, the input-output interface 1010 is further configured to receive an indication of a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device from a positioning server. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals. The access network device may generate the positioning reference signal based on the configuration information indicated.

In some example embodiments, the logic circuit 1020 may be configured to jointly estimate the arrival time of the positioning reference signal from the terminal device to the access network device according to the positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device.

It should be understood that the communication device 1000 in FIG. 10 can be used to execute various processes implemented by the terminal device 110 and the access network device 120 in the above embodiments in conjunction with FIGS. 2 to 9 . To avoid repetition, details are not repeated here .

Figure 11 shows a block diagram of a communications device 1100 in which certain embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The communication device 1100 can be used to realize the terminal device 110 and the access network device 120 shown in FIG. 1 . The communication device 1100 may also be implemented as a chip or a chip system. It should be understood that the communication device 1100 is used for exemplary purposes only and does not imply any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be embodied in different devices. It should also be understood that the communication device 1100 may also include other elements or entities, which are not shown for convenience of description, but it does not mean that the embodiments of the present disclosure do not have these elements or entities.

As shown in FIG. 11 , the communication device 1100 includes a processor 1110 that controls the operations and functions of the communication device 1100 . For example, in some example embodiments, the processor 1110 may perform various operations by means of instructions 1130 stored in the memory 1120 coupled thereto. Memory 1120 may be of any suitable type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, including but not limited to semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems. Although only one memory unit is shown in FIG. 11 , there may be multiple physically distinct memory units in the communication device 1100 . It should be understood that the processor 1110 and the memory 1120 may be separately configured as individual components, or may be integrated together, which is not limited in this application.

Processor 1110 may be of any suitable type suitable for the local technical environment, and may include, but is not limited to, general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (Digital Signal Processor, DSP), and controller-based multi-core control One or more of the server architecture. Communications device 1100 may also include multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, that are time slaved to a clock that is synchronized with a main processor. The processor 1110 is coupled with the communication unit 1140 . The communication unit 1140 can realize receiving and sending of information through radio signals or by means of optical fibers, cables and/or other components.

Memory 1120 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory, EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, optical disc (Compact Disc, CD), Digital Video Disk (Digital Versatile Disc, DVD) or other magnetic and/or optical storage. Examples of volatile memory include but not limited to random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM) and the like.

Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by means of a computer program such that the communication device 1100 can perform any of the processes as discussed with reference to FIGS. 2 to 9 . The embodiments of the present disclosure can also be realized by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware. The computer program includes computer-executable instructions 1130 executed by the processor 1110 . Computer programs may be stored in the memory 1120 . Processor 1110 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading a computer program into RAM.

In the embodiment described above in which the terminal device 110 or the access network device 120 determines the adjustment parameters by using the modules of machine learning algorithms, reinforcement learning models, etc., these modules and models can be stored in the form of computer program codes or instructions 1130 In the memory 1120, the processor executes program codes or instructions in the memory 1120 to cause the communication device 1100 to execute the processing procedures implemented by the terminal device 110 or the access network device 120 in FIGS. 2 to 9 above.

In some embodiments, the computer program may be tangibly embodied on a computer readable medium, which may be included in the communication apparatus 1100 (such as in the memory 1120 ) or other storage device accessible by the communication apparatus 1100 . A computer program can be loaded from a computer readable medium into RAM for execution. The computer readable medium may include any type of tangible nonvolatile memory such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, and the like.

FIG. 12 shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 12 , a communication device 1200 includes a processing unit 1210 and a transceiver unit 1220 . The communication apparatus 1200 is configured to implement the functions of the terminal device or the base station device in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 9 above. Wherein, the processing unit 1210 can perform internal processing; the transceiver unit 1220 can communicate with the outside; the transceiver unit 1220 can also be called a communication interface, an input-output interface, and the like. For example, the transceiver unit 1220 may include a sending unit and a receiving unit, the sending unit is used to perform the sending operation of the terminal device or the base station device in the method embodiment above; the receiving unit is used to perform the operation of the terminal device or the base station device in the method embodiment above receive operations, etc.

When the communication device 1200 is used to realize the functions of the terminal equipment in the method embodiment shown in FIG. The device sends positioning reference signals.

When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 8: the transceiver unit 1220 is used to transmit the data sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device on multiple resources that are consecutively adjacent in the time domain. or sequentially transmit the positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device on one or more resources in different transmission periods of the positioning reference signals.

When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 8: the transceiver unit 1220 is used to send the positioning reference signal on multiple consecutive adjacent symbols in a single time slot.

When the communication device 1200 is used to realize the functions of the terminal equipment in the method embodiment shown in FIG. Positioning reference signals sent by the first part of the antenna ports in the plurality of antenna ports, and sending positioning reference signals sent by the second part of the antenna ports in the plurality of antenna ports on the second group of consecutive adjacent symbols in the single time slot positioning reference signal. The first group of consecutively adjacent symbols and the second group of consecutively adjacent symbols may or may not be adjacent to each other.

When the communication device 1200 is used to realize the functions of the terminal equipment in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 8: the transceiver unit 1220 is used to use different frequency Send positioning reference signal.

When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 8: the transceiver unit 1220 is used to send the terminal device a An indication of the capabilities may be sent to the positioning server. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval; the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals; or the number of antennas the terminal device has.

When the communication apparatus 1200 is used to realize the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 8: the transceiver unit 1220 is used to send an indication of the capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device to the access network device. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals.

When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the terminal device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 8: the transceiver unit 1220 is used to associate the positioning reference signal with different antenna ports of the terminal device or carry the positioning reference signal The positioning reference signal resources of the signal are associated with different antenna ports of the terminal device.

When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the base station device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 8: the processing unit 1210 is used to associate the positioning reference signal with different antenna ports of the terminal device or carry the positioning reference signal The positioning reference signal resources of the signal are associated with different antenna ports of the terminal device.

When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the base station device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 9: the transceiver unit 1220 is used to send the indication information associated with the positioning reference signal to the terminal device and receive the terminal device from the terminal device The positioning reference signal sent by the device in a manner of switching the antenna.

When the communication apparatus 1200 is used to realize the function of the base station device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 9: the transceiver unit 1220 is used to receive an indication of a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device from the terminal device. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals. The access network device may generate the positioning reference signal based on the configuration information indicated.

When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the base station device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 9: the transceiver unit 1220 is used to receive an indication of a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device from the positioning server. The indication may include at least one of whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval and the number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals. The access network device may generate the positioning reference signal based on the configuration information indicated.

When the communication device 1200 is used to implement the functions of the base station device in the method embodiment shown in FIG. 9: the processing unit 1210 is used to jointly estimate the positioning reference signal from the terminal according to the positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device Arrival time from device to access network device.

More detailed descriptions about the processing unit 1210 and the transceiver unit 1220 can be directly obtained by referring to the relevant descriptions in the method embodiments shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 , and details are not repeated here.

FIG. 13 shows a block diagram of a communication device according to an example embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 13 , a possible schematic diagram of a base station device or terminal device 1300 is provided, including: an antenna 1310 , a signal transceiving unit 1320 , a processor 1330 and a memory 1340 . Wherein, the memory 1340 is used to store computer program codes or instructions, etc., and the processor 1330 is used to execute the programs or instructions, so as to realize the operation of the terminal device or the base station device in the method embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 to 9 above. . It can be understood that the signal transceiving unit may be a transceiver, including a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter can send signals to other devices, such as base station devices or terminal devices. The receiver can receive signals from other equipment, such as core network, base station equipment or terminal equipment, etc.

In general, various example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Certain aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. When aspects of example embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated or described as block diagrams, flowcharts, or using some other graphical representation, it is to be understood that the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may serve as non-limiting Examples of are implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

As an example, example embodiments of the present disclosure may be described in the context of machine or computer-executable instructions, such as program modules included in a device executed on a real or virtual processor of a target. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data structures. In various example embodiments, the functionality of the program modules may be combined or divided between the described program modules. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed locally or in distributed devices. In a distributed device, program modules may be located in both local and remote storage media.

Computer program codes for implementing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in one or more programming languages. These computer program codes can be provided to processors of general-purpose computers, special-purpose computers, or other programmable data processing devices, so that when the program codes are executed by the computer or other programmable data processing devices, The functions/operations specified in are implemented. The program code may execute entirely on the computer, partly on the computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server.

In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, and the like. Examples of signals may include electrical, optical, radio, sound, or other forms of propagated signals, such as carrier waves, infrared signals, and the like.

In the context of the present disclosure, a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium may be any tangible medium containing or storing a program for or relating to an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. A machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More detailed examples of machine-readable storage media include electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer diskettes, hard disks, random storage access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash), optical storage, magnetic storage, or any suitable combination thereof.

In addition, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown, or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking or parallel processing can be beneficial. Likewise, while the above discussion contains certain specific implementation details, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of any claims, but rather as a description of what may be directed to specific example embodiments. Certain features that are described in this specification in the context of separate example embodiments can also be implemented integrally in a single example embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single example embodiment can also be implemented in multiple example embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

A method of sending a positioning reference signal, comprising:

The terminal device receives indication information associated with the positioning reference signal, where the indication information instructs the terminal device to send the positioning reference signal in the manner of antenna switching; and

The terminal device sends the positioning reference signal to the access network device in a manner of antenna switching based on the indication information.
The method of claim 1, wherein sending the positioning reference signal comprises:

sending the positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device on a plurality of consecutively adjacent resources in the time domain; or

The positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device are sent sequentially on one or more resources in different transmission periods of the positioning reference signals.
The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

associating said positioning reference signal to a different antenna port of said terminal device; or

Associating the positioning reference signal resources carrying the positioning reference signal to different antenna ports of the terminal device.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein sending the positioning reference signal comprises:

The positioning reference signal is transmitted on a plurality of consecutive adjacent symbols within a single time slot.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein sending the positioning reference signal comprises:

Transmit positioning reference signals sent by a first part of the plurality of antenna ports of the terminal device on a first group of consecutive adjacent symbols in a single time slot, and a second group of symbols in the single time slot transmitting positioning reference signals sent by a second part of antenna ports among the plurality of antenna ports on consecutively adjacent symbols, the first group of consecutively adjacent symbols and the second group of consecutively adjacent symbols being mutually Adjacent or not.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the terminal device transmits the positioning reference signal at different frequencies on different time resources in each of the different transmission periods.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the indication information is carried in configuration information of the positioning reference signal.
The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

If the terminal device receives a request for the capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device from the positioning server, the terminal device sends an indication of the capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device to the positioning server, the Instructions include at least one of the following:

Whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval;

The number of antennas supported by the terminal device to transmit positioning reference signals simultaneously; or

The number of antennas that the terminal device has.
The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

The terminal device sends an indication of a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device to the access network device, where the indication includes at least one of the following:

Whether the terminal equipment is capable of zero handover interval; or

The number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals.
A method of sending a positioning reference signal, comprising:

The access network device sends indication information associated with the positioning reference signal to the terminal device, where the indication information instructs the terminal device to send the positioning reference signal in a manner of antenna switching; and

The access network device receives, from the terminal device, the positioning reference signal sent by the terminal device in a manner of switching the antenna.
The method of claim 10, further comprising:

The access network device receives from the terminal device an indication of a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device, where the indication includes at least one of the following:

whether the terminal device is capable of zero handoff intervals, or

The number of antennas supported by the terminal device to simultaneously transmit positioning reference signals; and

The access network device generates configuration information of the positioning reference signal based on the indication.
The method of claim 10, further comprising:

The access network device receives an indication of a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device from the positioning server, where the indication includes at least one of the following:

whether the terminal device is capable of zero handoff intervals, or

The number of antennas supported by the terminal device to simultaneously transmit positioning reference signals; and

The access network device generates configuration information of the positioning reference signal based on the indication.
The method of claim 10, further comprising:

The access network device jointly estimates the arrival time of the positioning reference signal from the terminal device to the access network device according to the positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device.
A terminal device comprising:

a transceiver unit configured to:

receiving indication information associated with the positioning reference signal, where the indication information instructs the terminal device to send the positioning reference signal in a manner of antenna switching; and

Sending the positioning reference signal to the access network device in a manner of switching the antenna based on the indication information.
The terminal device according to claim 14, wherein the transceiver unit is configured to:

sending the positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device on a plurality of consecutively adjacent resources in the time domain; or

The positioning reference signals sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device are sent sequentially on one or more resources in different transmission periods of the positioning reference signals.
The terminal device according to claim 14, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to:

associating said positioning reference signal to a different antenna port of said terminal device; or

Associating the positioning reference signal resources carrying the positioning reference signal to different antenna ports of the terminal device.
The terminal device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to:

The positioning reference signal is transmitted on a plurality of consecutive adjacent symbols within a single time slot.
The terminal device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to:

Transmit positioning reference signals sent by a first part of the plurality of antenna ports of the terminal device on a first group of consecutive adjacent symbols in a single time slot, and a second group of symbols in the single time slot transmitting positioning reference signals sent by a second part of antenna ports among the plurality of antenna ports on consecutively adjacent symbols, the first group of consecutively adjacent symbols and the second group of consecutively adjacent symbols being mutually Adjacent or not.
The terminal device according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the transceiving unit is configured to transmit the positioning reference signal at different frequencies on different time resources in each of the different transmission periods.
The terminal device according to claim 14, wherein the indication information is carried in configuration information of the positioning reference signal.
The terminal device according to claim 14, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to:

If the terminal device receives a request for the capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device from the positioning server, send an indication of the capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device to the positioning server, and the indication includes at least the following one item:

Whether the terminal device has the capability of zero switching interval,

The number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals, or

The number of antennas that the terminal device has.
The terminal device according to claim 14, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to:

sending an indication of a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device to the access network device, where the indication includes at least one of the following:

whether the terminal device is capable of zero handoff intervals, or

The number of antennas supported by the terminal device for simultaneously sending positioning reference signals.
An access network device, comprising:

a transceiver unit configured to:

Sending indication information associated with the positioning reference signal to the terminal device, where the indication information instructs the terminal device to send the positioning reference signal in a manner of antenna switching; and

receiving, from the terminal device, the positioning reference signal sent by the terminal device in a manner of switching the antenna.
The access network device according to claim 23, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to:

receiving from the terminal device an indication of capabilities associated with the positioning of the terminal device, the indication comprising at least one of the following:

whether the terminal device is capable of zero handoff intervals, or

The number of antennas supported by the terminal device to simultaneously transmit positioning reference signals; and

The access network device further includes a determining unit configured to generate configuration information of the positioning reference signal based on the indication.
The access network device according to claim 23, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to:

receiving an indication of a capability associated with the positioning of the terminal device from a positioning server, where the indication includes at least one of the following:

whether the terminal device is capable of zero handoff intervals, or

The number of antennas supported by the terminal device to simultaneously transmit positioning reference signals; and

The access network device further includes a determining unit configured to generate configuration information of the positioning reference signal based on the indication.
The access network device according to claim 23, wherein the transceiver unit is further configured to:

Jointly estimating the arrival time of the positioning reference signal from the terminal device to the access network device based on the positioning reference signal sent by different antenna ports of the terminal device.
A communication device comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory comprising computer program code,

The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the communication device to perform the communication according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or any one of claims 10 to 13. Methods.
The communication device according to claim 27, comprising:

A transceiver for performing reception or transmission of signals.
A communication system comprising:

An access network device according to any one of claims 23 to 26; and

A positioning server, where the positioning server is used to manage operations associated with the positioning of the terminal device.
A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 Or a method according to any one of claims 10 to 13.
A communication device comprising:

At least one processor configured to execute a computer program or instructions in a memory to cause the communication device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9 or any one of claims 10 to 13 method.