WO2023024541A1

WO2023024541A1 - Device location method and system, and storage medium and electronic apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2023024541A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/088527
Authority: WO
Inventors: 高磊; 周功财; 胡发明
Original assignee: 中兴通讯股份有限公司
Priority date: 2021-08-26
Filing date: 2022-04-22
Publication date: 2023-03-02
Also published as: CN115915006A

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure are a device location method and system, and a storage medium and an electronic apparatus. The method comprises: a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) receiving a location request, which is sent by a position service client and is used for locating a target terminal, wherein the location request carries initial identification information of the target terminal; the GMLC sending the initial identification information to a radio access network; the GMLC receiving an identifier, which is sent by a target node of the radio access network, of a remote radio unit (RPPU) in which the target terminal is located; and determining position information, which matches the identifier, as target position information of the target terminal. By means of the present disclosure, the problem of it being impossible to locate the specific position of a mobile terminal in a building is solved.

Description

Device positioning method and system, storage medium and electronic device

This disclosure claims the priority of the Chinese patent application with application number 202110999912.4 and the title of invention "equipment positioning method and system, storage medium and electronic device" filed with the China Patent Office on August 26, 2021, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference In this disclosure.

technical field

The present disclosure relates to the technical field of mobile communication network positioning, and in particular, relates to a device positioning method and system, a storage medium, and an electronic device.

Background technique

With the advancement of communication operators in the construction of 5G networks across the country, their construction direction has also shifted from outdoor macro coverage to indoor deep coverage. For indoor coverage services and industry vertical application expansion, indoor precise positioning is a strong demand, and the traditional positioning method based on GPS signals cannot meet the needs of indoor business location services, that is to say, the device positioning method in related technologies Positioning is performed on devices outside the building, but not specific locations inside the building.

For the above-mentioned problem that the specific location of the mobile terminal in the building cannot be located, no effective solution has been proposed yet.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a device positioning method and system, a storage medium, and an electronic device, so as to at least solve the problem in the related art that a specific location of a mobile terminal in a building cannot be positioned.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a device positioning method is provided, including: a gateway mobile positioning center GMLC receives a positioning request for locating a target terminal sent by a location service client; wherein, the positioning request carries the target terminal The above GMLC sends the above initial identification information to the wireless access network; the above GMLC receives the identification of the radio remote unit RPPU where the above target terminal is located sent by the above target node; the above GMLC determines the location information matched by the above identification is the target location information of the above-mentioned target terminal.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a device positioning device is provided, including: a first receiving unit configured to enable the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC to receive a positioning request sent by a location service client for locating a target terminal; wherein, The above-mentioned positioning request carries the initial identification information of the above-mentioned target terminal; the sending unit is configured to make the above-mentioned GMLC send the above-mentioned initial identification information to the wireless access network; the second receiving unit is configured to make the above-mentioned GMLC receive the above-mentioned target node. An identifier of the remote radio unit RPPU where the target terminal is located; a determining unit configured to enable the GMLC to determine the location information matched by the identifier as the target location information of the target terminal.

According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, there is also provided a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored in the above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium, wherein the above-mentioned computer program is configured to execute any one of the above-mentioned method embodiments when running in the steps.

According to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure, there is also provided an electronic device, including a memory and a processor, where a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute any one of the above method embodiments in the steps.

Through this disclosure, since the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC is used to receive the positioning request sent by the location service client for locating the target terminal; wherein, the above positioning request carries the initial identification information of the above target terminal; the above GMLC uses the above initial identification The information is sent to the wireless access network; the above-mentioned GMLC receives the identification of the radio remote unit RPPU where the above-mentioned target terminal is located sent by the above-mentioned target node; the method of determining the position information matched by the above-mentioned identification as the target position information of the above-mentioned target terminal; therefore, The specific location of the target terminal can be determined according to the identification of the remote radio unit RPPU where the target terminal is located, which can solve the problem that the specific location of the mobile terminal in the building cannot be located, and thus achieve the goal of determining the specific location of the mobile terminal in the building. The technical effect of performing precise positioning.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a hardware structural block diagram of a mobile terminal according to an optional device positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 2 is a flow chart of an optional device positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 3 is a flowchart of another optional device positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an optional device positioning system architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 5 is a flowchart of another optional device positioning method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an optional device positioning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second" in the specification and claims of the present disclosure and the above drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, but not necessarily used to describe a specific sequence or sequence.

The method embodiments provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be executed in mobile terminals, computer terminals or similar computing devices. Taking running on a mobile terminal as an example, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a hardware structure of a mobile terminal according to a method for locating a device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 1, the mobile terminal may include one or more (only one is shown in Figure 1) processors 102 (processors 102 may include but not limited to processing devices such as microprocessor MCU or programmable logic device FPGA, etc.) and a memory 104 for storing data, wherein the above-mentioned mobile terminal may also include a transmission device 106 and an input and output device 108 for communication functions. Those skilled in the art can understand that the structure shown in FIG. 1 is only for illustration, and it does not limit the structure of the above mobile terminal. For example, the mobile terminal may also include more or fewer components than those shown in FIG. 1 , or have a different configuration from that shown in FIG. 1 .

The memory 104 can be used to store computer programs, for example, software programs and modules of application software, such as the computer program corresponding to the device positioning method in the embodiment of the present disclosure, and the processor 102 executes various A functional application and data processing, that is, to realize the above-mentioned method. The memory 104 may include high-speed random access memory, and may also include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic storage devices, flash memory, or other non-volatile solid-state memory. In some examples, the memory 104 may further include a memory that is remotely located relative to the processor 102, and these remote memories may be connected to the mobile terminal through a network. Examples of the aforementioned networks include, but are not limited to, the Internet, intranets, local area networks, mobile communication networks, and combinations thereof.

Transmission device 106 is used to receive or transmit data via a network. The specific example of the above network may include a wireless network provided by the communication provider of the mobile terminal. In one example, the transmission device 106 includes a network interface controller (NIC for short), which can be connected to other network devices through a base station so as to communicate with the Internet. In an example, the transmission device 106 may be a radio frequency (Radio Frequency, RF for short) module, which is used to communicate with the Internet in a wireless manner.

In this embodiment, a method for locating a device is provided, as shown in FIG. 2 , which is a flowchart of a method for locating a device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, including the following steps:

Step S202, the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC receives a positioning request for locating the target terminal sent by the location service client; wherein, the positioning request carries the initial identification information of the target terminal;

Step S204, the above-mentioned GMLC sends the above-mentioned initial identification information to the radio access network;

Step S206, the above-mentioned GMLC receives the identification of the radio remote unit RPPU where the above-mentioned target terminal is located sent by the target node of the above-mentioned radio access network;

In step S208, the GMLC determines the location information matched by the identifier as the target location information of the target terminal.

In step S302, in actual application, the location server client may include but not limited to various positioning clients, (LoCation Services, LCS), Client client or network development function (Network Exposrue Function, NEF). It is not limited here.

In step S204, in actual application, the initial identification information may include but not limited to the user's mobile phone number, Generic Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI) or Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) identification. The radio access network may be a 4G or 5G radio access network (Radio Access Network, RAN).

In step S206, in actual application, the above-mentioned target node may be an access and mobility management function (Access and Mobility Management Function, AMF) in the wireless access network, or a network element that transmits communication information for other users. This does not make any restrictions.

In step S208, in actual application, the target location information of the target terminal may include but not limited to a specific floor of a shopping mall, or a specific section of a mine or a tunnel.

In an embodiment, the above initial identification information includes at least one of the following: user call code, general public user identification GPSI, user permanent identification SUPI;

The above step S202, after the above-mentioned GMLC sends the above-mentioned initial identification information to the wireless access network, includes: the location management function node LMF in the above-mentioned wireless access network converts the above-mentioned user conversation code of the target terminal into a network application protocol identification NGAP ID and an acceptable cell global identifier NCGI; wherein, the above-mentioned NGAP ID user indicates a wireless network access point, and each cell indicated by the above-mentioned NCGI corresponds to at least one of the above-mentioned remote radio units.

In an embodiment, after the above-mentioned GMLC sends the above-mentioned initial identification information to the target node of the wireless access network, it also includes: the above-mentioned wireless access network determines the target node of the wireless access network according to the above-mentioned NGAP ID; the above-mentioned target node according to The NCGI determines the identity of the RPPU corresponding to the target terminal.

In an embodiment, before the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC receives the positioning request sent by the location service client for locating the target terminal, it includes: adding the NCGI, the pRRU identifier, and the target position in the base station data table mapping relationship.

In an embodiment, the target location includes at least one of the following: latitude and longitude, the number of floors of a building, or a location area of a tunnel, which is not limited herein.

In an embodiment, the device positioning method further includes: the GMLC calls the user data management unit UDM to determine the access and mobility management function node AMF corresponding to the target terminal; the AMF is used to forward the LMF and the Interaction data between GMLCs, and for forwarding interaction data between the LMF and the radio access network.

In an embodiment, the device positioning method further includes: when the target terminal is not connected to the AMF, the AMF initiates a network-triggered service request instruction to the target terminal, so as to establish the connection between the target terminal and the target terminal. A signaling connection between the AMFs.

With the development of technology, the digital indoor distribution system is a room distribution solution that has appeared in recent years, and has received widespread attention from major equipment manufacturers. Major equipment manufacturers have proposed their own solutions. The basic architecture of the new digital room distribution system consists of a baseband processing unit (BBU), a remote public radio interface CPRI data convergence unit, and a remote radio unit (picoRRU). The remote CPRI data convergence unit is responsible for splitting and converging the CPRI data of the pRRU. The pRRU realizes the processing of the radio frequency signal. The BBU and the remote CPRI data convergence unit are connected through an optical fiber, and the remote CPRI data convergence unit and the pRRU are connected through a network cable.

With the rich development of 5G services, the demand for enhanced indoor positioning is becoming stronger and stronger. The main scenarios of 5G indoor positioning include personnel positioning in supermarkets/airports/venues, factory personnel positioning, and personnel positioning in mines/tunnels. Then, indoor positioning based on pRRU is a very good indoor positioning method and technology for industry users, who do not need to build a separate positioning network, nor do they need specific terminals or tags.

Usually, when a shopping mall or a mine, tunnel, or hospital is covered indoors, when multiple pRRUs are mounted under a cell ID CELL ID, how does the LMF obtain the pRRU-ID, and then provide a user terminal UE (User Equipment) Carry out relatively accurate rough positioning, for example, know which pRRU the current UE is under, and then can locate floors, mine roadways, etc. It is not covered in the 3GPP specification and needs to be resolved urgently.

Based on the foregoing embodiments, in an application embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 , the above device positioning method further includes:

S302. The (gateway mobile positioning center) GMLC maintains the corresponding relationship between the pRRU ID and the position in the base station data table; here, the base station data table is stored in the GMLC.

S304. The GMLC receives a positioning request initiated by the LCS Client or the NEF;

S306. As a consumer of the service, the GMLC invokes the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo service provided by the AMF;

S308. The AMF receives a ProvidePositioningInfo request from the GMLC;

S310. The AMF calls Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation to the LMF, and transmits the UE NGAP ID to the LMF;

S312, LMF parses the input data of DetermineLocation, and then transmits RAN UE NGAP ID and NCGI to NGRAN;

S314, NGRAN returns the corresponding pRRU-ID to LMF according to RAN UE NGAP ID+NCGI;

S316. The LMF returns the positioning result to the AMF, where the positioning result includes the pRRU-ID;

S318. The AMF returns the positioning result to the GMLC, which includes the pRRU-ID;

S320. The GMLC queries the base station data table and obtains the location according to the pRRU-ID.

Based on the foregoing embodiments, in an application embodiment, an indoor positioning method based on a remote radio unit pRRU and its identifier is also provided. The specific networking diagram is shown in FIG. 4 . On the basis of the standard interface, an (http) interface between the LMF and the NGRAN is added for pRRU-ID query. This method can successfully solve the problem of how the LMF obtains the pRRU-ID when multiple pRRUs are mounted under one CELLID (cell ID), and then performs a relatively accurate rough positioning of the UE, providing a basis for 5G indoor positioning based on the pRRU. Technical Support.

The MT-LR process for indoor positioning based on this method, as shown in Figure 5, is as follows:

Step S1: The external location service client sends a request to the GMLC about the location of the target UE identified by GPSI or SUPI.

Step S2: GMLC calls the Nudm_UECM_Get service operation to the same data management function (Unified Data Management, UDM) to which the UE belongs.

Step S3: UDM returns the address of the current serving AMF.

Step S4: The GMLC calls the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo service operation to the AMF to request the current location of the UE.

Step S5: If the UE is in the CM IDLE state, the AMF initiates a network-triggered service request process to establish a signaling connection with the UE.

Step S6: The AMF calls the Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation service operation to the LMF to request the current location of the UE. The input data of this service operation includes NCGI and UE NGAP ID.

Step S7: LMF parses the input data of DetermineLocation, then transmits RAN UE NGAP ID and NCGI to NGRAN, and requests to query the ID of the pRRU where the current UE is located.

Step S8: NGRAN returns the ID of the pRRU where the current UE is located to the LMF according to the RAN UE NGAP ID and NCGI.

Step S9: The LMF returns a Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation response to the AMF to return the current location of the UE, including the pRRU ID.

Step S10: The AMF returns a Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo response to the GMLC to return the current location of the UE, including the pRRU ID.

Step S11: GMLC queries the base station information table according to the pRRU ID, and sends the location result (latitude and longitude or floor or tunnel location area, etc.) to the external location service client.

Through the above technical means, this disclosure can not only realize that when the indoor scene uses pRRU for signal coverage, the terminal can be located through the pRRU ID; moreover, the AMF can pass the RAN UE NGAP ID to the LMF, and the LMF can find it from the NGRAN side through the RAN UE NGAP ID pRRU ID.

Through the description of the above embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the method according to the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus a necessary general-purpose hardware platform, and of course also by hardware, but in many cases the former is better implementation. Based on such an understanding, the technical solution of the present disclosure can be embodied in the form of a software product in essence or the part that contributes to the prior art, and the computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM/RAM, disk, CD) contains several instructions to enable a terminal device (which may be a mobile phone, a computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the methods described in various embodiments of the present disclosure.

In this embodiment, a device positioning device is also provided, which is used to implement the above embodiments and preferred implementation modes, and what has been described will not be repeated. As used below, the term "module" may be a combination of software and/or hardware that realizes a predetermined function. Although the devices described in the following embodiments are preferably implemented in software, implementations in hardware, or a combination of software and hardware are also possible and contemplated.

Fig. 6 is a structural block diagram of a device positioning device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Fig. 6, the device includes:

The first receiving unit 602 is configured to enable the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC to receive a positioning request for locating the target terminal sent by the location service client; wherein, the positioning request carries initial identification information of the target terminal;

A sending unit 604, configured to make the GMLC send the initial identification information to a radio access network;

The second receiving unit 606 is configured to enable the GMLC to receive the identifier of the remote radio unit RPPU where the target terminal is located sent by the target node;

The determining unit 608 is configured to cause the GMLC to determine the location information matched by the identifier as the target location information of the target terminal.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the location server client may include but not limited to various positioning clients, (LoCation Services, LCS), Client client or (Network Exposrue Function, NEF). It is not limited here.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the initial identification information may include but not limited to the user's mobile phone number, Generic Public Subscription Identifier (GPSI) or Subscription Permanent Identifier (SUPI) identification. The radio access network may be a 4G or 5G radio access network (Radio Access Network, RAN).

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned target node may be an access and mobility management function (Access and Mobility Management Function, AMF) in the wireless access network, and may also be a network element that transmits communication information for other users. Make any restrictions.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the target location information of the target terminal may include but not limited to a specific floor of a shopping mall, or a specific section of a mine or a tunnel.

It should be noted that the above-mentioned modules can be realized by software or hardware. For the latter, it can be realized by the following methods, but not limited to this: the above-mentioned modules are all located in the same processor; or, the above-mentioned modules can be combined in any combination The forms of are located in different processors.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide a computer-readable storage medium, in which a computer program is stored, wherein the computer program is configured to execute the steps in any one of the above method embodiments when running.

In an exemplary embodiment, the above-mentioned computer-readable storage medium may include but not limited to: U disk, read-only memory (Read-Only Memory, referred to as ROM), random access memory (Random Access Memory, referred to as RAM) , mobile hard disk, magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store computer programs.

Embodiments of the present disclosure also provide an electronic device, including a memory and a processor, where a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to execute the steps in any one of the above method embodiments.

In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device may further include a transmission device and an input and output device, wherein the transmission device is connected to the processor, and the input and output device is connected to the processor.

For specific examples in this embodiment, reference may be made to the examples described in the foregoing embodiments and exemplary implementation manners, and details will not be repeated here in this embodiment.

Obviously, those skilled in the art should understand that each module or each step of the above-mentioned disclosure can be realized by a general-purpose computing device, and they can be concentrated on a single computing device, or distributed in a network composed of multiple computing devices In fact, they can be implemented in program code executable by a computing device, and thus, they can be stored in a storage device to be executed by a computing device, and in some cases, can be executed in an order different from that shown here. Or described steps, or they are fabricated into individual integrated circuit modules, or multiple modules or steps among them are fabricated into a single integrated circuit module for implementation. As such, the present disclosure is not limited to any specific combination of hardware and software.

The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. For those skilled in the art, the present disclosure may have various modifications and changes. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the principle of the present disclosure shall be included in the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

A device positioning method, comprising:

The gateway mobile positioning center GMLC receives a positioning request for locating the target terminal sent by the location service client; wherein, the positioning request carries initial identification information of the target terminal;

The GMLC sends the initial identification information to the radio access network;

The GMLC receives the identifier of the remote radio unit RPPU where the target terminal is located sent by the target node of the wireless access network;

The GMLC determines the location information matched by the identifier as the target location information of the target terminal.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the initial identification information includes at least one of the following: user call code, general public user identification GPSI, user permanent identification SUPI;

After the GMLC sends the initial identification information to the radio access network, it includes:

The location management function node LMF in the wireless access network converts the user call code of the target terminal into a network application protocol identifier NGAP ID and an acceptable cell global identifier NCGI; wherein, the NGAP ID user indicates a wireless network An access point, where each cell indicated by the NCGI corresponds to at least one remote radio unit.
The method according to claim 2, wherein, after the GMLC sends the initial identification information to the target node of the radio access network, further comprising:

The radio access network determines a target node of the radio access network according to the NGAP ID;

The target node determines the identifier of the RPPU corresponding to the target terminal according to the NCGI.
The method according to claim 2, wherein, before the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC receives the positioning request sent by the location service client for locating the target terminal, the steps include:

Add the mapping relationship between NCGI, pRRU identification, and target position in the base station data table.
The method according to claim 4, wherein the target location includes at least one of the following: latitude and longitude, the number of floors of a building, or a location area of a tunnel.
The method according to claim 2, wherein said comprising:

The GMLC calls the user data management unit UDM to determine the access and mobility management function node AMF corresponding to the target terminal; the AMF is used to forward the interaction data between the LMF and the GMLC, and to forward the Interaction data between the LMF and the radio access network.
The method according to claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

The AMF transparently transmits the user call code to the LMF, and transparently transmits the NGAP ID and the NCGI to the wireless access network;

The AMF receives the RPPU identifier sent by the wireless access network, and sends the RPPU identifier to the LMF;

The AMF transparently transmits the initial location information fed back by the LMF and the RPPU identifier to the GMLC.
The method according to claim 6, wherein the method further comprises:

When the target terminal is not connected to the AMF, the AMF initiates a network-triggered service request instruction to the target terminal, so as to establish a signaling connection between the target terminal and the AMF.
A device positioning system, comprising:

The first receiving unit is configured to enable the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC to receive a positioning request for locating the target terminal sent by the location service client; wherein, the positioning request carries initial identification information of the target terminal;

a sending unit configured to make the GMLC send the initial identification information to a radio access network;

The second receiving unit is configured to enable the GMLC to receive the identifier of the remote radio unit RPPU where the target terminal is located sent by the target node of the radio access network;

The determining unit is configured to cause the GMLC to determine the location information matched by the identifier as the target location information of the target terminal.
A computer-readable storage medium, wherein a computer program is stored in the computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer program is configured to perform the method described in any one of claims 1 to 8 when running.
An electronic device, comprising a memory and a processor, wherein a computer program is stored in the memory, and the processor is configured to run the computer program to perform the method described in any one of claims 1 to 8.