WO2023193584A1

WO2023193584A1 - Positioning method and apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2023193584A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/081771
Authority: WO
Inventors: 夏林瑾; 胡晓东
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2022-04-06
Filing date: 2023-03-16
Publication date: 2023-10-12
Also published as: CN116939477A

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a positioning method and apparatus. In the present application, a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) can request, by means of an identifier of a location area, the acquisition of an identifier of a user equipment in the location area and a positioning result of the user equipment from an access and mobility management function network element (AMF). That is, the GMLC can report the positioning result of a user in the location area on the basis of the identifier of the location area, that is, the GMLC can realize the positioning of a terminal device in any place or region where users are not fixed, such that the quality of service for the users is improved, the signaling interaction can also be reduced, and the service experience is improved.

Description

Positioning methods and devices

This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on April 6, 2022, with application number 202210356973.3 and the application title "Positioning Method and Device", the entire content of which is incorporated into this application by reference.

Technical field

Embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and more specifically, to a positioning method and device.

Background technique

Currently, the location services (LCS) business defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) can issue positioning requests based on a single user (for example, UE ID) or user group (UE group ID) . However, operators hope that in public places (indoor or outdoor shopping malls, museums, playgrounds, etc.), all users in the place can be located. For example, operators can create a heat map of people based on all users located within the venue.

Therefore, how to locate users in a designated location area has become a technical problem that needs to be solved.

Contents of the invention

Embodiments of the present application provide a positioning method and device, which can enable an LCS client to position user equipment in a designated location area, thereby improving service quality and user experience for users.

The first aspect provides a position positioning method, which can be executed by the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC, or can also be executed by components (such as chips or circuits) of the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC, which is not limited.

The method includes: the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC receives a first message from a location service client LCS client, the first message carries an identifier of a location area, and the first message is used to request the GMLC to provide information to users in the location area. The equipment performs positioning; the GMLC obtains the identity of the user equipment in the location area and the positioning result of the user equipment from the access and mobility management function network element AMF according to the identity of the location area, where the AMF Support determining the identity of the user equipment according to the identity of the location area, and obtaining the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identity of the user equipment; the GMLC sends a second message to the LCS client, and the second The message includes the positioning result of the user equipment in the location area.

In this application, the location area identifier is carried in the first message, and the positioning request can be issued. The LCS client does not need to obtain the user list in advance to issue the positioning request. In other words, in this application, the LCS client only needs to obtain the area information that needs to be located, and the complexity of LCS client data configuration and planning is reduced.

Based on the above technical solution, in this application, the GMLC can request the AMF to obtain the identification of the user equipment in the location area through the location area identification, and then request to obtain the positioning result of the user equipment based on the identification of the user equipment. Compared with the current technology, which issues positioning requests to designated users, GMLC can report the positioning results of users in the location area based on the location area identifier. That is, the solution of this application can realize the reporting of positioning results for any place where users are not fixed. or area Positioning of terminal equipment in the domain, thereby improving service quality for users, reducing signaling interactions and improving business experience.

In a possible implementation, the identity of the location area includes at least one of the following: a tracking area identity, a cell identity, a base station identity, a data network access identity, and a customized identity of the location area.

In this application, the custom identification of the location area, for example, can be the identification defined by each operator for the location area; for another example, the custom identification of the location area can be based on the administrative area (for example, region, province, city). etc.), the identification defined for the location area, etc. are not limited by this application.

Based on the above technical solution, in this application, the identification of the location area is flexibly designed, that is, it is possible to determine the positioning result of the user equipment in the location area based on the identification of multiple location areas.

In a possible implementation, the GMLC obtains the identity of the user equipment in the location area and the positioning result of the user equipment from the AMF according to the identity of the location area, including: the GMLC The AMF sends a third message, the third message carries the identity of the location area, and the third message is used to request to obtain the identity of the user equipment in the location area; the GMLC receives the fourth message from the AMF. message, the fourth message carries the identification of the user equipment in the location area, wherein the AMF supports obtaining the identification of the user equipment according to the identification of the location area; the GMLC obtains the identification of the user equipment according to the identification of the user equipment , sending a fifth message to the AMF, the fifth message being used to request the positioning result of the user equipment; the GMLC receiving the sixth message from the AMF, the sixth message carrying the user equipment The positioning result, wherein the AMF obtains the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identification of the user equipment.

Based on the above technical solution, in this application, the AMF can determine the identity of the user equipment in the location based on the identity of the location area. That is, in this application, the AMF is provided with the function of reporting the identification of the user equipment currently in the area based on the designated location area, so as to realize the collection of location information of all users in the designated area. It can also be understood that in this application, the function of the AMF is further enhanced, and the AMF in this application can collect the location information of all users in a designated area.

In a possible implementation, the GMLC obtains the identity of the user equipment in the location area and the positioning result of the user equipment from the AMF according to the identity of the location area, including: the GMLC The AMF sends a seventh message, the seventh message carries the identifier of the location area, and the seventh message is used to request positioning of the user equipment in the location area; the GMLC receives the third message from the AMF. Eight messages, the eighth message carries the identification of the user equipment in the location area and the positioning result of the user equipment, wherein the AMF obtains the identification of the user equipment according to the identification of the location area, the The AMF obtains the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identification of the user equipment.

Based on the above technical solution, in this application, the GMLC can send a request message to the AMF, and the AMF can determine the identifier in the location area and independently locate the user equipment. There is no need to first send the identifier of the user equipment to the GMLC, and then the GNLC can then based on the user equipment's identifier. Identifies sending a positioning request to AMF. That is, signaling interactions can be further reduced and service experience improved.

In a possible implementation manner, when the identity of the location area is the cell identity, the base station identity, the data access network identity or a customized identity of the location area, the The GMLC is configured with a corresponding relationship between the location area identifier and the tracking area identifier. The method further includes: the GMLC determines the tracking area identifier based on the location area identifier, and obtains the tracking area identifier based on the tracking area identifier. The logo of the AMF.

Based on the above technical solution, in this application, when the location area identifier is not a tracking area identifier, the GMLC can be configured with various correspondences between the location area identifier and the tracking area identifier, so that the GMLC can configure the tracking area identifier according to the tracking area identifier. Determine the identity of the AMF.

In this application, for example, when the location area identifier is a data network access identifier or a customized identifier of the location area, the GMLC can also be configured with a mapping relationship between the data network access identifier and the cell identifier or base station identifier, or, The mapping relationship between the customized identifier of the location area and the cell identifier or base station identifier can also be configured on the GMLC. This allows the GMLC to subscribe to the AMF for the identity of the user equipment in the specified location area.

In a possible implementation manner, the GMLC receiving the first message from the LCS client includes: the GMLC receiving the first message from the LCS client through the network open function network element NEF.

Based on the above technical solution, in this application, GMLC can also receive the first message from the LCS client through NEF. That is, this application adds a positioning application programming interface (API) opening method, which is equivalent to not only directly opening it to GMLC, but also indirectly opening it through NEF.

In a possible implementation, the second message further includes an identification of the user equipment and/or an identification of the location area.

Based on the above technical solution, in this application, GMLC can also send the identifier of the user equipment associated with the positioning result and/or the identifier of the corresponding location area to the LCS client, so that the GMLC can directly determine the user equipment in the location area, and The positioning results of the user's device.

The second aspect provides a location positioning method, which can be executed by the access and mobility management function network element AMF, or can also be executed by components of the AMF (such as chips or circuits), which is not limited.

The method includes: the access and mobility management function network element AMF receives a third message from the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC, the third message carries the identifier of the location area, and the third message is used to request to obtain the location The identity of the user equipment in the location area; the AMF determines the identity of the user equipment in the location area based on the third message; the AMF sends a fourth message to the GMLC, the fourth message carries the The identification of the user's device.

In a possible implementation, the method further includes: the AMF receiving a fifth message from the GMLC, the fifth message being used to request to obtain the positioning result of the user equipment, the fifth message carrying the The identification of the user equipment; the AMF obtains the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identification of the user equipment; the AMF sends a sixth message to the GMLC, the sixth message carries the positioning of the user equipment result.

Based on the above technical solution, in this application, the AMF can determine the identity of the user equipment in the location based on the identity of the location area. That is, in this application, the AMF is provided with the ability to report the identification of the user equipment currently in the area based on the designated location area, thereby realizing the collection of location information of all users in the designated area. It can also be understood that in this application, the function of the AMF is further enhanced, and the AMF in this application can collect the location information of all users in a designated area.

The third aspect provides a location positioning method, which can be executed by the access and mobility management function network element AMF, or can also be executed by components of the AMF (such as chips or circuits), which is not limited.

The method includes: the access and mobility management function network element AMF receives a seventh message from the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC, the seventh message carries an identifier of the location area, and the seventh message is used to request the acquisition of the location area. The positioning result of the user equipment; the AMF obtains the identification of the user equipment according to the identification of the location area; the AMF obtains the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identification of the user equipment; the AMF reports to the GMLC An eighth message is sent, where the eighth message carries the identity of the user equipment in the location area and the positioning result of the user equipment.

Based on the above technical solution, in this application, GMLC can send a request message to AMF, and AMF can determine the identifier in the location area and independently locate the user equipment. There is no need to first send the identifier of the user equipment to GMLC, and then GNLC can then determine the identifier of the user equipment based on the user equipment. The identifier sends a positioning request to AMF. That is, signaling interactions can be further reduced and service experience improved.

The fourth aspect provides a location positioning method, which can be executed by the access and location service client LCS client, or can also be executed by components of the LCS client (such as chips or circuits), without limitation.

The method includes the location service client LCS client sending a first message to the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC. The first message carries an identifier of the location area, and the first message is used to request the GMLC to perform operations on the user equipment in the location area. Positioning; the LCS client receives the second message from the GMLC, the second message includes the positioning result of the user equipment in the location area, wherein the positioning result of the user equipment is the AMF according to the user equipment The identity of the user equipment is obtained by the AMF according to the location area identity received from the GMLC.

Based on the above technical solution, in this application, the LCS client can initiate reporting of positioning results for all users in the location area based on the location area. That is, the LCS client can carry the location area identifier in the first message to issue a positioning request. There is no need for the LCS client to obtain the user list in advance before it can issue a positioning request. In other words, in this application, the LCS client only needs to obtain the area information that needs to be located, and the complexity of LCS client data configuration and planning is reduced. Moreover, signaling interactions can be further reduced and service experience improved.

In a possible implementation manner, the LCS client sends the first message to the GMLC, including: the LCS client sends the first message to the GMLC through the network open function network element NEF.

In a fifth aspect, a positioning information device is provided, which is used to perform the method in any possible implementation manner of the above-mentioned first to fourth aspects. Specifically, the device may include units and/or modules for performing the method in any possible implementation of the first to fourth aspects, such as a transceiver unit and/or a processing unit.

In one implementation, the device is a GMLC, AMF or LCS client. When the device is a communication device, the communication unit may be a transceiver, or an input/output interface; the processing unit may be at least one processor. Alternatively, the transceiver may be a transceiver circuit. Alternatively, the input/output interface may be an input/output circuit.

In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system or circuit for a GMLC, AMF or LCS client. When the device is a chip, chip system or circuit used for communication equipment, the communication unit may be an input/output interface, interface circuit, output circuit, input circuit, pin or related circuit on the chip, chip system or circuit, etc. ; The processing unit may be at least one processor, processing circuit or logic circuit, etc.

In a sixth aspect, a positioning device is provided. The device includes: at least one processor for executing computer programs or instructions stored in a memory to perform any possibility of any one of the above first to fourth aspects. Methods in the implementation. Optionally, the device further includes a memory for storing computer programs or instructions. Optionally, the device further includes a communication interface, through which the processor reads the computer program or instructions stored in the memory.

In one implementation, the device is a GMLC, AMF or LCS client.

In another implementation, the device is a chip, chip system or circuit for a GMLC, AMF or LCS client.

In a seventh aspect, this application provides a processor, including: an input circuit, an output circuit and a processing circuit. The processing circuit is configured to receive a signal through the input circuit and transmit a signal through the output circuit, so that the processor executes the method in any one of the possible implementations of any one of the first to fourth aspects. .

In the specific implementation process, the above-mentioned processor can be one or more chips, the input circuit can be an input pin, the output circuit can be an output pin, and the processing circuit can be a transistor, a gate circuit, a flip-flop and various logic circuits, etc. . The input signal received by the input circuit may be received and input by, for example, but not limited to, a transceiver. The signal output by the output circuit may be, for example, but not limited to, output to a transmitter and transmitted by the transmitter, and the input circuit and the output A circuit may be the same circuit that functions as an input circuit and an output circuit at different times. The embodiments of this application do not limit the specific implementation methods of the processor and various circuits.

For operations such as sending and getting/receiving involved in the processor, if there is no special explanation, or if it does not conflict with its actual role or internal logic in the relevant description, it can be understood as processor output, reception, input and other operations. , can also be understood as the transmitting and receiving operations performed by the radio frequency circuit and the antenna, which is not limited in this application.

In an eighth aspect, a processing device is provided, including a processor and a memory. The processor is used to read instructions stored in the memory, and can receive signals through a transceiver and transmit signals through a transmitter to execute the method in any possible implementation manner of any one of the first to fourth aspects.

Optionally, there are one or more processors and one or more memories.

Alternatively, the memory may be integrated with the processor, or the memory may be provided separately from the processor.

In the specific implementation process, the memory can be a non-transitory memory, such as a read-only memory (ROM), which can be integrated on the same chip as the processor, or can be set in different On the chip, the embodiment of the present application does not limit the type of memory and the arrangement of the memory and the processor.

It should be understood that the relevant data interaction process, for example, sending instruction information may be a process of outputting instruction information from the processor, and receiving capability information may be a process of the processor receiving input capability information. Specifically, the data output by the processor can be output to the transmitter, and the input data received by the processor can be from the transceiver. Among them, the transmitter and the transceiver can be collectively referred to as the transceiver.

The processing device in the above eighth aspect may be one or more chips. The processor in the processing device can be implemented by hardware or software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc.; when implemented by software, the processor can be a general processor, which is implemented by reading software codes stored in a memory, and the memory can Integrated in the processor, it can be located outside the processor and exist independently.

In a ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided. The computer-readable medium stores a program code for device execution. The program code includes a method for executing any of the possible implementations of the first to fourth aspects. method.

In a tenth aspect, a computer program product containing instructions is provided. When the computer program product is run on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the method in any of the possible implementation modes of the first to fourth aspects.

An eleventh aspect provides a chip system, including a processor for calling and running a computer program from a memory, so that a device installed with the chip system executes each implementation of any one of the above first to fourth aspects. method within the method.

In a twelfth aspect, a communication system is provided, which includes the GMLC, AMF and LCS clients. The GMLC is used to perform any method that may be implemented in the first aspect, the AMF is used to perform any method that may be implemented in the second aspect or the third aspect, and the LCS client is used to perform Any possible implementation method in the fourth aspect.

Description of the drawings

Figure 1 is the architecture of a communication system applicable to the embodiment of the present application.

Figure 2 is a positioning service architecture diagram of the positioning method applicable to the embodiment of the present application.

Figure 3 is a schematic flow chart of the positioning method 300 provided by this application.

Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart of the positioning method 400 provided by this application.

Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of the positioning method 500 provided by this application.

Figure 6 is a schematic flow chart of the positioning method 600 provided by this application.

Figure 7 is a schematic flow chart of the positioning method 700 provided by this application.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of the positioning device 100 provided by this application.

Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of the positioning device 200 provided by this application.

Detailed ways

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts should fall within the scope of protection of this application.

The technical solution proposed in this application can be applied to a communication system that can complete communication through the access network and the core network, as shown in Figure 1.

The terminal equipment involved in the embodiments of this application may include various access terminals, mobile devices, user terminals or user devices with wireless communication functions. For example, the terminal device can be a user equipment (UE), such as a mobile phone, a tablet, a computer with a wireless transceiver function, a virtual reality (VR) terminal device, an augmented reality ( augmented reality, AR) terminal equipment, etc. Terminal equipment can also be wireless terminals in industrial control (industrial control), machine type communication (MTC) terminals, customer premise equipment (CPE), and wireless terminals in self-driving (self-driving) , wireless terminals in remote medical, wireless terminals in smart grid, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart city, smart home ), cellular phones, cordless phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, personal digital assistants (PDAs), handheld devices with wireless communication capabilities Equipment, computing equipment or other processing equipment connected to wireless modems, vehicle-mounted equipment, wearable devices, terminal equipment in 5G networks or terminal equipment in future evolved public land mobile communications networks (public land mobile network, PLMN), etc. In the following embodiments, the terminal device is user equipment as an example for description.

In this embodiment of the present application, the access network includes an access network device. The access network device is a device that provides wireless communication functions for terminal devices. For example, it may be an access point (AP) in a WLAN. ,GSM or CDMA The base transceiver station (BTS) in WCDMA can also be the base station (nodeB, NB) in WCDMA, or the gNB in the new wireless system (new radio, NR) system, or the evolved base station (NB) in LTE. evolutional node B (eNB or eNodeB), in a 5G network, it can also be a radio access network device (radio access network, RAN).

In this embodiment of the present application, the core network may include but is not limited to data storage management network elements, mobility management network elements, location management network elements, and network opening network elements. Among them, the data storage management network element is a network element used to store and manage data of terminal devices. For example, in a 5G network, it can be a unified data management function network element (unified data management, UDM). In future communication systems, the unified data management function network element can still be a UDM network element, or it can also have other names, which is not limited in this application. Mobility management network element is a network element used to manage the mobility of terminal equipment. For example, in a 4G network, it can be a mobility management entity (MME). In a 5G network, it can be a mobility management entity (MME). Access and mobility management function network element (access and mobility management function, AMF). In future communication systems, the access and mobility management function network elements can still be AMF network elements, or they can also have other names, which are not limited in this application. The location management network element is a network element used to manage the location of terminal equipment. For example, in a 5G network, it can be a location management function network element (LMF). In future communication systems, the location management function network element can still be an LMF network element, or it can also have other names, which is not limited in this application. A network exposure network element is responsible for providing network functions to third-party applications. For example, in a 5G network, it can be a network exposure function (NEF). In future communication systems, network open function network elements can still be NEF network elements, or they can also have other names, which are not limited in this application.

It should be understood that in actual deployment or future communication systems, several of the above core network elements may be co-located, or the functions of one core network element may be jointly implemented by several network elements. When several core network elements are co-located, the interactions between these core network elements involved in this application are internal operations or can be omitted.

In this embodiment of the present application, the application entity is used to request specific capabilities from the network and is an application that accesses the network. For example, it may be an application function network element (application function, AF).

Figure 2 shows a positioning service architecture diagram applicable to the technical solution proposed in this application. The location service architecture includes gateway mobile location center (GMLC), location client (LCS client) and location retrieval function network element (location retrieval function, LRF). Among them, GMLC is used to receive the positioning request of the LCS client and pass the positioning request to the AMF, and the LRF is responsible for retrieving or verifying the location information.

In the network architecture shown in Figure 2, network elements can communicate with each other through the interfaces shown in the figure. As shown in the figure, the N1 interface is the reference point between the terminal device and the AMF; the N2 interface is the reference point for the RAN and AMF, and is used for sending non-access stratum (NAS) messages; the N8 interface is The reference point between AMF and UDM; the N33 interface is the reference point between NEF and AF; the N51 interface is the reference point between AMF and NEF; N52 is the reference point between NEF and UDM. The relationship between other interfaces and each network element is shown in Figure 1. For the sake of simplicity, they will not be described in detail here.

It should be understood that the network architecture shown in Figure 1 is only an exemplary illustration, and the network architecture applicable to the embodiments of the present application is not limited thereto. Any network architecture that can realize the functions of each network element mentioned above is applicable to the embodiments of the present application. .

It should also be understood that functions or network elements such as AMF, NEF, and UDM shown in Figure 1 can be understood as network elements used to implement different functions. For example, network slices can be combined on demand. These network elements can be independent devices, or they can be integrated into the same device to implement different functions, or they can be network elements in hardware devices, or they can be in dedicated Using software functions running on hardware, or virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (for example, a cloud platform), this application does not limit the specific form of the above network elements.

It should also be understood that the above nomenclature is only defined to facilitate the differentiation of different functions and should not constitute any limitation on this application. This application does not rule out the possibility of using other naming in 6G networks and other networks in the future. For example, in a 6G network, some or all of the above network elements may use the terminology used in 5G, or may adopt other names.

Currently, the location services (LCS) business defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) can issue positioning requests based on a single user (for example, UE ID) or user group (UE group ID) . For example, the LCS client can initiate a location service request based on the UE group ID or UE ID. For example, for the UE group ID, the GMLC can first obtain the User Permanent Identifier (SUPI) of each UE based on the UE group ID. Then, the GMLC can initiate a positioning request to the AMF for a single UE. However, operators expect to be able to locate all users in public places (for example, indoor or outdoor shopping malls, museums, playgrounds, etc.). For example, operators can create a heat map of people based on all users located within the venue. Therefore, how to locate users in a designated location area has become a technical problem that needs to be solved.

Figure 3 is a schematic flowchart of a positioning method 300 provided by an embodiment of the present application. This method can be executed, for example, by a gateway mobile positioning center GMLC. The method 300 includes:

Step 301: The gateway mobile positioning center GMLC receives the first message from the location service client LCS client, where the first message carries the identifier of the location area, and the first message is used to request the GMLC to locate the user equipment in the location area.

In this application, the first message may be, for example, an LCS service request (LCS service request) message.

In this application, the identity of the location area may include at least one of the following: tracking area identity (TAI), cell identity (cell ID), base station identity (gNB ID), data network access identifier (datanetwork access identifier, DNAI), custom identification of the location area.

The custom identification of the location area, for example, can be the identification defined by each operator for the location area; for another example, the custom identification of the location area can be the location area according to the administrative area (for example, region, province, city, etc.) The identification of the location area definition, etc., is not limited by this application.

In this application, when the location area identifier is a cell identifier (cell ID), a base station identifier (gNB ID), a data network access identifier (DNAI), or a customized identifier of the location area, the GMLC The corresponding relationship between the location area identifier and the tracking area identifier may be pre-configured ("correspondence relationship" can also be understood as "mapping relationship"). For example, the GMLC can be pre-configured with the corresponding relationship between the cell identifier and the tracking area identifier, or the GMLC can be pre-configured with the corresponding relationship between the base station identifier and the tracking area identifier, or the GMLC can be pre-configured with the data network access identifier and the tracking area identifier. The corresponding relationship between the tracking area identification, or the correspondence between the custom identification of the location area and the tracking area identification can be pre-configured on the GMLC.

In this application, the LCS client's first message carries the location area identifier, and the positioning request can be issued. The LCS client does not need to obtain the user list in advance to issue the positioning request. In other words, in this application, the LCS client only needs to obtain the area information that needs to be located, which reduces the complexity of LCS client data configuration and planning.

In a possible implementation, the GMLC can receive the first message from the LCS client through the network open function network element NEF.

In this application, GMLC can also receive the first message from the LCS client through NEF. That is, in this application A targeted application programming interface (API) opening method has been added, which means it can not only be opened directly to GMLC, but also indirectly through NEF.

Step 302: The GMLC may obtain the identity of the user equipment in the location area and the positioning result of the user equipment from the access and mobility management function network element AMF according to the identity of the location area.

In this application, the AMF can obtain the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identification of the user equipment.

Optionally, GMLC can determine the target AMF based on the tracking area identifier. For example, the GMLC can obtain the AMF identity from the NRF based on the tracking area identity. In this application, the identifier of the AMF may be, for example, the instance ID of the AMF or the Internet protocol (IP) of the AMF, etc.

In this application, the AMF can determine the identity of the user equipment in the location based on the identity of the location. That is, in this application, the AMF is provided with the function of reporting the identification of the user equipment currently in the area based on the designated location area, so as to realize the collection of location information of all users in the designated area. It can also be understood that in this application, the function of the AMF is further enhanced, and the AMF in this application can collect the location information of all users in a designated area.

In a possible implementation, the GMLC can send a third message (for example, an event report subscription request (Event Exposure Subscribe Request) message) to the AMF. The third message carries the identifier of the location area, and the third message is used to request to obtain the location. The identity of the user equipment in the location area; the GMLC receives the fourth message (for example, the event report notification (Namf_Event Exposure Notify) message) from the AMF, the fourth message carries the identity of the user equipment in the location area; the GMLC receives the identity of the user equipment in the location area according to the user equipment identification, and sends a fifth message (for example, Namf Location_Provide Positioninfo Request) to the AMF. The fifth message is used to request to obtain the positioning result of the user equipment; GMLC receives the sixth message from the AMF (for example, Provide a location positioning response (Namf Location_Provide Positioninfo Response), and the sixth message carries the positioning result of the user equipment, where the AMF can obtain the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identifier of the user equipment.

Based on the above solution, in this application, the GMLC can request the AMF to obtain the identification of the user equipment in the location area through the location area identification, and then request to obtain the positioning result of the user equipment based on the identification of the user equipment. Compared with the current technology, which issues positioning requests to designated users, GMLC can report the positioning results of users in the location area based on the location area identifier. That is, the solution of this application can realize the reporting of positioning results for any place where users are not fixed. Or the positioning of terminal equipment in the area, thereby improving service quality for users, reducing signaling interactions and improving business experience.

In another possible implementation, the GMLC sends a seventh message (for example, Namf Location_Provide Positioninfo Request) to the AMF. The seventh message carries the identifier of the location area. The seventh message is used to request location information. The GMLC receives the eighth message from the AMF (for example, providing a location positioning response (Namf Location_Provide Positioninfo Response)). The eighth message carries the identity of the user equipment in the location area and the identity of the user equipment. Positioning result, wherein the AMF may obtain the identification of the user equipment according to the identification of the location area, and the AMF obtains the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identification of the user equipment.

Based on the above solution, in this application, GMLC can send a request message to AMF, and AMF can determine the identifier in the location area and independently locate the user equipment. There is no need to first send the identifier of the user equipment to GMLC, and then GNLC can then determine the identifier of the user equipment based on the user equipment's identifier. Identifies sending a positioning request to AMF. That is, signaling interactions can be further reduced and service experience improved.

Step 303: GMLC sends a second message to the LCS client. The second message includes the information of the user equipment in the location area. Positioning results.

In this application, the second message may be, for example, an LCS service response (LCS service request) message.

Optionally, the second message may also include the identity of the user equipment and/or the identity of the location area.

According to the technical solution provided by this application, GMLC can report the positioning results of users in the location area based on the location area identification, and realize the positioning of terminal equipment in any place or area where users are not fixed, thereby improving service quality for users. , improve business experience.

Figure 4 is a schematic flow chart of a positioning method 400 provided by this application. This method can be executed by, for example, AMF. The method 400 includes:

Step 401: The access and mobility management function network element AMF receives the fifth message from the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC. The fifth message is used to request to obtain the positioning result of the user equipment.

In this application, the identity of the location area may include at least one of the following: a tracking area identity, a cell identity, a base station identity, a data network access identity, and a customized identity of the location area. For details, reference may be made to the description in method 300, which will not be described again here.

In a possible implementation manner, the fifth message carries the identity of the user equipment, where the identity of the user equipment is determined by the AMF based on the location area identity. Wherein, the identification of the user equipment is determined by the AMF according to the location area identification, including: the AMF receives a third message from the GMLC. In this application, the third message carries the identity of the location area, and the third message is used to request to obtain the identity of the user equipment in the location area. The AMF determines the identity of the user equipment in the location area according to the third message. For example, the AMF can filter all users in the specified measurement area based on the third message.

In another implementation manner, the fifth message carries an identifier of the location area (at this time, it can also be understood as the seventh message), and the fifth message is used to request to obtain the positioning result of the user equipment in the location area.

Step 402: The AMF obtains the positioning result of the user equipment according to the fifth message.

In the case where the fifth message carries the identity of the user equipment, the AMF may locate each user equipment in sequence based on the identity of the user equipment (for example, the user equipment may be located sequentially. For another example, the positioning may be performed in batches).

In the case where the fifth message carries the identifier of the location area, the AMF can filter the identifier of the user equipment in the specified location area, and then the AMF can start locating the user in the area.

Step 403: The AMF sends a sixth message to the GMLC, where the sixth message carries the positioning result of the user equipment.

Based on the above technical solution, in this application, the AMF can determine the identity of the user equipment in the location based on the identity of the location area. That is, in this application, the AMF has the function of reporting the identification of the user equipment currently in the area based on the specified location area, so as to realize the collection of location information of all users in the specified area. It can also be understood that in this application, the function of the AMF is further enhanced, and the AMF in this application can collect the location information of all users in a designated area.

Figure 5 is a schematic flow chart of the method 500 provided by this application. This method can be executed by, for example, the LCS client. The method includes:

Step 501, LCS client sends a first message to GMLC. The first message carries the identifier of the location area. The first message is used to request GMLC to locate the user equipment in the location area.

In this application, the identity of the location area may include at least one of the following: a tracking area identity, a cell identity, a base station identity, a data network access identity, and a customized identity of the location area. Specifically, you can refer to the description in method 300, No further details will be given here.

In a possible implementation, the LCS client can send the first message to the GMLC through the network open function network element NEF.

Step 502: The LCS client receives a second message from GMLC. The second message includes the positioning result of the user equipment in the location area.

The positioning result of the user equipment is obtained by the AMF based on the identification of the user equipment, and the identification of the user equipment is determined by the AMF based on the location area identification received from the GMLC.

Optionally, the second message also includes the identity of the user equipment and/or the identity of the location area.

According to the technical solution provided by this application, the LCS client can initiate the reporting of positioning results for all users in the location area based on the location area, and the GMLC can report the positioning results of the users in the location area based on the location area identification, and can further Reduce signaling interactions and improve service experience.

Figure 6 is a flow chart of a specific embodiment provided by this application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. As shown in Figure 6, the method includes:

Step 601, LCS Client sends message #1 to GMLC. The message #1 carries the identifier of the location area. Message #1 is used to request GMLC to locate the user equipment in the location area.

For example, the LCS Client can send an LCS Service Request message (an example of the first message) to the GMLC, which carries one or more of TAI, cell ID, gNB ID, DNAI, or a custom identifier of the location area.

In this application, in a possible implementation, GMLC can pre-configure the mapping relationship between Cell ID, gNB ID, DNAI or the custom identification of the location area and TAI ("mapping relationship" can also be understood as "corresponding relationship" ). For example, cell ID#1—TAI#1, cell ID#2—TAI#2, DNAI#3—TAI#3, DNAI#4—TAI#4, custom identification of location area #1—TAI#1, location District’s Custom Identifier #7—TAI#7, etc. At this time, the GMLC can determine the TAI based on the identification of the location area. In another possible implementation, if the message #1 carries the TAI, the mapping relationship between the location area identifier and the TAI does not need to be configured on the GMLC.

Optionally, if message #1 carries DNAI or a custom identification of the location area, the mapping relationship between DNAI and Cell ID and gNB ID can also be configured on the GMLC, or the custom identification of the location area can also be configured on the GMLC. The mapping relationship between the defined identifier and Cell ID and gNB ID. That is, subsequently, it can be used to subscribe to the list of user equipment identities to the AMF in the specified area.

In a possible implementation, the AF or LCS Client can also send the first message to GMLF through NEF.

Optionally, in step 602, the GMLC sends message #2 to the LCS Client. The message #2 is used to respond to the LCS Client with the positioning request for the user equipment in the location area.

In a possible implementation, GMLC can directly respond to LCS Client's request. For example, GMLC can send an LCS Service Request message to LCS, and the message does not need to carry the positioning result.

In another possible implementation, the GMLC can respond after the positioning result calculation is completed. At this time, the calculated positioning results can be reported to the LCS Client through the Notification message.

Step 603: GMLC sends message #3 to NRF to request to obtain the identity of the AMF. Message #3 carries TAI.

For example, the GMLC can first determine the TAI through the identification of the location area, and then send the Nnrf_NF Discovery_NF Discover Request message to the NRF to request the NRF to obtain the identification of the AMF.

Step 604: NRF receives message #3 and determines the identity of AMF based on TAI.

For example, the NRF may determine the identity of the AMF serving the TAI based on the TAI. For example, the AMF identifier can be an AMF instance identifier (AMF Instance ID), for example, it can be a set of AMF instance ID lists. For another example, the AMF identification can be AMF IP address information, etc.

Step 605: NRF sends message #4 to GMLC. Message #4 carries the identification of AMF.

For example, NRF can send an Nnrf_NFDiscovery_NFDiscover Response message to GMLC, which carries the AMF identifier, such as AMF Instance ID and AMP IP address.

Step 606: GMLC sends message #5 (an example of the third message) to the AMF. Message #5 is used to subscribe to the AMF for the notification message of the identity of the user equipment in the location area.

For example, GMLC sends a Namf_EventExposure Subscribe Request message to AMF (if GMLC discovers a group of AMFs from NRF, it can initiate a request to each AMF separately), and the message carries the identifier of the location area. It can also be understood that the GMLC can subscribe to the AMF for a list of identifiers of user equipment in the location area (for example, UE ID list) information based on the location area identifier. Optionally, the message can also carry the event reporting interval.

Optionally, if message #1 carries DNAI or a custom identifier of the location area, message #5 can also carry the Cell ID or gNB ID corresponding to the DNAI, or carry a custom identifier of the location area. Identifies the corresponding Cell ID or gNB ID. It can also be understood that at this time, the GMLC can instruct the AMF to subscribe to the UE ID list in the designated area.

In this application, the identification of the user equipment involved may be, for example, international mobile subscriber identifier (IMSI), mobile subscriber ISDN (mobile subscriber ISDN, MSISDN) user permanent identifier (subscription permanent identifier, SUPI). ), generic public subscription identifier (GPSI), etc.

Step 607: AMF receives message #5 and determines the identity of the user equipment in the location area.

In this application, the AMF can determine the identity of the user equipment in the location based on the identity of the location. That is, in this application, the AMF is provided with the ability to report the identification of the user equipment currently in the area based on the designated location area, thereby realizing the collection of location information of all users in the designated area. It can also be understood that in this application, the function of the AMF is further enhanced, and the AMF in this application can collect the location information of all users in a designated area.

Step 608: The AMF sends message #6 (an example of the fourth message) to the GMLC. The message #6 carries the identity of the user equipment in the location area.

For example, the AMF can send a Namf_Event Exposure Notify message to the GMLC, which carries the identity of the user equipment in the location area.

In a possible implementation, the AMF can regularly report the user equipment identifier and the corresponding location area identifier through the Namf_EventExposure Notify message based on the event reporting interval. For example, the AMF can report the identity of the user equipment and the identity of the corresponding location area every 100 milliseconds. For example, user equipment identification #1 to user equipment identification #10 correspond to cell ID #1. For another example, user equipment identification #15 to user equipment identification #30 correspond to gNBID #2. For another example, user equipment identification #5 to user equipment identification #20 correspond to location area identification #1. For example, user equipment identification #3 to user equipment identification 18 correspond to DNAI #5, and so on.

In a possible implementation manner, the GMLC can refresh the locally saved list of user equipment identifiers in real time based on the user equipment identifiers reported regularly by the AMF.

Step 609: GMLC receives message #6 and sends message #7 (an example of the fifth message) to the AMF based on the identity of the user equipment. Message #7 is used to request positioning of the user equipment.

For example, considering the performance of the network element, GMLC can send Namf_Location_Provide to the AMF in batches (for example, 10 requests per second, assuming there are 100 requests, in 10 times) based on the list of received user equipment identifiers. Position Info Resquset message.

Step 610: The AMF forwards message #7 to the LMF, which is used to request positioning of the user equipment.

In step 611, the LMF cooperates with the UE and the RAN to position the user equipment. For the specific positioning process, please refer to the description in Chapter 6 of the protocol 3GPP technical specification (TS) 23.273, which will not be described in detail in this application.

Step 612: After the LMF completes the position calculation of the user equipment, it sends message #8 to the AMF. The message #8 carries the positioning result of the user equipment.

For example, the LMF can send an Nlmf Location DetermineLocation Response message to the AMF, which carries the positioning result of the user equipment.

Step 613: AMF sends message #9 (example of the sixth message) to GMLC. Message #9 carries the positioning result of the user equipment.

For example, AMF can forward the positioning results of the user equipment to GMLC through the Namf_Location_ProvidePositionInfo Response message.

In this application, step 613 can be performed separately for each user, or the AMF can report the location information through one signaling after integrating the location information of all users in the location area.

Step 614: GMLC receives message #9 and associates the positioning result with the corresponding user equipment and the corresponding location area.

For example, the GMLC may associate the received positioning result of the user equipment with the identification of the corresponding user equipment, and further associate it with the corresponding location area. For example, location result #1 can be associated with user device #1 and Cell ID.

Step 615: GMLC sends message #10 (an example of the second message) to LCSClient. The message #10 includes the positioning result of the user equipment.

For example, GMLC can send the positioning results of the user equipment to the LCS Client through the LCS Service Response message or the LCS Service Notification message. Optionally, the message may also include the customized identification of Cell ID/gNB ID/TAI/DANI/location area and the identification of the user equipment.

In this application, step 615 can be performed separately for each user, or the GMLC can integrate the location information of all users in the location area and report it through one signaling.

Optionally, in step 616, the GMLC sends message #11 to the AMF. Message #11 is used to unsubscribe from events identified by the user equipment in the specified location area.

For example, the GMLC can unsubscribe to the AMF for UE ID events in the specified location area through the Namf_EventExposure Unsubscribe Request message.

Optionally, in step 617, the AMF sends message #12 to the GMLC. The message #12 is used to respond to the event of unsubscribing from the user equipment identification in the specified location.

For example, the AMF can respond to the GMLC through the Namf_Event Exposure Unsubscribe Response message to unsubscribe from the UE ID event in the specified location area.

Based on the above technical solution, in this application, the GMLC can request the AMF to obtain the identification of the user equipment in the location area through the location area identification, and then request to obtain the positioning result of the user equipment based on the identification of the user equipment. Furthermore, the AMF can determine the identity of the user equipment in the location based on the identity of the location. That is, in this application, the AMF is provided with the ability to report the identification of the user equipment currently in the area based on the designated location area, thereby realizing the collection of location information of all users in the designated area. That is, it is realized that the GMLC can report the positioning results of users in the location area based on the location area identifier, thereby reducing signaling interactions and improving service experience.

Figure 7 is a flow chart of another specific embodiment provided by this application. As shown in Figure 7, the method includes:

For steps 701 to 705, please refer to the description in steps 601 to 605, and the description will not be repeated at this time.

Step 706: GMLC sends message #13 to AMF. Message #13 carries the identifier of the location area. Message #13 is used to request AMF to locate the user equipment in the location area.

For example, GMLC sends a Namf_Location_Provide Position Info Resquset message to AMF, which carries the location area identifier.

Optionally, in step 707, AMF receives message #13 and sends message #14 to GMLC. Message #14 is used to respond to confirm receipt of message #13.

For example, AMF can send a Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo_Response message to GMLC to confirm receipt of the request.

Optionally, in step 708, after receiving message #14, GMLC sends message #15 to the LCS Client in response to confirming receipt of message #1.

For example, GMLC can send an LCS Service Response message to the LCS Client to confirm receipt of the positioning request for the user equipment in the location area.

Step 709: Based on the positioning request received in step 706, the AMF determines the identity of the user equipment in the location area.

For example, the AMF can filter all users in the specified measurement area based on the positioning request of the user equipment in the location area received in step 706. After the filtering is completed, the AMF can start positioning the users in the area in sequence. For example, the following steps 710 to 713 may be executed in a loop for each user.

Step 710: AMF can trigger the user to enter the connected state through the network side, so that the user enters the connected state.

For example, if there are users in the idle state in the location area, AMF can trigger the users to enter the connected state through the Network Triggered Service Request message.

Step 711, the AMF determines the target LMF.

For example, AMF can select an appropriate LMF based on local configuration or LSClient type, quality of service (Qos) information requested by location, access network type, etc.

Step 712: The AMF sends message #15 to the target LMF. Message #15 carries the identifier of the user equipment and is used to request positioning of the user equipment.

For example, AMF sends an Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation Request message to LMF, requesting LMF to locate the user equipment.

Step 713: LMF cooperates with the RAN and UE to jointly complete the positioning of the user equipment. For the specific process, please refer to the description in Chapter 6 of 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.273, which will not be described in detail in this application.

The remaining process in this embodiment may include step 714: After the LMF completes the position calculation of the user equipment, it sends message #8 to the AMF. Message #8 carries the positioning result of the user equipment; step 715: AMF sends message #9 to the GMLC. (Example of the sixth message), message #9 carries the positioning result of the user equipment; Step 716, GMLC receives message #9, and associates the positioning result with the corresponding user equipment and the corresponding location area; Step 717, GMLC The LCS Client sends message #10 (an example of the second message). The message #10 includes the positioning result of the user equipment. For specific description, please refer to steps 612 to 615 in method 600, and the description will not be repeated.

Based on the above solution, in this application, GMLC can send a request message to AMF, and AMF can determine the identifier in the location area and autonomously locate the user equipment. There is no need to first send the identifier of the user equipment to GMLC, and then GNLC can then based on the user equipment's identifier. Identifies sending a positioning request to AMF. That is, signaling interactions can be further reduced and service experience improved.

It can be understood that the examples in methods 300 to 700 in the embodiments of the present application are only to facilitate those skilled in the art to understand the embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present application to the specific illustrated scenarios. Those skilled in the art can obviously make various equivalent modifications or changes based on the examples in methods 300 to 700, and such modifications or changes also fall within the scope of the embodiments of the present application.

It can also be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may not depend on other features in certain scenarios, or may be combined with other features in certain scenarios without limitation.

It can also be understood that the various embodiments described in this application can be independent solutions or can be combined according to internal logic, and these solutions all fall within the protection scope of this application. In addition, the explanations or explanations of various terms appearing in the embodiments can be referred to or explained in each embodiment, and this is not limited.

It can also be understood that the sizes of various numerical serial numbers in the embodiments of the present application do not mean the order of execution, but are only distinctions for convenience of description, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiments of the present application. For example, in method 700, steps 707 and 708 can be performed after step 709 or simultaneously with step 709, that is, the AMF can also send a response message to the GMLC while determining the target LMF.

It should be understood that pre-definition in this application can be understood as definition, pre-definition, storage, pre-storage, pre-negotiation, pre-configuration, solidification, or pre-firing.

It can be understood that in this application, "under... circumstances", "if" and "if" all mean that the device will perform corresponding processing under certain objective circumstances. It does not limit the time, nor does it require the device to implement the time. There must be an act of judgment, and it does not mean that there are other limitations.

It can be understood that the term "and/or" in this article is only an association relationship describing related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and/or B, which can mean: A alone exists, and A and B exist simultaneously. , there are three situations of B alone. In addition, the character "/" in this article generally indicates that the related objects are an "or" relationship.

The above mainly introduces the solution provided by the embodiment of the present application from the perspective of interaction between various nodes. It can be understood that, in order to implement the above functions, each node, such as a terminal device and a network device, includes a corresponding hardware structure and/or software module to perform each function. Those skilled in the art should realize that the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein. Whether a function is performed by hardware or computer software driving the hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality using different methods for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

The embodiments of this application can divide each network element into functional modules according to the above method examples. For example, each functional module can be divided corresponding to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated modules can be implemented in the form of hardware or software function modules. need It should be noted that the division of modules in the embodiment of the present application is schematic and is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. The following is an example of dividing each functional module according to each function.

FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of the positioning device 100 provided by the embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the device 100 may include: a transceiver unit 110 and a processing unit 120.

In a possible design, the device 100 may be the GMLC in the above method embodiment, or may be a chip used to implement the functions of the GMLC in the above method embodiment. It should be understood that the device 100 may correspond to the GMLC in the method 300, the method 400, the method 500, the method 600, and the method 700 according to the embodiment of the present application, and the device 100 may perform the method 300, the method 400, and the method of the embodiment of the present application. Steps corresponding to GMLC in Method 500, Method 600, and Method 700.

In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is configured to receive the first message, the processing unit is configured to obtain the identity of the user equipment in the location area and the positioning result of the user equipment, and the transceiver unit is also configured to to send the second message.

In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is configured to send the third message and receive the fourth message. Transceiver is also used to send the fifth message and receive the sixth message.

In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is configured to send a seventh message and receive an eighth message.

In another possible design, the device 100 may be the AMF in the above method embodiment, or may be a chip used to implement the functions of the AMF in the above method embodiment. It should be understood that the device 100 may correspond to the AMF in the method 300, the method 400, the method 500, the method 600, and the method 700 according to the embodiment of the present application, and the device 100 may perform the method 300, the method 400, and the method of the embodiment of the present application. 500, method 600, and method 700 corresponding steps to AMF.

In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is configured to receive a third message, the processing unit is configured to determine an identity of the user equipment in the location area according to the third message, and the transceiver unit is further configured to send a fourth message.

In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is configured to receive the fifth message, the processing unit is configured to obtain the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identity of the user equipment, and the transceiver unit is configured to send the sixth message.

In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is configured to receive the seventh message, the processing unit is configured to obtain the identity of the user equipment according to the identity of the location area, and the transceiver unit is configured to send the eighth message.

In another possible design, the device 100 may be the LCS client in the above method embodiment, or may be a chip used to implement the functions of the LCS client in the above method embodiment. It should be understood that the device 100 may correspond to the LCS client in the method 300, the method 400, the method 500, the method 600, and the method 700 according to the embodiment of the present application, and the device 100 may execute the method 300, the method 400 of the embodiment of the present application. , steps corresponding to the LCS client in method 500, method 600, and method 700.

In a possible implementation, the transceiver unit is configured to send the first message, and the transceiver unit is further configured to receive the second message.

It should also be understood that the device 100 here is embodied in the form of a functional unit. The term "unit" as used herein may refer to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor for executing one or more software or firmware programs (e.g., a shared processor, a dedicated processor, or a group of processors). processor, etc.) and memory, merged logic circuitry, and/or other suitable components to support the described functionality. In an optional example, those skilled in the art can understand that the device 100 can be specifically a GMLC, AMF, and LCS client in the above embodiments, and can be used to perform the above method embodiments in conjunction with the GMLC, AMF, and LCS clients. The corresponding processes and/or steps will not be repeated here to avoid repetition.

The device 100 of each of the above solutions has the function of realizing the corresponding steps performed by the GMLC, AMF, and LCS clients in the above method. The functions described can be implemented by hardware, or can be implemented by hardware executing corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions; for example, the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transceiver (for example, the sending unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a transmitter, and the receiving unit in the transceiver unit can be replaced by a receiving unit. (machine replacement), other units, such as processing units, etc., can be replaced by processors to respectively perform the sending and receiving operations and related processing operations in each method embodiment.

In addition, the above-mentioned transceiver unit 110 may also be a transceiver circuit (for example, it may include a receiving circuit and a transmitting circuit), and the processing unit may be a processing circuit.

It should be pointed out that the device in Figure 8 can be the GMLC, AMF, or LCS client in the aforementioned embodiments, or it can be a chip or a chip system, such as a system on chip (SoC). The transceiver unit may be an input-output circuit or a communication interface; the processing unit may be a processor, microprocessor, or integrated circuit integrated on the chip. No limitation is made here.

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of the positioning device 200 provided by the embodiment of the present application. As shown in the figure, the device 200 includes: at least one processor 220. The processor 220 is coupled to the memory and is used to execute instructions stored in the memory to send signals and/or receive signals. Optionally, the device 200 also includes a memory 230 for storing instructions. Optionally, the device 200 also includes a transceiver 210, and the processor 220 controls the transceiver 210 to send signals and/or receive signals.

It should be understood that the above-mentioned processor 220 and the memory 230 can be combined into one processing device, and the processor 220 is used to execute the program code stored in the memory 230 to implement the above functions. During specific implementation, the memory 230 may also be integrated in the processor 220 or independent of the processor 220 .

It should also be understood that the transceiver 210 may include a transceiver (or receiver) and a transmitter (or transmitter). The transceiver may further include an antenna, and the number of antennas may be one or more. The transceiver 210 may be a communication interface or an interface circuit.

Specifically, the transceiver 210 in the device 200 may correspond to the transceiver unit 110 in the device 100 , and the processor 220 in the device 200 may correspond to the processing unit 120 in the device 200 .

As a solution, the device 200 is used to implement the operations performed by the terminal device in each of the above method embodiments.

For example, the processor 220 is configured to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 230 to implement related operations of the radio access network equipment in each of the above method embodiments. For example, the method is executed by the terminal device in any one of the embodiments shown in methods 200 to 600.

As another solution, the device 200 is used to implement the operations performed by the AMF in each of the above method embodiments.

For example, the processor 220 is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 230 to implement the related operations of the AMF in each of the above method embodiments. For example, the method executed by the AMF in any one of the embodiments shown in method 200 to method 700.

It should be understood that the specific process of each transceiver and processor performing the above corresponding steps has been described in detail in the above method embodiment, and will not be described again for the sake of brevity.

As another solution, the device 200 is used to implement the operations performed by the LCS client in each of the above method embodiments.

For example, the processor 220 is used to execute computer programs or instructions stored in the memory 230 to implement the related operations of the AMF in each of the above method embodiments. For example, the method executed by the LCS client in any one of the embodiments shown in Method 200 to Method 700.

During the implementation process, each step of the above method can be completed by instructions in the form of hardware integrated logic circuits or software in the processor. The steps of the methods disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented by a hardware processor for execution, or can be executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the processor. The software module can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers and other mature storage media in this field. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware. To avoid repetition, it will not be described in detail here.

It should be noted that the processor in the embodiment of the present application may be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. During the implementation process, each step of the above method embodiment can be completed through an integrated logic circuit of hardware in the processor or instructions in the form of software. The above-mentioned processor can be a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or Other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components. Each method, step and logical block diagram disclosed in the embodiment of this application can be implemented or executed. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or the processor may be any conventional processor, etc. The steps of the method disclosed in conjunction with the embodiments of the present application can be directly implemented by a hardware decoding processor, or executed by a combination of hardware and software modules in the decoding processor. The software module can be located in random access memory, flash memory, read-only memory, programmable read-only memory or electrically erasable programmable memory, registers and other mature storage media in this field. The storage medium is located in the memory, and the processor reads the information in the memory and completes the steps of the above method in combination with its hardware.

It can be understood that the memory in the embodiment of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, non-volatile memory can be read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (erasable PROM, EPROM), electrically removable memory. Erase electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM, EEPROM) or flash memory. Volatile memory can be random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of illustration, but not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (synchronous DRAM, SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (double data rate SDRAM, DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (enhanced SDRAM, ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (synch-link DRAM) , SLDRAM) and direct memory bus random access memory (direct ram-bus RAM, DR RAM). It should be noted that the memory of the systems and methods described herein is intended to include, but is not limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

According to the method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the present application also provides a computer program product. The computer program product stores computer program code. When the computer program code is run on the computer, the computer is caused to execute methods 300 to 700. The method executed by the GMLC, AMF, or LCS client in any of the embodiments.

According to the method provided by the embodiment of the present application, the present application also provides a computer-readable medium. The computer-readable medium stores program code. When the program code is run on a computer, it causes the computer to execute the GMLC in the above embodiment. , AMF, or LCS client execution method.

According to the method provided by the embodiments of this application, this application also provides a communication system, which includes a GMLC, AMF, or LCS client. The GMLC is used to perform the steps corresponding to the GMLC in the above methods 300 to 700, and the AMF is used to perform the steps corresponding to the AMF in the above methods 300 to 700. The LCS client is used to execute the steps corresponding to the LCS client in the above methods 300 to 700.

For explanations of relevant content and beneficial effects of any of the devices provided above, please refer to the corresponding method embodiments provided above, and will not be described again here.

In the above embodiments, it may be implemented in whole or in part by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented using software, it may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer instructions are loaded and executed on the computer, the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated in whole or in part. The computer may be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another, e.g., the computer instructions may be transferred from a website, computer, server, or data center Transmission to another website, computer, server or data center through wired (such as coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (such as infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device such as a server, data center, etc. that contains one or more available media integrated. The usable media may be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, tapes), optical media (e.g., high-density digital video discs (DVD)), or semiconductor media (e.g., solid state disks, SSD)) etc.

In each of the above device embodiments, corresponding steps are performed by corresponding modules or units. For example, the transceiver unit (transceiver) performs the steps of receiving or sending in the method embodiment. Other steps except sending and receiving may be performed by the processing unit (processing unit). device) execution. For the functions of specific units, please refer to the corresponding method embodiments. There can be one or more processors.

The terms "component", "module", "system", etc. used in this specification are used to refer to computer-related entities, hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or software in execution. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to, a process, a processor, an object, an executable file, a thread of execution, a program and/or a computer running on a processor. Through the illustrations, both applications running on the computing device and the computing device may be components. One or more components can reside in a process and/or thread of execution and a component can be localized on one computer and/or distributed between 2 or more computers. Additionally, these components can execute from various computer-readable media having various data structures stored thereon. A component may, for example, be based on a signal having one or more data packets (eg, data from two components interacting with another component, a local system, a distributed system, and/or a network, such as the Internet, which interacts with other systems via signals) Communicate through local and/or remote processes.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented with electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality using different methods for each specific application, but such implementations should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

Those skilled in the field can clearly understand that for the convenience and simplicity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and will not be described again here.

In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only illustrative. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or can be integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored, or not implemented. On the other hand, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection between each other shown or discussed may be through some interfaces, and the indirect coupling or communication connection of the devices or units may be in electrical, mechanical or other forms.

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

In addition, each functional unit in each embodiment of the present application can be integrated into one processing unit, each unit can exist physically alone, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit.

If the functions are implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as independent products, they can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the essence of the technical solution of the present application or the part that contributes or the part of the technical solution can be embodied in the form of a software product. The computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes a number of instructions to A computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) is caused to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage media include: U disk, mobile hard disk, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), magnetic disk or optical disk and other media that can store program code. .

It will be understood that reference throughout this specification to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic associated with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, various embodiments are not necessarily referred to the same embodiment throughout this specification. Furthermore, the particular features, structures or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

It should also be understood that the ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" mentioned in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish multiple objects, and are not used to limit the size, content, order, timing, priority or otherwise of multiple objects. importance, etc. For example, the first PDSCH and the second PDSCH can be the same physical channel or different physical channels, and this name does not indicate the information size, content, priority or importance of the two physical channels. The degree is different.

It should also be understood that in this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "plurality" refers to two or more. “At least one item (item)” or similar expressions thereof refers to one item (item) or multiple items (items), that is, any combination of these items (items), including any combination of single item (items) or plural items (items). For example, at least one of a, b, or c means: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, or a and b and c.

It should also be understood that in various embodiments of the present application, "A corresponds to B" means that B is associated with A, and B can be determined based on A. However, it should also be understood that determining B based on A does not mean determining B only based on A. B can also be determined based on A and/or other information.

The above are only specific embodiments of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any person familiar with the technical field can easily think of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in the present application. should be covered by the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the protection scope of this application should be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

A positioning method, characterized by including:

The gateway mobile positioning center GMLC receives the first message from the location service client LCS client, the first message carries the identifier of the location area, and the first message is used to request the GMLC to locate the user equipment in the location area;

The GMLC obtains the positioning result of the user equipment in the location area from the access and mobility management function network element AMF according to the identification of the location area, wherein the AMF supports determining the location area based on the identification of the location area. The identification of the user equipment, and obtaining the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identification of the user equipment;

The GMLC sends a second message to the LCS client, where the second message includes the positioning result of the user equipment in the location area.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the identification of the location area includes at least one of the following: a tracking area identification, a cell identification, a base station identification, a data network access identification, and a customized identification of the location area. .
The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the GMLC obtains the positioning result of the user equipment in the location area from the AMF according to the identification of the location area, including:

The GMLC sends a third message to the AMF, the third message carries the identity of the location area, and the third message is used to request to obtain the identity of the user equipment in the location area;

The GMLC receives a fourth message from the AMF, the fourth message carries the identity of the user equipment in the location area, wherein the AMF supports obtaining the identity of the user equipment according to the identity of the location area. ;

The GMLC sends a fifth message to the AMF according to the identification of the user equipment, where the fifth message is used to request to obtain the positioning result of the user equipment;

The GMLC receives a sixth message from the AMF, where the sixth message carries the positioning result of the user equipment, wherein the AMF obtains the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identity of the user equipment.
The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the GMLC obtains the positioning result of the user equipment in the location area from the AMF according to the identification of the location area, including:

The GMLC sends a seventh message to the AMF, the seventh message carries the identifier of the location area, and the seventh message is used to request positioning of the user equipment in the location area;

The GMLC receives an eighth message from the AMF, the eighth message carries the identity of the user equipment in the location area and the positioning result of the user equipment, wherein the AMF supports positioning according to the location area. The identification obtains the identification of the user equipment, and the AMF obtains the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identification of the user equipment.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the identification in the location area is the cell identification, the base station identification, the data access network identification or the location area. In the case of custom logos,

The GMLC is configured with a corresponding relationship between the identifier of the location area and the identifier of the tracking area, and the method further includes:

The GMLC determines the tracking area identification based on the location area identification, and obtains the identification of the AMF based on the tracking area identification.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the GMLC receives from The first message of LCSclient includes:

The GMLC receives the first message from the LCS client through the network open function network element NEF.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the second message further includes an identification of the user equipment and/or an identification of the location area.
A positioning method, characterized by including:

The access and mobility management function network element AMF receives a third message from the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC. The third message carries the identifier of the location area. The third message is used to request to obtain users in the location area. Identification of the device;

The AMF determines the identity of the user equipment in the location area according to the third message;

The AMF sends a fourth message to the GMLC, where the fourth message carries the identity of the user equipment.
The method of claim 8, further comprising:

The AMF receives a fifth message from the GMLC, the fifth message is used to request to obtain the positioning result of the user equipment, and the fifth message carries the identity of the user equipment;

The AMF obtains the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identification of the user equipment;

The AMF sends a sixth message to the GMLC, where the sixth message carries the positioning result of the user equipment.
The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that the identification of the location area includes at least one of the following: a tracking area identification, a cell identification, a base station identification, a data network access identification, and a customization of the location area. logo.
A positioning method, characterized by including:

The access and mobility management function network element AMF receives the seventh message from the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC. The seventh message carries the identifier of the location area. The seventh message is used to request to obtain the positioning of the user equipment in the location area. result;

The AMF obtains the identity of the user equipment according to the identity of the location area;

The AMF obtains the positioning result of the user equipment according to the identification of the user equipment;

The AMF sends an eighth message to the GMLC, where the eighth message carries the identity of the user equipment in the location area and the positioning result of the user equipment.
The method according to claim 11, characterized in that the identification of the location area includes at least one of the following: a tracking area identification, a cell identification, a base station identification, a data network access identification, and a customized identification of the location area. .
A positioning method, characterized by including:

The location service client LCS client sends a first message to the gateway mobile positioning center GMLC, the first message carries the identifier of the location area, and the first message is used to request the GMLC to locate the user equipment in the location area;

The LCS client receives a second message from the GMLC. The second message includes the positioning result of the user equipment in the location area, where the positioning result of the user equipment is the identification of the user equipment according to the AMF. The obtained identity of the user equipment is determined by the AMF based on the location area identity received from the GMLC.
The method according to claim 1, wherein the identification of the location area includes at least one of the following: a tracking area identification, a cell identification, a base station identification, a data network access identification, and a customized identification of the location area. .
The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the LCS client sends a first message to the GMLC, including:

The LCS client sends the first message to the GMLC through the network opening function network element NEF.
The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that the second message further includes an identification of the user equipment and/or an identification of the location area.
A positioning device, characterized in that it includes a unit or module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or includes a unit or module for performing the method as described in any one of claims 8 to 12. A unit or module of a method, or comprising a unit or module for performing a method as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 16.
A positioning device, characterized in that it includes a processor and an interface circuit. The interface circuit is used to receive signals from other communication devices other than the communication device and transmit them to the processor or to transmit signals from the processor. The signal is sent to other communication devices other than the communication device, and the processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 through logic circuits or execution code instructions, or is used to implement as The method according to any one of claims 8 to 12, or used to implement the method according to any one of claims 13 to 16.
A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that a computer program or instructions are stored in the storage medium. When the computer program or instructions are executed by a communication device, the implementation as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 is achieved. The method, or implements the method as described in any one of claims 8 to 12, or implements the method as described in any one of claims 13 to 16.
A computer program product, characterized in that the computer program product includes instructions for executing the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or implementing the method as described in any one of claims 8 to 12 instructions for a method, or instructions for implementing a method as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 16.