WO2024087913A1

WO2024087913A1 - Locating method and apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2024087913A1
Application number: PCT/CN2023/118080
Authority: WO
Inventors: 许胜锋
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2022-10-27
Filing date: 2023-09-11
Publication date: 2024-05-02
Also published as: CN117956392A

Abstract

Provided in the present application are a locating method and apparatus, which can lower the requirement for mobility management network elements during locating processes, and can be used for locating offline terminal devices. The method comprises: after receiving a first locating request message for requesting locating of a first terminal device, a gateway mobile locating center network element sends to a mobility management network element a second locating request message for requesting locating of the first terminal device; the mobility management network element receives the second locating request message, and sends to a location management function network element a third locating request message for requesting locating of the first terminal device, the second locating request message and the third locating request message carrying an identifier of a second terminal device, and the second terminal device being used for assisting in locating the first terminal device; and then, the location management function network element further sends to the second terminal device a downlink locating message for triggering a sidelink between the second terminal device and the first terminal device, and receives a sidelink locating result or location information of the first terminal device.

Description

A positioning method and device

This application claims priority to the Chinese patent application filed with the State Intellectual Property Office on October 27, 2022, with application number 202211329163.5 and application name “A positioning method and device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated by reference in this application.

Technical Field

The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communications, and in particular to a positioning method and device.

Background technique

The fifth generation (5G) mobile communication technology is widely used in various scenarios. For example, the realization of vehicle networks, autonomous driving, intelligent manufacturing, smart logistics, drones, augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR) and other scenarios all rely on 5G mobile communication technology. There is usually a positioning requirement in these scenarios, so 5G networks need to provide network positioning technology.

Currently, 5G networks support Uu interface positioning, in which the positioning of terminal devices can be achieved by exchanging information between terminal devices, network nodes, and positioning servers through the control plane.

However, in Uu interface positioning, the terminal device to be located is required to be within the network coverage. However, in actual applications, there may be a scenario as shown in Figure 1: the positioning server requests the 5G network to obtain the location of the target terminal device, but the target terminal device is outside the network coverage. At this time, how the 5G network obtains the location of the target terminal device is an urgent problem to be solved.

Summary of the invention

The present application provides a positioning method and apparatus, which can realize the positioning of terminal equipment outside the network coverage.

In a first aspect, a positioning method is provided, which can be executed by a gateway mobile positioning center network element, or by a component of the gateway mobile positioning center network element, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the gateway mobile positioning center network element, or can be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the gateway mobile positioning center network element. The method includes: the gateway mobile positioning center network element receives a first positioning request message, sends a second positioning request message to a mobile management network element, and receives location information of a first terminal device from the mobile management network element. The first positioning request message and the second positioning request message are used to request the positioning of the first terminal device. The second positioning request message includes an identifier of the second terminal device, and the second terminal device is used to assist in positioning the first terminal device. The mobile management network element is a first mobile management network element serving the first terminal device, or the mobile management network element is a second mobile management network element serving the second terminal device.

Based on this solution, the first terminal device can be positioned with the assistance of the second terminal device, thereby achieving the positioning of the first terminal device, that is, the embodiment of the present application can assist the positioning of the target terminal device based on the auxiliary terminal device. In addition, on the one hand, the gateway mobile positioning center network element carries the identifier of the second terminal device used to assist in positioning the first terminal device in the second positioning request message requesting the positioning of the first terminal device, so that other network elements in the core network do not need to store the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device to determine the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, and therefore, the storage overhead of the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device can be reduced.

On the other hand, when the second terminal device is determined by the gateway mobile positioning center network element, compared with the solution in which the second terminal device is determined by other network elements in the core network (such as the mobile management network element), the rationality of the determined auxiliary terminal device can be improved, thereby improving the positioning efficiency. The reason is that: since there is already a communication interface between the gateway mobile positioning center network element and the data management network element in the current network, the gateway mobile positioning center network element can use the communication interface to obtain relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device (such as the LCS privacy profile), and select a suitable auxiliary terminal device according to the obtained relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device. However, other network elements in the core network (such as the mobile management network element) may not have a communication interface with the data management network element at present, so it is impossible to obtain information such as the LCS privacy profile of the candidate auxiliary terminal device. If the network element needs to obtain information from the data management network element, the capability of the network element needs to be enhanced, the implementation complexity is high, and the compatibility with the existing deployed network is not high.

On the other hand, when the mobile management network element in the above scheme is the second mobile management network element, the positioning of the first terminal device may not depend on the existence of the first mobile management network element, and can be applicable to scenarios where the first mobile management network element does not exist. For example, it can be applicable to scenarios where the first terminal device is not registered with the network, or the first terminal device only has PC5 capabilities but not Uu capabilities, and has a wide range of applications.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the gateway mobile positioning center network element determines the second terminal device based on at least one of the following: location information of the second terminal device, a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, a first ranging service identifier, or a mobile state of the second terminal device, where the mobile state includes stationary or moving.

Based on this possible design, the gateway mobile positioning center network element determines the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device according to at least one of the above information, which can improve the rationality of the auxiliary terminal device and thus improve the positioning accuracy of the first terminal device.

In one possible design, the gateway mobile positioning center network element determines the second terminal device, including: if the gateway mobile positioning center network element receives Upon receiving an indication from the first mobility management network element that the first terminal device is unreachable, the gateway mobile positioning center network element determines a second terminal device.

In one possible design, the second terminal device satisfies at least one of the following: the second terminal device is located in the target area or the historical service cell of the first terminal device; the distance between the location of the second terminal device and the historical location of the first terminal device is less than or equal to a first threshold; the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device is the same as the first ranging service identifier; or, the mobile state of the second terminal device is stationary.

Based on this possible design, a terminal device that is closer to the first terminal device, or a terminal device that supports the same ranging service identifier as the first terminal device, or a stationary terminal device can be selected as the second terminal device, thereby improving the rationality of the auxiliary terminal device and further improving the positioning accuracy of the first terminal device.

In one possible design, the first positioning request message includes at least one of the following: a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, or a first ranging service identifier.

Based on this possible design, the first positioning request message includes the target area, the historical location of the first terminal device, or the first ranging service identifier, which helps to select the auxiliary terminal device, thereby improving the rationality of the selected auxiliary terminal device.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the gateway mobile positioning center network element sends a request message to the first network device, the request message is used to request the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, and the first network device is used to manage the auxiliary terminal device; the gateway mobile positioning center network element receives first indication information from the first network device, and the first indication information indicates the second terminal device.

Based on this possible design, by requesting the first network device for the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, the processing complexity of the gateway mobile positioning center network element can be reduced.

In one possible design, the request information includes at least one of the following: a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, or a first ranging service identifier.

In a possible design, the second positioning request message also includes an identifier of a third terminal device, and the third terminal device is used to assist in positioning the first terminal device.

Based on this possible design, when the second positioning request message also includes the identifier of the third terminal device, it indicates that the first terminal device corresponds to multiple auxiliary terminal devices, which can improve the positioning accuracy of the first terminal device.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the gateway mobile positioning center network element receives second indication information from the second network device, and the second indication information indicates that the second terminal device can serve as an auxiliary terminal device.

Exemplarily, the second network device may be a data management network element, and the second terminal device may send the second indication information to the data management network element in the registration process of the second terminal device, so that the data management network element may send the second indication information to the gateway mobile positioning center network element. Alternatively, the second network device may be a second mobile management network element, and the second terminal device may send the second indication information to the second mobile management network element in the positioning process of the second terminal device, so that the second mobile management network element may send the second indication information to the gateway mobile positioning center network element. Alternatively, the second network device may be an LCS client, and the LCS client may send the second indication information to the gateway mobile positioning center network element when initiating the positioning process of the second terminal device.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the gateway mobile positioning center network element receives at least one of the following from the second network device: the location of the second terminal device, the location validity period of the second terminal, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobile state of the second terminal device, the mobile state including stationary or moving.

Based on this possible design, the gateway mobile positioning center network element can dynamically obtain the information of the auxiliary terminal device through the instruction of the second network device, thereby improving the flexibility of obtaining the information of the auxiliary terminal device.

In one possible design, the first positioning request message includes an identifier of the second terminal device. Based on this possible design, it is not necessary for a network element in the core network to select an auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, which can reduce implementation complexity.

In one possible design, the second positioning request message also includes information of the second mobility management network element. Based on this possible design, in the subsequent positioning process, the first mobility management network element or location management function does not need to perform the search step of the mobility management network element of the second terminal device, thereby reducing its processing complexity.

In a second aspect, a positioning method is provided, which can be performed by a mobility management network element, or by a component of the mobility management network element, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the mobility management network element, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the mobility management network element functions. The method includes:

The mobile management network element receives a second positioning request message from the gateway mobile positioning center network element, and sends a third positioning request message to the location management function network element; receives the location information of the first terminal device from the location management function network element, and sends the location information of the first terminal device to the gateway mobile positioning center network element. The second positioning request message and the third positioning request message are used to request the positioning of the first terminal device. The second positioning request message and the third positioning request message include an identifier of the second terminal device, and the second terminal device is used to assist in positioning the first terminal device. The mobile management network element is the first mobile management network element serving the first terminal device, or the mobile management network element is the second mobile management network element serving the second terminal device. The technical effect brought about by the second aspect can refer to the technical effect brought about by the above-mentioned first aspect. This will not be elaborated on.

In a possible design, when the mobility management network element is the first mobility management network element, the third positioning request message includes information of the second mobility management network element, and the second mobility management network element is the mobility management network element serving the second terminal device.

Based on this possible design, after receiving the third positioning request message, the location management function network element does not need to execute the search step of the mobility management network element of the second terminal device, which can reduce the processing complexity of the location management function network element.

In one possible design, the second positioning request message includes information of the second mobility management network element. Based on this possible design, the first mobility management network element or location management function is not required to perform a search step for the mobility management network element of the second terminal device, thereby reducing its processing complexity.

In a possible design, the second positioning request message and the third positioning request message also include an identifier of a third terminal device, and the third terminal device is used to assist in positioning the first terminal device.

In one possible design, when the mobile management network element is a second mobile management network element, the method also includes: the mobile management network element receives second indication information from a second terminal device, the second indication information indicating that the second terminal device can serve as an auxiliary terminal device; and the mobile management network element sends the second indication information to the gateway mobile positioning center network element.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the mobile management network element sends at least one of the following to the gateway mobile positioning center network element: the location of the second terminal device, the validity period of the location of the second terminal, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobile status of the second terminal device, the mobile status including stationary or moving.

Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design in the second aspect can refer to the technical effects brought about by the corresponding design in the above-mentioned first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

In a third aspect, a positioning method is provided, which can be performed by a location management function network element, or by a component of the location management function network element, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the location management function network element, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the location management function network element functions. The method includes:

The location management function network element receives a third positioning request message from the mobile management network element. The third positioning request message is used to request the positioning of the first terminal device. The third positioning request message includes the identifier of the second terminal device. The second terminal device is used to assist in positioning the first terminal device. The mobile management network element is the first mobile management network element serving the first terminal device, or the mobile management network element is the second mobile management network element serving the second terminal device. The location management function network element sends a first downlink positioning message to the second terminal device through the second mobile management network element. The first downlink positioning message is used to trigger the sidelink positioning between the second terminal device and the first terminal device. The location management function network element receives the first sidelink positioning result from the second terminal device or the location information of the first terminal device through the second mobile management network element. The first sidelink positioning result indicates the relative position of the second terminal device and the first terminal device. The location management function network element sends the location information of the first terminal device to the mobile management network element.

Among them, the technical effects brought about by the third aspect can refer to the technical effects brought about by the above-mentioned first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the location management function network element determines the location information of the first terminal device based on the first sidelink positioning result and the location information of the second terminal device.

In one possible design, the first downlink positioning message includes third indication information, wherein the third indication information indicates that multiple auxiliary terminal devices are required to locate the first terminal device; or, the third indication information indicates a third terminal device, and the third terminal device is used to assist in locating the first terminal device.

In one possible design, when the mobile management network element is the first mobile management network element, the method also includes: the location management function network element sends a second downlink positioning message to the third terminal device through the third mobile management network element, the third mobile management network element serves the third terminal device, and the second downlink positioning message is used to trigger the side link positioning between the third terminal device and the first terminal device.

In one possible design, the third positioning request message also includes an identifier of the third terminal device.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the location management function network element receives a second sidelink positioning result from a third terminal device through a third mobile management network element, the third mobile management network element serves the third terminal device, and the second sidelink positioning result indicates the relative position of the third terminal device and the first terminal device.

In a fourth aspect, a positioning method is provided, which can be executed by a second terminal device or by a component of the second terminal device. For example, the second terminal device may be executed by a processor, chip, or chip system, or may be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the second terminal device. The method includes: the second terminal device determines the second indication information, and the second mobility management network element sends the second indication information. The second indication information indicates that the second terminal device can be used as an auxiliary terminal device.

Based on this solution, the network device can dynamically obtain the information of the auxiliary terminal device through the instruction of the terminal device, thereby improving the flexibility of the auxiliary terminal device information acquisition.

In one possible design, the second terminal device sends second indication information to the second mobile management network element, including: the second terminal device sends a mobile-initiated positioning request message to the second mobile management network element, the mobile-initiated positioning request message includes the second indication information, and the mobile-initiated positioning request message is used to request the location information of the second terminal device.

In one possible design, the second terminal device sends second indication information to the second mobility management network element, including: the second terminal device sends a registration request message to the second mobility management network element, and the registration request message includes the second indication information.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the second terminal device sends at least one of the following to the second mobile management network element: the location of the second terminal device, the validity period of the location of the second terminal, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobile state of the second terminal device, the mobile state including stationary or moving.

It should be noted that the method shown in the fourth aspect and any possible design thereof can be applicable to any auxiliary terminal device. For example, the third terminal device can also execute the method shown in the fourth aspect and any possible design thereof.

In a fifth aspect, a positioning method is provided, which can be performed by a location management function network element, or by a component of the location management function network element, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the location management function network element, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the location management function network element functions. The method includes:

The location management function network element receives a first positioning request message from the first mobile management network element, and the first positioning request message is used to request the positioning of the first terminal device. The location management function network element determines the second terminal device, and sends a first downlink positioning message to the second terminal device through the second mobile management network element, and the first downlink positioning message is used to trigger the sidelink positioning between the second terminal device and the first terminal device. The location management function network element receives the first sidelink positioning result from the second terminal device or the location information of the first terminal device through the second mobile management network element, and the first sidelink positioning result indicates the relative position of the second terminal device and the first terminal device, and sends the location information of the first terminal device to the first mobile management network element. Among them, the first mobile management network element serves the first terminal device; the second mobile management network element serves the second terminal device.

Based on this solution, the first terminal device can be positioned with the assistance of the second terminal device, thereby achieving the positioning of the first terminal device, that is, the embodiment of the present application can assist the positioning of the target terminal device based on the auxiliary terminal device.

In addition, the positioning of the target terminal based on the assistance of the auxiliary terminal device can be considered as a new positioning method of the target terminal proposed in this application. In the scheme shown in the sixth aspect, the location management function network element selects the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the target terminal device, which can be understood as the location management function network element selecting the method of positioning the target terminal device based on the assistance of the auxiliary terminal device from multiple positioning methods, which is more compatible with the existing positioning method selection function of the current location management function network element.

That is to say, compared with other network elements in the core network (such as mobile management network elements and gateway mobile positioning center network elements) that select auxiliary terminal devices, the auxiliary terminal devices selected by the location management function network element can be more compatible with the existing positioning method selection function of the location management function network element. At the same time, there is no need to enhance the capabilities of other network elements, and it is highly compatible with existing deployed networks.

In one possible design, the location management function network element determines the second terminal device, including: if the first positioning request message includes first indication information, the first indication information indicates that the first terminal device is unreachable, the location management function network element determines the second terminal device.

In one possible design, the location management function network element determines the second terminal device, including: the location management function network element determines the second terminal device based on at least one of the following: location information of the second terminal device, a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, a first ranging service identifier, or a mobile state of the second terminal device, the mobile state including stationary or moving.

In one possible design, the first positioning request message includes at least one of the following: a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, or a first ranging service identifier.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the location management function network element sends a request message to the first network device, the request message is used to request the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, and the first network device is used to manage the auxiliary terminal device; the location management function network element receives second indication information from the first network device, and the second indication information indicates the second terminal device.

In one possible design, the first downlink positioning message includes third indication information; wherein the third indication information indicates that multiple auxiliary terminal devices are required to locate the first terminal device; or, the third indication information indicates a third terminal device, and the third terminal device is used to assist in locating the first terminal device.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the location management function network element sends a second downlink positioning message to the third terminal device through the third mobile management network element, the third mobile management network element serves the third terminal device, and the second downlink positioning message is used to trigger side link positioning between the third terminal device and the first terminal device.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the location management function network element receives fourth indication information from the second network device, and the fourth indication information indicates that the second terminal device can serve as an auxiliary terminal device.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the location management function network element receives at least one of the following from the second network device: the location of the second terminal device, the location validity period of the second terminal, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobile state of the second terminal device, the mobile state including stationary or moving.

Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design in the fifth aspect can refer to the technical effects brought about by the similar design in the above-mentioned first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

In a sixth aspect, a positioning method is provided, which can be performed by a first mobility management network element, or by a component of the first mobility management network element, such as a processor, a chip, or a chip system of the first mobility management network element, or can be implemented by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the first mobility management network element. The method includes:

The first mobile management network element receives a first positioning request message from a gateway mobile positioning center network element, sends a second positioning request message to a location management function network element, and receives location information of a first terminal device from the location management function network element. The first positioning request message and the second positioning request message are used to request positioning of the first terminal device, and the second positioning request message includes an identifier of the second terminal device. The second terminal device is used to assist in positioning the first terminal device. The first mobile management network element serves the first terminal device.

Based on this solution, the first terminal device can be positioned with the assistance of the second terminal device, thereby achieving the positioning of the first terminal device.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the first mobile management network element sends a request message to the first network device, the request message is used to request the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, and the first network device is used to manage the auxiliary terminal device; the first mobile management network element receives second indication information from the first network device, and the second indication information indicates the second terminal device.

Based on this possible design, the first network device can indicate the second terminal device to the first mobility management network element, so that the mobility management network element does not need to store the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device, thereby reducing the storage overhead of the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device. In addition, the mobility management network element does not need to select the auxiliary terminal device, thereby reducing the capability requirements of the mobility management network element and further reducing its implementation complexity.

In one possible design, the method also includes: the first mobile management network element determines the second terminal device, including: the first mobile management network element determines the second terminal device based on at least one of the following: location information of the second terminal device, a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, a first ranging service identifier, or a mobile state of the second terminal device, the mobile state including stationary or moving.

In one possible design, the second positioning request message also includes information of a second mobility management network element, and the second mobility management network element serves the first terminal device.

Based on this possible design, after receiving the second positioning request message, the location management function network element no longer needs to query the information of the mobile management network element of the second terminal device. Therefore, for the location management function network element that currently does not support querying the mobile management network element information, there is no need to enhance the location management function network element, which reduces the capability requirements of the location management function network element and makes the solution of the embodiment of the present application better compatible with the currently deployed location management function network elements that do not support querying the mobile management network element information.

Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design in the sixth aspect can refer to the technical effects brought about by the similar design in the above-mentioned first aspect, and will not be repeated here.

In the seventh aspect, a positioning method is provided, which can be executed by a third terminal device, or by a component of the third terminal device, such as a processor, chip, or chip system of the third terminal device, or by a logic module or software that can implement all or part of the functions of the third terminal device. The method includes: the third terminal device receives an LCS-related identifier from the first terminal device, and the LCS-related identifier is used to identify the positioning event of the first terminal device; the third terminal device sends the second sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the location management function network element through the third mobile management network element. Among them, the location management function network element is used to manage the positioning of the first terminal device; the second sidelink positioning result is used to indicate the relative position of the third terminal device and the first terminal device. The third mobile management network element serves the third terminal device.

Based on this solution, after the third terminal device receives the LCS-related identifier of the positioning event identifying the first terminal device, it sends the second sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the location management function network element through the third mobility management network element, so that the location management function network element can obtain the location information of the first terminal device, thereby realizing the positioning of the first terminal device. That is, based on this solution, the first terminal device can be positioned with the assistance of the third terminal device.

In one possible design, the method further includes: the third terminal device receives information from the location management function element of the first terminal device. The third terminal device sends the second sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the location management function element through the third mobility management network element, including: the third terminal device sends the information of the location management function element and the second sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the third mobility management network element; the information of the location management function element is used by the third mobility management network element to send the second sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the location management function element.

In one possible design, the location management function network element information includes identification information of the location management function network element, or address information of the location management function network element, or a routing identifier.

In an eighth aspect, a communication device is provided for implementing various methods. The communication device includes a module, unit, or means corresponding to the implementation method, and the module, unit, or means can be implemented by hardware, software, or by hardware executing the corresponding software implementation. The hardware or software includes one or more modules or units corresponding to the functions.

In some possible designs, the communication device may include a processing module and a transceiver module. The processing module may be used to implement the processing function in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof. The transceiver module may include a receiving module and a sending module, respectively used to implement the receiving function and the sending function in any of the above aspects and any possible implementations thereof.

In some possible designs, the transceiver module may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface.

In a ninth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a memory; the memory is used to store computer instructions, and when the processor executes the instructions, the communication device executes the method described in any one of the aspects.

In the tenth aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: a processor and a communication interface; the communication interface is used to communicate with a module outside the communication device; the processor is used to execute a computer program or instruction so that the communication device executes the method described in any aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, a communication device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; the processor is used to execute a computer program or instruction stored in a memory, so that the communication device performs the method described in any aspect. The memory may be coupled to the processor, or may be independent of the processor.

In a twelfth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored, and when the computer program or instruction is executed on a communication device, the communication device can execute the method described in any one of the aspects.

In a thirteenth aspect, a computer program product comprising instructions is provided, which, when executed on a communication device, enables the communication device to execute the method described in any one of the aspects.

In a fourteenth aspect, a communication device (for example, the communication device may be a chip or a chip system) is provided, wherein the communication device includes a processor for implementing the functions involved in any aspect.

In some possible designs, the communication device includes a memory for storing necessary program instructions and data.

In some possible designs, when the device is a chip system, it can be composed of a chip or include a chip and other discrete devices.

The communication device provided in any one of the eighth to fourteenth aspects may be the gateway mobile positioning center network element in the first aspect, or a device included in the gateway mobile positioning center network element, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be the mobile management network element in the second or sixth aspect, or a device included in the mobile management network element, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be the location management function network element in the third or fifth aspect, or a device included in the location management function network element, such as a chip or a chip system; or, the communication device may be the terminal device in the fourth or seventh aspect, or a device included in the terminal device, such as a chip or a chip system.

It can be understood that when the communication device provided in any one of the seventh to thirteenth aspects is a chip, the sending action/function of the communication device The receiving action/function of the communication device can be understood as output information, and the receiving action/function of the communication device can be understood as input information.

Among them, the technical effects brought about by any design method in the seventh to thirteenth aspects can refer to the technical effects brought about by different design methods in the first to sixth aspects, and will not be repeated here.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a partial network coverage scenario provided by the present application;

FIG2 is a 5G communication system architecture diagram provided by the present application;

FIG3 is a 5G LCS communication architecture diagram provided by this application;

FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a mobile-initiated positioning request process provided by the present application;

FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a mobile terminated positioning request process provided by the present application;

FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a sidelink positioning process provided by the present application;

FIG7 is a schematic diagram of an angle of arrival provided by the present application;

FIG8 is a schematic diagram of a departure angle provided by the present application;

FIG9 is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a communication system provided by the present application;

FIG10 is a schematic diagram of an acquisition process of an auxiliary terminal device provided by the present application;

FIG11 is a schematic diagram of an application flow of assisting terminal device acquisition provided by the present application;

FIG12 is a schematic diagram of another application flow of assisting terminal device acquisition provided by the present application;

FIG13 is a schematic diagram of another acquisition process of an auxiliary terminal device provided by the present application;

FIG14 is a schematic diagram of an application flow of another auxiliary terminal device acquisition provided by the present application;

FIG15 is a schematic diagram of an application flow of another auxiliary terminal device acquisition provided by the present application;

FIG16 is a flowchart of a positioning method provided by the present application;

FIG17 is a second flow chart of a positioning method provided by the present application;

FIG18 is a flowchart diagram of a positioning method provided by the present application;

FIG19 is a fourth flow chart of a positioning method provided by the present application;

FIG20 is a flowchart diagram 5 of a positioning method provided by the present application;

FIG21 is a flowchart diagram 6 of a positioning method provided by the present application;

FIG22 is a flow chart of a positioning method provided by the present application;

FIG23 is a flowchart of a positioning method provided by the present application;

FIG24 is a flowchart diagram 9 of a positioning method provided by the present application;

FIG25 is a flowchart diagram 10 of a positioning method provided by the present application;

FIG26 is a flowchart diagram 11 of a positioning method provided by the present application;

FIG27 is a flowchart diagram 12 of a positioning method provided by the present application;

FIG28 is a flowchart diagram 13 of a positioning method provided by the present application;

FIG29 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device provided by the present application;

FIG30 is a schematic diagram of the structure of another communication device provided in the present application.

Detailed ways

In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "/" indicates that the objects associated with each other are in an "or" relationship, for example, A/B can represent A or B; "and/or" in this application is merely a description of the association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist, for example, A and/or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural.

In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more than two. "At least one of the following" or similar expressions refers to any combination of these items, including any combination of single items or plural items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, or a-b-c, where a, b, and c can be single or multiple.

In addition, in order to clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, in the embodiments of the present application, words such as "first" and "second" are used to distinguish the same items or similar items with substantially the same functions and effects. Those skilled in the art can understand that words such as "first" and "second" do not limit the quantity and execution order, and words such as "first" and "second" do not necessarily limit them to be different.

In the embodiments of the present application, the words "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate examples, illustrations or descriptions. Any embodiment or design scheme described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of the present application should not be interpreted as being more preferred than other embodiments or designs. Specifically, the use of words such as “exemplary” or “for example” is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

It is understood that the "embodiment" mentioned throughout the specification means that the specific features, structures or characteristics related to the embodiment are included in at least one embodiment of the present application. Therefore, the various embodiments in the entire specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. In addition, these specific features, structures or characteristics can be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. It is understood that in various embodiments of the present application, the size of the sequence number of each process does not mean the order of execution, and the execution order of each process should be determined by its function and internal logic, and should not constitute any limitation on the implementation process of the embodiment of the present application.

It can be understood that in the present application, "when" and "if" both mean that corresponding processing will be carried out under certain objective circumstances, and do not limit the time, nor do they require any judgment action when implementing, nor do they mean the existence of other limitations.

It can be understood that some optional features in the embodiments of the present application may not rely on other features, such as the solution on which they are currently based, in certain scenarios, and may be implemented independently to solve corresponding technical problems and achieve corresponding effects. They may also be combined with other features according to needs in certain scenarios. Accordingly, the devices given in the embodiments of the present application may also realize these features or functions accordingly, which will not be elaborated here.

In this application, unless otherwise specified, the same or similar parts between the various embodiments can refer to each other. If there is no special description and logical conflict, the terms and/or descriptions between different embodiments are consistent and can be referenced to each other, and the technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments, implementation methods, implementation methods, or implementation methods according to their inherent logical relationships. The implementation methods of this application described below do not constitute a limitation on the scope of protection of this application.

In order to facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, a brief introduction to the related technologies of the present application is first given as follows.

1. Fifth generation (5G) communication system architecture:

At present, the 5G communication system architecture defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is shown in Figure 2, which mainly includes the following network functions and entities: terminal equipment, access network (AN) equipment, user plane function (UPF) network element, data network (DN), access and mobility management function (AMF) network element, session management function (SMF) network element, policy control function (PCF) network element, unified data management function (UDM) network element. In addition, it can also include authentication server function (AUSF) network element, network slice selection function (NSSF) network element, application function (AF) network element, network exposure function (NEF) network element, etc.

Among them, terminal equipment, access network equipment, UPF network elements and DN are generally referred to as data plane network functions and entities. The user's data traffic can be transmitted through the protocol data unit session (PDU) established between the terminal equipment and DN. The transmission of data traffic will pass through the two network function entities of the access network equipment and UPF network element. The other parts are called control plane network functions and entities, which are mainly responsible for authentication and authorization, registration management, session management, mobility management and policy control, so as to realize reliable and stable transmission of user layer traffic.

Optionally, terminal equipment may refer to a user-side device with wireless transceiver functions. Terminal equipment may also be called user equipment (UE), terminal, access terminal, user unit, user station, mobile station (MS), remote station, remote terminal, mobile terminal (MT), user terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent or user device, etc.

Exemplarily, the terminal device may be a drone, an Internet of Things (IoT) device (e.g., a sensor, an electric meter, a water meter, etc.), a V2X device, a station (ST) in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a personal digital assistant (PDA) device, a handheld device with wireless communication function, a computing device or other processing device connected to a wireless modem, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device (also referred to as a wearable smart device), Tablet computers or computers with wireless transceiver functions, virtual reality (VR) terminals, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical, wireless terminals in smart grids, wireless terminals in transportation safety, wireless terminals in smart cities, wireless terminals in smart homes, vehicle terminals, vehicles with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication capabilities, smart connected vehicles, drones with UAV to UAV (U2U) communication capabilities, etc. The terminal can be mobile or fixed, and this application does not make specific restrictions on this.

Optionally, the network device is a device that connects the terminal device to the wireless network, and is mainly responsible for the wireless resource management, service quality management, data compression and encryption functions on the air interface side. The access network device may include various forms of base stations, such as macro base stations, micro base stations (also called small stations), relay stations, access points, etc., which are not specifically limited in the embodiments of the present application.

The AMF network element is mainly responsible for signaling processing, such as access control, mobility management, attachment and detachment, and gateway selection. When the AMF network element provides services for a session in a terminal device, it provides control plane storage resources for the session to store the session identifier, the SMF network element identifier associated with the session identifier, etc.

The SMF network element is mainly responsible for UPF network element selection, UPF network element redirection, Internet protocol (IP) address allocation, bearer establishment, modification and release, and quality of service (QoS) control.

The PCF network element is mainly responsible for policy control decisions, providing policy rules for control plane functions, and flow-based charging control functions.

The UDM network element is mainly responsible for the management of terminal equipment contract data.

The AF network element mainly supports interaction with the 3GPP core network to provide services, such as influencing data routing decisions, policy control functions, or providing some third-party services to the network side.

The UPF network element is mainly responsible for forwarding and receiving user data in terminal devices.

The AUSF network element is mainly responsible for providing terminal authentication services for the AMF network element.

The NSSF network element is mainly responsible for selecting network slices to serve the terminal.

In addition, Figure 2 also shows the interaction relationship between various network functions and entities and the corresponding interfaces. For example, the terminal device and the AMF network element can interact through the N1 interface. Some interfaces are implemented as service interfaces. For example, the AMF network element can interact with other network elements through the service interface Namf.

2. 5G location services (LCS) communication architecture:

Exemplarily, a 5G LCS communication architecture is shown in FIG3, which mainly includes the following network functions and entities: terminal equipment, access network equipment, AMF network element, location management function (LMF) network element, gateway mobile location center (GMLC) network element. Further, it may also include UDM pipe, NEF network element, AF network element, location retrieval function (LRF) network element, and LCS client.

The LMF network element is mainly used to manage and control the location service requests of the target terminal device and is responsible for the location calculation of the target terminal device. The AMF network element is mainly used to provide transmission for location service messages between the terminal device and the LMF network element, and between the access network device and the LMF. The GMLC network element is mainly responsible for connecting to the external LCS client for the location service of the target terminal device.

3. Mobile originated location request (MO-LR) process:

The MO-LR process may refer to the process in which a terminal device requests the network to obtain its own location information. As shown in FIG4 , the MO-LR process may include the following steps:

S401. The terminal device in idle state initiates a service request and completes the signaling connection with the AMF network element. Step S401 is an optional step. If the terminal device is in connected state, step S401 may not be performed.

S402, the terminal device sends an MO-LR request to the AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the MO-LR request from the terminal device.

The MO-LR request may be carried in an uplink (UL) non-access stratum (NAS) transport message (UL NAS TRANSPORT message). The MO-LR request may request the location of the terminal device, or may request that the location information of the terminal device be sent to the LCS client or the AF network element.

Optionally, the MO-LR request may include LCS QoS information, such as positioning accuracy, response time, LCS QoS category, etc. LCS QoS category can be divided into Best Effort Class and Assured Class.

S403, AMF network element selects LMF network element.

S404. The AMF network element sends a location determination request (Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation Request) message to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the location determination request message from the AMF network element.

The location request message is used to request the location information of the terminal device. Exemplarily, the message may include an identifier of the terminal device and a serving cell identifier of the terminal device.

S405. The LMF network element initiates positioning of the terminal device.

Optionally, in step S405, the LMF network element may obtain positioning measurement data through interaction with the access network device and the terminal device, and determine the location information of the terminal device based on the positioning measurement data.

Exemplarily, the terminal device can perform positioning measurement based on the positioning reference signaling (PRS) sent by the surrounding cells, obtain positioning measurement data, and send the positioning measurement data to the LMF network element. The positioning measurement data may include a cell identifier (such as a cell global identifier (CGI)), the downlink reference signal receiving power of each cell, and the round-trip signal time difference between the terminal device and each cell base station.

S406, the LMF network element sends a location determination response (Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation Response) message to the AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the location determination response message from the LMF network element.

The determination location response message may include a location estimate of the terminal device. Optionally, when the location estimate satisfies the LCS QoS, the LMF network element sends the determination location response message.

S407, the AMF network element sends a location update request (Ngmlc_Location_LocationUpdate Request) message to the visited GMLC (VGMLC) network element. Correspondingly, the VGMLC network element receives the location update request message from the AMF network element.

Among them, the location update request message may include the location estimation result of the terminal device (or called location information), the identification of the terminal device, and the LCS QoS information requested by the terminal device.

Optionally, if the terminal device does not request to send the location information of the terminal device to the LCS client or AF network element, the following steps S408-S411 may not be performed. If the terminal device is not roaming, the VGMLC and the home GMLC (HGMLC) are the same entity, and the interaction between the two may not be performed.

S408, the VGMLC network element sends a location update request message to the HGMLC network element. Correspondingly, the HGMLC network element receives the location update request message from the VGMLC network element.

Optionally, if the terminal device requests to send the location information of the terminal device to the LCS client, the following steps S409a-S410a are executed. If the terminal device requests to send the location information of the terminal device to the AF network element, the following steps S490b-S410b are executed.

S409a, the HGMLC network element sends location information to the LCS client. Correspondingly, the LCS client receives the location information from the HGMLC network element.

S410a: The LCS client sends a location information confirmation to the HGMLC network element. Correspondingly, the HGMLC network element receives the location information confirmation from the LCS client.

S409b, the HGMLC network element sends a location update notification to the AF network element through the NEF network element. Correspondingly, the AF network element receives the location update notification from the HGMLC through the NEF network element. The location update notification includes the location information of the terminal device.

S410b: The AF network element sends a location update notification response to the HGMLC network element through the NEF network element. Correspondingly, the HGMLC network element receives the location update notification response from the AF network element through the NEF network element.

S411, the HGMLC network element sends a location update response message to the VGMLC network element. Correspondingly, the VGMLC network element receives the location update response message from the HGMLC network element.

S412, the VGMLC network element sends a location update response message to the AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the location update response message from the VGMLC network element.

S413, the AMF network element sends an MO-LR response message to the terminal device. Correspondingly, the terminal device receives the MO-LR response message from the AMF network element.

The response message may be carried in a downlink (DL) NAS transport message (DL NAS TRANSPORT message). The response message may include the location information of the terminal device. Further, it may also indicate whether the location information meets the positioning accuracy requested by the terminal device.

4. Mobile terminated location request (MT-LR) process:

The MT-LR process may refer to the process in which the LCS client or the AF network element requests the location information of the terminal device from the network. Taking the process in which the LCS client requests the location information of the terminal device from the network as an example, as shown in FIG5 , the MT-LR process may include the following steps:

S501. The LCS client sends an LCS service request message to the GMLC network element. Correspondingly, the GMLC network element receives the LCS service request message from the LCS client.

The LCS service request message is used to request the location information of the target terminal device. The request message may include the identifier of the target terminal device, the required QoS, the scheduled location time, etc. The identifier of the terminal device may be, for example, a subscription permanent identifier (SUPI) or a generic public subscription identifier (GPSI).

S502, the GMLC network element and the UDM network element interact so that the GMLC network element obtains the AMF address of the current service target terminal device from the UDM network element.

Optionally, before step S502, the GMLC network element may obtain the LCS privacy profile of the target terminal device from the UDM network element. If the LCS privacy profile configures the location of the target terminal device to be allowed to be obtained, the subsequent steps are performed.

S503. The GMLC network element sends a Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Request message to the AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Request message from the GMLC network element.

The location information providing request message is used to request the location information of the target terminal device. The request message may include the identifier of the terminal device and the required QoS information.

S504. If the target terminal device is in an idle state, the AMF network element initiates a service request process to complete the signaling connection between the target terminal device and the AMF network element.

It is understandable that step S504 is an optional step. If the target terminal device is in a connected state, step S504 may not be performed.

S505. The AMF network element selects the LMF network element.

S506. The AMF network element sends a location determination request (Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation Request) message to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the location determination request message from the AMF network element. The location determination request message is used to request the location of the target terminal device.

Optionally, the location determination request message may include an identifier of the terminal device. Further, it may also include a serving cell identifier of the terminal device.

S507: The LMF network element initiates positioning of the terminal device. Please refer to the relevant description of the above step S405, which will not be repeated here.

S508. The LMF network element sends a location determination response (Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation Response) message to the AMF network element. Correspondingly, the AMF network element receives the location determination response message from the LMF network element.

S509. The AMF network element sends a Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Response message to the GMLC network element. Correspondingly, the GMLC network element receives the Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Response message from the AMF network element.

S510. The GMLC network element sends an LCS service response message to the LCS client. Correspondingly, the LCS client receives the LCS service response message from the GMLC network element.

The response message in steps S508-S510 may include the location information of the target terminal device and may further indicate whether the location information satisfies the positioning accuracy requested by the terminal device.

For periodic positioning or event-triggered positioning, after step S507, the LMF network element may send an LCS Periodic-Triggered Invoke Request message to the target terminal device. The message may include the scheduled positioning time and the positioning period (or positioning time interval).

When the target terminal device detects the occurrence of an event (for example, the arrival of the positioning cycle), it performs positioning measurement and reports the corresponding positioning measurement data to the LMF network element. For the scheduled positioning time, the target terminal device can perform positioning measurement at the scheduled positioning time and then report the corresponding positioning measurement data to the LMF network element; or the target terminal device can perform positioning measurement before the scheduled positioning time and report the corresponding positioning measurement data to the LMF network element at the scheduled positioning time.

5. Relative positioning:

The relative position between terminal devices can be achieved through relative positioning. In relative positioning, the terminal devices are required to have sidelink (SL) positioning capability.

Relative positioning may include determining the relative distance and/or relative angle between terminal devices. Exemplarily, the relative distance between terminal devices may be obtained by distance measurement. The relative angle between terminal devices may be obtained by angle measurement.

Exemplarily, FIG6 provides a ranging method. In this method, the terminal device that starts ranging (referred to as terminal device A) sends an initial ranging signal at _T1 , the feedback terminal device (referred to as terminal device B) receives the initial ranging signal at _T2 , and sends a feedback ranging signal for feedback to terminal device A at _T3 . After receiving the feedback ranging signal at _T4 , terminal device A determines the relative distance between the two terminal devices according to the time difference between sending the initial ranging signal and receiving the feedback ranging signal. For example, the relative distance between terminal device A and terminal device B = flight time × speed of light. The calculation process of time of flight (TOF) may include:

Step a1, terminal device A determines the duration T _round = T ₄ - T ₁ ;

Step a2, terminal device B determines the duration T _reply = T ₃ - T ₂ ;

Step a3, terminal device B indicates the duration T _reply to terminal device A;

Step a4: Terminal device A determines the flight time T _prop : T _prop =(T _round -T _reply )/2.

The angles between terminal devices can include the angle of arrival (AoA) and the angle of departure (AoD).

The angle of arrival may be the angle between the direction in which the receiver of the terminal device receives the signal and the reference direction. The relative angle between the terminal devices may be determined by the angle of arrival. Exemplarily, as shown in FIG7 , the angle of arrival of the signal sent by the terminal device B to the terminal device A may be determined to determine the relative angle of the terminal device B relative to the terminal device A.

The departure angle may be the angle between the direction in which the transmitter of the terminal device sends a signal and the reference direction. The departure angle may be used to determine the relative angle between the terminal devices. For example, as shown in FIG8 , the departure angle at which the signal sent by the terminal device A leaves the terminal device A may be used to determine the relative angle of the terminal device B relative to the terminal device A.

In the above MO-LR process and MT-LR process, the terminal device to be located is required to be within the network coverage. However, in actual applications, there are scenarios where the terminal device is outside the network coverage. In this scenario, how to locate the terminal device is an urgent problem to be solved. Based on this, the present application provides a positioning method that can realize the positioning of a terminal device outside the network coverage.

The technical solution provided in the present application can be used in various communication systems, which may be a third generation partnership project (3GPP) communication system, for example, a fourth generation (4G) long term evolution (LTE) system, a fifth generation (5G) mobile communication system and its evolution system, a vehicle to everything (V2X) system, a LTE and NR hybrid networking system, or a device-to-device (D2D) system, a machine to machine (M2M) communication system, an Internet of Things (IoT), and other next generation communication systems.

Among them, the above-mentioned communication system applicable to the present application is only an example, and the communication system applicable to the present application is not limited to this. It is uniformly explained here and will not be repeated below.

For example, see Figure 9, which is a communication system applicable to the solution of the present application. The communication system may include at least one gateway mobile positioning center network element, at least one location management function network element, multiple terminal devices, and at least one mobile management network element.

Optionally, the communication system may also include an LCS client, an application function network element, a data management network element, a network exposure function network element, access network equipment, etc.

Optionally, multiple terminal devices may communicate with each other. The multiple terminal devices include a first terminal device, and the first terminal device is located outside the network coverage. The multiple terminal devices may also include auxiliary terminal devices, such as a second terminal device, a third terminal device, etc. Among them, the auxiliary terminal device may refer to a terminal device used to assist in the positioning of other terminal devices, or in other words, the auxiliary terminal device is used to assist in the positioning of other terminal devices.

The auxiliary terminal device may be located within the network coverage. In addition, before the method provided in the embodiment of the present application is executed, the auxiliary terminal device may execute a registration process and register with the network. The data management network element may store registration information of the auxiliary terminal device.

In the embodiment of the present application, the "auxiliary terminal device" may also be referred to as a "located terminal device" or an "auxiliary locating terminal device", which may be interchangeable. Of course, the auxiliary terminal device may also have other names, which are not specifically limited in the present application.

Among them, for the description of the product form of the terminal equipment, please refer to the description of the terminal equipment in the 5G communication system architecture part, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, the gateway mobile positioning center network element can be used for positioning request processing of positioning services and selecting appropriate mobile management network elements for positioning services. In a 5G communication system, the gateway mobile positioning center network element can be a GMLC network element. In future communication systems such as the sixth generation (6th generation, 6G) communication system, the gateway mobile positioning center network element can still be a GMLC network element, or it can have other names, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

Optionally, the location management function network element can be used for location request management of the location service, location resource allocation, obtaining the location information of the terminal device, and returning the location information to the relevant network element. In the 5G communication system, the location management function network element can be an LMF network element. In future communication systems such as 6G communication systems, the location management function network element can still be an LMF network element, or it can have other names, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

Optionally, the mobility management network element is mainly responsible for the signaling processing part, such as access control, mobility management, attachment and detachment, and gateway selection. In the 5G communication system, the mobility management network element can be an AMF network element. In future communication systems such as 6G communication systems, the mobility management network element can still be an AMF network element, or it can have other names, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

Optionally, the data management network element is mainly responsible for the management of the contract data of the terminal device. This includes the storage and management of the terminal device identification, the access authorization of the terminal device, etc. In the 5G communication system, the data management network element can be a UDM network element. In future communication systems such as 6G communication systems, the data management network element can still be a UDM network element, or it can have other names, which is not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

Taking the 5G communication system as an example, a possible network architecture diagram corresponding to the communication system shown in Figure 9 applicable to an embodiment of the present application may be shown in Figure 3.

It should be noted that the communication system and business scenarios described in the embodiments of the present application are intended to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and do not constitute a limitation on the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can know that with the evolution of network architecture and the emergence of new business scenarios, the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present application are also applicable to similar technical problems.

The positioning method provided in the embodiment of the present application is described below in conjunction with the communication system shown in FIG. 9 .

It should be noted that in the following embodiments of the present application, the message names between network elements, the names of parameters, or the names of information are only examples. In other embodiments, they may also be other names, and the method provided in the present application does not make specific limitations on this.

It is understandable that in the embodiment of the present application, each network element or entity may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiment of the present application, and these steps or operations are only examples. The embodiment of the present application may also perform other operations or variations of various operations. In addition, each step may be performed in a different order presented in the embodiment of the present application, and it is possible that not all operations in the embodiment of the present application need to be performed.

Exemplarily, the method provided in the following embodiments of the present application can be applied to the location of an offline terminal device (i.e., a terminal device outside the network coverage). Exemplarily, it can be applied to the scenario of locating the offline terminal device through an auxiliary terminal device. Of course, this is only an exemplary description of the application scenario of the present application, and the application scenario does not impose any limitation on the present application. The application of the method provided below in the present application The scene is not specifically limited.

In the embodiment of the present application, the auxiliary terminal device may be determined by a gateway mobile positioning center network element or a location management function network element or a mobile management network element. In some implementation scenarios, before determining the auxiliary terminal device, a candidate auxiliary terminal device that can be used as an auxiliary terminal device may be dynamically obtained by the method shown in FIG. 10 below. Referring to FIG. 10, the method includes the following steps:

S1001. The second terminal device determines indication information a, wherein the indication information a indicates that the second terminal device can serve as an auxiliary terminal device.

Optionally, the indication information a may include an identifier of the second terminal device. Further, the indication information a may also include an auxiliary terminal device indication, that is, the indication information a indicates that the second terminal device can be used as an auxiliary terminal device through the identifier of the second terminal device and the auxiliary terminal device indication; or, the identifier of the second terminal device may be carried in a specific field, and the specific field represents (or is used to carry) the identifier of the auxiliary terminal device, that is, the indication information a indicates that the second terminal device can be used as an auxiliary terminal device by carrying the identifier of the second terminal device in the specific field.

Optionally, in the embodiment of the present application, the identifier of the terminal device may be SUPI or GPSI or user information (User Info) of the terminal device or application layer identifier (Application Layer ID) of the terminal device. Of course, it may also be other identifiers for identifying the terminal device, and the present application does not specifically limit this.

Optionally, the second terminal device determines the indication information a according to the information of the user of the second terminal device. For example, if the information of the user of the second terminal device indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to assist in locating other terminal devices, the second terminal device determines the indication information a. It should be understood that the second terminal device can only be used as an auxiliary terminal device with the consent of the user of the second terminal device. Exemplarily, the user of the second terminal device may be a user identification card placed in the second terminal device, such as a subscriber identity module (SIM) card.

S1002: The second terminal device sends indication information a to the second mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the second mobility management network element receives the indication information a from the second terminal device. The second mobility management network element is a mobility management network element serving the second terminal device.

As a possible implementation, the second terminal device may send indication information a to the second mobility management network element in the positioning process of the second terminal device. Exemplarily, the second terminal device may send a mobile-initiated positioning request (i.e., MO-LR) message to the second mobility management network element, and the mobile-initiated positioning request message carries indication information a. The mobile-initiated positioning request message is used to request the location information of the second terminal device.

As another possible implementation, the second terminal device may send indication information a to the second mobility management network element in the registration process of the second terminal device. Exemplarily, the second terminal device may send a registration request message to the second mobility management network element, and the registration request message carries indication information a.

As another possible implementation, the second terminal device may send an uplink non-access layer transmission message to the second mobility management network element, and the uplink non-access layer transmission message carries indication information a.

Optionally, the second terminal device may also send at least one of the following items to the second mobile management network element: the location of the second terminal device, the validity period of the location of the second terminal device, the ranging service identifier (Ranging Service ID) supported by the second terminal device, or the mobility status of the second terminal device.

Optionally, the location of the second terminal device and the validity period of the location of the second terminal device may be obtained by the second terminal device in its positioning process. Terminal devices supporting the same ranging service identifier may serve as auxiliary terminal devices to each other, thereby cooperating with each other for positioning. The mobile state of the second terminal device includes stationary or moving.

It should be noted that the "ranging service identifier" in the embodiment of the present application may also be referred to as a "ranging service code" or a "coordinate identifier", which may be interchangeable and are described here uniformly, and will not be described in detail in subsequent embodiments. In addition, the indication information a may also be referred to as the second indication information.

Optionally, at least one of the above information may be carried in the same message as the indication information a; or, may be carried in a different message from the indication information a, which is not specifically limited in the present application.

The above description is based on the example of the second terminal device actively sending an indication that it can be used as an auxiliary terminal device to the second mobile management network element. In addition, when the second terminal device signs a contract, the data management network element can store the indication that the second terminal device can be used as an auxiliary terminal device in the contract information, and the second mobile management network element can also actively obtain the contract information of the second terminal device from the data management network element, thereby obtaining the indication that the second terminal device can be used as an auxiliary terminal device.

After step S1002, as a possible implementation, the second mobility management network element may store the identifier of the second terminal device to determine that the second terminal device can be used as an auxiliary terminal device. Further, the second mobility management network element may also store at least one of the following: the location of the second terminal device, the validity period of the location of the second terminal device, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobility status of the second terminal device.

Optionally, before executing the storage, the second mobility management network element may obtain an LCS privacy profile of the second terminal device, and when the LCS privacy profile indicates that the location of the second terminal device is allowed to be obtained, or indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to be located, or indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to be used as an auxiliary terminal device, or indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to assist in locating the first terminal device, the second mobility management network element Executes the storage action.

After step S1002, as another possible implementation, the method may further include the following steps S1003-S1004:

S1003: The second mobility management network element sends indication information a to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives indication information a from the second mobility management network element.

Optionally, the network device may be a gateway displacement positioning center network element or a location management function network element that supports management of auxiliary terminal devices; or, the network device may be a network element dedicated to management of auxiliary terminal devices; or, the network device may be a data management network element; or, the network device may be other mobile management network elements other than the second mobile management network element; or, the network device may be a network repository function (NRF) network element.

Optionally, the second mobility management network element may also send at least one of the following to the network device: the location of the second terminal device, the validity period of the location of the second terminal device, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobility status of the second terminal device.

Optionally, the second mobility management network element may send indication information a to the network device through other network elements. For example, when the network device is not a location management function network element, the second mobility management network element may send indication information a to the location management function network element, and then the location management function network element sends indication information a to the network device. Alternatively, the second mobility management network element may also send indication information a to the network device through an interface between the second mobility management network element and the network device. For example, when the network device is a gateway mobile positioning center network element or a location management function network element, the second mobility management network element may send indication information a through an interface between the second mobility management network element and the gateway mobile positioning center network element or the location management function network element.

S1004: The network device stores the identifier of the second terminal device and determines that the second terminal device can serve as an auxiliary terminal device.

Optionally, the network device may further store at least one of the following: the location of the second terminal device, the validity period of the location of the second terminal device, an identifier of a ranging service supported by the second terminal device, or a mobile status of the second terminal device.

Optionally, before step S1004, the network device may obtain an LCS privacy profile of the second terminal device. When the LCS privacy profile indicates that the location of the second terminal device is allowed to be obtained, or indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to be located, or indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to serve as an auxiliary terminal device, or indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to assist in locating the first terminal device, the network device performs the above-mentioned storage action.

Exemplarily, taking the mobile management network element as the AMF network element, the gateway mobile positioning center network element as the GMLC network element, the second terminal device sends indication information a to the second AMF network element in the positioning process, and the network device is the GMLC network element as an example, as shown in FIG. 11, an application process of the method shown in FIG. 10 provided by the present application. Referring to FIG. 11, the process includes the following steps:

S1101. The second terminal device sends an MO-LR request message to the second AMF network element. Correspondingly, the second AMF network element receives the MO-LR request message from the terminal device.

The MO-LR request message includes indication information a. Further, the MO-LR request message may also include a ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device and/or a mobile state of the second terminal device. For other descriptions of the MO-LR request message, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S402, which will not be repeated here.

S1102, positioning the second terminal device. The step S1102 may include the implementation of the above steps S403-S406, and the relevant descriptions of the above steps S403-S406 may be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

S1103. The second AMF network element sends a location update request message to the GMLC network element. Correspondingly, the GMLC network element receives the location update request message from the second AMF network element.

The location update request message may include indication information a. Further, the location update request message may also include at least one of the following: a ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, a mobile state of the second terminal device, a location of the second terminal device, and a location validity period of the second terminal device. Exemplarily, the location of the second terminal device and the location validity period of the second terminal device may be obtained in the above step S1102.

Among them, after step S1103, the GMLC network element can perform a storage action. Please refer to the relevant instructions in the above step S1004, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, after step S1103, the above steps S408 to S413 may be continued to be performed. For specific implementation, reference may be made to the relevant descriptions in the above steps S408 to S413, which will not be repeated here.

Exemplarily, taking the mobility management network element as the AMF network element, the location management function network element as the LMF network element, the second terminal device sends indication information a to the second AMF network element in the positioning process, and the network device is the LMF network element as an example, as shown in FIG. 12, another application process of the method shown in FIG. 10 provided by the present application. Referring to FIG. 12, the process includes the following steps:

S1201 is the same as the above step S1101. Please refer to the relevant description in the above step S1101 and will not be repeated here.

S1202. The second AMF network element sends a location determination request message to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the location determination request message from the second AMF. A request message for determining the location of a network element.

The location determination request message includes indication information a. Further, the location determination request message may also include a ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device and/or a mobile state of the second terminal device. For other instructions on the location determination request message, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S404, which will not be repeated here.

After step S1202, the LMF network element may perform a storage action to store the identifier of the second terminal device, and further store the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device and/or the mobile state of the second terminal device. Please refer to the relevant description in the above step S1004, which will not be repeated here.

S1203: Positioning of the second terminal device. The step S1203 may include the implementation of the above steps S405-S413. Please refer to the relevant description of the above steps S405-S413, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, in step S1203, the LMF network element may obtain and store the location of the second terminal device and/or the validity period of the location of the second terminal device.

In addition to the method shown in FIG10 , in other implementation scenarios, before selecting an auxiliary terminal device, a candidate terminal device that can be used as an auxiliary terminal device can also be dynamically acquired by the method shown in FIG13 below. Referring to FIG13 , the method includes the following steps:

S1301, the LCS client sends indication information a to the gateway mobile positioning center network element. Correspondingly, the gateway mobile positioning center network element receives the indication information a from the LCS client.

The indication information a indicates that the second terminal device can be used as an auxiliary terminal device. For detailed description, please refer to the relevant description of the indication information a in the method shown in FIG. 10 above, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, the LCS client may send the indication information a in a mobile terminated positioning process. Exemplarily, the LCS client may send an LCS request message to a gateway mobile positioning center network element, and the LCS request message carries the indication information a.

Optionally, the LCS client may also send at least one of the following to the gateway mobile positioning center network element: the mobile state of the second terminal device, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, the location of the second terminal device, or the location validity period of the second terminal device. The location of the second terminal device and the location validity period of the second terminal device may be obtained by the LCS client in the most recent positioning process.

As a possible implementation, after step S1301, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may store the identifier of the second terminal device to determine whether the second terminal device can be used as an auxiliary terminal device. Further, the mobile state of the second terminal device and/or the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device may also be stored. Please refer to the relevant description in the above step S1004, which will not be repeated here.

As another possible implementation: after step S1301, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may further perform the following step S1302:

S1302: The gateway mobile positioning center network element sends indication information a to the network device. Correspondingly, the network device receives the indication information a from the gateway mobile positioning center network element.

Optionally, the network device may be a second mobility management network element serving the second terminal device; or, may be a network element dedicated to managing auxiliary terminal devices. In FIG13 , the network device is illustrated as the second mobility management network element.

Optionally, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may also send at least one of the following to the network device: the mobile state of the second terminal device, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, the location of the second terminal device, or the validity period of the location of the second terminal device.

Optionally, when the network device is a second mobility management network element, the method may further include the following step S1303:

S1303: The second mobility management network element sends indication information a to the location management function network element. Correspondingly, the location management function network element receives indication information a from the second mobility management network element.

Optionally, the location management function network element may be a location management function network element that supports management of auxiliary terminal devices, or supports positioning through auxiliary terminal devices.

Optionally, the second mobility management network element may also send at least one of the following to the location management function network element: the mobility status of the second terminal device, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, the location of the second terminal device, or the location validity period of the second terminal device.

Optionally, after step S1303, the location management function network element may store the identifier of the second terminal device to determine whether the second terminal device can be used as an auxiliary terminal device. Further, at least one of the following items may be stored: the mobile state of the second terminal device, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, the location of the second terminal device, or the location validity period of the second terminal device. Please refer to the relevant instructions in the above step S1004, which will not be repeated here.

Exemplarily, taking the mobile management network element as the AMF network element, the gateway mobile positioning center network element as the GMLC network element, the location management function network element as the LMF network element, and the LCS client sending the indication information a in the positioning process of the mobile termination as an example, as shown in FIG. 14, an application process of the method shown in FIG. 13 provided by the present application is shown. Referring to FIG. 14, the process includes the following steps:

S1401. The LCS client sends an LCS request message to the GMLC network element. Correspondingly, the GMLC network element receives the LCS request message from the LCS client. LCS request message.

The LCS request message includes indication information a. Further, the LCS request message may also include a ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device and/or a mobile state of the second terminal device. For other descriptions of the LCS request message, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S501, which will not be repeated here.

The GMLC network element may store the identifier of the second terminal device after step S1401. Further, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device and/or the mobility status of the second terminal device may be stored. Please refer to the above description on storage, which will not be repeated here.

S1402: Positioning of the second terminal device. The step S1402 may include the implementation of the above steps S502-S510. Please refer to the relevant description of the above steps S502-S510, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, in step S1402, the GMLC network element may obtain and store the location of the second terminal device and/or the validity period of the location of the second terminal device.

Exemplarily, the mobile management network element is an AMF network element, the gateway mobile positioning center network element is a GMLC network element, the location management function network element is an LMF network element, the LCS client sends indication information a in the mobile termination positioning process, and the network device in the above step S1302 is a second AMF network element as an example, as shown in Figure 15, which is another application process of the method shown in Figure 13 provided by this application. Referring to Figure 15, the process includes the following steps:

S1501 is the same as the above step S1401. Please refer to the relevant description in the above step S1401 and will not be repeated here.

S1502, the GMLC network element sends a request message for providing location information to the second AMF network element. Correspondingly, the second AMF network element receives the request message for providing location information from the GMLC network element.

The location information request message includes indication information a. Further, the location information request message may also include a ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device and/or a mobile state of the second terminal device. For other instructions on the location information request message, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S503, which will not be repeated here.

S1503. The second AMF network element sends a location determination request message to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the location request message from the second AMF network element.

The location determination request message includes indication information a. Further, the location determination request message may also include a ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device and/or a mobile state of the second terminal device. For other instructions on the location determination request message, please refer to the relevant description in the above step S506, which will not be repeated here.

Among them, after step S1503, the LMF network element can store the identifier of the second terminal device. Further, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device and/or the mobile state of the second terminal device can also be stored. Please refer to the above-mentioned relevant description on storage, which will not be repeated here.

S1504: Positioning of the second terminal device. Step S1504 may include the implementation of the above steps S507-S510. Please refer to the relevant description of the above steps S507-S510, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, in step S1504, the LMF network element may obtain and store the location of the second terminal device and/or the validity period of the location of the second terminal device.

It should be noted that the LCS client in the above-mentioned Figures 13 to 15 can also be replaced by other devices that initiate the terminal device positioning process other than the terminal device, such as an application function network element.

It should be noted that the methods shown in FIG. 10 to FIG. 15 above can be applied to any auxiliary positioning terminal device, for example, can also be applied to a third terminal device.

The above is an explanation of how to obtain candidate auxiliary terminal devices. The following is an explanation of the positioning method provided in the embodiment of the present application.

As shown in FIG16 , a positioning method is provided in an embodiment of the present application, in which the gateway mobile positioning center network element can determine (or select) an auxiliary terminal device for assisting in positioning the first terminal device. Referring to FIG16 , the positioning method includes the following steps:

S1601: A communication device sends a first positioning request message to a gateway mobile positioning center network element. Correspondingly, the gateway mobile positioning center network element receives the first positioning request message from the communication device.

The first positioning request message is used to request positioning of the first terminal device. Exemplarily, the first positioning request message may include an identifier of the first terminal device.

Optionally, the communication device may be an LCS client, and accordingly, the first positioning request message may be an LCS request (LCS Request) message. Alternatively, the communication device may also be other devices that initiate the positioning process of the first terminal device, such as an application function network element, etc. In this case, the application function network element may send the first positioning request message to the gateway mobile positioning center network element through the network exposure function network element.

Optionally, the first positioning request message may also include at least one of a target area (Target Area), a historical location of the first terminal device, or a first ranging service identifier.

Optionally, the target area may be an area where the first terminal device may be located. For example, in a smart manufacturing scenario, the target area may be an area where the first terminal device may be located. Factory workshop area, etc. The historical location of the first terminal device may include the location of the first terminal device acquired by the communication device before S1601, for example, the location received from the gateway mobile positioning center network element in the most recent positioning process. The first ranging service identifier may be a ranging service identifier supported by the first terminal device or a ranging service identifier authorized by the network for use by the first terminal device.

Optionally, the communication device may carry at least one of the target area, the historical location of the first terminal device, or the first ranging service identifier in the first positioning request message when the location estimate received in the previous positioning process does not satisfy the requested positioning accuracy (i.e., the location estimate does not satisfy the requested accuracy) or the previous positioning process fails.

Optionally, the first positioning request message may also include LCS QoS information, such as positioning accuracy or positioning precision.

Optionally, before step S1601, the communication device may select a gateway mobile positioning center network element that supports management of auxiliary terminal devices, and send a first positioning request message to the selected gateway mobile positioning center network element.

S1602: The gateway mobile positioning center network element sends a second positioning request message to the mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives the second positioning request message from the gateway mobile positioning center network element.

Among them, the second positioning request message is used to request the positioning of the first terminal device. The second positioning request message includes the identifier of the second terminal device. The second terminal device is used to assist in positioning the first terminal device, that is, the second terminal device is an auxiliary terminal device. In other words, it can be considered that the second positioning request message is used to request the positioning of the first terminal device through the second terminal device. Furthermore, the second positioning request message may also include the identifier of the first terminal device.

The mobility management network element is a first mobility management network element serving the first terminal device, or the mobility management network element is a second mobility management network element serving the second terminal device.

Optionally, the second positioning request message provides a location information request (Namf_Location_ProvidePositioningInfo Request) message.

Optionally, before step S1602, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may request the data management network element for information about the mobile management network element serving the first terminal device. If the data management network element does not return information about the first mobile management network element, or indicates that the first mobile management network element does not exist, then the mobile management network element in step S1602 may be the second mobile management network element; or, if the data management network element returns information about the first mobile management network element, then the mobile management network element in step S1602 may be the first mobile management network element.

Optionally, the second terminal device may be indicated by the communication device, for example, the first positioning request message includes an identifier of the second terminal device. Alternatively, the second terminal device may be determined (or selected) by a gateway mobile positioning center network element. Exemplarily, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may determine the second terminal device in the following two ways:

Method 1: The gateway mobile positioning center network element independently determines the second terminal device.

Optionally, the gateway mobile positioning center network element can determine the second terminal device based on at least one of the following: location information of the second terminal device, a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, a mobile status of the second terminal device, a ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or a first ranging service identifier.

Exemplarily, the historical serving cell of the first terminal device may be the last known serving cell of the first terminal device. The identifier of the historical serving cell of the first terminal device may be received by the gateway mobile positioning center network element from the first mobile management network element.

Optionally, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may support management of auxiliary terminal devices, which may store the identification, location information, mobile status, supported ranging service identification, etc. of multiple candidate auxiliary terminal devices. After receiving the first positioning request message, the second terminal device may be determined from the multiple candidate auxiliary terminal devices according to the stored information of each candidate auxiliary terminal device.

Optionally, the gateway mobile positioning center network element can also store the validity period of the location of the candidate auxiliary terminal device. After the location information of a candidate auxiliary terminal device expires, the gateway mobile positioning center network element can timely update the location information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device, for example, trigger positioning of the candidate auxiliary terminal device to prepare for subsequent auxiliary positioning.

Optionally, the gateway mobile positioning center network element can store relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device through the method shown in Figures 10 to 15 above, that is, the gateway mobile positioning center network element can receive second indication information from the second network device, and the second indication information indicates that the second terminal device can be used as an auxiliary terminal device. Further, the gateway mobile positioning center network element can also receive at least one of the following from the second network device: the location of the second terminal device, the validity period of the location of the second terminal device, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobile state of the second terminal device. Among them, the second network device can store relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device through the method shown in Figures 10 to 15 above, that is, the second network device can be the network device in Figure 10, or the second network device can implement the function of the network device in Figure 10. Please refer to the relevant description in the method shown in Figures 10 to 15 above, which will not be repeated here.

Of course, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may also store the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal devices in other ways, for example, storing the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal devices in a pre-configured manner, and this application does not make any specific limitation on this.

Optionally, the second terminal device may meet at least one of the following conditions:

1) The second terminal device is located in the target area and/or the historical service cell of the first terminal device;

2) The distance between the location of the second terminal device and the historical location of the first terminal device is less than or equal to a first threshold;

3) The mobile state of the second terminal device is stationary;

4) The ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device is the same as the first ranging service identifier.

Optionally, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may determine multiple auxiliary terminal devices from the candidate auxiliary terminal devices. For example, in addition to the second terminal device, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may also determine a third terminal device, which is also used to assist in locating the first terminal device. The second terminal device and the third terminal device may be referred to as corresponding auxiliary terminal devices of the first terminal device.

Optionally, when the first terminal device corresponds to multiple auxiliary terminal devices, the second positioning request message may include the identifiers of the multiple auxiliary terminal devices. For example, the second positioning request message may also include the identifier of the third terminal device. In this case, it can be considered that the second positioning request message is used to request the first terminal device to be positioned through the multiple auxiliary terminal devices.

Optionally, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may determine the number of auxiliary terminal devices corresponding to the first terminal device according to the LCS QoS information carried in the first positioning request message. For example, the higher the positioning accuracy in the LCS QoS information, the greater the number of auxiliary terminal devices corresponding to the first terminal device. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this number.

Optionally, in this manner, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may be a gateway mobile positioning center network element that directly receives the first positioning request message from the communication device; or, may be a gateway mobile positioning center network element that receives the first positioning request message forwarded by another gateway mobile positioning center network element.

Exemplarily, the communication device may send a first positioning request message to the gateway mobile positioning center network element 1. If the gateway mobile positioning center network element 1 does not support the management of auxiliary terminal devices, the gateway mobile positioning center network element 1 may forward the first positioning request message to the gateway mobile positioning center network element 2, so that the gateway mobile positioning center network element 2 performs subsequent processing. At this time, the gateway mobile positioning center network element in each step of the method shown in FIG. 16 can be understood as the gateway mobile positioning center network element 2.

Mode 2: The gateway mobile positioning center network element requests the first network device for the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device. In this mode, the method provided in the embodiment of the present application may also include:

The gateway mobile positioning center network element sends a request message to the first network device, the request message is used to request the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device. The gateway mobile positioning center network element receives first indication information from the first network device, the first indication information indicates the second terminal device. Optionally, the first indication information includes an identifier of the second terminal device.

The first network device is used to manage the auxiliary terminal device. Exemplarily, the first network device may be a gateway mobile positioning center network element that supports the management of the auxiliary terminal device; or, the first network device may be a dedicated network element or entity (such as a UDM network element) dedicated to the management of the auxiliary terminal device; or, the first network device may be a network storage function network element.

Optionally, the first network device may store relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device by the method shown in FIG. 10 to FIG. 15 , that is, the first network device may receive second indication information indicating that the second terminal device can serve as an auxiliary terminal device.

Optionally, the first network device may be the network device in FIG. 10 , or in other words, the first network device may implement the functions of the network device in FIG. 10 .

Optionally, the request information may include at least one of the following: a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, or a first ranging service identifier.

Optionally, after receiving the request information, the first network device may determine the second terminal device from multiple candidate auxiliary terminal devices, and indicate the second terminal device to the gateway mobile positioning center network element. The implementation of the first network device determining the second terminal device can refer to the above-mentioned method one related implementation of the gateway mobile positioning center network element determining the second terminal device, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, when the first network device determines multiple auxiliary terminal devices corresponding to the first terminal device, the first indication information may indicate the multiple auxiliary terminal devices. For example, the first indication information may also indicate a third terminal device or the first indication information includes an identifier of the third terminal device.

Optionally, the gateway mobile positioning center network element determines (or selects) the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, which may be triggered by at least one of the following events:

Event 1) Before step S1602, the gateway mobile positioning center network element requests the first mobile management network element to locate the first terminal device, but the positioning fails, for example, the last known service cell identifier of the first terminal device is received, or it is determined that the positioning result of the first terminal device returned by this request does not meet the requested positioning accuracy.

Event 2) The gateway mobile positioning center network element determines that the last positioning result of the first terminal device does not meet the requested positioning accuracy.

Event 3) The gateway mobile positioning center network element receives a first terminal device unreachable indication from the first mobility management network element. The unreachable indication may indicate a failure in paging the first terminal device, or indicate that the first terminal device is out of network coverage.

Event 4) The gateway mobile positioning center network element does not find the first mobility management network element, that is, the first mobility management network element does not exist. For example, when the first terminal device has the proximity services communication 5 (PC5) capability but does not have the Uu capability In this scenario, the first mobility management network element may not exist. In this scenario, the steps related to the first mobility management network element in Figure 16 may not be performed.

That is to say, when at least one of the above four events occurs, the gateway mobile positioning center network element adopts the above method 1 or method 2 to determine the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device.

Optionally, when the mobile management network element in step S1602 is the first mobile management network element, the second positioning request message may also include information about the second mobile management network element. Exemplarily, after learning about the second terminal device, the gateway mobile management network element may request the data management network element for information about the mobile management network element of the second terminal device, and the data management network element may return the information about the second mobile management network element. In addition, when there are other auxiliary terminal devices corresponding to the first terminal device in addition to the second terminal device, the second positioning request message may also include information about the mobile management network elements of the other auxiliary terminal devices.

S1603: The mobility management network element sends a third positioning request message to the location management function network element. Correspondingly, the location management function network element receives the third positioning request message from the mobility management network element.

The third positioning request message is used to request the first terminal device to be positioned. The third positioning request message includes the identifier of the second terminal device. That is, it can be considered that the third positioning request message is used to request the first terminal device to be positioned through the second terminal device.

Optionally, when the second positioning request message includes the identifiers of multiple auxiliary terminal devices corresponding to the first terminal device, the third positioning request message also includes the identifiers of the multiple auxiliary terminal devices. For example, the third positioning request message may also include the identifier of the third terminal device. At this time, it can be considered that the third positioning request message is used to request the first terminal device to be located through the multiple auxiliary terminal devices.

Optionally, the third positioning request message may further include an LCS correlation identifier (LCS Correlation ID). The LCS correlation identifier is used to identify the positioning event of the first terminal device. Exemplarily, the LCS correlation identifier may be generated by a mobile management network element.

Optionally, the third positioning request message is a determine location request (Nlmf_Location_DetermineLocation Request) message.

Optionally, when the mobile management network element in steps S1602 and S1603 is the first mobile management network element, the third positioning request message may include information about the second mobile management network element. As a possible implementation, the information about the second mobile management network element may be carried in the second positioning request message; as another possible implementation, the information about the second mobile management network element may be obtained by the first mobile management network element from the data management network element. In addition, when there are other auxiliary terminal devices corresponding to the first terminal device in addition to the second terminal device, the third positioning request message may also include information about the mobile management network elements of the other auxiliary terminal devices.

Optionally, when the second positioning request message received by the mobility management network element includes the identifier of the second terminal device, the mobility management network element may select a location management function network element that supports positioning through an auxiliary terminal device. The mobility management network element then sends a third positioning request message to the location management function network element. It should be understood that supporting positioning through an auxiliary terminal device is a function of a location management function network element, and not all location management function network elements support positioning through an auxiliary terminal device.

Optionally, the mobility management network element may send indication information of supporting positioning capability through auxiliary terminal equipment to the network storage function network element. After receiving the indication information, the network storage function network element may select a location management function network element according to the indication information and return information of the selected location management function network element to the mobility management network element.

S1604: The location management function network element sends a first downlink positioning message to the second terminal device via the second mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the first downlink positioning message from the location management function network element via the second mobility management network element.

Among them, the first downlink positioning message can be used to trigger the sidelink positioning between the second terminal device and the first terminal device, or the first downlink positioning message can be used to request the sidelink positioning information between the second terminal device and the first terminal device, and the sidelink positioning information can be the sidelink positioning result or the sidelink positioning measurement data.

Optionally, the first downlink positioning message can be a Downlink (DL) Positioning message.

Optionally, the first downlink positioning message may include an identifier of the first terminal device and an LCS-related identifier. Further, the first downlink positioning message may also include information of the location management function network element. The information of the location management function network element may be identification information of the location management function network element or address information or routing ID of the location management function network element. The information of the location management function network element is used for the second terminal device to subsequently report the positioning result to the location management function network element.

Optionally, if the mobility management network element in step S1603 is the first mobility management network element, the location management function network element needs to query the data management network element for the second mobility management network element, and then send the first downlink positioning message to the second terminal device through the second mobility management network element.

S1605. The second terminal device and the first terminal device perform sidelink positioning.

Optionally, if the second terminal device and the first terminal device have established a PC5 connection before step S1605, the second terminal device performs side link positioning through the PC5 link.

Optionally, if the second terminal device and the first terminal device have not established a PC5 connection before step S1605, the second terminal device may first execute a discovery process, establish a PC5 connection with the first terminal device, and then perform side link positioning.

For example, after establishing the PC5 connection, the second terminal device may send a sidelink positioning request (SL positioning request) to the first terminal device. After receiving the sidelink positioning request, the first terminal device sends a sidelink positioning response (SL positioning request) to the second terminal device. positioning response).

Afterwards, the first terminal device and the second terminal device perform a sidelink positioning process. For example, the second terminal device sends an initial ranging signal to the first terminal device, and the first terminal device receives the initial ranging signal and sends a feedback ranging signal to the second terminal device. Furthermore, the first terminal device also indicates to the second terminal device the sending time of the feedback ranging signal and the receiving time of the initial ranging signal, or indicates the difference between the two. The second terminal device determines the relative position between the two based on the indication of the first terminal device. Please refer to the relevant description of the method shown in Figure 6, which will not be repeated here.

S1606. The second terminal device sends the first sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the location management function network element through the second mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the location management function network element receives the first sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device from the second terminal device through the second mobility management network element.

The first sidelink positioning result indicates the relative position of the second terminal device and the first terminal device, such as the relative distance or relative angle between the two. The position information of the first terminal device is determined based on the first sidelink positioning result and the position of the second terminal device.

As a possible implementation, after the second terminal device obtains the first sidelink positioning result, it can report the first sidelink positioning result to the location management function network element. Correspondingly, the location management function network element can determine the location information of the first terminal device based on the first sidelink positioning result and the location of the second terminal device.

As another possible implementation, after the second terminal device obtains the first sidelink positioning result, it can determine the location information of the first terminal device based on the first sidelink positioning result and the position of the second terminal device, and report the location information of the first terminal device to the location management function network element.

S1607: The location management function network element sends the location information of the first terminal device to the mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the mobility management network element receives the location information of the first terminal device from the location management function network element.

S1608: The mobility management network element sends the location information of the first terminal device to the gateway mobile positioning center network element. Correspondingly, the gateway mobile positioning center network element receives the location information of the first terminal device from the mobility management network element.

Optionally, after step S1608, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may send the location information of the first terminal device to the communication device.

Based on the above scheme, in the embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device is positioned with the assistance of the second terminal device, thereby achieving the positioning of the first terminal device, that is, the embodiment of the present application can assist the positioning of the target terminal device based on the auxiliary terminal device.

In addition, in the above embodiment, on the one hand, the gateway mobile positioning center network element carries the identifier of the second terminal device used to assist in locating the first terminal device in the second positioning request message requesting the positioning of the first terminal device, thereby eliminating the need for other network elements in the core network to store relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal devices to determine the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device. Therefore, the storage overhead of the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal devices can be reduced.

On the other hand, when the second terminal device is determined by the gateway mobile positioning center network element, compared with the solution in which the second terminal device is determined by other network elements in the core network (such as the mobile management network element), the rationality of the determined auxiliary terminal device can be improved, thereby improving the positioning efficiency. The reason is that: since there is a communication interface between the gateway mobile positioning center network element and the data management network element in the current network, the gateway mobile positioning center network element can use the communication interface to obtain relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device (such as the LCS privacy profile), and select a suitable auxiliary terminal device according to the obtained relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device. However, other network elements in the core network (such as the mobile management network element) may not have a communication interface with the data management network element at present, so it is impossible to obtain information such as the LCS privacy profile of the candidate auxiliary terminal device. If the network element needs to obtain information from the data management network element, the capability of the network element needs to be enhanced, the implementation complexity is high, and the compatibility with the existing deployed network is not high.

On the other hand, the above solution does not rely on the existence of the target mobility management network element (ie, the mobility management network element serving the target terminal device), and can be applied to scenarios where the target mobility management network element does not exist, and has a wide range of applications.

Optionally, in the case where the second positioning request message and the third positioning request message include, in addition to the identifier of the second terminal device, identifiers of other auxiliary terminal devices (taking the third terminal device as an example) corresponding to the first terminal device:

As a possible implementation, the first downlink positioning message in the above step S1604 also includes third indication information, and the third indication information indicates the third terminal device. Correspondingly, in step S1605, the second terminal device can indicate the third terminal device to the first terminal device. Further, the second terminal device can also send LCS related identification, location management function network element information, etc. to the first terminal device.

In this scenario, as shown in FIG17 , before step S1607, the method may further include:

S1609. The first terminal device executes a discovery process to discover a third terminal.

S1610. The first terminal device establishes a PC5 connection with the third terminal device.

Optionally, in step S1610, the first terminal device may send information about LCS-related identifiers and location management function network elements to the third terminal device.

S1611. The first terminal device and the third terminal device perform sidelink positioning.

S1612: The third terminal device sends the second sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the location management function network element through the third mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the location management function network element receives the second sidelink positioning result from the third terminal device through the third mobility management network element.

The third mobility management network element serves the third terminal device. The second sidelink positioning result indicates the relative position of the third terminal device and the first terminal device.

Optionally, the third terminal device may send information of the location management function network element to the third mobility management network element, so that the third mobility management network element can send the second sidelink positioning result reported by the second terminal device or the location information of the first terminal device to the location management network element. Furthermore, the third terminal device may also report an LCS related identifier.

Optionally, when the second terminal device reports the first sidelink positioning result and the third terminal device reports the second sidelink positioning result, the location management function network element may determine the location information of the first terminal device based on the first sidelink positioning result, the second sidelink positioning result, the location of the second terminal device, and the location of the third terminal device. When the second terminal device and the third terminal device report the location information of the first terminal device, the location management function network element may determine the final location of the first terminal device based on the location information of multiple first terminal devices reported by the auxiliary terminal device. For example, the location information of multiple first terminal devices reported by the auxiliary terminal device is averaged, the middle value is taken, and other processing is performed to obtain the final location of the first terminal device.

As another possible implementation, in a scenario where the mobility management network element in the above steps S1601-S1603 is the first mobility management network element, as shown in FIG18, before step S1607, the method may further include:

S1613: The location management function network element sends a second downlink positioning message to the third terminal device via the third mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the third terminal device receives the second downlink positioning message from the location management function network element via the third mobility management network element.

The second downlink positioning message is used to trigger the sidelink positioning between the third terminal device and the first terminal device. For other instructions of the first downlink positioning message, please refer to the relevant description of the first downlink positioning message, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, the location management function network element may query the data management network element for a third mobility management network element, and then send a second downlink positioning message to the third terminal device through the third mobility management network element. Alternatively, the third positioning request message may carry information about the third mobility management network element, and the location management function network element does not need to query the third mobility management network element.

S1614: The third terminal device and the first terminal perform sidelink positioning. Please refer to the relevant description of the above step S1605, which will not be repeated here.

S1615. The third terminal device sends the second sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the location management function network element through the third mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the location management function network element receives the second sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device from the third terminal device through the third mobility management network element. Please refer to the relevant instructions in the above step S1612, which will not be repeated here.

It should be noted that, if in addition to the second terminal device and the third terminal device, there are other auxiliary terminal devices corresponding to the first terminal device, then the above-mentioned solution related to the third terminal device can be executed for each auxiliary terminal device.

Optionally, in the case where the second positioning request message and the third positioning request message do not include the identifier of other auxiliary terminal devices corresponding to the first terminal device in addition to the identifier of the second terminal device, that is, in the case where the gateway mobile positioning center network element only determines one auxiliary terminal device:

The first downlink positioning message in the above step S1604 may also include third indication information, and the third indication information indicates that multiple auxiliary terminal devices are required to locate the first terminal device. That is to say, the location management function network element may determine that multiple auxiliary terminal devices are required to locate the first terminal device. Exemplarily, the location management function network element may determine whether multiple auxiliary terminal devices are required to locate the first terminal device based on LCS QoS information.

Correspondingly, in step S1605, the second terminal device may send the third indication information to the first terminal device. Further, the second terminal device may also send LCS related identification, location management function network element information, etc. to the first terminal device.

In this scenario, as shown in FIG19 , before step S1607, the method may further include:

S1616. The first terminal device executes a discovery process to discover other auxiliary terminal devices.

That is to say, in this scenario, optionally, the first terminal device discovers other auxiliary terminal devices except the second terminal device by itself according to the instruction of the location management function network element. The embodiment of the present application is described by taking the first terminal device discovering the third terminal as an example. Of course, the first terminal device can discover multiple auxiliary terminal devices, and for each auxiliary terminal device discovered by it, the following scheme related to the third terminal device can be executed.

Optionally, the first terminal device may determine whether multiple auxiliary terminal devices are required to locate the first terminal device based on the LCS QoS information. If multiple auxiliary terminal devices are required, a discovery process is performed to discover other auxiliary terminal devices.

S1617. The first terminal device establishes a PC5 connection with the third terminal device.

S1618. The first terminal device and the third terminal device perform sidelink positioning.

S1619: The third terminal device sends the second sidelink positioning result or the first sidelink positioning result to the location management function network element through the third mobility management network element. The location information of the terminal device. Accordingly, the location management function network element receives the second sidelink positioning result from the third terminal device through the third mobility management network element.

Among them, the description of steps S1617-S1619 can refer to the relevant description of the above steps S1610-S1612, which will not be repeated here.

Exemplarily, taking the communication device in FIG. 16 as an LCS client, the gateway mobile positioning center network element as a GMLC network element, the location management function network element as an LMF network element, the mobile management network element as an AMF network element, and the mobile management network element in steps S1601-S1603 as a first AMF network element (that is, the first mobile management network element exists) as an example, as shown in FIG. 20, an application flow of the method shown in FIG. 16 provided by the present application. Referring to FIG. 20, the process includes the following steps:

S2001. The LCS client sends an LCS request message to the GMLC network element. Correspondingly, the GMLC network element receives the LCS request message from the LCS client.

Among them, the LCS request message can be an implementation form of the first positioning request message in the above step S1601. Please refer to the relevant instructions in the above step S1601, and will not be repeated here.

S2002. The GMLC network element obtains the information of the AMF network element serving the first terminal device.

Exemplarily, the GMLC network element may send a request to the UDM network element to request information about the AMF network element serving the first terminal device. The UDM network element may send a response to the GMLC network element, which carries information such as the identifier of the AMF network element serving the first terminal device. For ease of description, the AMF network element serving the first terminal device is referred to as the first AMF network element in the following embodiments.

S2003: The GMLC network element determines that a trigger event occurs. Exemplarily, the trigger event may be at least one of event 1), event 2), or event 3) described before step S1603.

It should be noted that step S2003 is an optional step, that is, the GMLC network element may not execute step S2003.

S2004, the GMLC network element determines the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device. Please refer to the relevant description of the method 1 or method 2 in the above step S1602, which will not be repeated here.

The auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device may include the second terminal device, and of course, may also include other auxiliary terminal devices, such as the third terminal device.

Optionally, after step S2004, the GMLC network element may also request the UDM network element for information about the AMF network element serving the auxiliary terminal device. For the convenience of description, in the following embodiments, the AMF network element serving the second terminal device is referred to as the second AMF network element, and the AMF network element serving the third terminal device is referred to as the third AMF network element.

Furthermore, the GMLC network element may store the location, location validity period, etc. of the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device.

S2005. The GMLC network element sends a request message for providing location information to the first AMF network element. Correspondingly, the first AMF network element receives the request message for providing location information from the GMLC network element.

Among them, the request for providing location information can be an implementation form of the second positioning request message in the above step S1602, that is, the request for providing location information can include the identifier of the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device. Please refer to the relevant instructions on the second positioning request message in the above step S1602, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, the request message for providing location information may also include information about the AMF network element serving the auxiliary terminal device, the location of the auxiliary terminal device, or the validity period of the location, etc.

S2006. The first AMF network element sends a location request message to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the location request message from the first AMF network element.

Among them, the location request message can be an implementation form of the third positioning request message in the above step S1603, that is, the request for providing location information can include the identifier of the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device. Please refer to the relevant instructions on the second positioning request message in the above step S1602, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, the first AMF network element may generate an LCS-related identifier for the positioning event of the first terminal device, and carry the LCS-related identifier in the location request message. Furthermore, the location request message may also include information about the AMF network element serving the auxiliary terminal device (if the location information request message in step S2005 includes it), the location of the auxiliary terminal device (if the location information request message in step S2005 includes it), or the location validity period (if the location information request message in step S2005 includes it), etc.

S2007, the LMF network element sends a first downlink positioning message to the second terminal device through the second AMF network element. Correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the first downlink positioning message from the LMF network element through the second AMF network element. Please refer to the relevant instructions in the above step S1604, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, if the location request message in step S2006 does not include information of the second AMF network element, before step S2007, the LMF network element can first discover the second AMF network element and then execute step S2007.

S2008: The second terminal device and the first terminal device perform sidelink positioning. Please refer to the relevant description in the above step S1605, which will not be repeated here.

S2009. The second terminal device sends the first side link positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the LMF network element through the second AMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the first side link positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device from the second terminal device through the second AMF network element. Please refer to the relevant instructions in the above step S1606, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, when the second terminal device sends the first side link positioning result to the LMF network element through the second AMF network element, the LMF network element can determine the location information of the first terminal device based on the first side link positioning result and the position of the second terminal device.

Optionally, the location of the second terminal device may be sent to the LMF network element through the above steps S2005-S2006; or, it may be reported by the second terminal device in step S2009; or, it may be stored in the LMF network element; or, it may be obtained by the LMF network element from the LRF network element. This application does not make any specific limitations on this.

Optionally, in step S2009, the second terminal device may also send an LCS related identifier to the LMF network element through the second AMF network element.

S2010. The LMF network element sends a location response message to the first AMF network element. Correspondingly, the first AMF network element receives a location response message from the LMF network element. The location response message includes the location information of the first terminal device.

S2011. The first AMF network element sends a location information providing response message to the GMLC network element. Correspondingly, the GMLC network element receives the location information providing response message from the first AMF network element. The location information providing response message provides the location information of the first terminal device.

S2012. The GMLC network element sends an LCS response message to the LCS client. Correspondingly, the LCS client receives the LCS response message from the GMLC network element. The LCS response message includes the location information of the first terminal device.

Optionally, in addition to the identifier of the second terminal device, the location information request message and the location request message also include identifiers of other auxiliary terminal devices (taking the third terminal device as an example) corresponding to the first terminal device, that is, when the GMLC network element determines multiple auxiliary terminal devices:

As a possible implementation, the first downlink positioning message in the above step S2007 also includes third indication information, and the third indication information indicates a third terminal device. Correspondingly, in step S2008, the second terminal device can indicate the third terminal device to the first terminal device. Furthermore, the second terminal device can also send LCS-related identifiers, LMF network element information, etc. to the first terminal device. In this scenario, before the above step S2010, the scheme shown in the above steps S1609-S1612 can also be executed. Please refer to the relevant instructions in steps S1609-S1612, which will not be repeated here.

As another possible implementation, before step S2010, the method may further include:

S2013, the LMF network element sends a second downlink positioning message to the third terminal device through the third AMF network element. Correspondingly, the third terminal device receives the second downlink positioning message from the LMF network element through the third AMF network element.

S2014. The third terminal device and the first terminal perform sidelink positioning.

S2015. The third terminal device sends the second side link positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the LMF network element through the third AMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the second side link positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device from the third terminal device through the third AMF network element.

Among them, the implementation of steps S2013-S2015 can refer to the relevant description in the above steps S1613-S1615, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, when the location information request message and the location request message do not include the identifier of other auxiliary terminal devices corresponding to the first terminal device except the identifier of the second terminal device, that is, when the GMLC network element only determines one auxiliary terminal device:

The first downlink positioning message in the above step S2007 also includes third indication information, and the third indication information indicates that multiple auxiliary terminal devices are required to locate the first terminal device. Correspondingly, in step S2008, the second terminal device can send the third indication information to the first terminal device. Furthermore, the second terminal device can also send LCS-related identifiers, LMF network element information, etc. to the first terminal device. In this scenario, before the above step S2010, the scheme shown in the above steps S1616-S1619 can also be executed. Please refer to the relevant instructions in steps S1616-S1619, which will not be repeated here.

Exemplarily, taking the communication device in FIG. 16 as an LCS client, the gateway mobile positioning center network element as a GMLC network element, the location management function network element as an LMF network element, the mobile management network element as an AMF network element, and the mobile management network element in steps S1601-S1603 as a second AMF network element as an example, as shown in FIG. 21, another application process of the method shown in FIG. 16 provided by the present application. Referring to FIG. 21, the process includes the following steps:

S2101-S2102 are similar to the above steps S2001-S2002, except that: since the first AMF network element may not exist, the UDM network element in step S2102 may not be able to return information such as the identifier of the first AMF network element to the GMLC network element.

S2103: The GMLC network element determines that a trigger event occurs. Exemplarily, the trigger event may be at least one of event 1), event 2), event 3), or event 4) described before step S1603. Step S2103 is an optional step.

S2104. The GMLC network element determines the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device.

Among them, step S2104 is similar to the above step S2004, except that: after step S2104, the GMLC network element can request the UDM network element for information about the AMF network element of any auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device. This is explained by taking the information of the AMF network element of the terminal device and the information of the second AMF network element returned by the UDM network element as an example.

S2105. The GMLC network element sends a request message for providing location information to the second AMF network element. Correspondingly, the second AMF network element receives the request message for providing location information from the GMLC network element.

Among them, step S2105 is similar to the above step S2005, except that: the location request message does not include information about the AMF network element serving the auxiliary terminal device. Please refer to the relevant description in the above step S2005, which will not be repeated here. S2106. The second AMF network element sends a location request (Location Request) message to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the location request message from the second AMF network element.

Among them, step S2106 is similar to the above step S2006, except that: the location request message does not include information about the AMF network element serving the auxiliary terminal device. Please refer to the relevant description in the above step S2006, which will not be repeated here.

S2107-S2112 are the same as the above steps S2007-S2012. Please refer to the relevant instructions of steps S2007-S2012 and will not be repeated here.

Optionally, when the location information request message and the location request message include, in addition to the identifier of the second terminal device, the identifier of other auxiliary terminal devices (taking the third terminal device as an example) corresponding to the first terminal device:

The first downlink positioning message in the above step S2107 also includes third indication information, and the third indication information indicates a third terminal device. Correspondingly, in step S2108, the second terminal device can indicate the third terminal device to the first terminal device. Furthermore, the second terminal device can also send LCS-related identifiers, LMF network element information, etc. to the first terminal device. In this scenario, before the above step S2110, the scheme shown in the above steps S1609-S1612 can also be executed. Please refer to the relevant instructions in steps S1609-S1612, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, when the location information request message and the location request message do not include the identifier of other auxiliary terminal devices corresponding to the first terminal device except the identifier of the second terminal device, that is, when the gateway mobile positioning center network element only determines one auxiliary terminal device:

The first downlink positioning message in the above step S2107 also includes third indication information, and the third indication information indicates that multiple auxiliary terminal devices are required to locate the first terminal device. Correspondingly, in step S2108, the second terminal device can send the third indication information to the first terminal device. Further, the second terminal device can also send LCS related identification, LMF network element information, etc. to the first terminal device.

In this scenario, before step S2110, the method may further include:

S2113. The first terminal device executes a discovery process to discover other auxiliary terminal devices.

S2114. The first terminal device establishes a PC5 connection with the third terminal device.

S2115. The first terminal device and the third terminal device perform sidelink positioning.

S2116. The third terminal device sends the second side link positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the LMF network element through the third AMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the second side link positioning result from the third terminal device through the third AMF network element.

Among them, the description of steps S2113-S2116 can refer to the relevant description of the above steps S1617-S1619, which will not be repeated here.

The above is explained by taking the example of the gateway mobile positioning center network element determining (or selecting) an auxiliary terminal device for assisting in locating the first terminal device. In addition, the present application also provides a positioning method, in which the communication device initiating the terminal device positioning, such as the LCS client, can indicate the auxiliary terminal device when requesting to locate the first terminal device. As shown in Figure 22, the positioning method includes the following steps:

S2201: A communication device sends a first positioning request message to a gateway mobile positioning center network element. Correspondingly, the gateway mobile positioning center network element receives the first positioning request message from the communication device.

The step S2201 is similar to the step S1601, except that the first positioning request message in the step S2201 also includes the identifier of the second terminal device. Furthermore, the first positioning request message may also include the identifiers of other auxiliary terminal devices corresponding to the first terminal device.

Optionally, the auxiliary terminal device indicated in the first positioning request message may be pre-deployed. For example, in a smart manufacturing scenario, a user may pre-deploy an auxiliary terminal device in a factory to provide positioning services for offline terminal devices in the future.

S2202-S2208 are similar to the above steps S1602-S1608, except that the gateway mobile positioning center network element does not need to perform related actions to determine (or select) an auxiliary terminal device for the first terminal device.

Optionally, before step S2202, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may obtain the LCS privacy profile of the second terminal device from the data management network element, and execute steps S2202-S2208 when the LCS privacy profile indicates that the location of the second terminal device is allowed to be obtained, or indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to be located, or indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to serve as an auxiliary terminal device, or indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to assist in locating the first terminal device.

Optionally, when the first positioning request message includes the first ranging service identifier, before step S2022, the gateway mobile positioning center network element can determine whether the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device is the same as the first ranging service identifier. If the two are the same, execute steps S2202-S2208; if the two are not the same, execute the method shown in Figure 16 to reselect an auxiliary terminal device for the first terminal device.

Based on this solution, in the embodiment of the present application, the communication device requesting to locate the first terminal device specifies the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, so that the network element in the core network does not need to store the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device, which can reduce the storage overhead of the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device. In addition, the network element in the core network does not need to select the auxiliary terminal device, so as to reduce its implementation complexity. The solution may not depend on the existence of the first mobility management network element, and may be applicable to a scenario where the target mobility management network element does not exist, and has a wide range of applicability.

In addition to the method for determining the auxiliary terminal device by the gateway mobile positioning center network element shown in FIG16, the embodiment of the present application also provides a positioning method, in which the location management function network element can determine the auxiliary positioning for the first terminal device to the terminal device. Referring to FIG23, the method includes the following steps:

S2301: The communication device sends a positioning request message a to the gateway mobile positioning center network element. Correspondingly, the gateway mobile positioning center network element receives the positioning message a from the communication device.

Optionally, the communication device may be an LCS client, or other device that initiates the positioning process of the first terminal device, such as an application function network element. Please refer to the relevant description about the communication device in the above step S1601, which will not be repeated here.

Among them, the positioning message a is used to request the positioning of the first terminal device. Exemplarily, the first positioning request message may include an identifier of the first terminal device. Further, the first positioning request message may also include at least one of a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, a first ranging service identifier, or LCS QoS information. Please refer to the relevant description of the first positioning request message in the above step S1601, which will not be repeated here.

S2302: The gateway mobile positioning center network element sends a positioning request message b to the first mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the first mobility management network element receives the positioning request message b from the gateway mobile positioning center network element.

The first mobility management network element is a mobility management network element serving the first terminal device. The positioning request message b is used to request positioning of the first terminal device. The positioning request message b may include an identifier of the first terminal device.

Optionally, the positioning request message b may also include at least one of the target area, the historical location of the first terminal device, the first ranging service identifier, or LCS QoS information.

S2303: The first mobility management network element sends a positioning request message c to the location management function network element. Correspondingly, the location management function network element receives the positioning request message c from the first mobility management network element.

The positioning request message c is used to request the positioning of the first terminal device. The positioning request message c may include an identifier of the first terminal device.

Optionally, the positioning request message c may also include at least one of the following: a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, a first ranging service identifier, LCS QoS information, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, an LCS-related identifier, or indication information b.

The LCS-related identifier may be an identifier generated by the first mobility management network element for identifying a positioning event of the first terminal device. The indication information b indicates that the first terminal device is unreachable. Exemplarily, the unreachability of the first terminal device may be understood as: a failure occurs when paging the first terminal device, or the first terminal device is located outside the network coverage.

S2304: The location management function network element determines a second terminal device, wherein the second terminal device is used to assist in locating the first terminal device, that is, the second terminal device is an auxiliary terminal device.

Optionally, the location management function network element may determine the second terminal device when the positioning request message c includes indication information b.

Optionally, the location management function network element may determine to use other terminal-assisted positioning methods to locate the first terminal when the positioning request message c includes indication information b, and thus needs to first determine the second terminal device.

Optionally, the location management function network element may determine the second terminal device in the following two ways:

Method 1: The location management function network element independently determines the second terminal device.

Optionally, the location management function network element can determine the second terminal device based on at least one of the following: location information of the second terminal device, a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, a mobile status of the second terminal device, a ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or a first ranging service identifier.

Optionally, the location management function network element may support management of auxiliary terminal devices, which may store the identification, location information, location validity period, mobile status, supported ranging service identification, etc. of multiple candidate auxiliary terminal devices. After receiving the positioning request message c, the second terminal device may be determined from the multiple candidate auxiliary terminal devices according to the stored information of each candidate auxiliary terminal device.

Optionally, the location management function network element can store the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device through the method shown in Figures 10 to 15 above, that is, the location management function network element can receive indication information e from the second network device, and the indication information e indicates that the second terminal device can be used as an auxiliary terminal device. Further, the location management function network element can also receive at least one of the following from the second network device: the location of the second terminal device, the location validity period of the second terminal device, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobile state of the second terminal device. Among them, the second network device can store the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device through the method shown in Figures 10 to 15 above, that is, the second network device can be the network device in Figure 10, or the second network device can implement the function of the network device in Figure 10. Please refer to the relevant description in the method shown in Figures 10 to 15 above, which will not be repeated here.

Of course, the location management function network element may also store the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal devices in other ways, for example, storing the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal devices in a pre-configured manner, and this application does not make any specific limitation on this.

3) The mobile state of the second terminal device is stationary;

Optionally, the location management function network element may determine multiple auxiliary terminal devices from the candidate auxiliary terminal devices. For example, in addition to the second terminal device, the location management function network element may also determine a third terminal device, which is also used to assist in locating the first terminal device.

Optionally, in this manner, the location management function network element may be a location management function network element that directly receives the location request message c from the first mobility management network element; or, it may be a location management function network element that receives the location request message c forwarded by another location management function network element.

Among them, the specific implementation of method 1 can refer to the relevant description of method 1 in the method shown in Figure 16 above, and will not be repeated here.

Mode 2: The location management function network element requests the first network device for the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device. In this mode, the method provided in the embodiment of the present application may also include:

The location management function network element sends a request message to the first network device, the request message is used to request the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device. The location management function network element receives indication information c from the first network device, the indication information c indicates the second terminal device.

Optionally, when the first network device determines that a plurality of auxiliary terminal devices correspond to the first terminal device, the indication information c may indicate the plurality of auxiliary terminal devices. For example, the indication information c may also indicate a third terminal device.

Among them, the specific implementation of the second method can refer to the relevant description of the second method in the method shown in Figure 16 above, and will not be repeated here.

S2305: The location management function network element sends a first downlink positioning message to the second terminal device through the second mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the second terminal device receives the first downlink positioning message from the location management function network element through the second mobility management network element.

The second mobility management network element serves the second terminal device, and the first downlink positioning message is used to trigger side link positioning between the second terminal device and the first terminal device.

Optionally, the location management function network element may obtain information of the second mobility management network element from the data management network element, and then send the first downlink positioning message to the second terminal device through the second mobility management network element.

Optionally, after step S2304, the location management function network element may obtain the LCS privacy profile of the second terminal device from the data management network element. If the LCS privacy profile indicates that the location of the second terminal device is allowed to be obtained, or indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to be located, or indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to serve as an auxiliary terminal device, or indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to assist in locating the first terminal device, step S2305 is performed.

The specific implementation of step S2305 may refer to the relevant description of step S1604 in the method shown in FIG16 above, and will not be repeated here.

S2306. The second terminal device and the first terminal device perform sidelink positioning.

S2307. The second terminal device sends the first sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the location management function network element through the second mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the location management function network element receives the first sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device from the second terminal device through the second mobility management network element.

S2308: The location management function network element sends the location information of the first terminal device to the first mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the first mobility management network element receives the location information of the first terminal device from the location management function network element.

S2309: The first mobility management network element sends the location information of the first terminal device to the gateway mobile positioning center network element. Correspondingly, the gateway mobile positioning center network element receives the location information of the first terminal device from the first mobility management network element.

Optionally, after step S2309, the gateway mobile positioning center network element may send the location information of the first terminal device to the communication device.

Among them, the specific implementation of steps S2306-S2309 can refer to the relevant description of steps S1605-S1608 in the method shown in Figure 16 above, and will not be repeated here.

In addition, the positioning of the target terminal based on the assistance of the auxiliary terminal device can be considered as a new positioning method of the target terminal proposed in this application. In the above embodiment, the location management function network element selects the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the target terminal device, which can be understood as the location management function network element selecting the method of positioning the target terminal device based on the assistance of the auxiliary terminal device from multiple positioning methods, which is more compatible with the existing positioning method selection function of the current location management function network element.

Optionally, in step S2304, in addition to the second terminal device, the location management function network element also determines other auxiliary terminal devices corresponding to the first terminal device (taking the third terminal device as an example):

As a possible implementation, the first downlink positioning message in the above step S2305 also includes indication information d. The indication information d indicates the third terminal device. Accordingly, in step S2306, the second terminal device can indicate the third terminal device to the first terminal device, for example, by sending the identifier of the third terminal device to the first terminal device. Further, the second terminal device can also send LCS-related identifiers, information about location management function network elements, etc. to the first terminal device.

In this scenario, as shown in FIG. 24 , before step S2308, the method may further include:

S2310. The first terminal device executes a discovery process to discover a third terminal.

S2311. The first terminal device establishes a PC5 connection with the third terminal device.

S2312. The first terminal device and the third terminal device perform sidelink positioning.

S2313: The third terminal device sends the second sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the location management function network element through the third mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the location management function network element receives the second sidelink positioning result from the third terminal device through the third mobility management network element.

Among them, the specific implementation of steps S2310-S2313 can refer to the relevant description of steps S1609-S1612 in the method shown in Figure 16 above, and will not be repeated here.

As another possible implementation, as shown in FIG. 25 , before step S2308, the method may further include:

S2314: The location management function network element sends a second downlink positioning message to the third terminal device through the third mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the third terminal device receives the second downlink positioning message from the location management function network element through the third mobility management network element.

Optionally, the location management function network element may obtain information of a third mobility management network element from the data management network element, and then send a second downlink positioning message to the third terminal device through the third mobility management network element.

S2315. The third terminal device and the first terminal perform sidelink positioning.

S2316. The third terminal device sends the second sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the location management function network element through the third mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the location management function network element receives the second sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device from the third terminal device through the third mobility management network element.

Among them, the specific implementation of steps S2314-S2316 can refer to the relevant description of steps S1613-S1615 in the method shown in Figure 16 above, and will not be repeated here.

Optionally, in step S2304, when the location management function network element only determines one auxiliary terminal device (ie, the second terminal device) corresponding to the first terminal device:

The first downlink positioning message in the above step S2305 also includes indication information d. The indication information d indicates that multiple auxiliary terminal devices are required to locate the first terminal device. Correspondingly, in step S2306, the second terminal device can send the indication information d to the first terminal device. Further, the second terminal device can also send LCS related identification, location management function network element information, etc. to the first terminal device.

In this scenario, as shown in FIG. 26 , before step S2308, the method may further include:

S2317. The first terminal device executes a discovery process to discover other auxiliary terminal devices.

That is to say, in this scenario, the first terminal device discovers other auxiliary terminal devices except the second terminal device by itself according to the instruction of the location management function network element.

S2318. The first terminal device establishes a PC5 connection with the third terminal device.

S2319. The first terminal device and the third terminal device perform sidelink positioning.

S2320: The third terminal device sends the second sidelink positioning result or the location information of the first terminal device to the location management function network element through the third mobility management network element. Correspondingly, the location management function network element receives the second sidelink positioning result from the third terminal device through the third mobility management network element.

Among them, the specific implementation of steps S2317-S2320 can refer to the relevant description of steps S1616-S1619 in the method shown in Figure 16 above, and will not be repeated here.

In some implementation scenarios, the positioning request message a in the above step S2301 may include an identifier of the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, that is, the communication device may specify the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device.

In this scenario, the identification of the auxiliary terminal device can be sent to the location management function network element through the above steps S2302-S2303, and step S2304 can be omitted. After receiving the identification of the auxiliary terminal device, the location management function network element can determine to use the auxiliary terminal device to assist in locating the first terminal device.

Furthermore, before executing step S2305, the location management function network element may obtain the LCS privacy profile of the auxiliary terminal device from the data management network element, and execute step S2305 when the LCS privacy profile indicates that the location of the terminal device is allowed to be obtained, or indicates that the terminal device is allowed to be located, or indicates that the terminal device is allowed to serve as an auxiliary terminal device, or indicates that the second terminal device is allowed to assist in locating the first terminal device.

Further, when the positioning request message a includes the first ranging service identifier, before step S2305, the location management function network element can determine whether the ranging service identifier supported by the auxiliary terminal device is the same as the first ranging service identifier. If the two are the same, step S2305 is executed.

Optionally, the positioning request message a may also be referred to as a second positioning request message; the positioning request message b may also be referred to as a third positioning request message; the positioning request message c may also be referred to as a first positioning request message. The indication information b may also be referred to as first indication information; the indication information c may also be referred to as second indication information; the indication information d may also be referred to as third indication information; and the indication information e may also be referred to as fourth indication information.

Exemplarily, taking the communication device in FIG. 23 as the LCS client, the gateway mobile positioning center network element as the GMLC network element, the location management function network element as the LMF network element, and the mobility management network element as the AMF network element as an example, as shown in FIG. 27, an application flow of the method shown in FIG. 23 provided by the present application is shown. Referring to FIG. 27, the flow includes the following steps:

S2701. The LCS client sends an LCS request message to the GMLC network element. Correspondingly, the GMLC network element receives the LCS request message from the LCS client.

The LCS request message may be an implementation form of the positioning request message a in the above step S2301, and reference may be made to the relevant description in the above step S2301.

S2702. The GMLC network element obtains the information of the AMF network element (referred to as the first AMF network element) serving the first terminal device.

Exemplarily, the GMLC network element may send a request to the UDM network element to request information about the AMF network element serving the first terminal device. The UDM network element may send a response to the GMLC network element, which carries information such as the identifier of the first AMF network element.

S2703, the GMLC network element sends a provide location request message to the first AMF network element. Correspondingly, the first AMF network element receives the provide location request message from the GMLC network element.

Among them, the provide location request message can be an implementation form of the positioning request message b in the above step S2302, and reference can be made to the relevant instructions in the above step S2302.

S2704. The first AMF network element selects the LMF network element.

As a possible implementation, when providing a location request message including a target area and/or a historical location of the first terminal device, the first AMF network element may select an LMF network element that supports management of auxiliary terminal devices, or may select an LMF network element that supports positioning through auxiliary terminal devices.

Optionally, when there are multiple LMF network elements that support management of auxiliary terminal devices, the first AMF network element can select an LMF network element among the multiple LMF network elements that has the same service area (or service range) as or includes the service area (or service range) of the first AMF network element.

As another possible implementation, the first AMF network element may send an indication message to the network repository function (NRF) network element that supports the management of auxiliary terminal devices or supports positioning capabilities through auxiliary terminal devices. After receiving the indication message, the NRF network element may select an LMF network element according to the indication message and return information of the selected LMF network element to the first AMF network element.

S2705. The first AMF network element sends a location determination request message to the LMF network element. Correspondingly, the LMF network element receives the location determination request message from the first AMF network element.

The location determination request message may be an implementation form of the positioning request message c in the above step S2303, and reference may be made to the relevant description in the above step S2303.

S2706, the LMF network element determines the second terminal device. Please refer to the relevant instructions in the above step S2304 and will not repeat them here.

S2707-S2712 are the same as steps S2007-S2012 in the method shown in Figure 20. Please refer to the relevant description of steps S2008-S2012, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, when the first terminal device corresponds to multiple auxiliary terminal devices, before step S2710, the method shown in the above steps S2310-S2313 may be performed, or the method shown in the above steps S2314-S2316 may be performed, or the method shown in S2317-S2320 may be performed. Please refer to the above related instructions, which will not be repeated here.

In addition to the method for determining the auxiliary terminal device by the gateway mobile positioning center network element or the location management function network element shown in Figures 16 and 23, the embodiment of the present application also provides a positioning method, in which the mobile management network element can determine the auxiliary terminal device for assisting in positioning the first terminal device. Referring to Figure 28, the method includes the following steps:

S2801-S2802: The same as the above steps S2301-S2302. Please refer to the relevant instructions of steps S2301-S2302 and will not be repeated here.

S2803: The first mobility management network element determines a second terminal device or requests the first network device for the second terminal device, wherein the second terminal device is used to assist in locating the first terminal device.

Optionally, the implementation of the first mobile management network element determining the second terminal device can refer to the relevant instructions of method one in the above step S2304, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, the implementation of the first mobility management network element requesting the first network device for the second terminal device may refer to the second method in the above step S2304. The relevant description will not be repeated here.

Optionally, when the first mobility management network element determines that the first terminal device is unreachable (ie, the first terminal device is outside the network coverage), the first mobility management network element may determine the second terminal device or request the second terminal device from the first network device.

Optionally, after learning the second terminal device, the first mobility management network element may also determine the mobility management network element of the second terminal device. For example, the first mobility management network element may request information about the mobility management network element of the second terminal device from the data management network element.

S2804: The first mobility management network element sends a positioning request message c to the location management function network element. Correspondingly, the location management function network element receives the positioning request message c from the first mobility management network element.

The positioning request message c is used to request the positioning of the first terminal device. The positioning request message c may include the identifier of the first terminal device. The positioning request message c also includes the identifier of the second terminal device, that is, it can be considered that the positioning request message c is used to request the positioning of the first terminal device through the second terminal device.

Optionally, the positioning request message c also includes information about the mobile management network element of the second terminal device. Exemplarily, after learning about the second terminal device, the first mobile management network element can send a request message to the data management network element to request information about the mobile management network element of the second terminal device, and the data management network element can return information about the second mobile management network element to the first mobile management network element.

As a possible implementation, when the first mobility management network element determines the second terminal device or obtains the second terminal device from the first network device, the first mobility management network element may select a location management function network element that supports positioning through an auxiliary terminal device. The first mobility management network element then sends a positioning request message c to the location management function network element. It should be understood that supporting positioning through an auxiliary terminal device is a function of a location management function network element, and not all location management function network elements support positioning through an auxiliary terminal device.

Optionally, the first mobility management network element may send indication information of supporting positioning capability through auxiliary terminal equipment to the network storage function network element. After receiving the indication information, the network storage function network element may select a location management function network element according to the indication information and return information of the selected location management function network element to the first mobility management network element.

S2805-S2809 are the same as the above steps S2305-S2309. Please refer to the relevant instructions of steps S2305-S2309 and will not be repeated here.

Optionally, in step S2803, in addition to the second terminal device, when the first mobility management network element also determines other auxiliary terminal devices corresponding to the first terminal device, before step S2808, the method shown in the above steps S2310-S2313 may be performed, or the method shown in the above steps S2314-S2316 may be performed. Please refer to the above related instructions, which will not be repeated here.

Optionally, in step S2803, when the first mobility management network element only determines one auxiliary terminal device (i.e., the second terminal device) corresponding to the first terminal device, before step S2808, the method shown in steps S2317-S2320 may also be performed. Please refer to the above related instructions, which will not be repeated here.

Based on the above solution, in the embodiment of the present application, the first terminal device is positioned with the assistance of the second terminal device, thereby achieving the positioning of the first terminal device.

In addition, in the above embodiment, the first network device can indicate the second terminal device to the first mobility management network element, so that the mobility management network element does not need to store the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device. Since the number of mobility management network elements deployed in the network is usually large, the storage overhead of the relevant information of the candidate auxiliary terminal device can be reduced. In addition, there is no need for the mobility management network element to select the auxiliary terminal device, so that the capability requirements of the mobility management network element can be reduced, thereby reducing its implementation complexity.

It can be understood that in each of the above embodiments, the methods and/or steps implemented by each network element or device can also be implemented by components that can be used for the network element or device (such as a processor, chip, chip system, circuit, logic module, or software such as a chip or circuit).

The above mainly introduces the solution provided by the present application from the perspective of interaction between various network elements. Accordingly, the present application also provides a communication device, which is used to implement the above various methods. The communication device can be a gateway mobile positioning center network element, a location management function network element, a mobile management function network element, or a terminal device in the above method embodiment, or a device including the above network element, or a component that can be used for the above network element.

It is understandable that, in order to realize the above functions, the communication device includes hardware structures and/or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should easily realize that, in combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example described in the embodiments disclosed herein, the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to be beyond the scope of this application.

The embodiment of the present application can divide the functional modules of the communication device according to the above method embodiment. For example, each functional module can be divided according to each function, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The above integrated module can be implemented in the form of hardware or in the form of software functional modules. 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. There may be other division methods in actual implementation.

FIG29 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a communication device 290. The communication device 290 includes a processing module 2901 and a transceiver module 2902. The communication device 290 can be used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned gateway mobile positioning center network element, location management function network element, mobility management function network element, or terminal equipment.

In some embodiments, the communication device 290 may also include a storage module (not shown in FIG. 29 ) for storing program instructions and data.

In some embodiments, the transceiver module 2902 may also be referred to as a transceiver unit for implementing a sending and/or receiving function. The transceiver module 2902 may be composed of a transceiver circuit, a transceiver, a transceiver or a communication interface.

In some embodiments, the transceiver module 2902 may include a receiving module and a sending module, which are respectively used to execute the receiving and sending steps performed by the gateway mobile positioning center network element, the location management function network element, the mobile management function network element, or the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and/or other processes for supporting the technology described herein; the processing module 2901 may be used to execute the processing steps (such as determination, generation, etc.) performed by the gateway mobile positioning center network element, the location management function network element, the mobile management function network element, or the terminal device in the above-mentioned method embodiment, and/or other processes for supporting the technology described herein.

When the communication device 290 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned gateway mobile positioning center network element:

The transceiver module 2902 is used to receive a first positioning request message; the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send a second positioning request message to the mobile management network element; the transceiver module 2902 is also used to receive the location information of the first terminal device from the mobile management network element. The first positioning request message and the second positioning request message are used to request the positioning of the first terminal device. The second positioning request message includes an identifier of the second terminal device, and the second terminal device is used to assist in positioning the first terminal device. The mobile management network element is a first mobile management network element serving the first terminal device, or the mobile management network element is a second mobile management network element serving the second terminal device.

Optionally, processing module 2901 is used to determine the second terminal device based on at least one of the following: location information of the second terminal device, a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, a first ranging service identifier, or a mobile state of the second terminal device, where the mobile state includes stationary or moving.

Optionally, the processing module 2901 is used to determine the second terminal device, including: if an indication that the first terminal device is unreachable is received from the first mobility management network element, the processing module 2901 is used to determine the second terminal device.

Optionally, the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send a request message to the first network device, the request message is used to request the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, and the first network device is used to manage the auxiliary terminal device; the transceiver module 2902 is also used to receive first indication information from the first network device, and the first indication information indicates the second terminal device.

Optionally, the transceiver module 2902 is further used to receive second indication information from a second network device, where the second indication information indicates that the second terminal device can serve as an auxiliary terminal device.

Optionally, the transceiver module 2902 is also used for the gateway mobile positioning center network element to receive at least one of the following from the second network device: the location of the second terminal device, the validity period of the location of the second terminal, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobile status of the second terminal device, the mobile status including stationary or moving.

When the communication device 290 is used to implement the functions of the above-mentioned mobility management network element:

The transceiver module 2902 is used to receive a second positioning request message from the gateway mobile positioning center network element; the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send a third positioning request message to the location management function network element; the transceiver module 2902 is also used to receive the location information of the first terminal device from the location management function network element; the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send the location information of the first terminal device to the gateway mobile positioning center network element. The second positioning request message and the third positioning request message are used to request the positioning of the first terminal device. The second positioning request message and the third positioning request message include an identifier of the second terminal device, and the second terminal device is used to assist in positioning the first terminal device. The mobile management network element is a first mobile management network element serving the first terminal device, or the mobile management network element is a second mobile management network element serving the second terminal device.

Optionally, when the mobile management network element is a second mobile management network element, the transceiver module 2902 is also used to receive second indication information from a second terminal device, and the second indication information indicates that the second terminal device can be used as an auxiliary terminal device; the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send the second indication information to the gateway mobile positioning center network element.

Optionally, the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send at least one of the following items to the gateway mobile positioning center network element: the location of the second terminal device, the validity period of the location of the second terminal, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobile status of the second terminal device, the mobile status including stationary or moving.

When the communication device 290 is used to implement the function of the above-mentioned location management function network element:

The transceiver module 2902 is used to receive a third positioning request message from a mobile management network element, the third positioning request message is used to request the positioning of the first terminal device, the third positioning request message includes an identifier of the second terminal device, and the second terminal device is used to assist in positioning the first terminal device; the mobile management network element is a first mobile management network element serving the first terminal device, or the mobile management network element is a second mobile management network element serving the second terminal device. The transceiver module 2902 is also used to send a first downlink positioning message to the second terminal device through the second mobile management network element, the first downlink positioning message is used to trigger the sidelink positioning between the second terminal device and the first terminal device. The transceiver module 2902 is also used to receive a first sidelink positioning result or location information of the first terminal device from the second terminal device through the second mobile management network element. The first side The line link positioning result indicates the relative position of the second terminal device and the first terminal device; the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send the location information of the first terminal device to the mobility management network element.

Optionally, the processing module 2901 is used to determine the location information of the first terminal device based on the first sidelink positioning result and the location information of the second terminal device.

Optionally, when the mobile management network element is the first mobile management network element, the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send a second downlink positioning message to a third terminal device through a third mobile management network element. The third mobile management network element serves the third terminal device, and the second downlink positioning message is used to trigger side link positioning between the third terminal device and the first terminal device.

Optionally, the transceiver module 2902 is also used to receive a second sidelink positioning result from a third terminal device through a third mobile management network element. The third mobile management network element serves the third terminal device, and the second sidelink positioning result indicates the relative position of the third terminal device and the first terminal device.

When the communication device 290 is used to implement the function of the second terminal device:

The processing module 2901 is used to determine the second indication information, and the transceiver module 2902 is used to send the second indication information to the second mobility management network element, wherein the second indication information indicates that the second terminal device can be used as an auxiliary terminal device.

Optionally, the transceiver module 2902 is used to send second indication information to the second mobile management network element, including: the transceiver module 2902 is used to send a mobile-initiated positioning request message to the second mobile management network element, the mobile-initiated positioning request message includes the second indication information, and the mobile-initiated positioning request message is used to request the location information of the second terminal device.

Optionally, the transceiver module 2902 is used to send the second indication information to the second mobility management network element, including: the transceiver module 2902 is used to send a registration request message to the second mobility management network element, and the registration request message includes the second indication information.

Optionally, the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send at least one of the following items to the second mobile management network element: the location of the second terminal device, the validity period of the location of the second terminal, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobile status of the second terminal device, the mobile status including stationary or moving.

The transceiver module 2902 is used to receive a first positioning request message from a first mobile management network element, and the first positioning request message is used to request the positioning of the first terminal device; the processing module 2901 is used to determine the second terminal device; the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send a first downlink positioning message to the second terminal device through the second mobile management network element, and the first downlink positioning message is used to trigger the sidelink positioning between the second terminal device and the first terminal device; the transceiver module 2902 is also used to receive a first sidelink positioning result from the second terminal device or the location information of the first terminal device through the second mobile management network element, and the first sidelink positioning result indicates the relative position of the second terminal device and the first terminal device; the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send the location information of the first terminal device to the first mobile management network element. Among them, the first mobile management network element serves the first terminal device; the second mobile management network element serves the second terminal device.

Optionally, the processing module 2901 is used to determine the second terminal device, including: if the first positioning request message includes first indication information, the first indication information indicates that the first terminal device is unreachable, the processing module 2901 is used to determine the second terminal device.

Optionally, processing module 2901 is used to determine the second terminal device, including: processing module 2901 is used to determine the second terminal device based on at least one of the following: location information of the second terminal device, a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, a first ranging service identifier, or a mobile state of the second terminal device, the mobile state including being stationary or moving.

Optionally, the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send a request message to the first network device, the request message is used to request the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, and the first network device is used to manage the auxiliary terminal device; the location management function network element receives second indication information from the first network device, and the second indication information indicates the second terminal device.

Optionally, the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send a second downlink positioning message to a third terminal device through a third mobile management network element. The third mobile management network element serves the third terminal device, and the second downlink positioning message is used to trigger side link positioning between the third terminal device and the first terminal device.

Optionally, the transceiver module 2902 is further used to receive fourth indication information from the second network device, where the fourth indication information indicates that the second terminal device can serve as an auxiliary terminal device.

Optionally, the transceiver module 2902 is also used to receive at least one of the following from the second network device: the location of the second terminal device, the validity period of the location of the second terminal, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobile state of the second terminal device, the mobile state including stationary or moving.

When the communication device 290 is used to implement the function of the first mobility management network element:

The transceiver module 2902 is used to receive a first positioning request message from a gateway mobile positioning center network element; the processing module 2901 is used to determine a second terminal device; the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send a second positioning request message to a location management function network element; the transceiver module 2902 is also used to receive the location information of the first terminal device from the location management function network element. The first positioning request message and the second positioning request message are used to request the positioning of the first terminal device, and the second positioning request message includes an identifier of the second terminal device. The second terminal device is used to assist in positioning the first terminal device. The first mobile management network element serves the first terminal device.

Optionally, the transceiver module 2902 is also used to send a request message to the first network device, the request message is used to request the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, and the first network device is used to manage the auxiliary terminal device; the first mobile management network element receives the second indication information from the first network device, and the second indication information indicates the second terminal device.

Among them, all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module, and will not be repeated here.

In the present application, the communication device 290 is presented in the form of dividing various functional modules in an integrated manner. The "module" here may refer to a specific application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a circuit, a processor and a memory that executes one or more software or firmware programs, an integrated logic circuit, and/or other devices that can provide the above functions.

In some embodiments, when the communication device 290 in Figure 29 is a chip or a chip system, the function/implementation process of the transceiver module 2902 can be implemented through the input and output interface (or communication interface) of the chip or the chip system, and the function/implementation process of the processing module 2901 can be implemented through the processor (or processing circuit) of the chip or the chip system.

Since the communication device 290 provided in this embodiment can execute the above method, the technical effects that can be obtained can refer to the above method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

As a possible product form, the gateway mobile positioning center network element, location management function network element, mobile management function network element, or terminal device described in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented using the following: one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), programmable logic devices (PLD), controllers, state machines, gate logic, discrete hardware components, any other suitable circuits, or any combination of circuits that can perform the various functions described throughout this application.

As another possible product form, the gateway mobile positioning center network element, location management function network element, mobile management function network element, or terminal device in the present application can adopt the composition structure shown in Figure 30, or include the components shown in Figure 30.

Refer to Figure 30, which is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 3000 provided in the present application. The communication device 3000 can be a gateway mobile positioning center network element, a location management function network element, a mobile management function network element, or a terminal device, or a chip or system on chip therein.

As shown in FIG. 30 , the communication device 3000 includes at least one processor 3001 and at least one communication interface (FIG. 30 is merely an example of a communication interface 3004 and a processor 3001). Optionally, the communication device 3000 may also include a communication bus 3002 and a memory 3003.

Processor 3001 may be a general-purpose central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. Processor 3001 may also be other devices with processing functions, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

The communication bus 3002 is used to connect different components in the communication device 3000 so that the different components can communicate. The communication bus 3002 can be a peripheral component interconnect (PCI) bus or an extended industry standard architecture (EISA) bus. The bus can be divided into an address bus, a data bus, a control bus, etc. For ease of representation, only one thick line is used in FIG. 30, but it does not mean that there is only one bus or one type of bus.

The communication interface 3004 is used to communicate with other devices or communication networks. Exemplarily, the communication interface 3004 can be a module, a circuit, a transceiver, or any device capable of implementing communication. Optionally, the communication interface 3004 can also be an input/output interface located in the processor 3001 to implement signal input and signal output of the processor.

The memory 3003 may be a device with a storage function, used to store instructions and/or data, wherein the instructions may be computer programs.

Exemplarily, the memory 3003 may be a read-only memory (ROM) or other types of static storage devices that can store static information and/or instructions, or a random access memory (RAM) or other types of dynamic storage devices that can store information and/or instructions, or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical disc, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc, Blu-ray disc, etc.), a magnetic disk storage medium or other magnetic storage device. Etc., no restrictions.

It should be noted that the memory 3003 can exist independently of the processor 3001, or can be integrated with the processor 3001. The memory 3003 can be located inside the communication device 3000, or can be located outside the communication device 3000, without limitation. The processor 3001 can be used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 3003 to implement the method provided in the above embodiment of the present application.

As an optional implementation, the communication device 3000 may also include an output device 3005 and an input device 3006. The output device 3005 communicates with the processor 3001 and can display information in a variety of ways. For example, the output device 3005 may be a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display device, a cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, or a projector. The input device 3006 communicates with the processor 3001 and can receive user input in a variety of ways. For example, the input device 3006 may be a mouse, a keyboard, a touch screen device, or a sensor device.

In some embodiments, in terms of hardware implementation, those skilled in the art may conceive that the communication device 290 may take the form of the communication device 3000 shown in FIG. 30 .

As an example, the function/implementation process of the processing module 2901 in FIG29 can be implemented by the processor 3001 in the communication device 3000 shown in FIG30 calling the computer execution instructions stored in the memory 3003. The function/implementation process of the transceiver module 2902 in FIG29 can be implemented by the communication interface 3004 in the communication device 3000 shown in FIG30.

It should be noted that the structure shown in FIG30 does not constitute a specific limitation on the network element structure. For example, in other embodiments of the present application, each network element may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine certain components, or split certain components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

In some embodiments, an embodiment of the present application further provides a communication device, which includes a processor for implementing a method in any of the above method embodiments.

As a possible implementation, the communication device further includes a memory. The memory is used to store necessary computer programs and data. The computer program may include instructions, and the processor may call the instructions in the computer program stored in the memory to instruct the communication device to execute the method in any of the above method embodiments. Of course, the memory may not be in the communication device.

As another possible implementation, the communication device also includes an interface circuit, which is a code/data read/write interface circuit, which is used to receive computer execution instructions (computer execution instructions are stored in a memory, may be read directly from the memory, or may pass through other devices) and transmit them to the processor.

As another possible implementation manner, the communication device further includes a communication interface, and the communication interface is used to communicate with a module outside the communication device.

It can be understood that the communication device can be a chip or a chip system. When the communication device is a chip system, it can be composed of chips, or it can include chips and other discrete devices. The embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit this.

The present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium on which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a computer, the functions of any of the above method embodiments are implemented.

The present application also provides a computer program product, which implements the functions of any of the above method embodiments when executed by a computer.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, for the sake of convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, devices and units described above may refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

It is understood that the systems, devices and methods described in the present application can also be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are only schematic. For example, the division of the units is only a logical function division. There may be other division methods in actual implementation, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separated, i.e., they may be located in one place, or they may be distributed over multiple network units. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units. Some or all of the units may 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 may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

In the above embodiments, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented by software, hardware, firmware or any combination thereof. When implemented by a software program, all or part of the embodiments may be implemented in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of the present application are generated. 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 a computer program product. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another computer-readable storage medium. For example, the computer instructions may be transmitted from one website, computer, server or data center to another website, computer, server or data center by wired (e.g., coaxial cable, optical fiber, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., 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 includes one or more servers that can be integrated with the medium. The available medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., a DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., a solid state disk (SSD)). In the embodiment of the present application, the computer may include the device described above.

Although the present application is described herein in conjunction with various embodiments, in the process of implementing the claimed application, those skilled in the art may understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments by viewing the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims. In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other components or steps, and "one" or "an" does not exclude multiple situations. A single processor or other unit may implement several functions listed in the claims. Certain measures are recorded in different dependent claims, but this does not mean that these measures cannot be combined to produce good results.

Although the present application has been described in conjunction with specific features and embodiments thereof, it is obvious that various modifications and combinations may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings are merely exemplary illustrations of the present application as defined by the appended claims, and are deemed to have covered any and all modifications, variations, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present application. Obviously, those skilled in the art may make various modifications and variations to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

A positioning method, characterized in that the method comprises:

The gateway mobile positioning center network element receives a first positioning request message, where the first positioning request message is used to request positioning of the first terminal device;

The gateway mobile positioning center network element sends a second positioning request message to the mobility management network element, where the second positioning request message is used to request positioning of the first terminal device, the second positioning request message includes an identifier of a second terminal device, and the second terminal device is used to assist in positioning the first terminal device; the mobility management network element is a first mobility management network element serving the first terminal device, or the mobility management network element is a second mobility management network element serving the second terminal device;

The gateway mobile positioning center network element receives the location information of the first terminal device from the mobility management network element.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises:

The gateway mobile positioning center network element determines the second terminal device based on at least one of the following: location information of the second terminal device, a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, a first ranging service identifier, or a mobile state of the second terminal device, wherein the mobile state includes stationary or moving.
The method according to claim 2, characterized in that the gateway mobile positioning center network element determines the second terminal device, comprising:

If the gateway mobile positioning center network element receives an indication from the first mobility management network element that the first terminal device is unreachable, the gateway mobile positioning center network element determines the second terminal device.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the second terminal device satisfies at least one of the following:

The second terminal device is located in a target area or a historical service cell of the first terminal device;

The distance between the location of the second terminal device and the historical location of the first terminal device is less than or equal to a first threshold;

The ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device is the same as the first ranging service identifier; or,

The moving state of the second terminal device is stationary.
The method according to any one of claims 2-4 is characterized in that the first positioning request message includes at least one of the following: the target area, the historical location of the first terminal device, or the first ranging service identifier.
The method according to claim 1, characterized in that the method further comprises:

The gateway mobile positioning center network element sends a request message to the first network device, where the request message is used to request the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, and the first network device is used to manage the auxiliary terminal device;

The gateway mobile positioning center network element receives first indication information from the first network device, where the first indication information indicates the second terminal device.
The method according to claim 6 is characterized in that the request information includes at least one of the following: a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, or a first ranging service identifier.
The method according to any one of claims 1-7 is characterized in that the second positioning request message also includes an identifier of a third terminal device, and the third terminal device is used to assist in positioning the first terminal device.
The method according to claim 1 is characterized in that the first positioning request message includes an identifier of the second terminal device.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the method further comprises:

The gateway mobile positioning center network element receives second indication information from a second network device, where the second indication information indicates that the second terminal device can serve as an auxiliary terminal device.
The method according to claim 10, characterized in that the method further comprises: the gateway mobile positioning center network element receiving at least one of the following from the second network device:

The location of the second terminal device, the validity period of the location of the second terminal, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobile state of the second terminal device, where the mobile state includes stationary or moving.
The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that the second network device is the second mobility management network element, and the method further comprises:

The second terminal device sends the second indication information to the second mobility management network element;

The second mobility management network element receives the second indication information from the second terminal device.
The method according to claim 12, wherein the second terminal device sends the second indication information to the second mobility management network element, comprising:

The second terminal device sends a mobile-initiated positioning request message to the second mobility management network element, where the mobile-initiated positioning request message includes the second indication information, and the mobile-initiated positioning request message is used to request location information of the second terminal device.
The method according to claim 12 is characterized in that the second terminal device sends the second mobility management network element The second indication information includes:

The second terminal device sends a registration request message to the second mobility management network element, and the registration request message includes the second indication information.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the method further comprises:

The location management function network element sends a first downlink positioning message to the second terminal device through the second mobility management network element, and the first downlink positioning message is used to trigger side link positioning between the second terminal device and the first terminal device.
The method according to claim 15, characterized in that the first downlink positioning message includes third indication information;

The third indication information indicates that a plurality of auxiliary terminal devices are required to locate the first terminal device; or the third indication information indicates a third terminal device, and the third terminal device is used to assist in locating the first terminal device.
The method according to claim 15, characterized in that the mobility management network element is the first mobility management network element, and the method further comprises:

The location management function network element sends a second downlink positioning message to a third terminal device through a third mobile management network element. The third mobile management network element serves the third terminal device. The second downlink positioning message is used to trigger side link positioning between the third terminal device and the first terminal device.
A positioning method, characterized in that the method comprises:

The location management function network element receives a first positioning request message from a first mobility management network element, where the first positioning request message is used to request positioning of a first terminal device, and the first mobility management network element serves the first terminal device;

The location management function network element determines the second terminal device;

The location management function network element sends a first downlink positioning message to the second terminal device through a second mobility management network element, the second mobility management network element serves the second terminal device, and the first downlink positioning message is used to trigger sidelink positioning between the second terminal device and the first terminal device;

The location management function network element receives a first sidelink positioning result from the second terminal device or the location information of the first terminal device through the second mobility management network element, where the first sidelink positioning result indicates a relative position of the second terminal device and the first terminal device;

The location management function network element sends the location information of the first terminal device to the first mobility management network element.
The method according to claim 18, wherein the location management function network element determines the second terminal device, comprising:

If the first positioning request message includes first indication information, and the first indication information indicates that the first terminal device is unreachable, the location management function network element determines the second terminal device.
The method according to claim 18 or 19, characterized in that the location management function network element determines the second terminal device, comprising:

The location management function network element determines the second terminal device based on at least one of the following: location information of the second terminal device, a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, a first ranging service identifier, or a mobile state of the second terminal device, the mobile state including stationary or moving.
The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20, characterized in that the second terminal device satisfies at least one of the following:

The second terminal device is located in a target area or a historical service cell of the first terminal device;

The distance between the location of the second terminal device and the historical location of the first terminal device is less than or equal to a first threshold;

The ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device is the same as the first ranging service identifier; or,

The moving state of the second terminal device is stationary.
The method according to claim 20 or 21 is characterized in that the first positioning request message includes at least one of the following: the target area, the historical location of the first terminal device, the identifier of the historical service cell of the first terminal device, or the first ranging service identifier.
The method according to claim 18, characterized in that the method further comprises:

The location management function network element sends a request message to the first network device, where the request message is used to request the auxiliary terminal device corresponding to the first terminal device, and the first network device is used to manage the auxiliary terminal device;

The location management function network element receives second indication information from the first network device, and the second indication information indicates the second terminal device.
The method according to claim 23 is characterized in that the request information includes at least one of the following: a target area, a historical location of the first terminal device, an identifier of a historical service cell of the first terminal device, or a first ranging service identifier.
The method according to any one of claims 18 to 24, characterized in that the first downlink positioning message includes third indication information;

The third indication information indicates that a plurality of auxiliary terminal devices are required to locate the first terminal device; or the third indication information indicates a third terminal device, and the third terminal device is used to assist in locating the first terminal device.
The method according to any one of claims 18 to 25, characterized in that the method further comprises:

The location management function network element sends a second downlink positioning message to a third terminal device through a third mobile management network element. The third mobile management network element serves the third terminal device. The second downlink positioning message is used to trigger side link positioning between the third terminal device and the first terminal device.
The method according to claim 25 or 26, characterized in that the method further comprises:

The location management function network element receives a second sidelink positioning result from the third terminal device through a third mobile management network element, and the third mobile management network element serves the third terminal device. The second sidelink positioning result indicates the relative position of the third terminal device and the first terminal device.
The method according to any one of claims 18 to 27, characterized in that the method further comprises:

The location management function network element receives fourth indication information from the second network device, and the fourth indication information indicates that the second terminal device can serve as an auxiliary terminal device.
The method according to claim 28, characterized in that the method further comprises: the location management function network element receiving at least one of the following from the second network device:

The location of the second terminal device, the validity period of the location of the second terminal, the ranging service identifier supported by the second terminal device, or the mobile state of the second terminal device, where the mobile state includes stationary or moving.
A communication device, characterized in that the communication device includes a processor; the processor is used to run a computer program or instruction to enable the communication device to execute the method as described in any one of claims 1-17, or to enable the communication device to execute the method as described in any one of claims 18-29.
A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that the computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs, and when the computer instructions or programs are run on a computer, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 17 is executed, or the method described in any one of claims 18 to 29 is executed.
A computer program product, characterized in that the computer program product includes computer instructions; when part or all of the computer instructions are run on a computer, the method described in any one of claims 1 to 17 is executed, or the method described in any one of claims 18 to 29 is executed.