Positioning method and apparatus

• US 9,829,563 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2015
• Issued: 11/28/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Xiao, Dengkun, Cui, Jie, Wu, Yongtong
• Primary Examiner(s): Liu, Harry
• Application Number:
  US14/677,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20150219750A1
• Time in Patent Office: 971 Days
• Field of Search: 342451
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/0215 Interference
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 5/14 Determining absolute distances from a plurality of spaced points of known location
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a positioning method, including: determining, by a positioning server, positioning signal configuration information; sending, by the positioning server, the positioning signal configuration information to a positioning signal sending entity; obtaining, by the positioning server, a measurement estimation result of a shortest transmission path between a positioning signal measurement entity and the positioning signal sending entity; and positioning, by the positioning server, a terminal by using the measurement estimation result of the shortest transmission path, where the terminal is one of the positioning signal measurement entity and the positioning signal sending entity. The embodiments of the present invention can resist an NLOS path deviation and a positioning signal strength loss and an SINR loss, so as to improve the positioning accuracy.

Claims

1. A positioning method, wherein the method comprises:

determining, by a positioning server having a transceiver, positioning signal configuration information;

sending, by the transceiver of the positioning server, the positioning signal configuration information to a positioning signal sending entity;

obtaining, by the positioning server, a measurement estimation result of a shortest transmission path among a plurality of transmission paths between a positioning signal measurement entity and the positioning signal sending entity by comparing a first path of the plurality of transmission paths to a second path of the plurality of transmission paths; and

positioning, by the positioning server, one of the positioning signal measurement entity and the positioning signal sending entity by using the measurement estimation result of the shortest transmission path, wherein one of the positioning signal measurement entity and the positioning signal sending entity is a terminal.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the determining, by a positioning server, positioning signal configuration information comprises:

determining, by the positioning server, the positioning signal configuration information according to preconfigured positioning signal configuration reference information;

or

before the determining, by a positioning server, positioning signal configuration information, the method further comprises;

receiving, by the positioning server, positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the terminal, a serving base station of the terminal, or a mobility management device to which the terminal belongs; and

the determining, by a positioning server, positioning signal configuration information comprises;

determining, by the positioning server, the positioning signal configuration information according to the positioning signal configuration reference information,

wherein the positioning signal configuration reference information comprises one or more of the following;

environment information, radio channel propagation information, and positioning signal configuration demand information of the terminal.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the positioning signal configuration demand information of the terminal is a current demand indication of multicarrier positioning signals of the terminal and/or a current demand indication of multi-radio access technology positioning signals of the terminal.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein

the terminal is the positioning signal measurement entity, and the positioning signal sending entity is a positioning base station.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the determining, by a positioning server, positioning signal configuration information comprises:

sending, by the positioning server, positioning signal configuration request information to the serving base station of the terminal, wherein the positioning signal configuration request information comprises the positioning signal configuration reference information and/or expected configuration information, and the expected configuration information is expected positioning signal configuration information that is determined by the positioning server according to the positioning signal configuration reference information; and

receiving the positioning signal configuration information that is determined by the serving base station according to the positioning signal configuration request information.

6. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the receiving, by the positioning server, positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the terminal comprises:

receiving, by the positioning server by using Long Term Evolution positioning protocol (LPP) signaling, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the terminal.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein

the receiving, by the positioning server by using LPP signaling, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the terminal comprises:

receiving, by the positioning server by using assistance data request signaling, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the terminal;

or

receiving, by the positioning server by using terminal positioning capability signaling, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the terminal.

8. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the receiving, by the positioning server, positioning signal configuration reference information sent by a serving base station of the terminal comprises:

receiving, by the positioning server by using Long Term Evolution positioning protocol a (LPPa) signaling, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the serving base station.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein

the receiving, by the positioning server by using LPPa signaling, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the serving base station comprises:

receiving, by the positioning server by using assistance data feedback signaling, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the serving base station.

10. The method according to claim 2, wherein

the sending, by the positioning server, the positioning signal configuration information to a positioning signal sending entity comprises:

sending, by the positioning server, the positioning signal configuration information to the positioning base station according to the positioning signal configuration reference information, wherein the positioning signal configuration information comprises;

information of multiple carriers corresponding to multiple positioning signals, and/or information of multiple radio access technologies corresponding to multiple positioning signals.

11. A positioning server, wherein the positioning server comprises a memory, a transceiver, and a processor, wherein

the memory is configured to store program code;

and

the processor is coupled with the memory, and is configured to invoke the program code stored in the memory to perform the following operations;

determining positioning signal configuration information;

controlling the transceiver to send the positioning signal configuration information to a positioning signal sending entity;

obtaining a measurement estimation result of a shortest transmission path among a plurality of transmission paths between a positioning signal measurement entity and the positioning signal sending entity by comparing a first path of the plurality of transmission paths to a second path of the plurality of transmission paths; and

positioning one of the positioning signal measurement entity and the positioning signal sending entity by using the measurement estimation result of the shortest transmission path, wherein one of the positioning signal measurement entity and the positioning signal sending entity is a terminal.

12. The positioning server according to claim 11, wherein

the processor is configured to determine the positioning signal configuration information in the following manner:

determining the positioning signal configuration information according to preconfigured positioning signal configuration reference information; and

the memory is further configured to store the preconfigured positioning signal configuration reference information;

or

the processor is configured to determine the positioning signal configuration information in the following manner;

determining the positioning signal configuration information according to positioning signal configuration reference information received by the transceiver, wherein the positioning signal configuration reference information is sent by the terminal, a serving base station of the terminal, or a mobility management device to which the terminal belongs,

wherein the positioning signal configuration reference information comprises one or more of the following;

environment information, radio channel propagation information, and positioning signal configuration demand information of the terminal.

13. The positioning server according to claim 12, wherein

in the positioning signal configuration reference information received by the transceiver, positioning signal configuration demand information of the terminal is a current demand indication of multicarrier positioning signals of the terminal and/or a current demand indication of multi-radio access technology positioning signals of the terminal.

14. The positioning server according to claim 12, wherein

the processor is configured to obtain the measurement result of the shortest transmission path between the positioning signal measurement entity and the positioning signal sending entity in the following manner:

controlling the transceiver to send positioning signal configuration request information to the serving base station of the terminal, wherein the positioning signal configuration request information comprises the positioning signal configuration reference information and/or expected configuration information, and the expected configuration information is expected positioning signal configuration information that is determined by the positioning server according to the positioning signal configuration reference information; and

receiving, by using the transceiver, the positioning signal configuration information that is determined by the serving base station according to the positioning signal configuration request information.

15. The positioning server according to claim 12, wherein

the transceiver is specifically configured to receive, in the following manner, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the terminal:

receiving, by using Long Term Evolution positioning protocol LPP signaling, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the terminal.

16. The positioning server according to claim 15, wherein

the transceiver is configured to receive, by using the LPP signaling in the following manner, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the terminal:

receiving, by using assistance data request signaling, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the terminal;

or

receiving, by using terminal positioning capability signaling, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the terminal.

17. The positioning server according to claim 12, wherein

the transceiver is specifically configured to receive, in the following manner, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the serving base station:

receiving, by using Long Term Evolution positioning protocol a LPPa signaling, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the serving base station.

18. The positioning server according to claim 17, wherein

the transceiver is specifically configured to receive, by using the LPPa signaling in the following manner, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the serving base station:

receiving, by using assistance data feedback signaling, the positioning signal configuration reference information sent by the serving base station.

19. The positioning server according to claim 12, wherein

the positioning signal configuration information determined by the processor comprises:

information of multiple carriers corresponding to multiple positioning signals, and/or information of multiple radio access technologies corresponding to multiple positioning signals.

20. The positioning server according to claim 19, wherein

the processor is specifically configured to obtain the measurement estimation result of the shortest transmission path between the positioning signal measurement entity and the positioning signal sending entity in the following manner:

receiving, by using the transceiver, measurement estimation results that are obtained after the positioning signal measurement entity separately measures the multiple positioning signals, determining a positioning signal that has the shortest transmission path in the multiple positioning signals according to the measurement estimation results of the multiple positioning signals, and obtaining the measurement estimation result of the shortest transmission path;

or

receiving, by using the transceiver, the measurement estimation result of the shortest transmission path that is sent by the positioning signal measurement entity, wherein the measurement estimation result of the shortest transmission path is determined, after the positioning signal measurement entity separately measures the multiple positioning signals, by the positioning signal measurement entity according to measurement estimation results of the multiple positioning signals.