CN110475200B

CN110475200B - Method and device for positioning terminal device

Info

Publication number: CN110475200B
Application number: CN201810443107.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 史桢宇; 纳坦·爱德华·坦尼; 王艺
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-05-10
Filing date: 2018-05-10
Publication date: 2021-07-09
Anticipated expiration: 2038-05-10
Also published as: CN110475200A; WO2019214639A1

Abstract

The application provides a method and equipment for positioning terminal equipment, so that a positioning management center network element can be directly communicated with wireless access network equipment, the signaling transmission time is reduced, and the time delay of positioning terminal equipment is reduced. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring a request for positioning first terminal equipment; determining to use a positioning management center network element to position the first terminal equipment, wherein the positioning management center network element and the wireless access network equipment have communication interfaces for communication interaction; and sending a request for positioning the first terminal equipment to the positioning management center network element, wherein the request comprises first indication information and/or second indication information, the first indication information is used for indicating the positioning management center network element to communicate with the wireless access network equipment or the positioning management center network element to communicate with the access and mobility management function network element, and the second indication information is used for indicating the positioning management center network element to send the position information of the terminal equipment to the access and mobility management function network element and/or a plurality of terminal equipments.

Description

Method and device for positioning terminal device

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of communications, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for locating a terminal device.

Background

With the emergence of emerging industries such as autopilot, smart city, internet of things and the like, communication technologies are increasingly integrated with the industries, and the industries bring demands for positioning terminal equipment. In the fifth Generation mobile communication system (5th Generation, 5G), new requirements for positioning technology are provided, such as the requirement of positioning delay of 20ms-60s, while the positioning method in the existing LTE system has not been able to meet the requirement of faster positioning. Therefore, how to position the terminal device more quickly in the 5G system is an urgent problem to be solved.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides a method and equipment for positioning terminal equipment, so that a positioning management center network element can directly communicate with wireless access network equipment without access and a mobile management function network element, the signaling transmission time can be reduced, and the time delay of the positioning terminal equipment is reduced.

In a first aspect, a method for locating a terminal device is provided, where the method is performed by an access and mobility management function network element, and includes: acquiring a request for positioning first terminal equipment; determining to use a positioning management center network element to position the first terminal equipment, wherein a communication interface is arranged between the positioning management center network element and the wireless access network equipment for communication interaction; sending a request for positioning the first terminal equipment to the positioning management center network element, wherein the request comprises first indication information and/or second indication information, the first indication information is used for indicating the positioning management center network element to communicate with a wireless access network device or indicating the positioning management center network element to communicate with the access and mobility management function network element, and the second indication information is used for indicating the positioning management center network element to send the position information of the first terminal equipment to the access and mobility management function network element and/or a plurality of terminal equipments.

Therefore, in this embodiment of the present application, after the access and mobility management functional network element obtains the request for positioning the first terminal device, it is determined to use the positioning management central network element to perform positioning of the first terminal device, and since the positioning management central network element and the radio access network device have a communication interface therebetween, the positioning management central network element may perform interaction between a new air interface positioning protocol and an additional new air interface positioning protocol signaling without communicating with the radio access network device through the access and mobility management functional network element, so as to obtain the location information of the first terminal device. Therefore, the signaling transmission time can be reduced, and the time delay of the positioning terminal equipment can be reduced

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the determining to locate the terminal device using a location management center network element includes: and determining to use the positioning management center network element to position the terminal equipment according to the positioning management center network element selection parameters, wherein the positioning management center network element selection parameters comprise any one or more of the following parameters: positioning delay, the service information of the request for positioning the first terminal equipment and the distance between the positioning management center network element and the first terminal equipment.

With reference to the first aspect, in certain implementations of the first aspect, the method further includes: and determining to position the first terminal equipment by using a positioning management center network element which is in communication interaction with the wireless access network equipment through the access and mobility management function network element according to the positioning management center network element selection parameter.

In a second aspect, a method for positioning a terminal device is provided, where the method is performed by a positioning management center network element, and includes: a communication interface is arranged between the positioning management center network element and the wireless access network equipment for communication interaction; receiving a request for positioning a first terminal device sent by an access and mobility management function network element, where the request includes first indication information and/or second indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element communicates with a radio access network device or the first indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element communicates with the access and mobility management function network element, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element sends location information of the first terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element and/or a plurality of terminal devices.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, when the request includes the first indication information, the method further includes: when the first indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element is communicated with the wireless access network equipment, the positioning management center network element is communicated with the wireless access network equipment by adopting a new air interface positioning protocol and/or an additional new air interface positioning protocol to acquire the position information of the first terminal equipment; or when the first indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element is in communication with the access and mobility management function network element, the positioning management center network element communicates with the radio access network device through the access and mobility management function network element by using a new air interface positioning protocol and/or an additional new air interface positioning protocol.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the location management center network element sends new air interface location protocol data unit information or adds new air interface location protocol data unit information to the access network device through a location service interface S1-LCS, where the location service interface is used to connect the location management center network element and the radio access network device; or

The location management center network element receives the new air interface location protocol data unit information or the additional new air interface location protocol data unit information sent by the access network equipment through the location service interface S1-LCS.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementations of the second aspect, when the request includes the second indication information, the method further includes: and determining to send the position information of the first terminal equipment to an access and mobility management function network element and/or to send the position information of the first terminal equipment to the plurality of terminal equipment according to the second indication information.

With reference to the second aspect, in some implementation manners of the second aspect, the determining, according to the second indication information, to send the location information of the terminal device to an access and mobility management function network element or send the location information of the first terminal device to multiple terminal devices includes:

when the second indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element sends the position information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices, the positioning management center network element sends the position information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices in a broadcast mode; or

When the second indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element sends the position information of the first terminal equipment to an access and mobility management function network element, the positioning management center network element sends the position information of the first terminal equipment to the access and mobility management function network element; or

When the second indication information indicates that the location management center network element sends the location information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices and simultaneously sends the location information of the first terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element, the location management center network element sends the location information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices in a broadcast mode and sends the location information of the first terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element.

In a third aspect, a method for locating a terminal device is provided, where the method is performed by a radio access network device, and includes: a communication interface is arranged between the wireless access network equipment and the positioning management center network element for communication interaction; receiving new air interface positioning protocol data unit information or additional new air interface positioning protocol data unit information sent by a positioning management center network element; and sending new air interface positioning protocol data unit information or adding new air interface positioning protocol data unit information to the positioning management center network element.

With reference to the third aspect, in certain implementations of the third aspect, the method further includes: and sending a radio resource control signaling to the terminal equipment, wherein the radio resource control signaling comprises the new air interface positioning protocol data unit or information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit.

With reference to the third aspect, in some implementations of the third aspect, the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information is carried in new air interface positioning protocol information, and the radio resource control signaling includes the new air interface positioning protocol information; or the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information is loaded in the non-access layer protocol information, the radio resource control signaling comprises the non-access layer protocol information and mark information, and the mark information is used for indicating that the non-access layer protocol information comprises the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information.

In a fourth aspect, a method for positioning a terminal device is provided, where the method is performed by the terminal device and includes: receiving a radio resource control signaling sent by radio access network equipment, wherein the radio resource control signaling comprises new air interface positioning protocol data unit information or information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit; and sending a radio resource control signaling to the radio access network equipment, wherein the radio resource control signaling comprises information of a new air interface positioning protocol data unit or information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit.

With reference to the fourth aspect, in some implementations of the fourth aspect, the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information is carried in new air interface positioning protocol information, and the radio resource control signaling includes the new air interface positioning protocol information; or the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information is loaded in the non-access layer protocol information, the radio resource control signaling comprises the non-access layer protocol information and mark information, and the mark information is used for indicating that the non-access layer protocol information comprises the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information.

In a fifth aspect, there is provided an access and mobility management function network element, including: the acquisition module acquires a request for positioning first terminal equipment; a determining module, configured to determine that the terminal device is located by using a location management center network element, where a communication interface is provided between the location management center network element and the radio access network device for communication interaction; a sending module, configured to send a request for positioning the terminal device to the location management center network element, where the request includes first indication information and/or second indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element communicates with a radio access network device or the first indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element communicates with the access and mobility management function network element, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element sends location information of the first terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element and/or multiple terminal devices.

With reference to the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the determining module is specifically configured to: and determining to use the positioning management center network element to position the terminal equipment according to the positioning management center network element selection parameters, wherein the positioning management center network element selection parameters include any one or more of the following parameters: positioning time delay, the service information of the request for positioning the first terminal equipment and the distance between the positioning management center network element and the first terminal equipment.

With reference to the fifth aspect, in certain implementations of the fifth aspect, the determining module is further configured to: and determining to position the first terminal equipment by using a positioning management center network element which is in communication interaction with the wireless access network equipment through the access and mobility management function network element according to the positioning management center network element selection parameter.

A sixth aspect provides a positioning management center network element, where a communication interface is provided between the positioning management center network element and a radio access network device for communication interaction, and the positioning management center network element includes: a transceiver module, configured to receive a request for positioning a first terminal device sent by an access and mobility management function network element, where the request includes first indication information and/or second indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element communicates with an access network device or the first indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element communicates with the access and mobility management function network element, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element sends location information of the first terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element and/or multiple terminal devices.

With reference to the sixth aspect, in some implementations of the sixth aspect, the transceiver module is configured to: when the first indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element is communicated with the wireless access network equipment, a new air interface positioning protocol and/or an additional new air interface positioning protocol are/is adopted to communicate with the wireless access network equipment so as to obtain the position information of the first terminal equipment; or when the first indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element is in communication with the access and mobility management function network element, adopting a new air interface positioning protocol and/or an additional new air interface positioning protocol to communicate with the wireless access network equipment through the access and mobility management function network element.

With reference to the sixth aspect, in certain implementations of the sixth aspect, the positioning management center network element further includes a determining module, where the determining module is configured to: and determining to send the position information of the first terminal equipment to an access and mobility management function network element and/or to send the position information of the first terminal equipment to the plurality of terminal equipment according to the second indication information.

With reference to the sixth aspect, in certain implementations of the sixth aspect, the determining module is specifically configured to: when the second indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element sends the position information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices, the positioning management center network element sends the position information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices in a broadcast mode; or

A seventh aspect provides a radio access network device, where a communication interface is provided between the radio access network device and a location management center network element for communication interaction, and the method includes: the receiving module is used for receiving the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information or adding the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information sent by the positioning management center network element; and the sending module is used for sending the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information or adding the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information to the positioning management center network element.

With reference to the seventh aspect, in some implementations of the seventh aspect, the sending module is specifically configured to: and sending a radio resource control signaling to the terminal equipment, wherein the radio resource control signaling comprises the new air interface positioning protocol data unit or information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit.

In an eighth aspect, a terminal device is provided, which includes: a receiving module, configured to receive a radio resource control signaling sent by a radio access network device, where the radio resource control signaling includes information of a new air interface positioning protocol data unit or information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit; a sending module, configured to send a radio resource control signaling to the radio access network device, where the radio resource control signaling includes information of a new air interface positioning protocol data unit or information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit.

In a ninth aspect, there is provided an access and mobility management function network element, comprising: at least one processor, a memory, and a transceiver, the memory configured to store instructions, the transceiver configured to communicate with the access and mobility management function network element and other devices, the stored instructions being directly or indirectly executable by the at least one processor such that the access and mobility management function network element may perform the method of the first aspect or any of the optional implementations of the first aspect.

In a tenth aspect, there is provided a location management center network element, including: at least one processor, a memory and a transceiver, the memory being configured to store instructions, the transceiver being configured to communicate with the location management center network element and other devices, the stored instructions being directly or indirectly executable by the at least one processor, such that the location management center network element may perform the method of the second aspect or any of the optional implementations of the second aspect.

In an eleventh aspect, there is provided a radio access network device, including: at least one processor, a memory for storing instructions, and a transceiver for the radio access network device to communicate with other devices, the stored instructions being directly or indirectly executable by the at least one processor such that the radio access network device may perform the method of the third aspect or any of the alternative implementations of the third aspect.

In a twelfth aspect, a terminal device is provided, which includes: at least one processor, a memory for storing instructions, and a transceiver for the terminal device to communicate with other devices, the stored instructions being directly or indirectly executable by the at least one processor such that the terminal device may perform the method of any of the optional implementations of the fourth aspect or the fourth aspect.

In a thirteenth aspect, a chip system is provided, including: at least one processor configured to execute stored instructions such that an access and mobility management function network element may perform the method of the first aspect or any optional implementation of the first aspect.

In a fourteenth aspect, a chip system is provided, which includes: at least one processor configured to execute stored instructions such that a location management center network element may perform the method of the second aspect or any optional implementation of the second aspect.

In a fifteenth aspect, a chip system is provided, comprising: at least one processor configured to execute the stored instructions such that the radio access network device may perform the method of the third aspect or any optional implementation of the third aspect.

In a sixteenth aspect, a chip system is provided, comprising: at least one processor configured to execute the stored instructions such that the terminal device may perform the method of the fourth aspect or any optional implementation of the fourth aspect.

A seventeenth aspect provides a computer storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed, cause an access and mobility management function network element to perform the method of the first aspect or any of the optional implementations of the first aspect.

In an eighteenth aspect, there is provided a computer storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed, cause a location management centre network element to perform the method of the second aspect or any alternative implementation of the second aspect.

A nineteenth aspect provides a computer storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed, cause a radio access network device to perform the method of the third aspect or any of the alternative implementations of the third aspect.

A twentieth aspect provides a computer storage medium storing program instructions that, when executed, enable a terminal device to perform the method of the fourth aspect or any of the alternative implementations of the fourth aspect.

A twenty-first aspect provides a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed, cause an access and mobility management function network element to perform the method of the first aspect or any of the optional implementations of the first aspect.

A twenty-second aspect provides a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a positioning management center network element to perform the method of the second aspect or any of the optional implementations of the second aspect.

A twenty-third aspect provides a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed, cause a method in the third aspect or any of the optional implementations of the third aspect to be performed with a radio access network device.

A twenty-fourth aspect provides a computer program product comprising instructions that, when executed, enable a terminal device to perform the method of any of the optional implementations of the fourth aspect or the fourth aspect.

A twenty-fifth aspect provides a system comprising an access and mobility management function network element as described in the first aspect or any optional implementation manner of the first aspect; and/or a location management centre network element as described in the second aspect or any optional implementation manner of the second aspect; and/or a network device as described in the third aspect or any optional implementation of the third aspect; and/or a terminal device as described in the fourth aspect or any optional implementation manner of the fourth aspect.

With reference to the twenty-fifth aspect, in some implementations of the twenty-fifth aspect, the system further includes a location management center network element that performs communication interaction with the radio access network device through the access and mobility management function network element.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless communication system architecture of a method of locating a terminal device in the prior art.

Fig. 2 is a schematic flow chart of a method for locating a terminal device in the prior art.

Fig. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an architecture of a wireless communication system of a method and apparatus for locating a terminal device provided herein.

Fig. 4 is a schematic flow chart of a method of locating a terminal device of the present application.

Fig. 5 shows a signaling interaction form between the terminal device-radio access network device-LMFd according to the present application.

Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating protocol layers between the terminal device and the LMFd provided in the present application.

Figure 7 illustrates the protocol layers between the radio access network equipment and the LMFd as provided herein.

Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram of an access and mobility management function network element according to the present application.

Figure 9 is a schematic block diagram of a location management centre network element according to the present application,

figure 10 is a schematic block diagram of a radio access network device according to the present application,

fig. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device according to the present application.

Fig. 12 is a schematic block diagram of a communication device of the present application.

Detailed Description

The technical solution in the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a wireless communication system 100 architecture of a method and apparatus for locating a terminal device in the prior art. As shown in fig. 1, the system 100 architecture includes a terminal device 110, a radio access network device 120, an access and mobility management function network element 130 (AMF), a location management function network element 140 (LMF), and a gateway mobile location center network element 150 (GMLC).

The terminal device in fig. 1 may be configured to connect to an access network device deployed by an operator through a wireless air interface, and then connect to a data network through the access network device; the access network equipment is mainly used for realizing the functions of a wireless physical layer, resource scheduling, wireless resource management, wireless access control, mobility management and the like; the access and mobility management functions are mainly used for equipment registration, security authentication, mobility management, position management and the like of the terminal equipment, the positioning management center is mainly used for positioning the position of the terminal equipment, the LMF is positioned in a core network, and the LMF must communicate with the wireless access network equipment through the AMF; the intersection path mobile positioning center is connected with an external network, receives the positioning requirement of the external network or sends the positioning result to the external network.

In the network shown in fig. 1, the functional units may establish a connection through a Next Generation (NG) interface to implement communication, for example: the terminal equipment establishes an air interface connection with the access network equipment through a New Radio (NR) interface, and is used for transmitting user plane data and control plane signaling; the terminal equipment can establish control plane signaling connection with the AMF through an NG interface 1 (N1 for short); the AMF can establish connection with the LMF through an NLs interface; the AMF may establish a connection with the GLMC through an NLg interface.

It should be understood that the names of the interfaces between the network elements in the present application are only exemplary, and the interfaces between the network elements may also be other names.

It should be understood that the network architecture may also include other functional units or functional network elements, for example, the system 100 may also include a User Plane Function (UPF), a Data Network (DN), a Session Management Function (SMF), a Policy Control Function (PCF), and an Application Function (AF). Wherein, the UPF is used for forwarding data stream, QoS control, charging statistics, etc.; the DN may correspond to a plurality of different service domains, such as an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), the Internet, an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV), other operator service domains, and the like, and is mainly used to provide a plurality of data service services for a terminal device, where the DNs may include network devices such as a server, a router, a gateway, and the like; the AMF is used for accessing and managing the mobility of the terminal equipment, receiving the mobility strategy and the network selection strategy of the UE provided by the PCF and executing the strategy; SMF is used for carrying out conversation and business flow control strategy provided by PCF and carrying out strategy execution; the PCF can generate a policy and charging control rule according to the request information of the AF, the operator policy, the user subscription information and the like, control the network behavior and issue the policy and charging control rule to a control plane network element; the AF mainly provides the requirements of the application side on the network side, including the service quality requirements of the service flow, the mobility requirements of the user equipment, and the like.

It should be noted that fig. 1 is only an exemplary architecture diagram, and besides the functional units shown in fig. 1, the network architecture may further include other functional units or functional network elements, which is not limited in this embodiment of the application.

The above-mentioned part of network elements can work independently, can also combine together to realize some control functions, such as: the AMF, SMF and PCF may be combined together as a management device to complete access control and mobility management functions such as access authentication, security encryption, location registration, etc. of the terminal device, session management functions such as establishment, release and change of a user plane transmission path, etc., and functions of analyzing data (such as congestion) related to some slices (slices) and data related to the terminal device, and the UPF as a gateway device mainly completes functions such as routing forwarding of user plane data, etc., for example: and the system is responsible for filtering data messages of the terminal equipment, transmitting/forwarding data, controlling the rate, generating charging information and the like.

The following is a brief description of the procedure of the method for locating a terminal device in the prior art with reference to fig. 2.

In 210, the AMF obtains a location request from different devices, the location request indicating the location of the terminal device, and the location request information may originate from three devices, respectively, a location request sent by the terminal device, or a location request sent by an external network (the external network notifies the AMF through the GMLC), or the location requirement of the AMF itself.

In 220, after obtaining the location requests of different positions, the AMF sends the location requests to the location center LMF.

In 230, the location center LMF performs signaling interaction with the terminal device or the access network device. The signaling mainly comprises an inquiry of the LMF to the positioning capability of the terminal equipment or the access network equipment, a feedback of the positioning capability of the terminal equipment or the access network equipment, a positioning method used by the LMF based on the feedback decision, a sending of auxiliary information, a request of measurement data, a sending back of the LMF by the terminal equipment or the access network equipment after the data is measured, and a calculation of the position of the UE by the LMF based on the measurement data. Here, the signaling interaction between the LMF and the UE is a new air interface Positioning Protocol (NR Positioning Protocol, NRPP), and the signaling interaction between the LMF and the radio access network device is an additional new air interface Positioning Protocol (NR Positioning Protocol, NRPPa), and the NRPP Protocol and the NRPPa correspond to an LTE Positioning Protocol (LTE Positioning Protocol, LPP) and an additional LTE Positioning Protocol (LTE Positioning Protocol, LPPa) in LTE, respectively.

At 240, the LMF sends the calculated location of the terminal device to the AMF, and then the AMF sends back the location request information to each device.

In the prior art, LMFs are all located inside a core network, so that once an LMF has a location requirement, and performs NRPP or NRPPa signaling interaction with a terminal device or a radio access network device, the LMF needs to pass through an AMF, taking NRPP as an example, and a data path is a terminal device-radio access network device-AMF-LMF, which needs to take approximately 2s of delay. The requirement for positioning time delay under a 5G system cannot be met.

Based on the above problem, the present application provides a method and a device for positioning a terminal device, where an access and mobility management function network element AMF obtains a request for positioning the terminal device, and determines to position the terminal device by using a positioning management center network element, where the positioning management center network element and a radio access network device have a communication interface, and can directly communicate with the radio access network device, and data can be directly transmitted with the radio access network device or the terminal device without passing through the AMF, so that signaling transmission time can be reduced, and delay of positioning the terminal device can be reduced.

The following is a schematic block diagram of an architecture of a wireless communication system 200 for a method and apparatus for locating a terminal device as provided herein. As shown in fig. 3, the system 300 includes a terminal device 310, a radio access network device 320, a distributed location management function (LMFd) network element 330, an Access and Mobility Function (AMF) 340, a centralized location management function (LMFc) network element 350, and a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 360. A communication interface is provided between the distributed location management center network element LMFd and the radio access network device, the LMFd may communicate with the radio access network device without passing through the AMF, the system 300 may include a plurality of distributed location management center network elements LMFd, and a plurality of radio access network devices may also be accessed under the distributed location management center network element LMFd, which is not limited in this application.

It should be understood that for the description of the other network elements of the system shown in fig. 3, reference may be made to the description related to fig. 1, and in order to avoid repetition, the description is not repeated here.

The technical scheme of the embodiment of the application can be applied to various communication systems, for example: a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) System, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) System, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) System, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), a Long Term Evolution (Long Term Evolution, LTE) System, an LTE Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) System, an LTE Time Division Duplex (TDD), a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) communication System, a future fifth Generation (5G) System, or a New Radio Network (NR), etc.

Terminal equipment in the embodiments of the present application may refer to user equipment, access terminals, subscriber units, subscriber stations, mobile stations, remote terminals, mobile devices, user terminals, wireless communication devices, user agents, or user devices. The terminal device may also be a cellular phone, a cordless phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a Wireless Local Loop (WLL) station, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), 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, a terminal device in a future 5G Network or a terminal device in a future evolved Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and the like, which are not limited in this embodiment.

The Network device in this embodiment may be a device for communicating with a terminal device, where the Network device may be a Base Transceiver Station (BTS) in a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) System or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) System, may also be a Base Station (NodeB, NB) in a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) System, may also be an evolved node b (eNB, or eNodeB) in an LTE System, may also be a wireless controller in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN) scenario, or may be a relay Station, an Access point, a vehicle-mounted device, a wearable device, a Network device in a future 5G Network, or a Network device in a future evolved PLMN Network, and the like, and the embodiment of the present invention is not limited.

Fig. 4 is a schematic flowchart of a method 400 for positioning a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present application, where the method 400 may be applied to the scenario shown in fig. 3, and of course, may also be applied to other communication scenarios, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited herein.

In 410 the access and mobility management function network element obtains a request for locating the first terminal device.

In 420, the access and mobility management function network element determines to use a location management center network element to locate the first terminal device, where the location management center network element and the radio access network device have a communication interface for communication interaction.

In 430, the access and mobility management function network element sends a request for locating the first terminal device to the location management center network element, where the request includes first indication information and/or second indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element communicates with a radio access network device or the first indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element communicates with the access and mobility management function network element, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element sends location information of the first terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element and/or a plurality of terminal devices.

In 440, the location management centre network element receives the request for locating the first terminal device sent by the access and mobility management function network element.

In 450, the location management center network element performs additional new air interface location protocol communication with the radio access network device according to the request for locating the first terminal device sent by the access and mobility management function network element (as shown in 450 a), and the location management center network element performs new air interface location protocol communication with the terminal device through the radio access network device (as shown in 450 b), so as to obtain the location information of the first terminal device.

In 460, the location management center network element may send the location information of the first terminal device to an access and mobility management function network element or send the location information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices according to the second indication information.

Therefore, in this embodiment of the present application, after the access and mobility management function network element obtains the request for positioning the first terminal device, it is determined to use the positioning management center network element to perform positioning of the first terminal device, and since the positioning management center network element and the radio access network device have a communication interface therebetween, the positioning management center network element may perform interaction between a new air interface positioning protocol and an additional new air interface positioning protocol signaling without communicating with the radio access network device through the access and mobility management function network element AMF, so as to obtain the location information of the first terminal device. Because the communication interface is arranged between the positioning management center network element and the wireless access network equipment, the positioning management center network element can communicate with the wireless access network equipment without passing through the access and mobile management function network element AMF, thereby reducing the signaling transmission time and reducing the time delay of the positioning terminal equipment.

Optionally, in 410, the obtaining, by the access and mobility management function network element, a request for locating the first terminal device includes:

the access and mobility management function network element receives a positioning request sent by terminal equipment; or the access and mobility management function network element receives a positioning request sent by an external network (the external network notifies the AMF through the GMLC), or the access and mobility management function network element acquires the positioning requirement of the AMF.

It should be understood that the access and mobility management function network element receives a positioning request sent by a terminal device, where the positioning request is used to instruct to position the first terminal device, but the terminal device sending the positioning request may be the first terminal device or other terminal devices, and this application is not limited thereto.

Optionally, in 420, the determining to locate the first terminal device using a location management center network element includes:

and determining to use the positioning management center network element to position the first terminal equipment according to the positioning management center network element selection parameters, wherein the positioning management center network element selection parameters include any one or more of the following parameters:

positioning delay, service information of the request for positioning the first terminal equipment and the distance between the positioning management center network element and the positioned terminal equipment.

It should be understood that the positioning delay is a positioning delay required by the system, and the service information requested for positioning the first terminal device includes a precision of the request for positioning the first terminal device, where the precision may be a positioning accuracy or a positioning delay precision.

It should also be understood that the positioning management center network element selection parameter may also include other parameters, which are not limited in this application.

Optionally, the method 400 further comprises: and determining to use the positioning management center network element without a communication interface with the wireless access network equipment to position the first terminal equipment according to the positioning management center network element selection parameter.

Optionally, in 430, the access and mobility management function network element sends a request for positioning the first terminal device to the location management center network element, and if the request includes the first indication information, the location management center network element may send the location information of the first terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element by default, and then send the location information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices through the access and mobility management function network element.

If the request includes the second indication information, the location management center network element may default to communicate directly with the radio access network device without going through the AMF.

Optionally, in 450, when the request includes the first indication information and the first indication information indicates that the location management center network element communicates with the radio access network device, the location management center network element communicates with the radio access network device by using a new air interface location protocol and/or an additional new air interface location protocol, so as to obtain the location information of the first terminal device.

It should be understood that a new air interface Positioning Protocol (NR Positioning Protocol, NRPPa) Protocol is added if the LMFd communicates with the radio access network device, and a new air interface Positioning Protocol (NRPP) Protocol is used if the LMFd communicates with the terminal device.

Optionally, the LMFd adopts the new air interface positioning protocol and the additional new air interface positioning protocol to mainly send an inquiry of positioning capability, send auxiliary information, request of measurement data, and the first terminal device or the radio access network device sends back the LMFd after measuring the data, and the LMFd calculates the position of the first terminal device based on the measurement data.

Optionally, the radio access network device and a location management center network element LMFd outside the core network have a communication interface for communication interaction, and the radio access network device receives new air interface location protocol data unit information or adds new air interface location protocol data unit information sent by the location management center network element;

and the wireless access network equipment sends new air interface positioning protocol data unit information or adds new air interface positioning protocol data unit information to the positioning management center network element.

Optionally, the location management center network element sends new air interface location protocol data unit information or adds new air interface location protocol data unit information to the access network device through a location service interface S1-LCS, where the location service interface is used to connect the location management center network element and the wireless access network device; or

The LoCation management center network element receives the new air interface LoCation protocol data unit information sent by the access network device or adds the new air interface LoCation protocol data unit information through a LoCation Service interface (S1LoCation Service, S1-LCS).

It should be understood that the location service interface S1-LCS is used for connecting the location management center network element and the radio access network device, but the name of the interface is only used as an example, and the application is not limited to the name of the communication interface between the external location management center network element and the radio access network device, and the communication interface between the external location management center network element and the radio access network device may be other names.

Optionally, the method further comprises: and the wireless access network equipment sends a wireless resource control signaling to the terminal equipment, wherein the wireless resource control signaling comprises the new air interface positioning protocol data unit or the information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit.

Optionally, the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information is carried in new air interface positioning protocol information, and the radio resource control signaling includes the new air interface positioning protocol information; or the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information is loaded in the non-access layer protocol information, the radio resource control signaling comprises the non-access layer protocol information and mark information, and the mark information is used for indicating that the section of non-access layer protocol information comprises the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information.

Optionally, the method further comprises: the first terminal equipment receives a radio resource control signaling sent by the radio access network equipment, wherein the radio resource control signaling comprises new air interface positioning protocol data unit information or information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit; the first terminal equipment sends a radio resource control signaling to the radio access network equipment, wherein the radio resource control signaling comprises a new air interface positioning protocol data unit or information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit.

For a clearer understanding of the present application regarding the new air interface positioning protocol and/or additional new air interface positioning protocol used by the positioning management center network element LMFd to communicate with the radio access network device and with the terminal device, the following description is made in detail with reference to fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows a signaling interaction form between a terminal device-radio access network device-LMFd provided by the present application.

As shown in fig. 5, the interface between the terminal device and the radio access network device is a Uu port, and the Uu port can transmit RRC signaling. The LMFd and the terminal device interact with each other by using an NRPP protocol, where the RRC signaling includes new air interface positioning protocol data unit information or information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit (as shown by 512 in fig. 5, the NRPP information is carried in the RRC signaling, and the NRPP information is the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information or the information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit). The interface between the LMFd and the radio access network device is a newly defined S1-LCS interface, a new protocol S1-LCS protocol layer is defined on the new interface, NRPP data unit for transmitting the LMFd to the radio network device (as shown by 511 in fig. 5, NRPP information is carried in a new protocol layer, the protocol is S1-LCS protocol layer, NRPP information is new null positioning protocol data unit), and NRPPa data unit for transmitting the LMFd to the radio network device (as shown by 520 in fig. 5, NRPPa information is carried in a new protocol layer, the protocol is S1-LCS protocol layer, and NRPPa information is NRPPa data unit).

Optionally, the transmitting, by using the RRC signaling, the new air interface positioning protocol data unit between the terminal device and the radio access network device may include two forms:

loading the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information or the information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit into the new air interface positioning protocol information, wherein the radio resource control signaling comprises the new air interface positioning protocol information; or the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information or the information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit is carried in non-access layer protocol information, the radio resource control signaling comprises the non-access layer protocol information and mark information, and the mark information is used for indicating that the section of non-access layer protocol information comprises the new air interface positioning protocol data unit information or the information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit.

Specifically, one way is to use a new protocol, such as UL NRPP Transport/DL NRPP Transport, in the RRC signaling, which is dedicated to transmitting NRPP information. The second way is to use an existing protocol in the RCC signaling, such as the existing protocol carrying NAS signaling, but add the flag information of the protocol to distinguish whether the protocol is NAS or NRPP.

It should be understood that, in this application, the signaling interaction between the LMFd and the terminal device for NRPP may include that the LMFd sends downlink NRPP signaling to the terminal device or the terminal device sends uplink NRPP signaling to the LMFd, there is no chronological order between the downlink NRPP signaling and the uplink NRPP signaling, and the downlink NRPP signaling and the uplink NRPP signaling may be repeatedly sent.

It should also be understood that the signaling interaction of NRPPa between the LMFd and the radio access network device may include that the LMFd sends signaling of NRPPa in downlink to the radio access network device or the radio access network device sends signaling of NRPP in uplink to the LMFd, there is no chronological order between the signaling of NRPPa in downlink and the signaling of NRPPa in uplink, and the signaling of NRPPa in downlink and the signaling of NRPPa in uplink may be repeatedly sent.

Fig. 6 shows the protocol layers between the terminal device and the LMFd provided in the present application. The Control plane Protocol architecture of the terminal device includes a new air interface positioning Protocol NRPP layer, a non-Access stratum NAS, a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, a Media Access Control (MAC) layer, and an L1 layer. The control plane protocol architecture of the wireless network equipment comprises a control plane protocol architecture communicated with the terminal equipment and a control plane protocol architecture communicated with the LMFd, namely an RRC layer, a PDCP layer, an RLC layer, an MAC layer and an L1 layer; an S1-LCS layer, a Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) layer, an IP layer, an L2 layer and an L1 layer. The Control plane Protocol architecture of the LMFd comprises an NRPP layer, an S1-LCS layer, a Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) layer, an IP layer, an L2 layer and an L1 layer. The S1-LCS protocol is a protocol corresponding to the communication interface S1-LCS between the LMFd and the radio access network equipment as defined in the present application.

Figure 7 illustrates the protocol layers between the radio access network equipment and the LMFd as provided herein. The control plane protocol architecture of the radio access network equipment comprises an NRPPa layer, an S1-LCS layer, an SCTP layer, an IP layer, an L2 layer and an L1 layer. The Control plane Protocol architecture of the LMFd includes an NRPPa layer, an S1-LCS layer, a Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) layer, an IP layer, an L2 layer, and an L1 layer.

Optionally, when the first indication information indicates that the location management center network element communicates with the access and mobility management function network element, the location management center network element communicates with the radio access network device through the access and mobility management function network element AMF by using a new air interface location protocol and/or an additional new air interface location protocol.

Optionally, in 460, the location management center network element determines to send the location information of the first terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element and/or send the location information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices according to the second indication information.

Optionally, the determining, according to the second indication information, to send the location information of the terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element or to send the location information of the first terminal device to a plurality of terminal devices includes:

when the second indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element sends the position information of the terminal equipment to the terminal equipment, the positioning management center network element sends the position information of the first terminal equipment to the plurality of terminal equipment in a broadcast mode; or

When the second indication information indicates that the location management center network element sends the location information of the terminal device to the terminal device and simultaneously sends the location information of the first terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element, the location management center network element sends the location information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices in a broadcast mode and sends the location information of the first terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element.

At this time, when the second indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element sends the location information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices, the positioning management center network element sends the location information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices in a broadcast manner, and the positioning management network element no longer needs to send the location information of the first terminal device to the AMF, and then transfers the location information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices through the AMF, so that the positioning delay can be further reduced.

Fig. 8 is a schematic block diagram of an access and mobility management function network element 600 according to the present application. As shown in fig. 8, the access and mobility management function network element 600 includes the following modules.

The obtaining module 610 obtains a request for positioning a terminal device.

A determining module 620, configured to determine to use a location management center network element to locate the first terminal device, where a communication interface is provided between the location management center network element and the radio access network device for communication interaction.

A sending module 630, configured to send a request for positioning the terminal device to the location management center network element, where the request includes first indication information and/or second indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element communicates with a radio access network device or that the location management center network element communicates with the access and mobility management function network element, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element sends location information of the terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element and/or multiple terminal devices.

Optionally, the determining module 620 is specifically configured to: determining to use a positioning management center network element outside a core network to position the terminal equipment according to the positioning management center network element selection parameters, wherein the positioning management center network element selection parameters include any one or more of the following parameters: positioning time delay and the distance between the positioning management center network element and the positioned terminal equipment.

Optionally, the obtaining module 610, the determining module 620, and the sending module 630 are configured to execute each operation of the method 400 for positioning a terminal device of the present application, and for brevity, no further description is provided here.

Fig. 9 is a schematic block diagram of a location management center network element 700 according to the present application, which has a communication interface for communication interaction with a radio access network device. As shown in fig. 9, the location management center network element 700 includes the following modules.

A transceiver module 710, configured to receive a request for positioning a first terminal device sent by an access and mobility management function network element, where the request includes first indication information and/or second indication information, where the first indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element communicates with an access network device or the first indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element communicates with the access and mobility management function network element, and the second indication information is used to indicate that the location management center network element sends location information of the first terminal device to the access and mobility management function network element and/or multiple terminal devices.

Optionally, the transceiver module 710 is configured to: when the first indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element is communicated with the wireless access network equipment, the positioning management center network element is communicated with the wireless access network equipment by adopting a new air interface positioning protocol and/or an additional new air interface positioning protocol to acquire the position information of the first terminal equipment; or when the first indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element is in communication with the access and mobility management function network element, the positioning management center network element communicates with the radio access network device through the access and mobility management function network element by using a new air interface positioning protocol and/or an additional new air interface positioning protocol.

Optionally, the positioning management center network element further includes a determining module 720, where the determining module 720 is configured to: and determining to send the position information of the first terminal equipment to an access and mobility management function network element and/or to send the position information of the first terminal equipment to the plurality of terminal equipment according to the second indication information.

Optionally, the determining module 720 is specifically configured to: when the second indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element sends the position information of the terminal device to the terminal device, the positioning management center network element sends the position information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices in a broadcast mode.

Optionally, the transceiver module 710 and the determining module 720 are configured to perform each operation of the method 400 for positioning a terminal device of the present application, and for brevity, are not described herein again.

Fig. 10 is a schematic block diagram of a radio access network device 800 having a communication interface for communicative interaction with a location management center network element in accordance with the present application. As shown in fig. 10, the radio access network apparatus 800 includes the following modules.

A receiving module 810, configured to receive new air interface positioning protocol data unit information sent by a positioning management center network element or add new air interface positioning protocol data unit information.

A sending module 820, configured to send new air interface positioning protocol data unit information or add new air interface positioning protocol data unit information to the positioning management center network element.

Optionally, the sending module 820 is specifically configured to: and sending a radio resource control signaling to the terminal equipment, wherein the radio resource control signaling comprises the new air interface positioning protocol data unit or information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit.

Optionally, the receiving module 810 and the sending module 820 are configured to execute each operation of the method 400 for positioning a terminal device of the present application, and for brevity, no further description is provided here.

Fig. 11 is a schematic block diagram of a terminal device 900 according to the present application. As shown in fig. 11, the terminal apparatus 900 includes the following modules.

A receiving module 910, configured to receive a radio resource control signaling sent by a radio access network device, where the radio resource control signaling includes information of a new air interface positioning protocol data unit or information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit.

A sending module 920, configured to send a radio resource control signaling to the radio access network device, where the radio resource control signaling includes information of a new air interface positioning protocol data unit or information carried by the new air interface positioning protocol data unit.

Optionally, the receiving module 910 and the sending module 920 are configured to execute each operation of the method 400 for positioning a terminal device of the present application, and for brevity, no further description is given here.

The access and mobility management functional network element, the positioning management center network element, the radio access network device, and the terminal device in the above-mentioned embodiments of the method are completely corresponding to each other, and corresponding steps are executed by corresponding modules, and reference may be made to corresponding embodiments of the method.

Fig. 12 shows a schematic block diagram of a communication device 1000 provided by the present application, the communication device 1000 comprising:

a memory 1010 for storing a program, the program comprising code;

a transceiver 1020 for communicating with other devices;

a processor 1030 configured to execute the program code in memory 1010.

Optionally, when the code is executed, the processor 1030 may implement the operations of the method 300, which are not described herein for brevity. The transceiver 1020 is used to perform specific signal transceiving under the driving of the processor 1030.

The communication device 1000 may execute the operation of the determining module for any one of the access and mobility management function network element, the positioning management center network element, the radio access network device and the terminal device, and the transceiver may include a transmitter and/or a receiver, and respectively execute corresponding steps of the sending module and the receiving module.

The present application further provides a communication system 300, and the architecture diagram of the communication system 300 can be referred to fig. 3. The communication system 300 includes: the system comprises an access and mobility management function network element, a positioning management center network element, wireless access network equipment and terminal equipment.

Optionally, the system further includes a location management center network element that performs communication interaction with the radio access network device through the access and mobility management function network element.

It should be understood that the communication system 300 may also include other network elements or functional entities, which are not limited in this embodiment of the present invention.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative elements and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware or combinations of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the implementation. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present application.

It is clear to those skilled in the art that, for convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, apparatuses and units may refer to the corresponding processes in the foregoing method embodiments, and are not described herein again.

In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed system, apparatus and method may be implemented in other ways. For example, the above-described apparatus embodiments are merely illustrative, and for example, the division of the units is only one logical division, and other divisions may be realized in practice, for example, a plurality of units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be omitted, or not executed. In addition, the shown or discussed mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices or units, and may be in an electrical, mechanical or other form.

The units described as separate parts may or may not be physically separate, and parts displayed as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one place, or may be distributed on a plurality of network units. Some or all of the units can be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the solution of the embodiment.

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

It should be understood that the term "and/or" and "at least one of a or B" herein is merely one type of association that describes an associated object, meaning that three types of relationships may exist, e.g., a and/or B, may mean: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. In addition, the character "/" herein generally indicates that the former and latter related objects are in an "or" relationship.

An embodiment of the present application provides a computer-readable medium for storing a computer program, where the computer program includes a program for executing the method for locating a terminal device in fig. 4. The functions, if implemented in the form of software functional units and sold or used as a stand-alone product, may be stored in a computer readable storage medium. Based on such understanding, the technical solution of the present application or portions thereof that substantially contribute to the prior art may be embodied in the form of a software product stored in a storage medium and including instructions for causing a computer device (which may be a personal computer, a server, or a network device) to execute all or part of the steps of the method according to the embodiments of the present application. And the aforementioned storage medium includes: various media capable of storing program codes, such as a usb disk, a removable hard disk, a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk.

In the above embodiments, the implementation may be wholly or partially realized by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, may be implemented in whole or in part in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, the procedures or functions described in accordance with the present application are generated, in whole or in part. The computer may be a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a network of computers, or other programmable device. The computer instructions may be stored in a computer readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer readable storage medium to another, 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 wire (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line) or wirelessly (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.). The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer or a data storage device, such as a server, a data center, etc., that incorporates one or more of the available media. The usable medium may be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy Disk, hard Disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium, or a semiconductor medium (e.g., Solid State Disk (SSD)), among others.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and shall be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of locating a terminal device, the method being performed by an access and mobility management function network element and comprising:

acquiring a request for positioning first terminal equipment;

determining to use a positioning management center network element to position the first terminal equipment, wherein a communication interface is arranged between the positioning management center network element and the wireless access network equipment for communication interaction;

sending a request for positioning the first terminal device to the positioning management center network element, where the request includes first indication information and/or second indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the positioning management center network element to communicate with a radio access network device, and the second indication information is used to indicate the positioning management center network element to send location information of the first terminal device to multiple terminal devices.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said determining to locate the first terminal device using a location management center network element comprises:

determining to use the location management center network element to locate the first terminal device according to the location management center network element selection parameter,

wherein, the positioning management center network element selection parameter includes any one or more of the following parameters:

positioning time delay, the service information of the request for positioning the first terminal equipment and the distance between the positioning management center network element and the first terminal equipment.

3. A method for positioning a terminal device, the method being performed by a positioning management center network element and comprising:

a communication interface is arranged between the positioning management center network element and the wireless access network equipment for communication interaction;

receiving a request for positioning a first terminal device sent by a network element with access and mobility management functions, where the request includes first indication information and/or second indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the network element with the location management center to communicate with an access network device, and the second indication information is used to indicate the network element with the location management center to send location information of the first terminal device to multiple terminal devices.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein when the request includes the first indication information, the method further comprises:

and when the first indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element is communicated with the wireless access network equipment, the positioning management center network element is communicated with the wireless access network equipment by adopting a new air interface positioning protocol and/or an additional new air interface positioning protocol so as to acquire the position information of the first terminal equipment.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, wherein when the request includes the second indication information, the method further comprises:

and determining to send the position information of the first terminal equipment to the plurality of terminal equipment according to the second indication information.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining to send the location information of the first terminal device to a plurality of terminal devices according to the second indication information comprises:

when the second indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element sends the position information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices, the positioning management center network element sends the position information of the first terminal device to the plurality of terminal devices in a broadcast mode.

7. An access and mobility management function network element, comprising:

the acquisition module acquires a request for positioning first terminal equipment;

a determining module, configured to determine that the first terminal device is located by using a location management center network element, where a communication interface is provided between the location management center network element and the radio access network device for communication interaction;

a sending module, configured to send a request for positioning the terminal device to the location management center network element, where the request includes first indication information and/or second indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the location management center network element to communicate with a radio access network device, and the second indication information is used to indicate the location management center network element to send location information of the terminal device to multiple terminal devices.

8. The access and mobility management functional network element of claim 7, wherein the determining module is specifically configured to:

determining to use the positioning management center network element to position the terminal equipment according to the positioning management center network element selection parameters,

9. A positioning management center network element, wherein a communication interface is provided between the positioning management center network element and a radio access network device for communication interaction, comprising:

a transceiver module, configured to receive a request for positioning a first terminal device sent by an access and mobility management function network element, where the request includes first indication information and/or second indication information, the first indication information is used to indicate the positioning management center network element to communicate with an access network device, and the second indication information is used to indicate the positioning management center network element to send location information of the first terminal device to multiple terminal devices.

10. The location management center network element of claim 9, wherein the transceiver module is configured to:

and when the first indication information indicates that the positioning management center network element is communicated with the wireless access network equipment, adopting a new air interface positioning protocol and/or an additional new air interface positioning protocol to communicate with the wireless access network equipment so as to acquire the position information of the first terminal equipment.

11. The location management center network element according to claim 9 or 10, wherein said location management center network element further comprises a determining module configured to:

12. The location management center network element of claim 11, wherein the determining module is specifically configured to:

13. A computer storage medium, characterized in that it stores program instructions that, when executed, enable an access and mobility management function network element to perform the method of claim 1 or 2; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the instructions, when executed, cause a positioning management centre network element to perform the method of any of claims 3 to 6.

14. A chip system, comprising: at least one processor configured to execute stored instructions such that an access and mobility management function network element may perform the method of claim 1 or 2; alternatively, the first and second electrodes may be,

the at least one processor is configured to execute stored instructions such that a location management center network element may perform the method of any of claims 3 to 6.

15. A positioning system, characterized in that the system comprises:

an access and mobility management function network element according to claim 7 or 8; and

a location management centre network element as claimed in any one of claims 9 to 12.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a location management center network element communicatively interacting with the radio access network device via the access and mobility management function network element.