5G PRS Positioning Based on the Improved Sparrow Search Algorithm

5G New Radio (NR) introduces the positioning reference signal (PRS) for acquiring measurement information such as the time or angle to facilitate downlink positioning. The time difference of arrival (TDOA) is a typical method for 5G NR positioning. In response to the low solving accuracy and slow convergence in traditional iterative or non-iterative TDOA algorithms, a 5G PRS signal positioning method based on the improved sparrow search algorithm (ISSA) is proposed in this paper. In combination with the characteristics of the 5G PRS signal, a model for downlink TDOA location is established. The initial positioning result is introduced into the ISSA algorithm to reduce the search times and optimize the fitness function. Consequently, the positioning accuracy is improved. Moreover, the ISSA algorithm is used to verify the positioning performance of the 5G PRS signal under different parameter configurations. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm effectively reduces the positioning error.