Phase noise determination for localization

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to new radio (NR) positioning. A terminal device receives, from a network device, at least one association type between a set of positioning reference signals (PRS) and a set of downlink reference signals (DL-RS) from an access network device. The terminal device determines, based on the at least one association type, phase noise for a PRS in the PRS set using information related to phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set. In this manner, the phase noise of the PRS (s) can be determined by repeatedly using the phase noise of the DL-RS (s), and thus NR positioning can be achieved with high efficiency and accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments relate to the field of telecommunications, and in particular, to methods, devices, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for phase noise determination for positioning. Background Art

[0002] In Rel-17, research on New Radio (NR) positioning investigates the requirements for higher accuracy, lower latency position, higher integrity and higher reliability arising from new applications and vertical industries of the fifth generation (5G).

[0003] In Rel-18, it was agreed to utilize positioning reference signal (PRS) / sounding reference signal (SRS) carrier bandwidth aggregation and NR carrier phase measurement to enhance positioning accuracy. Therefore, the combination of bandwidth aggregation and carrier phase measurement can achieve better enhancement of positioning accuracy, and this combination requires further study. Summary of the invention

[0004] In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a technical solution for phase noise determination for positioning.

[0005] In a first aspect, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes at least one processor and at least one memory, the at least one memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, causes the terminal device to at least: receive from a network device at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from an access network device; and based on the at least one association type, determine the phase noise for the PRS in the PRS set using information related to the phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0006] In a second aspect, an access network device is provided. The access network device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, enable the access network device to at least: send at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set sent by the access network device and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set to a network device; send one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set to a terminal device; and send a PRS in the PRS set to the terminal device for positioning of the terminal device.

[0007] In a third aspect, a network device is provided. The network device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the network device to at least: receive from an access network device at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from the access network device; and send at least one association type to a terminal device, the terminal device being configured to determine, based on the at least one association type, a phase noise for a PRS in the PRS set using information related to the phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0008] In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method comprises: receiving at a terminal device and from a network device at least one association type between a positioning reference signal (PRS) set from an access network device and a downlink reference signal (DL-RS) set; and determining at the terminal device, based on the at least one association type, a phase noise for a PRS in the PRS set using information related to a phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0009] In a fifth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: sending at an access network device and to a network device at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set sent by the access network device and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set; sending at the access network device one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set to a terminal device; and sending at the access network device a PRS in the PRS set to the terminal device for positioning of the terminal device.

[0010] In a sixth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving at a network device and from an access network device at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set from an access network device and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set; and sending at least one association type to a terminal device at the network device, the terminal device being configured to determine, based on the at least one association type, a phase noise for a PRS in a PRS set using information related to a phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in a DL-RS set.

[0011] In a seventh aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a component for receiving at a terminal device and from a network device at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set from an access network device and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set; and a component for determining at the terminal device a phase noise for a PRS in the PRS set based on at least one association type using information related to the phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0012] In an eighth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a component for receiving at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from an access network device; and a component for sending at least one association type to a terminal device, the terminal device being configured to determine a phase noise for a PRS in a PRS set based on at least one association type using information related to a phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0013] In a ninth aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for sending at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set sent by an access network device and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set to a network device; a component for sending one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set to a terminal device; and a component for sending a PRS in the PRS set to a terminal device for positioning of the terminal device.

[0014] In a tenth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to execute a method according to at least any one of the fourth to sixth aspects above.

[0015] In an eleventh aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising components for: receiving, at a terminal device and from a network device, at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set from an access network device and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set; and determining, at the terminal device and based on at least one association type, a phase noise for a PRS in the PRS set using information related to a phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0016] In the twelfth aspect, a device is provided, comprising components for the following operations: sending, at an access network device and to a network device, at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set sent by an access network device and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set; sending, at the access network device, one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set to a terminal device; and sending, at the access network device, a PRS in the PRS set to the terminal device for positioning of the terminal device.

[0017] In a thirteenth aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising components for: receiving, at a network device and from an access network device, at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set from an access network device and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set; and sending, at the network device, at least one association type to a terminal device, the terminal device being configured to determine, based on the at least one association type, a phase noise for a PRS in a PRS set using information related to a phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0018] In a fourteenth aspect, a computer program is provided, comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: receive from a network device at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from an access network device; and based on at least one association type, determine the phase noise for the PRS in the PRS set using information related to the phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0019] In the fifteenth aspect, a computer program is provided, which includes instructions, which when executed by an apparatus causes the apparatus to at least: send at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set sent by an access network device and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set to a network device; send one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set to a terminal device; and send a PRS in the PRS set to the terminal device for positioning of the terminal device.

[0020] In a sixteenth aspect, a computer program is provided, comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to at least: receive from an access network device at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from an access network device; and send at least one association type to a terminal device, the terminal device being configured to determine, based on the at least one association type, the phase noise for the PRS in the PRS set using information related to the phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0021] In a seventeenth aspect, a terminal device is provided, comprising: a receiving circuit configured to receive from a network device at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from an access network device; and a determining circuit configured to determine, based on at least one association type, a phase noise for a PRS in the PRS set using information related to the phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0022] In an eighteenth aspect, an access network device is provided, comprising: a transmitting circuit configured to send at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set sent by the access network device to the network device; a transmitting circuit configured to send one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set to a terminal device; and a transmitting circuit configured to send a PRS in the PRS set to the terminal device for positioning of the terminal device.

[0023] In a nineteenth aspect, a network device is provided, comprising: a receiving circuit configured to receive at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from an access network device; and a sending circuit configured to send at least one association type to a terminal device, the terminal device being configured to determine a phase noise for a PRS in a PRS set based on at least one association type using information related to a phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0024] It should be understood that the present invention summary is not intended to identify the key or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0026] Figure 1 shows an example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0027] Figure 2 An example of a process for phase noise determination for positioning according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0028] Figure 3 An example of classifying phase noise of multiple DL-RSs according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0029] Figure 4 Another example of a process for phase noise determination for positioning according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0030] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0031] Figure 6 A flowchart of a method implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0032] Figure 7A flowchart of a method implemented at an access network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0033] Figure 8 shows a simplified block diagram of an apparatus suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0034] Fig. 9 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The principle of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are only for illustrative purposes and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways except the way described below.

[0037] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0038] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it should be considered that it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to implement such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0039] It should be understood that although the terms "first" and "second" etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element without departing from the scope of the example embodiments. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0040] The terms used herein are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "one", "an" and "the" are also intended to include plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that the terms "include", "comprise", "have", "have", "contain" and / or "cover" specify the existence of stated features, elements and / or components when used in this article, but do not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components and / or their combinations. As used herein, "at least one of the following: <list of two or more elements>" and "at least one of <list of two or more elements>" and similar wording (wherein the list of two or more elements is connected by "and" or "or") means at least any one of the elements or at least any two or more or at least all elements in the elements.

[0041] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one, more, or all of the following:

[0042] (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only) and

[0043] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0044] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware and

[0045] (ii) any portion of hardware processor(s) (including digital signal processor(s)) with software, software and memory(s) that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions) and

[0046] (c) Hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portion(s) of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but where the software may not be present, the software may not be required to operate.

[0047] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As yet another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware implementation. For example and if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0048] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal equipment and the network equipment in the communication network can be performed according to any suitable generation of communication protocols, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and / or any currently known or future other protocols to be developed. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that can be used to embody the present disclosure. It should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present disclosure to the above-mentioned systems.

[0049] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), for example, a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also known as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay, a low power node (such as a femto node, a pico node), etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied.

[0050] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device (such as a digital camera), a game terminal device, a music storage and playback device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless client device (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (such as remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (such as robots and / or other wireless devices running in industrial and / or automated processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, equipment running on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0051] As mentioned above, the combination of positioning reference signal (PRS) / sounding reference signal (SRS) carrier bandwidth aggregation (also known as carrier aggregation positioning) and NR carrier phase (CP) measurements can achieve better positioning accuracy. On the one hand, with carrier bandwidth aggregation, a wider frequency band can be used for time of arrival (TOA) estimation, thereby achieving additional positioning accuracy. On the other hand, compared with some positioning methods such as global navigation satellite system (GNSS) carrier phase positioning, NR CP measurements can have performance improvements for indoor and outdoor deployments, and have shorter latency and lower UE power consumption compared with real-time kinematic (RTK)-GNSS outdoor positioning.

[0052] However, when combining carrier aggregation (CA) positioning and NR CP measurements, it is difficult to determine and compensate for carrier-dependent phase distortion from the phase estimated from the NR CP measurements. For example, carrier-dependent distortion may be caused by receiver (Rx) and transmitter (Tx) filters that introduce different phase distortions on different frequency bands. In this case, sending PRSs over carriers and combining them at the receiver to estimate the overall positioning may not be accurate because the estimate will vary significantly depending on the frequency band and channel within the operating band.

[0053] Some technical solutions have been proposed to compensate for phase distortion on different carriers. As an example, multiple PRSs can be scheduled in the same carrier, and thus the phase distortion on the carrier can be eliminated by measuring the differential carrier phase. However, for NR positioning, PRSs may need to be sent from up to ten transmission reception points (TPRs), so scheduling multiple PRSs in each carrier may be resource-intensive. As another example, phase distortion on a carrier can be compensated by combining measurements of PRSs and SRSs over the same carrier. However, the additional transmission of SRSs is also resource-intensive.

[0054] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a technical solution for phase noise determination for positioning is provided. In the technical solution, a terminal device receives at least one association type between a positioning reference signal (PRS) set and a downlink reference signal (DL-RS) set from an access network device from a network device. The terminal device determines the phase noise of a PRS in a PRS set based on at least one association type using information related to the phase noise of one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set. Therefore, the phase noise for the PRS can be efficiently determined in the case of reusing the phase noise of the DL-RS. Therefore, the phase distortion in the measured phase can be compensated to achieve accurate NR positioning estimation.

[0055] The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, it should be noted that these embodiments are shown only as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present application in any way.

[0056] First reference Figure 1 , which illustrates an example communication system 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. Figure 1 As illustrated in , system 100 includes two access network devices (also referred to as Radio Access Network (RAN) nodes), such as access network device 111 and access network device 112 .

[0057] Access network devices 111 and 112 can each use different frequency bands in both DL and UL to serve one or more cells. In a communication system, "UL" refers to a communication link in the direction from a terminal device to an access network device, and "DL" refers to a communication link in the direction from an access network device to a terminal device.

[0058] System 100 also includes one or more terminal devices, such as terminal devices 120 and 121. Terminal devices 120 and 121 can connect and communicate with either or both of access network devices 111 and 112 in UL and DL depending on the location of the terminal devices in their cells.

[0059] like Figure 1 As shown in , the system 100 also includes a network device 190 (also referred to as a network element 190). The network device 190 can provide a positioning function and communicate with the access network devices 111, 112 and the terminal devices 120, 121. The network device 190 can be a core network device in a core network. For example, the network device 190 can be a location management function (LMF). Alternatively, the network device 190 can be implemented in a wireless access network.

[0060] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number of network devices and terminal devices in the embodiment is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation. The system 100 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices suitable for implementing the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0061] The communication in the communication system 100 may be implemented according to any (multiple) appropriate communication protocols, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G) and fifth generation (5G), wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, and / or any other currently known or future developed protocols. In addition, the communication may utilize any appropriate wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other currently known or future developed technology.

[0062] Reference now Figure 2 , which shows an example of a process 200 for phase noise determination for positioning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Describe process 200. For illustration purposes, access network device 111, network device 190, and terminal device 120 may be involved in process 200.

[0063] In process 200, access network device 111 sends 201 to network device 190 at least one association type 205 between a PRS set and a DL-RS set sent by access network device 111. A PRS set may be defined as a PRS set sent on a specific set of physical resource blocks (PRBs). A PRS set may include one or more PRSs. A DL-RS set may be defined as a DL-RS set sent on a specific set of physical resource blocks (PRBs). A DL-RS set may include one or more DL-RSs.

[0064] The DL-RS may be an existing reference signal whose phase noise may be easily estimated or generally estimated. In some embodiments, the DL-RS set may include a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS) set. The phase noise of the PTRS is generally estimated for data reception. Alternatively or additionally, the DL-RS set may include a synchronization signal block (SSB) set. The phase noise of the SSB is generally estimated for some purpose other than positioning.

[0065] At least one association type 205 between a PRS set and a DL-RS set transmitted by the access network device 111 may indicate an association type set specific to the access network device 111. The access network device 111 may indicate association(s) or mapping(s) of a PRS set and a DL-RS set transmitted by itself by using at least one association type 205.

[0066] In some embodiments, at least one association type 205 between a PRS set and a DL-RS set may include a first type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in the same carrier and the same bandwidth. Alternatively or additionally, at least one association type 205 may include a second type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in the same carrier and different bandwidths. Alternatively or additionally, at least one association type 205 may include a third type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in different carriers and the same bandwidth. Alternatively or additionally, at least one association type 205 may include a fourth type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in different carriers and different bandwidths.

[0067] In addition, at least one association type 205 may indicate an association or mapping between a PRS in a PRS set and a DL-RS in a DL-RS set. In other words, at least one association type 205 may include a type indicating a correlation between a PRS sent on resource k and a DL-RS sent on resource j. A resource may be identified by a combination of a carrier and a bandwidth. For example, resource k may be identified by a tuple (carrier_k, bandwidth_k).

[0068] In this way, the association type between the PRS and the DL-RS can implicitly indicate the association between the phase noise of the PRS and the phase noise of the DL-RS. Therefore, the association type can also be called a phase noise matching type.

[0069] In some embodiments, at least one association type 205 may include one or more association types between a PRS and one or more DL-RSs. In other words, a PRS may be associated with or mapped to one or more DL-RSs. For example, at least one association type 205 may include a first association type between a PRS transmitted on resource k1 and a DL-RS transmitted on resource j1, and a second association type between a PRS transmitted on resource k1 and a DL-RS transmitted on resource j2.

[0070] Network device 190 receives 210 at least one association type 205 from access network device 111. In some embodiments, network device 190 may also receive one or more association type sets from one or more access network devices. For example, network device 190 may also receive from access network device 112 an association type set between a PRS set and a DL-RS set sent by access network device 112. Network device 190 may store the association type set corresponding to the access network device set.

[0071] Network device 190 sends 215 at least one association type 205 to terminal device 120. In some embodiments, when network device 190 receives association type sets from multiple access network devices, network device 190 may select one or more access network devices from the multiple access network devices for locating terminal device 120. Network device 190 may also send, to terminal device 120, an association type set corresponding to the selected access network device.

[0072] The terminal device 120 receives 220 at least one association type 205. The at least one association type 205 may be used for positioning of the terminal device 120.

[0073] When locating the terminal device 120, the access network device 111 sends 225 the PRS 230 in the PRS set to the terminal device 120. The terminal device 120 receives 235 the PRS 230. The terminal device 120 can measure or estimate the phase ( Figure 2 ) to determine the carrier phase measurement.

[0074] Additionally, before or after sending the PRS 230, the access network device 111 sends 240 one or more DL-RS 245 in the DL-RS set to the terminal device 120. The terminal device 120 receives 250 the one or more DL-RS 245. The terminal device 120 may determine the phase noise of the one or more DL-RS 245 using any suitable method without limiting the scope of the present disclosure in this regard.

[0075] It should be noted that one or more DL-RS 245 may also be sent for other purposes other than locating the terminal device 120. In other words, the phase noise of one or more DL-RS 245 may be reused for the purpose of locating the terminal device 120. In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may store the phase noise of one or more DL-RS 245 and retrieve it for reuse in locating the terminal device 120.

[0076] Based on the at least one association type 205 and by using information related to phase noise for one or more DL-RSs 245 , the terminal device 120 determines 255 a phase noise for the PRS 230 .

[0077] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may determine 255 the phase noise of the PRS 230 by using one or more models corresponding to one or more association types between the PRS 230 and one or more DL-RSs 245. Each model may correspond to an association type and may be configured to determine the phase noise for the PRS based on the phase noise of the DL-RS(s).

[0078] In some embodiments, the model may be sent from network device 190. Network device 190 may send one or more models corresponding to at least one association type 205 to terminal device 120.

[0079] In some embodiments, the model may be configured to determine the phase noise for the PRS by using the DL-RS phase noise based on one or more frequency similarities between the resources of the PRS and the resources of the DL-RS(s).

[0080] Alternatively or additionally, the model may be configured to determine the phase noise for the PRS by using the DL-RS phase noise based on one or more bandwidth similarities between the resources of the PRS and the resources of the DL-RS(s).

[0081] For example, if PRS and DL-RS are transmitted on the same carrier and resources in the same bandwidth, the phase noise of the PRS may be determined to be similar or identical to the phase noise of the DL-RS.The model may assign different weights to different frequency similarities and / or bandwidth similarities.

[0082] In some embodiments, the model may include a first model corresponding to a first type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on a resource set in the same carrier and the same bandwidth. The first model may be configured to determine the phase noise of the (multiple) corresponding DL-RS as the phase noise of the (multiple) PRS.

[0083] Alternatively or additionally, the model may include a second model corresponding to a second type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in the same carrier and different bandwidths. The second model may be configured to determine the phase noise of the PRS(s) by reconstructing the phase noise of the corresponding DL-RS(s).

[0084] Alternatively or additionally, the model may include a third model corresponding to a third type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on different carriers and resource sets in the same bandwidth. The third model may be configured to determine the phase noise of the PRS(s) based on the phase noise of the corresponding DL-RS(s) by assigning higher importance or higher weight to the phase noise obtained on the DL-RS that is closer in frequency to the target PRS (e.g., PRS230).

[0085] Alternatively or additionally, the model may include a fourth model corresponding to a fourth type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in different carriers and different bandwidths. The fourth model may be configured to determine the phase noise of (multiple) PRSs based on the phase noise of the corresponding DL-RS by assigning higher importance or higher weight to the phase noise obtained on the DL-RS that is closer in frequency to the target PRS and has a bandwidth similar to the target PRS.

[0086] In some embodiments, if the one or more DL-RSs 245 include only one DL-RS (referred to as the target DL-RS), the terminal device 120 may determine the phase noise of the 255 PRS 230 by applying a model associated with the association type to the phase noise for the target DL-RS. The model may be, for example, the first model, the second model, the third model, or the fourth model as discussed above.

[0087] In some embodiments, if the one or more DL-RSs 245 include multiple DL-RSs, the terminal device 120 may determine the phase noise for the PRS 230 based on the classification of the multiple DL-RSs.

[0088] Figure 3 An example of a process of classifying phase noise of multiple DL-RSs according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. At block 310, the terminal device 120 may collect phase noise of multiple DL-RSs. For example, the terminal device 120 may retrieve the phase noise of multiple DL-RSs from a memory.

[0089] At block 320, the terminal device 120 may classify the phase noise for the plurality of DL-RSs into one or more phase noise subsets based on one or more association types between the PRS 230 and the plurality of DL-RSs. In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may classify the phase noise of the plurality of DL-RSs based on a comparison between resources of the PRS 230 and resources of the plurality of DL-RSs.

[0090] As an example, the phase noise of multiple DL-RSs may be classified into a first subset, a second subset, a third subset, and a fourth subset, each corresponding to the first type, the second type, the third type, or the fourth type as discussed above. As another example, the phase noise of multiple DL-RSs may be classified into only one or more types.

[0091] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may sequentially apply one or more corresponding models to process one or more phase noise subsets of multiple DL-RSs. The order of applying the models may be determined based on the association type corresponding to the model.

[0092] For example, phase noise corresponding to a first type (wherein a PRS set and a DL-RS set are transmitted on a resource set in the same carrier and the same bandwidth) may be determined to be more important than phase noise corresponding to a second type (wherein a PRS set and a DL-RS set are transmitted on a resource set in the same carrier and different bandwidths). Thus, the first model may be applied before the second model.

[0093] For example, Figure 3 As shown in , terminal device 120 may apply a first model to a first subset of phase noise to determine a first intermediate estimate 341 of phase noise for PRS 230. Terminal device 120 may apply a second model to a second subset of phase noise and the first intermediate estimate 341 of phase noise to determine a second intermediate estimate 342 of phase noise for PRS 230. Terminal device 120 may apply a third model to a third subset of phase noise, the first intermediate estimate 341 and the second intermediate estimate 342 of phase noise to determine a third intermediate estimate 343 of phase noise for PRS 230.

[0094] At block 350, terminal device 120 may determine the phase noise for PRS 230 based on one or more intermediate estimates of the phase noise of PRS 230. For example, terminal device 120 may determine third intermediate estimate 343 as the phase noise of PRS 230. As another example, terminal device 120 may determine the phase noise for PRS 230 by combining first intermediate estimate 341, second intermediate estimate 342, and third intermediate estimate 343 of the phase noise in a suitable manner.

[0095] Return to reference Figure 2 In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may receive 235 the PRS 230 via one or more carriers of the access network device 111. For example, the access network device 111 may send the PRS 230 on a first carrier and a second carrier, and the terminal device 120 may combine the PRS 230 on the two carriers to achieve higher accuracy of TOA estimation.

[0096] In this case, the terminal device 120 may determine, for each of the one or more carriers, a phase noise for the PRS 230. The at least one association type 205 may include a first association type set between the PRS 230 transmitted in the first carrier and the one or more DL-RSs 245, and a second association type set between the PRS 230 transmitted in the second carrier and the one or more DL-RSs 245. The terminal device 120 may determine the phase noise of the PRS transmitted in the first carrier based on the first association type set, and determine the phase noise of the PRS transmitted in the second carrier based on the second association type set.

[0097] In some embodiments, based on the determined phase noise of PRS 230, terminal device 120 may determine a corrected phase for PRS 230. For example, terminal device 120 may subtract the determined phase noise from the measured phase to determine the corrected phase for PRS 230. Terminal device 120 may determine a carrier phase measurement based on the corrected phase of PRS 230 and report the carrier phase measurement to network device 190 for positioning of terminal device 120. Terminal device 120 may report the carrier phase measurement to network device 190.

[0098] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may also report one or more prediction types used to determine the phase noise for the PRS 230. The one or more prediction types may correspond to one or more association types between the PRS 230 and one or more DL-RSs 245. For example, the prediction type may indicate which model is applied and / or which DL-RS's phase noise is used to determine the phase noise for the PRS 230.

[0099] In this way, through process 200, the phase noise of the DL-RS can be repeatedly used to determine the phase noise for the PRS. In addition, using the type of association between the PRS and the DL-RS, the phase noise for the PRS can be determined for each carrier. Therefore, carrier-dependent phase distortion in the measured phase can be compensated, and PRS received through multiple carriers can be more accurately combined. Therefore, the accuracy of CA positioning using carrier phase measurement can be optimized.

[0100] Figure 4 Another example of a process 400 for phase noise determination for positioning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. It is worth noting that the process 400 can be considered as a more specific example of the process 200. It will be appreciated that the process 400 can be applied to Figure 1 The communication system 100 and any other similar communication scenarios.

[0101] like Figure 4 As shown in , access network device 111 may send 401 a first set of association types 405 to network device 190. Network device 190 may receive 410 the first set of association types 405. The first set of association types 405 may be specific to access network device 111 and indicate an association or mapping of a PRS set and a DL-RS set sent by access network device 111.

[0102] Access network device 112 may send 415 a second set of association types 420 to network device 190. Network device 190 may receive 425 second set of association types 420. Second set of association types 420 may be specific to access network device 112 and indicate an association or mapping of a PRS set and a DL-RS set sent by access network device 112.

[0103] The access network device 111 may send 430 a DL-RS 435 to the terminal device 120 before or after sending 401 the first set of association types 405. The terminal device 120 may receive 440 one or more DL-RS 435. The terminal device 120 may determine 450 phase noise of the one or more DL-RS 435 using any suitable method.

[0104] Network device 190 may select 455 access network device 111 from access network devices 111 and 112 as a target network device for locating terminal device 120. Network device 190 may send a first set of association types 405 corresponding to the target network device to terminal device 120. Network device 190 may also send 460 one or more models 465 corresponding to first set of association types 405 to terminal device 120. Terminal device 120 may receive 470 one or more models 465.

[0105] The access network device 111 may send 475 the PRS 480 to the terminal device 120. The terminal device 120 may receive 485 the PRS 480. The terminal device 120 may determine 488 the phase noise for the PRS 480 by using information related to the phase noise for the one or more DL-RSs 435. The information may include one or more models corresponding to one or more association types between the PRS 480 and the one or more DL-RSs 435.

[0106] Terminal device 120 may determine 489 a CP measurement based on the determined phase noise of PRS 480. Terminal device 120 may send 490 the CP measurement 495 to network device 190. Network device 190 may receive 498 the CP measurement 495 and perform positioning of terminal device 120. Terminal device 120 may also send one or more prediction types and / or timestamps to network device 190 for determining confidence in the position determination.

[0107] Figure 5 FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing an example method 500 implemented at a terminal device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 500 is described from the perspective of the terminal device 120 .

[0108] At block 510, the terminal device 120 receives from the network device at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from an access network device. At block 520, the terminal device 120 determines the phase noise for the PRS in the PRS set based on the at least one association type using information related to the phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0109] In some embodiments, the at least one association type includes at least one of: a first type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in the same carrier and the same bandwidth; a second type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in the same carrier and different bandwidths; a third type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in different carriers and the same bandwidth; or a fourth type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in different carriers and different bandwidths.

[0110] In some embodiments, the one or more DL-RSs include a DL-RS, and when determining the phase noise for the PRS, the terminal device 120 may determine the phase noise for the PRS by applying a model associated with the association type to the phase noise for the DL-RS. The model may be included in the information related to the phase noise for the one or more DL-RSs.

[0111] In some embodiments, the model is configured to determine the phase noise for the PRS by using the phase noise of the DL-RS based on at least one of the following: frequency similarity between resources used for the DL-RS and resources used for the PRS, or bandwidth similarity between resources used for the DL-RS and resources used for the PRS, where the resources are identified by a combination of a carrier and bandwidth used to send the DL-RS or PRS.

[0112] In some embodiments, the one or more DL-RSs include multiple DL-RSs, and when determining the phase noise for the PRS, the terminal device 120 may classify the phase noise for the multiple DL-RSs into one or more phase noise subsets based on one or more association types between the PRS and the multiple DL-RSs; determine one or more intermediate estimates of the phase noise for the PRS based on the one or more phase noise subsets and the one or more association types; and determine the phase noise for the PRS based on the one or more intermediate estimates of the phase noise of the PRS.

[0113] In some embodiments, the PRS is received over one or more carriers of the access network device, and when determining the phase noise for the PRS, the terminal device 120 may determine the phase noise for the PRS for each of the one or more carriers.

[0114] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may also determine a corrected phase for the PRS based on the phase noise of the PRS; determine a carrier phase measurement based on the corrected phase of the PRS; and report the carrier phase measurement.

[0115] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may also report one or more of the following: one or more prediction types for determining phase noise for the PRS, the one or more prediction types corresponding to one or more association types between the PRS and one or more DL-RSs; and one or more timestamps of the one or more DL-RSs, wherein the timestamp in the one or more timestamps is represented by at least one of a subframe index or an absolute time value.

[0116] In some embodiments, the DL-RS set includes one or more of: a phase tracking reference signal PTRS set, or a synchronization signal block SSB set.

[0117] In some embodiments, the terminal device 120 may also receive the model from the network device; and send the carrier phase measurement based on the phase noise of the PRS to the network device.

[0118] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing an example method 600 implemented at a network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to Figure 1 Method 600 is described from the perspective of network device 190 .

[0119] At block 610, the network device 190 receives from the access network device at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from the access network device. At block 620, the network device 190 sends the at least one association type to the terminal device, the terminal device being configured to determine the phase noise for the PRS in the PRS set using information related to the phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set based on the at least one association type.

[0120] In some embodiments, the access network device is a first access network device, and at least one association type is a first association type set. At this time, the network device 190 may also: receive from the second access network device a second association type set between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from the second access network device; and select the first access network device from the first access network device and the second access network device as a target network device for positioning the terminal device.

[0121] In some embodiments, the network device 190 may also send one or more models corresponding to one or more association types between the PRS and one or more DL-RSs to the terminal device, the one or more models being included in the information related to the phase noise for the one or more DL-RSs.

[0122] In some embodiments, network device 190 may also receive carrier phase measurements determined based on phase noise of the PRS from a terminal device.

[0123] In some embodiments, the network device 190 may also receive one or more of the following from the terminal device: one or more prediction types for determining phase noise for the PRS, the one or more prediction types corresponding to one or more association types between the PRS and one or more DL-RSs; and one or more timestamps for the one or more DL-RSs, wherein the timestamp in the one or more timestamps is represented by at least one of a subframe index or an absolute time value.

[0124] In some embodiments, at least one association type includes at least one of: a first type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in the same carrier and the same bandwidth; a second type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in the same carrier and different bandwidths; a third type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in different carriers and the same bandwidth; or a fourth type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in different carriers and different bandwidths.

[0125] In some embodiments, the DL-RS set includes one or more of: a phase tracking reference signal PTRS set, or a synchronization signal block SSB set.

[0126] Figure 7 FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an example method 700 implemented at an access network device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to Figure 1 The method 700 is described from the perspective of the access network device 111 .

[0127] At block 710, the access network device 111 sends at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set sent by the access network device and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set to the network device. At block 720, the access network device 111 sends one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set to the terminal device. At block 730, the access network device 111 sends the PRS in the PRS set to the terminal device for positioning of the terminal device.

[0128] In some embodiments, at least one association type includes at least one of: a first type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in the same carrier and the same bandwidth; a second type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in the same carrier and different bandwidths; a third type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in different carriers and the same bandwidth; or a fourth type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in different carriers and different bandwidths.

[0129] In some embodiments, the DL-RS set includes one or more of: a phase tracking reference signal PTRS set, or a synchronization signal block SSB set.

[0130] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 500 (eg, terminal device 120) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of the method 500. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented in a circuit or a software module.

[0131] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for receiving at a terminal device and from a network device at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set from an access network device and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set; and a component for determining at the terminal device a phase noise for a PRS in the PRS set based on at least one association type using information related to a phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0132] In some embodiments, at least one association type includes at least one of: a first type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in the same carrier and the same bandwidth; a second type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in the same carrier and different bandwidths; a third type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in different carriers and the same bandwidth; or a fourth type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in different carriers and different bandwidths.

[0133] In some embodiments, the model is configured to determine the phase noise for the PRS by using the phase noise of the DL-RS based on at least one of the following: frequency similarity between the resources used for the DL-RS and the resources used for the PRS, or bandwidth similarity between the resources used for the DL-RS and the resources used for the PRS. The resources can be identified by a combination of a carrier and a bandwidth used to send the DL-RS or the PRS.

[0134] In some embodiments, the one or more DL-RSs include a DL-RS, and the component for determining the phase noise for the PRS may include a component for determining the phase noise for the PRS by applying a model associated with the association type to the phase noise for the DL-RS, the model being included in the information related to the phase noise for the one or more DL-RSs.

[0135] In some embodiments, the one or more DL-RSs include multiple DL-RSs, and the component for determining the phase noise for the PRS may include: a component for classifying the phase noise for the multiple DL-RSs into one or more phase noise subsets based on one or more association types between the PRS and the multiple DL-RSs; a component for determining one or more intermediate estimates of the phase noise for the PRS based on the one or more phase noise subsets and the one or more association types; and a component for determining the phase noise for the PRS based on the one or more intermediate estimates of the phase noise of the PRS.

[0136] In some embodiments, the PRS is received via one or more carriers of the access network device, and the means for determining the phase noise for the PRS may include means for determining the phase noise for the PRS for each of the one or more carriers.

[0137] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include: means for determining a corrected phase for the PRS based on phase noise of the PRS; means for determining a carrier phase measurement based on the corrected phase of the PRS; and means for reporting the carrier phase measurement.

[0138] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include a component for reporting one or more of: one or more prediction types for determining phase noise for a PRS, the one or more prediction types corresponding to one or more association types between the PRS and one or more DL-RSs; and one or more timestamps for the one or more DL-RSs, wherein the timestamp of the one or more timestamps is represented by at least one of a subframe index or an absolute time value.

[0139] In some embodiments, the apparatus may further include means for receiving the model from a network device; and sending a carrier phase measurement of the PRS-based phase noise to the network device.

[0140] In some embodiments, the DL-RS set includes one or more of: a phase tracking reference signal PTRS set, or a synchronization signal block SSB set.

[0141] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 500. In some embodiments, the means comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause execution of the apparatus.

[0142] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 600 (e.g., network device 190) may include components for performing the corresponding steps of the method 600. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented as circuits or software modules.

[0143] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for receiving at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from an access network device; and a component for sending at least one association type to a terminal device, the terminal device being configured to determine the phase noise for the PRS in the PRS set based on the at least one association type using information related to the phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

[0144] In some embodiments, the access network device is a first access network device, and at least one association type is a first association type set. In this case, the apparatus may include: a component for receiving, from a second access network device, a second association type set between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from a second access network device; and a component for selecting the first access network device from the first access network device and the second access network device as a target network device for positioning the terminal device.

[0145] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include a component for sending one or more models corresponding to one or more association types between the PRS and one or more DL-RSs to the terminal device, the one or more models being included in the information related to phase noise for the one or more DL-RSs.

[0146] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include means for receiving a carrier phase measurement determined based on a phase noise of the PRS from a terminal device.

[0147] In some embodiments, the apparatus may include a component for receiving one or more of the following from a terminal device: one or more prediction types for determining phase noise for a PRS, the one or more prediction types corresponding to one or more association types between the PRS and one or more DL-RSs; or one or more timestamps of one or more DL-RSs, wherein the timestamp of the one or more timestamps is represented by at least one of a subframe index or an absolute time value.

[0148] In some embodiments, at least one association type includes at least one of: a first type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in the same carrier and the same bandwidth, a second type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in the same carrier and different bandwidths, a third type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in different carriers and the same bandwidth, or a fourth type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in different carriers and different bandwidths.

[0149] In some embodiments, the DL-RS set includes one or more of: a phase tracking reference signal PTRS set, or a synchronization signal block SSB set.

[0150] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 600. In some embodiments, the means comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause execution of the apparatus.

[0151] In some embodiments, an apparatus capable of performing any of the methods 700 (e.g., access network device 111) may include components for performing corresponding steps of the method 700. The components may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the components may be implemented as circuits or software modules.

[0152] In some embodiments, the apparatus includes: a component for sending at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set sent by an access network device and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set to a network device; a component for sending one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set to a terminal device; and a component for sending a PRS in the PRS set to a terminal device for positioning of the terminal device.

[0153] In some embodiments, at least one association type includes at least one of: a first type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in the same carrier and the same bandwidth, a second type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in the same carrier and different bandwidths, a third type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in different carriers and the same bandwidth, or a fourth type, in which the PRS set and the DL-RS set are sent on resource sets in different carriers and different bandwidths.

[0154] In some embodiments, the DL-RS set includes one or more of: a phase tracking reference signal PTRS set, or a synchronization signal block SSB set.

[0155] In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for performing other steps in some embodiments of method 700. In some embodiments, the means comprises: at least one processor; and at least one memory comprising computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause execution of the apparatus.

[0156] Figure 8 800 is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 800 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The terminal device 120, access network device 111 or network device 190 shown in FIG. As shown in the figure, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 840 coupled to the processor 810, and one or more communication modules 840 coupled to the processor 810.

[0157] The communication module 840 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 840 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary to communicate with other network elements.

[0158] Processor 810 can be of any type suitable for the local technology network, and can include, as non-limiting examples, one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. Device 800 can have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time-slave to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0159] The memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 824, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that do not persist during power outages.

[0160] The computer program 830 includes computer executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 810. The program 830 may be stored in the ROM 824. The processor 810 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 830 into the RAM 822.

[0161] The embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 830, so that the device 800 may execute the Figures 2 to 7 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. The embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0162] In some embodiments, the program 830 may be tangibly contained in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 800 (such as in the memory 820) or in other storage devices accessible to the device 800. The device 800 may load the program 830 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 822 for execution. The computer-readable medium may include any type of tangible non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. Fig. 9 An example of a computer readable medium 900 in the form of a CD or DVD is shown. The computer readable medium has a program 830 stored thereon.

[0163] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in the form of firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described in block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0164] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as instructions included in a program module, which are executed in a device on a target real or virtual processor to perform the above-referenced Figures 2 to 7 The described methods 500, 600 or 700. Typically, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. The functions of program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed in various embodiments. The machine executable instructions of program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in both local and remote storage media.

[0165] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes can be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, enables the function / operation specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be realized. The program code can be executed completely on the machine, partially on the machine, executed as an independent software package, partially on the machine, partially on a remote machine, or completely on a remote machine or server.

[0166] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0167] Computer readable media can be computer readable signal media or computer readable storage media. Computer readable media can include, but are not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared or semiconductor systems, devices or equipment, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media include electrical connections with one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memories (RAM), read-only memories (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memories (EPROM or flash memory), optical fibers, portable compact disk read-only memories (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. As used herein, the term "non-transient" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), rather than a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0168] In addition, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these details should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments.

[0169] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological acts, it should be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A terminal device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the terminal device to at least: receiving, from the network device, at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from an access network device; as well as Based on the at least one association type, phase noise for PRSs in the PRS set is determined using information related to phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

2. The terminal device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one association type comprises at least one of the following: A first type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on a resource set in the same carrier and the same bandwidth; A second type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in the same carrier and different bandwidths; A third type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in different carriers and the same bandwidth; or A fourth type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in different carriers and different bandwidths.

3. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the one or more DL-RSs comprise a DL-RS, and wherein the terminal device is caused to determine the phase noise for the PRS by: The phase noise for the PRS is determined by applying a model associated with the association type to the phase noise for the DL-RS, the model being included in the information related to the phase noise for the one or more DL-RSs.

4. The terminal device according to claim 3, wherein the model is configured to determine the phase noise for the PRS by using the phase noise for the DL-RS based on at least one of the following: frequency similarity between the resources used for the DL-RS and the resources used for the PRS, or bandwidth similarity between resources used for the DL-RS and resources used for the PRS, The resource is identified by a combination of a carrier and a bandwidth used to transmit the DL-RS or the PRS.

5. The terminal device of claim 2, wherein the one or more DL-RSs comprise a plurality of DL-RSs, and wherein the terminal device is caused to determine the phase noise for the PRS by: classifying phase noise for the plurality of DL-RSs into one or more phase noise subsets based on one or more association types between the PRS and the plurality of DL-RSs; determining one or more intermediate estimates of the phase noise for the PRS based on the one or more phase noise subsets and the one or more correlation types; and The phase noise for the PRS is determined based on the one or more intermediate estimates of the phase noise for the PRS.

6. The terminal device of claim 3, wherein the PRS is received via one or more carriers of the access network device, and wherein the terminal device is caused to determine the phase noise for the PRS by: Phase noise for the PRS is determined for each of the one or more carriers.

7. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: determining a corrected phase of the PRS based on the phase noise for the PRS; determining a carrier phase measurement based on the corrected phase of the PRS; and The carrier phase measurement is reported.

8. The terminal device of claim 7, wherein the terminal device is further caused to report one or more of the following: for determining one or more prediction types of the phase noise for the PRS, the one or more prediction types corresponding to one or more association types between the PRS and the one or more DL-RSs; or One or more timestamps of the one or more DL-RSs, wherein the timestamps of the one or more timestamps are represented by at least one of a subframe index or an absolute time value.

9. The terminal device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the DL-RS set comprises one or more of the following: Phase Tracking Reference Signal PTRS set, or Synchronization signal block SSB set.

10. The terminal device according to any one of claims 3 to 9, wherein the terminal device is further configured to: receiving the model from the network device; and A carrier phase measurement based on the phase noise for the PRS is sent to the network device.

11. A network access device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the access network device to at least: Sending to a network device at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set sent by the access network device; Sending one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set to a terminal device; as well as A PRS in the PRS set is sent to the terminal device for use in positioning the terminal device.

12. The access network device according to claim 11, wherein the at least one association type comprises at least one of the following: A first type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on a resource set in the same carrier and the same bandwidth; A second type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in the same carrier and different bandwidths; A third type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in different carriers and the same bandwidth; or A fourth type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in different carriers and different bandwidths.

13. The access network device according to any one of claims 11 to 12, wherein the DL-RS set comprises one or more of the following: Phase Tracking Reference Signal PTRS set, or Synchronization signal block SSB set.

14. A network device comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network device to at least: receiving, from an access network device, at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from the access network device; as well as The at least one association type is sent to a terminal device, and the terminal device is configured to determine the phase noise for the PRS in the PRS set based on the at least one association type using information related to the phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

15. The network device of claim 14, wherein the access network device is a first access network device, and the at least one association type is a first association type set, and wherein the network device is further caused to: receiving, from a second access network device, a second set of association types between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set from the second access network device; and The first access network device is selected from the first access network device and the second access network device as a target network device for positioning the terminal device.

16. The network device according to any one of claims 14 to 15, wherein the network device is further caused to: One or more models corresponding to one or more association types between the PRS and the one or more DL-RSs are sent to the terminal device, the one or more models being included in the information related to the phase noise for the one or more DL-RSs.

17. The network device according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the network device is further caused to: A carrier phase measurement determined based on the phase noise for the PRS is received from the terminal device.

18. The network device according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the network device is further caused to receive one or more of the following from the terminal device: for determining one or more prediction types of the phase noise for the PRS, the one or more prediction types corresponding to one or more association types between the PRS and the one or more DL-RSs; or One or more timestamps of the one or more DL-RSs, wherein a timestamp in the one or more timestamps is represented by at least one of a subframe index or an absolute time value.

19. The network device according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein the at least one association type comprises at least one of the following: A first type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on a resource set in the same carrier and the same bandwidth, The second type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in the same carrier and different bandwidths, A third type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in different carriers and the same bandwidth, or A fourth type, wherein the PRS set and the DL-RS set are transmitted on resource sets in different carriers and different bandwidths.

20. The network device according to any one of claims 14 to 19, wherein the DL-RS set comprises one or more of the following: Phase Tracking Reference Signal PTRS set, or Synchronization signal block SSB set.

21. A method comprising: receiving, at the terminal device and from the network device, at least one association type between a positioning reference signal (PRS) set from an access network device and a downlink reference signal (DL-RS) set; as well as At the terminal device and based on the at least one association type, phase noise for a PRS in the PRS set is determined using information related to phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

22. A method comprising: Sending, at an access network device and to a network device, at least one association type between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set sent by the access network device; At the access network device, sending one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set to a terminal device; as well as At the access network device, a PRS in the PRS set is sent to the terminal device for use in positioning the terminal device.

23. A method comprising: receiving, at a network device and from an access network device, at least one association type between a set of positioning reference signals (PRS) from the access network device and a set of downlink reference signals (DL-RS); as well as At the network device, the at least one association type is sent to a terminal device, and the terminal device is configured to determine the phase noise for the PRS in the PRS set based on the at least one association type using information related to the phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

24. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, at the terminal device and from the network device, at least one type of association between a set of positioning reference signals PRS from an access network device and a set of downlink reference signals DL-RS; as well as Means for determining, at the terminal device and based on the at least one association type, phase noise of the PRSs in the PRS set using information related to phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

25. An apparatus comprising: means for sending, at an access network device and to a network device, at least one type of association between a positioning reference signal PRS set and a downlink reference signal DL-RS set sent by the access network device; A component for sending one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set to a terminal device at the access network device; as well as Means for sending, at the access network device, a PRS in the PRS set to the terminal device for use in positioning of the terminal device.

26. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, at a network device and from an access network device, at least one type of association between a set of positioning reference signals (PRS) from the access network device and a set of downlink reference signals (DL-RS); as well as A component for sending the at least one association type to a terminal device at the network device, the terminal device being configured to determine the phase noise for the PRS in the PRS set based on the at least one association type using information related to the phase noise for one or more DL-RSs in the DL-RS set.

27. A computer-readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to at least perform the method according to any one of claims 21 to 23.

Images