Method and apparatus for supporting data collection

Abstract

Various aspects of this disclosure relate to a method and apparatus for supporting data collection. An exemplary method performed by a UE includes: receiving a PRS based on configuration information associated with PRS reception; reporting channel-related information based on at least one PRS received at a PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof; and reporting location-related information, wherein the location-related information includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on the at least one PRS, RTT information based on the at least one PRS, RSRP information based on the at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on the at least one PRS, or any combination thereof; wherein the channel-related information is associated with the location-related information based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with the location-related information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to wireless communications, and more specifically, to technologies that support data collection (e.g., for location purposes). Background Technology

[0002] A wireless communication system may include one or more network communication devices, such as base stations, which can support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices, which may also be referred to as user equipment (UE) or other suitable terms. The wireless communication system can support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices by utilizing the resources of the wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers, etc.)). Furthermore, the wireless communication system can support wireless communication across various radio access technologies, including third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), fifth-generation (5G), and other suitable radio access technologies above 5G (e.g., sixth-generation (6G)). Summary of the Invention

[0003] The article “a(a)” preceding an element is not limited and should be understood to mean “at least one” or “one or more” of those elements. The terms “a,” “at least one,” “one or more,” and “at least one of one or more” are interchangeable. As used herein (included in the claims), “or” as used in a list of items (for example, a list of items followed by phrases such as “at least one of…” or “one or more of…” or “one or both of…”) indicates a list of inclusion, such that (for example) a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should not be construed as a reference to a set of closed conditions. For example, an exemplary step described as “based on condition A” could be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of this disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase “at least partially based on.” Furthermore, as used herein (included in the claims), a “set” may contain one or more elements.

[0004] Some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein may further include a UE for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured such that the UE: receives a Position Reference Signal (PRS) based on configuration information associated with the reception of a Position Reference Signal (PRS); reports channel-related information based on at least one PRS received at a PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof; and reports location-related information, wherein the location-related information includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on the at least one PRS, round-trip time (RTT) information based on the at least one PRS, reference signal received power (RSRP) information based on the at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on the at least one PRS, or any combination thereof; wherein the channel-related information is associated with the location-related information based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with the location-related information.

[0005] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: report the channel-related information based on the received indication information rather than periodically, after a first duration between receiving indication information and reporting the channel-related information, wherein the first duration is configured or predefined.

[0006] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the configuration information associated with PRS reception is included in the indication information, and a second duration exists between the receipt of the indication information and the PRS reception, wherein the second duration is configured or predefined.

[0007] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: determine a time instance of a PRS timing associated with the PRS reception as the first time instance when the first duration is greater than a first threshold and the second duration is greater than a second threshold; otherwise, determine a time instance of a PRS timing prior to receiving the indication information as the first time instance.

[0008] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the first time instance is a start time instance, end time instance, or intermediate time instance of the PRS timing.

[0009] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: periodically receive the PRS based on the configuration information associated with PRS reception; and periodically report the channel-related information based on at least one PRS received at an associated PRS time.

[0010] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, where the periodicity of the PRS is less than the periodicity of reporting the channel-related information, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: for each report of the channel-related information, determine one of a plurality of PRS times as the associated PRS time to determine the channel-related information.

[0011] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the plurality of PRS timings are earlier than the reporting of the channel-related information, and the time-domain duration between each of the plurality of PRS timings and the reporting of the channel-related information is greater than a predefined or configured threshold.

[0012] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: determine the latest PRS timing among the plurality of PRS timings as the associated PRS timing.

[0013] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the starting position of the plurality of PRS timings for each report of the channel-related information is after the associated PRS timing for the most recent previously reported channel-related information, and the ending position of the plurality of PRS timings is earlier than the reporting of the channel-related information by a predefined or configured threshold.

[0014] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the multiple PRS timings are positioned after a configured time-domain position for each report of the channel-related information.

[0015] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the configured time-domain position is periodic.

[0016] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the associated PRS timing is configured or predefined as the first PRS timing, intermediate PRS timing, or last PRS timing among the plurality of PRS timings.

[0017] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the starting position is in units of ms, time slots, symbols, or PRS periodicity.

[0018] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to report timing-related information of the associated PRS timing, wherein the timing-related information is a start time instance, end time instance, or intermediate time instance of the PRS timing.

[0019] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the location-related information includes the location information, a time instance associated with the location information, speed information, and a timer associated with the validity of the location-related information.

[0020] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the location-related information includes Doppler information associated with multiple PRS resources or multiple transmit-receive points (TRPs).

[0021] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: receive a configured time instance; and report location-related information containing location information corresponding to the configured time instance.

[0022] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the location information is relative to a global coordinate system or relative to previous location information.

[0023] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, each of the configured time instances is a time slot index, a symbol index, Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) time, or a PRS timing index.

[0024] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: jointly report the channel-related information and the location-related information associated with the same time instance.

[0025] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to enable the UE to determine a quality indicator associated with the location-related information.

[0026] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to determine the quality indicator based on the type of the UE's receiver.

[0027] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to determine the quality indicator based on the confidence level of the reported location information.

[0028] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to determine the quality indicator based on a reporting metric associated with the positioning method employed.

[0029] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to enable the UE to determine the quality indicator based on the positioning method employed.

[0030] In some implementations of the methods and devices described herein, the positioning methods employed are based on Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), RTT, RSRP, Reference Signal Received Power per Path (RSRPP), Reference Signal Carrier Phase (RSCP), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), sensing, or Bluetooth.

[0031] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to determine the quality indicator based on the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), RSRP, reference signal reception quality (RSRQ), or channel state information (CSI), or any combination thereof, wherein the SINR, RSRP, RSRQ, or CSI, or any combination thereof, is measured based on the at least one PRS.

[0032] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to enable the UE to determine the quality indicator based on the number of PRS ports, the time-domain density of the PRS, or the frequency-domain density of the PRS.

[0033] In some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein, the quality indicator is associated with a timer, and the quality indicator is valid during the timer.

[0034] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to report the first time instance and the second time instance.

[0035] Some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein may further include a processor for wireless communication, comprising: at least one controller coupled to at least one memory and configured such that the at least one processor: receives a PRS based on configuration information associated with PRS reception; reports channel-related information based on at least one PRS received at a PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof; and reports location-related information, wherein the location-related information includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on the at least one PRS, RTT information based on the at least one PRS, RSRP information based on the at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on the at least one PRS, or any combination thereof; wherein the channel-related information is associated with the location-related information based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with the location-related information.

[0036] Some embodiments of the methods and apparatus described herein may further include a network equipment (NE) for wireless communication, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured such that the NE: transmits a PRS based on configuration information associated with PRS reception; receives a report of channel-related information based on at least one PRS received at a PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof; and receives a report of location-related information, wherein the location-related information includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on the at least one PRS, RTT information based on the at least one PRS, RSRP information based on the at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on the at least one PRS, or any combination thereof; wherein the channel-related information is associated with the location-related information based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with the location-related information.

[0037] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may further include a method performed by a UE, comprising: receiving a PRS based on configuration information associated with PRS reception; reporting channel-related information based on at least one PRS received at a PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof; and reporting location-related information, wherein the location-related information includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on the at least one PRS, RTT information based on the at least one PRS, RSRP information based on the at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on the at least one PRS, or any combination thereof; wherein the channel-related information is associated with the location-related information based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with the location-related information. Attached Figure Description

[0038] Figure 1 Illustrated examples of wireless communication systems according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0039] Figure 2 The illustration provides an example of situation 2b according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0040] Figure 3 The diagram illustrates an exemplary scenario of non-periodic reporting of channel-related information according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0041] Figure 4 The diagram illustrates another exemplary scenario of non-periodic reporting of channel-related information according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0042] Figure 5 The illustration shows an example of identifying a related PRS timing from multiple PRS timings according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0043] Figure 6 Illustrated examples of UEs based on various aspects of this disclosure.

[0044] Figure 7 Illustrated examples of processors according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0045] Figure 8 Illustrated examples of NEs according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0046] Figure 9 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by a UE according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0047] Figure 10 The diagram illustrates a flowchart of a method performed by an NE according to various aspects of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0048] Regarding data collection for AI-based (or AI / Machine Learning (ML)) location services, at least the following data information with potential canonical impact should be identified: 1) live tags; 2) measurements (corresponding to model inputs); 3) quality indicators used and / or associated with live tags and / or measurements; 4) at least a reference signal (RS) configuration used to derive the measurements; and 5) at least a timestamp used and / or associated with the collected data. Therefore, legacy location technologies should be improved to accommodate AI / ML-based location services, addressing issues related to timestamps and quality indicators associated with live tags and measurements, such as how to associate live tags and measurements with the same timestamp and how to determine and report quality indicators.

[0049] In view of at least the aforementioned technical problems, various aspects of this disclosure provide technical solutions to support data collection, such as methods and devices for supporting data collection (e.g., for location).

[0050] For example, according to various aspects of this disclosure, an entity (e.g., an LMF) will transmit configuration information (or PRS configuration information, etc.) related to PRS reception to the UE, for example, directly or via a gNB, etc. For example, the configuration information related to PRS reception may include time-domain / frequency-domain resources (e.g., PRS timing) or RS (e.g., PRS identifier (ID)) or RS set (e.g., PRS set ID) for UE positioning measurements. The time-domain / frequency-domain resources (e.g., PRS timing) or RS (e.g., PRS ID) or RS set are periodic or aperiodic. The configuration information can be used to determine the real-time tag and / or report.

[0051] After receiving the configuration information related to PRS reception, the UE will receive the PRS based on the configuration information. The UE will collect data such as location-related data and report the collected data.

[0052] For example, the UE will determine and report channel-related information to the LMF based on at least one PRS received at the PRS timing. Exemplary channel-related information may include: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof, such as channel impulse response (CIR), power delay distribution (PDP), and / or delay distribution (DP).

[0053] The UE will also determine and report location-related information to the LMF. According to various aspects of this disclosure, in a scenario where the AI / ML model is trained at the LMF and assisted by the UE (e.g., based on downlink (DL) PRS measurements and / or reporting) (hereinafter referred to as scenario 2b), the real-world label (real-world) may be the UE location and / or UE measurement results based on legacy positioning methods (e.g., RSTD, RSRP, RSRPP, RSCP, etc.). Therefore, exemplary location-related information may be: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on at least one PRS, RTT information based on at least one PRS, RSRP information based on at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on at least one PRS, or any combination thereof.

[0054] Channel-related information and location-related information will be associated based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with location-related information, the channel-related information being determined based on the PRS timing. The first time instance and the second time instance can be a first timestamp and a second timestamp, respectively. Therefore, the network side (including the core network and gNB) or the UE side will determine (or pair, associate, or link, etc.) the channel-related information and location-related information associated with the same time instance for data collection.

[0055] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE transmits a first time instance to the network side by including it in the collected data (e.g., in channel-related information or separately from channel-related data), and the UE transmits a second time instance to the network side by including it in the collected data (e.g., in location-related information or separately from location-related information). For channel-related information and location-related information associated with the same time instance (e.g., the same timestamp), the network side associates (or maps, etc.) the channel-related information and the location-related information based on the first time instance and the second time instance. In some other embodiments of this disclosure, the network side configures channel-related information and corresponding location-related information to be reported together, such that the channel-related information and corresponding location-related information are associated with the same time instance (e.g., the same timestamp for the same PRS timing), and the UE transmits the channel-related information and location-related information associated with the same time instance to the network side together.

[0056] In summary, the technical solutions disclosed herein will improve existing positioning technologies, enhance the accuracy of AI / ML models used for positioning, and facilitate the implementation of AI / ML models for positioning. Furthermore, although the collected data (e.g., channel-related information and location-related information) is illustrated herein as being used for positioning, it may be used for other purposes in the future. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure should not be unduly limited to positioning.

[0057] Various aspects of this disclosure are described in the context of wireless communication systems.

[0058] Figure 1 The illustration depicts examples of a wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects of this disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more NEs 102, one or more UEs 104, and a core network (CN) 106. The wireless communication system 100 may support various radio access technologies. In some embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an LTE-A advanced network. In some other embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 may be an NR network, such as a 5G network, an 5G-A advanced network, or a 5G ultra-wideband (5G-UWB) network. In other embodiments, the wireless communication system 100 may be a combination of 4G and 5G networks, or other suitable radio access technologies, including IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20. The wireless communication system 100 may support radio access technologies beyond 5G, such as 6G. In addition, the wireless communication system 100 can support technologies such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).

[0059] One or more NEs 102 may be distributed throughout a geographic area to form a wireless communication system 100. One or more of the NEs 102 described herein may be, include, or be referred to as a network node, base station, network element, network function, network entity, RAN, NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terms. NEs 102 and UE 104 may communicate via a communication link, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, NEs 102 and UE 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receiving signaling, transmitting signaling) via a Uu interface.

[0060] NE 102 can provide a geographic coverage area, and NE 102 can support service to one or more UEs 104 within the geographic coverage area. For example, NE 102 and UE 104 can support wireless communication of signals related to services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, message sending and receiving, broadcasting, etc.) according to one or more radio access technologies. In some embodiments, NE 102 can be mobile, such as a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network (NTN). In some embodiments, different geographic coverage areas 112 associated with the same or different radio access technologies can overlap, but different geographic coverage areas can be associated with different NEs 102.

[0061] One or more UEs 104 may be distributed throughout the geographic area of ​​the wireless communication system 100. UE 104 may include or be referred to as a remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, remote device, subscriber device, transmitter device, receiver device, or some other suitable term. In some embodiments, UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, and other instances thereof. Additionally or alternatively, UE 104 may be referred to as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, and other instances thereof.

[0062] UE 104 may be able to support direct wireless communication with other UE 104 via a communication link. For example, UE 104 may support direct wireless communication with another UE 104 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular V2X deployments, the communication link 114 may be referred to as a sidelink. For example, UE 104 may support direct wireless communication with another UE 104 via a PC5 interface.

[0063] NE 102 may support communication with CN 106, another NE 102, or both. For example, NE 102 may interface with other NE 102 or CN 106 via one or more backhaul links (e.g., S1, N2, N2, or network interfaces). In some embodiments, NE 102 may communicate directly with each other. In other embodiments, NE 102 may communicate with each other or indirectly (e.g., via CN 106). In some embodiments, one or more NE 102 may include sub-components such as an access network entity, which may be an instance of an Access Node Controller (ANC). The ANC may communicate with one or more UE 104 via one or more other access network transport entities, which may be referred to as a radio headend, smart radio headend, or TRP.

[0064] CN 106 can support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. CN106 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include control plane entities that manage access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), access and mobility management functions (AMF)) and user plane entities that route packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)). In some implementations, the control plane entities may manage non-access plane (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signaling bearers, etc.) for one or more UEs 104 served by one or more NEs 102 associated with CN 106.

[0065] CN 106 may communicate with a packet data network via one or more backhaul links (e.g., via S1, N2, N2, or another network interface). The packet data network may contain an application server. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 may communicate with the application server. UE 104 may establish a session (e.g., a Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, etc.) with CN 106 via NE 102. CN 106 may use the established session (e.g., an established PDU session) to route services (e.g., control information, data, etc.) between UE 104 and the application server. A PDU session may be an instance of a logical connection between UE 104 and CN 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of CN 106).

[0066] In the wireless communication system 100, NE 102 and UE 104 can use the resources of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communication). In some embodiments, NE 102 and UE 104 can support different resource structures. For example, NE 102 and UE 104 can support different frame structures. In some embodiments, such as in 4G, NE 102 and UE 104 can support a single frame structure. In some other embodiments, such as in 5G and in other suitable radio access technologies, NE 102 and UE 104 can support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures). NE 102 and UE 104 can support various frame structures based on one or more parameter sets (numerologies).

[0067] The wireless communication system 100 may support one or more parameter sets, and the parameter sets may include subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefixes. A first parameter set (e.g., μ=0) may be associated with a first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. In some embodiments, the first parameter set (e.g., μ=0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may utilize one time slot per subframe. A second parameter set (e.g., μ=1) may be associated with a second subcarrier spacing (e.g., 30 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A third parameter set (e.g., μ=2) may be associated with a third subcarrier spacing (e.g., 60 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. A fourth parameter set (e.g., μ=3) may be associated with a fourth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 120 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. A fifth parameter set (e.g., μ=4) may be associated with a fifth subcarrier spacing (e.g., 240 kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix.

[0068] Time intervals for resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized according to frames (also referred to as radio frames). Each frame may have a duration, such as 10 milliseconds (ms). In some embodiments, each frame may contain multiple subframes. For example, each frame may contain 10 subframes, and each subframe may have a duration, such as 1 ms. In some embodiments, each frame may have the same duration. In some embodiments, each subframe of a frame may have the same duration.

[0069] Alternatively or concurrently, the time intervals of resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized according to time slots. For example, a subframe may contain a certain number (e.g., quantity) of time slots. The number of time slots in each subframe may also depend on one or more parameter sets supported in the wireless communication system 100. For example, a first parameter set, a second parameter set, a third parameter set, a fourth parameter set, and a fifth parameter set (i.e., μ=0, μ=1, μ=2, μ=3, μ=4) associated with corresponding subcarrier intervals of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz may utilize one time slot per subframe, two time slots per subframe, four time slots per subframe, eight time slots per subframe, and 16 time slots per subframe, respectively. Each time slot may contain a certain number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols). In some embodiments, the number (e.g., quantity) of time slots in a subframe may depend on the parameter set. For a normal cyclic prefix, a time slot may contain 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., applicable to a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing), a time slot may contain 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per time slot, the number of time slots per subframe, and the number of time slots per frame for both normal and extended cyclic prefixes may depend on the parameter set. It should be understood that a reference to the first parameter set (e.g., μ=0) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15 kHz) may be used interchangeably between subframes and time slots.

[0070] In the wireless communication system 100, the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum can be divided into various categories, frequency bands, channels, etc., based on frequency or wavelength. By way of example, the wireless communication system 100 can support one or more operating frequency bands, such as frequency ranges specified as FR1 (410 MHz to 7.125 GHz), FR2 (24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz), FR3 (7.125 GHz to 24.25 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz to 114.25 GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz to 71 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz to 300 GHz). In some embodiments, NE 102 and UE 104 can perform wireless communication on one or more of the said operating frequency bands. In some embodiments, FR1 can be used by NE 102 and UE 104, as well as other equipment or devices for cellular communication services (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 may be used by NE 102 and UE 104, as well as other equipment or devices for short-range, high-data-rate capabilities.

[0071] FR1 may be associated with one or more parameter sets (e.g., at least three parameter sets). For example, FR1 may be associated with a first parameter set containing a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ=0), a second parameter set containing a 30 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ=1), and a third parameter set containing a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ=2). FR2 may be associated with one or more parameter sets (e.g., at least two parameter sets). For example, FR2 may be associated with a third parameter set containing a 60 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ=2) and a fourth parameter set containing a 120 kHz subcarrier spacing (e.g., μ=3).

[0072] According to the agreement in RAN1#114, for direct AI / ML positioning utilizing the LMF-side model (e.g., cases 2b and 3b), if it is beneficial and necessary (e.g., a trade-off between positioning accuracy requirements and signaling overhead), various types of positioning-related measurement reports containing timing, power, and / or phase information of the channel response should be identified. Regarding case 2b, it relates to UE-assisted / LMF-based positioning utilizing the LMF-side model, and direct AI / ML positioning. Although legacy LMFs are generally considered functional entities within the CN, in this document, the LMF can be placed on either the CN side or the RAN side.

[0073] Figure 2 The illustration provides an example of situation 2b according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0074] like Figure 2 As shown in the example, the AI / ML positioning model is assumed to be located at the LMF side and assisted by the UE, i.e., in scenario 2b. In step 201, the LMF transmits the PRS configuration (or configuration information related to PRS transmission, etc.) to the RAN side (e.g., to the gNB or TRP), where the PRS configuration will be used by the RAN side to transmit the PRS to the UE. In step 203, the LMF transmits the same PRS configuration to the UE, so that the UE will receive the PRS from the RAN side based on the PRS configuration. Therefore, in step 205, the gNB or TRP will transmit the PRS to the UE based on the PRS configuration, and the UE will receive the PRS based on the PRS configuration. The UE will perform measurements based on the PRS received from the network side to derive measurement results and collect data for reporting. For example, the UE will report channel-related information to the LMF side in step 207 and location-related information to the LMF side in step 209, so that the LMF side can perform AI / ML model training based on the data collected from the UE side.

[0075] However, due to UE mobility, channel-related information (e.g., CIR, PDP, and / or DP, etc.) may change from time to time, and location-related information (e.g., UE location for scenario 2b) may also change from time to time. Therefore, channel-related information and location-related information should be associated with the same time instance (e.g., the same timestamp) to be paired or combined for data collection.

[0076] In view of some exemplary embodiments of this disclosure, further details of this disclosure are illustrated below. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, although most exemplary embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated from the UE's perspective, corresponding or consistent operations on the network side (e.g., the LMF side or gNB side) will also be clearly defined based on the teachings and suggestions on the UE side.

[0077] First, regarding channel-related information, the UE can report it to the network side (e.g., to the LMF) either aperiodically or periodically.

[0078] For example, according to some aspects of this disclosure, the UE will receive indication information (or triggering information, or triggering signaling, etc.) that indicates (or configures or triggers, etc.) a non-periodic report of channel-related information. The indication information may be transmitted from the LMF. In another embodiment, the indication information may also be pre-configured by the LMF to the gNB, and further transmitted from the gNB to the UE. Therefore, the UE will report channel-related information based on the indication information. There is a certain duration (hereinafter referred to as the first duration) between receiving the indication information and reporting the channel-related information, which is configured or predefined. Where the indication information is or contains configuration information related to PRS reception, the indication information may further indicate PRS reception, for example, indicating a non-periodic PRS. There is a certain duration (hereinafter referred to as the second duration) between receiving the indication information and receiving the PRS. Similarly, the second duration is configured or predefined. When determining a time instance (hereinafter referred to as the first time instance or first timestamp) associated with reported channel-related information, the UE will consider the relationship between a first duration and its corresponding configured or predefined threshold (hereinafter referred to as the first threshold, such as 4 ms or 5 ms), and the relationship between a second duration and its corresponding configured or predefined threshold (hereinafter referred to as the second threshold, such as 1 ms or 2 ms). When the PRS timing received occupies multiple time slots or symbols, the start, end, or intermediate time instance of the PRS timing will be determined as the first time instance.

[0079] For example, in the case where the first duration is greater than a first threshold and the second duration is greater than a second threshold, the UE determines the time instance of the PRS timing associated with PRS reception as the first time instance. In this case, the PRS timing is between the indication message and the report. Otherwise, the UE determines the time instance of the PRS timing prior to receiving the indication message as the first time instance. The exemplary PRS timing determined before receiving the indication message can be the PRS timing closest to the indication message and meeting the timeline requirements. For example, the PRS timing is at least 4 ms or 5 ms earlier than the indication message. The timeline requirements can also be similar to reference resource requirements. The reference resource requirements can be different from or the same as the reference resource requirements in legacy 3GPP versions; for example, the duration between determining the PRS timing and the report triggered by the indication message should not be less than 4 ms or 5 ms.

[0080] Figure 3 and Figure 4 Exemplary scenarios of non-periodic reporting of channel-related information according to various aspects of this disclosure are illustrated separately.

[0081] refer to Figure 3 Assume a first duration (e.g., T1) is greater than a first threshold, and a second duration (e.g., T2) is greater than a second threshold. T1 is greater than T2. ​​The motivation for the first threshold is to provide the UE with sufficient time to prepare the report. The motivation for the second threshold is to provide the gNB with sufficient time to prepare the PRS transmission and the UE with sufficient time to receive the PRS. Therefore, there is sufficient time between the aperiodic triggering signaling (indication information) and the corresponding channel-related information report. PRS reception will occur between the aperiodic triggering signaling and the corresponding channel-related information report (e.g., in PRS timing #1). The UE will determine the channel-related information based on the PRS received in PRS timing #1. The UE will determine a time instance, such as the start time instance, end time instance, or intermediate time instance of PRS timing #1, as the first time instance.

[0082] refer to Figure 4Assuming the second duration (not shown) is less than the second threshold, and the first duration (e.g., T1) is still greater than the first threshold, while there is sufficient time for the UE to prepare a report, there is insufficient time for the gNB to prepare for PRS transmission and for the UE to prepare for PRS reception. Therefore, there will be no PRS between the indication message and the report. The UE will determine the time instance of the PRS timing before receiving the indication message (e.g., PRS timing #2) as the first time instance, which is the PRS timing closest to the indication message. If PRS timing #2 does not meet the timeline requirements (e.g., the duration between PRS timing #2 and the indication message is less than 4 ms), then PRS timing #1, instead of PRS timing #2, will be associated with the non-periodic report.

[0083] There may also be a situation where T1 is less than the first threshold. This is actually an error condition and can be avoided through proper gNB configuration. If this occurs, there is insufficient time for the UE to prepare a report, and the report will be omitted by the UE.

[0084] According to some other aspects of this disclosure, the PRS (or PRS reception) is periodic and the reporting of channel-related information is periodic. The periodicity of PRS reception or PRS and the periodicity of reporting channel-related information may be different or the same. In some embodiments of this disclosure, each report of channel-related information is associated with a single PRS event. That is, the UE will periodically receive PRS based on configuration information associated with PRS reception, and periodically report channel-related information based on PRS received only in an associated PRS event.

[0085] In cases where the periodicity of the PRS is less than the periodicity of the reporting of channel-related information, for each report of channel-related information, there will be multiple PRS opportunities corresponding to a reporting period. In some embodiments of this disclosure, the multiple PRS opportunities precede the reporting of channel-related information, and the time-domain duration between each of the multiple PRS opportunities and the reporting of channel-related information (hereinafter referred to as the third duration) is greater than a predefined or configured threshold (hereinafter referred to as the third threshold), such as 4 ms or 5 ms as required by legacy reference resources. The UE will determine one of the multiple PRS opportunities as the associated PRS opportunity to determine channel-related information, said associated PRS opportunity may be the first PRS opportunity, an intermediate PRS opportunity, or the last PRS opportunity among the multiple PRS opportunities.

[0086] There are various ways to determine the associated PRS timing from multiple timings. For example, time-domain constraints on channel-related information reporting can be configured to limit reporting to only one PRS timing.

[0087] In some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE determines the latest PRS timing among multiple PRS timings as the associated PRS timing.

[0088] In some other embodiments of this disclosure, the network side configures start and end positions for multiple PRS timings for each report of channel-related information. In some cases, the end position of the PRS timing for a report is implicitly indicated by the start position for a subsequent report. In some cases, the start position of the PRS timing for a report is implicitly indicated by the end position for a previous report. The start position of the PRS timing for a report can also be configured. The start position is in ms, timeslot, symbol, or PRS periodicity. The end position can use the same units. The configured time-domain position may or may not be periodic. An exemplary end position for multiple PRS timings is that it precedes the report of channel-related information by a predefined or configured threshold (hereinafter referred to as the fourth threshold), such as 4 ms or 5 ms as required by legacy reference resources.

[0089] Then, the UE can determine the associated PRS timing from multiple PRS timings based on configuration information from the network side or based on predefined rules, or the UE can determine the associated PRS timing from multiple PRS timings based on its own initiative. In the case where the UE determines the associated PRS timing based on its own initiative, the UE will report the timing-related information of the associated PRS timing to the network side. This timing-related information includes the start time instance, end time instance, or intermediate time instance of the associated PRS timing. The UE can also report the PRS timing index to the network side. Based on the reported timing-related information, the network side will determine the associated PRS timing and, based on the associated PRS timing, determine the report of channel-related information.

[0090] Figure 5 The illustration shows an example of identifying a related PRS timing from multiple PRS timings according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0091] refer to Figure 5 Assume there are multiple sets of PRS timings, each set containing multiple PRS timings defined by a start position and an end position. In some cases, each set of PRS timings can be considered as a window.

[0092] In some cases, there are configured or predefined rules for determining the associated PRS timing. For example, the UE should determine the PRS timing that follows the most recent previously associated PRS timing for channel-related information as the associated PRS timing for the channel-related information report among multiple PRS timings. If there is a configured start position, and all multiple PRS timings associated with the report are after the start position, then any one of the multiple PRS timings can be further selected to be associated with the report. If only some of the multiple PRS timings associated with the report are after the start position, and the other PRS timings are before the start position, then only PRS timings after the start position can be further selected to be associated with the report. Figure 5 As shown, it is also assumed that reports #1 and #2 are associated with a first set of PRS timings determined by a first start position P1 and a first end position P2, and report #3 is associated with a second set of PRS timings determined by a second start position P2 (same as the first end position) and a second end position P3. Therefore, based on the aforementioned rules, the UE determines the first PRS timing (e.g., O#1) in the first set of PRS timings as the associated PRS timing to determine report #1. The reason is that only O#1 is after P1 and before report #1. The UE determines the second PRS timing (e.g., O#2) in the first set of PRS timings as the associated PRS timing to determine report #2. The reason is that both O#2 and O#3 are after P1, and the duration between O#2 and the report is greater than the timeline requirement, while the duration between O#3 and the report is less than the timeline requirement. The UE determines the first PRS timing (e.g., O#5) in the second set of PRS timings as the associated PRS timing to determine report #3.

[0093] In some other scenarios, the UE will proactively determine the associated PRS timing within each group of PRS timings. For example, the UE might determine the first PRS timing (e.g., O#1) in the first group of PRS timings as the associated PRS timing for report #1, the second PRS timing (e.g., O#2) in the first group of PRS timings as the associated PRS timing for report #2, and the first PRS timing (e.g., O#5) in the second group of PRS timings as the associated PRS timing for report #3. The UE will report timing-related information of the associated PRS timings to the network side, which is the start time instance, end time instance, or intermediate time instance of the PRS timing, or the associated PRS timing index. For example, the UE might report the first time instance of each of O#1, O#2, and O#5 to the network side, or the UE might report the timing indices #1, #2, and #5 (not shown) for reports #1, #2, and #3, respectively.

[0094] Regarding location-related information, various methods exist for reporting location-related information to the network side (e.g., to the LMF) according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0095] For example, in some embodiments of this disclosure, location-related information may include location information, a time instance associated with the location information (e.g., a start time instance), speed information, and a timer associated with the validity of the location-related information. Based on the foregoing information, the LMF determines the UE location from the start time instance and continues this determination until the start time instance plus the validity timer. If channel-related information associated with the PRS timing is reported, then the channel-related information corresponding to the PRS time instance (the time instance for the PRS timing) is available at the LMF side. Since any time instance between the start time instance and the start time instance plus the timer is available, the location-related information at the PRS time instance can also be determined at the LMF side based on the reported location-related information. Therefore, channel-related information and location-related information at the same time instance can be associated. The paired channel-related information and location-related information can be used for data collection and model training at the LMF side.

[0096] In some other embodiments of this disclosure, location-related information may include Doppler information associated with multiple PRS resources or multiple TRPs. Based on the Doppler information corresponding to each PRS resource or each TRP, UE velocity information, including both direction and value information, is determined. Therefore, in some cases, the velocity information in the location-related information can be replaced with Doppler information associated with multiple PRS resources or multiple TRPs. Furthermore, the Doppler information can be changed to velocity information, and the location-related information (e.g., UE location) at any time instance between the start time instance and the start time instance plus the timer is available at the LMF side. If the PRS time instance is between the start time instance and the start time instance plus the timer, then the location at the PRS time instance is available. Using the channel-related information at the PRS time instance, the channel-related information can be associated with the location-related information (e.g., UE location). The associated channel-related information and location-related information (e.g., UE location) can be used for data collection and model training at the LMF side.

[0097] In some other embodiments of this disclosure, the LMF configures multiple time instances for the UE. The UE receives the configured time instances and reports location-related information (e.g., location information and / or positioning measurements corresponding to the configured time instances). For example, the UE can report its location corresponding to each configured time instance via a location list. Exemplary configured time instances are slot indices, symbol indices, UTC time, or PRS timing indices. The reported location-related information at the same time instance can be associated with channel-related information. The associated channel-related information and location-related information (e.g., UE location) can be used for data collection and model training at the LMF side.

[0098] In cases where the configured time instance is a slot index or a symbol index, the UE can report multiple UE locations corresponding to multiple configured time instances, either differentially or non-differentially. For example, the first UE location in the reported location list can be relative to a global coordinate system, and each subsequent UE location can be relative to a previous UE location or the first location.

[0099] In the case where the configured time instance is a PRS timing index, the LMF can be configured with a start position and duration that repeat periodically. Each period defined by the start position and duration can be considered as a time-domain window configured to divide time-domain resources (each window corresponds to a start position). The LMF will also configure the PRS timing index within each duration associated with the corresponding start position (e.g., within the window). The UE will report its location and / or positioning measurement results corresponding to each configured PRS timing index. The reported location-related information and channel-related information at the same time instance can be correlated. The correlated channel-related information and positioning-related information (e.g., UE location) can be used for data collection and model training at the LMF side.

[0100] In some other embodiments of this disclosure, the UE will report channel-related information and location-related information associated with the same time instance together, for example, through a list of channel-related information and location-related information pairs corresponding to multiple PRS times. Therefore, the LMF will determine each pair of received channel-related information and location-related information associated with the same time instance. The reported location-related information and channel-related information at the same time instance can be correlated. The correlated channel-related information and location-related information (e.g., UE location) can be used for data collection and model training at the LMF side.

[0101] Regarding quality indicators (e.g., quality indicators associated with location-related information), the UE may determine and report the quality indicators in various ways, according to various aspects of this disclosure. The quality indicators may be applicable to single reports or multiple reports. In some cases, the quality indicator may be associated with a duration or a timer, wherein the quality indicator is valid during the duration or the timer.

[0102] For example, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the UE will determine and generate a reporting quality indicator based on the confidence level of the reported location-related information. For instance, the UE will determine and generate the reporting quality indicator by using a legacy time confidence report that describes the reported location uncertainty in meters.

[0103] In some other embodiments of this disclosure, the UE will utilize new reporting metrics instead of legacy reporting metrics to determine and explicitly report quality indicators. The UE will explicitly report the quality indicators using several bits, where different bits are associated with different positioning accuracy.

[0104] In some other embodiments of this disclosure, the UE will determine and report quality indicators based on the type of receiver the UE uses. For example, the UE's receiver as a PRU will have different quality indicators than the UE's receiver when it is not a PRU.

[0105] In some other embodiments of this disclosure, the UE determines and reports a quality indicator based on reporting metrics associated with the positioning method employed. The positioning method may be determined by the UE and reported to the LMF, or it may be predefined or configured by the LMF. Exemplary positioning methods are based on RSTD, RTT, RSRP, RSRPP, RSCP, WLAN, sensing (or sensor), or Bluetooth. Different positioning methods may have the same or different quality indicators. For example, a UE using a WLAN positioning method, a UE using a sensing positioning method, or a UE using a Bluetooth positioning method may be considered to have the same quality indicator. A UE using a WLAN, sensing, or Bluetooth positioning method, a UE using an RSTD or RTT-based method (e.g., a timing-based R16 positioning method), a UE using an RSRP-based method, a UE using an RSPPP-based method (e.g., an RSPPP-based R17 positioning method), and a UE using an RSCP-based method (e.g., an RSCP-based R18 positioning method) may be considered to have different quality indicators. For example, a UE using the RSCP-based R18 positioning method has better quality than a UE using the time-based R16 positioning method.

[0106] In some other embodiments of this disclosure, the UE will determine and report quality indicators based on SINR, RSRP, RSRQ, or CSI, or any combination thereof, which are measured based on the PRS received at the PRS time.

[0107] In some other embodiments of this disclosure, the UE will determine and report quality indicators based on the number of PRS ports, the time-domain density of the PRS, or the frequency-domain density of the PRS.

[0108] Figure 6 The illustration depicts an example of a UE 600 according to various aspects of this disclosure. The UE 600 may include a processor 602, a memory 604, a controller 606, and a transceiver 608. The processor 602, memory 604, controller 606, or transceiver 608, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof, may be examples of components for performing the various aspects of this disclosure as described herein. These components may be coupled via one or more interfaces (e.g., operational ground, communication ground, functional ground, electronic ground, electrical ground).

[0109] Processor 602, memory 604, controller 606, or transceiver 608, or various combinations or components thereof, may be implemented in hardware (e.g., a circuit system). The hardware may include a processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof, configured to or otherwise supporting components for performing the functions described in this disclosure.

[0110] Processor 602 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a general-purpose processor, DSP, CPU, ASIC, FPGA, or any combination thereof). In some embodiments, processor 602 may be configured to operate memory 604. In some other embodiments, memory 604 may be integrated into processor 602. Processor 602 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory 604, thereby enabling UE 600 to perform various functions of this disclosure.

[0111] Memory 604 may include volatile or non-volatile memory. Memory 604 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code containing instructions that, when executed by processor 602, cause UE 600 to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as memory 604 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, wherein the communication media includes any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. Non-transitory storage media may be any available medium accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0112] In some implementations, processor 602 and memory 604 coupled to processor 602 may be configured to cause UE 600 to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., processor 602 executing instructions stored in memory 604). For example, according to the examples disclosed herein, processor 602 may support wireless communication at UE 600. UE600 can be configured to support: a component for receiving a PRS based on configuration information related to PRS reception; a component for reporting channel-related information based on at least one PRS received at a PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof; and a component for reporting location-related information, wherein the location-related information includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on the at least one PRS, RTT information based on the at least one PRS, RSRP information based on the at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on the at least one PRS, or any combination thereof; wherein the channel-related information is associated with the location-related information based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with the location-related information.

[0113] Controller 606 manages the input and output signals of UE 600. Controller 606 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into UE 600. In some embodiments, controller 606 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, WINDOWS®, or other operating systems. In some embodiments, controller 606 may be implemented as part of processor 602.

[0114] In some embodiments, UE 600 may include at least one transceiver 608. In other embodiments, UE 600 may have more than one transceiver 608. Transceiver 608 may represent a wireless transceiver. Transceiver 608 may include one or more receiver chains 610, one or more transmitter chains 612, or a combination thereof.

[0115] Receiver chain 610 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) via wireless media. For example, receiver chain 610 may include one or more antennas for receiving signals via air or wireless media. Receiver chain 610 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. Receiver chain 610 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and obtain transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during signal transmission. Receiver chain 610 may include at least one decoder for decoding the demodulated signal to receive transmitted data.

[0116] Transmitter chain 612 can be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). Transmitter chain 612 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, thereby preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques, such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes like phase shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). Transmitter chain 612 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over a wireless medium. Transmitter chain 612 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal over the air or in the wireless medium.

[0117] Figure 7 The illustration depicts an example of a processor 700 according to various aspects of this disclosure. The processor 700 may be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. The processor 700 may include a controller 702 configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. The processor 700 may optionally include at least one memory 704, which may be, for example, an L1 / L2 / L3 cache memory. Additionally or alternatively, the processor 700 may optionally include one or more arithmetic logic units (ALUs) 706. One or more of these components may be electronically communicated or otherwise coupled (e.g., operative ground, communicative ground, functional ground, electronic ground, electrical ground) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses).

[0118] Processor 700 may be a processor chipset and includes a protocol stack (e.g., a software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, and reading) according to the examples described herein. The processor chipset may include one or more cores, one or more cache memories (e.g., memory native to or contained within the processor chipset (e.g., processor 700), or other memories (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase-change memory (PCM), and others)).

[0119] The controller 702 can be configured to manage and coordinate various operations of the processor 700 (e.g., signaling, receiving, acquiring, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, and reading) to enable the processor 700 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. For example, the controller 702 can operate as a control unit of the processor 700, thereby generating control signals that manage the operation of various components of the processor 700. These control signals include enabling or disabling functional units, selecting data paths, initiating memory accesses, and coordinating operating timing.

[0120] Controller 702 may be configured to fetch (e.g., obtain, retrieve, receive) instructions from memory 704 and determine subsequent instructions to be executed to enable processor 700 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. Controller 702 may be configured to track the memory addresses of instructions associated with memory 704. Controller 702 may be configured to decode instructions to determine the operation to be performed and the operands involved. For example, controller 702 may be configured to interpret instructions and determine control signals to be output to other components of processor 700, thereby enabling processor 700 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. Alternatively or additionally, controller 702 may be configured to manage data flow within processor 700. Controller 702 may be configured to control data transfers between registers, arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and other functional units of processor 700.

[0121] Memory 704 may include one or more cache memories (e.g., memory native to or contained therein of processor 700, or other memory such as RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash memory, etc.). In some embodiments, memory 704 may reside within or on the processor chipset (e.g., native to processor 700). In some other embodiments, memory 704 may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., remote from processor 700).

[0122] Memory 704 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code containing instructions that, when executed by processor 700, cause processor 700 to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. Controller 702 and / or processor 700 may be configured to execute the computer-readable instructions stored in memory 704, thereby causing processor 700 to perform various functions. For example, processor 700 and / or controller 702 may be coupled together with or to memory 704, and processor 700, controller 702, and memory 704 may be configured to perform the various functions described herein. In some instances, processor 700 may include multiple processors and memory 704 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled to one or more of the multiple memories, which may be individually or jointly configured to perform the various functions described herein.

[0123] One or more ALU 706s may be configured to support various operations according to the examples described herein. In some embodiments, one or more ALU 706s may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., processor 700). In some other embodiments, one or more ALU 706s may reside external to the processor chipset (e.g., processor 700). One or more ALU 706s may perform one or more operations on data, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For example, one or more ALU 706s may receive input operands and an opcode, the opcode determining the operation to be performed. One or more ALU 706s are configured with various logic and arithmetic circuits, including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates, to process and manipulate data according to the operation. Alternatively, one or more ALU 706s may support logical operations such as AND, OR, XOR, NOR, and NAND, thereby enabling one or more ALU 706s to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

[0124] According to the examples disclosed herein, processor 700 can support wireless communication. Processor 700 can be configured or operable to support: components for receiving a PRS based on configuration information associated with PRS reception; components for reporting channel-related information based on at least one PRS received at a PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof; and components for reporting location-related information, wherein the location-related information includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on the at least one PRS, RTT information based on the at least one PRS, RSRP information based on the at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on the at least one PRS, or any combination thereof; wherein the channel-related information is associated with the location-related information based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with the location-related information.

[0125] Figure 8 The illustration shows an example of an NE 800 according to various aspects of this disclosure. The NE 800 may include a processor 802, a memory 804, a controller 806, and a transceiver 808. The processor 802, memory 804, controller 806, or transceiver 808, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof, may be examples of components for performing the various aspects of this disclosure as described herein. These components may be coupled via one or more interfaces (e.g., operational ground, communication ground, functional ground, electronic ground, electrical ground).

[0126] Processor 802, memory 804, controller 806, or transceiver 808, or various combinations or components thereof, may be implemented in hardware (e.g., a circuit system). The hardware may include a processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof, configured to or otherwise supporting components for performing the functions described in this disclosure.

[0127] Processor 802 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a general-purpose processor, DSP, CPU, ASIC, FPGA, or any combination thereof). In some embodiments, processor 802 may be configured to operate memory 804. In some other embodiments, memory 804 may be integrated into processor 802. Processor 802 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory 804, thereby enabling NE 800 to perform various functions of this disclosure.

[0128] Memory 804 may include volatile or non-volatile memory. Memory 804 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code containing instructions that, when executed by processor 802, cause NE 800 to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as memory 804 or another type of memory. Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, wherein the communication media includes any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. Non-transitory storage media may be any available medium accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer.

[0129] In some implementations, processor 802 and memory 804 coupled to processor 802 may be configured to cause NE 800 to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., processor 802 executing instructions stored in memory 804). For example, according to the examples disclosed herein, processor 802 may support wireless communication at NE 800. The NE800 can be configured to support: components for transmitting PRS based on configuration information associated with PRS reception; components for receiving channel-related information based on at least one PRS received at a PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof; and components for receiving location-related information, wherein the location-related information includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on the at least one PRS, RTT information based on the at least one PRS, RSRP information based on the at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on the at least one PRS, or any combination thereof; wherein the channel-related information and the location-related information are associated based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with the location-related information.

[0130] Controller 806 manages the input and output signals of NE 800. Controller 806 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into NE 800. In some embodiments, controller 806 may utilize an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, WINDOWS®, or other operating systems. In some embodiments, controller 806 may be implemented as part of processor 802.

[0131] In some embodiments, NE 800 may include at least one transceiver 808. In other embodiments, NE 800 may have more than one transceiver 808. Transceiver 808 may represent a wireless transceiver. Transceiver 808 may include one or more receiver chains 810, one or more transmitter chains 812, or a combination thereof.

[0132] Receiver chain 810 may be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) via wireless media. For example, receiver chain 810 may include one or more antennas for receiving signals via air or wireless media. Receiver chain 810 may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. Receiver chain 810 may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and obtain transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during signal transmission. Receiver chain 810 may include at least one decoder for decoding the demodulated signal to receive transmitted data.

[0133] Transmitter chain 812 can be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). Transmitter chain 812 may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, thereby preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. The at least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques, such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes like phase shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). Transmitter chain 812 may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over a wireless medium. Transmitter chain 812 may also include one or more antennas for transmitting the amplified signal over the air or in the wireless medium.

[0134] Figure 9 The diagram illustrates flowcharts illustrating methods according to various aspects of this disclosure. The operation of the methods can be implemented by a UE as described herein. In some embodiments, the UE can execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions.

[0135] At 901, the method may include receiving a PRS based on configuration information related to PRS reception. The operation of 901 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some embodiments, aspects of the operation of 901 may be provided by reference to... Figure 6 The described UE is used to execute.

[0136] At 903, the method may include reporting channel-related information based on at least one PRS received at the PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof. The operation of 903 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some embodiments, aspects of the operation of 903 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 6 The described UE is used to execute.

[0137] At 905, the method may include reporting location-related information, wherein the location-related information includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on at least one PRS, RTT information based on at least one PRS, RSRP information based on at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on at least one PRS, or any combination thereof; wherein channel-related information is associated with location-related information based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with the location-related information. The operation of 905 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some embodiments, aspects of the operation of 905 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 6 The described UE is used to execute.

[0138] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and the operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other implementations are possible.

[0139] Figure 10 The diagram illustrates flowcharts illustrating methods according to various aspects of this disclosure. The operation of the methods can be implemented by an NE as described herein. In some embodiments, the NE can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the NE to perform the described functions.

[0140] At point 1001, the method may include transmitting the PRS based on configuration information related to PRS reception. The operation of point 1001 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some embodiments, aspects of the operation of point 1001 may be provided by reference to... Figure 8 The NE described is used to execute.

[0141] At point 1003, the method may include receiving channel-related information based on at least one PRS received at the PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof. The operation of 1003 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some embodiments, aspects of the operation of 1003 may be as described in references... Figure 8 The NE described is used to execute.

[0142] At point 1005, the method may include receiving location-related information, wherein the location-related information includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on at least one PRS, RTT information based on at least one PRS, RSRP information based on at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on at least one PRS, or any combination thereof; wherein channel-related information is associated with location-related information based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with location-related information. The operation of point 1005 may be performed according to the examples described herein. In some embodiments, aspects of the operation of point 1005 may be derived from references... Figure 8 The NE described is used to execute.

[0143] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and the operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other implementations are possible.

[0144] The description herein is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is given the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: At least one memory; as well as At least one processor, coupled to and configured to enable the UE to: The PRS is received based on configuration information related to the reception of the Positioning Reference Signal (PRS). Channel-related information is reported based on at least one PRS received at the PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof; and The report includes location-related information, which includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on the at least one PRS, round-trip time (RTT) information based on the at least one PRS, reference signal received power (RSRP) information based on the at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on the at least one PRS, or any combination thereof. Specifically, the channel-related information and the location-related information are associated based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with the location-related information.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: After a first duration between receiving the indication information and reporting the channel-related information, the channel-related information is reported based on the received indication information rather than periodically, wherein the first duration is configured or predefined.

3. The UE according to claim 2, wherein, The configuration information related to PRS reception is included in the indication information, and there is a second duration between receiving the indication information and receiving the PRS, wherein the second duration is configured or predefined.

4. The UE according to claim 3, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: In the case where the first duration is greater than the first threshold and the second duration is greater than the second threshold, the time instance of the PRS timing associated with the PRS reception is determined as the first time instance. Otherwise, the time instance of the PRS timing prior to receiving the instruction information will be determined as the first time instance.

5. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: The PRS is received periodically based on the configuration information related to PRS reception; and The channel-related information is periodically reported based on at least one PRS received at the associated PRS time.

6. The UE according to claim 5, wherein, In cases where the periodicity of the PRS is less than the periodicity of reporting the channel-related information, the at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: For each report of the channel-related information, one of the multiple PRS times is determined as the associated PRS time to determine the channel-related information.

7. The UE according to claim 6, wherein, The plurality of PRS timings are earlier than the reporting of the channel-related information, and the time-domain duration between each of the plurality of PRS timings and the reporting of the channel-related information is greater than a predefined or configured threshold.

8. The UE according to claim 7, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: The latest PRS timing among the plurality of PRS timings is determined as the associated PRS timing.

9. The UE according to claim 6, wherein, The starting position of each of the plurality of PRS timings for reporting the channel-related information is after the associated PRS timing for the most recent previously reported channel-related information, and the ending position of the plurality of PRS timings is more than a predefined or configured threshold earlier than the reporting of the channel-related information.

10. The UE according to claim 9, wherein, The associated PRS timing is configured or predefined as the first PRS timing, intermediate PRS timing, or last PRS timing among the plurality of PRS timings.

11. The UE according to claim 9, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to report timing-related information of the associated PRS timing, wherein the timing-related information is a start time instance, end time instance, or intermediate time instance of the PRS timing.

12. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The location-related information includes the location information, a time instance associated with the location information, speed information, and a timer associated with the validity of the location-related information.

13. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: Receive the configured time instance; and The report contains location-related information corresponding to the location information corresponding to the configured time instance.

14. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to cause the UE to: The report includes both the channel-related information and the location-related information associated with the same time instance.

15. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to enable the UE to determine a quality indicator associated with the location-related information.

16. The UE according to claim 15, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to enable the UE to determine the quality indicator based on the confidence level of the reported location information.

17. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to enable the UE to report the first time instance and the second time instance.

18. A processor for wireless communication, comprising: At least one controller, coupled to at least one memory and configured to enable at least one processor: The PRS is received based on configuration information related to the reception of the Positioning Reference Signal (PRS). Channel-related information is reported based on at least one PRS received at the PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof; and The report includes location-related information, which includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on the at least one PRS, round-trip time (RTT) information based on the at least one PRS, reference signal received power (RSRP) information based on the at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on the at least one PRS, or any combination thereof. Specifically, the channel-related information and the location-related information are associated based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with the location-related information.

19. A network device NE for wireless communication, comprising: At least one memory; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the at least one memory and configured to enable the NE: PRS is transmitted based on configuration information related to the reception of Position Reference Signal (PRS). A report of channel-related information received based on at least one PRS received at the PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof; and The system receives a report of location-related information, wherein the location-related information includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on the at least one PRS, round-trip time (RTT) information based on the at least one PRS, reference signal received power (RSRP) information based on the at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on the at least one PRS, or any combination thereof. Specifically, the channel-related information and the location-related information are associated based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with the location-related information.

20. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: The PRS is received based on configuration information related to the reception of the Positioning Reference Signal (PRS). Channel-related information is reported based on at least one PRS received at the PRS timing, wherein the channel-related information includes: timing information, power information, amplitude information, phase information, or any combination thereof; and The report includes location-related information, which includes: location information, Doppler information, time difference information based on the at least one PRS, round-trip time (RTT) information based on the at least one PRS, reference signal received power (RSRP) information based on the at least one PRS, carrier phase information based on the at least one PRS, or any combination thereof. Specifically, the channel-related information and the location-related information are associated based on a first time instance associated with the PRS timing and a second time instance associated with the location-related information.

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