Adaption of reference signal for positioning based on user equipment (UE) mobility

Abstract

This document discloses techniques for using reference signals that enable accurate measurement of a mobile UE. To this end, the techniques may include a location server receiving an indication that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold, and in response, configuring the UE to measure the reference signal using a selected tracking reference signal (TRS) as a quasi-co-location (QCL) reference. Specifically, a periodic TRS (P-TRS) or an aperiodic TRS (AP-TRS) may be used as the QCL reference. The reference signal may be configured based on an existing TRS configuration, or it may be configured based on a reference signal configuration. According to some embodiments, the UE may provide speed information to the location server. Additionally or alternatively, the measurement period of the reference signal may be based on the UE's speed.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This case is broadly related to the field of wireless communications, and more specifically to the use of radio frequency (RF) signals to determine the location of user equipment (UE). [Previous Technology]

[0002] In wireless communication networks such as mobile / cellular broadband networks, various positioning techniques can be used to determine the location of mobile electronic devices (hereinafter referred to as UEs). These positioning techniques typically involve the UE sending and / or receiving reference RF signals, or simply "reference signals," to / from one or more transmit / receive points (TRPs) of the wireless communication network for positioning purposes. These reference signals typically have certain characteristics that allow for accurate measurements for positioning purposes. These measurements, along with information about the location of one or more TRPs, can be used to determine the location of the UE. However, in many cases, these reference signals do not allow for accurate measurements of a UE in motion. [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] This document describes an embodiment employing a technique for using a reference signal that enables accurate measurement of a mobile UE. To this end, the technique may include a location server receiving an indication that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold, and in response, configuring the UE to measure the reference signal using a selected tracking reference signal (TRS) as a quasi-co-location (QCL) reference. Specifically, a periodic TRS (P-TRS) or an aperiodic TRS (AP-TRS) may be used as the QCL reference. The reference signal may be configured based on an existing TRS configuration, or the TRS may be configured based on a reference signal configuration. According to some embodiments, the UE may provide speed information to the location server. Additionally or alternatively, the measurement period of the reference signal may be based on the UE's speed.

[0004] According to this case, an example method for coordinating the transmission of downlink location reference signal (DL-PRS) resources for locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network includes obtaining an indication at a location server that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold. The method further includes, in response to obtaining the indication, determining at the location server a PRS configuration in which a tracking reference signal (TRS) is used as a quasi-co-location (QCL) reference for the DL-PRS resources, wherein: a transmit-receive point (TRP) is configured to transmit the TRS and the DL-PRS resources, and the determination includes: (i) selecting a TRS from an existing TRS configuration obtained from the TRP, or (ii) sending configuration information about the DL-PRS resources to the TRP and receiving information about the TRS in response. The method also includes sending the PRS configuration from the location server to the UE.

[0005] According to this case, an example location server for coordinating the transmission of downlink location reference signal (DL-PRS) resources for locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network includes a transceiver, a memory, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to obtain an indication that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold. The one or more processing units are further configured, in response to obtaining the indication, to determine a PRS configuration in which a tracking reference signal (TRS) is used as a quasi-co-location (QCL) reference for the DL-PRS resources, wherein: a transmit-receive point (TRP) is configured to transmit the TRS and the DL-PRS resources, and the determination includes: (i) selecting a TRS from existing TRS configurations obtained from the TRP, or (ii) sending configuration information about the DL-PRS resources to the TRP and receiving information about the TRS in response. The one or more processing units are further configured to transmit the PRS configuration to the UE via the transceiver.

[0006] According to this case, an example apparatus for coordinating the transmission of downlink location reference signal (DL-PRS) resources for locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network includes a component for obtaining an indication that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold. The apparatus further includes a component for determining, in response to obtaining the indication, a PRS configuration in which a tracking reference signal (TRS) is used as a quasi-co-location (QCL) reference for the DL-PRS resources, wherein: a transmit-receive point (TRP) is configured to transmit the TRS and the DL-PRS resources, and the determination includes: (i) selecting a TRS from an existing TRS configuration obtained from the TRP, or (ii) sending configuration information about the DL-PRS resources to the TRP and receiving information about the TRS in response. The apparatus also includes a component for sending the PRS configuration from a location server to the UE.

[0007] According to this case, an example non-transitory computer-readable media storage provides instructions for coordinating the transmission of downlink location reference signal (DL-PRS) resources for locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network. These instructions include code for obtaining an indication that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold. The instructions also include code for determining, in response to obtaining the indication, a PRS configuration in which a tracking reference signal (TRS) is used as a quasi-co-location (QCL) reference for the DL-PRS resources, wherein: a transmit-receive point (TRP) is configured to transmit the TRS and DL-PRS resources, and the determination includes: (i) selecting a TRS from an existing TRS configuration obtained from the TRP, or (ii) sending configuration information about the DL-PRS resources to the TRP and receiving information about the TRS in response. The instructions also include code for sending the PRS configuration from a location server to the UE.

[0008] This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by referring to the appropriate portions of the entire specification, any or all of the accompanying drawings, and each claim. The foregoing, together with other features and examples, will be described in more detail in the following specification, claims, and drawings.

Implementation Method

[0022] To describe the innovative features of various embodiments, the following description is directed to certain specific implementations. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a variety of different ways. The specific implementations described herein can transmit and receive data according to any communication standard (such as any Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) IEEE 802.11 standard (including standards identified as Wi-Fi® technology), Bluetooth® standard, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Mobile Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Relay Radio (TETRA)), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolved Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B. Implemented in any device, system, or network using radio frequency (RF) signals or other known signals for communication in wireless, cellular, or Internet of Things (IoT) networks, such as 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G systems, or further implementations thereof, including High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced Mobile Telephone Systems (AMPS).

[0023] As used herein, an "RF signal" includes electromagnetic waves that transmit information through the space between a transmitter (or transmitting device) and a receiver (or receiving device). As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver can be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0024] Additionally, references to “reference signal,” “location reference signal,” “reference signal for location,” etc., may be used to refer to signals used for locating user equipment (UE). As described in more detail herein, such signals may include any of a variety of signal types, but are not necessarily limited to location reference signals (PRS) or sounding reference signals (SRS) as defined in the relevant radio standards.

[0025] As mentioned above, RF reference signals can be used to determine the location or position of a mobile device (e.g., a UE) in a wireless communication network. However, as described in further detail below, RF reference signals such as SRS and PRS may generally not be suitable for high-speed UE positioning. (As used herein, "high-speed" UE positioning may include the positioning of a UE traveling at near-highway speeds (e.g., 65 mph) or higher.) For example, a single PRS or SRS resource may not provide a Doppler estimate for the UE. Furthermore, due to channel aging, a simple combination of multiple PRS or SRS instances may provide limited gain.

[0026] To address these and other issues, the embodiments described herein employ a technique using a reference signal that enables accurate measurement of the mobile UE by utilizing a tracking reference signal (TRS) as a quasi-co-address (QCL) reference for the reference signal.

[0027] Figure 1 is a simplified diagram of a positioning system 100 according to one embodiment, wherein the UE 105, the location server 160, and / or other elements of the positioning system 100 may use the techniques provided herein for positioning based on UE mobility adjustment reference signals. The techniques described herein may be implemented by one or more elements of the positioning system 100. The positioning system 100 may include: UE 105; one or more satellites 110 (also referred to as spacecraft (SV)) for a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) such as Global Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo, or BeiDou; base station 320; access point (AP) 130; location server 160; network 170; and external client 180. Generally, the positioning system 100 may estimate the position of UE 105 based on RF signals received by and / or transmitted from UE 105 and the known positions of other elements transmitting and / or receiving RF signals (e.g., GNSS satellite 110, base station 320, AP 130). The following discussion of Figure 2 provides additional details regarding location estimation techniques.

[0028] It should be noted that Figure 1 provides only a general description of the various elements, any or all of which can be used appropriately, and each can be reproduced as needed. Specifically, although only one UE 105 is illustrated, it should be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) can utilize the positioning system 100. Similarly, the positioning system 100 may include more or fewer base stations 320 and / or APs 130 than shown in Figure 1. The connections of the various elements in the positioning system 100 shown include data and signal transmission connections, which may include additional (intermediate) elements, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections and / or additional networks. Furthermore, elements may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality. In some embodiments, for example, an external client 180 may connect directly to the location server 160. Those skilled in the art will recognize many modifications to the elements shown.

[0029] Depending on the desired functionality, network 170 may include any of a variety of wireless and / or wired networks. Network 170 may include any combination of, for example, public and / or private networks, local area networks, and / or wide area networks. Furthermore, network 170 may utilize one or more wired and / or wireless communication technologies. In some embodiments, network 170 may include, for example, cellular or other mobile networks, wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless wide area networks (WWANs), and / or the Internet. Examples of network 170 include Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless networks, fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks (also known as New Radio (NR) wireless networks or 5G NR wireless networks), Wi-Fi WLANs, and the Internet. LTE, 5G, and NR are wireless technologies defined or being defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Network 170 may also include more than one network and / or more than one type of network.

[0030] Base station 320 and access point (AP) 130 are communicatively coupled to network 170. In some embodiments, base station 320s may be owned, maintained, and / or operated by a cellular network provider and may employ any of a variety of wireless technologies, as described below. Depending on the technology of network 170, base station 320 may include Node B, evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), base transceiver station (BTS), radio base station (RBS), NR NodeB (gNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), etc. In the case that network 170 is a 5G network, base station 320, as a gNB or ng-eNB, may be part of a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) that can connect to a 5G core network (5GC). AP 130 may include, for example, a Wi-Fi AP or a Bluetooth® AP. Therefore, UE 105 can send and receive information with network-connected devices such as location server 160 by accessing network 170 via base station 320 using the first communication link 133. Additionally or alternatively, because AP 130 can also be communicatively coupled to network 170, UE 105 can use the second communication link 135 to communicate with network and internet connection devices, including location server 160.

[0031] As used herein, the term "base station" can generally refer to a single physical transmitting point or multiple co-located physical transmitting points that may be located at base station 320. A transmit / receive point (TRP) (also called a transmit / receive point) corresponds to this type of transmitting point, and the term "TRP" is used interchangeably herein with the terms "gNB," "ng-eNB," and "base station." In some cases, base station 320 may include multiple TRPs—for example, where each TRP is associated with a different antenna or a different antenna array of base station 320. A physical transmitting point may include the antenna array of base station 320 (e.g., in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system and / or in the case of beamforming at the base station). The term "base station" may also refer to multiple non-co-located physical transmitting points, which may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected via a transmit medium to a common source) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station).

[0032] As used herein, the term "cell" can generally refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with base station 320 and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)) used to distinguish adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers. In some examples, a carrier can support multiple cells, and different cells can be configured according to different protocol types that can provide access to different types of devices (e.g., machine-type communications (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) or other protocols). In some cases, the term "cell" can refer to a portion of the geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) on which the logical entity operates.

[0033] Location server 160 may include servers and / or other computing devices configured to determine the estimated location of UE 105 and / or provide data (e.g., "auxiliary data") to UE 105 to facilitate location measurement and / or location determination by UE 105. According to some embodiments, location server 160 may include a Home Safety User Plane Positioning (SUPL) positioning platform (H-SLP) that can support SUPL User Plane (UP) positioning solutions defined by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) and can support location services for UE 105 based on subscription information of UE 105 stored in location server 160. In some embodiments, location server 160 may include an Exploratory SLP (D-SLP) or an Emergency SLP (E-SLP). Location server 160 may also include an Enhanced Service Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) that supports the positioning of UE 105 using a Control Plane (CP) positioning solution for LTE radio access for UE 105. The location server 160 may also include a location management function (LMF) that uses a control plane (CP) positioning solution for NR or LTE radio access for UE 105 to support the positioning of UE 105.

[0034] In the CP positioning solution, the signal transmission for controlling and managing the positioning of UE 105 can use existing network interfaces and protocols and is exchanged as signal transmission between components of network 170 and with UE 105 from the perspective of network 170. In the UP positioning solution, the signal transmission for controlling and managing the positioning of UE 105 can be exchanged as data (e.g., data transmitted using Internet Protocol (IP) and / or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)) between location server 160 and UE 105 from the perspective of network 170.

[0035] As described above (and discussed in more detail below), the estimated position of UE 105 may be based on measurements of RF signals transmitted from and / or received by UE 105. In particular, these measurements may provide information about the relative distance and / or angle between UE 105 and one or more elements in positioning system 100 (e.g., GNSS satellite 110, AP 130, base station 320). The estimated position of UE 105 may be estimated geometrically based on distance and / or angle measurements and the known positions of one or more elements (e.g., using multi-angle measurements and / or polygonal measurement techniques).

[0036] Although terrestrial elements such as AP 130 and base station 320 may be fixed, the embodiments are not limited thereto. Mobile elements may be used. For example, in some embodiments, the location of UE 105 may be estimated at least in part based on measurements of RF signals 140 transmitted between UE 105 and one or more other UEs 145, which may be mobile or fixed. When one or more other UEs 145 are used in the location determination of a particular UE 105, the UE 105 for which the location is determined may be referred to as the "target UE," and each of the one or more other UEs 145 used may be referred to as the "anchor UE." For the location determination of the target UE, the corresponding locations of the one or more anchor UEs may be known and / or jointly determined with the target UE. Direct communication between one or more other UEs 145 and UE 105 may include sidelinks and / or similar device-to-device (D2D) communication technologies. A sidelink, as defined by 3GPP, is a form of D2D communication under cellular-based LTE and NR standards.

[0037] The estimated location of UE 105 can be used in various applications, such as to assist the user of UE 105 in finding or navigating or to assist another user (e.g., another user associated with external client 180) in locating UE 105. "Location" is also referred to herein as "location estimation", "estimated location", "location", "positioning", "location estimation", "location lock", "estimated positioning", "location lock", or "lock". The procedure for determining location may be referred to as "positioning", "location determination", "location determination", etc. The location of UE 105 may include the absolute location of UE 105 (e.g., latitude and longitude and possible altitude) or the relative location of UE 105 (e.g., a location expressed as north or south, east or west, and possibly above or below some other known fixed location or some other location, such as the location of UE 105 at some known previous time). The location can be specified as a geodetic location including coordinates, which can be absolute coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and optional altitude), relative coordinates (e.g., relative to a known absolute location), or local coordinates (e.g., X, Y, and optional Z coordinates according to a coordinate system defined relative to a local area such as a factory, warehouse, university campus, shopping mall, stadium, or conference center). The location can alternatively be a city location, and can then include street addresses (e.g., names or labels including country, state, county, city, road and / or street, and / or road or street number) and / or labels or names of places, buildings, portions of buildings, floors of buildings, and / or rooms within buildings. The location can also include indications of uncertainty or error, such as horizontal and vertical distances where errors are expected, or indications of the area or volume (e.g., a circle or ellipse) in which UE 105 is expected to be located with a certain confidence level (e.g., 95% confidence).

[0038] External client 180 may be a web server or remote application that can have some association with UE 105 (e.g., can be accessed by a user of UE 105), or it may be a server, application, or computer system that provides location services to one or more other users, which may include obtaining and providing the location of UE 105 (e.g., to enable services such as viewing by friends or relatives, or locating children or pets). Additionally or alternatively, external client 180 may obtain the location of UE 105 and provide it to emergency service providers, government agencies, etc.

[0039] As mentioned above, the example positioning system 100 can be implemented using a wireless communication network such as an LTE-based or 5G NR-based network. Figure 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a 5G NR positioning system 200, illustrating an embodiment of a 5G NR positioning system (e.g., positioning system 100). The 5G NR positioning system 200 can be configured to determine the location of the UE 105 by using access nodes 210, 214, 216 (which may correspond to base station 320 and access point 130 of Figure 1) and (optionally) LMF 220 (which may correspond to location server 160) to implement one or more positioning methods. Here, the 5G NR positioning system 200 includes UE 105 and elements of a 5G NR network, which includes a next-generation (NG) radio access network (RAN) (NG-RAN) 235 and a 5G core network (5G CN) 240. The 5G network may also be referred to as an NR network; NG-RAN 235 may be referred to as a 5G RAN or NR RAN; and 5G CN 240 may be referred to as an NG core network. The 5G NR positioning system 200 can also utilize information from GNSS satellites 110 of GNSS systems, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) or similar systems (e.g., GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)). Additional elements of the 5G NR positioning system 200 are described below. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may include additional or alternative elements.

[0040] It should be noted that Figure 2 provides only a general overview of the various components, and any or all of these components may be used appropriately, and each component may be repeated or omitted as needed. Specifically, although only one UE 105 is illustrated, it should be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may utilize the 5G NR positioning system 200. Similarly, the 5G NR positioning system 200 may include more (or fewer) numbers of GNSS satellites 110, gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, wireless local area network (WLAN) 216, access and mobility management function (AMF) 215, external client 230, and / or other components. The connections shown to the various components in the 5G NR positioning system 200 include data and signal transmission connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on the required functionality.

[0041] UE 105 may include and / or be referred to as a device, mobile device, wireless device, mobile terminal, terminal, mobile station (MS), terminal supporting Secure User Plane Positioning (SUPL) (SET), or some other name. Furthermore, UE 105 may correspond to a mobile phone, smartphone, laptop, tablet, personal data assistant (PDA), navigation device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, or some other portable or mobile device. Typically, although not required, UE 105 may support wireless communications using one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs), such as GSM, CDMA, W-CDMA, LTE, High-Speed ​​Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11, Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth, Global Interoperability Microwave Access (WiMAX™), 5G NR (e.g., using NG-RAN 235 and 5G CN 240), etc. UE 105 may also support wireless communication using WLAN 216, which (such as one or more RATs, and as previously indicated with respect to Figure 1) can connect to other networks, such as the Internet. Using one or more of these RATs may allow UE 105 to communicate with external client 230 (e.g., via elements of 5G CN 240 not shown in Figure 2, or possibly via Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 225) and / or allow external client 230 to receive location information about UE 105 (e.g., via GMLC 225). External client 230 of Figure 2 may correspond to external client 180 of Figure 1, as implemented or communicatively coupled to in a 5G NR network.

[0042] UE 105 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network, where the user may use audio, video and / or data I / O devices and / or body sensors and separate wired or wireless modems. The estimation of the location of UE 105 may be referred to as location, location estimation, location locking, lock, positioning, location estimation, or location locking, and may be geodetic, thereby providing UE 105 with location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude), which may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., altitude, height above or below ground, floor level, or basement level). Alternatively, the location of UE 105 may be represented as an urban location (e.g., as a postal address or the name of a point or small area in a building, such as a specific room or floor). The location of UE 105 may also be represented as an area or volume (defined in geodetic or urban form), within which UE 105 is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of UE 105 can also be a relative location, including, for example, distance and direction defined relative to an origin at a known location, or relative X, Y (and Z) coordinates, which can be defined by geodetic, urban terminology, or by a point, area, or volume indicated on a reference map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, unless otherwise stated, the use of the term location can include any of these variations. When calculating the location of the UE, it is typically necessary to solve for the local X, Y, and possibly Z coordinates, and then, if necessary, convert the local coordinates to absolute coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level).

[0043] The base stations in the NG-RAN 235 shown in Figure 2 may correspond to base station 320 in Figure 1 and may include NR Node B (gNB) 210-1 and 210-2 (collectively referred to herein as gNB 210). The gNB 210 pairs in the NG-RAN 235 may be connected to each other (e.g., directly connected as shown in Figure 2 or indirectly connected via other gNB 210). The communication interface between the base stations (gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214) may be referred to as Xn interface 237. Access to the 5G network is provided to UE 105 via radio communication between UE 105 and one or more gNBs 210, which may use 5G NR to provide radio communication access to 5G CN 240 on behalf of UE 105. The radio interface between the base station (gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214) and UE 105 can be referred to as Uu interface 239. 5G NR radio access can also be referred to as NR radio access or 5G radio access. In Figure 2, it is assumed that the serving gNB of UE 105 is gNB 210-1, although other gNBs (e.g., gNB 210-2) can act as serving gNBs if UE 105 moves to another location or can act as auxiliary gNBs to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105.

[0044] The base stations in the NG-RAN 235 shown in Figure 2 may also, or alternatively, include Next Generation Evolved Node B, also known as ng-eNB 214. The ng-eNB 214 may be connected to one or more gNBs 210 in the NG-RAN 235—for example, directly or indirectly via other gNBs 210 and / or other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNB 214 may provide LTE radio access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) radio access to UE 105. Some of the gNBs 210 in Figure 2 (e.g., gNB 210-2) and / or ng-eNBs 214 may be configured to act as location-only beacons, which may transmit signals (e.g., location reference signals (PRS)) and / or broadcast auxiliary information to assist in locating UE 105, but may not be able to receive signals from UE 105 or from other UEs. It should be noted that although only one ng-eNB 214 is illustrated in Figure 2, some embodiments may include multiple ng-eNBs 214. Base stations 210 and 214 can communicate directly with each other via the Xn communication interface. Additionally or alternatively, base stations 210 and 214 can communicate directly or indirectly with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200, such as LMF 220 and AMF 215.

[0045] The 5G NR positioning system 200 may also include one or more WLANs 216, which may connect to a non-3GPP interoperability function (N3IWF) 250 in the 5G CN 240 (e.g., in the case of an untrusted WLAN 216). For example, the WLAN 216 may support IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi access for the UE 105 and may include one or more Wi-Fi APs (e.g., AP 130 of Figure 1). Here, the N3IWF 250 may connect to other components in the 5G CN 240, such as an AMF 215. In some embodiments, the WLAN 216 may support another RAT, such as Bluetooth. The N3IWF 250 can provide secure access for UE 105 to other components in the 5G CN 240 and / or support interoperability between one or more protocols used by WLAN 216 and UE 105 and one or more protocols used by other components of the 5G CN 240 (such as AMF 215). For example, the N3IWF 250 can support establishing an IPSec tunnel with UE 105, terminating the IKEv2 / IPSec protocol with UE 105, terminating the N2 and N3 interfaces of the 5G CN 240 used for the control plane and user plane, respectively, and relaying uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) control plane non-access layer (NAS) signals between UE 105 and AMF 215 via the N1 interface. In some other embodiments, the WLAN 216 can connect directly to components in the 5G CN 240 (e.g., AMF 215, shown by the dashed line in FIG2), instead of via the N3IWF 250. For example, if WLAN 216 is a trusted WLAN of 5GCN 240 and can be enabled using Trusted WLAN Interoperability (TWIF) (not shown in Figure 2), a direct connection between WLAN 216 and 5GCN 240 can occur. TWIF can be an element within WLAN 216. It should be noted that although only one WLAN 216 is illustrated in Figure 2, some embodiments may include multiple WLANs 216.

[0046] The access node may include any of a variety of network entities capable of communicating between UE 105 and AMF 215. This may include gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, WLAN 216 and / or other types of cellular base stations. However, the access node providing the functionality described herein may additionally or alternatively include entities capable of communicating with any of the various RATs not shown in FIG. 2, which may include non-cellular technologies. Therefore, the term "access node" as used in the embodiments described below may include, but is not necessarily limited to, gNB 210, ng-eNB 214 or WLAN 216.

[0047] In some embodiments, access nodes (such as gNB 210, ng-eNB 214) or WLAN 216 (alone or in combination with other elements of the 5G NR positioning system 200) may be configured to obtain location measurements of uplink (UL) signals received from UE 105 and / or downlink (DL) location measurements of DL signals received by UE 105 from one or more access nodes in response to a request for location information from LMF 220. As previously mentioned, although the access nodes 210, 214, and 216 illustrated in Figure 2 are configured to communicate according to 5G NR, LTE, and Wi-Fi communication protocols, respectively, access nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols can be used, such as, for example, a node B using the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) protocol for Universal Mobile Telecommunications Services (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), an eNB using the LTE protocol for Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), or a Bluetooth beacon using the Bluetooth® protocol for WLAN. For example, in a 4G Evolved Packet System (EPS) providing LTE radio access to UE 105, the RAN may include an E-UTRAN, which may include base stations, each including an eNB supporting LTE radio access. The core network of the EPS may include an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). The EPS may then include an E-UTRAN plus an EPC, where the E-UTRAN corresponds to NG-RAN 235 in Figure 2 and the EPC corresponds to 5GCN 240. The methods and techniques described in this article for obtaining the city location of UE 105 can be applied to other networks of this type.

[0048] gNB 210 and ng-eNB 214 can communicate with AMF 215, and AMF 215 communicates with LMF 220 for positioning functions. AMF 215 can support the mobility of UE 105, including cell changes and handovers from access nodes 210, 214, or 216 of the first RAT to access nodes 210, 214, or 216 of the second RAT. AMF 215 can also participate in supporting signal transmission connections with UE 105 and may participate in supporting data and voice bearers of UE 105. When UE 105 accesses NG-RAN 235 or WLAN 216, LMF 220 can support positioning of UE 105 using the CP positioning solution, and can support UE-assisted / UE-based positioning procedures and methods and / or network-based procedures / methods, such as Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (which may be called Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) in NR), Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cell ID (ECID), Angle of Arrival (AoA), Angle of Departure (AoD), WLAN positioning, Round-Trip Propagation Delay (RTT), Multi-Cell RTT, and / or other positioning procedures and methods. LMF 220 can also process location service requests for UE 105 received, for example, from AMF 215 or GMLC 225. LMF 220 can connect to AMF 215 and / or GMLC 225. In some embodiments, networks such as 5GCN 240 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as Evolved Services Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) or SUPL Location Platform (SLP). It should be noted that in some embodiments, at least a portion of the positioning functionality (including determining the location of UE 105) may be performed at UE 105 (e.g., by measuring downlink PRS (DL-PRS) signals transmitted by radio nodes such as gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, and / or WLAN 216 and / or using auxiliary data provided to UE 105, for example, by LMF 220).

[0049] The Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 225 can support location requests for UE 105 received from the external client 230, and can forward such location requests to the AMF 215 for forwarding to the LMF 220. Location responses from the LMF 220 (e.g., containing location estimates for UE 105) can similarly be returned to the GMLC 225 directly or via the AMF 215, and the GMLC 225 can then return the location responses (e.g., containing location estimates) to the external client 230.

[0050] Network Exposure Function (NEF) 245 may be included in 5GCN 240. NEF 245 may support the secure exposure of capabilities and events related to 5GCN 240 and UE 105 to external client 230, which may be referred to as Access Function (AF), and may enable the secure provision of information from external client 230 to 5GCN 240. NEF 245 may connect to AMF 215 and / or GMLC 225 to obtain the location of UE 105 (e.g., city location) and provide that location to external client 230.

[0051] As further shown in Figure 2, the LMF 220 can communicate with the gNB 210 and / or the ng-eNB 214 using the NR Positioning Protocol Annex (NRPPa) defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.445. NRPPa messages can be sent between the gNB 210 and LMF 220 and / or between the ng-eNB 214 and LMF 220 via the AMF 215. As further shown in Figure 2, the LMF 220 and UE 105 can communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) defined in 3GPP TS 37.355. Here, LPP messages can be sent between UE 105 and LMF 220 via the AMF 215 and the serving gNB 210-1 or serving ng-eNB 214 of UE 105. For example, LPP messages can be sent between LMF 220 and AMF 215 using messages for service-based operations (e.g., based on the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)), and between AMF 215 and UE 105 using the 5G NAS protocol. The LPP protocol can be used to support the location of UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based location methods (such as A-GNSS, RTK, TDOA, multi-cell RTT, AoD, and / or ECID). The NRPPa protocol can be used to support the location of UE 105 using network-based location methods such as ECID, AoA, and uplink TDOA (UL-TDOA), and / or can be used by LMF 220 to obtain location-related information from gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214, such as defining parameters for DL-PRS transmissions from gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214.

[0052] When UE 105 accesses WLAN 216, LMF 220 can use NRPPa and / or LPP to obtain the location of UE 105 in a manner similar to that described above for UE 105 accessing gNB 210 or ng-eNB 214. Therefore, NRPPa messages can be transmitted between WLAN 216 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 and N3IWF 250 to support network-based location of UE 105 and / or sending other location information from WLAN 216 to LMF 220. Alternatively, NRPPa messages can be transmitted between N3IWF 250 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 to support network-based positioning of UE 105 based on location-related information and / or location measurements transmitted from N3IWF 250 to LMF 220 using NRPPa, which is known or accessible to N3IWF 250. Similarly, LPP and / or LPP messages can be transmitted between UE 105 and LMF 220 via AMF 215, N3IWF 250, and the serving WLAN 216 of UE 105 to support UE-assisted or UE-based positioning of UE 105 by LMF 220.

[0053] In the 5G NR positioning system 200, the positioning method can be classified as "UE-assisted" or "UE-based". This can depend on where the request for determining the positioning of UE 105 originates. For example, if the request originates from the UE (e.g., from an application or "app" executed by the UE), the positioning method can be classified as UE-based. On the other hand, if the request originates from an external client or other devices or services within the AF 230, LMF 220, or 5G network, the positioning method can be classified as UE-assisted (or "network-based").

[0054] When using a UE-assisted positioning method, UE 105 can obtain location measurements and send the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 220) to calculate a location estimate for UE 105. For RAT-dependent positioning methods, location measurements may include one or more of the following for one or more access points of gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, and / or WLAN 216: Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Round-Trip Time (RTT), Reference Received Power (RSRP), Reference Received Quality (RSRQ), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Time of Arrival (TOA), AoA, Receive Time-Transmit Time Difference (Rx-Tx), Differential AoA (DAoA), AoD, or Timing Advance (TA). Additionally or alternatively, similar measurements may be performed on sidelink signals transmitted by other UEs, which may act as anchor points for positioning UE 105 if the locations of the other UEs are known. Location measurements may also include, or alternatively include, measurements of RAT-independent positioning methods such as GNSS (e.g., GNSS pseudorange, GNSS code phase, and / or GNSS carrier phase of GNSS satellite 110), WLAN, etc.

[0055] When using a UE-based positioning method, the UE 105 can obtain a location measurement (e.g., which may be the same as or similar to the location measurement of the UE-assisted positioning method) and can further calculate the location of the UE 105 (e.g., with the aid of auxiliary data received from a location server such as LMF 220, SLP or broadcast by gNB 210, ng-eNB 214 or WLAN 216).

[0056] When using a network-based positioning method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214), one or more APs (e.g., APs in WLAN 216) or N3IWF 250 may obtain location measurements (e.g., RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AoA, or TOA) for signals transmitted by UE 105, and / or may receive measurements obtained by UE 105 or by APs in WLAN 216 in the case of N3IWF 250, and may send the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 220) for calculating a location estimate for UE 105.

[0057] Location of UE 105 can also be classified as UL-based, DL-based, or DL-UL-based based on the type of signal used for location. For example, if location is based solely on signals received at UE 105 (e.g., signals received from a base station or other UE), location can be classified as DL-based. On the other hand, if location is based solely on signals transmitted by UE 105 (e.g., signals that can be received by a base station or other UE), location can be classified as UL-based. DL-UL-based location includes location based on signals transmitted and received by UE 105, such as RTT-based location. Side-link (SL) assisted location involves transmitting signals between UE 105 and one or more other UEs. According to some embodiments, UL, DL, or DL-UL location as described herein can be supplemented or replaced by SL signal transmission as a complement to SL, DL, or DL-UL signal transmission.

[0058] The type of reference signal used may vary depending on the type of positioning (e.g., UL-based, DL-based, or DL-UL-based). For example, for DL-based positioning, these signals may include PRS (e.g., DL-PRS transmitted by the base station or SL-PRS transmitted by other UEs), which can be used for TDOA, AoD, and RTT measurements. Other reference signals that can be used for positioning (UL, DL, or DL-UL) may include probe reference signals (SRS), channel status information reference signals (CSI-RS), synchronization signals (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB) synchronization signal (SS)), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), physical side link shared channel (PSSCH), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), etc. In addition, reference signals may be transmitted in Tx beams and / or received in Rx beams (e.g., using beamforming techniques), which may affect angle measurements such as AoD and / or AoA.

[0059] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a simplified environment 300 including two TRPs 320-1 and 320-2 with antenna arrays (which may correspond to base station 120 of Figure 1 and / or gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214 of Figure 2), which can perform beamforming to generate directional beams for transmitting and / or receiving RF signals. Figure 3 also illustrates a UE 105, which can also use beamforming to transmit and / or receive RF signals. Such directional beams are used in 5G NR wireless communication networks. Each directional beam can have a beamwidth centered in a different direction, so that different beams of the TRP 320 can correspond to different areas within the coverage area of ​​the TRP 320.

[0060] Different operating modes allow TRP 320-1 and 320-2 to use more or fewer beams. For example, in a first operating mode, TRP 320 can use 16 beams, in which case each beam can have a relatively wide beamwidth. In a second operating mode, TRP 320 can use 64 beams, in which case each beam can have a relatively narrow beamwidth. Depending on the capabilities of TRP 320, TRP can use any number of beams that TRP 320 is capable of forming. The operating mode and / or number of beams can be defined in the relevant radio standard and can correspond to different directions (e.g., horizontal and vertical) of either azimuth and elevation. Different operating modes can be used to transmit and / or receive different signal types. Additionally or alternatively, UE 105 may be able to use different numbers of beams, which may also correspond to different operating modes, signal types, etc.

[0061] In some cases, the TRP 320 can use beam scanning. Beam scanning is a procedure in which the TRP 320 can transmit RF signals in different directions using different corresponding beams, usually continuously, thereby effectively "scanning" the coverage area. For example, for each beam scan that can be repeated periodically, the TRP 320 can scan 120 degrees or 360 degrees in the azimuth direction. Each directional beam may include an RF reference signal (e.g., a PRS resource), wherein base station 320-1 generates a set of RF reference signals including Tx beams 305-a, 305-b, 305-c, 305-d, 305-e, 305-f, 305-g, and 305-h, and base station 320-2 generates a set of RF reference signals including Tx beams 309-a, 309-b, 309-c, 309-d, 309-e, 309-f, 309-g, and 309-h. As noted, since UE 320 may also include an antenna array, it can use beamforming to receive the RF reference signals transmitted by base stations 320-1 and 320-2 to form corresponding receive beams (Rx beams) 311-a and 311-b. Beamforming performed in this manner (by base station 320 and optionally by UE 105) can be used to make communications more efficient. They can also be used for other purposes, including for location determination measurements (e.g., AoD and AoA measurements).

[0062] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the frame structure and related terminology of NR, which can be used as the basis for physical layer communication between UE 105 and the base station / TRP. The transmission isochrones of each of the downlink and uplink can be divided into units of radio frames. Each radio frame can have a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)) and can be divided into 10 subframes indexed from 0 to 9, each subframe being 1 ms long. Each subframe can include a variable number of time slots, depending on the subcarrier spacing. Each time slot can include a variable number of symbol periods (e.g., 7 or 14 symbols), depending on the subcarrier spacing. The symbol periods in each time slot can be assigned an index. Micro-time slots can include sub-time slot structures (e.g., 2, 3, or 4 symbols). Furthermore, Figure 4 also shows the full orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) of the subframes, illustrating how the subframes are divided into multiple resource blocks (RBs) across both time and frequency. A single RB can include a resource element (RE) grid spanning 14 symbols and 12 subcarriers.

[0063] Each symbol in a time slot can indicate the link direction (e.g., downlink (DL), uplink (UL), or flexible) or data transmission, and the link direction of each subframe can be dynamically switched. The link direction can be based on the time slot format. Each time slot can include DL / UL data and DL / UL control information. In NR, synchronization signal (SS) blocks are transmitted. SS blocks include the primary SS (PSS), secondary SS (SSS), and dual-symbol entity broadcast channel (PBCH). SS blocks can be transmitted at fixed time slot positions, such as symbols 0-3 as shown in Figure 4. The UE can use PSS and SSS for cell search and acquisition. PSS can provide half-frame timing, and SS can provide cyclic prefix (CP) length and frame timing. PSS and SSS can provide cell identification. PBCH carries some basic system information, such as downlink system bandwidth, timing information within the radio frame, SS short burst period, system frame number, etc.

[0064] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication frame sequence 500 with PRS positioning timing. A "PRS instance" or "PRS timing" is an instance (e.g., a set of one or more consecutive time slots) of a periodically repeating time window where PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS timing may also be referred to as a "PRS positioning timing," "PRS positioning instance," "positioning timing," "positioning instance," or simply "timing" or "instance." The sub-frame sequence 500 can be used to broadcast PRS signals (DL-PRS signals) from base stations 320 in positioning system 100. The wireless communication frame sequence 500 can be used for 5G NR (e.g., 5G NR positioning system 200) and / or LTE. Similar to Figure 4, time is represented horizontally in Figure 5 (e.g., on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right. Frequency is represented vertically (e.g., on the Y-axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0065] Figure 5 illustrates how PRS positioning timings 510-1, 510-2, and 510-3 (collectively referred to herein as positioning timing 510) are determined by the system frame number (SFN), cell-specific subframe offset (ΔPRS) 515, the length or span of the LPRS subframe, and the PRS period (TPRS) 520. The cell-specific PRS subframe configuration can be defined by the "PRS Configuration Index" IPRS included in auxiliary data (e.g., TDOA auxiliary data), which can be defined by the 3GPP management standard. The cell-specific subframe offset (ΔPRS) 515 can be defined based on the number of subframes sent to the beginning of the first (subsequent) PRS positioning timing starting from the system frame number (SFN) 0.

[0066] The PRS can be transmitted by a wireless node (e.g., base station 320) after proper configuration (e.g., via an Operations and Maintenance (Q&M) server). The PRS can be transmitted in specific positioning subframes or time slots grouped into positioning timing 510. For example, PRS positioning timing 510-1 can include a number of consecutive positioning subframes (NPRS), where the number of NPRS can be between 1 and 160 (e.g., it can include values ​​1, 2, 4, and 6, as well as other values). PRS timing 510 can be divided into one or more PRS timing packets. As noted, PRS positioning timing 510 can occur periodically at intervals expressed as a number of milliseconds (or subframes), where TPRS can be equal to 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, or 1280 (or any other suitable value). In some embodiments, TPRS can be measured based on the number of subframes between the start of consecutive positioning timings.

[0067] In some embodiments, when UE 105 receives the PRS configuration index IPRS in auxiliary data for a specific cell (e.g., base station), UE 105 can use the stored index data to determine the PRS period TPRS 520 and the cell-specific subframe offset (ΔPRS) 515. Then, when scheduling the PRS in the cell, UE 105 can determine the radio frames, subframes, and time slots. The auxiliary data can be determined by, for example, a location server (e.g., location server 160 in FIG. 1 and / or LMF 220 in FIG. 2) and includes auxiliary data for reference cells, as well as the number of neighboring cells supported by each radio node.

[0068] Typically, the PRS timings of all cells using the same frequency in the network are time-aligned and can have a fixed, known time offset relative to other cells using different frequencies in the network (e.g., cell-specific subframe offset (ΔPRS) 515). In an SFN synchronous network, all radio nodes (e.g., base station 320) can be aligned simultaneously on frame boundaries and system frame numbers. Therefore, in an SFN synchronous network, all cells supported by each radio node can use the same PRS configuration index for any specific PRS transmission frequency. On the other hand, in an SFN asynchronous network, each radio node can be aligned on frame boundaries but not on system frame numbers. Therefore, in an SFN asynchronous network, the PRS configuration index for each cell can be configured individually by the network so that the PRS timings are time-aligned. If UE 105 can obtain the cell timing (e.g., SFN or frame number) of at least one cell (e.g., a reference cell or a service cell), then UE 105 can determine the timing of the PRS timing 510 of the reference cell and adjacent cells for TDOA positioning. Then, UE 105 can extract the timing of other cells based on, for example, the assumption of overlapping PRS timings from different cells.

[0069] Referring to the frame structure in Figure 4, the set of REs used to transmit the PRS is referred to as the "PRS resource". The set of resource elements can span multiple RBs in the frequency domain and one or more consecutive symbols within a time slot in the time domain, where pseudo-random quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) sequences are transmitted from the antenna port of the TRP. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, the PRS resource occupies consecutive RBs in the frequency domain. The transmission of the PRS resource within a given RB has a specific comb size (also called "comb density"). The comb size "N" represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration, where the configuration uses every Nth subcarrier of certain symbols of the RB. For example, for comb-4, for each of the fourth symbols of the PRS resource configuration, the REs corresponding to every four subcarriers (e.g., subcarriers 0, 4, 8) are used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. For example, comb sizes of comb-2, comb-4, comb-6, and comb-12 can be used in the PRS. Figure 6 provides examples of different comb tooth sizes using different number symbols.

[0070] A "PRS resource set" comprises a group of PRS resources used to transmit PRS signals, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. Furthermore, PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and associated with a specific TRP (identified by a cell ID). "PRS resource duplication" is the repetition of PRS resources during a PRS timing / instance. The number of PRS resource duplications can be defined by the "duplication factor" of the PRS resource. Additionally, PRS resources in a PRS resource set can have the same period, a common silence mode configuration, and the same duplication factor across time slots. The period can have a length selected from 2µ {4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} time slots, where µ = 0, 1, 2, 3. The repeatability factor can have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} time slots.

[0071] A PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set can be associated with a single beam (and / or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (where the TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam; therefore, a PRS resource (or simply "resource") can also be called a "beam". Note that this has no effect on whether the UE knows the TRP and the beam on which the PRS is transmitted.

[0072] In the 5G NR positioning system 200 shown in Figure 2, TRPs (e.g., 210, 214, 216) can transmit frames or other entity layer signaling sequences supporting PRS signals (i.e., DL-PRS) according to the frame configuration described above, which can be measured and used for positioning determination of UE 105. As noted, other types of radio network nodes, including other UEs, can also be configured to transmit PRS signals configured in a similar (or identical) manner as described above. Since PRS transmission by a radio network node may involve all UEs within radio range, it can be assumed that the radio network node transmits (or broadcasts) PRS.

[0073] As mentioned above, reference signals such as DL-PRS and SRS may not allow for accurate high-speed UE positioning. For example, DL-PRS may typically use only a comb-2 signal structure with a length of two symbols, while SRS may even have a comb-1 signal structure with a length of one symbol. These signal lengths may often be insufficient to capture Doppler, and as mentioned above, combining multiple PRS / SRS resources may become limited over time due to channel aging. Without Doppler estimation for the mobile UE, the accuracy of UE positioning estimation may be affected, while with Doppler estimation, the UE positioning estimation may be more accurate. For example, ToA estimation using search in both the delay domain and the Doppler domain can outperform ToA estimation only in the delay domain.

[0074] The embodiments described herein provide the use of reference signals that allow Doppler estimation (e.g., DL-PRS and / or SRS), thereby potentially improving the accuracy of UE positioning estimation in high-speed UE positioning. As mentioned above, this functionality is achieved by using the TRS as a QCL reference. Additional details are provided below with reference to Figure 7.

[0075] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating how a QCL reference is used for DL-PRS resources. In NR, the QCL relationship between two signals (which may be referred to as "performing QCL") is a relationship that defines a set of radio channel attributes shared between the two signals. Different types of QCL are labeled A, B, C, and D (which may be referred to as "Type A," "Type B," etc.), and each type conveys a different set of attributes. For example, QCL-Type D defines spatial receiver parameters. QCL-Type C defines parameters related to Doppler shift and average delay. By designating the first signal as the QCL reference (or QCL "source"), the network can effectively transmit attributes about the second signal (performing QCL with the first signal) to the UE. This allows the UE to ensure the correct configuration for receiving the second signal.

[0076] For example, in Figure 7, different DL-PRS resources are QCLed with their corresponding SSB resources. Specifically, DL-PRS resource #1 is QCLed with SSB #4, DL-PRS resource #2 with SSB #5, and DL-PRS resource #3 with SSB #6. To help ensure that UE 105 is correctly configured to receive network DL-PRS resources #1-3, the network (e.g., a location server (not shown) or TRP 320) can identify the corresponding SSB for each DL-PRS resource that is QCLed with the corresponding DL-PRS resource. This information can be provided to UE 105 by the network in the PRS configuration, which can provide additional information about each DL-PRS (e.g., the previously described PRS parameters, such as periodicity, frequency, etc.).

[0077] Depending on the required functionality, different QCL types can be used to support DL-PRS resources. For example, an SSB from a serving TRP or a neighboring TRP can be used as a QCL-Type C reference for DL-PRS resources. Additionally or alternatively, a DL-PRS resource or SSB from a serving TRP or a neighboring TRP can be used as a QCL-Type D reference for DL-PRS resources. However, it can be noted that the QCL relationship between two DL-PRS resources can be provided only for DL-PRS resources of the same TRP.

[0078] However, traditionally, no QCL relationship has been defined for DL-PRS that can ensure the correct configuration of the UE for accurate ToA measurement / Dupler estimation in high-speed scenarios. As noted, the embodiments herein can address these shortcomings by using TRS as the QCL reference for DL-PRS.

[0079] TRS is a DL transmission performed by TRP, which allows the UE to track time and frequency changes with higher resolution than the synchronization signal. This ensures good data transmission performance in both UL and DL directions. Therefore, TRS can be used to accurately estimate Doppler.

[0080] The TRS can be periodic (referred to as P-TRS) or aperiodic (A-TRS). The P-TRS may include a set of Channel State Information Reference Signals (CSIRS) resources for tracking, which can be configured in Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages to a UE with a semi-static Transmit Configuration Indicator (TCI) state. In some cases, the SSB can be used as both QCL-Type C and QCL-Type D references for the P-TRS. Alternatively, the SSB can be used as a QCL-Type C reference and the CSIRS Beam Management (CSIRS-BM) resources can be used as a QCL-Type D reference for the P-TRS.

[0081] The AP-TRS may include a resource set triggered by downlink control information (DCI), which can also be configured in an RRC message with a configured TCI state. The AP-TRS is associated with the P-TRS and may traverse very similar channels. Therefore, the P-TRS can be used as a QCL-Type A and / or QCL-Type D reference for the AP-TRS.

[0082] Embodiments can leverage the effectiveness of TRS in Doppler estimation by using TRS as a QCL reference for DL-PRS. For example, according to some embodiments, a P-TRS from the serving TRP or a neighboring TRP can be used as a QCL-Type C reference for DL-PRS transmitted by the TRP. This means that in some cases, a P-TRS can be indirectly used as a QCL reference, where an SSB from the serving TRP or a neighboring TRP is used as a QCL-Type C reference for DL-PRS, and the SSB is also used as a QCL-Type C reference for the P-TRS. Since the P-TRS beam may be a wider beam (spatial, Doppler, delay distribution mismatch) compared to the beam used for DL-PRS, the use of P-TRS as a QCL reference in high mobility scenarios may be limited. Furthermore, the cost of P-TRS may be high in terms of the administrative burden of FR2. Even so, according to some embodiments, P-TRS can still be used as a QCL reference.

[0083] According to some embodiments, an AP-TRS from a serving TRP or a neighboring TRP can be used as a QCL-Type C reference for DL-PRS transmitted by a TRP. Compared to P-TRS, AP-TRS can provide a better-matched QCL reference for DL-PRS, especially in scenarios with fast beam switching or high mobility.

[0084] When using a TRS (P-TRS or AP-TRS) as a QCL reference, various considerations may be taken into account in the embodiments. For example, the RB allocation across frequencies of the TRS (controlled by the TRP) may need to overlap with at least some frequencies used for the DL-PRS to help ensure that the signal traverses approximately the same path. Furthermore, in some cases, the measurement gap (MG) used to process the DL-PRS may prevent the measurement and processing of the TRS. In this case, PRS processing without MG can be specified to allow the UE to measure the intersection of the configured DL-PRS and the active BWP (where the TRS can be received). Additionally, according to some embodiments, the location server may provide the UE with the time-frequency location for TRS transmissions on adjacent TRPs (e.g., via LPP). That is, since adjacent TRPs cannot directly configure this information to the UE in a manner that the serving TRP can employ, the location server can be used to relay this information about adjacent TRPs to the UE, thereby making it easier for TRS transmissions of adjacent TRPs to be used as a QCL reference for the DL-PRS on the corresponding adjacent TRP.

[0085] According to some embodiments, speed information from the UE can be used to trigger the above-described functions. For example, the UE can provide information about its speed to the location server and / or TRP, and if the UE's speed is higher than a certain threshold, it can trigger the use of the TRS as a QCL reference for the DL-PRS used to locate the UE. Additionally or alternatively, speed information can be used to help ensure that the TRP is correctly configured to receive UL signals transmitted by the UE for positioning. More specifically, in order to implement joint delay / Dopeller search in the reception of TRPs and the processing of UL signals (e.g., SRS), according to some embodiments, the UE can provide speed information to the location server (e.g., via the serving TRP), and the location server can then distribute this information to all TRPs in the speed report for positioning the UE. Thus, speed information provided by the UE can be used, as described herein, to help optimize the reception and processing of either (i) the DL reference signal (e.g., DL-PRS) received by the UE and (ii) the UL reference signal (e.g., SRS) received by one or more TRPs.

[0086] The content of the velocity report sent from the location server to the TRP may vary depending on the required functionality. In addition to the UE's velocity, the report may include, for example, the UE's identifier (e.g., UE ID), the direction of the velocity (e.g., as a supplement to the velocity), and / or a timestamp indicating when the UE's velocity was measured or estimated. According to some embodiments, the UE indicates one or more sources of velocity measurement or estimation (e.g., NR, GNSS, and / or sensors). Additionally or alternatively, uncertainties in the reported velocity may also be included. For example, absolute velocity can be used to find an initial Doppler search point, and velocity uncertainties can help the TRP find a suitable Doppler frequency shift search window.

[0087] Regarding the estimation of the UE's speed, embodiments may perform the estimation in any of a variety of ways, depending on the required functionality, available data, and / or other factors. For example, according to some embodiments, Doppler estimation may be performed based on TRS. Additionally or alternatively, the speed may be based on one or more additional elements of the UE, such as GNSS and / or multiple sensors. The capabilities of the UE may vary depending on the UE type. For example, for a UE including a vehicle, the vehicle's wheel speed sensors and IMU can provide accurate speed and direction estimates.

[0088] As noted, the speed of the UE can affect the reception and processing of both the UL signal transmitted by the UE and the DL signal received at the UE. Regarding the DL-PRS processing capability at the UE, the search space for the UE to receive DL-PRS may include a search window of P milliseconds (ms), which includes a duration of K ms during which DL-PRS symbols are transmitted. Conventionally, the UE may buffer the symbols of the search window based on one or more time slots during which DL-PRS resources are transmitted by one or more TRPs or one or more symbols of DL-PRS expected to be received at the UE during its period. However, according to some embodiments, the periodicity of this window (PRS measurement period) and / or the DL-PRS resources may be based on the mobility of the UE.

[0089] For example, according to some embodiments, the TRP may be able to dynamically configure the PRS period (TPRS in Figure 5) based on the UE's mobility. For example, the TRP may configure the PRS period to be relatively short based on high mobility to help reduce the impact of channel aging. Longer PRS periods can be used for slower UEs.

[0090] Additionally or alternatively, the PRS measurement window (e.g., the search window P as described above) can be dynamically configured based on the UE's speed. This can be done by the UE or the network, depending on the required functionality. For example, according to some embodiments, as part of its PRS processing capabilities, the UE can be able to dynamically determine the preferred PRS measurement period P based on its PRS measurement quality. The UE can then report this measurement period to the network (e.g., TRP or location server), and the network can adjust its PRS configuration (at least the PRS period) based on the reported recommended P. Similarly, the higher the mobility, the smaller the measurement period P can be. Additionally or alternatively, the network (e.g., location server or TRP) can dynamically indicate a recommended P for PRS processing to the UE based on the UE's indication of its speed. In such embodiments, the UE can determine the measurement period P and UE capability reports that it can provide to the network. This can also be based on the UE's hardware capabilities. For its part, the network can use the recommended measurement period when determining the maximum value of P to adopt.

[0091] Figures 8 to 10 are diagrams that help illustrate the interaction between UE 105, location server 160 and TRP 320 to implement some of the functions described above.

[0092] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating a method for coordinating the transmission of DL-PRS resources according to one embodiment. Arrows between devices indicate communication between devices. However, it can be noted that communication can be indirect and thus can be relayed by one or more additional devices. Communication between the location server 160 and the UE 105 can be performed using LPP and / or similar means, which can be relayed via the serving TRP of the UE 105. The TRP 320 shown in Figure 8 may include the UE's serving TRP or neighboring TRP. Communication between the location server 160 and TRP 320 can be performed via NRPPa and / or similar means. Communication between TRP 320 and the UE 105 can be performed via wireless RF signals and may include RRC and / or similar means. According to some embodiments, additional TRPs can be used for the positioning of the UE 105.

[0093] This method can begin with the operation of block 805, where UE 105 and location server 160 initiate a location communication period. As mentioned above, the location communication period may include an LPP location communication period. Furthermore, for example, location server 160 or UE 105 may initiate a location communication period, depending on whether the location communication period is UE-based or UE-assisted. Initiation of a location communication period may include the exchange of capabilities and / or other information, which location server 160 and / or UE 105 may use in coordinating and measuring DL-PRS resources sent by TRP 320.

[0094] At block 810, location server 160 can obtain an indication of the speed of UE 105. As noted, this indication can be received in a message from UE 105, as indicated by arrow 812. Also as previously mentioned, this speed information may include an estimate or measurement based on information from GNSS, sensors, and / or other sources. Additionally or alternatively, location server 160 may obtain the speed indication of the UE from other sources (e.g., other positioning systems, historical data about the UE, data about the current or historical speed of other UEs (e.g., crowdsourced data), etc.).

[0095] In block 815, the location server can determine that the speed of UE 105 exceeds a threshold based on the speed indication received in block 810. This threshold may vary depending on the frequency of DL-PRS usage (e.g., based on Doppler extension, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, this threshold may be based on accuracy requirements for UE positioning, which may be communicated by the UE (e.g., during the initiation of a positioning communication), the entity requesting positioning of UE 105, etc. In the case of speed exceeding the threshold, the location server 160 may then decide to use the TRS as the QCL reference.

[0096] At block 820, the position server can then determine the PRS to be used as a QCL reference. That is, the position server 160 can identify a specific TRS (e.g., P-TRS or AP-TRS) to be used as a QCL reference and configure the DL-PRS accordingly (e.g., with time / frequency constraints as described above). Since the TRS can be configured by the TRP 320, the position server can optionally request TRS configuration, as shown by arrow 825. In response, the TRP 320 can provide the TRS configuration, as shown by arrow 830.

[0097] Then, the location server 160 may include a TRS to be used as a QCL reference for DL-PRS in the PRS configuration, which may be sent to the UE 105 as shown by arrow 835. The PRS configuration may also indicate the QCL type (e.g., QCL-Type C) and other information about the DL-PRS resources to be sent by TRP 320 (e.g., PRS frequency, comb type, periodicity, etc.).

[0098] In block 840, this function includes performing positioning measurements between TRP 320 and UE 105. This may involve TRP 320 sending DL-PRS and corresponding measurements performed by UE 105, which can be done according to conventional positioning techniques. However, according to some embodiments, the PRS measurement window and / or periodicity can be dynamically adjusted based on UE mobility, as described above. Furthermore, in cases where UE 105 sends one or more UL reference signals (e.g., SRS) for TRP 320 measurement, embodiments may specify that location server 160 provides UE speed reports to one or more TRPs in the manner described above. This function is shown in Figure 10 and will be described in further detail below.

[0099] FIG9 is a diagram illustrating a variation of the method for coordinating the transmission of DL-PRS resources shown in FIG8 according to one embodiment. Here, functions 905-940 performed by the location server 160, TRP 320, and UE 105 can correspond to their respective functions 805-840 in FIG8, as described above. However, instead of the location server 160 determining the DL-PRS configuration based on the TRS configuration provided by the TRP 320, the location server 160 can provide DL-PRS information to the TRP, as indicated by arrow 920, and allow the TRP 320 to determine the TRS to be used as a QCL reference. The TRP 320 can then send information indicating the TRS to the location server 160, as indicated by arrow 925. According to some embodiments, the decision of whether to perform the function in FIG8 or the function in FIG9 can be made by the location server and can be based at least in part on the capabilities of the TRP 320.

[0100] Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating how a location server can be used to provide speed reports to one or more TRPs 320 according to some embodiments, as described above. Similarly, operations 1005-1040 can be similar to the corresponding operations 805-840 in Figure 8. It can be noted that although other operations are omitted in Figure 10, they may also be included, depending on the required functionality. However, here, in response to receiving a speed indication at block 1010, the location server can then provide a speed report for SRS processing to one or more TRPs, as indicated by arrow 1020, followed by positioning measurements at block 1040. As described above, the speed report may include speed-related information, thereby enabling one or more TRPs to adjust their respective search windows accordingly for SRS reception and processing. Therefore, the additional functionality indicated by arrow 1020 may be included in embodiments (e.g., as shown in Figures 8 and / or 9), whereby the UE 105 is configured to transmit SRS resources to be measured by one or more TRPs during positioning communication.

[0101] FIG11 is a flowchart of a method 1100 for coordinating the transmission of DL-PRS resources for locating a UE according to one embodiment. For example, components for performing the functions shown in one or more blocks of FIG11 may be executed by hardware and / or software components of a location server. Example components of a location server are shown in FIG14, which will be described in more detail below.

[0102] In block 1110, this function includes obtaining an indication at the location server that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold. As previously described with respect to Figures 8 to 10, this can be accomplished by the location server at least in part by receiving speed information from the UE and comparing it with the threshold. Therefore, according to some alternative embodiments of method 1100, obtaining an indication that the UE's speed exceeds the threshold may include receiving information indicating the speed from the UE. Furthermore, as mentioned above, method 1100 can be performed during positioning communication between the UE and the location server, in which case the method may also include sending a speed report from the location server to the TRP and one or more additional TRPs configured to send reference signals during positioning communication, wherein the speed report includes the UE's speed information. In some embodiments, the speed report may also include the UE's ID, timestamp, source of the speed information, or uncertainty about the UE's speed, or a combination thereof. Alternative embodiments may use additional or alternative components to obtain the UE speed. Furthermore, as mentioned above, the threshold may vary depending on the frequency used (or intended to be used) for the DL-PRS, the accuracy requirements for positioning the UE, etc. The components used to perform functions in block 1110 may include: processing unit 1410, storage device 1425, working memory 1435, communication subsystem 1430 and / or other components of the location server as shown in FIG14.

[0103] In block 1120, the function includes, in response to receiving the instruction, determining at the location server a PRS configuration in which the TRS is used as a QCL reference for the DL-PRS resource. The TRP is configured to send the TRS and the DL-PRS resource, and the determination includes (i) selecting the TRS from an existing TRS configuration obtained from the TRP, or (ii) sending configuration information about the DL-PRS resource to the TRP and receiving information about the TRS in response. According to some embodiments, the TRS may include a QCL-Type C reference. Additionally or alternatively, the TRS may include a periodic TRS (P-TRS) or an aperiodic TRS (AP-TRS). The components for performing the function in block 1120 may include a processing unit 1410, a storage device 1425, a working memory 1435, a communication subsystem 1430, and / or other components of the location server as shown in FIG14.

[0104] In block 1130, this function includes sending a PRS configuration from the location server to the UE. As indicated, the PRS configuration may indicate that the TRS will be used as a QCL reference for DL-PRS resources. The PRS configuration may additionally include configuration for additional DL-PRS resources sent by the TRP and / or one or more additional TRPs. The PRS configuration may also include information enabling the UE to measure and process DL-PRS, such as timing, frequency, and / or other relevant information. Components for performing the function in block 1130 may include processing unit 1410, storage device 1425, working memory 1435, communication subsystem 1430, and / or other components of the location server as shown in FIG14.

[0105] As indicated in the previously described embodiments, alternative embodiments may include additional functionality. For example, according to some embodiments, the TRP may include the UE's serving TRP. Alternatively, the TRP may include the UE's neighboring TRPs, and the method may further include sending information about sending a TRS from the location server to the UE (e.g., in the manner previously described with respect to FIG10). Additionally or alternatively, the TRS may be used as an indirect QCL reference for DL-PRS resources, wherein the TRS includes a QCL reference for a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the TRP, and the SSB includes a QCL reference for the DL-PRS resources.

[0106] As indicated, various configurations of the PRS configuration and / or PRS measurement period can be dynamically configured. According to some embodiments, the PRS configuration may include a PRS measurement period dynamically configured by the TRP. Additionally or alternatively, alternative embodiments may also include determining a PRS measurement period to be included in the PRS configuration, wherein the determination of the PRS measurement period is at least partially based on a preferred PRS measurement period received from the UE. According to some embodiments, method 1100 may further include: determining a proposed PRS measurement period based on an estimate of the UE's speed, sending the proposed PRS measurement period to the UE, and in response to sending the proposed PRS measurement period to the UE, receiving the PRS measurement period from the UE.

[0107] Figure 12 illustrates an embodiment of UE 105, which can be utilized as described above (e.g., in conjunction with Figures 1 to 11). For example, UE 105 can perform one or more functions of the dialing flowcharts shown in Figures 8-10. It should be noted that Figure 12 is intended only to provide a generalized illustration of various elements, and any or all of the components therein may be utilized as appropriate. It can be noted that in some cases, the elements shown in Figure 12 may be located to a single physical device and / or distributed among various networking devices that may be located in different physical locations (e.g., different locations on a vehicle). Furthermore, as mentioned above, the functions of the UE discussed in the previously described embodiments can be performed by one or more of the hardware and / or software elements shown in Figure 12.

[0108] The UE 105 is shown as including hardware components that can be electrically coupled (or otherwise communicated) via bus 1205. The hardware components may include a processing unit 1210, which may include, but is not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as digital signal processor (DSP) chips, graphics accelerator processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.) and / or other processing structures or components. As shown in FIG12, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1220 depending on the desired functionality. Location determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communication may be provided in the processing unit 1210 and / or the wireless communication interface 1230 (discussed below). The UE 105 may also include one or more input devices 1270, which may include, but is not limited to, one or more keyboards, touchscreens, touchpads, microphones, buttons, dials, switches, etc.; and one or more output devices 1215, which may include, but is not limited to, one or more displays (e.g., touchscreens), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, etc.

[0109] UE 105 may also include a wireless communication interface 1230, which may include, but is not limited to, a modem, network card, infrared communication device, wireless communication device and / or chipset (such as Bluetooth® device, IEEE 802.11 device, IEEE 802.15.4 device, Wi-Fi device, WiMAX device, WAN device and / or various cellular devices, etc.). This wireless communication interface enables UE 105 to communicate with other devices as described in the above embodiments. The wireless communication interface 1230 may allow data and signal transmission (e.g., sending and receiving) via, for example, eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, access point, various base stations and / or other access node types and / or other network components, computer system and / or any other electronic device and network coupled to the TRP, as described herein. Communication may be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 1232 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 1234. According to some embodiments, the wireless communication antenna 1232 may include a plurality of individual antennas, antenna arrays, or any combination thereof. The antenna 1232 may be capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals using beamforming (e.g., Tx beamforming and Rx beamforming). Beamforming may be performed using digital and / or analog beamforming techniques and corresponding digital and / or analog circuitry. The wireless communication interface 1230 may include such circuitry.

[0110] Depending on the desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 1230 may include separate receivers and transmitters, or any combination of transceivers, transmitters, and / or receivers, to communicate with base stations (e.g., ng-eNBs and gNBs) and other terrestrial transceivers (such as wireless devices and access points). The UE 105 may communicate with various data networks, including a variety of network types. For example, a wireless wide area network (WWAN) may be a CDMA network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) network, a single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, etc. A CDMA network may implement one or more RATs such as CDMA2000®, WCDMA, etc. CDMA2000® includes the IS-95, IS-2000, and / or IS-856 standards. TDMA networks can implement GSM, Digital Advanced Mobile Telephone Systems (D-AMPS), or certain other RATs. OFDMA networks can employ LTE, Advanced LTE, 5G NR, etc. 5G NR, LTE, Advanced LTE, GSM, and WCDMA are described in 3GPP documents. CDMA2000® is described in documents from the consortium known as "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) can also be IEEE 802.11x networks, while Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) can be Bluetooth, IEEE 802.15x, or certain other types of networks. The technologies described herein can also be used in any combination of WWANs, WLANs, and / or WPANs.

[0111] UE 105 may also include sensor 1240. Sensor 1240 may include, but is not limited to, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., accelerometer, gyroscope, camera, magnetometer, altimeter, microphone, proximity sensor, light sensor, barometer, etc.), some of which may be used to obtain position-related measurements and / or other information.

[0112] Embodiments of UE 105 may also include a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver 1280, which is capable of receiving signals 1284 from one or more GNSS satellites using an antenna 1282 (which may be the same as antenna 1232). Positioning based on GNSS signal measurements may be used to supplement and / or combine with the techniques described herein. The GNSS receiver 1280 may use conventional techniques to extract the position of UE 105 from GNSS satellites 110 of a GNSS system, such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, IRNSS over India, and BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) over China. In addition, the GNSS receiver 1280 can be used with various augmentation systems, such as satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS), which can be associated with or otherwise enabled to be used with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems, such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geosynchronous Navigation Coverage Service (EGNOS), the Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), and the Geographic Augmentation Navigation System (GAGAN).

[0113] It can be noted that although the GNSS receiver 1280 is shown as a different component in FIG. 12, the embodiments are not limited thereto. As used herein, the term "GNSS receiver" may include hardware and / or software components configured to acquire GNSS measurements (measurements from GNSS satellites). Thus, in some embodiments, the GNSS receiver may include a measurement engine (as software) executed by one or more processing units, such as processing unit 1210, DSP 1220, and / or processing units within wireless communication interface 1230 (e.g., in a modem). The GNSS receiver may also optionally include a positioning engine that can use GNSS measurements from the measurement engine to determine the positioning of the GNSS receiver using an extended Kalman filter (EKF), weighted least squares (WLS), a hatch filter, a particle filter, etc. The positioning engine may also be executed by one or more processing units (such as processing unit 1210 or DSP 1220).

[0114] UE 105 may also include and / or communicate with memory 1260. Memory 1260 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage devices, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices (such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM), which may be programmable, flash memory updatable), etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0115] The memory 1260 of UE 105 may also include software elements (not shown in FIG. 12), including operating systems, device drivers, executable libraries and / or other code, such as one or more applications, which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments and / or may be designed to implement methods and / or configuration systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more programs described with respect to the above methods may be implemented as code and / or instructions in memory 1260 executable by UE 105 (and / or processing unit 1210 or DSP 1220 within UE 105). In some embodiments, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the methods.

[0116] FIG13 illustrates an embodiment of the TRP 320, which can be utilized as described above (e.g., in conjunction with FIGS. 1 to 12). It should be noted that FIG13 is intended only to provide a generalized illustration of various elements, and any or all of the components therein may be utilized as appropriate. In some embodiments, the TRP 320 may correspond to a gNB, ng-eNB, and / or (more generally) any type of base station.

[0117] The TRP 320 is shown as including hardware components that can be electrically coupled (or otherwise communicated) via bus 1305. The hardware components may include a processing unit 1310, which may include, but is not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as DSP chips, graphics accelerators, ASICs, etc.), and / or other processing structures or components. As shown in FIG13, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1320 depending on the desired functionality. According to some embodiments, location determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communication may be provided in the processing unit 1310 and / or the wireless communication interface 1330 (discussed below). The TRP 320 may also include one or more input devices, which may include, but are not limited to, a keyboard, display, mouse, microphone, buttons, dials, switches, etc.; and one or more output devices, which may include, but are not limited to, a display, a light-emitting diode (LED), a speaker, etc.

[0118] The TRP 320 may also include a wireless communication interface 1330, which may include, but is not limited to, a modem, network card, infrared communication device, wireless communication device and / or chipset (such as Bluetooth® device, IEEE 802.11 device, IEEE 802.15.4 device, Wi-Fi device, WiMAX device, cellular communication facility, etc.), which enables the TRP 320 to communicate as described herein. The wireless communication interface 1330 may allow the transmission (e.g., sending and receiving) of data and signals to the UE, other base stations / TRPs (e.g., eNB, gNB and ng-eNB) and / or other network components, computer systems and / or any other electronic devices described herein. Communication may be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 1332 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 1334.

[0119] TRP 320 may also include a network interface 1380, which may include support for wired communication technologies. Network interface 1380 may include a modem, network card, chipset, etc. Network interface 1380 may include one or more input and / or output communication interfaces to allow data exchange with a network, communication network server, computer system, and / or any other electronic device described herein.

[0120] In many embodiments, TRP 320 may also include memory 1360. Memory 1360 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage devices, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices (such as RAM and / or ROM, which may be programmable, flash memory updatable), and so on. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0121] The memory 1360 of the TRP 320 may also include software elements (not shown in FIG. 13), including operating systems, device drivers, executable libraries and / or other code, such as one or more applications, which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments and / or may be designed to implement methods and / or configuration systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more programs described with respect to the above methods may be implemented as code and / or instructions in the memory 1360 that can be executed by the TRP 320 (and / or the processing unit 1310 or DSP 1320 within the TRP 320). In some embodiments, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the methods.

[0122] FIG14 is a block diagram of an embodiment of computer system 1400, which may be used in whole or in part to provide the functionality of one or more network elements (e.g., location server 160 of FIG1 and FIG8-10) as described in the embodiments herein. It should be noted that FIG14 is intended only to provide a generalized illustration of the various elements, and any or all of the components therein may be utilized as appropriate. Thus, FIG14 broadly illustrates how the various system elements can be implemented in a relatively separate or relatively more integrated manner. Furthermore, it can be noted that the elements shown in FIG14 can be located to a single device and / or distributed among various networked devices that may be located in different geographical locations.

[0123] The computer system 1400 is shown to include hardware components that can be electrically coupled (or otherwise communicated) via bus 1405. The hardware components may include a processing unit 1410, which may include, but is not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as digital signal processing chips, graphics accelerators, etc.), and / or other processing architectures, which may be configured to perform one or more methods described herein. The computer system 1400 may also include one or more input devices 1415, which may include, but is not limited to, a mouse, keyboard, camera, microphone, etc.; and one or more output devices 1420, which may include, but is not limited to, a display device, printer, etc.

[0124] The computer system 1400 may also include one or more non-transitory storage devices 1425 (and / or in communication with them), which may include, but are not limited to, locally and / or network-accessible storage devices, and / or may include, but are not limited to, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices (such as RAM and / or ROM, which may be programmable, flash memory updatable), etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc. Such data storage may include databases and / or other data structures for storing and managing messages and / or other information to be sent via a hub to one or more devices, as described herein.

[0125] The computer system 1400 may further include a communication subsystem 1430, which may include wireless communication technologies managed and controlled by a wireless communication interface 1433, as well as wired technologies (such as Ethernet, coaxial communication, Universal Serial Bus (USB), etc.). The wireless communication interface 1433 may include one or more wireless transceivers that can transmit and receive wireless signals 1455 (e.g., signals according to 5G NR or LTE) via a wireless antenna 1450. Therefore, the communication subsystem 1430 may include a modem, a network interface card (wireless or wired), an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset, etc., which enable the computer system 1400 to communicate with any device (including user equipment (UE), base station and / or other TRP, and / or any other electronic device described herein) on any or all communication networks described herein. Therefore, the communication subsystem 1430 can be used to receive and transmit data as described in the embodiments herein.

[0126] In many embodiments, the computer system 1400 will also include working memory 1435, which may include RAM or ROM devices as described above. Software elements shown to be located within working memory 1435 may include operating system 1440, device drivers, executable libraries and / or other code, such as one or more applications 1445, which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments and / or may be designed to implement methods and / or configuration systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more programs described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions executable by a computer (and / or processing units within a computer); then, in one instance, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the methods.

[0127] This collection of instructions and / or code may be stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as the storage device 1425 described above. In some cases, the storage medium may be integrated into a computer system, such as computer system 1400. In other embodiments, the storage medium may be separate from the computer system (e.g., a removable medium, such as a CD-ROM), and / or provided in an installation package, such that the storage medium can be used to program, configure, and / or adapt to a general-purpose computer using the instructions / code stored thereon. These instructions may take the form of executable code executable by computer system 1400, and / or may take the form of source code and / or installable code, which, when compiled and / or installed on computer system 1400 (e.g., using any of various general-purpose compilers, installers, compression / decompression utilities, etc.), take the form of executable code.

[0128] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial changes can be made to suit specific requirements. For example, custom hardware may be used and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.) or both. Furthermore, connectivity with other computing devices, such as network input / output devices, may be employed.

[0129] Referring to the accompanying drawings, elements that may include memory may include non-transitory machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable media" and "computer-readable media" refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that enables a machine to operate in a particular manner. In the embodiments provided above, various machine-readable media may relate to providing instructions / code to a processing unit and / or other devices for execution. Additionally or alternatively, machine-readable media may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code. In many specific implementations, computer-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile and volatile media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical media with a perforated pattern, RAM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cassette tape, and any other media from which a computer can read instructions and / or code.

[0130] The methods, systems, and devices discussed herein are examples. Various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures or elements as appropriate. For example, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different forms and elements of embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. Various elements in the accompanying drawings provided herein may be embodied in hardware and / or software. Furthermore, technology is evolving, therefore, many elements are examples, and the scope of this application is not limited to those specific examples.

[0131] Primarily for general reasons, it has proven convenient to sometimes refer to such signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, terms, numerical values, numerals, etc. However, it should be understood that all such terms or similar terms should be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless otherwise expressly stated, as is apparent from the above discussion, it should be understood that the use of terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," "ascertaining," "identifying," "associating," "measuring," and "executing" throughout this specification refers to the actions or procedures of a particular device (such as a dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device). Therefore, in the context of this specification, a dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or converting signals that are generally represented as physical, electronic, electrical, or magnetic quantities in memory, registers, or other information storage devices, transmitting devices, or display devices of a dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device.

[0132] The terms “and” and “or” as used herein can have a variety of meanings, which are also expected to depend at least in part on the context in which the terms are used. Generally, when used to relate a list such as A, B, or C, “or” is intended to mean A, B, and C (in this case, used in an inclusive sense) and A, B, or C (in this case, used in an exclusive sense). Furthermore, the term “one or more” as used herein can be used to describe any feature, structure, or property in the singular, or to describe a combination of features, structures, or properties. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example and the claimed object is not limited to this example. In addition, when used to relate a list such as A, B, or C, the term “at least one of…” can be interpreted as meaning any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0133] Several embodiments have been described, and various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the scope of this invention. For example, the above elements may simply be elements of a larger system, wherein other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the various embodiments. Furthermore, multiple steps may be taken before, during, or after considering the above elements. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of this invention.

[0134] In view of this description, embodiments may include different combinations of features. Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses: Clause 1. A method for coordinating the transmission of downlink location reference signal (DL-PRS) resources for locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: obtaining at a location server an indication that the UE's velocity exceeds a threshold; in response to obtaining the indication, determining at the location server a PRS configuration in which a tracking reference signal (TRS) is used as a quasi-co-location (QCL) reference for the DL-PRS resource, wherein: a transmit-receive point (TRP) is configured to transmit the TRS and the DL-PRS resource, and the determination comprises: (i) selecting the TRS from existing TRS configurations obtained from the TRP, or (ii) sending configuration information about the DL-PRS resource to the TRP and receiving information about the TRS in response; and sending the PRS configuration from the location server to the UE. Clause 2. The method of Clause 1, wherein the TRP includes the UE's serving TRP. Clause 3. The method of Clause 1, wherein the TRP includes the neighboring TRP of the UE, and wherein the method further includes sending information regarding the transmission of a TRS from the location server to the UE. Clause 4. The method of any one of Clauses 1-3, wherein the TRS is used as an indirect QCL reference for the DL-PRS resource, wherein the TRS includes a QCL reference for a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted by the TRP, and the SSB includes a QCL reference DL-PRS resource. Clause 5. The method of any one of Clauses 1-4, wherein the TRS includes a QCL-Type C reference. Clause 6. The method of any one of Clauses 1-5, wherein the TRS includes a periodic TRS (P-TRS) or an aperiodic TRS (AP-TRS). Clause 7. The method of any one of Clauses 1-6, wherein obtaining the indication that the speed of the UE exceeds a threshold includes receiving information indicating the speed from the UE. Clause 8. The method of any one of Clauses 1-7, wherein the method is performed during a positioning communication between the UE and the location server, the method further comprising sending a speed report from the location server to the TRP and one or more additional TRPs configured to send a reference signal during the positioning communication, wherein the speed report includes speed information of the UE. Clause 9. The method of Clause 8, wherein the speed report further includes: an identifier (ID) of the UE, a timestamp, the source of the speed information, or an uncertainty regarding the speed of the UE, or a combination thereof. Clause 10. The method of any one of Clauses 1-9, wherein the PRS configuration includes a PRS measurement period dynamically configured by the TRP.Clause 11. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-10 further includes determining a PRS measurement period to be included in the PRS configuration, wherein the determination of the PRS measurement period is based at least in part on a preferred PRS measurement period received from the UE. Clause 12. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-9 further includes determining a proposed PRS measurement period based on an estimate of the speed of the UE; sending the proposed PRS measurement period to the UE; and receiving the PRS measurement period from the UE in response to sending the proposed PRS measurement period to the UE. Clause 13. A location server for coordinating the transmission of downlink location reference signal (DL-PRS) resources for locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, the location server comprising: a transceiver; a memory; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: obtain an indication that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold; in response to obtaining the indication, determine a PRS configuration in which a tracking reference signal (TRS) is used as a quasi-co-location (QCL) reference for the DL-PRS resource, wherein: a transmit-receive point (TRP) is configured to transmit the TRS and the DL-PRS resource, and the determination comprises: (i) selecting the TRS from existing TRS configurations obtained from the TRP, or (ii) sending configuration information about the DL-PRS resource to the TRP and receiving information about the TRS in response; and sending the PRS configuration to the UE via the transceiver. Clause 14. The location server of Clause 13, wherein, in order to determine the PRS configuration, the one or more processors are further configured to determine the PRS configuration in which the TRP includes the serving TRP of the UE. Clause 15. The location server of any one of Clauses 13, wherein, in order to determine the PRS configuration, the one or more processors are further configured to determine the PRS configuration in which the TRP includes the neighboring TRP of the UE, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to send information about transmitting the TRS to the UE via the transceiver. Clause 16. The location server of any one of Clauses 13-15, wherein, in order to determine the PRS configuration, the one or more processors are configured to use the TRS as an indirect QCL reference for the DL-PRS resource, wherein the TRS includes a QCL reference for a synchronization signal block (SSB) transmitted by the TRP, and the SSB includes a QCL reference DL-PRS resource. Clause 17. A location server according to any one of Clauses 13-16, wherein the one or more processors are configured to use the TRS as a QCL-TypeC reference.Clause 18. A location server according to any one of Clauses 13-17, wherein the TRS includes a periodic TRS (P-TRS) or an aperiodic TRS (AP-TRS). Clause 19. A location server according to any one of Clauses 13-18, wherein, in order to obtain the indication that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold, the one or more processors are configured to receive information indicating the speed from the UE. Clause 20. A location server according to any one of Clauses 13-19, wherein the one or more processors are configured to transmit the PRS configuration during a location communication between the UE and the location server, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to transmit a speed report via the transceiver to the TRP and one or more additional TRPs configured to transmit a reference signal during the location communication, wherein the speed report includes the UE's speed information. Clause 21. A location server according to Clause 20, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to include in the speed report: the UE's identifier (ID), a timestamp, the source of the speed information, or an uncertainty about the speed of the UE, or a combination thereof. Clause 22. A location server according to any one of Clauses 13-21, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to include in the PRS configuration a PRS measurement period dynamically configured by the TRP. Clause 23. A location server according to any one of Clauses 13-22, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine the PRS measurement period to be included in the PRS configuration, wherein the determination of the PRS measurement period is at least partially based on a preferred PRS measurement period received from the UE. Clause 24. A location server according to any one of Clauses 13-21, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine a proposed PRS measurement period based on an estimate of the speed of the UE; send the proposed PRS measurement period to the UE; and receive the PRS measurement period from the UE. Clause 25. An apparatus for coordinating the transmission of downlink location reference signal (DL-PRS) resources for locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, the apparatus comprising: means for obtaining an indication that the UE's velocity exceeds a threshold; means for determining, in response to obtaining the indication, a PRS configuration in which a tracking reference signal (TRS) is used as a quasi-co-location (QCL) reference for the DL-PRS resource, wherein: a transmitting and receiving point (TRP) is configured to transmit the TRS and the DL-PRS resource, and the determination comprises: (i) selecting the TRS from existing TRS configurations obtained from the TRP, or (ii) sending configuration information about the DL-PRS resource to the TRP and receiving information about the TRS in response; and means for sending the PRS configuration from a location server to the UE.Clause 26. The apparatus of any one of Clauses 25, wherein the component for determining the PRS configuration includes a component for determining the PRS configuration in which the TRP includes the serving TRP of the UE. Clause 27. The apparatus of any one of Clauses 25, wherein the component for determining the PRS configuration includes a component for determining the PRS configuration in which the TRP includes the neighboring TRP of the UE, and wherein the apparatus further includes a component for transmitting information regarding the transmission of the TRS from the location server to the UE. Clause 28. The apparatus of any one of Clauses 25-27, wherein the component for obtaining the indication that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold includes a component for receiving information from the UE indicating the speed. Clause 29. The apparatus of any one of Clauses 25-28, further including a component for transmitting the PRS configuration during a location communication between the UE and the location server, and a component for transmitting a speed report to the TRP and one or more additional TRPs configured to transmit a reference signal during the location communication, wherein the speed report includes speed information of the UE. Clause 30. The apparatus of Clause 29, wherein the component for transmitting the speed report includes a component for including in the speed report: the UE's identifier (ID), a timestamp, the source of the speed information, or an uncertainty about the speed of the UE, or a combination thereof. Clause 31. The apparatus of any one of Clauses 25-30, further comprising a component for determining a PRS measurement period to be included in the PRS configuration, wherein the determination of the PRS measurement period is at least partially based on a preferred PRS measurement period received from the UE. Clause 32. The apparatus of any one of Clauses 25-30, further comprising a component for determining a proposed PRS measurement period based on an estimate of the speed of the UE; a component for transmitting the proposed PRS measurement period to the UE; and a component for receiving the PRS measurement period from the UE in response to transmitting the proposed PRS measurement period to the UE.Clause 33. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for coordinating the transmission of downlink location reference signal (DL-PRS) resources for locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, the instructions including code for performing the following operations: obtaining an indication that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold; in response to obtaining the indication, determining a PRS configuration in which a tracking reference signal (TRS) is used as a quasi-co-location (QCL) reference for the DL-PRS resource, wherein: a transmitting and receiving point (TRP) is configured to transmit the TRS and the DL-PRS resource, and the determination includes: (i) selecting the TRS from existing TRS configurations obtained from the TRP, or (ii) sending configuration information about the DL-PRS resource to the TRP and receiving information about the TRS in response; and sending the PRS configuration from a location server to the UE. Clause 34. A computer-readable medium according to Clause 33, wherein the code for determining the PRS configuration includes code for determining the PRS configuration such that the TRP includes the serving TRP of the UE. Clause 35. A computer-readable medium pursuant to Clause 34, wherein the code for determining the PRS configuration includes code for determining the PRS configuration such that the TRP includes the neighboring TRP of the UE, and wherein the instructions further include code for sending information regarding sending the TRS from the location server to the UE. Clause 36. A computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 33-35, wherein the instructions further include code for using the TRS as an indirect QCL reference for the DL-PRS resource, wherein the TRS includes a QCL reference for a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the TRP, and the SSB includes a QCL reference DL-PRS resource. Clause 37. A computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 33-36, wherein the code for obtaining the indication that the speed of the UE exceeds a threshold includes code for receiving information from the UE indicating the speed. Clause 38. A computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 33-37, wherein the code for determining the PRS configuration includes code for determining the PRS configuration in which the PRS measurement period is dynamically configured by the TRP. Clause 39. A computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 33-38, wherein the instructions further include code for determining a PRS measurement period such that the PRS measurement period is included in the PRS configuration, wherein the determination of the PRS measurement period is based at least in part on a preferred PRS measurement period received from the UE.Clause 40. A computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 33-38, wherein the instructions further include code for performing the following operations: determining a recommended PRS measurement period based on an estimate of the speed of the UE; sending the recommended PRS measurement period to the UE; and receiving the PRS measurement period from the UE in response to sending the recommended PRS measurement period to the UE. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0009] Figure 1 is a diagram of a positioning system according to one embodiment.

[0010] Figure 2 is a diagram of a fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) positioning system, illustrating an embodiment of a positioning system (e.g., the positioning system of Figure 1) implemented within a 5G NR communication system.

[0011] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating examples of beamforming that can be used by different devices according to some embodiments.

[0012] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of the frame structure and related terminology of NR.

[0013] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of a wireless communication frame sequence with positioning reference signal (PRS) timing.

[0014] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating an example comb structure according to some embodiments, showing how RF signals can utilize different sets of resource elements.

[0015] Figure 7 is a diagram showing how a quasi-co-located (QCL) reference can be used for downlink (DL) PRS (DL-PRS) resources.

[0016] Figures 8 to 10 are diagrams illustrating a method for coordinating the transmission of DL-PRS resources according to some embodiments.

[0017] Figure 11 is a flowchart of a method for coordinating the transmission of DL-PRS resources for locating a UE according to one embodiment.

[0018] Figure 12 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the UE that can be used in the embodiments described herein.

[0019] Figure 13 is a block diagram of an embodiment of the TRP that can be used in the embodiments described herein.

[0020] Figure 14 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a computer system that can be used in the embodiments described herein.

[0021] According to certain exemplary embodiments, the same element symbols in the various figures indicate the same element. Furthermore, multiple instances of an element may be indicated by a first digit followed by a letter or hyphen and a second digit. For example, multiple instances of element 110 may be represented as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, etc., or 110a, 110b, 110c, etc. When only the first digit is used to refer to such an element, it should be understood that any instance of the element (e.g., element 110 in the previous example would refer to elements 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3, or elements 110a, 110b, and 110c) [Biomaterial Storage]

[0136] Domestic storage information (please note in order of storage institution, date, and number): None. International storage information (please note in order of storage country, institution, date, and number): None.

Claims

1. A method for coordinating the transmission of downlink location reference signal (DL-PRS) resources for locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: A location server obtains an indication that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold; in response to obtaining the indication, the location server determines a PRS configuration in which a tracking reference signal (TRS) is used as a quasi-co-location (QCL) reference for the DL-PRS resource, wherein: a transmit-receive point (TRP) is configured to transmit the TRS and the DL-PRS resource, and the determination includes: (i) selecting the TRS from an existing TRS configuration obtained from the TRP, or (ii) sending configuration information about the DL-PRS resource to the TRP and receiving information about the TRS in response; and sending the PRS configuration from the location server to the UE.

2. According to the method of request item 1, wherein the TRP includes a serving TRP of the UE.

3. The method according to request item 1, wherein the TRP includes a neighboring TRP of the UE, and wherein the method further includes sending information about sending a TRS from the location server to the UE.

4. The method according to request item 1, wherein the TRS is used as an indirect QCL reference for the DL-PRS resource, wherein the TRS includes a QCL reference for a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the TRP, and the SSB includes a QCL reference DL-PRS resource.

5. According to the method of request item 1, wherein the TRS includes a QCL-TypeC reference.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the TRS includes a periodic TRS (P-TRS) or an aperiodic TRS (AP-TRS).

7. The method according to request item 1, wherein obtaining the indication that the speed of the UE exceeds a threshold includes receiving information indicating the speed from the UE.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the method is performed during a positioning communication period between the UE and the location server, the method further comprising sending a speed report from the location server to the TRP and one or more additional TRPs configured to send reference signals during the positioning communication period, wherein the speed report includes speed information of the UE.

9. According to the method of request item 8, the speed report further includes: The UE's identifier (ID), a timestamp, a source of the speed information, or an uncertainty about the UE's speed, or a combination thereof.

10. The method of request item 1, wherein the PRS configuration includes a PRS measurement cycle dynamically configured by the TRP.

11. The method according to request item 1 further includes determining a PRS measurement period to be included in the PRS configuration, wherein the determination of the PRS measurement period is based at least in part on a preferred PRS measurement period received from the UE.

12. The method according to request item 1 also includes: A recommended PRS measurement cycle is determined based on an estimate of the UE's speed. Send the proposed PRS measurement cycle to the UE; and in response to sending the proposed PRS measurement cycle to the UE, receive a PRS measurement cycle from the UE.

13. A location server for coordinating the transmission of a downlink location reference signal (DL-PRS) resource for locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, the location server comprising: One transceiver; A memory; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: obtain an indication that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold; and, in response to obtaining the indication, determine a PRS configuration in which a tracking reference signal (TRS) is used as a quasi-co-located (QCL) reference for the DL-PRS resource, wherein: a transmit-receive point (TRP) is configured to transmit the TRS and the DL-PRS resource, and the determination includes: (i) selecting the TRS from an existing TRS configuration obtained from the TRP, or (ii) sending configuration information about the DL-PRS resource to the TRP and receiving information about the TRS in response; and sending the PRS configuration to the UE via the transceiver.

14. The location server according to request item 13, wherein, in order to determine the PRS configuration, the one or more processors are further configured to determine the PRS configuration of a serving TRP in which the TRP includes the UE.

15. The location server according to request item 13, wherein, in order to determine the PRS configuration, the one or more processors are further configured to determine the PRS configuration in which the TRP includes an adjacent TRP of the UE, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to send information about sending the TRS to the UE via the transceiver.

16. The location server according to request item 13, wherein, in order to determine the PRS configuration, the one or more processors are configured to use the TRS as an indirect QCL reference for the DL-PRS resource, wherein the TRS includes a QCL reference for a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the TRP, and the SSB includes a QCL reference DL-PRS resource.

17. The location server according to request item 13, wherein the one or more processors are configured to use the TRS as a QCL-TypeC reference.

18. The location server according to request item 13, wherein the TRS includes a periodic TRS (P-TRS) or an aperiodic TRS (AP-TRS).

19. The location server according to request item 13, wherein in order to obtain the indication that the speed of the UE exceeds a threshold, the one or more processors are configured to receive information indicating the speed from the UE.

20. The location server according to request item 19, wherein the one or more processors are configured to transmit the PRS configuration during a location communication period between the UE and the location server, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to transmit a speed report via the transceiver to the TRP and one or more additional TRPs configured to transmit a reference signal during the location communication period, wherein the speed report includes speed information of the UE.

21. The location server according to request item 20, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to include in the speed report: The UE's identifier (ID), a timestamp, a source of the speed information, or an uncertainty about the UE's speed, or a combination thereof.

22. The location server according to request item 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to include a PRS measurement cycle dynamically configured by the TRP in the PRS configuration.

23. The location server according to request item 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine a PRS measurement period to be included in the PRS configuration, wherein the determination of the PRS measurement period is based at least in part on a preferred PRS measurement period received from the UE.

24. The location server according to request item 13, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine a proposed PRS measurement period based on an estimate of the speed of the UE; send the proposed PRS measurement period to the UE; and receive a PRS measurement period from the UE.

25. An apparatus for coordinating the transmission of a downlink location reference signal (DL-PRS) resource for locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, the apparatus comprising: A component for obtaining an indication that the UE's speed exceeds a threshold; a component for determining, in response to obtaining the indication, a PRS configuration in which a tracking reference signal (TRS) is used as a quasi-co-location (QCL) reference for the DL-PRS resource, wherein: a transmit-receive point (TRP) is configured to transmit the TRS and the DL-PRS resource, and the determination includes: (i) selecting the TRS from an existing TRS configuration obtained from the TRP, or (ii) sending configuration information about the DL-PRS resource to the TRP and receiving information about the TRS in response; and a component for sending the PRS configuration from a location server to the UE.

26. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the component for determining the PRS configuration includes a component for determining the PRS configuration wherein the TRP includes a serving TRP of the UE.

27. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the component for determining the PRS configuration includes a component for determining the PRS configuration in which the TRP includes an adjacent TRP of the UE, and wherein the apparatus further includes a component for transmitting information about transmitting the TRS from the location server to the UE.

28. The apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the component for obtaining the indication that the speed of the UE exceeds a threshold includes a component for receiving information indicating the speed from the UE.

29. The apparatus according to claim 28 further includes: The component is used to transmit the PRS configuration during a positioning communication period between the UE and the location server, and the component is used to transmit a speed report to the TRP and one or more additional TRPs configured to transmit reference signals during the positioning communication period, wherein the speed report includes the speed information of the UE.

30. The apparatus according to claim 29, wherein the component for transmitting the speed report includes a component for including in the speed report the following: an identifier (ID) of the UE, a timestamp, a source of the speed information, or an uncertainty about the speed of the UE, or a combination thereof.

31. The apparatus according to claim 25 further includes a component for determining a PRS measurement period to be included in the PRS configuration, wherein the determination of the PRS measurement period is at least partially based on a preferred PRS measurement period received from the UE.

32. The apparatus according to claim 25 further includes: A component for determining a recommended PRS measurement cycle based on an estimate of the speed of the UE; A component for sending the proposed PRS measurement period to the UE; and a component for receiving a PRS measurement period from the UE in response to sending the proposed PRS measurement period to the UE.

33. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for coordinating the transmission of a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) resource for locating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, the instructions including code for performing the following operations: obtaining an indication that the UE's velocity exceeds a threshold; and, in response to obtaining the indication, determining a PRS configuration in which a tracking reference signal (TRS) is used as a quasi-co-address (QCL) reference for the DL-PRS resource, wherein: A Transmitting and Receiving Point (TRP) is configured to transmit the TRS and the DL-PRS resource, and the decision includes: (i) selecting the TRS from an existing TRS configuration obtained from the TRP, or (ii) sending configuration information about the DL-PRS resource to the TRP and receiving information about the TRS in response; and sending the PRS configuration from a location server to the UE.

34. The computer-readable medium according to request item 33, wherein the code for determining the PRS configuration includes code for determining the PRS configuration such that the TRP includes a serving TRP of the UE.

35. The computer-readable medium according to request item 33, wherein the code for determining the PRS configuration includes code for determining the PRS configuration such that the TRP includes a neighboring TRP of the UE, and wherein the instructions further include code for sending information about sending the TRS from the location server to the UE.

36. The computer-readable medium according to request 33, wherein the instructions further include code for using the TRS as an indirect QCL reference to the DL-PRS resource, wherein the TRS includes a QCL reference to a synchronization signal block (SSB) sent by the TRP, and the SSB includes a QCL reference to the DL-PRS resource.

37. The computer-readable medium according to request item 33, wherein the code for obtaining the indication that the speed of the UE exceeds a threshold includes code for receiving information indicating the speed from the UE.

38. The computer-readable medium according to request item 33, wherein the code for determining the PRS configuration includes code for determining that one of the PRS measurement cycles is dynamically configured by the TRP.

39. The computer-readable medium according to request item 33, wherein the instructions further include code for determining a PRS measurement period such that the PRS measurement period is included in the PRS configuration, wherein the determination of the PRS measurement period is based at least in part on a preferred PRS measurement period received from the UE.

40. The computer-readable medium according to request item 33, wherein the instructions further include code for performing the following operations: determining a suggested PRS measurement period based on an estimate of the speed of the UE; sending the suggested PRS measurement period to the UE; and receiving a PRS measurement period from the UE in response to sending the suggested PRS measurement period to the UE.

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