Apparatus and method for positioning a terminal in a wireless communication system

Abstract

The disclosure relates to providing a pre-5th-Generation (5G) or 5G communication system to support higher data rates beyond 4th-Generation (4G) communication system such as Long Term Evolution (LTE). According to various embodiments of the disclosure, an operation method of a terminal in a wireless communication system includes receiving positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information related to a reference cell and one or more neighboring cells with respect to the terminal, receiving a message for requesting a PRS measurement, determining, in response to receiving the message, an RSTD between a transmission time of a PRS received through a first beam of the reference cell and a transmission time of a PRS received through a second beam of each of the one or more neighboring cells based on the PRS configuration information, and transmitting, to a base station, measurement information including the RSTD.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to wireless communication systems, and more specifically, to an apparatus and method for localizing terminals in a wireless communication system. Background Technology

[0002] To meet the increased demand for wireless data traffic since the deployment of 4G communication systems, efforts have been made to develop improved 5G or pre-5G communication systems. Therefore, 5G or pre-5G communication systems are also referred to as "Beyond 4G networks" or "post-LTE systems".

[0003] 5G communication systems are considered to be implemented at higher frequency (mmWave) bands (e.g., the 60GHz band) to achieve higher data rates. To reduce radio wave propagation loss and increase transmission distance, beamforming, massive MIMO, full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, and massive MIMO technologies are discussed in 5G communication systems.

[0004] In addition, in 5G communication systems, the development of system network improvements based on advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (RAN), ultra-high density networks, device-to-device (D2D) communication, wireless backhaul, mobile networks, cooperative communication, cooperative multipoint (CoMP), and receiver interference cancellation is underway.

[0005] In 5G systems, hybrid frequency shift keying (FSK) and orthogonal amplitude modulation (FQAM) as advanced coding and modulation (ACM), as well as sliding window superposition coding (SWSC), have been developed, along with filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as advanced access technologies.

[0006] Because terminals are mobile within a wireless communication system, mobility management may be required to provide them with appropriate quality of service. As part of mobility management, terminal location may be necessary. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical issues

[0008] Based on the above discussion, this disclosure provides an apparatus and method for locating a terminal in a wireless communication system.

[0009] Furthermore, this disclosure provides an apparatus and method for locating a terminal based on a timing difference between signals transmitted via beams in a wireless communication system.

[0010] Furthermore, this disclosure provides an apparatus and method for locating a terminal based on the signal strength of each of the signals transmitted through beams in a wireless communication system.

[0011] Solution to the problem

[0012] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method of operating a terminal in a wireless communication system includes: receiving Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) configuration information associated with a reference cell and one or more neighboring cells relative to the terminal; receiving a message for requesting PRS measurement; in response to receiving the message, determining, based on the PRS configuration information, a reference signal timing difference (RSTD) between the transmission time of PRS received through a first beam of the reference cell and the transmission time of PRS received through a second beam of each of the one or more neighboring cells; and transmitting measurement information including the RSTD to a base station.

[0013] According to various embodiments of this disclosure, a method of operating a location management function (LMF) device includes: transmitting positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information associated with a reference cell and one or more neighboring cells relative to a terminal; transmitting a message for requesting the terminal to perform PRS measurements; receiving measurement information, wherein the measurement information includes a reference signal timing difference (RSTD) between the transmission time of the PRS received through a first beam of the reference cell and the transmission time of the PRS received through a second beam of each of the one or more neighboring cells, the RSTD being determined based on the PRS configuration information; and, based on the RSTD, locating the terminal.

[0014] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal in a wireless communication system includes: a transceiver configured to receive Position Reference Signal (PRS) configuration information associated with a reference cell and one or more neighboring cells relative to the terminal, and to receive a message for requesting PRS measurement; and at least one processor configured to, in response to receiving the message, determine, based on the PRS configuration information, a Reference Signal Timing Difference (RSTD) between the transmission time of the PRS received through a first beam of the reference cell and the transmission time of the PRS received through a second beam of each of the one or more neighboring cells, wherein the transceiver transmits measurement information including the RSTD to a base station.

[0015] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a location management function (LMF) device in a wireless communication system includes: a transceiver configured to transmit positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration information associated with a reference cell and one or more neighboring cells relative to a terminal, transmit a message for requesting a PRS measurement by the terminal, and receive measurement information, wherein the measurement information includes a reference signal timing difference (RSTD) between the transmission time of the PRS received through a first beam of the reference cell and the transmission time of the PRS received through a second beam of each of the one or more neighboring cells, the RSTD being determined based on the PRS configuration information; and at least one processor configured to locate the terminal based on the RSTD.

[0016] Beneficial effects

[0017] The apparatus and methods according to various embodiments of this disclosure locate the terminal based on the results obtained by measuring the positioning reference signal (PRS) of the terminal, thereby achieving accurate terminal positioning.

[0018] The effects that can be obtained from this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 Wireless communication systems according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0020] Figure 2 The configuration of a base station in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 3 The configuration of a terminal in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0022] Figures 4A to 4C The configuration of a communication unit in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0023] Figure 5 The configuration of an LMF device in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated;

[0024] Figure 6 Examples of the structure of a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0025] Figure 7 Examples of wireless protocol structures in wireless communication systems according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0026] Figure 8Another example of the structure of a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0027] Figure 9 Another example of a wireless protocol structure in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0028] Figure 10 The structure of a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) transmitted from a cell of a base station in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0029] Figure 11 The signal streams for locating a terminal in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated;

[0030] Figure 12 The signal flow for determining a PRS measurement beam in a wireless communication system is illustrated according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] Figure 13 The signal streams for activating NR Enhanced Cell ID (ECID) in a wireless communication system are illustrated according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] Figure 14 Flowcharts of terminals in wireless communication systems according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown; and

[0033] Figure 15 A flowchart of an LMF device in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The terminology used in this disclosure is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the disclosure. Singular expressions may include plural expressions unless they are clearly different in the context. Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Terms (such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries) may be interpreted as having the same meaning as in the context of the relevant technical field and should not be construed as having an ideal or overly formal meaning unless explicitly defined in this disclosure. In some cases, even terms defined in this disclosure should not be construed as excluding embodiments of this disclosure.

[0035] In the following description, various embodiments of this disclosure will be presented in a hardware-based manner. However, the various embodiments of this disclosure include techniques that utilize both hardware and software, and therefore, software aspects may not be excluded from the various embodiments of this disclosure.

[0036] In the following, this disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for locating a terminal in a wireless communication system. Specifically, this disclosure describes a technique for locating a terminal via a PRS (Personal Relationship System) in a wireless communication system.

[0037] For ease of description, the terms used in the following description to identify access nodes, to indicate network entities, to indicate messages, to indicate interfaces between network entities, and to indicate identification information are illustrated by example. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the terms described later, and other terms indicating objects with equivalent technical meanings may be used.

[0038] Furthermore, this disclosure uses terminology used in some communication standards (e.g., the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)) to describe various embodiments, but this is merely illustrative. The various embodiments of this disclosure can also be readily modified and applied to other communication systems.

[0039] In particular, this disclosure applies to 3GPP New Radio (NR) or 5G mobile communication standards. Furthermore, this disclosure applies to smart services based on 5G communication technology and Internet of Things (IoT) related technologies (e.g., smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart cars or connected cars, healthcare, digital education, retail commerce, or security and safety-related services).

[0040] Wireless communication systems have deviated from their initial focus on providing voice services and evolved into broadband wireless communication systems that provide high-speed, high-quality packet data services. Examples include 3GPP's High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Long Term Evolution (LTE) or Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) and LTE-Pro, 3GPP2's High-Speed ​​Packet Data (HRPD) and Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), and IEEE's 802.16e communication standard.

[0041] As a typical example of a broadband wireless communication system, the LTE system employs Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) as its multiple access scheme in the downlink (DL) and Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) and / or OFDM as its multiple access scheme in the uplink (UL). The uplink refers to the radio link through which a terminal (e.g., a User Equipment (UE) or Mobile Station (MS)) transmits data or control signals to a base station (e.g., an eNodeB or Base Station (BS)). The downlink (DL) refers to the radio link through which a base station transmits data or control signals to a terminal. In the multiple access schemes described above, by allocating and managing time-frequency resources for carrying data or control information for each user, data or control information is distinguished according to the user, thus preventing overlap; that is, orthogonality is established.

[0042] As a post-LTE communication system, 5G communication systems need to be flexible enough to adapt to the diverse needs of users and service providers, and provide services that meet these diverse needs. For example, services considered for 5G communication systems may include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC).

[0043] According to embodiments, eMBB can be designed to provide significantly enhanced data rates compared to those supported by conventional LTE, LTE-A, or LTE-Pro. For example, considering a single base station, eMBB in a 5G communication system needs to provide a peak data rate of 20Gbps for the DL and 10Gbps for the uplink. In addition to providing peak data rates, 5G communication systems also need to provide enhanced user-perceived data rates for the terminal. To meet these requirements, various transmission / reception technologies may need to be improved in 5G communication systems, including more enhanced multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission technologies. Furthermore, while current LTE uses a 2GHz band with a maximum transmission bandwidth of 20MHz to transmit signals, 5G communication systems use bandwidths greater than 20MHz in the 3-6GHz or 6GHz or higher bands, thus meeting the data rates required by 5G communication systems.

[0044] Furthermore, mMTC is being considered to support applications such as the Internet of Things (IoT) within 5G communication systems. mMTC may require a large number of terminals accessing the cell, improved terminal coverage, enhanced battery life, and reduced terminal costs to effectively deliver IoT. In IoT, because terminals are attached to various sensors and devices to provide communication capabilities, IoT requires support for a large number of terminals within the cell (e.g., 1 million terminals per square kilometer). Moreover, due to the nature of the service, terminals supporting mMTC are likely to be located in shadow areas not covered by the cell (such as basements of buildings), thus requiring a wider coverage area than other services provided by 5G systems. Terminals supporting mMTC may require low-cost terminals, and may require very long battery life of 10-15 years, as it is difficult to frequently replace terminal batteries.

[0045] Finally, URLLC is a cellular-based wireless communication service for mission-critical purposes and can include services such as remote control of robots or machinery, industrial automation, drones, telemedicine, and emergency alerts. Therefore, the communication provided by URLLC may need to offer very low latency (ultra-low latency) and very high reliability (ultra-high reliability). For example, services supporting URLLC may need to meet an air interface latency of less than 0.5 milliseconds and also need to have 10 -5 Or the packet error rate requirement below. Therefore, for services supporting URLLC, 5G systems may need to provide a smaller Transmission Time Interval (TTI) than other services, and there may also be design requirements in 5G communication systems to allocate wider resources in the frequency band to ensure the reliability of the communication link.

[0046] The three services considered in the aforementioned 5G communication system (i.e., eMBB, URLLC, and mMTC) can be multiplexed and provided in a single system. In this case, different transmission / reception technologies and parameters can be used for each service to meet its specific needs. However, mMTC, URLLC, and eMBB are merely examples of different service types, and the service types to be applied according to this disclosure are not limited to these examples.

[0047] In the following description, embodiments of this disclosure will be described using LTE, LTE-A, LTE-Pro, or 5G (or NR, next-generation mobile communication) systems as examples. However, embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to other communication systems with similar technical backgrounds or channel configurations. Furthermore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to other communication systems with some modifications within the scope of this disclosure without significantly departing from its scope.

[0048] Figure 1 Wireless communication systems according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

[0049] refer to Figure 1 The wireless communication system includes a radio access network (RAN) 102 and a core network (CN) 104.

[0050] Wireless access network 102 is a network directly connected to user equipment (e.g., terminal 120) and the infrastructure for providing wireless access to terminal 120. Wireless access network 102 may include a collection of multiple base stations having base station 110, and performs communication through interfaces established between the multiple base stations. At least some of the interfaces between the multiple base stations may be wired or wirelessly connected. The base stations may have a structure divided into central units (CUs) and distributed units (DUs). In this case, one central unit may control multiple distributed units. Base station 110 has a coverage area defined based on the distance of signal transmission within it for a predetermined geographical region. Base station 110 may be referred to as an "access point (AP)," "eNodeB (eNB)," "5th generation (5G) node," "next-generation NodeB (gNB)," "wireless point," "transmitter / receiver point (TRP)," or other terms besides base station that have the same technical meaning as those described above.

[0051] Terminal 120 accesses radio access network 102 and performs communication with base station 110 via a wireless channel. In some cases, at least one of terminal 120 and terminal 130 can operate without user intervention. That is, at least one of terminal 120 and terminal 130 can be a device for performing machine-type communication (MTC) and can be carried by no user. Each of terminal 120 and terminal 130 may be referred to as "User Equipment (UE)," "Mobile Station (MS)," "Subscriber Station," "Remote Terminal," "Wireless Terminal," "User Equipment," or other terms besides "terminal" that have the same technical meaning as the foregoing terms.

[0052] Base station 110, as well as terminals 120 and 130, can transmit and receive radio signals in millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency bands (e.g., 28 GHz, 30 GHz, 38 GHz, or 60 GHz). In this case, to improve channel gain, base station 110, as well as terminals 120 and 130, can perform beamforming. Here, beamforming can include transmit beamforming and receive beamforming. That is, base station 110, as well as terminals 120 and 130, can assign directionality to the transmit and receive signals. To this end, base station 110, as well as terminals 120 and 130, can select serving beam 112, serving beam 113, serving beam 121, and serving beam 131 through beam search or beam management procedures. After selecting serving cell 112, serving cell 113, serving cell 121 and serving cell 131, communication can be performed through resources that have a quasi-co-located relationship with the resources that have already transmitted serving beams 112, 113, 121 and 131.

[0053] When the large-scale properties of the channel transmitting symbols at the first antenna port can be inferred from the channel transmitting symbols at the second antenna port, the first and second antenna ports can be considered to be in a QCL relationship. For example, the large-scale properties may include at least one of delay spread, Doppler spread, Doppler shift, average gain, average delay, and spatial receiver parameters.

[0054] In this disclosure, for ease of explanation, eNB and gNB are used interchangeably. That is, a base station described as eNB can refer to a gNB. Furthermore, the term "terminal" can also refer to other wireless communication devices, as well as mobile phones, narrowband (NB) IoT devices, and sensors.

[0055] Central network 104 is a network used to manage the entire system, control radio access network 102, and process data and control signals transmitted or received through radio access network 102 for terminal 120. Central network 104 performs various functions, such as user plane and control plane control, mobility processing, subscriber information management, billing, and interoperability with other types of systems (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems). To perform these functions, central network 104 may include multiple functionally partitioned entities with different network functions (NFs). For example, central network 104 may include a location management function (LMF) 130. LMF 130 can perform functions for locating terminals (e.g., terminal 120 and / or terminal 130) in the wireless communication system.

[0056] Figure 2The configuration of a base station in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 2 The configuration illustrated in the example can be understood as the configuration of base station 110. The terms "unit," "device (or / er)," etc., used later, can refer to a unit used to process at least one function or operation, and can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0057] refer to Figure 2 The base station includes a wireless communication unit 210, a backhaul communication unit 220, a storage unit 230, and a controller 240.

[0058] The wireless communication unit 210 performs functions for transmitting or receiving signals via a wireless channel. For example, the wireless communication unit 210 performs the function of converting between baseband signals and bit streams according to the system's physical layer standard. For example, when transmitting data, the wireless communication unit 210 encodes and modulates the transmitted bit stream to generate complex symbols. Furthermore, when receiving data, the wireless communication unit 210 demodulates and decodes the baseband signal to recover the received bit stream.

[0059] Furthermore, the wireless communication unit 210 up-converts the baseband signal to a radio frequency (RF) band signal, then transmits the RF band signal through an antenna, and down-converts the RF band signal received through the antenna back to a baseband signal. For this purpose, the wireless communication unit 210 may include a transmission filter, a receiving filter, an amplifier, a mixer, an oscillator, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), etc. The wireless communication unit 210 may also include multiple transmission / reception paths. Additionally, the wireless communication unit 210 may include at least one antenna array with multiple antenna elements.

[0060] In terms of hardware, the wireless communication unit 210 may include digital units and analog units. Depending on operating power, operating frequency, etc., the analog unit may include multiple sub-units. The digital unit may be implemented by at least one processor (e.g., a digital signal processor (DSP)).

[0061] As described above, the wireless communication unit 210 transmits and receives signals. Therefore, some or all of the wireless communication units 210 may be referred to as "transmitters," "receivers," or "transceivers." Furthermore, in the following description, transmission and reception performed via a wireless channel are used to have the meaning of including the processes performed by the wireless communication unit 210 as described above.

[0062] The backhaul communication unit 220 provides an interface for performing communication with other nodes in the network. That is, the backhaul communication unit 220 converts bit streams transmitted from the base station to another node (e.g., another access node, another base station, a higher node, the core network, etc.) into physical signals, and converts physical signals received from another node into bit streams.

[0063] Storage unit 230 stores basic programs, application programs, and data such as configuration information used to operate the base station. Storage unit 230 may include volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and a combination of volatile memory and non-volatile memory. Storage unit 230 provides stored data according to requests from controller 240.

[0064] Controller 240 controls the overall operation of the base station. For example, controller 240 transmits and receives signals via wireless communication unit 210 or backhaul communication unit 220. Furthermore, controller 240 records data in storage unit 230 and reads the recorded data from storage unit 230. Controller 240 can perform the functions of the protocol stack required by the communication standard. According to another embodiment, the protocol stack may be included in wireless communication unit 210. For this purpose, controller 240 may include at least one processor.

[0065] According to various embodiments, controller 240 can control the base station to perform operations according to various embodiments described later.

[0066] Figure 3 The configuration of a terminal in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3 The configuration illustrated in the example can be understood as the configuration of terminal 120. The terms “unit”, “device (-or / er)”, etc., used later, can refer to a unit used to process at least one function or operation, and can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0067] refer to Figure 3 The terminal includes a communication unit 310, a storage unit 320, and a controller 330.

[0068] Communication unit 310 performs functions for transmitting or receiving signals via a wireless channel. For example, communication unit 310 performs conversion between baseband signals and bitstreams according to the system's physical layer standard. For instance, when transmitting data, communication unit 310 encodes and modulates the transmitted bitstream to generate complex symbols. Furthermore, when receiving data, communication unit 310 demodulates and decodes the baseband signal to recover the received bitstream. Additionally, communication unit 310 up-converts the baseband signal to an RF band signal, then transmits the RF band signal through an antenna, and down-converts the RF band signal received through the antenna back to a baseband signal. For example, communication unit 310 may include a transmission filter, a reception filter, an amplifier, a mixer, an oscillator, a DAC, an ADC, etc.

[0069] Furthermore, the communication unit 310 may also include multiple transmit / receive paths. Additionally, the communication unit 310 may include at least one antenna array having multiple antenna elements. In terms of hardware, the communication unit 310 may include digital and analog circuitry (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)). Here, the digital and analog circuitry may be implemented in a single package. The communication unit 310 may also include multiple RF chains. Furthermore, the communication unit 310 may perform beamforming.

[0070] As described above, communication unit 310 transmits and receives signals. Therefore, some or all of the communication units 310 may be referred to as "transmitter," "receiver," or "transceiver." Furthermore, in the following description, transmission and reception performed via a wireless channel are used to mean having the meaning of including the processing performed by communication unit 310 as described above.

[0071] Storage unit 320 stores basic programs, application programs, and data such as configuration information used to operate the terminal. Storage unit 320 may include volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and a combination of volatile and non-volatile memory. Storage unit 320 provides stored data according to requests from controller 330.

[0072] The controller 330 controls the overall operation of the terminal. For example, the controller 330 transmits and receives signals through the communication unit 310. Furthermore, the controller 330 records data in the storage unit 320 and reads the recorded data from the storage unit 320. The controller 330 can perform the functions of the protocol stack required by the communication standard. For this purpose, the controller 330 may include at least one processor or microprocessor, or may be a portion of a processor. Furthermore, the communication unit 310 and portions of the controller 330 may be referred to as a communication processor (CP).

[0073] According to various embodiments, controller 330 can control the terminal to perform operations according to various embodiments described later.

[0074] Figures 4A to 4C The configuration of a communication unit in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figures 4A to 4C Various embodiments according to this disclosure are illustrated in detail. Figure 2 The wireless communication unit 210 and Figure 3 An example of the configuration of the communication unit 310. Specifically, Figures 4A to 4C For example, as Figure 2 The wireless communication unit 210 or Figure 3 The communication unit 310 is a component used to perform beamforming.

[0075] refer to Figure 4A The wireless communication unit 210 or the communication unit 310 includes an encoding and modulation unit 402, a digital beamforming unit 404, multiple transmission paths 406-1 to 406-N, and an analog beamforming unit 408.

[0076] The coding and modulation unit 402 performs channel coding. For channel coding, at least one of low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes, convolutional codes, and polar codes can be used. The coding and modulation unit 402 performs constellation mapping to generate complex symbols.

[0077] Digital beamforming unit 404 performs beamforming on a digital signal (e.g., complex symbols). To do this, digital beamforming unit 404 multiplies the modulated symbols by beamforming weights. Here, beamforming weights are used to change the amplitude or phase of the signal and can be referred to as a "precoding matrix," "precoder," etc. Digital beamforming unit 404 outputs the digitally beamformed modulated symbols to multiple transmission paths 406-1 to 406-N. In this case, according to multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) transmission technology, the modulated symbols can be multiplexed, or the same modulated symbols can be provided to multiple transmission paths 406-1 to 406-N.

[0078] Multiple transmission paths 406-1 to 406-N convert digitally beamformed signals into analog signals. For this purpose, each of the multiple transmission paths 406-1 to 406-N may include an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) calculator, a cyclic prefix (CP) inserter, a DAC, and an upconverter. The CP inserter can be used in orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) schemes and can be excluded when another physical layer scheme (e.g., filter bank multicarrier (FBMC)) is applied. That is, the multiple transmission paths 406-1 to 406-N provide independent signal processing relative to the multiple streams generated by digital beamforming. However, depending on the implementation method, parts of the components of the multiple transmission paths 406-1 to 406-N may be shared.

[0079] Analog beamforming unit 408 performs beamforming on the analog signal. To do this, digital beamforming unit 404 multiplies the analog signal by beamforming weights. Here, the beamforming weights are used to change the amplitude and phase of the signal. Specifically, depending on the connection structure between the multiple transmission paths 406-1 to 406-N and the antenna, it can be done as follows: Figures 4B to 4C The simulated beamforming unit 408 is configured as shown.

[0080] refer to Figure 4B The signal input to the analog beamforming unit 408 undergoes phase / amplitude conversion and amplification calculations, and is then transmitted via an antenna. In this case, the signal for each path is transmitted through a different antenna set (i.e., an antenna array). When processing the signal input via the first path, the signal is converted into a signal sequence with different or the same phase / amplitude by phase / amplitude converters 412-1-1 to 412-1-M. This signal sequence is amplified by amplifiers 414-1-1 to 414-1-M, and then the amplified signal sequence is transmitted via the antenna.

[0081] refer to Figure 4C The signal input to the analog beamforming unit 408 undergoes phase / amplitude conversion and amplification conversion calculations, and is then transmitted via an antenna. In this case, the signal for each path is transmitted through the same set of antennas (i.e., an antenna array). When processing the signal input via the first path, the signal is converted into a signal sequence with different or the same phase / amplitude by phase / amplitude converters 412-1-1 to 412-1-M, and the signal sequence is amplified by amplifiers 414-1-1 to 414-1-M. The amplified signals are added by adders 416-1-1 to 416-1-M with reference antenna elements, and then transmitted via the antenna, thus through an antenna array.

[0082] Figure 4B An example of using a separate antenna array for each transmission path is shown, and Figure 4C An example is shown where a single antenna array is shared by transmission paths. However, according to another embodiment, some transmission paths may use independent antenna arrays, while the remaining transmission paths may share a single antenna array. Furthermore, according to yet another embodiment, a switchable structure can be applied between the transmission paths and the antenna array, allowing the use of a structure that can adaptively change according to the environment.

[0083] Figure 5 The configuration of an LMF device in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 5 The configuration illustrated in the example can be understood as having Figure 1 The configuration of the LMF device of the LMF 130. In the following description, the terms "unit", "device (-or / er)", etc., may refer to a unit for performing at least one function or operation, and may be implemented by hardware, software or a combination thereof.

[0084] refer to Figure 5 The LMF device includes a communication unit 510, a storage unit 520, and a controller 530.

[0085] Communication unit 510 provides an interface for performing communication with another device in the network. Communication unit 510 can convert bit streams transmitted from the LMF device to another device into physical signals, and convert physical signals received from another device into bit streams. That is, communication unit 510 can transmit and receive signals. Therefore, communication unit 510 can be referred to as a modem, transmitter, receiver, or transceiver. Here, communication unit 510 enables the LMF device to communicate with other devices or another system via a backhaul connection (e.g., wired or wireless backhaul) or a network.

[0086] Storage unit 520 stores basic programs, application programs, and data such as configuration information used to operate the LMF device. Storage unit 520 may include volatile memory, non-volatile memory, or a combination of volatile and non-volatile memory. Furthermore, storage unit 520 provides stored data upon request from controller 530.

[0087] The controller 530 controls the overall operation of the LMF device. For example, the controller 530 transmits or receives signals via the communication unit 510. Furthermore, the controller 530 records data in the storage unit 520 and reads the recorded data from the storage unit 520. For this purpose, the controller 530 may include at least one processor.

[0088] According to various embodiments, controller 530 can control the LMF device to perform operations according to various embodiments described later.

[0089] Figure 6 Examples of the structure of a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. Figure 6 The wireless communication system illustrated in the example can be an LTE system.

[0090] refer to Figure 6The radio access network of the LTE system may include eNB 621, eNB 623, eNB 625 and eNB 627, Mobility Management Entity (MME) 630 and Service Gateway (S-GW) 640. UE 610 can access external networks through at least one of eNB 621, eNB 623, eNB 625 and eNB 627 and S-GW 640.

[0091] exist Figure 6 In this context, eNB 621, eNB 623, eNB 625, and eNB 627 can correspond to a Node B in a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). eNB 621 can connect to UE 610 via a radio channel and can perform more complex functions compared to a Node B. In LTE systems, all user traffic services, including real-time services such as VoIP, can be provided through a shared channel. Therefore, equipment may be needed to perform scheduling based on state information such as the UE's buffer state, power margin state, and channel state, and this equipment can be eNB 621, eNB 623, eNB 625, and eNB 627. One eNB (e.g., eNB 621) can control multiple cells. For example, to achieve a data rate of 100 Mbps, an LTE system can, for example, employ OFDM as the radio access technology within a 20 MHz bandwidth. Furthermore, the eNB (e.g., eNB 621) can employ an adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) scheme, in which the modulation scheme and channel coding rate are determined based on the terminal's channel state. The S-GW 640 is a device for providing data bearers and can generate or remove data bearers under the control of the MME 630. The MME 630 is responsible for mobility management functions and various control functions for the terminal (e.g., UE 610) and can connect to multiple base stations (e.g., eNB 621, eNB 623, eNB 625, and eNB 627).

[0092] Figure 7 Examples of wireless protocol structures in wireless communication systems according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown. Figure 7 The wireless communication system illustrated in the example can be an LTE system.

[0093] refer to Figure 7The radio protocols in the LTE system may include Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) 711 and PDCP 721, Radio Link Control (RLC) 713 and RLC 723, Media Access Control (MAC) 715 and MAC 725, and Physical Layer (PHY) 717 and PHY 727 in the UE 120 and eNB 110, respectively. PDCP 711 and PDCP 721 can perform operations such as IP header compression or decompression. The main functions of PDCP 711 and PDCP 721 may include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following examples:

[0094] -Header Compression and Decompression (ROHC)

[0095] -Transmission of user data

[0096] - Deliver upper-layer PDUs sequentially during PDCP re-establishment for RLC AM

[0097] - For split bearers in dual connectivity (RLC AM only): PDCP PDU routing for transmission and PDCP PDU reordering for reception.

[0098] - Repeated detection of lower-layer SDU during PDCP re-establishment for RLC AM

[0099] - For split bearers in DC, PDCP SDU retransmission during handover, and for RLC AM, PDCP PDU retransmission during PDCP data recovery.

[0100] - Encryption and decryption

[0101] - Timer-based SDU dropping in the uplink

[0102] According to embodiments, RLC 713 and RLC 723 can reconfigure PDCP packet data units (PDUs) to have an appropriate size and perform operations such as Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ). The main functions of RLC 713 and RLC 723 may include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following examples:

[0103] -Transmission of upper-layer PDUs

[0104] - Error correction via ARQ (AM data transmission only)

[0105] - Cascaded, segmented, and reassembled RLC SDUs (UM and AM data transfers only)

[0106] - Re-segmented RLC data PDUs (AM data transmission only)

[0107] - Reorder RLC data PDUs (UM and AM data transfers only)

[0108] - Duplicate detection (UM and AM data transfers only)

[0109] - Protocol error detection (AM data transmission only)

[0110] -RLC SDU Discard (UM and AM Data Transfer Only)

[0111] -RLC Re-established

[0112] According to embodiments, MAC 715 and MAC 725 can connect to various RLC layer devices arranged in UE 120, multiplexing RLC PDUs to MAC PDUs and demultiplexing RLC PDUs from MAC PDUs. The main functions of MAC 715 and MAC 717 may include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following examples:

[0113] Mapping between logical channels and transmission channels

[0114] - Multiplexing MAC SDUs belonging to one or different logical channels into transport blocks (TBs) delivered to the physical layer on the transport channel / Demultiplexing MAC SDUs belonging to one or different logical channels from TBs from the physical layer on the transport channel

[0115] - Scheduling Information Report

[0116] - Error correction via HARQ

[0117] Priority processing between logical channels of a UE

[0118] - Priority handling between UEs via dynamic scheduling

[0119] -MBMS service identifier

[0120] -Transmission format selection

[0121] -filling

[0122] According to the embodiments, PHY 717 and PHY 727 can perform channel coding and modulation on upper-layer data, convert the upper-layer data into OFDM symbols, and transmit OFDM symbols to the wireless channel, or they can perform demodulation and channel decoding on OFDM symbols received through the wireless channel and transmit the demodulated and channel-decoded OFDM symbols to the upper layer.

[0123] Figure 8 Another example of the structure of a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 8The wireless communication system illustrated in the example can be an NR system.

[0124] refer to Figure 8 The radio access network of the NR system may include the NR gNB 821 and the NR core network (CN) 830. The NR UE 810 (e.g., terminal 120) can access external networks through the NR gNB 821 and the NR CN 830.

[0125] exist Figure 8 In NR systems, the NR gNB 821 corresponds to the eNB in ​​LTE systems. The NR gNB 821 can connect to the NR UE 810 via a radio channel and provides superior service compared to Node B and / or eNB. In NR systems, all user traffic services can be provided through a shared channel. Therefore, a device is needed to perform scheduling based on state information (such as the UE's buffer state, power margin state, and channel state), and this device can be the NR gNB 821. The NR gNB 821 can control multiple cells. In NR systems, to achieve significantly higher data rates compared to LTE systems, bandwidth equal to or greater than the maximum bandwidth supported in LTE systems can be applied. Furthermore, NR systems can employ OFDM as the radio access technology and can also utilize beamforming technology.

[0126] According to an embodiment, the NR gNB 821 can employ an AMC scheme, in which the modulation scheme and channel coding rate are determined based on the channel state of the UE 810. The NR CN 830 can perform functions such as mobility support, bearer configuration, and quality of service (QoS) configuration. The NR CN 821 can perform mobility management functions and various control functions for the UE 810 and can connect to multiple base stations.

[0127] According to various embodiments, the NR system can interoperate with the LTE system. In this case, the NR CN 830 can connect to the MME 840 via a network interface. The MME 840 can connect to the eNB 823, which is a base station in the LTE system.

[0128] Figure 9 Another example of a wireless protocol structure in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 9 The wireless communication system illustrated in the example can be an NR system.

[0129] refer to Figure 9The radio protocols in the NR system may include NR Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP) 911 and SDAP 921, NR PDCP 913 and NR PDCP 923, NR RLC 915 and NR RLC 925, NR MAC 917 and NR MAC 927, and NR PHY 919 and NR PHY 929 in the UE (e.g., terminal 120) and NR eNB (e.g., base station 110), respectively.

[0130] According to embodiments, the main functions of NR SDAP 911 and NR SDAP 921 may include at least one of the following examples, but are not limited thereto:

[0131] Transmission of user plane data

[0132] Mapping between QoS flows and DRB for both DL and UL

[0133] QoS Flow IDs Tagged in DL and UL Data Packets

[0134] Mapping of reflected QoS flow to DRB for UL SDAP PDU

[0135] Relative to SDAP layer devices, terminal 120 can be configured via Radio Resource Control (RRC) to use either the SDAP layer device header or its functions, depending on the PDCP layer device, bearer, or logical channel. Furthermore, when configuring the SDAP header, the SDAP layer device can guide terminal 120 to update or reconfigure the uplink and downlink QoS flow and data bearer mapping information by using a 1-bit Non-Access Stratum (NAS) reflected QoS indicator and a 1-bit Access Stratum (AS) reflected QoS indicator in the SDAP header. According to an embodiment, the SDAP header may include QoS flow ID information indicating QoS. According to an embodiment, the QoS information may have the same or similar function as data processing priority information or scheduling information to appropriately support the service.

[0136] According to embodiments, the main functions of NR PDCP 913 and NR PDCP 923 may include at least one of the following examples, but are not limited thereto:

[0137] - Header compression and decompression (ROHC only)

[0138] -Transmission of user data

[0139] - Deliver upper-layer PDUs in sequence

[0140] -Disordered delivery of upper-layer PDUs

[0141] - Reordering of received PDCP PDUs

[0142] - Repeatedly detect the lower-level SDU

[0143] -Retransmit PDCP SDU

[0144] - Encryption and decryption

[0145] - Timer-based SDU dropping in the uplink

[0146] In the aforementioned functions of NR PDCP 913 and NR PDCP 923, reordering can instruct the reordering of PDCP PDUs received from the lower layer based on the PDCP sequence number (SN). Reordering performed by the NR PDCP device can include the following functions: delivering reordered data to the upper layer in sequence; delivering data regardless of order; reordering and recording missing PDCP PDUs; reporting the status of missing PDCP PDUs to the transmitter; and requesting retransmission of missing PDCP PDUs.

[0147] According to embodiments, the main functions of NR RLC 915 and NR RLC 925 may include at least one of the following examples, and are not limited thereto:

[0148] -Transmission of upper-layer PDUs

[0149] - Deliver upper-layer PDUs in sequence

[0150] -Disordered delivery of upper-layer PDUs

[0151] - Error correction via ARQ

[0152] - Cascaded, segmented, and reassembled RLC SDU

[0153] - Re-segmented RLC data PDU

[0154] - Reorder RLC data PDUs

[0155] -Duplicate detection

[0156] -Protocol error detection

[0157] -RLC SDU discard

[0158] -RLC Re-established

[0159] In the functions of NR RLC 915 and NR RLC 925 described above, sequential delivery can instruct the upper layer to sequentially deliver RLC SDUs received from the lower layer. When an RLC SDU is received after being segmented into multiple RLC SDUs, the sequential delivery function of the NR RLC device can include the function of reassembling the multiple RLC SDUs obtained through segmentation and delivering the reassembled RLC SDU to the upper layer.

[0160] Sequential delivery via NR RLC devices may include the following functions: reordering received RLC PDUs according to the RLC sequence number (SN) or PDCP sequence number (SN); reordering and recording missing RLC PDUs; reporting the status of missing RLC PDUs to the transmitter; and requesting retransmission of missing RLC PDUs.

[0161] When a missing RLC SDU exists, the sequential delivery of NR RLC devices can include the ability to sequentially deliver only the RLC SDU preceding the missing RLC SDU to the upper layer.

[0162] When a missing RLC SDU exists but a scheduled timer expires, the sequential delivery of NR RLCs can include the ability to sequentially deliver all RLC SDUs received before the timer starts to the upper layer.

[0163] When a missing RLC SDU exists but a scheduled timer expires, the sequential delivery of NR RLC devices can include the ability to sequentially deliver all RLC SDUs received up to the current time to the upper layer.

[0164] The NR RLC device can process RLC PDUs in the order they are received, regardless of the sequence number order (out-of-order delivery), and deliver the processed RLC PDUs to the NR PDCP device.

[0165] When the NR RLC device receives a segment, it can receive the segment stored in the buffer or to be received later, reconfigure the segment into a complete RLC PDU, and deliver the RLC PDU to the NR PDCP device.

[0166] NR RLC 915 and NR RLC 925 may not be able to perform cascading. In this case, NR MAC 917 and NRMAC 927 can be used instead to perform cascading, or the cascading performed by NR MAC 915 and NR MAC 925 can be replaced by multiplexing.

[0167] In the functions of NR RLC 915 and NR RLC 925 described above, out-of-order delivery by the NR RLC device can instruct the upper layer to deliver RLC SDUs received from the lower layer out of order. When an RLC SDU is received after being segmented into multiple RLCSDUs, out-of-order delivery by the NR RLC device can include the function of reassembling the multiple RLC SDUs obtained through segmentation and delivering the reassembled RLC SDUs to the upper layer. Out-of-order delivery by the NR RLC device can also include the function of storing and reordering the RLC SN or PDCP SN of received RLC PDUs and recording missing RLC PDUs.

[0168] According to embodiments, NR MAC 917 and NR MAC 927 can be connected to multiple NR RLC layer devices included in terminal 120. The main functions of NR MAC 917 and NR MAC 927 may include, but are not limited to, at least one of the following examples:

[0169] Mapping between logical channels and transmission channels

[0170] -Multiplexing / Demultiplexing MAC SDU

[0171] - Scheduling Information Report

[0172] - Error correction via HARQ

[0173] Priority processing between logical channels of a UE

[0174] - Priority handling between UEs via dynamic scheduling

[0175] -MBMS service identifier

[0176] -Transmission format selection

[0177] -filling

[0178] NR PHY 919 and NR PHY 929 can perform channel coding and modulation on upper-layer data, convert upper-layer data into OFDM symbols, and transmit OFDM symbols to the radio channel, or they can perform demodulation and channel decoding on OFDM symbols received through the radio channel and transmit the demodulated and channel-decoded OFDM symbols to the upper layer.

[0179] Figure 10 The structure of a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) transmitted from a cell of a base station in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0180] refer to Figure 10Each symbol can indicate an OFDM symbol. The length of an OFDM symbol on the time axis can be defined according to the subcarrier spacing (SCS) in the operating frequency domain, and the frequency domain width of the OFDM symbol can also be determined according to the SCS. The PRS symbol can be a reference signal configured for positioning. According to various embodiments, the PRS can include at least one of a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a synchronization signal block (SSB), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), or a demodulation reference signal (DRMS). Here, the SSB can include the PSS, SSS, and physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and can be referred to as an SS / PBCH block.

[0181] According to various embodiments, PRS block 1030 may indicate a set of PRS symbols that are consecutive in time. PRS block 1030 may be spaced apart from subsequent PRS blocks by a predetermined number of symbols. The timing difference of the symbol units between the initial symbol (or first symbol) of PRS block 1030 and the initial symbol (or first symbol) of a subsequent PRS block may be referred to as PRS beamoff 1040.

[0182] According to various embodiments, a PRS burst 1020 may include a set of a predetermined number of PRS blocks. The time interval between the start time of the PRS burst 1020 and the start time of a subsequent PRS burst may be referred to as the PRS burst period 1010. Furthermore, the time interval obtained by cascading PRS block pairs, which are as many as the PRS blocks included in the PRS burst 1020, and PRS beam offsets adjacent to the PRS blocks, may be referred to as the PRS beam scan period 1050.

[0183] A PRS block can be mapped to a beam in a cell and transmitted. A PRS block index can be assigned to a PRS block, applied to each PRS symbol included in the assigned PRS block, and transmitted via PRS symbols. During the PRS beam scan period 1050, the symbols of each PRS block can be mapped to a beam and transmitted sequentially. Temporally, beams cannot be transmitted during PRS beam offsets (e.g., PRS beam offset 1040). The aforementioned information (e.g., PRS burst period, PRS beam offset, PRS beam scan period, PRS block size or number of PRS symbols in the PRS block, beam-specific index or PRS block index transmitted in the beam scan period, type of reference signal included in the PRS (e.g., type of reference signal including at least one of SSB, CSI-RS, CRS or DM-RS), symbol time width and / or symbol subcarrier spacing) may be the information required for PRS transmission in the cell and may be provided to the location management function (LMF) (e.g., location management server) and the terminal.

[0184] Figure 11 Signal flows for locating terminals in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated. Figure 11 In the example, the serving cell of UE 1110 (e.g., terminal 120) and serving gNB 1120 (e.g., base station 110) can be in a connected state (e.g., RRC_CONNECTED state). LMF 1150 can identify that UE 1110 accesses serving gNB 1120, and the neighboring cells serving gNB 1120 are provided by gNB2 1130 and gNB1 1140.

[0185] refer to Figure 11 In operation 1101, LMF 1150 can send an observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) information request message to gNB1 1140 using the NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa) protocol. For example, LMF 1150 can request cell-specific information related to OTDOA from gNB1 1140 via the OTDOA information request message.

[0186] In operation 1103, gNB1 1140 can send an OTDOA information response message using the NRPPa protocol to LMF 1150. Having received a request for OTDOA-related information, gNB1 1140 can transmit OTDOA PRS information to LMF 1150 through the OTDOA cell information information element (IE) of the OTDOA information response message. For example, the OTDOA cell information IE of the OTDOA information response message may include OTDOA PRS configuration information.

[0187] In operation 1105, LMF 1150 can send an OTDOA information request message using the NRPPa protocol to gNB2 1130. For example, LMF 1150 can use the OTDOA information request message to request cell-specific information related to OTDOA from gNB2 1130.

[0188] In operation 1107, gNB2 1130 can send an OTDOA information response message using the NRPPa protocol to LMF 1150. Having received the request for OTDOA information, gNB2 1130 can transmit OTDOA PRS information to LMF 1150 through the OTDOA cell information IE in the OTDOA information response message. For example, the OTDOA cell information IE in the OTDOA information response message may include OTDOA PRS configuration information.

[0189] As in operations 1101 and 1105, when locating UE 1110 (or even before), LMF 1150 can request OTDOA-related information from neighboring nodes (e.g., serving gNB 1120, gNB2 1130, and gNB11140) or any node in the area covered by LMF 1150.

[0190] As in operations 1103 and 1107, gNB1 1140 and gNB2 1130, having received a request for OTDOA-related information from LMF 1150, can transmit to LMF 1150 PRS information (or PRS configuration information) from the cell-specific transmission provided by gNB1 1140 and gNB2 1130 themselves. In this context, when the Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), Global Cell Identifier (ID), and Enhanced Global Cell ID of the corresponding cell exist, or when the Transport Point (TP) is provided by the corresponding gNB, the transmitted PRS information may include at least one of the following: TP ID information of the TP served by the corresponding gNB, timing information of the TP served by the corresponding gNB, PRS configuration information of the TP served by the corresponding gNB, geographic coordinate information of the TP served by the corresponding gNB, information about beamwidth, length of PRS block, PRS burst period, PRS beam offset, PRS beam scan period, number of beams used, beam-specific index or PRS block index transmitted in the beam scan period, type of reference signal included in the PRS (e.g., type of reference signal including at least one of SSB, CSI-RS, CRS, or DM-RS), time width of symbols or subcarrier spacing of symbols, beam-specific departure angle (AoD) information in each NR cell, or beam-specific angle offset information.

[0191] exist Figure 11 In this example, operations 1105 and 1107 are executed after operations 1101 and 1103, but this is only an example. Operations 1101 and 1103 can be executed after operations 1105 and 1107. Alternatively, operations 1101 and 1103 can be executed simultaneously, and correspondingly, operations 1105 and 1107 can be executed.

[0192] In operation 1109, LMF 1150 can send a ProvideAssistanceData message for the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) to UE 1110 via serving gNB 1120. When LMF 1150 receives OTDOA-related information from neighboring nodes (e.g., gNB1 1140 and gNB2 1130), LMF can transmit PRS-related configuration information (hereinafter referred to as auxiliary data or auxiliary information) of the reference cell and neighboring cells selected for UE 1110 to be positioned to UE 1110. The transmission of auxiliary data can be a response to a request for auxiliary data by UE 1110, or it can be a transmission from LMF 1150 to UE 1110 independent of a request made by UE 1110. According to various embodiments, the above-mentioned auxiliary information can be transmitted from LMF 1150 to UE 1110 via the OTDOA-AssistanceData IE of the ProvideAssistanceData message. For example, auxiliary information may include at least one of the following: information about the PCI and global cell ID for each of the reference cell and neighboring cells; TP ID information for the candidate NR TP used for measurement; TP timing information for the reference NR TP; PRS configuration information for the reference NR TP (or cell) or candidate TP (or cell) used for Reference Signal Timing Difference (RSTD) reference; information about the System Frame Number (SFN) timing offset between the serving NR cell and the NR auxiliary data reference cell; information about beamwidth; PRS block length; PRS burst period; PRS beam offset (offset between PRS beams); PRS beam scan period; number of beams used; PRS block index or beam-specific index transmitted in the beam scan period; type of reference signal included in the PRS (e.g., type of reference signal including at least one of SSB, CSI-RS, CRS, or DM-RS); symbol time width or subcarrier spacing of symbols; beam-specific AoD information in each NR cell (for detecting line of sight (LOS) or non-line of sight (NLOS)). (sight), or beam offset information at a specific angle.

[0193] In operation 1111, LMF 150 can send a RequestLocationInformation message of the LPP protocol to UE 1110 via serving gNB 1120. After transmitting auxiliary data to UE 1110, LMF 1150 can send a RequestLocationInformation message to UE 1110 as a message requesting the transmission of measurement information from UE 1110. According to an embodiment, the request for transmitting measurement information can be transmitted from LMF 1150 to UE 1110 via the OTDOA-RequestLocationInformation IE of the RequestLocationInformation message. For example, the OTDOA-RequestLocationInformation IE of the RequestLocationInformation message can include a request for transmitting measurement information.

[0194] In operation 1113, UE 1110 measures the RSTD of the PRS for each configuration in each configured cell. After receiving the RequestLocationInformation message, UE 1110 can measure the RSTD value using the PRS information of the reference cell and neighboring cells included in the auxiliary information. In this case, UE 1110 can measure the transmission time (or reception time) of the PRS transmitted through multiple beams of the reference cell and the transmission time (or reception time) of the PRS transmitted through multiple beams of the neighboring cells, and determine the RSTD between the reference cell and the neighboring cells based on the measured values. In this case, UE 1110 can select a specific beam among multiple beams and take the transmission time of the PRS transmitted through the selected beam as a representative value. Here, the selected specific beam can be the beam with the shortest PRS transmission time or the beam with the strongest PRS received signal strength among multiple beams. Alternatively, when sending the ProvideAssistanceData message, the LMF 1150 can transmit to each cell a PRS block index or beam index indicating the specific beam (or measurement beam) to be used by each of the reference cell and neighboring cells to measure the PRS transmission time. Furthermore, in operations 1109 and 1111, the LMF 1150 can transmit information about the measurement beam used for each cell to the UE 1110 via the ProvideAssistanceData message or a separate message. In this case, the UE 1110 can measure the PRS transmission time using the corresponding measurement beam in the corresponding cell.

[0195] exist Figure 11In this example, UE 1110 performs operation 1113 after receiving the RequestLocationInformation message, but this is only an example, and UE 1110 may also perform operation 1113 in response to receiving the ProvideAssistanceData message in operation 1109.

[0196] In operation 1115, UE 1110 reports the RSTD for the measurement of the PRS pair in each of the reference cell and neighboring cells. UE 1110 can transmit the measured RSTD to LMF 1150 via serving gNB 1120. For example, measurement information can be transmitted from UE 1110 to LMF 1150 via the OTDOA-SignalMeasurementInformation IE of the ProvideLocationInformation message of the LPP protocol. In this case, the transmitted measurement information may include at least one of the following: PCI, Global Cell ID and ECGI for each of the reference cell and neighboring cells associated with the measurement, evolved-UTRA absolute radio frequency number (EARFCN) for the RSTD reference cell and the neighboring cells being measured, or a list of measurement values ​​(e.g., measured RSTD and RSTD quality) for each neighboring cell. Furthermore, for each pair of reference cells and neighboring cells, the transmitted measurement information may also include at least one of the following:

[0197] -RSTD (e.g., RSTD when measuring the beams used for reference cells and neighboring cells)

[0198] - Beam index, PRS ID, and / or PRS block index measured in the reference cell and neighboring cells.

[0199] - Indicators of LOS / NLOS measured relative to the reference cell and neighboring cells for each beam

[0200] Figure 12 The signal flow for determining a PRS measurement beam in a wireless communication system is illustrated according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 12 In the example, the serving cell of UE 1210 (e.g., terminal 120) and serving gNB 1220 (e.g., base station 110) can be in a connected state (e.g., RRC_CONNECTED state). LMF 1250 can identify that UE 1210 accesses serving gNB 1220, and the neighboring cells serving gNB 1220 are provided by gNB2 1230 and gNB1 1240.

[0201] refer to Figure 12 In operation 1201, LMF 1250 can send an Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) information request message to gNB1 1240 using the NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa) protocol. For example, LMF 1250 can request cell-specific information related to OTDOA from gNB1 1240 via the OTDOA information request message.

[0202] In operation 1203, gNB1 1240 can send an OTDOA information response message according to the NRPPa protocol to LMF 1250. Having received a request for OTDOA-related information, gNB1 1240 can transmit OTDOA PRS information to LMF 1250 through the OTDOA cell information information element (IE) of the OTDOA information response message. For example, the OTDOA cell information IE of the OTDOA information response message may include OTDOA PRS configuration information.

[0203] In operation 1205, LMF 1250 can send an OTDOA information request message using the NRPPa protocol to gNB2 1230. For example, LMF 1250 can use the OTDOA information request message to request cell-specific information related to OTDOA from gNB2 1230.

[0204] In operation 1207, gNB2 1230 can send an OTDOA information response message using the NRPPa protocol to LMF 1250. Having received the request for OTDOA information, gNB2 1230 can transmit OTDOA PRS information to LMF 1250 through the OTDOA cell information IE in the OTDOA information response message. For example, the OTDOA cell information IE in the OTDOA information response message may include OTDOA PRS configuration information.

[0205] As in Operations 1201 and 1205, when locating UE 1210 (or even before), LMF 1250 can request OTDOA-related information from neighboring nodes (e.g., serving gNB 1220, gNB2 1230, gNB11240) or any node in the area covered by LMF 1250.

[0206] As in Operations 1203 and 1207, gNB1 1240 and gNB2 1230, having received a request for OTDOA-related information from LMF 1250, can transmit to LMF 1250 PRS information (or PRS configuration information) transmitted in a specific cell provided by gNB1 1240 and gNB2 1230 themselves. In this context, when the corresponding cell's PCI, global cell ID, and ECGI exist, or when a TP is provided by the corresponding gNB, the transmitted PRS information may include at least one of the following: TP ID information of the TP served by the corresponding gNB, timing information of the TP served by the corresponding gNB, PRS configuration information of the TP served by the corresponding gNB, geographic coordinate information of the TP served by the corresponding gNB, information about beamwidth, length of PRS block, PRS burst period, PRS beam offset, PRS beam scan period, number of beams used, beam-specific index or PRS block index transmitted in the beam scan period, type of reference signal included in the PRS (e.g., type of reference signal including at least one of SSB, CSI-RS, CRS, or DM-RS), symbol time width or symbol subcarrier spacing, beam-specific departure angle (AoD) information in each NR cell, or beam-specific angle offset information.

[0207] exist Figure 12 In this example, operations 1205 and 1207 are executed after operations 1201 and 1203, but this is only an example, and operations 1201 and 1203 can be executed after operations 1205 and 1207. Alternatively, operations 1201 and 1203 can be executed simultaneously, and correspondingly, operations 1205 and 1207 can be executed.

[0208] In operation 1209, LMF 1250 can send a ProvideAssistanceData message for the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) to UE 1210 via serving gNB 1220. When LMF 1250 receives OTDOA-related information from neighboring nodes (e.g., gNB1 1240 and gNB2 1230), LMF 1250 can transmit PRS-related configuration information (hereinafter referred to as auxiliary data or auxiliary information) of the reference cell and neighboring cells selected for UE 1210 to be positioned to UE 1210. The transmission of auxiliary data can be a response to a request for auxiliary data by UE 1210, or it can be a transmission from LMF 1250 to UE 1210 independent of a request made by UE 1210. According to various embodiments, the above-mentioned auxiliary information can be transmitted from LMF 1250 to UE 1210 via the OTDOA-AssistanceData IE of the ProvideAssistanceData message. For example, the auxiliary information may include at least one of the following: information about the PCI and global cell ID for each of the reference cell and neighboring cells; TP ID information for the candidate NR TP for measurement; TP timing information for the reference NR TP; PRS configuration information for the reference NR TP (or cell) or candidate TP (or cell) for reference signal timing difference (RSTD) reference; information about the system frame number (SFN) timing offset between the serving NR cell and the NR auxiliary data reference cell; information about the beamwidth; the length of the PRS block; the PRS burst period; the PRS beam offset (the offset between PRS beams); the PRS beam scan period; the number of beams used; the PRS block index or beam-specific index transmitted in the beam scan period; the type of reference signal included in the PRS (e.g., the type of reference signal including at least one of SSB, CSI-RS, CRS, or DM-RS); the time width of the symbol or the subcarrier spacing of the symbol; beam-specific AoD information in each NR cell (for detecting line-of-sight (LOS) or non-line-of-sight (NLOS)); or beam-specific angle offset information.

[0209] In operation 1211, UE 1210 can transmit a measurement report to serving gNB 1220 regarding beam measurements for neighboring cells. UE 1210 can receive a measurement configuration for Radio Resource Management (RRM) from the serving cell (e.g., serving gNB 1220) and, according to the measurement configuration, measure the cellular receive strength of the serving cell and neighboring cells, as well as the receive strength of each beam. Based on the RRM configuration, UE 1210 can transmit measurement information about cell and beam strength to the serving cell via the measurement report.

[0210] In operation 1213, the serving gNB 1220 may send an NRPPa protocol message to the LMF 1250 including measurement information about the strength of beams in the serving cell and neighboring cells. According to various embodiments, the NRPPa protocol message transmitted in operation 1213 may include at least one of the following: a Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) as the ID of UE 1210, the PCI of the serving cell, the Cell Group ID (CGI), the ECGI or Node ID, cellular strength measured in the serving cell, the ID of a beam or the strength value measured for each beam, or cellular strength measured in neighboring cells, the ID of a beam or the strength value measured for each beam.

[0211] In operation 1215, LMF 1250 can select the PRS to be measured based on the measurement report about UE 1210. For example, once the measurement information is received, LMF 1250 can select at least one target beam (or measurement beam) based on the measurement information, such that UE 1210 does not measure the RSTD for all beams used in the reference cell and neighboring cells, but only measures the RSTD for a specific beam.

[0212] In operation 1217, LMF 1250 can send a ProvideAssistanceData message or a RequestLocationInformation message of the LPP protocol to UE 1210 via serving gNB 1220. For example, the ProvideAssistanceData message or RequestLocationInformation message may include information indicating at least one measurement beam selected in operation 1215. The selected at least one measurement beam may be referred to as UE-specific beam information, and the ProvideAssistanceData message or RequestLocationInformation message may include UE-specific beam information for each of the reference cell and neighboring cells to be measured. When the UE-specific beam information is transmitted from LMF 1250 to UE 1210 via the ProvideAssistanceData message, LMF 1250 may transmit auxiliary data to the UE and then send a RequestLocationInformation message to UE 1210 as a message requesting the transmission of information related to the measured RSTD from UE 1210. According to an embodiment, a request for transmitting measurement information can be transmitted from LMF 1250 to UE 1210 via the OTDOA-RequestLocationInformation IE of the RequestLocationInformation message. For example, the OTDOA-RequestLocationInformation IE of the RequestLocationInformation message may include a request for transmitting measurement information.

[0213] In operation 1219, UE 1210 measures the RSTD for each PRS configured in each configured cell or for PRS transmitted via a configured beam. Upon receiving the RequestLocationInformation message, UE 1210 can measure the RSTD value using PRS information from the reference cell and neighboring cells included in the auxiliary information. In this case, UE 1210 can measure the transmission time (or reception time) of PRS transmitted via multiple beams in the reference cell and the transmission time (or reception time) of PRS transmitted via multiple beams in the neighboring cells, and determine the RSTD between the reference cell and neighboring cells based on the measured values. In this case, UE 1210 can select a specific beam among multiple beams and consider the transmission time of the PRS transmitted via the selected beam as a representative value. Here, the selected specific beam can be the beam with the shortest PRS transmission time or the beam with the strongest PRS received signal strength among multiple beams. Alternatively, when sending the ProvideAssistanceData message, the LMF 1250 can transmit to each cell a PRS block index or beam index indicating the specific beam (or measurement beam) to be used by each of the reference cell and neighboring cells to measure the PRS transmission time. Furthermore, in operation 1217, the LMF 1250 can transmit information about the measurement beam used for each cell to the UE 1210 via the ProvideAssistanceData message or the RequestLocationInformation message. In this case, the UE 1210 can measure the PRS transmission time using the corresponding measurement beam in the corresponding cell.

[0214] exist Figure 12 In this example, UE 1210 performs operation 1219 after receiving the RequestLocationInformation message, but this is only an example, and UE 1210 may also perform operation 1219 in response to receiving the ProvideAssistanceData message in operation 1209.

[0215] In operation 1221, UE 1210 can report the RSTD for the measurement of each PRS pair in the reference cell and neighboring cells. UE 1210 can transmit the measured RSTD to LMF 1250 via serving gNB 1220. For example, measurement information can be transmitted from UE 1210 to LMF 1250 via the OTDOA-SignalMeasurementInformation IE of the ProvideLocationInformation message of the LPP protocol. In this case, the transmitted measurement information may include at least one of the following: PCI, Global Cell ID and ECGI for each of the reference cell and neighboring cells associated with the measurement, Evolved UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Number (EARFCN) for the RSTD reference cell and the neighboring cells for the measurement, or a list of measurement values ​​(e.g., measured RSTD and RSTD quality) for each neighboring cell. Furthermore, for each pair of reference cells and neighboring cells, the transmitted measurement information may also include at least one of the following:

[0216] -RSTD (e.g., RSTD when measuring the beams used for reference cells and neighboring cells)

[0217] - Beam index, PRS ID, and / or PRS block index measured in the reference cell and neighboring cells.

[0218] - Indicators of LOS / NLOS for each beam relative to the reference cell and neighboring cells

[0219] Figure 13 The diagram illustrates signal flows for activating an NR-enhanced cell ID (ECID) in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 13 In the example, the serving cell of UE 1310 (e.g., terminal 120) and serving gNB 1320 (e.g., base station 110) can be in a connected state (e.g., RRC_CONNECTED state).

[0220] refer to Figure 13 In operation 1301, UE 1310 can receive a measurement configuration for RRM from the serving gNB 1320. The measurement configuration may include parameters required for UE 1310 to perform measurements.

[0221] In operation 1303, UE 1310 can perform measurements for the configured object. UE 1310 can perform measurements for the frequency cell corresponding to the measurement object included in the measurement configuration, based on the measurement configuration. UE 1310 can obtain measurement values ​​by performing the measurements, and the measurement values ​​can include at least one of the following: the signal strength of the serving cell (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and / or signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR)), the signal strength (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, and / or SINR) of neighboring cells (e.g., cells provided by gNB1 1340 and gNB2 1330), the measurement result regarding the strength of the beam in the serving cell (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, and / or SINR), the measurement result regarding the strength of the beam in the neighboring cells (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, and / or SINR), or the transmission (Tx)-reception (Rx) timing difference for each cell measured by the terminal relative to the serving cell and neighboring cells.

[0222] According to various embodiments, the timing difference Tx-Rx can be defined as T UE-RX –T UE-TX Here, regarding T UE-RX The definition can correspond to any of the following descriptions 1 through 6:

[0223] 1.T UE-RX The timing of the UE receiving downlink radio frame #i from the serving cell is defined by the first detection beam carrying the SSB for downlink radio frame #i;

[0224] 2.T UE-RX The timing of the UE receiving downlink radio frame #i from the serving cell is defined by the first detection path during the DL beam carrying the SSB or DL ​​PRS for the downlink radio frame #i with the shortest propagation time.

[0225] 3.T UE-RX The timing of the UE sensing the downlink radio frame #i from the serving cell is defined by the first detection beam carrying the SSB for the downlink radio frame #i;

[0226] 4.T UE-RX The timing of the UE sensing the downlink radio frame #i from the serving cell is defined by the first detection path during the DL beam carrying the SSB or DL ​​PRS for the downlink radio frame #i with the shortest propagation time.

[0227] 5.T UE-RXThe timing of the UE sensing the downlink radio frame boundary of radio frame #i from the serving cell is defined by the first detection beam carrying the SSB for downlink radio frame #i; or

[0228] 6.T UE-RX The timing of the UE sensing the downlink radio frame boundary of radio frame #i from the serving cell is defined by the first detection path during the DL beam carrying the SSB or DL ​​PRS for downlink radio frame #i with the shortest propagation time.

[0229] According to various embodiments, for T UE-TX The definition can correspond to any of the following descriptions 1 to 3:

[0230] 1.T UE-TX It is the timing for the UE to transmit uplink radio frame #i;

[0231] 2.T UE-TX It is the timing of the uplink radio frame #i perceived by the UE from the serving cell; or

[0232] 3.T UE-TX It is the timing for the UE to perceive the uplink radio frame boundary of radio frame #i from the serving cell.

[0233] In operation 1305, LMF 1350 can send an LPP protocol RequestLocationInformation message to UE 1310 via serving gNB 1320, enabling the terminal to report currently reportable ECID-related information. The ECID-RequestLocationInformation IE of the RequestLocationInformation message may include a 1-bit indicator for requesting each of the RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, and Tx-Rx timing difference information in the cell signal strength measured by UE 1310. Furthermore, the ECID-RequestLocationInformation IE may also include a 1-bit indicator for requesting beam strength information measured for each cell. The indicator may request all available RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, and Tx-Rx timing difference information for beam measurements. Additionally, according to various embodiments, the beam strength measured for each beam can be partitioned based on RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, and Tx-Rx timing difference. The ECID-RequestLocationInformation (IE) indicates the result obtained by measuring the beam and may include a 1-bit indicator for requesting the divided RSRP, RSRS, SINR, and Tx-Rx timing difference, respectively.

[0234] In operation 1307, UE 1310 can transmit measurement information requested by the RequestLocationInformation message from the available information to LMF 1350 via the ProvideLocationInformation message of the LPP protocol. For example, UE 1310 can transmit the requested measurement information to LMF 1350 via the ECID-SignalMeasurementInformation IE of the ProvideLocationInformation message. According to various embodiments, the ProvideLocationInformation message may include at least one of the following: cell-level RSRP / RSRQ / timing difference information, beam-level RSRP / RSRQ / timing difference information for each cell, cell ID, or beam ID for beam-level measurement.

[0235] According to various embodiments, the LMF 1350 can transmit a 1-bit indicator to the UE 1310 indicating the need for beam level measurement. In this case, the UE 1310 can report the RSRP / RSRQ / SINR / Tx-Rx timing difference for optimal beaming, as well as the cell ID (e.g., PCI, ECGI, and CGI) and beam ID (e.g., SSB index) to the LMF 1350. The 1-bit indicator can be included in the CommonIEsRequestLocationInformation or the ECID-RequestLocationInformation IE.

[0236] According to various embodiments, the LMF 1350 can indicate a request for beamline signal strength in a RequestLocationInformation message without configuring a measurement beam for the UE 1310. In this case, the UE 1310 can select the optimal beam based on specific metrics, measure the RSRP / RSRQ / SINR / Tx-Rx timing difference of the selected optimal beam, and report the measurement information to the LMF 1350. Here, the specific metrics for selecting the optimal beam may include at least one of the metrics for selecting the beam with the strongest received strength among the measurable beams or the metrics for selecting the beam with the smallest propagation delay among the measurable beams, and can be configured by the LMF 1350 for the UE 1310.

[0237] According to various embodiments, the LMF 1350 can transmit a 1-bit indicator to the UE 1310 indicating that beam level measurement is required, and can specify to the UE 1310 the number of beams to be reported or the specific beam to be measured (e.g., PRS index, PRS block index, or SSB or CSI-RS index). In this case, the UE 1310 can report to the LMF 1350 the cell ID of the configured cells and the RSRP / RSRQ / Tx-Rx timing difference of the best beam for each cell, as well as the cell ID and beam ID (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS index). The 1-bit indicator, the number of beams, and / or the ID of the specific beam to be measured can be included in the CommonIEsRequestLocationInformation or ECID-RequestLocationInformation IE.

[0238] Figure 14 A flowchart of a terminal in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 14 The operation of terminal 120 is shown.

[0239] refer to Figure 14 In operation 1401, the terminal receives PRS configuration information related to a reference cell and one or more neighboring cells relative to the terminal. The PRS configuration information can be transmitted from the LMF device to the terminal via the OTDOA-AssistanceData IE of the ProvideAssistanceData message. According to various embodiments, the reference cell can be a serving cell provided by the serving base station.

[0240] In operation 1403, the terminal receives a message requesting a PRS measurement. The request for a PRS measurement can be transmitted from the LMF device to the terminal via the OTDOA-RequestLocationInformation IE of the RequestLocationInformation message.

[0241] In operation 1405, in response to receiving a message, the terminal, based on PRS configuration information, determines the RSTD between the transmission time of the PRS received through the first beam of the reference cell and the transmission time of the PRS received through the second beam of each of one or more neighboring cells. The terminal may determine the RSTD for each pair of beams used for the reference cell and neighboring cells based on the PRS.

[0242] In operation 1407, the terminal transmits measurement information, including RSTD, to the base station. This measurement information can be transmitted from the terminal to the LMF device via the OTDOA-SignalMeasurementInformation IE of the ProvideLocationInformation message.

[0243] According to various embodiments, the terminal can perform operation 1405 regardless of whether a message requesting PRS measurement has been received. In this case, operation 1403 can be omitted.

[0244] According to various embodiments, the terminal can transmit a request message for requesting PRS configuration information, and the PRS configuration information can be received by the terminal through a response message to the request message.

[0245] According to various embodiments, the first beam may include the beam with the shortest PRS transmission time or the beam with the strongest PRS received signal strength, wherein the beam is selected by the terminal from a plurality of beams of the reference cell. The second beam may include the beam with the shortest PRS transmission time or the beam with the strongest PRS received signal strength, wherein the beam is selected by the terminal from a plurality of beams of each of one or more neighboring cells.

[0246] According to various embodiments, the PRS configuration information may include an indicator for indicating a first beam and an indicator for indicating a second beam. The indicator for indicating the first beam and the indicator for indicating the second beam may include a beam index or a PRS block index.

[0247] According to various embodiments, the terminal may: receive a measurement configuration from a base station; determine, based on the measurement configuration, the received signal strength of a plurality of beams relative to a reference cell and the received signal strength of a plurality of beams relative to each of one or more neighboring cells; transmit a measurement report to the base station, wherein the measurement report includes the received signal strength of the plurality of beams relative to the reference cell and the received signal strength of the plurality of beams relative to each of one or more neighboring cells; and receive a message including an indicator for indicating a first beam selected based on the measurement report and an indicator for indicating a second beam selected based on the measurement report.

[0248] According to various embodiments, the terminal can receive a 1-bit indicator for requesting beam level measurement, and based on the beam level measurement, transmit measurement information to the base station, wherein the measurement information includes at least one of reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), and transmission-reception timing difference of the first beam, cell identifier (ID) of the cell associated with the first beam, or beam ID of the first beam.

[0249] Figure 15 A flowchart of an LMF device in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 15 The operation of an LMF device with LMF 130 functionality is shown.

[0250] refer to Figure 15 In operation 1501, the LMF device transmits PRS configuration information related to a reference cell and one or more neighboring cells relative to the terminal. The PRS configuration information can be transmitted from the LMF device to the terminal via the OTDOA-AssistanceData IE of the ProvideAssistanceData message. According to various embodiments, the reference cell can be a serving cell provided by the serving base station.

[0251] In operation 1503, the LMF device can transmit a message requesting a PRS measurement to be performed by the terminal. The request for a PRS measurement can be transmitted from the LMF device to the terminal via the OTDOA-RequestLocationInformation IE of the RequestLocationInformation message.

[0252] In operation 1505, the LMF device can receive measurement information, which includes the RSTD between the transmission time of the PRS received through the first beam of the reference cell and the transmission time of the PRS received through the second beam of each of one or more neighboring cells. The RSTD is determined based on the PRS configuration information. The measurement information can be transmitted from the terminal to the LMF device via the OTDOA-SignalMeasurementInformation IE of the ProvideLocationInformation message.

[0253] In Operation 1507, the LMF device can locate the terminal based on the RSTD. For example, the LMF device can locate the terminal based on the RSTD of the PRS relative to the reference cell and each of one or more neighboring cells.

[0254] According to various embodiments, the terminal can perform PRS measurements regardless of whether a message requesting a PRS measurement has been received. In this case, operation 1503 can be omitted.

[0255] According to various embodiments, the LMF device can receive a request message for requesting PRS configuration information. The PRS configuration information can be transmitted to the terminal via a response message to the request message.

[0256] According to various embodiments, the first beam may include the beam with the shortest PRS transmission time or the beam with the strongest PRS received signal strength, wherein the beam is selected by the terminal from a plurality of beams of the reference cell. The second beam may include the beam with the shortest PRS transmission time or the beam with the strongest PRS received signal strength, wherein the beam is selected by the terminal from a plurality of beams of each of one or more neighboring cells.

[0257] According to various embodiments, the PRS configuration information may include an indicator for indicating a first beam and an indicator for indicating a second beam. The indicator for indicating the first beam and the indicator for indicating the second beam may include a beam index or a PRS block index.

[0258] According to various embodiments, the LMF device can: receive a measurement report from a base station, wherein the measurement report includes received signal strength of a plurality of beams relative to a reference cell and received signal strength of a plurality of beams relative to each of one or more neighboring cells; determine a first beam among the plurality of beams in the reference cell and a second beam among the plurality of beams in each of one or more neighboring cells based on the measurement report; and transmit a message including an indicator for indicating the first beam and an indicator for indicating the second beam.

[0259] According to various embodiments, the LMF device can transmit a 1-bit indicator for requesting a beam level measurement by the terminal; and receive measurement information from the terminal via a base station, wherein the measurement information includes at least one of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), and Transmission-Reception Timing Difference relative to the first beam, a cell identifier (ID) associated with the first beam, or the beam ID of the first beam.

[0260] The methods disclosed in the claims and / or the methods according to the various embodiments described in this disclosure may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0261] When the method is implemented in software, a computer-readable storage medium may be provided for storing one or more programs (software modules). One or more programs stored in the computer-readable storage medium may be configured to be executed by one or more processors within an electronic device. At least one program may include instructions that cause the electronic device to perform the method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and / or disclosed herein.

[0262] The program (software module or software) can be stored in non-volatile memory, including random access memory and flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disk storage devices, optical discs (CD-ROM), digital versatile discs (DVDs), or other types of optical storage devices or magnetic tape. Alternatively, any combination of some or all of these can form the memory in which the program is stored. Furthermore, an electronic device may include multiple such memories.

[0263] Furthermore, the program can be stored on an attachable storage device, which can be connected to the electronic device via a communication network (such as the Internet, intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WLAN), and storage area network (SAN) or a combination thereof). Such a storage device can be connected to the electronic device via an external port. Additionally, a separate storage device on the communication network can be connected to a portable electronic device.

[0264] In the detailed embodiments of this disclosure described above, elements included in this disclosure are represented in a singular or plural form according to the presented detailed embodiments. However, the singular or plural form is chosen appropriately according to the presented situation for descriptive convenience, and this disclosure is not limited to elements represented in a singular or plural form. Therefore, an element represented in a plural form may also include a single element, or an element represented in a singular form may also include multiple elements.

[0265] While specific embodiments have been described in the detailed description of this disclosure, modifications and changes may be made to the specific embodiments without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of this disclosure should not be limited to the embodiments, but should be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method performed by a terminal in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: Receive at least one auxiliary data from the Location Management Function (LMF) entity, the at least one auxiliary data including at least one of the following: information about the number of symbols associated with the Position Reference Signal (PRS), information about the periodicity associated with the PRS, or the identifier ID of the Reference Transmitter / Receiver Point (TRP); The LMF entity receives a request for the terminal to report the measurement information of the reference signal timing difference RSTD; Determine the RSTD between the reference TRP and the neighboring TRP; as well as In response to receiving a request for location information, a Location Information Provided message containing LTE Location Protocol (LPP) information is sent to the LMF entity. The location information message includes at least one measurement piece of information, which includes Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) signal measurement information and Enhanced Cell Identifier (E-CID) signal measurement information. The TDOA signal measurement information includes the PRS ID associated with the RSTD and the RSTD between the reference TRP and the neighboring TRP; and The E-CID signal measurement information includes the TRP ID, the TRP cell-level measurement, and the TRP beam-level measurement. The cell-level measurements of the TRP include the cell's Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measurement and the cell's Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) measurement. The beam-level measurement of the TRP includes the beam index, the RSRP measurement for each beam, and the RSRQ measurement for each beam. The beam corresponds to either the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) or the Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS).

2. The method according to claim 1, in, The at least one auxiliary data also includes at least one of the following: information about the offset associated with the PRS, information about the type of reference signal used for the PRS, information about the subcarrier spacing of the symbol associated with the PRS, or the ID of the neighboring TRP.

3. The method according to claim 1, in, The at least one measurement information also includes information on line-of-sight (LOS) / non-line-of-sight (NLOS) of the reference TRP and neighboring TRPs.

4. The method according to claim 1, Receive information from the LMF entity including a first index of a first beam associated with a reference TRP and a second index of a second beam associated with a neighboring TRP. in, RSTD is based on the time difference between the first time the terminal receives the PRS via the first beam of the reference TRP and the second time the terminal receives the PRS via the second beam of the neighboring TRP.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receive angle information from the LMF entity for the reference TRP and neighbor TRP; and Receive a message from the LMF entity requesting the at least one measurement information.

6. A method performed by a Location Management Function (LMF) entity in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: Send at least one auxiliary data to the terminal, the at least one auxiliary data including at least one of the following: information about the number of symbols associated with the Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), information about the periodicity associated with the PRS, or the identifier ID of the Reference Transmitter / Receiver Point (TRP); Send the requested location information to the terminal requesting the terminal to report the measurement information of the reference signal timing difference (RSTD); as well as In response to the request for location information, a Location Information Message is received from the terminal, containing Long Term Evolution (LTE) Location Protocol (LPP) information. The location information provided includes at least one measurement information message, which includes Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) signal measurement information and Enhanced Cell Identifier (E-CID) signal measurement information. The TDOA signal measurement information includes the PRS ID associated with the RSTD and the RSTD between the reference TRP and the neighboring TRP; and The E-CID signal measurement information includes the TRP ID, the TRP cell-level measurement, and the TRP beam-level measurement. The cell-level measurements of the TRP include the cell's Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) measurement and the cell's Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) measurement. The beam-level measurement of the TRP includes the beam index, the RSRP measurement for each beam, and the RSRQ measurement for each beam. The beam corresponds to either the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) or the Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS). Specifically, the RSTD is determined between the measurement reference TRP and the neighboring TRP.

7. The method according to claim 6, in, The at least one auxiliary data also includes at least one of the following: information about the offset associated with the PRS, information about the type of reference signal used for the PRS, information about the subcarrier spacing of the symbol associated with the PRS, or the ID of the neighboring TRP.

8. The method according to claim 6, in, The at least one measurement information also includes information on line-of-sight (LOS) / non-line-of-sight (NLOS) of the reference TRP and neighboring TRPs.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: The terminal is sent information including a first index of a first beam associated with a reference TRP and a second index of a second beam associated with a neighboring TRP. The RSTD is based on the difference between the first time the terminal receives the PRS via the first beam of the reference TRP and the second time the terminal receives the PRS via the second beam of the neighboring TRP.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising: Send the angle information of the reference TRP and neighbor TRP to the terminal; and Send a message to the terminal requesting the at least one measurement information.

11. A terminal in a wireless communication system, the terminal comprising: transceiver; and A controller, coupled to a transceiver, is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

12. A Location Management Function (LMF) entity in a wireless communication system, the LMF entity comprising: transceiver; and A controller, coupled to a transceiver, is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 6 to 10.

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