Method for processing positioning of wireless device and related network node and wireless device

Abstract

A method for processing positioning of a user equipment ("user equipment"), a wireless device, performed by a network node is disclosed. The network node obtains a first approximate location of the wireless device based on a first positioning procedure of the wireless device in a first frequency allocation. The network node determines a set of resources to be used for a second positioning procedure in a second frequency allocation based on the first approximate location of the wireless device. The network node initiates a second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation using the determined set of resources. The network node obtains an updated location of the wireless device based on the second positioning procedure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method of processing positioning of a wireless device, a related network node and a related wireless device. Background Art

[0002] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) is designed to be deployed in spectrum across a variety of carrier frequencies [3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.104V 16.1.0]. The currently defined lower frequencies, which may be referred to as Frequency Range 1 (FR1), start at approximately 600 MHz and range to approximately 6 GHz. The channel conditions and carrier frequency-related issues involved in operating NR at these frequencies are similar to those of operating a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) system. Therefore, the NR design and numerology for FR1 are very similar to those of operating a conventional LTE network. However, NR is also designed to operate at higher carrier frequencies. Until now, a second frequency range, referred to as FR2, has been supported, and is approximately 28 GHz. Currently, higher frequencies above 52 GHz are under discussion within 3GPP. At such frequencies, narrow beam transmissions may be required to compensate for the increased path loss due to the high carrier frequency. In contrast, FR1 typically uses omnidirectional or wide beam transmissions.

[0003] NR is designed to support higher bandwidths than LTE, with component carriers up to 20MHz. This is easier to achieve by utilizing higher frequency bands. For example, until now, the maximum supported bandwidths in FR1 and FR2 were 100MHz and 400MHz, respectively.

[0004] Support for user equipment (UE) positioning in NR was introduced in 3GPP rel.16. Downlink (DL) and uplink (UL)-based positioning are supported. The UE can perform at least one measurement and then report to the location server (LS) for positioning estimation. The location server (LS) can perform positioning estimation after receiving multiple positioning measurement results. In traditional LTE, the LS requires at least three positioning measurement results from three base stations for positioning estimation based on multi-lateration measurement results. Alternatively, assuming that the UE has collected the required and / or sufficient information, the UE can perform measurements and positioning estimation.

[0005] TR 38.855 V 16.0.0 describes the initial goals for NR positioning, both for regulatory and commercial requirements. Commercial requirements often have very demanding requirements, such as precise horizontal and / or vertical positioning accuracy, and low latency. Meeting these requirements across a wide range of use cases and scenarios is challenging. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for apparatus and methods for positioning user equipment (UE) that mitigate, alleviate or resolve existing shortcomings and provide improved positioning accuracy.

[0007] A method for processing positioning of a wireless device, performed by a network node, is disclosed. The method includes obtaining a first approximate position of the wireless device based on a first positioning procedure of the wireless device in a first frequency allocation. The method includes determining a set of resources to be used for a positioning procedure in a second frequency allocation based on the first approximate position of the wireless device. The method includes initiating a second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation using the determined set of resources. The method also includes obtaining an updated position of the wireless device based on the second positioning procedure.

[0008] Furthermore, a method for processing positioning of a wireless device, performed by a radio network node, is disclosed. The method includes performing a first positioning procedure for the wireless device in a first frequency allocation. The method includes receiving, from the network node, a set of resources to be used for second positioning measurements in a second frequency allocation, wherein the set of resources is associated with a result of the first positioning procedure. The method also includes performing a second positioning procedure for the wireless device in the second frequency allocation using the set of resources received from the network node.

[0009] Furthermore, a method for processing positioning of a wireless device, performed by a wireless device, is disclosed. The method includes performing a first positioning procedure in a first frequency allocation. The method includes receiving, from a network node, a set of resources to be used for second positioning measurements in a second frequency allocation, wherein the set of resources is associated with a result of the first positioning procedure. The method also includes performing a second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation using the set of resources received from the network node.

[0010] Furthermore, a network node is provided, the network node comprising a memory circuit, a processor circuit and a wireless interface. The wireless device is configured to perform the method disclosed herein.

[0011] Furthermore, a radio network node is provided, comprising a memory circuit, a processor circuit and a wireless interface. The radio network node is configured to perform the method as disclosed herein.

[0012] Furthermore, a wireless device is provided, comprising a memory circuit, a processor circuit, and a wireless interface, wherein the wireless device is configured to perform the method disclosed herein.

[0013] The present disclosure has the advantage of improving the accuracy of the positioning process while reducing the time and resources required to perform the positioning process. Positioning accuracy is improved by combining a fast positioning process in a first frequency allocation with a slower, more accurate positioning process in a second frequency allocation. Furthermore, the signaling overhead of positioning resources can be reduced. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art through the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015] Figure 1A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system including an exemplary network node, an exemplary radio network node, and an exemplary wireless device according to the present disclosure,

[0016] Figure 1B is a diagram illustrating a first exemplary resource configuration of a radio network node,

[0017] Figure 1C is a diagram illustrating a second exemplary resource configuration of a radio network node,

[0018] Figure 1D is a diagram illustrating a third exemplary resource configuration of a radio network node,

[0019] Figure 1E is a diagram illustrating exemplary resource configurations for different frequency allocations,

[0020] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of processing positioning of a wireless device performed in a network node of a wireless communication system according to the present disclosure,

[0021] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of processing positioning of a wireless device, performed in a radio network node of a wireless communication system according to the present disclosure,

[0022] Figure 4 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method of processing positioning of a wireless device performed in a wireless device of a wireless communication system according to the present disclosure,

[0023] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary network node according to the present disclosure,

[0024] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary radio network node according to the present disclosure,

[0025] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless device according to the present invention, and

[0026] Figure 8 is a signaling diagram illustrating an exemplary process for handling positioning of a wireless device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments and details are described with reference to the relevant drawings. It should be noted that the drawings may be drawn to scale or not to scale, and that elements of similar structure or function are represented by similar reference numerals in all drawings. It should also be noted that the drawings are intended only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. They are not intended to serve as an exhaustive description of the present disclosure or as a limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the illustrated embodiments do not need to have all the aspects or advantages shown. Aspects or advantages described in conjunction with a particular embodiment are not necessarily limited to that embodiment and may be practiced in any other embodiment, even if not shown as such or if not explicitly described as such.

[0028] As discussed in detail herein, the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication system 1 comprising a cellular system, such as a 3GPP wireless communication system. The wireless communication system 1 comprises a wireless device 500 and / or a network node 400.

[0029] The network node disclosed herein refers to a radio access network node operating in a radio access network, such as a base station, an evolved Node B, an eNB, a global Node B, or a gNB.

[0030] The wireless communication system 1 described herein may include one or more wireless devices 500, 500A and / or one or more network nodes 400, such as one or more of: a base station, an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation Node B (gNB) and / or an access point.

[0031] A wireless device may also be referred to herein as a mobile device and / or user equipment UE.

[0032] The wireless device 500, 500A may be configured to communicate with the network node 400 via a wireless link (or radio access link) 10, 10A.

[0033] The present disclosure provides a method for processing the positioning of a wireless device such as a UE. Based on the positioning measurement results obtained from a first frequency allocation, auxiliary positioning measurements can be made in a second frequency allocation (e.g., at a higher frequency, such as in a millimeter wave spectrum) that can provide higher precision positioning. The frequency allocation can be a frequency range, such as a frequency range FR1 or FR2 defined by 3GPP, or a frequency layer (which can be a subset of the frequency range defined by 3GPP). The frequency ranges of FR1 and FR2 are defined in TS38.101-1V16.1.0 and TS38.101-2V16.1.0, respectively. Other frequency ranges, such as FR3, may be defined in future versions. Positioning measurements at higher frequencies may require complex operations, such as beam selection and beam scanning operations. The embodiments of this document provide a dual-frequency positioning process (e.g., a lower frequency (such as FR1) and a higher frequency (such as FR2)). In such a positioning process, a radio network node such as a base station (e.g., an eNB or gNB) can allocate independent positioning resources in each frequency range, which may result in high overhead. In the case of UEs operating at high frequencies, another issue is that when the transmitter and receiver perform beam scanning during positioning measurements, it may take some time to obtain beam alignment. The embodiments herein address the above issue and provide a highly accurate positioning process while reducing positioning resource overhead and latency.

[0034] Beam management for higher frequency allocations in NR (such as for FR2 and higher frequencies) has been introduced by 3GPP. During a phase of the initial cell search procedure where the UE attempts to read and detect signals on the synchronization signals transmitted by the cell in the synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), the first beam pair between the UE and the cell can be established. Several beams of the cell may transmit SSBs sequentially and the UE may attempt to acquire these signals and synchronize with the cell on the transmitted beams. After synchronization, a random access procedure with the same beam setup is used and with this knowledge the network will know the best beam pair to start communication with the UE. The assumption that the spatial filters used to shape the beams (analog or digitally) are used as an initial assumption for the setup of the serving cell candidates. The initial beam pair and its spatial filter are refined to provide devices with better signal characteristics with higher antenna gain at a later stage.

[0035] System information can be read when the broadcast channel is read (which is also part of the SSB). This allows more signals from the cell to be detected, thereby improving the beam pair by using other signals in addition to the signal from the SSB. The measurement is typically based on the non-zero power channel state information-reference signal (NZP-CSI-RS), and in many cases the NZP-CSI-RS can use a narrower beam than the SSB based beam. The beam can be wide, with the antenna gain distributed over a wide range, giving less gain over the coverage area, or the gain can be concentrated in a smaller area, giving higher gain. Narrow beams have this higher gain and therefore will provide better signal and accuracy as long as the device is within the area covered by the spatial filter that generates the beam. Typically, wider beams or no beams are used for lower frequency allocations (e.g. in FR1), such as in LTE operation, however, for higher frequencies, such as for FR2 and above, beam processing can be based on one or more narrow beams.

[0036] The measurements of the downlink beam pairs may be reported to the network, for example to the radio network node to be used to select the downlink transmission beam. The report may include channel state information about the channel quality indicator (CQI), rank information (RI) and / or precoder matrix indicator (PMI). It may also use an unfiltered version of the reference signal received power (RSRP) reported per beam pair. However, for positioning purposes, the downlink receiver beam measurements are not currently reported to the network. For each base station side beam, the UE has to scan its UE beams to see the best UE beam. This UE side beam measurement of all UE beams will not be reported to the base station, for example to the radio network node. Only the measurements of the best beam forming the best beam pair are reported.

[0037] Since the base station can scan the beams sequentially, and the UE can also scan the beams sequentially, other things in the system will consume a lot of time and thus power consumption to manage the beams. The periodicity or time opportunity for making these measurements may vary with the amount of mobility to be supported, but in many cases, tracking of the beams will be a fairly frequent occurrence in the system in both Radio Resource Control (RRC) idle mode and RRC connected mode.

[0038] The present disclosure provides a method for processing the positioning of a wireless device using some of the above-mentioned beam processing principles. The positioning of the wireless device requires positioning measurement results based on the above-mentioned reference signals (SSB, CSI-RS, SRS, etc.) or new positioning signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)). Based on the positioning measurement results obtained from a first frequency allocation (e.g., a frequency layer and / or frequency range (e.g., a frequency range FR1 defined by 3GPP)), the embodiments herein can assist positioning measurements in a second frequency allocation (e.g., in another frequency layer and / or frequency range (e.g., at a higher frequency, such as in a millimeter wave spectrum)), which can provide higher-precision positioning.

[0039] Positioning measurements in higher frequencies typically require complex operations, such as beam selection and beam scanning operations, which are typically time-consuming and resource-intensive. However, embodiments herein provide a dual-frequency positioning process (e.g., a lower frequency (FR1) and a higher frequency (e.g., frequency ranges FR2 and / or FR3 defined by 3GPP)). In such a positioning process, a radio network node, such as a base station (e.g., an eNB or gNB), typically allocates independent positioning resources in each frequency range, which can result in high overhead. In the case of a UE operating at a high frequency, another issue is that when the transmitter and receiver perform beam scanning during positioning measurements, it may take some time to obtain beam alignment. Therefore, the latency of the positioning estimate is high.

[0040] The embodiments disclosed herein solve the above-mentioned problems and provide a high-precision positioning process while reducing the overhead of positioning resources and reducing latency.

[0041] For the sake of clarity, the drawings are schematic and simplified, and they merely show details which are helpful for understanding the present disclosure, while other details have been omitted. Throughout, the same reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding parts.

[0042] Figure 1A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system 1 including an exemplary network node 400 and an exemplary wireless device 300 according to the present disclosure.

[0043] As discussed in detail herein, the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication system 1 comprising a cellular system, such as a 3GPP wireless communication system. The wireless communication system 1 comprises a wireless device 500 and / or a radio network node 400.

[0044] The radio network node disclosed herein refers to a radio access network node operating in a radio access network, such as a base station, an evolved Node B, an eNB, or a gNB.

[0045] The wireless communication system 1 described herein may include one or more wireless devices 500, 500A and / or one or more radio network nodes 400, such as one or more of the following: a base station, an eNB, a gNB and / or an access point.

[0046] A wireless device may be referred to as a mobile device and / or user equipment (UE).

[0047] The wireless device 500, 500A may be configured to communicate with the radio network node 400 via a wireless link (or wireless access link) 10, 10A.

[0048] The wireless communication system 1 may further include a network node, such as a core network node 600 , such as a location server (LS) included in the core network.

[0049] Embodiments disclosed herein provide for associating reference signals, such as positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations, between PRS transmissions in different frequency allocations (e.g., frequency layers and / or frequency ranges) for positioning purposes. The association may be between PRS resources and / or PRS resource sets. PRS resources and / or PRS resource sets may be indicated as resources that are transmitted periodically or aperiodically. Periodic PRS may be a PRS that is periodically transmitted from a base station to multiple wireless devices in a cell (cell-specific). Aperiodic PRS may be a PRS that is aperiodically transmitted from a base station to a wireless device or some wireless devices (UE-specific). A radio network node, such as a base station, may notify a network node, such as a LS, and / or a wireless device of the above association and configuration. This may be accomplished by sending a resource configuration, which may include PRS resources and / or PRS resource sets. In cases where the radio network node cannot directly notify the wireless device, the LS may also notify the wireless device of the resource configuration.

[0050] The embodiments herein further provide a method for supporting multi-level positioning measurements to achieve high-precision positioning while reducing positioning resource overhead and latency.

[0051] Figure 1B An example of a potential reference signal transmission (e.g., PRS transmission, which may also be referred to as a resource configuration) from a radio network node is shown. Here, a resource is a time, frequency, and / or code resource used to carry a reference signal. Figure 1B In , the resource set covers four directions of the radio network node (eg base station) with four resources. Figure 1B Resource set ID 1 in

[0045] includes four resource IDs, namely resource IDs 1 to 4. Each resource includes a set of resource elements in a time / frequency range, where a reference signal is transmitted from each transmission point such as a cell or a transmission beam of a base station. Figure 1BThe resource configuration shown is typically used in FR1, where transmissions cover a wider area, such as a cell.

[0052] exist Figure 1C In

[0014] , the base station covers four directions with four different resource sets, namely resource sets 1 to 4. Each resource set includes multiple resources to cover certain areas, such as their respective directions.

[0053] exist Figure 1D In the example, the base station has multiple resource sets to cover Figure 1C In addition, Figure 1B The resources in can be equivalent to Figure 1D The resource collection in . Figure 1D The resource configuration shown is typically used in FR2, where transmission is directional, which may also be referred to as beam transmission. Thus, multiple beams indicated by a set of resource IDs or beam IDs may be included in a resource set indicated by a resource set ID. Figure 1D The multiple beams in the resource set of Figure 1B The same area of ​​the cell indicated by the resource ID in the frequency allocation. Each resource and resource set has an identity (e.g., a number). Therefore, by knowing the resource / resource set ID of the positioning resource used for measurement in one frequency allocation, the area or beam direction between the base station and the wireless device can be identified and / or obtained. By associating resources and / or resource sets in different frequency allocations, corresponding resources and / or resource sets covering the same area or beam direction in a second frequency allocation can be determined, and the second frequency allocation can be obtained based on the first positioning process in the first frequency allocation.

[0054] Figure 1E , further illustrating an exemplary resource allocation for PRS transmission, wherein multiple resource sets are allocated in various frequency locations (intra-frequency / inter-frequency ranges). Resource set A and resource set B are transmitted periodically, wherein resource set A is transmitted with a period T1, resource set B is transmitted with a period T2, and resource set C is transmitted aperiodically, for example, by event triggering.

[0055] A network node (e.g., a location server) may obtain resource configurations (e.g., resource set configurations) of wireless network nodes. The location server may select and / or trigger positioning measurements. Embodiments herein consider different positioning methods for different frequency spectrums and the required accuracy and / or latency for positioning.

[0056] Figure 2 A network node (such as the network node disclosed herein, for example) operating in accordance with the present disclosure for processing positioning of a wireless device is shown. Figure 1A Network node 600, Figure 2network nodes and Figure 5 The present invention provides a flow chart of an exemplary method for a network node 600 (e.g., a network node 600) configured to process the positioning of a wireless device. The network node may be a network node that processes the positioning of a wireless device. The network node may also be referred to as a location server (LS). Method 100 includes obtaining S103 a first approximate position of a wireless device based on a first positioning procedure of the wireless device in a first frequency allocation. The positioning procedures referred to herein (e.g., the first positioning procedure and / or the second positioning procedure) may include positioning measurements, such as timing measurements (e.g., reference signal time difference (RSTD)), power measurements (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP)), and / or a positioning estimate of the actual coordinates of the wireless device. The approximate position may be a geographic location or may be indicated based on the resources used to perform the first positioning procedure (e.g., based on a resource ID). In other words, the network node may receive measurement results indicating, for example, the highest RSRP and corresponding resource ID information. The highest RSRP and corresponding resource ID information implicitly indicate the position of the wireless device relative to the radio network node corresponding to the resource ID. Based on the received resource ID information, the network node may determine, for example, based on a received resource configuration of the radio network node, a set of resources corresponding to the received resource ID that may be used for the second positioning procedure. Thus, the approximate position based on the first positioning procedure may be an explicit geographical location estimated based on the measurement results, or an implicit position related to one or more radio network nodes indicated by the measurement results.

[0057] Obtaining a first approximate location of the wireless device S103 may include: receiving S103A a measurement result from a measuring device indicating a first positioning procedure for the wireless device in a first frequency allocation; and estimating S103B a first location of the wireless device based on the received measurement result (e.g., RSTD, RSRP, and / or resource ID). The measuring device may be any device (e.g., a radio network node or a wireless device) that participates in a positioning procedure and performs measurements for positioning the wireless device. For example, the measurements may be performed on a reference signal transmitted by a device configured to transmit a reference signal during the positioning procedure. If the positioning procedure is performed in the uplink (UL), the measuring device (from which the measurement result is obtained) may be a radio network node, and the device transmitting the reference signal may be the wireless device. If the positioning procedure is performed in the downlink (DL), the measuring device (from which the measurement result is obtained) may be a wireless device, and the device transmitting the reference signal may be a radio network node. Obtaining the first approximate location of the wireless device may be initiated by a network node. Method 100 may therefore further include initiating a first positioning procedure in the first frequency allocation using the determined set of resources. Initiating a first positioning measurement in the first frequency allocation may include sending an indication to a measurement device, such as a radio network node and / or a wireless device, of a set of resources to be used for the positioning procedure in the first frequency allocation. The set of resources may be sent to the radio network node via a New Radio Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa).

[0058] Method 100 includes determining (S105) a set of resources to be used for a second positioning process in a second frequency allocation based on the first approximate location of the wireless device. The second frequency allocation may be different from the first frequency allocation. In some embodiments herein, the second frequency allocation may be higher than the first frequency allocation, such as including a higher frequency (e.g., carrier frequency) and / or a wider bandwidth. Due to the increased granularity at higher frequencies, a finer positioning of the wireless device may be achieved due to the narrower beams used for these frequencies.

[0059] Based on the first positioning estimate using the first frequency allocation (e.g., a frequency layer or frequency range (e.g., FR1)), the network node can trigger the selected radio network nodes (e.g., gNB) and / or corresponding beams indicated by the resources and / or resource sets to perform a second positioning procedure in a second frequency allocation (e.g., frequency range FR2 or FR3). Furthermore, the radio network nodes and transmission points (TPs) to be involved in the second positioning procedure can be limited based on the position obtained for the wireless device in the first positioning procedure at the first frequency allocation. Based on the information collected from the first positioning measurements, the beams used for each of the involved radio network nodes (e.g., gNB) can be selected as a subset of all beams available to the radio network nodes. Thus, the resource set used for the second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation is associated with the result of the first positioning procedure.

[0060] The second positioning procedure can be initiated within a preconfigured time gap from the first positioning procedure. The gap between the end of the first PRS transmission and the start of the second PRS transmission can be on the order of N times the time slot duration in NR. For a time slot duration in NR at 15 kHz, the subcarrier spacing is 1 ms. By reducing the time gap between the two positioning procedures, latency and signaling can be reduced (minimizing the number of bits because the radio network node does not have to provide the gap value each time).

[0061] The method 100 includes initiating S107 a second positioning procedure in a second frequency allocation using the determined set of resources. Initiating S107 positioning measurements in the second frequency allocation using the determined set of resources may include sending S107A an indication of a set of resources to be used for the positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation to a device configured to send a reference signal during the positioning procedure (e.g., a radio network node during DL positioning and / or a wireless device during UL positioning). The set of resources may be sent to the radio network node via NRPPa and to the wireless device via the Long Term Evolution Positioning Protocol (LPP). In one or more example methods, initiating S107 and / or sending S107A may include sending an indication of a set of resources to be used for the positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation to a measuring device (e.g., a radio network node during UL positioning and / or a wireless device during DL positioning).

[0062] A resource may be indicated using a resource ID, which may indicate a beam ID of a transmission beam used for sending a reference signal (e.g., PRS) during the positioning process. The resource set may include resources indicating one or more network nodes and / or transmission beams, which are used to transmit reference signals for positioning respective wireless devices. A resource set may also be indicated using a resource set ID. A resource set may thus be indicated by one or more resource IDs, wherein each of the one or more resource IDs may indicate a beam or a cell of a radio network node (e.g., a base station). For example, the resource arrangement in a first frequency allocation (e.g., FR1) may be as follows Figure 1B As shown in (a) of FIG, and the approximate location of the wireless device can be measured and / or determined based on the PRS resource ID#1 first. Figure 1B The PRS resource set ID 1 in (c) of FIG. 1 is used to implement high-precision positioning in the second frequency allocation (e.g., FR2). Since PRS resource set ID 1 covers the same area as PRS resource ID #1, they are associated with each other, and PRS resource set ID 1 will likely be suitable for performing fine positioning measurements of the wireless device in its current location. The network node may allocate all PRS resources or a subset of the available resources. Resources in the second frequency allocation that cover the approximate location of the wireless device during the first positioning procedure may be selected for performing a second positioning procedure for the wireless device. In other words, the network node may send the corresponding resources determined for the second frequency allocation based on the initial result obtained from the first positioning procedure in the first frequency allocation. Therefore, the radio network node, such as the gNB, does not have to use Figure 1B In contrast, only the beams covering the approximate location of the wireless device can be scanned. This can reduce the resource overhead and waiting time of the positioning process.

[0063] To assist the wireless device and the radio network node in performing positioning of the wireless device, assistance data may be extracted from the first positioning measurement results. The assistance data may be viewed as an association of resource sets used for the first positioning procedure and the second positioning procedure, and tells the wireless device which resources it can use to perform measurements during the second positioning procedure. For example, if the network node tells the wireless device that the second positioning procedure will use Figure 1D The resource set ID 1 in the wireless device may provide the resource set ID that the wireless device should use when the wireless device receives the resource set ID 1 during the first positioning process. Figure 1B In addition, if the network node tells the wireless device that the second positioning process will use the following: Figure 1DThe resource set ID 1 in the first positioning process is added with the Quasi Co-location (QCL) information having the same Doppler shift, average delay, Doppler spread and / or delay spread, which gives the wireless device should use the same resource set ID as when the wireless device receives the resource set ID 1 in the first positioning process. Figure 1B The auxiliary data may be an indication of a channel distribution hypothesis that is the same or partially the same as resource ID 1 in the first frequency allocation. The measurement result in the first frequency allocation may indicate a time delay and delay spread of the measurement signal that can be used for a second measurement in the second frequency allocation to increase the detection performance and speed of the positioning process of the wireless device. In the case of RSTD measurement, the auxiliary data may be, for example, the position and size of the RSTD window in time. The auxiliary data may then be provided to a measuring device, such as a wireless device and / or a radio network node. In one or more example methods, the measuring device is a wireless device during DL positioning. In one or more example methods, the measuring device is a radio network node during UL positioning. In addition, the QCL relationship between different frequency layers may be included in the auxiliary data. The transmission in the first frequency allocation may have a QCL relationship with the transmission in the second frequency allocation from the same transmission point.

[0064] The assistance data can help the measurement device select the spatial filter and transmission settings for performing the positioning process. The wireless device can be assisted with information about what allocations, resources, resource IDs, QCL relationships, and estimates are supported in terms of the reduced correlation window size and position. Therefore, by knowing such information (i.e., the reduced correlation window size and position), the wireless device can improve the positioning measurement. The network node has collected the resource configuration and its association (i.e., the association between different frequency layers / ranges).

[0065] The method includes obtaining S109 an updated position of the wireless device based on a second positioning procedure. Obtaining S109 the updated position may include receiving S109A a measurement result from a measurement device indicating a second positioning procedure in a second frequency allocation, and determining S109B an updated position of the wireless device based on the measurement result from the second positioning procedure. The measurement result may be received from a radio network node and / or from the wireless device according to the positioning method. The measurement result may be tagged with an ID indicating a positioning estimate corresponding to the positioning measurement in the first frequency allocation.

[0066] An updated position may be determined by combining measurement results representing the first positioning measurement and the second positioning measurement. The updated position may be more accurate than the approximate position determined in the first positioning process, and may also be referred to as being refined. If the second measurement result is more accurate than the first measurement result, the network node may replace the position obtained by the first positioning measurement with the position obtained by the second positioning measurement, rather than combining the two measurements.

[0067] In some embodiments herein, the method may further include receiving, S101, a resource configuration of a device configured to transmit a reference signal during a positioning procedure from a device configured to transmit a reference signal during a positioning procedure. The resource configuration of the device may include a first resource set for a first positioning procedure in a first frequency allocation, and a second resource set for a second positioning procedure in a second frequency allocation. Each resource set may include one or more resources, and thus a resource set ID may include one or more resource IDs, depending on the size of each individual resource.

[0068] The resource configuration may also include an association between a first set of resources on the first frequency allocation and a second set of resources on the second frequency allocation. The radio network node may, for example, map resource sets used for different frequency allocations to one another in the resource configuration, for example based on the direction or area covered by the resources and / or resource sets. The resource configuration may then be provided to the network node to provide an association of resources and / or resource sets that may be used to determine a corresponding set of resources for a second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation based on the first positioning procedure in the first frequency allocation.

[0069] The resource configuration may include reference signal configurations for devices with different frequency allocations, and associations of reference signal configurations for different frequency allocations. The reference signal may be a PRS. The PRS configurations may be associated based on the geographic area covered by the PRS configurations. Thus, the association of resource configurations may indicate the area covered by the cell and / or beam. Depending on the positioning method used, the device configured to transmit the reference signal during the positioning process may be a wireless device or a radio network node.

[0070] The positioning process can be DL-based, where the radio network node sends a reference signal and the wireless device performs measurements on the sent reference signal. The DL-based positioning process can be based on RSRP measurements and / or RSTD measurements. RSRP / RSTD measurements can be performed based on the reception of a downlink reference signal (e.g., a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS)). Positioning reference signal (PRS) resources can be represented by a resource ID. The resource ID in this context can represent a beam and / or beam direction and can therefore also be referred to as a beam ID. PRS resource sets with the same configuration can be represented by a set ID. For example, a radio network node of a base station can be configured with multiple resource sets. PRS resources include multiple resource elements in time and / or frequency to be used for positioning measurements (e.g., for RSTD, RSRP). PRS resource sets with the same configuration can be characterized by having the same numerology and number of OFDM symbols and PRS patterns.

[0071] The positioning process can also be UL-based, where the wireless device transmits a reference signal and the radio network node performs measurements on the transmitted reference signal. UL-based positioning processes can, for example, use a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) as a reference signal, or be based on wireless device positioning, where the wireless device calculates its position estimate (e.g., coordinates) based on measurements of the reference signal, or cell identity (CID)-based positioning techniques. Generally, wireless device-based positioning can be achieved as long as the wireless device has the coordinates of surrounding base stations.

[0072] Figure 3 The operation of a radio network node (eg, a radio network node disclosed herein, such as Figure 1A The radio network node 400, Figure 3 Radio network nodes and Figure 6 4. The method 200 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for processing positioning of a wireless device according to the present disclosure using a radio network node 400. The method 200 comprises performing S203 a first positioning process of a wireless device in a first frequency allocation.

[0073] Method 200 includes receiving (S205) from a network node a set of resources to be used for a second positioning measurement in a second frequency allocation, wherein the set of resources is associated with a result of a first positioning procedure. The resource configuration may include a PRS configuration to be used for the positioning procedure for the wireless device. The set of resources may be received via NRPPa. The second frequency allocation may be different from the first frequency allocation. In some examples, the second frequency allocation may be higher than the first frequency allocation. The set of resources may be associated with one or more radio network nodes and / or associated with one or more beams of the radio network node.

[0074] The method 200 comprises performing S207 a second positioning procedure of the wireless device in the second frequency allocation using the set of resources received from the network node.

[0075] The method 200 may further comprise sending S204 to a network node an indication of a measurement result of the first positioning procedure for the wireless device in the first frequency allocation.

[0076] The method 200 may further comprise sending S209 a measurement result representing a second position of the wireless device obtained by a second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation.

[0077] Method 200 may include sending S201 a resource configuration of a radio network node to a network node. The resource configuration of the radio network node may include PRS configurations of the radio network node for different frequency allocations, and associations of PRS configurations for different frequency allocations. The PRS configurations may be associated based on the geographical areas covered by the PRS configurations. The association may indicate an area covered by a cell and / or a transmission beam. If the PRS configurations cover overlapping geographical areas, they may be associated.

[0078] Figure 4 Demonstrates the operation of a wireless device such as the wireless device disclosed herein, such as Figure 1A Wireless device 500, Figure 4 Wireless devices and Figure 7 Flowchart of an exemplary method of a wireless device 500 for processing positioning of a wireless device according to the present invention. The method 300 comprises performing S301 a first positioning procedure in a first frequency allocation in order to position the wireless device.

[0079] The method 300 may further comprise sending S302 a measurement result to a network node, the measurement result representing a first position obtained by a first positioning procedure of the wireless device in the first frequency allocation.

[0080] The method 300 includes receiving (303) from a network node a set of resources to be used for a second positioning measurement in a second frequency allocation, wherein the set of resources is associated with a result of a first positioning procedure. The second frequency allocation may be different from the first frequency allocation. The set of resources may be associated with one or more radio network nodes and / or one or more transmission beams of the radio network node.

[0081] The method 300 may further comprise receiving S304 from the network node assistance data determined based on the measurement result indicative of the first positioning procedure.

[0082] The method 300 comprises performing S305 a second positioning procedure in a second frequency allocation using the set of resources received from the network node.The second frequency allocation may comprise a higher frequency, such as a carrier frequency, and / or a wider bandwidth than the first frequency allocation.

[0083] Performing S305 the second positioning procedure may include performing S305A the second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation further based on assistance data received from the network node.

[0084] The method 300 may further comprise sending S307 a measurement result representing a second position of the wireless device obtained by a second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation.

[0085] Some wireless devices may have limitations regarding frequency allocations, such as the frequency layers and / or frequency ranges in which they are configured to operate. Therefore, in some embodiments, the wireless device may signal its frequency capabilities to a serving radio network node and / or a network node, such as a location server. Therefore, method 300 may further include signaling the frequency capabilities to the serving radio network node and / or the network node.

[0086] Figure 5 6 shows a block diagram of an exemplary network node 600 according to the present disclosure. The network node 600 includes a memory circuit 601, a processor circuit 602, and a wireless interface 603. The network node 600 may be configured to perform Figure 2 Any method disclosed in .

[0087] The network node 600 is configured to communicate with a radio network node (eg, a radio network node disclosed herein) using a communication system. The interface 603 is configured to communicate via a communication system, eg, a communication system that supports wireless device positioning.

[0088] The network node 600 is configured to obtain (eg, via the interface 603 or via the obtaining circuit 602A) a first approximate position of the wireless device based on a first positioning procedure of the wireless device in a first frequency allocation.

[0089] The network node 600 is configured to determine (eg, via the processor circuit 602 or via the determination circuit 602B) a set of resources to be used for a second positioning procedure in a second frequency allocation based on the first approximate location of the wireless device.

[0090] The network node 600 is configured to initiate (eg, via the processor circuit 602 or via the initiating circuit 602C) a second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation using the determined set of resources.

[0091] The network node 600 is configured to obtain (eg, via the interface 603 or via the obtaining circuit 602A) an updated position of the wireless device based on the second positioning procedure.

[0092] The network node 600 may be configured to receive (eg, via the interface 603 or via the receiving circuit 602D) from a measurement device indicative of a measurement result of a first positioning procedure for a wireless device in a first frequency allocation.

[0093] The network node 600 may be configured to estimate (eg, via the processor circuit 602 or via the estimation circuit 602D) a first position of the wireless device based on the received measurement results.

[0094] The network node 600 may be configured to receive (eg, via the processor circuit 602 or via the receiving circuit 602E) from the measurement device a measurement result indicative of a second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation.

[0095] The network node 600 may be configured to determine (eg, via the processor circuit 602 or via the determination circuit 602B) an updated position of the wireless device based on the measurement results from the second positioning procedure.

[0096] The network node 600 may be configured to receive (eg via the interface 603 or via the receiving circuit 602E) a resource configuration of the radio network node from the radio network node. The resource configuration may include a set of resources.

[0097] The network node 600 may be configured to send (eg via the interface 603 or via the sending circuit 602F) to the measurement device an indication of a set of resources to be used for the positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation.

[0098] Processor circuit 602 is optionally configured to perform Figure 2 The operations of network node 600 may be implemented in the form of executable logic routines (e.g., lines of code, software programs, etc.) stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., memory circuit 601) and executed by processor circuit 602.

[0099] Furthermore, the operations of the network node 600 may be considered as methods that the network node 600 is configured to perform. Furthermore, although the functions and operations described may be implemented in software, such functions may also be implemented via dedicated hardware or firmware or some combination of hardware, firmware and / or software.

[0100] The memory circuit 601 may be one or more of a buffer, a flash memory, a hard drive, a removable medium, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a random access memory (RAM), or other suitable devices. In a typical configuration, the memory circuit 601 may include a non-volatile memory for long-term data storage and a volatile memory used as system memory for the processor circuit 603. The memory circuit 601 may exchange data with the processor circuit 602 via a data bus. There may also be control lines and an address bus ( Figure 5 Memory circuit 601 is considered a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0101] The memory circuit 601 may be configured to store the positioning measurement results and information indicative thereof in a portion of the memory based on the received software data.

[0102] Figure 6 4 shows a block diagram of an exemplary radio network node 400 according to the present disclosure. The radio network node 400 comprises a memory circuit 401, a processor circuit 402 and a wireless interface 403. The radio network node 400 may be configured to perform Figure 3 Any method disclosed in .

[0103] The radio network node 400 is configured to communicate with wireless devices such as the wireless device 500 disclosed herein using a wireless communication system. The wireless interface 403 is configured to communicate wirelessly via a wireless communication system, such as a 3GPP system, such as a 3GPP system supporting wireless device positioning.

[0104] The radio network node 400 is configured (eg via the processor circuit 402 or via the measurement circuit 402A) to perform a first positioning procedure of a wireless device in a first frequency allocation.

[0105] The radio network node 400 is configured to receive (e.g., via the wireless interface 403 or via the receiving circuit 402B) from a network node a set of resources to be used for a second positioning measurement in a second frequency allocation. The set of resources used for the second positioning measurement may have been determined based on the first positioning procedure and is therefore associated with measurement results from the first positioning measurement.

[0106] The radio network node 400 is configured to perform (eg via the processor circuit 402 or via the measurement circuit 402A) a second positioning procedure for the wireless device in the second frequency allocation using the set of resources received from the network node.

[0107] The radio network node 400 may be configured to send (eg via the wireless interface 403 or via the sending circuit 402C) to a network node indicating measurement results of the first positioning procedure for the wireless device in the first frequency allocation.

[0108] The radio network node 400 may further be configured to send (eg via the wireless interface 403 or via the sending circuit 402C) the resource configuration of the radio network node to a network node.

[0109] The wireless interface 403 is configured to communicate with the wireless device using a wireless communication system such as a cellular system (eg, narrowband IoT, such as low-cost narrowband IoT or Class M).

[0110] Processor circuit 402 is optionally configured to perform Figure 3 The operations of the radio network node 400 may be implemented in the form of executable logic routines (eg, lines of code, software programs, etc.) stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (eg, memory circuit 401) and executed by the processor circuit 402.

[0111] Furthermore, the operations of the radio network node 400 may be considered as methods that the radio network node 400 is configured to perform. Furthermore, although the functions and operations described may be implemented in software, such functions may also be implemented via dedicated hardware or firmware or some combination of hardware, firmware and / or software.

[0112] The memory circuit 401 may be one or more of a buffer, a flash memory, a hard drive, a removable medium, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a random access memory (RAM), or other suitable devices. In a typical configuration, the memory circuit 401 may include a non-volatile memory for long-term data storage and a volatile memory used as a system memory for the processor circuit 403. The memory circuit 401 may exchange data with the processor circuit 402 via a data bus. There may also be control lines and an address bus ( Figure 6 Memory circuit 401 is considered a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0113] The memory circuit 401 may be configured to store the measurement results, information indicative of the measurement results, and / or the resource configuration in a portion of the memory based on the received software data.

[0114] Figure 7 5 shows a block diagram of an exemplary wireless device 500 according to the present disclosure. The wireless device 500 includes a memory circuit 501, a processor circuit 502, and a wireless interface 503. The wireless device 500 may be configured to perform Figure 2 Any of the methods disclosed in .

[0115] The wireless device 500 is configured to communicate with a radio network node (eg, the radio network node 400 disclosed herein) using a wireless communication system. The wireless interface 503 is configured to communicate wirelessly via a wireless communication system (eg, a 3GPP system, eg, a 3GPP system supporting wireless device positioning).

[0116] The wireless device is configured to perform (eg, via the processor circuit 502 or via the measurement circuit 502A) a first positioning procedure in a first frequency allocation.

[0117] The wireless device is configured to receive from the network node (eg, via the wireless interface 503 or via the receiving circuit 502B) a set of resources to be used for the second positioning measurement in the second frequency allocation, the set of resources having been determined based on the first positioning procedure.

[0118] The wireless device is configured (eg, via the processor circuit 502 or via the measurement circuit 502A) to perform a second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation using the set of resources received from the network node.

[0119] The wireless device may be configured to send (eg, via the wireless interface 503 or via the transmitting circuit 502C) to the network node a measurement result indicating a first position obtained by a first positioning procedure of the wireless device in the first frequency allocation.

[0120] The wireless device may be configured to receive (eg, via the wireless interface 503 or via the receiving circuit 502B) assistance data determined based on measurement results indicative of the first positioning procedure from the network node.

[0121] The wireless device may be configured to perform (eg, via the processor circuit 502 or via the measurement circuit 502A) a second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation further based on the assistance data received from the network node.

[0122] The wireless interface 503 is configured to communicate with a radio network node using a wireless communication system, such as a cellular system (eg narrowband IoT, eg low-cost narrowband IoT or Class M).

[0123] Processor circuit 502 is optionally configured to perform Figure 4 The operations of the wireless device 500 may be implemented in the form of executable logic routines (e.g., lines of code, software programs, etc.) stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., memory circuit 501) and executed by the processor circuit 502.

[0124] Furthermore, the operations of the wireless device 500 can be considered as methods that the wireless device 500 is configured to perform. Furthermore, although the functions and operations described may be implemented in software, such functions may also be implemented via dedicated hardware or firmware or some combination of hardware, firmware and / or software.

[0125] The memory circuit 501 may be one or more of a buffer, a flash memory, a hard drive, a removable medium, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a random access memory (RAM), or other suitable devices. In a typical configuration, the memory circuit 501 may include a non-volatile memory for long-term data storage and a volatile memory used as a system memory for the processor circuit 503. The memory circuit 501 may exchange data with the processor circuit 502 via a data bus. There may also be control lines and an address bus ( Figure 7 Memory circuit 501 is considered a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0126] The memory circuit 501 may be configured to store the resource configuration and the measurement results in a portion of the memory based on the received software data.

[0127] Figure 8 is a signaling diagram illustrating an exemplary message exchange between an exemplary wireless device 500 (e.g., UE), an exemplary radio network node 400 (e.g., gNB), and an exemplary network node 600 (e.g., LS) during an exemplary positioning procedure.

[0128] exist Figure 8 , the wireless device 500 may signal 801 the network node 600 and / or the radio network node 400 about the frequency capabilities of the wireless device 500. Here, frequency capabilities should be interpreted as frequency allocations, such as frequency ranges and / or frequency layers supported by the wireless device.

[0129] The radio network node 400 and the wireless device 500 may provide 802 their resource configuration to the network node 600, such as Figure 2 S101 and Figure 3 As disclosed in S201 of the present invention, the resource configuration of the radio network node may include reference signal configurations of the radio network node for different frequency allocations, and associations of reference signal configurations for different frequency allocations. The reference signal may be a PRS.

[0130] The network node 600 may initiate 803 a first positioning procedure for the wireless device 500 in the first frequency allocation. The positioning procedure for the wireless device 500 may be initiated by sending 803a a first set of resources to be used for the positioning procedure to the radio network node 400 and the wireless device 500.

[0131] The radio network node 400 and the wireless device 500 perform 804 a first positioning procedure in the first frequency allocation, such as Figure 3 S203 and Figure 4 The positioning process may be performed in DL or UL.

[0132] The network node 600 obtains 805 a first approximate location of the wireless device 500, such as Figure 2 The first approximate location of the wireless device 500 may be obtained by the network node 600 by receiving a measurement result indicating a first location obtained by a first positioning procedure of the wireless device in the first frequency allocation, the measurement result being sent 805a from the radio network node 400 and / or 805b from the wireless device 500, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 S204 and Figure 4 As disclosed in S302.

[0133] The network node 600 determines 806 a set of resources to be used for a second positioning procedure in a second frequency allocation based on the first approximate location of the wireless device, such as Figure 2 As disclosed in S105.

[0134] The network node 600 initiates the second positioning procedure by sending 807a, 807b to the radio network node 400 and the wireless device 500 a set of resources to be used for the second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation, such as Figure 2 As disclosed in S107 and S107A of [ 500 ], the resource set may include one or more network nodes and / or transmission beams that transmit reference signals used for positioning of wireless device 500. Resources in the second frequency allocation that cover the approximate location of wireless device 500 during the first positioning procedure may, for example, be selected for performing the second positioning procedure for wireless device 500. The resource set sent from network node 600 may also include assistance data. The assistance data may indicate the time delay and delay spread of measurement signals that may be used for the second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation to increase the detection performance and speed of the positioning procedure for the wireless device. The assistance data may help the measurement device select spatial filters and transmission settings for performing the second positioning procedure.

[0135] The radio network node 400 and / or the wireless device 500 performs 808 a second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation using the set of resources received from the network node in 807a and 807b, as shown in FIG. Figure 3 S205 and Figure 4 The positioning process can be performed in DL or UL. In the case of DL-based positioning, the wireless device 500 performs positioning measurements. In the case of UL-based positioning, the radio network 400 performs positioning measurements.

[0136] The radio network node 400 may send 809a a measurement result, or the wireless device 500 may send 809b a measurement result, which indicates that the measurement result is obtained by Figure 3 S209 and Figure 4 The second location of the wireless device is obtained by the second positioning process in the second frequency allocation disclosed in S307. In the case of DL-based positioning, the wireless device 500 sends positioning measurements. In the case of UL-based positioning, the radio network 400 sends positioning measurements.

[0137] The network node 600 obtains 810 an updated position of the wireless device 500 based on the second positioning process, such as Figure 2 As disclosed in S109 of Figure 2As disclosed in S109A and S109B of , the updated position may be obtained by receiving a measurement result indicating a second positioning process in the second frequency allocation, and determining an updated position of the wireless device based on the measurement result from the second positioning process.

[0138] Implementations of the methods and products (network nodes, radio network nodes and wireless devices) according to the present disclosure are set out in the following items:

[0139] Item 1: A method for processing positioning of a user equipment or a wireless device, performed by a network node, wherein the method comprises:

[0140] obtaining (S103) a first approximate position of the wireless device based on a first positioning process of the wireless device in the first frequency allocation,

[0141] determining (S105) a set of resources to be used for a second positioning procedure in a second frequency allocation based on the first approximate position of the wireless device,

[0142] initiating (S107) a second positioning procedure in said second frequency allocation using the determined set of resources, and

[0143] Obtaining (S109) an updated position of the wireless device based on the second positioning process.

[0144] Item 2: The method according to item 1, wherein obtaining (S103) the first approximate location of the wireless device comprises:

[0145] receiving (S103A) from a measuring device a measurement result indicative of the first positioning procedure of the wireless device in the first frequency allocation, and

[0146] • Estimating (S103B) a first position of the wireless device based on the received measurement results.

[0147] Item 3: The method according to item 1 or 2, wherein obtaining (S109) the updated location comprises:

[0148] receiving (S109A) from a measuring device a measurement result indicative of said second positioning procedure in said second frequency allocation, and

[0149] • Determine (S109B) an updated position of the wireless device based on the measurement results from the second positioning process.

[0150] Item 4: The method of any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the second frequency allocation is different from the first frequency allocation.

[0151] Item 5: The method of item 4, wherein the second frequency allocation comprises a higher frequency and / or a wider bandwidth than the first frequency allocation.

[0152] Item 6: The method according to any one of the preceding items, wherein the method further comprises:

[0153] Receiving (S101) a resource configuration of a radio network node (400) or a wireless device (500) configured to send a reference signal for a positioning procedure, the resource configuration comprising a first set of resources for a first positioning procedure in a first frequency allocation and further comprising a second set of resources for a second positioning procedure in a second frequency allocation.

[0154] Item 7: The method according to Item 6, wherein the method further comprises receiving an association between the first set of resources on the first frequency allocation and the second set of resources on the second frequency allocation.

[0155] Item 7a: The method of item 6 or 7, wherein the reference signal is a positioning reference signal (PRS), and the resource configuration is a PRS configuration for radio network nodes of different frequency allocations.

[0156] Item 8: The method of Item 7 or Item 7a, wherein the resource configuration is associated based on a geographical area covered by the resource configuration.

[0157] Item 9: The method according to any of the preceding items, wherein the set of resources is associated with one or more radio network nodes and / or with one or more beams of the measurement device.

[0158] Item 10: The method according to any one of the preceding items, wherein initiating (S107) positioning measurements in the second frequency allocation using the determined set of resources comprises:

[0159] • Sending (S107A) to a device configured to send reference signals during said positioning procedure an indication of said set of resources to be used for the positioning procedure in said second frequency allocation.

[0160] Item 10A: The method of item 10, wherein sending (S107A) comprises sending an indication of the set of resources to be used for the positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation to the measurement device.

[0161] Item 10B: The method according to any of the preceding items, wherein the second positioning procedure is initiated within a preconfigured time gap from the first positioning procedure.

[0162] Item 11: A method for processing positioning of a user equipment or a wireless device, performed by a radio network node, the method comprising:

[0163] performing (S203) a first positioning procedure for the wireless device in the first frequency allocation,

[0164] receiving (S205) from a network node a set of resources to be used for a second positioning measurement in a second frequency allocation, wherein said set of resources is associated with a result of said first positioning procedure, and

[0165] • Performing (S207) the second positioning procedure of the wireless device in the second frequency allocation using the set of resources received from the network node.

[0166] Item 12: The method according to Item 11, wherein the second positioning process is performed within a preconfigured time gap from the first positioning process.

[0167] Item 13: The method according to Item 11 or 12, wherein the method further comprises:

[0168] • Sending (S204) to the network node a measurement result indicating the first positioning procedure of the wireless device in the first frequency allocation.

[0169] Item 14: The method according to any one of Items 11 to 13, further comprising:

[0170] • Sending (S201) the resource configuration of the radio network node to the network node.

[0171] Item 15: The method according to item 14, wherein the resource configuration of the radio network node includes a positioning reference signal PRS, configurations of the radio network node for different frequency allocations, and associations of the PRS configurations for the different frequency allocations.

[0172] Item 16: The method of Item 15, wherein the PRS configurations are associated based on a geographic area covered by the PRS configurations.

[0173] Item 17: A method for processing positioning of a wireless device, performed in a wireless device, the method comprising:

[0174] Performing (S301) a first positioning process in a first frequency allocation,

[0175] receiving (S303) from a network node a set of resources to be used for a second positioning measurement in a second frequency allocation, wherein the set of resources is associated with a result of the first positioning procedure,

[0176] • Performing (S305) a second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation using the set of resources received from the network node.

[0177] Item 18: The method according to Item 17, wherein the method further comprises:

[0178] • Sending (S302) to the network node a measurement result indicating a first position obtained by the first positioning procedure of the wireless device in the first frequency allocation.

[0179] Item 19: The method according to Item 17 or 18, wherein the second positioning process is performed within a preconfigured time gap from the first positioning process.

[0180] Item 20: The method according to any one of Items 17 to 19, further comprising:

[0181] · receiving (S204) assistance data determined based on measurement results indicative of the first positioning procedure from a network node. Item 21: The method of item 20, wherein performing (S305) the second positioning procedure comprises:

[0182] • performing (S305A) the second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation further based on assistance data received from the network node.

[0183] Item 22: A network node comprising a memory circuit, a processor circuit, and a wireless interface, wherein the wireless device is configured to perform any of the methods according to any of items 1 to 10B.

[0184] Item 23: A radio network node comprising a memory circuit, a processor circuit, and a wireless interface, wherein the radio network node is configured to perform any one of the methods according to any one of items 11 to 16.

[0185] Item 24: A wireless device comprising a memory circuit, a processor circuit, and a wireless interface, wherein the wireless device is configured to perform any of the methods according to any of items 17 to 21.

[0186] The use of the terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," "primary," "second," and "tertiary," etc., does not imply any particular order, but is included to identify individual elements. Furthermore, the use of the terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," "first," "second," and "tertiary," etc., does not indicate any order or importance, but rather the terms "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," "first," "second," and "tertiary," etc., are used to distinguish one element from another. Note that the words "first," "second," "third," and "fourth," "first," "second," and "tertiary," etc., are used herein and elsewhere for labeling purposes only and are not intended to indicate any particular spatial or temporal order. Furthermore, the labeling of a first element does not imply the presence of a second element, and vice versa.

[0187] I understand. Figures 1A to 8 Some circuits or operations are shown with solid lines and some circuits or operations are shown with dotted lines. The circuits or operations included in the solid lines are the circuits or operations included in the widest example embodiment. The circuits or operations included in the dotted lines are exemplary embodiments, which may be included in the circuits or operations of the solid line exemplary embodiments, or are part of the circuits or operations of the solid line exemplary embodiments, or are other circuits or operations that can be taken in addition to the circuits or operations of the solid line exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these operations do not need to be performed in the order shown. In addition, it should be understood that not all operations need to be performed. The exemplary operations can be performed in any order and in any combination.

[0188] It should be noted that the word "comprising" does not necessarily exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed.

[0189] It should be noted that the word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

[0190] It should also be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims, that exemplary embodiments may be implemented at least partially by hardware and software, and that several "means," "units," or "devices" may be represented by the same item of hardware.

[0191] The various exemplary methods, devices, nodes, and systems described herein are described in the general context of method steps or processes, which in one aspect can be implemented by a computer program product contained in a computer-readable medium, including computer-executable instructions, such as program code, executed by a computer in a networked environment. Computer-readable media may include removable and non-removable storage devices, including but not limited to read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), compact disks (CD), digital versatile disks (DVD), etc. In general, a program flow may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specified tasks or implement specific abstract data types. Computer-executable instructions, associated data structures, and program flows represent examples of program code for executing the steps of the methods disclosed herein. A specific sequence of such executable instructions or associated data structures represents an example of corresponding actions for implementing the functions described in such steps or processes.

[0192] While features have been shown and described, it should be understood that they are not intended to limit the disclosure as claimed, and that it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure as claimed. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. The disclosure as claimed is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.

[0193] Appendix A

[0194] 3GPP TSGRAN WG1 meeting #99R1-1912360, Reno, USA, November 18-22, 2019

[0195] Agenda item: 7.2.10.1

[0196] Source: Sony

[0197] Title: Remaining Issues in DL PRS Design for NR Positioning

[0198] Document purpose: discussion / decision-making

[0199] 1. Introduction

[0200] In RAN plenary meeting #83, a new work item “NR positioning support” was approved [1]. In RAN1 #98 [2], the following selected protocols related to DL positioning reference signals were developed:

[0201] protocol:

[0202] • The starting PRB parameter for DL ​​PRS configuration has a granularity of one PRB, with a minimum of 0 PRBs and a maximum of

[2176] PRBs.

[0203] 4PRB granularity for DL ​​PRS BW configuration

[0204] The maximum BW of DL PRS in PRB does not exceed 272 PRBs

[0205] The minimum BW of DL PRS in PRB is not less than 24PRB

[0206] DL-PRS-POINT A can take the value given by ARFCN-ValueNR

[0207] Renamed the "frequency layer" in the positioning protocol previously used in rel-16 to "positioning frequency layer"

[0208] In NR positioning-related protocols in RAN1, a “positioning frequency layer” is a collection of DLPRS resource sets across one or more TRPs with:

[0209] oSame SCS and CP type

[0210] oSame center frequency

[0211] oSame point-A (agreed)

[0212] o FFS: Detailed information about the configured BW

[0213] The parameter DL-PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor is configured for a DL PRS resource set and controls how many times each DL-PRS resource is repeated for a single instance of a DL-PRS resource set

[0214] oValues: 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32

[0215] The parameter DL-PRS-ResourceTimeGap is configured for the DL-PRS resource set

[0216] o DL-PRS-ResourceTimeGap indicates the offset in time slots between two repeated instances of a DL PRS resource corresponding to the same DL-PRS resource ID within a single instance of a DL PRS resource set. o DL-PRS-ResourceTimeGap is provided only if DL-PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor is configured and is greater than 1.

[0217] oValues: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32

[0218] The duration of a DL PRS resource set containing repeated DL PRS resources should not exceed DL-PRS-Periodicity

[0219] Note: UE RX beam scanning until UE achieves

[0220] • A bitmap for DL ​​PRS muting is configured for a DL PRS resource set. For applicability of the bitmap, the following options are supported.

[0221] Option 1: Each bit in the bitmap corresponds to a configurable number of consecutive instances of a DL-PRS resource set (in periodic transmission of a DL-PRS resource set)

[0222] o All DL-PRS resources within a DL-PRS resource set instance are muted for the DL-PRS resource set instance indicated as muted by the bitmap

[0223] Option 2:

[0224] o Each bit in the bitmap corresponds to a single repetition index for each DL-PRS resource within an instance of a DL-PRS resource set (the length of the bitmap is equal to DL-PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor)

[0225] o The above applies to all instances of DL-PRS resource sets of which the above DL-PRS resources are a part.

[0226] Bitmap size values: 2, 4, 8, 16, 32 bits

[0227] FFS: Configuration of bitmaps of two options corresponding to UE at the same time

[0228] • An ID is defined that can be associated with multiple DL PRS resource sets associated with a single TRP.

[0229] o This ID can be used together with the DL PRS resource set ID and DL PRS resource ID to uniquely identify the DL PRS resource

[0230] oName can be defined by RAN2

[0231] Each TRP should be associated with only one such ID

[0232] DL PRS resource ID is defined locally in the DL PRS resource set

[0233] DL PRS resource set ID is defined locally within the TRP

[0234] All DL PRS resources in a DL PRS resource set have the same bandwidth

[0235] The higher layer parameter DL-PRS-SFN0-offset is configured

[0236] o Defines the time offset of SFN0 timeslot 0 of a given TRP relative to SFN0 timeslot 0 of FFS of RAN2 WG 1 1) serving TRP or 2) serving cell 3) etc.

[0237] o FFS value

[0238] The higher-level parameter, DL-PRS-ResourceSetSlotOffset, is configured as

[0239] o defines the slot offset relative to the SFN slot 0 of the TRP to which the DL PRS resource set is configured,

[0240] (i.e., the time slot in which the first DL PRS resource of a DL PRS resource set appears)

[0241] oValue: {0, 1, …, DL-PRS-Periodicity-1}

[0242] The previously defined higher layer parameter DL-PRS-RstdReferenceInfo is used as a reference for determining the higher layer parameters DL-PRS-expectedRSTD and DL-PRS-expectedRSTD-uncertainty.

[0243] In this contribution, we discuss perspectives on the remaining issues related to the design of downlink PRS for NR positioning.

[0244] 2. Downlink PRS configuration

[0245] In traditional LTE, DL PRS transmissions are essentially cell-specific signals. The DL PRS is configured based on the cell ID and transmitted periodically with a certain duration and periodicity. Furthermore, positioning requirements in LTE only meet regulatory requirements. It has been determined that NR positioning needs to meet both regulatory and commercial requirements. These requirements can differ in terms of positioning accuracy in the vertical and horizontal directions, as well as latency requirements. Various UEs in a cell may have different positioning requirements. Given these considerations, having two operating NR positioning modes would be beneficial.

[0246] The first mode of operation is cell-specific positioning, where the gNB transmits a DL PRS with a specific duration and period. This is similar to the DL PRS in LTE, except that the DL PRS in NR needs to at least consider transmit / receive beam operation. It is expected that all UEs in at least one cell are aware of the DL PRS configuration. Furthermore, the cell-specific DL PRS can be designed to at least meet regulatory requirements.

[0247] The second mode of operation is UE-specific positioning, where the gNB can send aperiodic UE-specific DL PRS. This is particularly useful for supporting stringent positioning business requirements. It is expected that additional or more DL-PRS allocations may be allocated to UEs that require higher positioning accuracy. The scheduling information of the DL PRS is only notified to a specific UE or UE group.

[0248] Solution 1: Supporting the operation of cell-specific and UE-specific DL PRS signals.

[0249] In RAN1#98bis, support for positioning frequency layers was agreed. NR is designed to support lean carrier operation. The transmission of periodic signals (such as CRS in LTE) is avoided in NR. The only periodic and broadcast transmission in NR is SSB. SSB plays an important role, such as time / frequency measurement and cell detection. SSB is also transmitted only in short bursts within a 5 MHz bandwidth. In contrast, DL-PRS has a specific use case for UE positioning measurements. DL-PRS can be transmitted with a wider bandwidth to improve positioning measurement accuracy. We believe that gNBs should have the flexibility to enable / disable DL-PRS transmission to support lean carrier operation, especially when positioning services are not required at a specific time / location. Operation of the NR positioning frequency layer can facilitate this operation. The gNB can disable / enable DL-PRS across the entire NR frequency layer. The gNB can broadcast this information to the UE.

[0250] Solution 2: The NR positioning frequency layer can be activated / deactivated by the gNB.

[0251] It is also agreed to define an ID that can be associated with multiple DL PRS resource sets. We consider that this ID can be used to represent the ID of the frequency layer.

[0252] Solution 3: NR positioning frequency layers have one ID.

[0253] A gNB can be configured to transmit PRS using more than one PRS resource set. Furthermore, it can be transmitted in different frequency layers / ranges. The configuration of each PRS resource set can differ in terms of resource allocation, numerology, and transmit beam operation. The following describes the transmission of PRS with two different PRS resource sets. Here, each DL-PRS resource is transmitted to cover a certain area. Furthermore, DL-PRS resources can be transmitted with the goal of covering a smaller area (i.e., using a narrower beam) to improve positioning estimation accuracy. Such DL-PRS transmission covering multiple smaller areas may consume more resources (i.e., multiple PRS resources). Therefore, it may not be transmitted all the time. On the other hand, DL-PRS transmission with DL-PRS resource set 1 (left) may not require as many resources, and the gNB may periodically transmit this PRS. To inform the UE of the configuration of the transmitted DL-PRS with resource set 2, it would be beneficial to provide a relationship or association between PRS resources and / or resource sets. The association may be in the form of QCL information of one DL-PRS resource / resource set to another DL-PRS resource / resource set.

[0254]

[0255] Solution 4: supporting association between DL-PRS resources and / or DL-PRS resource sets.

[0256] In legacy NR Release 15, it is well known that gNBs transmit synchronization and reference signals (SSB, CSI-RS, TRS). These signals have specific uses. SSB is designed to assist UEs with synchronization and cell detection. CSI-RS is used to support channel state measurements. TRS, a type of CSI-RS, is also designed for time / frequency tracking. The SSB transmission bandwidth is also relatively limited (5 MHz). Therefore, these signals are not designed for positioning measurements. UEs should have the freedom to use these signals for positioning. This can provide some benefits, such as improved accuracy. However, if a UE uses these legacy signals for positioning in addition to DL-PRS, it may also impose additional burdens on the UE, such as increased UE power consumption. We consider whether the UE implementation uses the legacy signals for positioning measurements. However, these legacy signals can be used to assist positioning measurements using DL-PRS, such as for QCL estimation of the DL-PRS as a legacy reference signal.

[0257] Solution 5: The use of legacy signals (SSB, CSI-RS, TRS) for positioning measurement purposes is implemented by the UE.

[0258] 3. Conclusion

[0259] In this contribution, we discuss our perspectives on DL reference signals for NR positioning. We propose the following:

[0260] Solution 1: Supports the operation of cell-specific and UE-specific DLPRS signals.

[0261] Solution 2: The NR positioning bandwidth part can be activated / deactivated by the gNB.

[0262] Solution 3: NR positioning frequency layers have IDs.

[0263] Solution 4: supporting association between DL-PRS resources and / or DL-PRS resource sets.

[0264] Solution 5: The use of legacy signals (SSB, CSI-RS, TRS) for positioning measurement purposes is implemented by the UE.

[0265] 4. References

[0266] [1] RP-190752, "New WID: NR Positioning Support"

[0267] [2] RAN1 Meeting #98bis Chair’s Notes

Claims

1. A method for processing positioning of a wireless device, performed by a network node, the method comprising: receiving (S101) from a device configured to transmit a reference signal for a positioning procedure a resource configuration of the device configured to transmit a reference signal, the resource configuration comprising a first set of resources for a first positioning procedure in a first frequency allocation and a second set of resources for a second positioning procedure in a second frequency allocation, wherein the resource configuration comprises a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration based on an association between the first set of resources on the first frequency allocation and the second set of resources on the second frequency allocation, obtaining (S103) a first approximate position of the wireless device based on a first positioning process of the wireless device in the first frequency allocation, determining (S105) a second set of resources to be used for the second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation based on the first approximate position of the wireless device, initiating (S107) the second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation using the determined second set of resources, and Based on the second positioning process, obtaining (S109) an updated position of the wireless device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein Obtaining (S103) the first approximate location of the wireless device includes: receiving (S103A) from a measuring device a measurement result indicative of the first positioning procedure of the wireless device in the first frequency allocation, and Based on the received measurement results, estimating (S103B) the first approximate position of the wireless device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein Obtaining (S109) the updated position includes: receiving (S109A) from a measuring device a measurement result indicative of said second positioning procedure in said second frequency allocation, and • Determining (S109B) an updated position of the wireless device based on the measurement results from the second positioning process.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The second frequency allocation is different from the first frequency allocation.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The second frequency allocation includes a higher frequency and / or a wider bandwidth than the first frequency allocation.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The second positioning process is initiated within a preconfigured time interval from the first positioning process.

7. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The resource configurations are associated based on a geographic area covered by the resource configurations.

8. The method according to claim 2 or 3, wherein: The second set of resources is associated with one or more radio network nodes and / or with one or more beams of the measurement device.

9. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The apparatus configured to transmit a reference signal for a positioning procedure comprises a radio network node (400) or a wireless device (500).

10. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: Initiating (S107) positioning measurements in the second frequency allocation using the determined set of resources includes: • Sending (S107A) to said device configured to send reference signals during a positioning procedure an indication of said second set of resources to be used for said second positioning procedure in said second frequency allocation.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: Sending (S107A) comprises sending an indication of the second set of resources to be used for the second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation to the measurement device.

12. A method of processing positioning of a wireless device, performed in a radio network node, the method comprising: performing (S203) a first positioning procedure for the wireless device in the first frequency allocation, receiving (S205) from a network node a resource set comprising a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration to be used for a second positioning measurement in a second frequency allocation, wherein the resource set is determined based on the first positioning procedure, and • Performing (S207) a second positioning procedure of the wireless device in the second frequency allocation using the set of resources received from the network node.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The second positioning process is performed within a preconfigured time interval from the first positioning process.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising: • Sending (S204) to the network node a measurement result indicating the first positioning procedure of the wireless device in the first frequency allocation.

15. The method according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising: • Sending (S201) the resource configuration of the radio network node to the network node.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The resource configuration of the radio network node comprises a positioning reference signal, PRS, configurations of the radio network node for different frequency allocations and an association of the PRS configurations for the different frequency allocations.

17. A method, performed in a wireless device, for processing a location of the wireless device, the method comprising: Performing (S301) a first positioning process in a first frequency allocation, receiving (S303) from a network node a resource set comprising a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration to be used for a second positioning measurement in a second frequency allocation, wherein the resource set is determined based on the first positioning procedure, and • Performing (S305) a second positioning procedure in the second frequency allocation using the set of resources received from the network node.

18. A network node comprising a memory circuit, a processor circuit, and a wireless interface, wherein: The network node is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

19. A radio network node comprising a memory circuit, a processor circuit and a wireless interface, wherein: The radio network node is configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 12 to 16.

20. A wireless device comprising a memory circuit, a processor circuit, and a wireless interface, wherein: The wireless device is configured to perform the method according to claim 17.

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