User Equipment Assisted NR Light User Equipment Positioning Using the Round-Trip Time Procedure

Abstract

Techniques are provided for locating a bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE). An example location method performed by a bandwidth - limited UE according to the present disclosure includes: receiving a first timing measurement signal from at least one neighboring UE, wherein at least one neighboring UE is capable of using more bandwidth than the bandwidth - limited UE; and transmitting a second timing measurement signal to at least one neighboring user equipment.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Wireless communication systems have evolved through multiple generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including transitional 2.5G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, networkable wireless services, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., LTE (Long-Term Evolution) or WiMax). There are many different types of wireless communication systems currently in use, including cellular and personal communication service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include cellular analog advanced mobile phone system (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), GSM variants of TDMA, etc.

[0002] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), enables higher data transfer speeds, more connection numbers, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide a data rate of tens of megabits per second for each of tens of thousands of users, with a data rate of 1 gigabit per second for dozens of employees on an office floor. It should support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections to support large-scale wireless sensor deployments. Therefore, compared with the current 4G standard, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communication should be significantly improved. In addition, compared with the current standard, the signaling efficiency should be enhanced, and the latency should be greatly reduced. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to an example method for positioning performed by a bandwidth-constrained user equipment (UE) disclosed, it includes: receiving a first timing measurement signal from at least one neighboring UE, where at least one neighboring UE can use more bandwidth than the bandwidth-constrained UE; and transmitting a second timing measurement signal to at least one neighboring user equipment.

[0004] Implementations of the method may include one or more of the following features. The method may further include establishing a sidelink connection to at least one neighboring UE, where the first timing measurement signal can be received via the sidelink connection. The second timing measurement signal can be provided via the sidelink connection. The method may further include obtaining an identifier for at least one neighboring UE from a transmit receive point (TRP), establishing a sidelink connection to at least one neighboring UE, receiving the first timing measurement signal via the sidelink connection, and transmitting the second timing measurement signal via the sidelink connection. A measurement request message may be provided to at least one neighboring UE before receiving the first timing measurement signal. Location information may be received from at least one neighboring UE. The first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal may utilize channel state information reference signals. The channel state information reference signals may be within a physical sidelink control channel.

[0005] An example of a method for a positioning bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE) performed by a UE according to the present disclosure includes: sending a first timing measurement signal to the bandwidth - limited UE, where the UE can use more bandwidth than the bandwidth - limited UE; receiving a second timing measurement signal from the bandwidth - limited UE; and determining location information for the bandwidth - limited UE based at least on the first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal.

[0006] Implementations of the method may include one or more of the following features. The method may include establishing a sidelink connection to the bandwidth - limited UE, where the first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal are sent and received via the sidelink connection. The first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal may utilize channel state information reference signals. The channel state information reference signals may be within a physical sidelink control channel. The location information may be provided to a network server and / or the bandwidth - limited UE. A signal indicating how frequently the first timing measurement signal should be sent may be received from the bandwidth - limited UE. A signal indicating that the UE should stop sending timing measurement signals may be received from the bandwidth - limited UE. The method may further include receiving multiple measurement information from one or more other UEs, and determining location information for the bandwidth - limited UE based at least on the multiple measurement information. The multiple measurement information may include respective distance values between the bandwidth - limited UE and each of one or more other UEs.

[0007] An example of a method for a network entity to perform positioning of a bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE) according to the present disclosure includes: receiving an indication of one or more neighboring UEs from the bandwidth - limited UE, determining one or more participating UEs based on the indication of one or more neighboring UEs, providing an indication of one or more participating UEs to the bandwidth - limited UE, receiving measurement information from one or more participating UEs, and calculating the location of the bandwidth - limited UE based at least on the measurement information.

[0008] Implementations of the method may include one or more of the following features. The location of the bandwidth - limited UE may be provided to at least one of the bandwidth - limited UE and / or one or more participating UEs. Determining one or more participating UEs may include determining the positioning quality of one or more neighboring UEs. Providing an indication of one or more participating UEs may include providing a downlink reference signal identification value. Frame information associated with the downlink reference signal identification value may be provided. Receiving measurement information may include averaging multiple measurements obtained from the participating UEs. One or more participating UEs may include one or more base stations.

[0009] An example of a bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE) according to the present disclosure includes a memory, a transceiver, and at least one processor. The at least one processor is operably coupled to the memory and the transceiver and is configured to: receive a first timing measurement signal from at least one neighboring UE via the transceiver, where the at least one neighboring UE is capable of using more bandwidth than the bandwidth - limited UE; and transmit a second timing measurement signal to at least one neighboring user equipment via the transceiver.

[0010] Implementations of the bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE) may include one or more of the following features. The processor may also be configured to establish a sidelink connection to at least one neighboring UE such that the first timing measurement signal is received via the sidelink connection. The second timing measurement signal may be provided via the sidelink connection. The processor may also be configured to obtain the identity of at least one neighboring UE from a transmit - receive point (TRP), receive the first timing measurement signal via the transceiver via the sidelink connection, and transmit the second timing measurement signal via the transceiver via the sidelink connection. The processor may also be configured to provide a measurement request message to at least one neighboring UE before receiving the first timing measurement signal. The processor may also be configured to receive location information from at least one neighboring UE. The first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal may utilize channel state information reference signals. The channel state information reference signals may be within a physical sidelink control channel.

[0011] An example of a user equipment (UE) according to the present disclosure includes a memory, a transceiver, and at least one processor. The at least one processor is operably coupled to the memory and the transceiver and is configured to: send a first timing measurement signal to a bandwidth - limited UE, where the UE is capable of using more bandwidth than the bandwidth - limited UE; receive a second timing measurement signal from the bandwidth - limited UE; and determine location information for the bandwidth - limited UE based at least on the first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal.

[0012] An example of a network entity according to the present disclosure includes a memory, a transceiver, and at least one processor. The at least one processor is operably coupled to the memory and the transceiver and is configured to: receive an indication of one or more neighboring UEs from a bandwidth - limited UE, determine one or more participating UEs based on the indication of one or more neighboring UEs, provide an indication of one or more participating UEs to the bandwidth - limited UE, receive measurement information from the one or more participating UEs, and calculate the location of the bandwidth - limited UE based at least on the measurement information.

[0013] An example of an apparatus for positioning a bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE) according to the present disclosure includes: components for receiving a first timing measurement signal from at least one neighboring UE, where the at least one neighboring UE is capable of using more bandwidth than the bandwidth - limited UE; and components for transmitting a second timing measurement signal to at least one neighboring user equipment.

[0014] An example of an apparatus for positioning a bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE) according to the present disclosure includes: components for sending a first timing measurement signal to the bandwidth - limited UE, where the UE is capable of using more bandwidth than the bandwidth - limited UE; components for receiving a second timing measurement signal from the bandwidth - limited UE; and components for determining location information for the bandwidth - limited UE based at least on the first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal.

[0015] An example of an apparatus for positioning a bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE) according to the present disclosure includes: components for receiving an indication of one or more neighboring UEs from the bandwidth - limited UE, components for determining one or more participating UEs based on the indication of the one or more neighboring UEs, components for providing an indication of the one or more participating UEs to the bandwidth - limited UE, components for receiving measurement information from the one or more participating UEs, and components for calculating the location of the bandwidth - limited UE based at least on the measurement information.

[0016] An example of a non - transitory computer - readable storage medium including computer - readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to determine the location of a bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE) according to the present disclosure includes: code for receiving a first timing measurement signal from at least one neighboring UE, where the at least one neighboring UE is capable of using more bandwidth than the bandwidth - limited UE; and code for transmitting a second timing measurement signal to at least one neighboring user equipment.

[0017] An example of a non - transitory computer - readable storage medium including computer - readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to determine the location of a bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE) according to the present disclosure includes: code for sending a first timing measurement signal to the bandwidth - limited UE, where the UE is capable of using more bandwidth than the bandwidth - limited UE; code for receiving a second timing measurement signal from the bandwidth - limited UE; and code for determining location information for the bandwidth - limited UE based at least on the first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal.

[0018] An example of a non - transitory computer - readable storage medium according to the present disclosure including computer - readable instructions configured to enable one or more processors to determine the location of a bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE) includes: code for receiving an indication of one or more neighboring UEs from the bandwidth - limited UE; code for determining one or more participating UEs based on the indication of the one or more neighboring UEs; code for providing an indication of the one or more participating UEs to the bandwidth - limited UE; code for receiving measurement information from the one or more participating UEs; and code for calculating the location of the bandwidth - limited UE based at least on the measurement information.

[0019] The items and / or techniques described herein may provide one or more of the following capabilities, as well as other capabilities not mentioned. Compared with UEs such as smart phones, laptops, or similar devices, bandwidth - limited user equipment (e.g., NR light UEs, UEs with reduced capabilities (i.e., NR RedCap UEs), etc.) (including mid - layer and low - layer user equipment (UEs) such as wrist watches, fitness bands, or Internet of Things (IoT) devices) may have reduced bandwidth. A bandwidth - limited UE may be adjacent to one or more UEs. A bandwidth - limited UE may exchange timing messages with a UE via a sidelink. Round - trip time estimation may be used to determine the distance between the bandwidth - limited UE and the UE. Multilateration may be used to determine the location of the bandwidth - limited UE based on the location of the UE and the measured distance. The location of the bandwidth - limited UE may be reported to the network. Other capabilities may be provided, and not every implementation according to the present disclosure must provide any of the capabilities discussed, let alone all of them. Additionally, the above - mentioned effects may be achieved by means other than those mentioned, and the mentioned items / techniques may not necessarily produce the mentioned effects. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings are provided to assist in describing various aspects of the present disclosure, and are provided only to illustrate these aspects and not to limit them.

[0021] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system is shown in accordance with various aspects.

[0022] Figure 2A and Figure 2B An exemplary wireless network structure is shown in accordance with various aspects.

[0023] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an exemplary device in accordance with various aspects.

[0024] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a frame structure for a wireless telecommunication system in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 5 andFigure 6 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary technique for determining the location of a mobile device using information obtained from multiple base stations.

[0026] Figure 7 is a diagram of an exemplary base station UE and NR light UE according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 8 is a message flow diagram of an exemplary round-trip time (RTT) procedure between a UE and an NR light UE.

[0028] Figure 9 is a diagram of an exemplary procedure for positioning an NR light UE with multiple UEs.

[0029] Figure 10 is a process flow diagram of an exemplary method for determining location information using a bandwidth-constrained UE.

[0030] Figure 11 is a process flow diagram of an exemplary method for determining the location information of a bandwidth-constrained UE using a UE.

[0031] Figure 12 is a process flow diagram of an exemplary method for determining the location of a bandwidth-constrained UE. Detailed Description

[0032] Techniques for positioning bandwidth-constrained user equipment (UE) are discussed herein. For example, bandwidth-constrained UEs include mid-tier and low-tier user equipment (e.g., NR light UEs, NR RedCap UEs) and can be wearable devices (e.g., fitness trackers, watches) or other Internet of Things (IoT) devices with limited processing capabilities. An NR light UE can be configured to operate on a reduced bandwidth (e.g., 5 - 20 MHz). The reduced bandwidth may result in reduced positioning accuracy. Additionally, the transmit power of the NR light UE can be reduced, which may limit the coverage area in which the NR light UE can access the wireless network. The techniques provided herein enable an NR light UE to take full advantage of the capabilities of neighboring UEs such as smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers (e.g., advanced UEs), and other more capable devices to improve the positioning accuracy of the NR light UE. These techniques are merely examples and are not exhaustive.

[0033] The information and signals described below can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and methods. For example, depending in part on the particular application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc., data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the following description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0034] Many features are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by components of, for example, a computing device. The various actions described herein may be performed by a specific circuit (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequences of actions described herein may be considered to be fully implemented in any form of non-transitory computer-readable medium having a corresponding set of computer instructions stored thereon, which instructions, when executed, will cause the associated processor to perform the functions described herein. Accordingly, the various aspects described herein may be implemented in many different forms, all of which are contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0035] As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms “user equipment” (UE) and “base station” are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT). In general, a UE may be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate via a wireless communication network (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, tracking device, wearable device (e.g., smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE may be mobile or may be (e.g., at certain times) stationary and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” may be interchangeably referred to as “access terminal” or “AT”, “client device”, “wireless device”, “subscriber equipment”, “subscriber terminal”, “subscriber station”, “user terminal” or “UT”, “mobile terminal”, “mobile station” or variants thereof. In general, a UE may communicate with a core network via a RAN and, through the core network, a UE may connect to external networks such as the Internet as well as to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for a UE to connect to the core network and / or the Internet are possible, such as via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), and so on.

[0036] A base station can operate to communicate with a UE according to one of several RATs, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and the base station may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), etc. Additionally, in some systems the base station may only provide edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link by which the UE sends signals to the base station can be referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link by which the base station sends signals to the UE can be referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to either the UL / reverse or DL / forward traffic channel.

[0037] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit receive point (TRP), or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, in the case where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP can be the antenna of the base station corresponding to the cell of the base station. In the case where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be an antenna array of the base station (e.g., in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system or in the case where the base station employs beamforming). In the case where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs can be the serving base station that receives measurement reports from the UE and a neighbor base station whose reference RF signal the UE is measuring. As used herein, since the TRP is the point at which the base station transmits and receives radio signals, transmission from or reception at the base station should be understood to refer to a particular TRP of the base station.

[0038] An "RF signal" includes an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through a multipath channel, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and the receiver can be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0039] Reference Figure 1, the exemplary wireless communication system 100 includes the various components as shown. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macro cell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). The macro cell base stations may include eNBs, where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or gNBs, where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of both, while the small cell base stations may include femto cells, pico cells, micro cells, etc.

[0040] The base stations 102 may together form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a next generation core (NGC)) via a backhaul link 122 and go to one or more location servers 172 via the core network 170. Among other functions, the base stations 102 may also perform functions related to one or more of the following: transmitting user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, radio access network information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC / NGC) via the backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0041] The base stations 102 may communicate wirelessly with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. One or more cells may be supported by the base stations 102 in each coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity for communicating with a base station (e.g., via some frequency resources, referred to as carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCID), virtual cell identifier (VCID)) for differentiating cells operating on the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access for different types of UEs. Since a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" may refer to either the logical communication entity or the base station supporting it, or both, depending on the context. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to the geographic coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, as long as the carrier frequency can be detected and the carrier frequency is available for communication within certain parts of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0042] Although the geographical coverage areas 110 of adjacent macro cell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., within a handover area), some of the geographical coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by larger geographical coverage areas 110. For example, the small cell base station 102' may have a coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macro cell base stations 102. A network including both small cells and macro cells may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. The heterogeneous network may also include a Home eNB (HeNB), which may provide services to a restricted group referred to as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0043] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include an UL (also referred to as the reverse link) transmission from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or a downlink (DL) (also referred to as the forward link) transmission from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna techniques including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric for the DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the DL than to the UL).

[0044] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Access Point (AP) 150, which communicates with a WLAN Station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0045] The small cell base station 102' may operate in a licensed spectrum and / or an unlicensed spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed spectrum, the small cell base station 102' may employ LTE or NR technologies and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as that used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base station 102' using LTE / 5G in the unlicensed spectrum may enhance the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed-Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0046] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180, which may operate at mmW frequencies and / or near mmW frequencies to communicate with the UE 182. The extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. The EHF ranges from 30 GHz to 300 GHz, with wavelengths between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. The radio waves in this frequency band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near mmW may extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz, with wavelengths of 100 millimeters. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, which is also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using the mmW / near mmW radio frequency bands has high path loss and relatively short distances. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) via the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short distances. Additionally, it should be understood that in an alternative configuration, one or more of the base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near mmW and beamforming. The foregoing description is an example and is not a specification or a claim.

[0047] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing RF signals in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines the position of a given target device (e.g., a UE) relative to the transmitting network node and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal for the receiving device. To change the direction of the RF signal during transmission, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters that are broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node may use an antenna array (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array"), which generates an RF beam that can be "steered" in different directions without actually moving the antenna. Specifically, the RF currents from the transmitters are fed to the individual antennas in the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the individual antennas can add together to increase radiation in the desired direction while canceling to suppress radiation in the undesired directions.

[0048] The transmit beams can be quasi - co - located, which means that the transmit beams appear to the receiver (e.g., UE) to have the same parameters regardless of whether the transmit antennas of the network node itself are physically co - located. In NR, there are four types of quasi - co - location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters of the second reference RF signal on the second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is of QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler frequency shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is of QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler frequency shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is of QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler frequency shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is of QCL type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0049] In receive beamforming, the receiver uses a receive beam to amplify the RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase the gain setting in a specific direction and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array to amplify the RF signals received from that direction (e.g., increase the gain level of the RF signal). Thus, when the receiver is said to beamform in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher than the beam gains in other directions, or the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gains of all other receive beams that can be used by the receiver in that direction. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal - to - interference - plus - noise ratio (SINR), etc.) for the RF signals received from that direction.

[0050] Receive beams can be spatially related. The spatial relationship means that the parameters of the transmit beam for the second reference signal can be derived from information about the receive beam for the first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. Then, the UE can form a transmit beam for sending an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0051] Note that a "downlink" beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE is forming a downlink beam, the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving downlink reference signals. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, and if a UE is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0052] In 5G, the spectrum in which radio nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi-carrier system such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell", and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells". In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is a carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) used by the UE 104 / 182 and is the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs the initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates the RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common control channels and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (but not always the case). A secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that is configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE104 and the anchor carrier and can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier can contain only the necessary signaling information and signals. For example, those UE-specific signaling information and signals may not exist in the secondary carrier because both the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE104 / 182 at any time. For example, this is done to balance the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether it is a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier through which some base stations communicate, the terms "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0053] For example, still referring toFigure 1 Among them, one of the frequencies used by the macro cell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies used by the macro cell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCells"). The simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, compared with the data rate obtained by a single 20 MHz carrier, two aggregated 20 MHz carriers in a multi-carrier system will theoretically result in a two-fold increase in the data rate (i.e., 40 MHz).

[0054] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs (e.g., UE 190), which are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. In Figure 1 the example, the UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., the UE 190 can indirectly obtain a cellular connection through it), and a D2D P2P link 194 with the WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (the UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity through it). In one example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported by any well-known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), etc.). In one aspect, the UE 190 can be an NR light UE (e.g., NR RedCap UE), and the UE 104 it is connected to through the D2D P2P link 192 can be a UE. In the example, the D2D P2P link 192 can be a sidelink channel, which is configured to support channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) and channel quality information and rank indicator (CQI / RI) measurements.

[0055] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a UE 164, which can communicate with the macro cell base station 102 through the communication link 120 and / or communicate with the mmW base station 180 through the mmW communication link 184. For example, the macro cell base station 102 can support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 can support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0056] Refer to Figure 2A, shows an example wireless network structure 200. For example, NGC 210 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally regarded as a control plane function 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and a user plane function 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which cooperate to form a core network. The user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and the control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to NGC 210, specifically to the control plane function 214 and the user plane function 212. In an additional configuration, the eNB 224 can also be connected to NGC 210 via the NG-C 215 to the control plane function 214 and the NG-U 213 to the user plane function 212. In addition, the eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 can have only one or more gNB 222s, while other configurations include one or more of the eNB 224 and the gNB 222. Either the gNB 222 or the eNB 224 can communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 any of the UEs shown). Another optional aspect can include a location server 230, which can communicate with NGC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The location server 230 can be implemented as multiple independent servers (e.g., physically independent servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively can each correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can be connected to the location server 230 via the core network, NGC 210, and / or via the Internet (not shown). In addition, the location server 230 can be integrated into the components of the core network, or alternatively, can be external to the core network.

[0057] Reference Figure 2B, shows another example wireless network structure 250. For example, NGC 260 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally regarded as the control plane function provided by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / User Plane Function (UPF) 264, and the user plane function provided by the Session Management Function (SMF) 262, which cooperate to form the core network (i.e., NGC 260). The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the eNB 224 to NGC 260 respectively, specifically to the SMF 262 and the AMF / UPF 264. In an additional configuration, the gNB 222 can also be connected to NGC 260 via the control plane interface 265 to the AMF / UPF 264 and the user plane interface 263 to the SMF 262. In addition, the eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 through the backhaul connection 223, regardless of whether the gNB is directly connected to NGC 260. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may only have one or more gNB 222s, while other configurations include one or more of the eNB 224 and the gNB 222. Either the gNB 222 or the eNB 224 can communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 any of the UEs shown). The base stations of the new RAN 220 communicate with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF 264 through the N2 interface and with the UPF side of the AMF / UPF 264 through the N3 interface.

[0058] The functions of the AMF include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between the UE 204 and the SMF 262, transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and the Short Message Service Function (SMSF) (not shown), and the Security Anchor Function (SEAF). The AMF also interacts with the Authentication Server Function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives the intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) User Identity Module (USIM), the AMF retrieves the security material from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF also include Security Context Management (SCM). SCM receives the key from the SEAF, which is used to derive the access network specific key. The functions of the AMF also include management of the location service for the management of services, transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 and between the new RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of the Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifier for interworking with EPS, and notification of UE 204 mobility events. In addition, the AMF also supports the functions of non-3GPP access networks.

[0059] The functions of the UPF include acting as an anchor point for mobility within / across RATs (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for the interconnection with a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for the user plane (e.g., UL / DL rate enforcement, reflected QoS marking in DL), UL traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport layer packet marking in UL and DL, DL packet buffering and DL data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node.

[0060] The functions of the SMF 262 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of the user plane function, configuration of traffic steering at the UPF to route traffic to the appropriate destination, control and QoS for a part of the policy enforcement, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF262 communicates with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0061] It may include an LMF 270, which can communicate with the NGC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple independent servers (e.g., physically independent servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can be connected to the LMF 270 via the core network, NGC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown).

[0062] Reference Figure 3, shows a number of example components (represented by respective boxes) that can be incorporated into UE 302 (which can correspond to any of the UEs described herein), base station 304 (which can correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and network entity 306 (which can correspond to or implement any of the network functions described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270) to support file transfer operations as taught herein. It should be understood that these components can be implemented in different types of devices in different implementation manners (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.). The components shown can also be incorporated into other devices in the communication system. For example, other devices in the system can include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Additionally, a given device can include one or more of these components. For example, a device can include multiple transceiver components such that the device can operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0063] UE 302 and base station 304 each include at least one wireless communication device (represented by communication devices 308 and 314 (and by communication device 320 if base station 304 is a relay)) for communicating with other nodes via at least one specified RAT. For example, communication devices 308 and 314 can communicate with each other via wireless communication link 360, which can correspond to Figure 1 communication link 120 in. Each communication device 308 includes at least one transmitter (represented by transmitter 310) for transmitting and encoding signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) and at least one receiver (represented by receiver 312) for receiving and decoding signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Similarly, each communication device 314 includes at least one transmitter (represented by transmitter 316) for transmitting signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) and at least one receiver (represented by receiver 318) for receiving signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.). If base station 304 is a relay station, each communication device 320 can include at least one transmitter (represented by transmitter 322) for transmitting signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) and at least one receiver (represented by receiver 324) for receiving signals (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.).

[0064] In some implementations, the transmitter and the receiver can include integrated devices (e.g., a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit implemented as a single communication device, commonly referred to as a "transceiver"). In some implementations, they can include separate transmitter devices and separate receiver devices, or in other implementations, they can be implemented in other ways. The wireless communication device of base station 304 (e.g., one of multiple wireless communication devices) can also include a network listening module (NLM) for performing various measurements, etc.

[0065] Network entity 306 (and base station 304, if it is not a relay station) includes at least one communication device (represented by communication device 306 and optionally represented by communication device 320) for communicating with other nodes. For example, communication device 326 can include a network interface configured to communicate with one or more network entities via a wired or wireless backhaul 370 (which can correspond to Figure 1 the backhaul link 122 in Figure 3 . The communication device 326 can be implemented as a transceiver configured to support wired or wireless signal communication, and the transmitter 328 and the receiver 330 can be integrated units. This communication can involve, for example, sending and receiving: messages, parameters, or other types of information. Thus, in

[0066] The apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the file transfer operations disclosed herein. The UE 302 includes a processing system 332 for providing functions related to UE operations as described herein, for example, and for providing other processing functions. The base station 304 includes a processing system 334 for providing functions related to base station operations as described herein, for example, and for providing other processing functions. The network entity 306 includes a processing system 336 for providing functions related to network function operations as described herein, for example, and for providing other processing functions. The apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 respectively include memory components 338, 340, and 342 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Additionally, the UE 302 includes a user interface 350 for providing indications to the user (e.g., audible and / or visual indications) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when the user actuates a sensing device such as a keyboard, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the apparatuses 304 and 306 may also include a user interface.

[0067] Referring more specifically to the processing system 334, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 can be provided to the processing system 334. The processing system 334 can implement the functions of the RRC layer, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The processing system 334 can provide RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with upper layer packet data unit (PDU) transmission, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and re-ordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with the mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0068] The transmitter 316 and the receiver 318 can implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, which includes the physical (PHY) layer, can include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 316 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The decoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with reference signals (e.g., pilots) in the time domain and / or frequency domain, and then combined using the inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially pre-coded to generate multiple spatial streams. The channel estimate from the channel estimator can be used to determine the decoding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate can be derived based on the reference signals transmitted by the UE 302 and / or channel status feedback. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas of the communication device 314. The transmitter 316 can modulate the RF carrier using the respective spatial streams for transmission.

[0069] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives signals through the respective antenna(s) of its communication device 308. The receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system 332. The transmitter 310 and the receiver 312 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they can be combined by the receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The receiver 312 then uses the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to convert the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency-domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols and reference signals on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on the channel estimate calculated by the channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and de-interleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by the base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the processing system 332, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functions.

[0070] In the UL, the processing system 332 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport channel and the logical channel to recover IP packets from the core network. The processing system 332 is also responsible for error detection.

[0071] Similar to the functionality described in connection with DL transmission by the base station 304, the processing system 332 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transmission of the UL PDU, error correction by ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with the mapping between the logical channel and the transport channel, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction by HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0072] The transmitter 310 can use channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from reference signals or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 to select an appropriate decoding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 310 can be provided to different antennas. The transmitter 310 can modulate the RF carrier using the respective spatial streams for transmission.

[0073] UL transmission is processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE 302. The receiver 318 receives signals through its respective antennas. The receiver 318 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system 334.

[0074] In the UL, the processing system 334 provides demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. The IP packets from the processing system 334 can be provided to the core network. The processing system 334 is also responsible for error detection.

[0075] The apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 may respectively include positioning managers 344, 348, and 358. The positioning managers 344, 348, and 358 may be hardware circuits that are respectively part of or coupled to the processing systems 332, 334, and 336, and the processing systems 332, 334, and 336, when executed, cause the apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functions described herein. Alternatively, the positioning managers 344, 348, and 358 may be memory modules respectively stored in the memory components 338, 340, and 342, and the memory components 338, 340, and 342, when executed by the processing systems 332, 334, and 336, cause the apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functions described herein.

[0076] For convenience, the apparatuses 302, 304, and / or 306 are shown in Figure 3 as including various components that may be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the shown blocks may have different functions in different designs. Additionally, the UE 302 may be an NR light UE (e.g., NR RedCap UE) or a UE, depending on the capabilities and functions of the UE 302 (e.g., the number of antennas of the communication device 308, the bandwidth processing capability of the communication device 308, the processing capability of the processing system 332, etc.).

[0077] The various components of the apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 may communicate with each other via data buses 352, 354, and 356 respectively. Figure 3 The components of Figure 3The components can be implemented in one or more circuits such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit can use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide the functionality. For example, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 308, 332, 338, 344, and 350 can be implemented by the (multiple) processors and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 314, 320, 334, 340, and 348 can be implemented by the (multiple) processors and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Additionally, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 326, 336, 342, and 358 can be implemented by the (multiple) processors and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE", "by the base station", "by the positioning entity", etc. However, it should be understood that these operations, actions, and / or functions can actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE, base station, positioning entity, etc. (e.g., processing systems 332, 334, 336, communication devices 308, 314, 326, positioning managers 344, 348, and 358, etc.).

[0078] Various frame structures can be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Referring to Figure 4 shows an example of a downlink frame structure 400 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. However, as will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the frame structure for any particular application can vary depending on any number of factors. In Figure 4 , time is represented horizontally (e.g., on the x-axis), where time increases from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (e.g., on the y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top. In the time domain, frame 401 (10 ms) is divided into 10 equally sized subframes 403 (1 ms). Each subframe 403 includes two consecutive time slots 405 (0.5 ms).

[0079] A resource grid can be used to represent two time slots 405, each time slot 405 including one or more resource blocks (RBs) 407 (also referred to as "physical resource blocks" or "PRBs" in the frequency domain). In NR, for example, a resource block 407 contains 12 consecutive subcarriers 409 in the frequency domain, and for the normal cyclic prefix (CP) in each OFDM symbol 411, it contains 14 consecutive OFDM symbols 411 in the time domain. The length of one OFDM symbol in the time domain and the resource of one subcarrier in the frequency domain (represented as a block of the resource grid) are referred to as a resource element (RF). Thus, in Figure 4 the example of

[0080] LTE (and in some cases NR) utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency-division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, different from LTE, NR also has the option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers 409, which are usually also referred to as tones, frequency bins, etc. Each subcarrier 409 can be modulated with data. Generally, modulation symbols are transmitted using OFDM in the frequency domain and using SC-FDM in the time domain. The interval between adjacent subcarriers 409 can be fixed, and the total number (K) of subcarriers 409 can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the interval of subcarriers 409 can be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers 409 (or 180 kHz). Thus, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal FFT sizes can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband can cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands respectively.

[0081] Continuing to refer to Figure 4 , some resource elements denoted as R0, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7 include downlink reference signals (DL-RS). The DL-RS can include cell-specific RS (CRS) (sometimes also referred to as common RS) and UE-specific RS (UE-RS). The UE-RS is only transmitted on the resource block 407 on which the corresponding physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) is mapped. The number of bits carried by each resource element depends on the modulation scheme. Thus, the more resource blocks 407 received by the UE and the higher the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate for the UE.

[0082] In one aspect, the DL-RS can be a positioning reference signal (PRS). The base station can transmit radio frames (e.g., radio frame 401) or other physical layer signaling sequences that support PRS signals according to a frame configuration similar to or the same as the frame configuration shown in Figure 4 , which can be measured and used for UE (e.g., any UE described herein) position estimation. Other types of wireless nodes in the wireless communication network (e.g., distributed antenna system (DAS), remote radio head (RRH), UE, AP, etc.) can also be configured to transmit PRS signals configured in a manner similar (or the same) to the manner depicted in Figure 4 .

[0083] The set of resource elements used to transmit the PRS is referred to as a "PRS resource". The set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and N (e.g., 1 or more) consecutive symbols 411 within a time slot 405 in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol 411, the PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs. The PRS resource is described by at least the following parameters: PRS resource identifier (ID), sequence ID, comb size N, resource element offset in the frequency domain, start time slot and start symbol, number of symbols per PRS resource (i.e., the duration of the PRS resource), and QCL information (e.g., QCL with other DL reference signals). Currently, one antenna port is supported. The comb size indicates the number of subcarriers in each symbol carrying the PRS. For example, a comb size of comb-4 means that every fourth subcarrier of a given symbol carries the PRS.

[0084] A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources for PRS signal transmission, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. Additionally, the PRS resources in the PRS resource set are associated with the same transmit-receive point (TRP). The PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and can be associated with a specific TRP (identified by a cell ID) transmitted by the antenna panel of the base station. The PRS resource ID in the PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (and / or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (where the TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in the PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and thus, a "PRS resource" or simply a "resource" can also be referred to as a "beam". Note that this has no impact on whether the TRP and the beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE.

[0085] A "PRS occasion" is an instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a set of one or more consecutive time slots) in which a PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS occasion can also be referred to as a "PRS positioning occasion", a "positioning occasion", or simply an "occasion".

[0086] Note that the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" can sometimes refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in an LTE system. However, as used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS signals in LTE, navigation reference signals (NRS) in 5G, downlink position reference signals (DL-PRS), uplink position reference signals (UL-PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc.

[0087] Reference Figure 5 , an exemplary wireless communication system 500 is shown in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In Figure 5 the example of, UE 504 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein) is attempting to compute its position estimate, or assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a position server, a third-party application, etc.) in computing its position estimate. UE 504 can communicate wirelessly with multiple base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3 using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulating RF signals and exchanging information packets, and the multiple base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3 can correspond to any combination of base stations described herein. By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals and leveraging the layout of the wireless communication system 500 (e.g., base station locations, geometries, etc.), UE 504 can determine its position in a predefined reference coordinate system, or assist in determining its position. In one aspect, UE 504 can use a two-dimensional (2D) coordinate system to specify its position; however, the aspects disclosed herein are not limited thereto, and can also be applicable to using a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system to determine position if additional dimensions are needed. Additionally, although Figure 5 shows one UE 504 and three base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3, it will be appreciated that there can be more UEs 504 and more or fewer base stations.

[0088] To support location estimation, base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3 may be configured to broadcast location reference signals (e.g., PRS, NRS, TRS, CRS, etc.) to UEs 504 in their coverage areas so that UEs 504 can measure the characteristics of these reference signals. For example, the Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) location method is a multilateration method where a UE 504 measures the time difference (referred to as the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD)) between specific reference signals (e.g., PRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) transmitted by different network node pairs (e.g., base stations, antennas of base stations, etc.), and reports these time differences to a location server (e.g., location server 230 or LMF 270), or calculates the location estimate itself from these time differences.

[0089] Typically, the RSTD is measured between a reference network node (e.g., Figure 5 base station 502-1 in the example of Figure 5 and one or more neighbor network nodes (e.g.,

[0090] base stations 502-2 and 502-3 in the example of Figure 5 The reference network node remains the same for all RSTDs measured by a UE 504 for any single location using OTDOA, and will typically correspond to the serving cell for the UE 504 or another nearby cell with good signal strength at the UE 504. In one aspect, in the case where the network node being measured is a cell supported by a base station, the neighbor network nodes will typically be cells supported by a base station different from the base station used for the reference cell, and may have good or poor signal strength at the UE 504. The location calculation can be based on the measured time differences (e.g., RSTD) and knowledge of the locations and relative transmission timings of the network nodes (e.g., regarding whether the network nodes are accurately synchronized or whether each network node transmits with a certain known time difference relative to other network nodes). Figure 5 To assist in location operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) may provide OTDOA assistance data to a UE 504 for a reference network node (e.g.,

[0091] In some cases, the OTDOA assistance data may also include an “expected RSTD” parameter, which provides the UE 504 with information about the RSTD value expected to be measured by the UE 504 at its current location between the reference network node and each neighbor network node, along with the uncertainty of the expected RSTD parameter. The expected RSTD, along with the associated uncertainty, may define a search window for the UE 504 within which the UE 504 measures the RSTD value. The OTDOA assistance information may also include a reference signal configuration information parameter, which allows the UE 504 to determine when the reference signal positioning occasion occurs on the signals received from the respective neighboring network nodes relative to the reference signal positioning occasion for the reference network node, and to determine the reference signal sequences transmitted from the respective network nodes for measuring the time of arrival (ToA) or RSTD of the signals.

[0092] In one aspect, while the location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) may send the assistance data to the UE 504, alternatively, the assistance data may directly originate from the network node itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). Alternatively, the UE 504 may detect the neighboring network nodes themselves without using the assistance data.

[0093] The UE 504 (e.g., partially based on the assistance data, if provided) may measure and (optionally) report the RSTD between the reference signals received from the network node pairs. Using the RSTD measurements, the known absolute or relative transmission timings of each network node, and the (multiple) known positions of the transmission antennas for the reference and neighboring network nodes, the network (e.g., location server 230 / LMF 270, base station 502) or the UE 504 may estimate the location of the UE 504. More specifically, the RSTD for a neighbor network node “k” relative to the reference network node “Ref” may be given as ToA k -ToA Ref , where the ToA values may be measured modulo one subframe duration (1 ms) to eliminate the effect of measuring different subframes at different times. In Figure 5In the example, the measured time differences between the reference cell of base station 502-1 and the cells of neighboring base stations 502-2 and 502-3 are represented as τ2-τ1 and τ3-τ1, where τ1, τ2, and τ3 represent the ToA of the reference signals from the (multiple) transmit antennas of base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3, respectively. The UE 504 can then convert the ToA measurements for different network nodes into RSTD measurements and (optionally) send them to the location server 230 / LMF 270. Using (i) the RSTD measurements, (ii) the known absolute or relative transmission timings of each network node, (iii) the (multiple) known positions of the physical transmission antennas for the reference and neighboring network nodes, and / or (iv) directional reference signal characteristics such as the transmission direction, the location of the UE 504 can be determined (by the UE 504 or the location server 230 / LMF 270).

[0094] Still referring to Figure 5 , when the UE 504 obtains a position estimate using OTDOA to measure the time difference, the necessary additional data (e.g., the positions and relative transmission timings of network nodes) can be provided by the location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) to the UE 504. In some implementations, the position estimate of the UE 504 can be obtained from the OTDOA measured time difference and from other measurements made by the UE 504 (e.g., measurements of the signal timings from Global Positioning System (GPS) or other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites) (e.g., by the UE 504 itself or by the location server 230 / LMF 270). In these implementations, which are referred to as hybrid positioning, the OTDOA measurements can help obtain the position estimate of the UE 504, but may not fully determine the position estimate.

[0095] Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UTDOA) is a positioning method similar to OTDOA, but based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signals (SRS), uplink positioning reference signals (ULPRS)) transmitted by the UE (e.g., UE 504). Additionally, transmit and / or receive beamforming at base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3, and / or UE 504 can enable broadband bandwidth at the cell edge to improve accuracy. Beam refinement can also utilize the channel reciprocity process in 5G NR.

[0096] In NR, precise cross-network time synchronization is not required. Instead, rough time synchronization across gNBs (e.g., within the cyclic prefix (CP) duration of an OFDM symbol) is sufficient. Methods based on Round-Trip Time (RTT) typically only require rough time synchronization and are thus practical positioning methods in NR.

[0097] Reference Figure 6 , shows an exemplary wireless communication system 600 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In the example of Figure 6 , UE 604 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein) is attempting to compute its position estimate, or assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in computing its position estimate. UE 604 may wirelessly communicate with multiple base stations 602-1, 602-2, and 602-3 (which may correspond to any base station described herein) using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulating RF signals and exchanging information packets. By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals and leveraging the layout of the wireless communication system 600 (i.e., the positions, geometries, etc. of the base stations), UE 604 may determine its location in a predefined reference coordinate system, or assist in determining its location. In one aspect, UE 604 may use a two-dimensional coordinate system to specify its position; however, the aspects disclosed herein are not limited thereto, and may also be applicable to using a three-dimensional coordinate system to determine position if additional dimensions are needed. Additionally, although Figure 6 shows one UE 604 and three base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3, it should be understood that there may be more UEs 604 and more base stations.

[0098] To support position estimation, base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3 may be configured to broadcast reference RF signals (e.g., PRS, NRS, CRS, TRS, CSI-RS, PSS, SSS, etc.) to UEs 604 in their coverage areas, enabling UE 604 to measure the characteristics of these reference RF signals. For example, UE 604 may measure the ToA of a specific reference RF signal (e.g., PRS, NRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) transmitted by at least three different base stations, and may use the RTT positioning method to report these ToAs (and additional information) back to the serving base station (e.g., base station 602-2) or another positioning entity (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270). In one aspect, although described as UE 604 measuring reference RF signals from base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3, UE 604 may measure reference RF signals from one of the multiple cells supported by base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3. In the case where UE 604 measures a reference RF signal transmitted by a cell supported by base station 602-2, at least two other reference RF signals measured by UE 604 to perform the RTT process will be from cells supported by base stations 602-1, 602-3 different from the first base station 602-2, and may have good or poor signal strength at UE 604.

[0099] To determine the location (x, y) of the UE 604, the entity determining the location of the UE 604 needs to know the locations of base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3, which can be represented in a reference coordinate system as (x k , y k ), where k = 1, 2, 3 in the example of Figure 6 . In the case where the location of the UE 604 is determined in either the base station 602-2 (e.g., serving base station) or the UE 604, the locations of the involved base stations 602-1, 602-3 can be provided to the serving base station 602-2 or the UE 604 by a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) having knowledge of the network geometry. Alternatively, the location server can use the known network geometry to determine the location of the UE 604.

[0100] The UE 604 or the corresponding base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3 can determine the distances (d k ) between the UE 604 and the corresponding base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3, where k = 1, 2, 3. In one aspect, determining the round-trip times (RTTs) 610-1, 610-2, 610-3 of the signals exchanged between the UE 604 and any of the base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3 can be performed and converted into distances (d k ). RTT techniques can measure the time between sending a signaling message (e.g., a reference RF signal) and receiving a response. These methods can utilize calibration to eliminate any processing and hardware delays. In some environments, it can be assumed that the processing delays for the UE 604 and the base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3 are the same. However, this assumption may not hold in practice.

[0101] Once each distance d k is determined, the UE 604, the base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3, or a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) can solve for the location (x, y) of the UE 604 by using various known geometric techniques (such as, for example, trilateration). As can be seen from Figure 6 , the location of the UE 604 ideally lies at the common intersection of three semi-circles, each semi-circle defined by a radius d k and a center (x k , y k ), where k = 1, 2, 3.

[0102] In some instances, additional information can be obtained in the form of an angle of arrival (AoA) or an angle of departure (AoD), which defines a line direction (e.g., it can be in the horizontal plane or in three dimensions) or a range of possible directions (e.g., for UE 604, starting from the positions of base stations 602-1, 602-2, 602-3). The intersection of two directions at or near a point (x, y) can provide another estimate of the location of UE 604.

[0103] A positioning estimate (e.g., for UE 604) can be referred to by other names such as location estimate, position, positioning, position fixing, fixing, etc. A positioning estimate can be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or it can be civic and include a street address, postal address, or some other verbal description of the location. A positioning estimate can also be defined relative to some other known location, or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A positioning estimate can include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including a region or volume within which the location is expected to be included with a certain specified or default confidence level).

[0104] UEs can be classified as NR light UEs and / or NR RedCap UEs (e.g., wearable devices such as smart watches, glasses, rings, etc.) and UEs (e.g., smart phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, etc.). The terms NR light UE and NR RedCap UE may be used interchangeably herein. Compared with UEs, NR light UEs typically have lower baseband processing capabilities, fewer antennas, lower operating bandwidth capabilities, and lower uplink transmission powers. Different UE layers can generally be differentiated by UE category or UE capabilities. Some layers of UEs can also report their type (NR light or otherwise) to the network. Alternatively, some resources / channels can be dedicated to certain types of UEs.

[0105] It can be understood that the accuracy of NR light UE positioning may be limited. For example, for wearable devices and loose IoT (i.e., IoT devices with loose parameters such as lower throughput, loose latency requirements, lower power consumption, etc.), NR light UEs can operate on a reduced bandwidth (such as 5 to 20 MHz), which results in lower positioning accuracy. As another example, the receiver processing capabilities of NR light UEs may be limited due to their lower-cost RF / baseband. Therefore, the reliability of measurement and positioning calculations will be reduced. Additionally, such NR light UEs may not be able to receive multiple PRSs from multiple TRPs, further reducing the positioning accuracy. As yet another example, the transmit power of NR light UEs may be reduced, which means there will be lower-quality uplink measurements for NR light UE positioning.

[0106] However, NR light UEs such as wearable devices are typically operated around the UE. Therefore, the present disclosure provides techniques for NR light UEs to utilize the presence of one or more UEs to enhance their positioning accuracy.

[0107] Reference Figure 7 FIG. 700 shows an exemplary base station 702 (e.g., any base station described herein), UE 704, and NR light UE 706 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The base station 702 has a plurality of antennas 712, and the panel of these antennas 712 (e.g., all antennas 712 on a particular side of the base station 702) may correspond to the cells and / or TRPs supported by the base station 702. In Figure 7 the example, UE 704 is shown as a smart phone, and NR light UE 706 is shown as a smart watch. UE 704 may be described as an advanced UE because it has more capabilities than a bandwidth-constrained UE such as NR light UE 706. However, these are examples and do not limit the present disclosure.

[0108] As Figure 7 further shown, UE 704 communicates with the base station 702 via a wireless communication link 720 (e.g., communication link 120), and NR light UE 706 communicates with UE 704 via a wireless sidelink 730 (e.g., D2D P2P links 192, 194). The wireless sidelink 730 may be an NR sidelink and may support a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) and / or a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) between UE 704 and NR light UE 706. Sidelink CSI-RS may be restricted within PSSCH transmissions. In the example, similar to UE 704, NR light UE 706 may also be able to communicate with the base station 702 via a wireless communication link 722 (e.g., communication link 120).

[0109] The NR light UE 706 can utilize the presence of one or more UEs 704 to enhance its positioning accuracy. The NR light UE 706 can use the positioning of the UE(s) 704 to derive its own positioning. When attempting to perform a positioning procedure, the NR light UE 706 can first search for UEs 704 in its vicinity (i.e., within the wireless communication range). In some cases, the NR light UE 706 may already be connected to a UE 704 via a sidelink (e.g., the wireless sidelink 730). In other cases, the NR light UE 706 may need to perform a scan to discover the UE(s) 704 in its vicinity. In other cases, the network (e.g., the location server 230, the LMF 270, the base station 702) can notify the NR light UE 706 whether there are any UEs 704 in its vicinity and, if so, provide it with a way to connect to them.

[0110] In an example, once connected to one or more UEs 704, the NR light UE 706 can select which UE(s)' 704 positioning to use to derive its own position. In one aspect, the quality of the positioning estimate(s) of the UE(s) 704 can be provided to the NR light UE 706 by the UE(s) 704 (e.g., via the wireless sidelink 730) and / or by the network. The quality of the positioning estimate(s) can assist in selecting the UE(s) 704 for association between the NR light UE 706 and the UE(s) 704.

[0111] Once the UE(s) 704 are selected, the NR light UE 706 can use the positioning estimate(s) of the associated UE(s) 704 to derive its own positioning estimate. In an example, the NR light UE 706 can simply adopt the positioning of the connected UE 704 as its own positioning. In this case, the selected UE 704 can transmit its position to the NR light UE 706 (e.g., via the wireless sidelink 730), and then the NR light UE 706 can transmit its position (e.g., via the wireless communication link 720) to the network (e.g., the base station 702) or to other entities that requested its positioning (e.g., an application running on the NR light UE 706). Alternatively, the selected UE 704 can notify the network that the positioning of the NR light UE 706 is the same as its own positioning (e.g., where the network is requesting the positioning of the NR light UE 706) via the wireless communication link 720.

[0112] In an example, the positioning accuracy of the NR light UE 706 can be enhanced by utilizing the round-trip time (RTT) process or other terrestrial positioning techniques with the communication link 720. In an example, the UE 704 can be configured to calculate the relative positioning information of the NR light UE 706 based on the RTT process. The UE 704 can report the relative positioning information to the base station 702 via the wireless communication link 720, and the network (e.g., the location server 230, the LMF 270) can be configured to perform positioning estimation based on the relative positioning information reported by the UE 704. The NR light UE 706 can transmit positioning reference signals (e.g., UL-PRS, SRS) to the (multiple) UE 704 via the wireless sidelink 730 instead of transmitting them to the (multiple) base stations 702 via the wireless communication link 722 to achieve power savings. Since the distance to the (multiple) UE 704 is shorter than the distance to the base station 702, this uplink transmission requires lower transmit power.

[0113] Reference Figure 8 , and further reference Figure 7 , a message flow diagram 800 of an example round-trip time (RTT) process between the UE 704 and the NR light UE 706 is shown. In an example, the NR light UE 706 can be configured to send a request measurement message 804 to the UE via the communication link 730. The UE 704 can be configured to transmit a downlink reference signal (DL-RS) 806 at time T1. In an example, the communication link 730 is a sidelink CSI-RS within a PSSCH transmission. The NR light UE 706 is configured to measure the time of arrival (TOA) of the DL-RS at time T2. The NR light UE 706 transmits an uplink reference signal (UL-RS) 808 at time T3 and reports the time difference between T2 and T3 (i.e., T3 - T2). The UE 704 measures the TOA of the UL-RS 808 at time T4 and can be configured to calculate the distance from the NR light UE 704. For example, the distance 'd' can be calculated as:

[0114]

[0115] where c is the speed of light.

[0116] In an example, the UE 704 can provide the measurement times T1 - T4 to the base station 702 via the communication link 720, and the network (e.g., the location server 230, the LMF 270) can be configured to determine the distance between the UE 704 and the NR light UE 706. The UE 704 can optionally be configured to provide a result message 810 including the result of the distance calculation to the NR light UE 706. Although Figure 8The timing elements of the basic message flow between UE 704 and NR light UE 706 are shown, but additional calibration factors may be required to compensate for antenna feeder and other hardware-related delays to improve the accuracy of distance measurement. In the example, UE 704 can also use the AoA of UL-RS 808 to estimate the location of NR light UE 706. The (multiple) UE 704 can report the location estimate to NR light UE 706 and / or the network.

[0117] Reference Figure 9 , and further reference Figure 7 and 8 , FIG. 900 shows an example process for positioning NR light UE 910 with multiple UEs. FIG. 900 includes base station 902, first UE 904, second UE 906, third UE 908, and NR light UE 910. UEs 904, 906, 908 communicate with base station 902 via wireless communication links (e.g., communication link 120). In an embodiment, NR light UE 910 can also be capable of communicating with base station 902 via wireless communication link 912. NR light UE 910 communicates with each of UEs 904, 906, 908 via wireless sidelink 914. Wireless sidelink 914 can be an NR sidelink and can support Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) and / or Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) between UEs 904, 906, 908 and NR light UE 910. In the example, UEs 904, 906, 908 or NR light UE 910 can use sidelink CSI-RS transmitted for CQ1 for positioning. The NR light UE can transmit CSI-RS within the PSSCH transmission, and the receiving UE can measure the corresponding transmit and receive times (e.g., TOA). The positioning measurement can be multiplexed on the same channel on which the CQI / RI is fed back to the UE transmitting the CSI-RS. In the example, special CSI-RS can be used for positioning measurement (e.g., interleaved pattern, single port instead of 2 ports, higher density).

[0118] In operation, NR light UE 910 can be configured to repeat with multiple UEs Figure 8The basic RTT process shown. Multiple corresponding RTT measurements can be used for multilateration. For example, the first RTT exchange RTT1 between UE 904 and NR light UE 910 is used to determine the first distance 920. Similarly, the second RTT exchange RTT2 and the third RTT exchange RTT3 can be used to determine the corresponding second distance 922 and third distance 924. UE 904, 906, 908 can report RTT measurements in a higher layer signaling protocol (such as an LPP type protocol) between the base station 902 and UE 904, 906, 908. The RTT measurements can include multiple observations, and pruning and averaging across the observations can be used to improve the location estimate. This process can be performed independently for each of UE 904, 906, 908 without synchronization of the UEs.

[0119] In an example, the NR light UE 910 can request the network (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) to perform a location estimate based on measurements reported by the associated UE(s) 904, 906, 908. The NR light UE 910 can send the relevant measurements to the network itself (e.g., via the wireless communication link 912), or, to save overhead, request the UE(s) 904, 906, 908 to send the measurements to the network. Then, the network (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) can calculate a location estimate of the NR light UE 910 based on the measurements made by the UE(s) 904, 906, 908.

[0120] The NR light UE 910 can be configured to search for the UE closest to the NR light UE 910 and report that UE to the base station 902 (or other network resources). In the case of an excessive number of UEs (i.e., more than three), the network (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) can select which UEs participate in the NR light UE positioning. This selection can be based on the availability and quality of the UE's positioning. The network can notify the NR light UE 910 (via communication link 912) which group of UEs can participate in its positioning. The NR light UE 910 can request RTT measurements from the available UEs. This request can indicate the frequency of the RTT measurements that the NR light UE 910 will require from the UE. For example, the NR light UE 910 can utilize internal sensors (e.g., accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetic compass) to detect the mobility pattern, which can indicate how frequently the positioning information needs to be updated. The NR light UE 910 can be configured to request measurements for a specific DL-RS ID of the UE. The requested measurements can be obtained at a specified time occasion (e.g., RTT derived from DL-RS ID == 5 on frame 100). The NR light UE 910 can also be configured to signal to the UE 910 to stop reporting measurement information. For example, the NR light UE 910 can remain stationary for an extended period, thereby reducing the need for the UE to report location information.

[0121] In an example, UEs 904, 906, 908 can be configured to communicate with each other via wireless link 912, sidelink, or other wireless protocols. One of the UEs (e.g., the first UE 904) can be configured to determine the location of the NR light UE 910 and can receive RTT measurement information from the other UEs 906, 908. The first UE 904 can receive timing information or corresponding distance results from the other UEs 906, 908. The first UE 904 can determine the location of the NR light UE 910, or provide the measurement information to the base station 902 and receive the location via the wireless link 912. The first UE 904 or the base station 902 can provide the location to the NR light UE 910.

[0122] Reference Figure 10 , and further reference Figures 1 to 9 , a method 1000 for determining location information using a bandwidth-constrained user equipment (UE) includes the stages shown. However, method 1000 is merely an example and not a limitation. Method 1000 can be changed, for example, by having stages added, removed, rearranged, combined, executed simultaneously, and / or having a single stage divided into multiple stages. For example, stages 1004, 1008, and 1012 described below are optional. Other changes to method 1000 as shown and described are possible.

[0123] At stage 1002, method 1000 includes determining at least one neighboring user equipment. The communication device 308 in the NR light UE 706 can be the component for determining the neighboring user equipment. The NR light UE 706 is configured to use the wireless sidelink channel 730 to search for UEs 704 around it (i.e., within the wireless communication range). In some cases, the NR light UE 706 may already be connected to the UE 704 via a sidelink (e.g., the wireless sidelink 730). In an example, the network (e.g., the location server 230, the LMF 270, the base station 702) may notify the NR light UE 706 of at least one neighboring user equipment and provide instructions enabling the devices to communicate. The notification may include identification information such as device ID, user ID, or other information to identify the neighboring user equipment.

[0124] At stage 1004, method 1000 optionally includes providing a measurement request message to at least one neighboring user equipment. The communication device 308 in the NR light UE 706 can be the component for providing the measurement request message. The measurement request message 804 can be provided via the sidelink channel 730 and is configured to indicate that the NR light UE 706 is ready to receive a timing message from the UE 704.

[0125] At stage 1006, method 1000 includes receiving a first timing measurement signal from at least one neighboring user equipment. The communication device 308 in the NR light UE 706 can be the component for receiving the first timing measurement signal. In an example, the UE 704 can be configured to transmit the DL-RS 806 as the first timing measurement signal at time T1, and the NR light UE 706 is configured to measure the TOA of the DL-RS at time T2. Multiple UEs such as UEs 904, 906, 908 can be configured to each send a DL-RS message, and the NR light UE 706 can be configured to capture the TOA information for each corresponding DL-RS message.

[0126] At stage 1008, method 1000 optionally includes generating a second timing measurement signal based at least in part on the time of arrival of the first measurement signal. The processing system 332 and the communication device 308 in the NR light UE 706 are components for generating and providing the second timing measurement signal. The NR light UE 706 is configured to send a UL-RS message 808 to the UE 704 at time T3. For multiple UEs, the NR light UE 706 may provide a UL-RS message to each UE at the corresponding T3. The second timing measurement signal may include an indication of the difference between the TOA of the first timing measurement signal (i.e., DL-RS 806) and the transmission time of the UL-RS message 808 (i.e., T3). In an example, the second timing measurement signal may be generated and transmitted at stage 1010. The NR light UE 706 is configured to send the UL-RS message 808 and report the time difference (i.e., T3-T2) to the UE 704.

[0127] At stage 1012, method 1000 optionally includes receiving location information from at least one neighboring user equipment. The communication device 308 in the NR light UE 706 is a component for receiving location information. In an example, the UE 704 or a network resource (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, base station 702) may be configured to determine the distance between the NR light UE 706 and the UE 704 based on timing measurement information. The distance information may be provided to the NR light UE via an optional result message 810. In an example, the UE 704 may utilize AoA information to determine the bearing to the NR light UE. Multiple UEs may provide similar distance and range results or corresponding measurement information to the UE 704 (e.g., via the base station 702), and the location information may be the estimated location of the NR light UE 706. In an example, the network resource may calculate the location of the NR light UE 706 based on the information provided by multiple UEs and provide the location information to the NR light UE 706 via the UE 704.

[0128] Reference Figure 11 and further reference Figures 1 to 9 The method 1100 for using a UE to determine bandwidth-constrained UE location information includes the stages shown. However, the method 1100 is merely an example and not a limitation. The method 1100 may be changed, for example, by having stages added, removed, rearranged, combined, executed simultaneously, and / or having a single stage divided into multiple stages. For example, the stage 1108 for providing location information to a network server is optional. Other changes to the method 1100 as shown and described are possible.

[0129] At stage 1102, method 1100 includes sending a first timing measurement signal to a bandwidth-constrained user equipment. The communication device 308 of UE 704 is the component for sending the first timing measurement signal. UE 704 is capable of using more bandwidth than the bandwidth-constrained UE. NR Light UE 706 is an example of a bandwidth-constrained UE. UE 704 may communicate with the base station 702 via a wireless communication link 720 (e.g., communication link 120), and NR Light UE 706 communicates with UE 704 via a wireless sidelink 730. The wireless sidelink 730 may be an NR sidelink and may support a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) and / or a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) between UE 704 and NR Light UE 706. UE 704 may be configured to send the first timing measurement signal as a Downlink Reference Signal (DL-RS) 806 at time T1. In an example, the sidelink CSI-RS within the PSSCH transmission provides the first timing measurement signal.

[0130] At stage 1104, method 1100 includes receiving a second timing measurement signal from the NR Light user equipment. The communication device 308 of UE 704 is the component for receiving the second timing measurement signal. NR Light UE 706 is configured to measure the Time of Arrival (TOA) of the first timing measurement signal sent at stage 1102. For example, the TOA of DL-RS 806 is time T2 as depicted in Figure 8 NR Light UE 706 is configured to transmit the second timing measurement signal to UE 704 based at least in part on the TOA of the first timing measurement signal. For example, UE 704 is configured to receive UL-RS 808 at T4. NR Light UE 706 may include the time difference between T2 and T3 (i.e., T3 - T2) in the second timing measurement signal. UE 704 may also be configured to determine the AoA information based on the second timing message. The AoA information may be used to determine the azimuth to NR Light UE 706.

[0131] At stage 1106, method 1100 includes determining location information for the bandwidth-constrained UE based at least on the first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal. The processing system 332 in UE 704 is the component for determining the location information. In an example, UE 704 measures the TOA of UL-RS 808 at time T4 and calculates the location information (e.g., the distance from NR Light UE 704) as described above at equation (1). UE 704 may provide the timing measurements to a network server and receive the calculated distance from the network.

[0132] At stage 1108, method 1100 optionally includes providing location information to a network server. The communication device 308 of UE 704 is the component for providing location information. In an example, the UE may determine the distance and bearing to the NR light UE 706. The UE may provide the calculated distance (and possibly bearing) to the base station 702 via the wireless link 720. The calculated measurements may be included in a higher layer signaling packet, such as an LPP type protocol. UE 704 may be configured to provide timing message information (e.g., T1, T2, T3, T4) to a network server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) to calculate location information (e.g., distance, bearing). In an example with multiple UEs such as UE 904, 906, 908, the network server may utilize the locations of the UEs and the location information obtained via RTT exchanges (e.g., RTT1, RTT2, RTT3) to calculate a location estimate of the NR light UE 910. The location estimate may be provided to the NR light UE 910 directly via the wireless link 912, or via one of the UEs 904, 906, 908 using the wireless link 912 and the sidelink 914. In an example, the NR light UE 706 may provide a signal to UE 704 indicating how frequently the RTT exchanges will occur. The NR light UE 706 may also provide a signal to UE 704 indicating that UE 704 should stop sending RTT messages.

[0133] Reference Figure 12 , and further reference Figures 1 to 9 , method 1200 for determining the location of a bandwidth - limited UE includes the stages shown. However, method 1200 is merely an example and not a limitation. Method 1200 may be changed, for example, by having stages added, removed, rearranged, combined, executed, and / or by having a single stage divided into multiple stages.

[0134] At stage 1202, method 1200 includes receiving an indication of one or more neighboring user devices from a bandwidth - limited UE. The communication device 326 in the network entity 306 is the component for receiving the indication. In an example, the NR light UE 706 is an example of a bandwidth - limited UE and may utilize the sidelink 730 to search for neighboring UEs, such as UE 704. Then, the NR light UE 706 may provide an indication, such as a device ID, user ID, or other data fields associated with UE 704, to the base station 702 via the wireless link 722. The wireless sidelink 730 may be a D2D P2P link 192, 194, an NR sidelink, or other technologies. The sidelink 730 may support a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) and / or a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH) between UE 704 and the NR light UE 706.

[0135] At stage 1204, method 1200 includes determining one or more participating user devices based on indications from one or more user devices. The processing system 336 in network entity 306 can be the component for determining one or more participating user devices. Network entity 306 can receive indications of multiple neighboring UEs from NR light UE 706 and select down which UEs participate in NR light UE positioning. For example, if there are more than 3 UEs, network entity 306 can dynamically select a group of UEs based on the availability and quality of the positioning of the UEs. The selected group of UEs is one or more participating user devices. In an example, NR light UE 706 can also receive timing measurements from base station 702 as well as from UEs. In this example, base station 702 can be considered a participating UE.

[0136] At stage 1206, method 1200 includes providing an indication of one or more participating user devices to the NR light user device. The communication device 326 in network entity 306 is the component for providing an indication of one or more participating user devices. The indication can include device IDs or other identification information to enable NR light UE 706 to exchange timing messages with neighboring UEs 704. In an example, the indication can include a specific DL-RS ID of a specific UE. The indication can also include frame information to facilitate the exchange of timing messages.

[0137] At stage 1208, method 1200 includes receiving measurement information from one or more participating user devices. The communication device 326 in network entity 306 can be the component for receiving measurement information. UEs 904, 906, 908 are configured to provide measurement information, such as timing measurements RTT1, RTT2, RTT3 or the calculated distances 920, 922, 924, to base station 902 via wireless link 912. The measurement information can be included in a higher layer signaling protocol (e.g., LPP) and processed by network entity 306.

[0138] At stage 1210, method 1200 includes calculating the position of the NR light user device based at least in part on the measurement information. The processing system 336 in network entity 306 can be the component for calculating the position of the NR light user device. Network entity 306 can be configured to determine the position of NR light UE 910 using the positions of UEs 904, 906, 908 and the measured distances 920, 922, 924 (and possibly the azimuth based on AoA measurements). For example, network entity 306 can use multilateration techniques to calculate the position of NR light UE 910. Network entity 306 can receive multiple measurements from each participating user device and can utilize pruning and averaging across the measurements in calculating the position of NR light UE 910.

[0139] Other examples and implementations are within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, the above functions can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof executed by a processor. The features implementing the functions can also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0140] In addition, as used herein, the "or" used in a list of items beginning with "at least one of" or modified by "one or more of" means a disjunctive list such that, for example, the list "at least one of A, B, or C" or the list "one or more of A, B, or C" means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or a combination having more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.).

[0141] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, a statement that a function or operation is "based on" an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the said item or condition and can be based on one or more items and / or conditions other than the said item or condition.

[0142] In addition, an indication that information is sent or transmitted "to" an entity or a statement about sending or transmitting information "to" an entity does not require the completion of communication. These indications or statements include cases where the information is transmitted from the sending entity but does not reach the intended recipient of the information. Even if the information is not actually received, the intended recipient can still be referred to as the receiving entity, such as a receiving execution environment. In addition, an entity configured to send or transmit information "to" an intended recipient does not need to be configured to complete the delivery of the information to the intended recipient. For example, an entity can provide information together with an indication to an intended recipient to another entity capable of forwarding the information together with the indication to the intended recipient.

[0143] A wireless communication system is a wireless communication system in which at least some communications are transmitted wirelessly, e.g., by electromagnetic waves and / or acoustic waves that propagate through atmospheric space rather than through wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication network may not have all communications wirelessly transmitted, but is configured to have at least some communications wirelessly transmitted. In addition, the term "wireless communication device" or a similar term does not require that the functionality of the device be solely or primarily for communication, or that the device be a mobile device, but indicates that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (one-way or two-way), e.g., including at least one radio for wireless communication (each radio being part of a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver).

[0144] Substantial variations may be made in accordance with specific requirements. For example, customized hardware may also be used, and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software such as applets, etc.) or both. Additionally, connections to other computing devices such as network input / output devices may be employed.

[0145] As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific manner. With a computer system, various computer-readable media may be involved in providing instructions / code to a processor for execution and / or may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code (e.g., as a signal). In many implementations, a computer-readable medium is a physical and / or tangible storage medium. Such a medium may take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical disks and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media includes but is not limited to dynamic memory.

[0146] Common forms of physical and / or tangible computer-readable media include, for example, floppy disks, flexible disks, hard disks, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, CD-ROM, any other optical medium, any other physical medium with a hole pattern, RAM, PROM, EPROM, FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave as described below, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or code.

[0147] Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in conveying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to one or more processors for execution. By way of example only, the instructions may initially be borne on a magnetic disk and / or optical disk of a remote computer. The remote computer may load the instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions as a signal through a transmission medium to be received and / or executed by the computer system.

[0148] The methods, systems, and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations may appropriately omit, substitute, or add various processes or components. For example, in alternative configurations, methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Also, features described with respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of the configurations may be combined in a similar manner. Additionally, technological developments occur, and thus many elements are examples and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure or the claims.

[0149] Specific details are given in the description to provide a thorough understanding of example configurations, including implementations. However, the configurations may be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring the configurations. This description merely provides example configurations and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configurations of the claims. Rather, the foregoing description of the configurations provides a description for implementing the described techniques. Various changes may be made to the functions and arrangements of the elements without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure.

[0150] In addition, a configuration may be described as a process depicted as a flowchart or block diagram. Although each may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel or simultaneously. Additionally, the order of the operations may be rearranged. A process may have additional stages or functions not included in the figures. Further, examples of the methods may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segments for performing the tasks may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a storage medium. The processor may execute the described tasks.

[0151] Functional components or other components shown and / or discussed in the figures as being connected, coupled (e.g., communicatively coupled), or in communication with each other are operatively coupled. That is, they may be directly or indirectly, wired and / or wirelessly connected to enable communication between them.

[0152] A variety of example configurations have been described, and various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. For example, the above elements may be components of a larger system, where other rules may supersede or otherwise modify the application of the invention. Additionally, many operations may be performed before, during, or after considering the above elements. Accordingly, the foregoing description does not limit the scope of the claims.

[0153] As used herein, "about" and / or "nearly", when referring to a measurable value such as an amount, duration of time, etc., includes variations of ±20%, ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as such variations are applicable in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein. As used herein, "substantially", when referring to a measurable value such as an amount, duration of time, physical property (such as frequency), etc., also includes variations of ±20%, ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as such variations are applicable in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein.

[0154] A statement that a value exceeds (or is greater than or higher than) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that the value meets or exceeds a second threshold that is slightly greater than the first threshold. For example, the second threshold is a value that is higher than the first threshold in the resolution of the computing system. A statement that a value is less than the first threshold (or within or below the first threshold) is equivalent to a statement that the value is less than or equal to a second threshold that is slightly lower than the first threshold. For example, the second threshold is a value that is lower than the first threshold in the resolution of the computing system.

[0155] In addition, more than one invention may be disclosed.

Claims

1. A positioning method performed by a bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE), comprising: Receiving a first timing measurement signal from at least one neighboring UE, wherein the at least one neighboring UE is capable of using more bandwidth than the bandwidth - limited UE and has a higher processing capacity than the bandwidth - limited UE, Transmitting a second timing measurement signal to the at least one neighboring UE; And Receiving location information from the at least one neighboring UE, wherein the location information is determined based on the first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Establishing a sidelink connection to the at least one neighboring UE, wherein the first timing measurement signal is received via the sidelink connection.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Obtaining an identifier of the at least one neighboring UE from a transmit - receive point (TRP); Receiving the first timing measurement signal via the sidelink connection; And Transmitting the second timing measurement signal via the sidelink connection.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing a measurement request message to the at least one neighboring UE before receiving the first timing measurement signal.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal utilize channel state information reference signals.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The channel state information reference signals are within a physical sidelink control channel.

7. A bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE), comprising: A memory; A transceiver; At least one processor operably coupled to the memory and the transceiver and configured to: Receive a first timing measurement signal from at least one neighboring UE via the transceiver, wherein the at least one neighboring UE is capable of using more bandwidth than the bandwidth - limited UE and has a higher processing capacity than the bandwidth - limited UE, Transmit a second timing measurement signal to the at least one neighboring UE via the transceiver, and Receive location information from the at least one neighboring UE, wherein the location information is determined based on the first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal.

8. The bandwidth-constrained UE according to claim 7, wherein, The at least one processor is further configured to establish a sidelink connection to the at least one neighboring UE, wherein the first timing measurement signal is received via the sidelink connection.

9. The bandwidth-constrained UE according to claim 8, wherein, The second timing measurement signal is provided via the sidelink connection.

10. The bandwidth-constrained UE according to claim 7, wherein, The at least one processor is further configured to: Obtain an identifier of the at least one neighboring UE from a transmit - receive point (TRP); Receive the first timing measurement signal via the transceiver via the sidelink connection; and Transmit the second timing measurement signal via the transceiver via the sidelink connection.

11. The bandwidth - limited UE according to claim 7, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide a measurement request message to the at least one neighboring UE before receiving the first timing measurement signal.

12. The bandwidth - limited UE according to claim 7, wherein, The first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal utilize channel state information reference signals.

13. The bandwidth-constrained UE according to claim 12, wherein, The channel state information reference signals are within a physical sidelink control channel.

14. An apparatus for positioning a bandwidth - limited user equipment (UE), comprising: A component for receiving a first timing measurement signal from at least one neighboring UE, where the at least one neighboring UE is capable of using more bandwidth than the bandwidth-constrained UE and has a higher processing capacity than the bandwidth-constrained UE; A component for transmitting a second timing measurement signal to the at least one neighboring UE; And A component for receiving location information from the at least one neighboring UE, where the location information is determined based on the first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising: A component for establishing a sidelink connection to the at least one neighboring UE, where the first timing measurement signal is received via the sidelink connection.

16. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising: A component for obtaining an identifier of the at least one neighboring UE from a transmit receive point (TRP); A component for receiving the first timing measurement signal via the sidelink connection; And A component for transmitting the second timing measurement signal via the sidelink connection.

17. The apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising: A component for providing a measurement request message to the at least one neighboring UE before receiving the first timing measurement signal.

18. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein, The first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal utilize channel state information reference signals.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein, The channel state information reference signals are within a physical sidelink control channel.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising computer-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to determine the location of a bandwidth-constrained user equipment (UE), the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising: Code for receiving a first timing measurement signal from at least one neighboring UE, where the at least one neighboring UE is capable of using more bandwidth than the bandwidth-constrained UE and has a higher processing capacity than the bandwidth-constrained UE, Code for transmitting a second timing measurement signal to the at least one neighboring UE, and Code for receiving location information from the at least one neighboring UE, where the location information is determined based on the first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal.

21. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, further comprising: Code for establishing a sidelink connection to the at least one neighboring UE, where the first timing measurement signal is received via the sidelink connection.

22. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, further comprising: Code for obtaining an identifier of the at least one neighboring UE from a transmit receive point (TRP); Code for receiving the first timing measurement signal via the sidelink connection; And Code for transmitting the second timing measurement signal via the sidelink connection.

23. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, further comprising code for providing a measurement request message to the at least one neighboring UE before receiving the first timing measurement signal.

24. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 20, wherein, The first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal utilize channel state information reference signals.

25. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium according to claim 24, wherein, The channel state information reference signal is within the physical sidelink control channel.

26. A computer program product comprising computer instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement a positioning method performed by a bandwidth-constrained user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a first timing measurement signal from at least one neighboring UE, wherein the at least one neighboring UE is capable of using more bandwidth than the bandwidth-constrained UE and has a higher processing capacity than the bandwidth-constrained UE, transmitting a second timing measurement signal to the at least one neighboring UE, and receiving position information from the at least one neighboring UE, wherein the position information is determined based on the first timing measurement signal and the second timing measurement signal.

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