Reduce timestamp overhead in Position Status Information (PSI) reports

Abstract

Techniques for wireless communications are disclosed. In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) performs at least one positioning measurement on at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) received from a transmit-receive point (TRP) during a positioning session, reports a value of the at least one positioning measurement to a positioning entity via low layer signaling, and determines a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement relative to a reference point, wherein the timestamp includes an amount of time between the reference point and a time when the at least one positioning measurement is valid.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 025,622, filed on May 15, 2020, entitled “REDUCING THE OVERHEAD OF TIMESTAMPS IN POSITIONING STATE INFORMATION (PSI) REPORTS,” and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 306,691, filed on May 3, 2021, entitled “REDUCING THE OVERHEAD OF TIMESTAMPS INPOSITIONING STATE INFORMATION (PSI) REPORTS,” both of which have been assigned to the assignee of this application and are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved through generations, including first generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including temporary 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third generation (3G) high speed data, Internet-enabled wireless services, and fourth generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are used, including cellular and personal communications 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), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc.

[0005] The fifth generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), calls for higher data transmission speeds, a greater number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, with a data rate of 1 gigabit per second to dozens of employees on an office floor. To support large sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Therefore, the spectrum efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly improved compared to the current 4G standard. In addition, signaling efficiency should be enhanced and latency should be significantly reduced compared to the current standard. Summary of the invention

[0006] A simplified summary of one or more aspects disclosed herein is given below. Thus, the following summary should not be considered an exhaustive summary of all contemplated aspects, nor should it be considered to identify key or important elements related to all contemplated aspects or to describe the scope related to any particular aspect. Therefore, the sole purpose of the following summary is to present certain concepts of one or more aspects related to the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form prior to the detailed description presented below.

[0007] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes performing at least one positioning measurement on at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) received from a transmit-receive point (TRP) during a positioning session; reporting a value of the at least one positioning measurement to a positioning entity via low layer signaling; and determining a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement relative to a reference point, wherein the timestamp includes an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid.

[0008] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a network entity includes receiving a value of at least one positioning measurement for at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a user equipment (UE) via low layer signaling, the value of the at least one positioning measurement being received at a reception time during a positioning session between the network entity and the UE; determining a reference point for a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement; and determining a timestamp based on the reception time, the reference point, and an offset, wherein the timestamp includes an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid.

[0009] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: perform at least one positioning measurement on at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) received from a transmit-receive point (TRP) during a positioning session; report a value of the at least one positioning measurement to a positioning entity via low layer signaling; and determine a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement relative to a reference point, wherein the timestamp includes an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid.

[0010] In one aspect, a network entity includes a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, from a user equipment (UE) via low layer signaling, a value of at least one positioning measurement for at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the value of the at least one positioning measurement being received at a reception time during a positioning session between the network entity and the UE; determine a reference point for a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement; and determine a timestamp based on the reception time, the reference point, and an offset, wherein the timestamp includes an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid.

[0011] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: means for performing at least one positioning measurement on at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) received from a transmit-receive point (TRP) during a positioning session; means for reporting a value of the at least one positioning measurement to a positioning entity via low layer signaling; and means for determining a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement relative to a reference point, wherein the timestamp includes an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid.

[0012] In one aspect, a network entity includes: means for receiving, via low layer signaling, a value of at least one positioning measurement for at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a user equipment (UE), the value of the at least one positioning measurement being received at a reception time during a positioning session between the network entity and the UE; means for determining a reference point for a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement; and means for determining the timestamp based on the reception time, the reference point, and an offset, wherein the timestamp includes an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid.

[0013] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: perform at least one positioning measurement on at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) received from a transmit-receive point (TRP) during a positioning session; report a value of the at least one positioning measurement to a positioning entity via low layer signaling; and determine a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement relative to a reference point, wherein the timestamp includes an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid.

[0014] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network entity, cause the network entity to: receive a value of at least one positioning measurement for at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a user equipment (UE) via low layer signaling, the value of the at least one positioning measurement being received at a reception time during a positioning session between the network entity and the UE; determine a reference point for a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement; and determine a timestamp based on the reception time, the reference point, and an offset, wherein the timestamp includes an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid.

[0015] Other objects and advantages associated with the various aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The drawings are provided to aid in describing the various aspects of the disclosure and are intended to be illustrative of these aspects only and not limiting thereof.

[0017] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0018] Figure 2A and Figure 2B An example wireless network structure is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a user equipment (UE), a base station, and a network entity, respectively, and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0020] FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure and channels within the frame structure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 5 An example wireless network structure is illustrated showing high-level architectural enhancements for low-latency positioning.

[0022] FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C Illustrated are various LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) Information Elements (IEs) that a UE may use to report positioning measurements to a location server.

[0023] Figure 7 Another IE that the UE may use to report positioning measurements to a location server is illustrated.

[0024] Figure 8 A timeline is illustrated in which a positioning reference signal (PRS) is transmitted within a time block within a certain time length.

[0025] Fig. 9 and Fig.10

[0013] An example method of wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Various aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and in the relevant figures for various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects can be thought of without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or well-known elements will be omitted to avoid blurring the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0027] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects of the disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, benefit, or mode of operation.

[0028] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of a variety of different technologies and techniques may be used to represent the information and signals described below. For example, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc., the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips cited throughout the following specification may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0029] Further, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein may be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or a combination of the two. In addition, it may be considered that the sequences of actions described herein are fully embodied in any form of non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions, which, when executed, will cause or instruct an associated processor of a device to perform the functions described herein. Thus, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms, all of which are considered to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to" perform the described actions".

[0030] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, 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 can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet, a laptop, a consumer asset location device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headsets, etc.), a means of transportation (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. The UE can be mobile or can be fixed (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "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 can communicate with a core network via a RAN, and the UE can be connected to external networks such as the Internet and other UEs through the core network. Of course, other mechanisms are also possible for the UE, such as connecting to the core network and / or the Internet through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification, etc.), etc.

[0031] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs to communicate with a UE, depending on the network in which the base station is deployed, and may be alternatively referred to as an access point (AP), a network node, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a new radio (NR) NodeB (also referred to as a gNB or gNodeB), etc. A base station may be primarily used to support wireless access for UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may only provide edge node signaling functions, while in other systems it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link through which a UE may send a signal to a base station is referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link through which a base station may send a signal to a UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) may refer to an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0032] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit-receive point (TRP) or to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may 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 TRP may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from the UE, and a neighboring base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signal the UE is measuring. Because the TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmission from or reception at a base station will be understood to refer to the specific TRP of the base station.

[0033] In some implementations of supporting UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access for a UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but may send a reference signal to the UE for measurement by the UE, and / or may receive and measure a signal sent by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when sending a signal to the UE) and / or a position measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring a signal from the UE).

[0034] 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 multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a "wireless signal" or simply as a "signal," where it is clear from the context that the term "signal" refers to either a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0035] Figure 1An example wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled as "BS") and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macro cells (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macro cell base station may include an eNB and / or ng-eNB in ​​the case where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or a gNB in ​​the case where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of the two, and the small cell base station may include a femto cell, a pico cell, a micro cell, etc.

[0036] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and be connected to a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)) via a backhaul link 122 and to one or more location servers 172 (e.g., a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) via the core network 170. The location server 172 may be part of the core network 170 or may be located external to the core network 170. The base stations 102 may perform, among other functions, functions related to one or more of: 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, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (eg, via EPC / 5GC) via a backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0037] The base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with the UE 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, the base station 102 can support one or more cells in each coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity for communicating with a base station (e.g., on a certain frequency resource, which is referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.), and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), an enhanced cell identifier (ECI), a virtual cell identifier (VCID), a cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) to distinguish cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), etc.) that can provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" can refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. In addition, because a TRP is usually a physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" can be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term “cell” may also refer to a geographic coverage area (eg, sector) of a base station, as long as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communications within some portion of the geographic coverage area 110 .

[0038] Although the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handoff region), some geographic coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by a larger geographic coverage area 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may have a coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home eNB (HeNB), which may provide services to a restricted group called a closed subscriber group (CSG).

[0039] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include UL (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna technology, 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 with respect to the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the downlink than for the uplink).

[0040] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a WLAN station (STA) 152 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz) via a communication link 154. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or a listen before talk (LBT) process prior to communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0041] The small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed spectrum, the small cell base station 102' can adopt LTE or NR technology and use the same 5GHz unlicensed spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base station 102' adopting LTE / 5G in the unlicensed spectrum can improve the coverage of the access network and / or increase its capacity. NR in the unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, License Assisted Access (LAA) or MulteFire.

[0042] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate at mmW frequencies and / or near mmW frequencies to communicate with UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the radio frequency (RF) in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band can be called millimeter waves. Approximately mmW can extend down to a frequency of 3 GHz, a wavelength of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and is also called centimeter waves. Communications using mmW / near mmW radio frequency bands have higher path losses and relatively short distances. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmitting and / or receiving) on ​​the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path losses and short ranges. In addition, it should be understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 can also use mmW or near mmW and beamforming for transmission. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing description is only exemplary, and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0043] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal 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 (omnidirectional). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines the location of a given target device (e.g., 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 to the receiving device. In order to change the direction of the RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters that are broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an antenna array (called a "phased array" or "antenna array") that creates an RF beam that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antenna. Specifically, the RF current from the transmitter is fed to the individual antennas in the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the individual antennas can be added together to increase the radiation in the desired direction while canceling to suppress the radiation in the undesired direction.

[0044] The transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, which means that they appear to have the same parameters to the receiver (e.g., UE) regardless of whether the transmit antennas of the network nodes themselves are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-located (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about the second reference RF signal on the second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Therefore, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel.

[0045] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver may increase the gain setting of an antenna array and / or adjust the phase setting of an antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase its gain level) the RF signal received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. 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.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0046] The transmit and receive beams may be spatially correlated. The spatial relationship means that parameters of a second beam (e.g., a transmit or receive beam) of a second reference signal may be derived from information about a first beam (e.g., a receive beam or a transmit beam) of a first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE may then form a transmit beam for sending an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0047] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if the base station is forming a downlink beam to send a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE is forming a downlink beam, it is a receive beam that receives the downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if the base station is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, while if the UE is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0048] In 5G, the spectrum in which wireless 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). The mmW band generally includes the FR2, FR3, and FR4 frequency ranges. Therefore, the terms "mmW" and "FR2" or "FR3" or "FR4" are generally used interchangeably.

[0049] In a multi-carrier system (such as 5G), one of the carrier frequencies is called the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell" and the remaining carrier frequencies are called "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 the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection reestablishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2), which can be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier, and the second frequency 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 may contain only necessary signaling information and signals, for example, since the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific, there may be no UE-specific signaling information and signals in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network is able to change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. For example, this is done to balance the load on different carriers. Because a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier with which a base station is communicating, the terms "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0050] For example, still referring to Figure 1 , one of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), while the other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). 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, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved with a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0051] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164 that communicates with the macrocell base station 102 via a communication link 120 and / or communicates with the mmW base station 180 via a mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0052] exist Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , one or more Earth-orbiting Satellite Positioning System (SPS) spacecraft (SV) 112 (eg, satellites) may be used as an independent source of location information for any of the illustrated UEs (for simplicity, Figure 1 124 for deriving geographic location information from SV 112. SPS typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SV 112) positioned so that a receiver (e.g., UE 104) can determine the receiver's location on or above the Earth based at least in part on a signal received from the transmitter (e.g., SPS signal 124). Such a transmitter typically transmits a signal marked with a repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) code of a set number of chips. Although typically located in SV 112, the transmitter can sometimes be located in a ground control station, base station 102, and / or other UE 104.

[0053] The use of the SPS signal 124 may be enhanced by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) that may be associated with or otherwise enabled in connection with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, the SBAS may include augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential corrections, etc., such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geosynchronous Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), the Global Positioning System (GPS) Assisted Geographic Augmentation Navigation or the GPS and Geographic Augmentation Navigation System (GAGAN), etc. Thus, as used herein, the SPS may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems and / or augmentation systems, and the SPS signal 124 may include an SPS, a quasi-SPS, and / or other signals associated with such one or more SPS.

[0054] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs (such as UE 190) that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) or peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as “sidelinks”). Figure 1In the example of FIG. 1 , UE 190 has: a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity through the link); and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity through the link). 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), wait.

[0055] Figure 2A An example wireless network architecture 200 is illustrated. For example, the 5GC 210 (also referred to as the Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally viewed as a control plane (C-plane) function 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and a user plane (U-plane) function 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which operate in conjunction 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 the 5GC 210, specifically to the user plane function 212 and the control plane function 214, respectively. In an additional configuration, the ng-eNB 224 can also be connected to the 5GC 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 ng-eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 via the backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the next generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of the ng-eNB 224 and the gNB 222. The gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 (or both) may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0056] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230 that can communicate with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance for 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 on multiple physical servers, etc.), or each can correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, and the UE 204 can be connected to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not shown). In addition, the location server 230 can be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively can be outside the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).

[0057] Figure 2B Another example wireless network structure 250 is shown. 5GC 260 (which may correspond to Figure 2AThe 5GC 210 in the 5GC 210 can be functionally considered as a control plane function provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) 264, and a user plane function provided by a user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate in conjunction to form a core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any UE described herein) and a session management function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and a security anchor function (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives an 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) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the AMF 264 retrieves security materials from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF 264 also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF, which are used to derive access network-specific keys. The functions of the AMF 264 also include location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as a location server 230), transmission of location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifiers for interworking with EPS, and notification of UE 204 mobility events. In addition, the AMF 264 also supports the functionality of non-3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0058] The functions of UPF 262 include: acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for 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, user plane quality of service (QoS) processing (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in downlink), uplink traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. UPF 262 can also support the transmission of location service messages over the user plane between UE 204 and a location server such as SLP 272.

[0059] The functions of SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, traffic steering configuration at UPF 262 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, control part policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface over which SMF 266 communicates with AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0060] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270 that can communicate with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance for 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 on multiple physical servers, etc.), or each can correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, and the UE 204 can be connected to the LMF 270 via the core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 can support similar functionality to the LMF 270, however, the LMF 270 can communicate with the AMF 264, the NG-RAN 220, and the UE 204 via the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to transmit signaling messages rather than voice or data), and the SLP 272 can communicate with the UE 204 and external clients ( Figure 2B ) communications (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0061] The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC 260, in particular the UPF 262 and the AMF 264, respectively, to one or more gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 in the NG-RAN 220. The interface between the gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and the AMF 264 is referred to as the "N2" interface, while the interface between the gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and the UPF 262 is referred to as the "N3" interface. The gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 of the NG-RAN 220 may communicate directly with each other via a backhaul connection 223 referred to as an "Xn-C" interface. One or more of the gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 may communicate with one or more UEs 204 via a wireless interface referred to as a "Uu" interface.

[0062] The functionality of the gNB 222 is divided between the gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226 and one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DU) 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DUs 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions for transmitting user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc., except for those base station functions that are specifically assigned to the gNB-DU 228. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB 222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) layers of the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 may support one or more cells, and one cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. Therefore, the UE 204 communicates with the gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers and communicates with the gNB-DU 228 via the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers.

[0063] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C Several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) are illustrated, which may be incorporated into UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network function described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent of Figure 2A and Figure 2B220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure depicted in the present invention, such as a private network) 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 implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system on a chip (SoC), etc.). The components shown may also be incorporated into other devices in the communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to the described components to provide similar functionality. In addition, a given device may include one or more of these components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0064] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, to provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) for communicating via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc. WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, to communicate with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) on a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a certain set of time / frequency resources in a particular spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured in various ways to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) according to a specified RAT, and conversely to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding the signals 318 and 358, respectively, and one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding the signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0065] At least in some cases, the UE 302 and the base station 304 also each include one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide for communication via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth®, The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 are components (e.g., components for sending, components for receiving, components for measuring, components for tuning, components for stopping sending, etc.) for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) using a PC5, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), wireless access in a vehicular environment (WAVE), near field communication (NFC), etc.). The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured in various ways to send and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) according to a specified RAT, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 respectively include one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for sending and encoding signals 328 and 368, and one or more receivers 322 and 362 for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively. As a specific example, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be WiFi transceivers, Transceiver, and / or transceiver, NFC transceiver, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceiver.

[0066] UE 302 and base station 304 also include, at least in some cases, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 330 and a receiver 370. SPS receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and provide components for receiving and / or measuring SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively, such as global positioning system (GPS) signals, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian regional navigation satellite system (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. SPS receivers 330 and 370 may include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively. SPS receivers 330 and 370 appropriately request information and operations from other systems, and use measurements obtained by any suitable SPS algorithm to perform calculations required to determine the location of UE 302 and base station 304.

[0067] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, to provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, the base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. For another example, the network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or to communicate with other network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0068] The transceiver can be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. The transceiver (whether a wired transceiver or a wireless transceiver) includes a transmitter circuit (e.g., transmitter 314, 324, 354, 364) and a receiver circuit (e.g., receiver 312, 322, 352, 362). The transceiver can be an integrated device in some implementations (e.g., embodying the transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit in a single device), can include a separate transmitter circuit and a separate receiver circuit in some implementations, or can be embodied in other ways in other implementations. The transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit of the wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) can be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. The wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which allow the corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit "beamforming", as described herein. Similarly, the wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which allow the corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive "beamforming", as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter circuitry and the receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366) so that the corresponding device can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than both at the same time. The wireless transceivers (eg, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include a network listening module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0069] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and in some implementations, network transceivers 380 and 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) may be generally characterized as a "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver may be inferred from the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers are generally associated with signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) are generally associated with signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0070] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, to provide functions related to, for example, wireless communication and to provide other processing functions. Thus, processors 332, 384, and 394 can provide components for processing, such as components for determining, components for calculating, components for receiving, components for sending, components for indicating, etc. In one aspect, processors 332, 384, and 394 can include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuits, or various combinations thereof.

[0071] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 include memory circuits implementing memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively (e.g., each including a memory device), to maintain information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Thus, memories 340, 386, and 396 may provide means for storing, means for retrieving, means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. Positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, which when executed cause UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other aspects, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be external to the processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be memory modules stored in the memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A Possible locations for the positioning component 342 are illustrated, which may be, for example, part of the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the memory 340, the one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or may be a separate component. Figure 3B Possible locations for the positioning component 388 are illustrated, which may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or may be a separate component. Figure 3C Possible locations for the positioning component 398 are illustrated, which may be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or may be a separate component.

[0072] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information that is independent of motion data derived from signals received from one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or SPS receivers 330. As an example, sensor 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a pressure altimeter), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. In addition, sensor 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, sensor 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate a position in a two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system.

[0073] In addition, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides means for providing indications (e.g., audible and / or visual indications) to a user and / or for receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device such as a keypad, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include a user interface.

[0074] Referring to the one or more processors 384 in more detail, in a downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 may implement functions for an RRC layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may 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), broadcasting of 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 transmitting upper layer PDUs, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0075] The transmitter 354 and the receiver 352 may implement layer 1 (L1) functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1 (which includes the physical (PHY) layer) may include error detection on the transmission channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transmission channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 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 coded and modulated symbols may then be separated into parallel streams. Each stream may be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. The channel estimate from the channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate can be derived based on a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback sent by the UE 302. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 can modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0076] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives the signal through its corresponding antenna 316. The receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 332. The transmitter 314 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 stream destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the receiver 312. The receiver 312 then transforms the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). 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 point sent by the base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally sent by the base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332 that implement layer 3 (L3) and layer 2 (L2) functions.

[0077] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0078] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with downlink transmissions performed by the base station 304, one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with transmitting upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs to transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority processing, and logical channel prioritization.

[0079] The transmitter 314 may select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing using channel estimates derived by a channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback sent by the base station 304. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 may be provided to different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0080] Uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives the signal through its respective antenna 356. The receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 384.

[0081] In the uplink, the processing system 384 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. The IP packets from the one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0082] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 may Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C 1 is shown as including various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the components shown may have different functions in different designs. In particular, FIG. 3A to FIG. 3CVarious components in are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that may vary due to design choice, cost, device usage, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A In the case of , a specific implementation of UE 302 may omit WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet or PC or laptop may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities but no cellular capabilities), or may omit short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., only cellular, etc.), or may omit SPS receiver 330, or may omit sensor 344, etc. For another example, in Figure 3B In certain implementations of the base station 304, the WWAN transceiver 350 may be omitted (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular capabilities), or the short-range wireless transceiver 360 may be omitted (e.g., cellular only, etc.), or the SPS receiver 370 may be omitted, etc. For the sake of brevity, a description of various alternative configurations is not provided herein, but is readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0083] Various components of the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may be communicatively coupled to one another via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In an aspect, the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may form or be part of a communication interface for the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, where different logical entities are embodied in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality are incorporated into the same base station 304), the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may provide communication therebetween.

[0084] Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3C The components of can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe components may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or include 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 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate codes and / or by appropriate configuration of processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate codes and / or by appropriate configuration of processor components). In addition, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 390 to 398 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate codes and / or by appropriate configuration of processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions and / or functions are described herein as being performed by "UE", "by base station", "by network entity", etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, actions and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc., such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memories 340, 386 and 396, positioning components 342, 388 and 398, etc.

[0085] In some designs, the network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, the network entity 306 may be different from a network operator or operator of a cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that may be configured to communicate with the UE 302 via the base station 304 or independently of the base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).

[0086] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (eg, base stations and UEs). Figure 4A is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a downlink frame structure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 4B is a diagram 430 illustrating an example of channels within a downlink frame structure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 4C is a diagram 450 illustrating an example of an uplink frame structure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 4D is a diagram 480 illustrating an example of channels within an uplink frame structure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0087] LTE, and in some cases NR, utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR has the option of using OFDM on the uplink as well. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Typically, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain using OFDM, and modulation symbols are sent in the time domain using SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the spacing of the subcarriers can be 15 kilohertz (kHz), and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal FFT size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth may also be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (ie, 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0088] LTE supports a single parameter set (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple parameter sets (μ), for example, 15kHz (μ=0), 30kHz (μ=1), 60kHz (μ=2), 120kHz (μ=3), and 240kHz (μ=4) or larger subcarrier spacings may be available. In each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per slot. For 15kHz SCS (μ=0), there is one slot per subframe, 10 slots per frame, a slot duration of 1 millisecond (ms), a symbol duration of 66.7 microseconds (μs), and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 50 with a 4K FFT size. For 30kHz SCS (μ=1), there are two slots per subframe, 20 slots per frame, a slot duration of 0.5ms, a symbol duration of 33.3μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 100 with a 4K FFT size. For 60kHz SCS (μ=2), there are four slots per subframe, 40 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.25ms, the symbol duration is 16.7μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FET size is 200. For 120kHz SCS (μ=3), there are eight slots per subframe, 80 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.125ms, the symbol duration is 8.33μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FET size is 400. For 240kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 slots per subframe, 160 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.0625ms, the symbol duration is 4.17μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FET size is 800.

[0089] exist FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D In the example of , a 15kHz parameter set is used. Therefore, in the time domain, the 10ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes of 1ms each, and each subframe includes one time slot. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D , time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0090] A resource grid may be used to represent a time slot, each of which includes one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also called physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into a number of resource elements (REs). An RE may correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. FIG. 4A to FIG. 4DIn the parameter set of , for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and seven consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and six consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0091] Some REs carry downlink reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS). DL-RS may include positioning reference signal (PRS), tracking reference signal (TRS), phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), cell-specific reference signal (CRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), synchronization signal block (SSB), etc. Figure 4A Example locations of REs carrying PRS (labeled "R") are illustrated.

[0092] A set of resource elements (REs) used to send PRS is called a "PRS resource". A set of resource elements may span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and "N" (e.g., 1 or more) consecutive symbols within a slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, a PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0093] The transmission of PRS resources within a given PRB has a specific comb size (also called "comb density"). The comb size "N" represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for comb size "N", the PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of a symbol of the PRB. For example, for comb-4, for each symbol of the PRS resource configuration, the REs corresponding to every fourth subcarrier (e.g., subcarriers 0, 4, 8) are used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. Currently, for DL-PRS, comb sizes of comb-2, comb-4, comb-6, and comb-12 are supported. Figure 4A An example PRS resource configuration for Comb-6 (which spans six symbols) is illustrated. That is, the positions of the shaded REs (labeled "R") indicate a Comb-6 PRS resource configuration.

[0094] Currently, DL-PRS resources can span 2, 4, 6 or 12 consecutive symbols within a slot in a full frequency domain staggered pattern. DL-PRS resources can be configured in flexible (FL) symbols of any higher layer configured downlink or slot. For all REs of a given DL-PRS resource, there may be a constant energy per resource element (EPRE). The following are the inter-symbol frequency offsets for comb sizes 2, 4, 6 and 12 on 2, 4, 6 and 12 symbols. 2-symbol comb-2: {0,1}; 4-symbol comb-2: {0,1,0,1}; 6-symbol comb-2: {0,1,0,1,0,1}; 12-symbol comb-2: {0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1}; 4-symbol comb-4: {0,2,1,3}; 12-symbol comb-4: {0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3}; 6-symbol comb-6: {0,3,1,4,2,5}; 12-symbol comb-6: {0,3,1,4,2,5,0,3,1,4,2,5}; and 12-symbol comb-12: {0,6,3,9,1,7,4,10 2,8,5,11}.

[0095] A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used to send a PRS signal, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, the PRS resources in the PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and is associated with a specific TRP (identified by a cell ID). In addition, the PRS resources in the PRS resource set have the same periodicity, a common muting mode configuration, and the same cross-slot repetition factor (e.g., "PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor"). The periodicity is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource of the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of the next PRS instance. The periodicity can have a length selected from 2^μ*{4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} time slots, where μ=0, 1, 2, 3. The repetition factor may have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} time slots.

[0096] The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (where the TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource of a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and therefore, a "PRS resource", or simply "resource", may also be referred to as a "beam". Note that this has no effect on whether the UE knows the TRP and the beam on which the PRS is transmitted.

[0097] A "PRS instance" or "PRS opportunity" is an instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a group of one or more consecutive time slots) in which a PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS opportunity may also be referred to as a "PRS positioning opportunity", "PRS positioning instance", "positioning opportunity", "positioning instance", "positioning repetition" or simply "opportunity", "instance" or "repetition".

[0098] A "positioning frequency layer" (also referred to as a "frequency layer") is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets across one or more TRPs that have the same values ​​for certain parameters. Specifically, the set of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning: all parameter sets supported for the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) are also supported for PRS), the same point A, the same downlink PRS bandwidth value, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The point A parameter takes the value of the parameter "ARFCN-value NR" (where "ARFCN" stands for "Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number") and is an identifier / code for specifying a pair of physical radio channels for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth can have a granularity of four PRBs, with a minimum of 24 PRBs and a maximum of 272 PRBs. Currently, up to four frequency layers have been defined, and up to two PRS resource sets can be configured per frequency layer per TRP.

[0099] The concept of frequency layer is a bit like the concept of component carrier and bandwidth part (BWP), but the difference is that component carrier and BWP are used by one base station (or macro cell base station and small cell base station) to send data channels, while frequency layer is used by several (usually three or more) base stations to send PRS. The UE can indicate the number of frequency layers it can support when it sends its positioning capabilities to the network (such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session). For example, the UE can indicate whether it can support one or four positioning frequency layers.

[0100] Figure 4B An example of various channels within a downlink timeslot of a radio frame is illustrated. In NR, the channel bandwidth or system bandwidth is divided into multiple BWPs. A BWP is a set of contiguous PRBs selected from a contiguous subset of common RBs for a given parameter set on a given carrier. In general, a maximum of four BWPs can be specified in the downlink and uplink. That is, the UE can be configured to have up to four BWPs on the downlink and up to four BWPs on the uplink. Only one BWP (uplink or downlink) can be active at a given time, which means that the UE can only receive or transmit on one BWP at a time. On the downlink, the bandwidth of each BWP should be equal to or greater than the bandwidth of the SSB, but may or may not contain the SSB.

[0101] Reference Figure 4B , the UE uses the primary synchronization signal (PSS) to determine the subframe / symbol timing and the physical layer identity. The UE uses the secondary synchronization signal (SSS) to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and the radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DL-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the MIB can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also called SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the downlink system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information that is not sent via the PBCH (such as system information blocks (SIBs)), and paging messages.

[0102] The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries downlink control information (DCI) in one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE includes one or more RE group (REG) bundles (which can span multiple symbols in the time domain), each REG bundle includes one or more REGs, each REG corresponds to 12 resource elements (one resource block) in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. The set of physical resources used to carry PDCCH / DCI is called a control resource set (CORESET) in NR. In NR, PDCCH is confined to a single CORESET and is transmitted with its own DMRS. This enables UE-specific beamforming for PDCCH.

[0103] exist Figure 4B In the example of , there is one CORESET per BWP, and the CORESET spans three symbols in the time domain (although it could be just one symbol or two symbols). Unlike LTE control channels that occupy the entire system bandwidth, in NR, the PDCCH channel is localized to a specific region (i.e., CORESET) in the frequency domain. Therefore, Figure 4B The frequency components of the PDCCH shown in are illustrated as less than a single BWP in the frequency domain. Note that although the illustrated CORESETs are contiguous in the frequency domain, the CORESETs need not be contiguous. Additionally, a CORESET may span less than three symbols in the time domain.

[0104] The DCI within the PDCCH carries information about uplink resource allocations (persistent and non-persistent) and a description of downlink data sent to the UE, referred to as uplink and downlink grants, respectively. More specifically, the DCI indicates resources scheduled for downlink data channels (e.g., PDSCH) and uplink data channels (e.g., PUSCH). Multiple (e.g., up to eight) DCIs can be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs can have one of a variety of formats. For example, there are different DCI formats for uplink scheduling, downlink scheduling, uplink transmit power control (TPC), etc. The PDCCH can be transmitted by 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs to accommodate different DCI payload sizes or coding rates.

[0105] like Figure 4C As shown, some REs (marked as "R") carry DMRS for channel estimation at a receiver (e.g., a base station, another UE, etc.). The UE may additionally send an SRS in, for example, the last symbol of a slot. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may send the SRS on one of the comb structures. Figure 4C In the example, the SRS shown is a comb-2 on one symbol. The base station can use SRS to obtain channel state information (CSI) for each UE. CSI describes how the RF signal propagates from the UE to the base station and represents the combined effects of scattering, fading, and power loss with distance. The system uses SRS for resource scheduling, link adaptation, massive MIMO, beam management, etc.

[0106] Currently, SRS resources can span 1, 2, 4, 8, or 12 consecutive symbols within a slot with comb sizes of Comb-2, Comb-4, or Comb-8. The following are the symbol-to-symbol frequency offsets for the currently supported SRS comb patterns. 1-symbol comb-2: {0}; 2-symbol comb-2: {0,1}; 4-symbol comb-2: {0,1,0,1}; 4-symbol comb-4: {0,2,1,3}; 8-symbol comb-4: {0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3}; 12-symbol comb-4: {0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3}; 4-symbol comb-8: {0,4,2,6}; 8-symbol comb-8: {0,4,2,6,1,5,3,7}; and 12-symbol comb-8: {0,4,2,6,1,5,3,7,0,4,2,6}.

[0107] The set of resource elements used to transmit SRS is called "SRS resources" and can be identified by the parameter "SRS-ResourceId". The set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and "N" (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols within a time slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol, SRS resources occupy consecutive PRBs. An "SRS resource set" is a set of SRS resources used for SRS signal transmission and is identified by an SRS resource set ID ("SRS-ResourceId").

[0108] Typically, the UE sends an SRS to enable the receiving base station (serving base station or neighboring base station) to measure the channel quality between the UE and the base station. However, the SRS can also be specifically configured as an uplink positioning reference signal for uplink-based positioning processes, such as uplink arrival time difference (UL-TDOA), round-trip time (RTT), uplink arrival angle (UL-AoA), etc. As used herein, the term "SRS" may refer to an SRS configured for channel quality measurement or an SRS configured for positioning purposes. When it is necessary to distinguish between two types of SRS, the former may be referred to as "SRS-for-communication" and / or the latter may be referred to as "SRS-for-positioning" in this article.

[0109] Several enhancements relative to the previous definition of SRS have been proposed for SRS-for-positioning (also known as "UL-PRS"), such as new staggering patterns within SRS resources (except single symbol / comb-2), new comb types for SRS, new sequences for SRS, a larger number of SRS resource sets per component carrier, and a larger number of SRS resources per component carrier. In addition, the parameters "SpatialRelationInfo" and "PathLossReference" are to be configured based on downlink reference signals or SSBs from neighboring TRPs. Furthermore, one SRS resource can be sent outside the active BWP, and one SRS resource can span multiple component carriers. Similarly, SRS can be configured in the RRC connected state and sent only within the active BWP. Further, there may be no frequency hopping, no repetition factor, a single antenna port, and new lengths for SRS (e.g., 8 and 12 symbols). There may also be open-loop power control and no closed-loop power control, and comb-8 (i.e., SRS sent every eighth subcarrier in the same symbol) may be used. Finally, the UE may transmit via the same transmit beam from multiple SRS resources for UL-AoA. All of these are additional features to the current SRS framework, which is configured via RRC higher layer signaling (and possibly triggered or activated via MAC Control Element (CE) or DCI).

[0110] Figure 4D Examples of various channels within an uplink time slot of a frame according to various aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. A random access channel (RACH), also known as a physical random access channel (PRACH), may be configured within one or more time slots within a frame based on the PRACH. The PRACH may include six consecutive RB pairs within a time slot. The PRACH allows a UE to perform initial system access and achieve uplink synchronization. The physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) may be located at the edge of the uplink system bandwidth. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, CSI reports, channel quality indicators (CQI), precoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) carries data and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0111] Note that the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" generally refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in NR and LTE systems. However, as used herein, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, SRS, UL-PRS, etc. as defined in LTE and NR. In addition, unless the context otherwise indicates, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may refer to downlink or uplink positioning reference signals. If further distinction is needed between the types of PRS, the downlink positioning reference signal may be referred to as "DL-PRS" and the uplink positioning reference signal (e.g., SRS-for-positioning, PTRS) may be referred to as "UL-PRS". In addition, for signals that can be sent in both uplink and downlink (e.g., DMRS, PTRS), "UL" or "DL" may be prefixed to these signals to distinguish the direction. For example, "UL-DMRS" may be distinguished from "DL-DMRS".

[0112] NR supports a variety of cellular network-based positioning technologies, including downlink-based, uplink-based, and downlink and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle of deviation (DL-AoD) in NR. In the OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning process, the UE measures the difference between the arrival time (ToA) of the reference signal (e.g., positioning reference signal (PRS)) received from the base station (called reference signal time difference (RSTD) or arrival time difference (TDOA) measurement value) and reports them to the positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in the auxiliary data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each non-reference base station. Based on the known positions of the base stations involved and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity can estimate the position of the UE.

[0113] For DL-AoD positioning, the positioning entity uses beam reports of received signal strength measurements of multiple downlink transmit beams from the UE to determine the angle between the UE and the transmitting base station. The positioning entity can then estimate the UE's position based on the determined angle and the known location of the transmitting base station.

[0114] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signals (SRS)) sent by the UE. For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurement and the angle of the receive beam to determine the angle between the UE and the base station. Then, based on the determined angle and the known location of the base station, the positioning entity can estimate the location of the UE.

[0115] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include enhanced cell ID (E-CID) positioning and multi-round trip time (RTT) positioning (also known as "multi-cell RTT"). During the RTT process, the initiator (base station or UE) sends an RTT measurement signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to the responder (UE or base station), and the responder (UE or base station) sends an RTT response signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) back to the initiator. The RTT response signal includes the difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response signal, which is called the received to sent (Rx-Tx) time difference. The initiator calculates the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal and the TOA of the RTT response signal, which is called the sent to received (Tx-Rx) time difference. The propagation time (also known as "flight time") between the initiator and the responder can be calculated based on the Tx-Rx time difference and the Rx-Tx time difference. Based on the propagation time and the known speed of light, the distance between the initiator and the responder can be determined. For multi-RTT positioning, the UE performs RTT procedures with multiple base stations to enable its position to be determined based on the known locations of the base stations (e.g., using multilateration). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques (such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD) to improve position accuracy.

[0116] The E-CID positioning method is based on radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and the identifiers of detected neighboring base stations, estimated timing and signal strength. The UE's position is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0117] To assist the positioning operation, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data may include an identifier of the base station (or cell / TRP of the base station) from which the reference signal is measured, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive positioning subframes, the periodicity of the positioning subframes, the muting sequence, the frequency hopping sequence, the reference signal identifier, the reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data may come directly from the base station itself (e.g., in a periodically broadcast overhead message, etc.). In some cases, the UE may be able to detect neighboring network nodes itself without using assistance data.

[0118] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning process, the auxiliary data may also include an expected RSTD value and an associated uncertainty or search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the value range of the expected RSTD may be + / -500 microseconds (μs). In some cases, when any resource used for positioning measurement is in FR1, the value range of the uncertainty of the expected RSTD may be + / -32μs. In other cases, when all resources used for positioning measurement are in FR2, the value range of the uncertainty of the expected RSTD may be + / -8μs.

[0119] The location estimate may be referred to by other names, such as location estimate, location, fix, fixation, fixation, etc. The location estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude) or may be municipal and include a street address, postal address, or some other verbal description of the location. The location estimate may also be defined relative to some other known location or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). The location estimate may include expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be included with some specified or default confidence level).

[0120] Positioning measurements are currently reported through high-layer signaling, specifically through LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) signaling and / or RRC signaling. Such reports are referred to as "measurement reports", "positioning reports", etc. LPP is used point-to-point between a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) and a UE to locate the UE using location-related measurements obtained from one or more reference sources (e.g., satellites for GPS positioning, base stations for DL-TDOA positioning, WLAN APs for WLAN positioning, etc.). However, in order to reduce latency, a technique for reporting positioning state information (PSI) using low-layer (e.g., Layer 1 (L1) / Layer 2 (L2)) signaling has been introduced in NR. PSI reports are low-layer positioning reports and may include RAT-dependent measurements (i.e., measurements based on NR reference signals (e.g., DL-PRS, TRS, SSB, etc.)) or RAT-independent measurements (i.e., measurements or other information derived from reference sources other than NR reference sources (e.g., Bluetooth, air pressure sensor, motion sensor, GPS, OTDOA based on LTE PHY signals, E-CID based on LTE PHY signals, etc.)).

[0121] Figure 5 An example wireless network structure 500 is illustrated, which shows high-level architectural enhancements for low-latency positioning. Wireless network structure 500 is a reference point representation of various network entities, similar to Figure 2BA wireless network structure 250 is provided in FIG. Figure 5 With Figure 2B The network entities with the same reference numerals correspond to those in Figure 2B As shown in the figure and refer to Figure 2B For the sake of brevity, these network entities are not described here. Figure 2B In addition to the network entities shown in FIG. 5 , the wireless network architecture 500 also includes a gateway mobile positioning center (GMLC) 268 and an external client / application function (AF) 570. The GMLC 268 is the first node that the external client / AF 570 accesses in a cellular (e.g., LTE, NR) network and sends a positioning request to the AMF 264. Figure 5 In the example of , the NG-RAN 220 includes a serving (S) gNB 222 and multiple neighboring (N) gNBs 222, each of which may include a location management component (LMC) 274.

[0122] Figure 5 A control plane path 510 is illustrated between an external client / AF 570 and a UE 204 for establishing a location session with the UE 204. Specifically, the external client / AF 570 sends a location request to the GMLC 268, which forwards the request to the AMF 264. The AMF 264 sends the location request to the serving (S)gNB 222 in the NG-RAN 220, which sends the request to the UE 204 over the air interface (referred to as the "Uu" interface) between the serving gNB 222 and the UE 204. More specifically, the LMC 274 at the serving gNB 222 handles the reception and transmission of the location request. The location request may direct the UE 204 to perform specific measurements (e.g., RSTD measurements, Rx-Tx time difference measurements, etc.) or report a location estimate calculated by the UE 204 (e.g., based on GPS, WLAN, etc.).

[0123] After performing the requested measurements or calculating the location estimate, the UE 204 responds to the location request by sending one or more low layer positioning reports (e.g., PSI reports) to the serving gNB 222 over the L1 / L2 path 520. More specifically, the UE 204 sends the low layer positioning reports to the LMC 274 over the L1 / L2 path 520. The UE 204 may send the low layer positioning reports in uplink control information (UCI) via L1 and / or in a MAC control element (MAC-CE) via L2. The low layer positioning reports include the requested measurements or location estimates.

[0124] The LMC 274 packages the low layer positioning reports from the UE 204 and sends them to the external client / AF 570 on the user plane path 530. Specifically, the LMC 274 sends the low layer positioning reports to the UPF 262, which forwards the reports to the external client / AF 570. Since there is an LMC 274 at the gNB 222, there is no need to send the low layer positioning reports to the external client / AF 570 via the LMF 270.

[0125] As mentioned above, measurement reports (also called "positioning reports") are currently reported via LPP signaling (layer 3). There are different information elements (IEs) in LPP that can be used to report each of the three currently supported RAT-related positioning methods (i.e., DL-TDOA, DL-AoD, multi-RTT). Specifically, TDOA measurements (i.e., RSTD measurements) are reported in the "NR-DL-TDOA-SignalMeasurementInformation" IE, DL-AoD measurements are reported in the "NR-DL-AoD-SignalMeasurementInformation" IE, and multi-RTT measurements (e.g., UE Rx-Tx time difference measurements) are reported in the "NR-Multi-RTT-SignalMeasurementInformation" IE.

[0126] To reduce latency, it would be beneficial to report the information contained in these IEs on low layer (L1 / L2) signaling (e.g., PSI reports). However, because low layer containers (e.g., UCI and MAC-CE containers) cannot carry as much information as high layer reports (e.g., LPPIE), techniques are needed to reduce the overhead of low layer reports. Thus, it would be beneficial to determine the typical size of these high layer measurement reports.

[0127] FIG. 6A to FIG. 6C The diagram illustrates various LPP IEs that a UE may use to report DL-TDOA measurements to a location server (eg, location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272). Specifically, Fig. 6A An “NR-DL-TDOA-SignalMeasurementInformation” IE 600 and an “NR-DL-TDOA-MeasElement” IE 620 are illustrated. Figure 6BAn “NR-DL-TDOA-AdditionalMeasurementElement” IE 640 is illustrated for reporting additional DL-RDOA measurements that are not suitable for the “NR-DL-TDOA-SignalMeasurementInformation” IE 600. Figure 6C Illustrated are an “NR-TimeStamp” IE 660 and an “NR-TimingMeasQuality” IE 680. The “NR-TimeStamp” IE 660 is used to report the timestamp of the DL-TDOA measurements reported in the “NR-DL-TDOA-SignalMeasurementInformation” IE 600 and any “NR-DL-TDOA-MeasElement” IE 620.

[0128] Table 1 below illustrates various fields in the DL-TDOA measurement report and their uses and sizes.

[0129]

[0130]

[0131] Table 1

[0132] As shown in Table 1, each RSTD measurement can have 45 to 63 bits, plus an additional seven bits for the quality metric of the reference ToA (i.e., the ToA of the reference signal from the reference TRP). Because there may be up to 64 TRPs per positioning frequency layer, there may be up to 64 RSTD measurements per positioning frequency layer. If the UE selects a different reference ToA, an additional eight to 392 bits are required to identify the new reference TRP. For example, reporting 10 RSTDs and an indication of only the TRP for each RSTD measurement (with a step size of 1 nanosecond (ns) and a 30kHz SCS without changing the reference TRP) would require 497 bits (i.e., 49x10+7=497). If the UE selects a new reference TRP, there will be at least another eight bits of additional overhead.

[0133] Figure 7 An example "NR-Multi-RTT-SignalMeasurementInformation" IE 700 is illustrated that a UE may use to report multi-RTT measurements to a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272). The measurements are provided in the form of a list of TRPs, where the first TRP in the list is used as a reference TRP.

[0134] Table 2 below illustrates various fields in a multi-RTT measurement report and their uses and sizes.

[0135]

[0136]

[0137] Table 2

[0138] As shown in Table 2, each Rx-Tx time difference measurement can have 45 to 63 bits. As with RSTD measurements, because there can be up to 64 TRPs per positioning frequency layer, there can be up to 64 Rx-Tx time difference measurements per positioning frequency layer. For example, reporting 10 Rx-Tx time difference measurements and an indication of only the TRP for each RTT measurement (with a step size of 1ns and 30kHz SCS without changing the reference from the UE) would require 490 bits (i.e., 49x10=490). Each 49 bits consists of eight bits for TRPID, 19 bits for RTT measurement, 15 bits for timestamp, and seven bits for quality metrics.

[0139] From the above example, it can be seen that 30% of the 49 bits required to report a TDOA or multi-RTT measurement are timestamps. Therefore, in order to reduce the measurement reporting overhead for reporting positioning measurements on low layer signaling (e.g., L1, L2), it would be beneficial to reduce the number of bits required for timestamps.

[0140] For low-layer reporting, there is a fixed or known timeline for reporting PSI reports, and there is no ambiguity in which associated PRSs the UE used to derive measurements and report them. Therefore, timestamp reporting for positioning measurements can be defined relative to a fixed reference point. That is, instead of reporting timestamps as absolute values ​​(requiring up to 17 bits per timestamp (see Tables 1 and 2)), timestamps can be reported as the difference between the time when the positioning measurement is made / performed and the reference point. Therefore, such timestamps can indicate the amount of time relative to the reference point (e.g., before or after it) that the positioning measurement is valid. Such timestamps are referred to herein as "differential timestamps" or "relative timestamps", or simply "timestamps", where it is clear from the context that the timestamps referenced are differential / relative timestamps. Reporting timestamps in this manner can significantly reduce the length (in bits) of timestamps associated with positioning measurements, thereby reducing the overhead of sending timestamps in PSI reports.

[0141] As a first option, the reported differential timestamp may be relative to the first or last timeslot of the first or last PRS instance of the positioning frequency layer. That is, each reported timestamp will be the amount of time between the first or last timeslot of the first or last PRS instance of the positioning frequency layer and the time when the UE performs the associated positioning measurement. For example, the reference point may be 3ms later than the last timeslot of the PRS resource carrying the PRS instance. When the serving base station receives the MAC-CE packet containing the measurement report, it may know exactly when the report was sent, and thus which PRS was measured.

[0142] Still referring to the first option, if the PRS resources of a PRS instance span some number "X" milliseconds, the reported timestamps may be relative to the start of the PRS instance. Thus, for example, for X=20 ms in FR1 with 30 kHz, only log2(40)=6 bits would be needed to report the differential timestamp. For another example, for X=40 ms in FR2 with 120 kHz, only log2(40*8)=9 bits would be needed to report the differential timestamp. For uplink reference signals, if the SRS resources of an SRS instance span "X" milliseconds, the timestamps may be reported relative to the start of the SRS instance.

[0143] As a second option, the reference point of the timestamp can be configured by the network (e.g., a serving base station). In this case, the UE receives signaling that provides a reference point for the timestamp of the next positioning report (e.g., a PSI report). For example, the UE may receive a downlink MAC-CE command that contains which time point should be the reference point for calculating the differential timestamp, and the duration or bit width (i.e., size in bits) of the timestamp. For another example, the UE may receive a DCI that schedules a positioning report, or a DCI that schedules PRS resources to be reported.

[0144] As a third option, the UE may report a common reference point for all measurements in the positioning report, and then provide a differential timestamp for each measurement with respect to that reference point. The common reference point may be reported by the UE via higher layer signaling (e.g., LPP), or may be reported in a lower layer report at a lower duty cycle than the positioning report. For example, if the differential timestamp is reported in L1 (e.g., in UCI), the common reference point may be reported in L2 (e.g., in a MAC-CE packet).

[0145] In one aspect, the UE may indicate that the timestamps of the last "Y" PRS instances are reported relative to a reference point. For example, a UE may report relative timestamps of PRS measurements from the last two PRS instances (i.e., Y=2), while another UE may report relative timestamps of PRS measurements from a single PRS instance (i.e., Y=1).

[0146] In one aspect, the UE may only be able to report relative timestamps of the time slots in which the PRS or SRS resources are configured. Therefore, to cover the time domain of one second, for example, where the PRS is configured in only a 100ms region within the one second, the timestamp only needs to be able to uniquely identify a point within 100ms within the one second period. That is, the reference point will be a one-second boundary, and the timestamp will need to have enough bits to represent a point in time within 100ms relative to the one-second boundary. Figure 8 This example is illustrated in FIG. Specifically, Figure 8 A timeline 800 is illustrated in which PRS is transmitted in 25 ms "blocks" (which may be one or more consecutive PRS instances, one or more consecutive time slots in which PRS is transmitted, etc.) within some length of time, such as one second. The reported timestamps would need to be able to index only within the PRS instances or time slots, etc., in which the PRS was scheduled.

[0147] In one aspect, the UE may report a common reference point for the timestamps of all measurements for multiple types of positioning methods (e.g., DL-TDOA, multi-RTT, DL-AoD). The UE may also report the same differential timestamp for different measurement types, thereby eliminating the need to report differential timestamps for each measurement. For example, if the UE has been configured to report RSTD, Rx-Tx time difference, and RSRP measurements, the UE will most likely perform these measurements on the same PRS resources. In this way, the timestamps associated with each type of measurement will be the same or very close. If they are the same, the UE may report only one timestamp for each group of positioning measurements (e.g., RSTD, Rx-Tx time difference, and RSRP measurements) made on the same PRS resource. If the timestamps are different, the UE may report one timestamp for the positioning measurement group relative to the reference point and report the remaining timestamps for the positioning measurement group as the difference between the reference timestamp and the time when the remaining positioning measurements were performed.

[0148] In one aspect, when the UE reports additional measurements (e.g., additional RSTD, RSRP, or Rx-Tx time difference measurements) (which would otherwise be reported in the "NR-DL-TDOA-AdditionalMeasurementElement" IE 640), the same differential timestamp may be applied to all additional measurements, or the additional measurements may be associated with differential timestamp reporting to reduce overhead. In the latter case, similar to the above, the UE will report one differential timestamp of one of the additional positioning measurements as the reference timestamp, and report each of the remaining timestamps as the difference between the reference timestamp and the time when the corresponding additional positioning measurement was performed.

[0149] In one aspect, the UE may determine a relative timestamp but not report it. The reason that the UE may not need to report the timestamp is that both the base station and the UE know when the PRS is scheduled, and when the report is sent at the lower layers, they also know the exact time when the PSI report is received at the base station. Therefore, the timestamp may be determined by the base station based on a specified rule. For example, the timestamp may correspond to the earliest / latest / mid-slot / frame of the latest PRS instance, or to the span of the latest PRS instance, or some other similar rule.

[0150] As will be appreciated, by determining (and optionally reporting) the timestamp relative to a reference point (i.e., as the amount of time between the reference point and the time when the associated positioning measurement was performed, rather than as an absolute value), fewer bits are required to report the timestamp, thereby reducing signaling overhead. Figure 5 As described, a low layer report including positioning measurements and a timestamp may be reported to a serving base station (or LMC).

[0151] Fig. 9 An example method 900 of wireless communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In an aspect, the method 900 may be performed by a UE (eg, any UE described herein).

[0152] At 910, the UE performs at least one positioning measurement on at least one DL-PRS received from the TRP during the positioning session. In an aspect, operation 910 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered as means for performing the operation.

[0153] At 920, the UE reports the value of at least one positioning measurement to a positioning entity (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272, LMC 226, external client 570, serving base station (with or without LMC 226), etc.) via low layer signaling. In an aspect, operation 920 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered as means for performing the operation.

[0154] At 930, the UE determines (and optionally reports to the positioning entity via low layer signaling) a timestamp of at least one positioning measurement relative to a reference point, wherein the timestamp includes an amount of time between the reference point and the time when the at least one positioning measurement is valid. In an aspect, operation 930 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0155] Fig.10 An example method 1000 of wireless communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In an aspect, the method 1000 may be performed by a network entity (eg, any base station, LMC, etc. described herein).

[0156] At 1010, the network entity receives, via low layer signaling, from a UE (e.g., any UE described herein), a value of at least one positioning measurement of at least one DL-PRS, the value of the at least one positioning measurement being received at a reception time during a positioning session between the network entity and the UE. In an aspect, operation 1010 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0157] At 1020, the network entity determines a reference point for a timestamp of at least one positioning measurement. In an aspect, operation 1020 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0158] At 1030, the network entity determines a timestamp based on the reception time, the reference point, and the offset, wherein the timestamp includes an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid. In an aspect, operation 1030 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 350, one or more processors 384, memory 386, and / or positioning component 388, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0159] It will be appreciated that a technical advantage of methods 900 and 1000 is that signaling overhead for low-layer positioning measurement reporting is reduced.

[0160] It can be seen in the detailed description above that different features are combined together in the examples. This disclosure should not be interpreted as an example clause having more features than those explicitly mentioned in each clause. On the contrary, various aspects of the present disclosure may include less than all the features of the disclosed single example clause. Therefore, the following clauses should be deemed to be included in the specification, where each clause itself can serve as a separate example. Although each dependent clause can be referenced in a clause in a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the various aspects of the dependent clause are not limited to a specific combination. It should be understood that other example clauses may also include a combination of one or more dependent clause aspects with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause, or any combination of features with other dependent clauses and independent clauses. Various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations, unless it is explicitly expressed or it can be easily inferred that a specific combination is not intended (e.g., contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as an insulator and a conductor). In addition, it is also intended that various aspects of the clause can be included in any other independent clause, even if the clause is not directly subordinate to the independent clause.

[0161] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0162] Clause 1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: performing at least one positioning measurement on at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) received from a transmit-receive point (TRP) during a positioning session; reporting a value of the at least one positioning measurement to a positioning entity via low layer signaling; and determining a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement relative to a reference point, wherein the timestamp includes an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid.

[0163] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the reference point is relative to a symbol, a slot boundary, a subframe boundary, or a frame boundary.

[0164] Clause 3. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 2, wherein the reference point is a time period after a last time slot containing a last DL-PRS instance of at least one DL-PRS.

[0165] Clause 4. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the reference point is the start of a DL-PRS instance comprising at least one DL-PRS.

[0166] Clause 5. The method of clause 4, wherein the DL-PRS resource based on the DL-PRS instance spans more than a threshold time period, the reference point being the beginning of the DL-PRS instance containing at least one DL-PRS.

[0167] Clause 6. A method as described in any one of clauses 1 to 5, further comprising: receiving the size of the reference point and the timestamp from the TRP via second lower layer signaling.

[0168] Clause 7. The method of clause 6, wherein the second lower layer signaling comprises a medium access control control element (MAC-CE) command or downlink control information (DCI).

[0169] Clause 8. The method of any of clauses 1 to 7, wherein the at least one positioning measurement comprises a plurality of positioning measurements.

[0170] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, further comprising determining a timestamp for each of the plurality of positioning measurements relative to the reference point, wherein each timestamp comprises an amount of time between the reference point and a time at which a corresponding positioning measurement of the plurality of positioning measurements is valid.

[0171] Clause 10. A method as described in any of clauses 8 to 9, wherein the plurality of positioning measurements comprises positioning measurements of a plurality of different positioning methods performed by the UE during a positioning session.

[0172] Clause 11. A method according to clause 10, wherein the reference point is applied to all positioning measurements of a plurality of different positioning methods.

[0173] Clause 12. A method as set out in any of clauses 10 to 11, wherein the UE determines only one timestamp for each set of positioning measurements performed on the same DL-PRS.

[0174] Clause 13. The method of any of clauses 10 to 12, further comprising: reporting an additional plurality of positioning measurements associated with a plurality of different positioning methods; and determining a timestamp of the additional plurality of positioning measurements relative to the reference point.

[0175] Clause 14. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 13, further comprising: reporting the reference point to a TRP or a positioning entity.

[0176] Clause 15. A method as described in clause 14, wherein: the reference point is reported via higher layer signaling or the reference point is reported via lower layer signaling with a longer duty cycle than the value of the at least one positioning measurement.

[0177] Clause 16. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 15, wherein the reference point is applied to a threshold number of the most recent DL-PRS instances.

[0178] Clause 17. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 16, wherein the timestamp comprises sufficient bits to specify the time of at least one positioning measurement within a subset of time slots in which the DL-PRS is scheduled within a given time period.

[0179] Clause 18. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 17, wherein the reference point comprises a timestamp of a further measurement of the further DL-PRS performed by the UE during the positioning session.

[0180] Clause 19. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 18, further comprising: reporting a timestamp of at least one positioning measurement relative to a reference point to a positioning entity via low layer signalling.

[0181] Clause 20. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 19, wherein the low layer signalling comprises uplink control information (UCI) or MAC-CE signalling.

[0182] Clause 21. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 20, wherein: the positioning entity comprises a base station associated with the TRP or a location management component (LMC) associated with the TRP, and the TRP is a serving TRP.

[0183] Clause 22. A method of wireless communication performed by a network entity, comprising: receiving, via low layer signaling, from a user equipment (UE) a value of at least one positioning measurement for at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the value of the at least one positioning measurement being received at a reception time during a positioning session between the network entity and the UE; determining a reference point for a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement; and determining the timestamp based on the reception time, the reference point, and an offset, wherein the timestamp comprises an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid.

[0184] Clause 23. A method as described in clause 22, wherein the reference point is relative to a symbol, a slot boundary, a subframe boundary or a frame boundary.

[0185] Clause 24. A method according to any of clauses 22 to 23, wherein the reference point is a time period after a last time slot containing a last DL-PRS instance of at least one DL-PRS.

[0186] Clause 25. A method according to any of clauses 22 to 24, wherein the reference point is the start of a DL-PRS instance comprising at least one DL-PRS.

[0187] Clause 26. The method of clause 25, wherein the DL-PRS resource based on the DL-PRS instance spans more than a threshold time period, the reference point being the beginning of the DL-PRS instance containing the at least one DL-PRS.

[0188] Clause 27. A method as set forth in any of clauses 22 to 26, wherein determining the reference point comprises receiving the reference point from the UE.

[0189] Clause 28. A method as described in clause 27, wherein: the reference point is received via higher layer signaling or the reference point is received via lower layer signaling with a longer duty cycle than a value of the at least one positioning measurement.

[0190] Clause 29. A method as described in any of clauses 22 to 28, wherein the reference point is applied to a threshold number of nearest DL-PRS instances.

[0191] Clause 30. A method as described in any of clauses 22 to 29, wherein the timestamp comprises sufficient bits to specify the time of at least one positioning measurement within a subset of time slots in which the DL-PRS is scheduled within a given time period.

[0192] Clause 31. A method as set forth in any of clauses 22 to 30, wherein the reference point comprises a timestamp of a further measurement of the further DL-PRS performed by the UE during the positioning session.

[0193] Clause 32. A method as set forth in any of clauses 22 to 31, wherein the offset comprises a length of time between a time at which the UE measures the at least one DL-PRS and a time at which the UE transmits a value of the at least one positioning measurement.

[0194] Clause 33. A method as described in any of clauses 22 to 32, wherein the low layer signalling comprises uplink control information (UCI) or MAC-CE signalling.

[0195] Clause 34. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 33, wherein the network entity comprises: a base station serving the UE, or a location management component (LMC).

[0196] Clause 35. An apparatus comprising a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the memory, the at least one transceiver, and the at least one processor configured to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 34.

[0197] Clause 36. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 34.

[0198] Clause 37. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions including at least one instruction for causing a computer or a processor to perform the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 34.

[0199] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of a variety of different technologies and techniques may be used to represent information and signals. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0200] In addition, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described in the form of their functions above. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. The technician can implement the described functions in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing deviations from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0201] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0202] The methods, sequences and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An example storage medium is coupled to a processor so that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE). In an alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside in a user terminal as discrete components.

[0203] In one or more example aspects, the described functions can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored on a computer-readable medium or sent as one or more instructions or codes. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is sent from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves, coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc as used herein include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, where discs usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0204] Although the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and / or actions of the method claims according to the various aspects of the present disclosure described herein do not need to be performed in any particular order. In addition, although the elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural form is encompassed unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: performing at least one positioning measurement on at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) received from a transmit-receive point (TRP) during a positioning session; reporting a value of the at least one positioning measurement to a positioning entity via low layer signaling; as well as determining a timestamp for the at least one positioning measurement relative to a reference point, wherein the timestamp comprises an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid, and wherein the timestamp comprises sufficient bits to specify a time for the at least one positioning measurement within a subset of time slots in which a DL-PRS is scheduled within a given time period.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The reference point is relative to a symbol, a slot boundary, a subframe boundary, or a frame boundary.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The reference point is a time period after a last time slot containing a last DL-PRS instance of the at least one DL-PRS.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The reference point is the beginning of a DL-PRS instance including the at least one DL-PRS.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: Based on a DL-PRS resource of the DL-PRS instance spanning more than a threshold time period, the reference point is the start of the DL-PRS instance including the at least one DL-PRS.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The size of the reference point and the timestamp are received from the TRP via a second lower layer signaling.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The second low layer signaling includes a medium access control control element (MAC-CE) command or downlink control information (DCI).

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one positioning measurement comprises a plurality of positioning measurements.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: A timestamp is determined for each of the plurality of positioning measurements relative to the reference point, wherein each timestamp comprises an amount of time between the reference point and a time at which a corresponding positioning measurement of the plurality of positioning measurements is valid.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The plurality of positioning measurements include positioning measurements of a plurality of different positioning methods performed by the UE during the positioning session.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The reference point is applied to all the positioning measurements of the plurality of different positioning methods.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The UE determines only one timestamp for each set of positioning measurements performed on the same DL-PRS.

13. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: reporting an additional plurality of positioning measurements associated with the plurality of different positioning methods; as well as A time stamp is determined for the additional plurality of positioning measurements relative to the reference point.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Report the reference point to the TRP or the positioning entity.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The reference point is reported via higher layer signaling, or The reference point is reported via low layer signaling with a longer duty cycle than the value of the at least one positioning measurement.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The reference point applies to a threshold number of the most recent DL-PRS instances.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The reference point comprises a timestamp of another measurement of another DL-PRS performed by the UE during the positioning session.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement relative to the reference point is reported to the positioning entity via the low layer signaling.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The low layer signaling includes uplink control information (UCI) or MAC-CE signaling.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein: The positioning entity includes a base station associated with the TRP or a location management component (LMC) associated with the TRP, and The TRP is a service TRP.

21. A method of wireless communication performed by a network entity, comprising: receiving, from a user equipment (UE) via low layer signaling, a value of at least one positioning measurement for at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the value of the at least one positioning measurement being received at a reception time during a positioning session between the network entity and the UE; determining a reference point for a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement; as well as The timestamp is determined based on the reception time, the reference point, and an offset, wherein the timestamp comprises an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid, and wherein the timestamp comprises sufficient bits to specify the time of the at least one positioning measurement within a subset of time slots in which DL-PRS is scheduled within a given time period.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein: The reference point is relative to a symbol, a slot boundary, a subframe boundary, or a frame boundary.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein: The reference point is a time period after a last time slot containing a last DL-PRS instance of the at least one DL-PRS.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein: The reference point is the beginning of a DL-PRS instance including the at least one DL-PRS.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein: Based on a DL-PRS resource of the DL-PRS instance spanning more than a threshold time period, the reference point is the start of the DL-PRS instance including the at least one DL-PRS.

26. The method according to claim 21, wherein: Determining the reference point includes: The reference point is received from the UE.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein: The reference point is received via higher layer signaling, or The reference point is received via low layer signaling with a longer duty cycle than the value of the at least one positioning measurement.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein: The reference point applies to a threshold number of the most recent DL-PRS instances.

29. The method according to claim 21, wherein: The reference point comprises a timestamp of another measurement of another DL-PRS performed by the UE during the positioning session.

30. The method of claim 21, wherein: The offset comprises a length of time between a time when the UE measures the at least one DL-PRS and a time when the UE sends the value of the at least one positioning measurement.

31. The method of claim 21, wherein: The low layer signaling includes uplink control information (UCI) or MAC-CE signaling.

32. The method of claim 21, wherein: The network entity comprises: a base station serving the UE, or Location Management Component (LMC).

33. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; as well as at least one processor, communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: performing at least one positioning measurement on at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) received from a transmit-receive point (TRP) during a positioning session; reporting, via the at least one transceiver, a value of the at least one positioning measurement to a positioning entity via low layer signaling; as well as determining a timestamp for the at least one positioning measurement relative to a reference point, wherein the timestamp comprises an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid, and wherein the timestamp comprises sufficient bits to specify a time for the at least one positioning measurement within a subset of time slots in which a DL-PRS is scheduled within a given time period.

34. The UE according to claim 33, wherein: The reference point is relative to a symbol, a slot boundary, a subframe boundary, or a frame boundary.

35. The UE according to claim 33, wherein: The reference point is a time period after a last time slot containing a last DL-PRS instance of the at least one DL-PRS.

36. The UE according to claim 33, wherein: The reference point is the beginning of a DL-PRS instance including the at least one DL-PRS.

37. The UE according to claim 36, wherein: Based on a DL-PRS resource of the DL-PRS instance spanning more than a threshold time period, the reference point is the start of the DL-PRS instance including the at least one DL-PRS.

38. The UE according to claim 33, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: Via the at least one transceiver, the size of the reference point and the timestamp are received from the TRP via a second lower layer signaling.

39. The UE according to claim 38, wherein: The second low layer signaling includes a medium access control control element (MAC-CE) command or downlink control information (DCI).

40. The UE according to claim 33, wherein: The at least one positioning measurement comprises a plurality of positioning measurements.

41. The UE according to claim 40, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: A timestamp is determined for each of the plurality of positioning measurements relative to the reference point, wherein each timestamp comprises an amount of time between the reference point and a time at which a corresponding positioning measurement of the plurality of positioning measurements is valid.

42. The UE according to claim 40, wherein: The plurality of positioning measurements include positioning measurements of a plurality of different positioning methods performed by the UE during the positioning session.

43. The UE according to claim 42, wherein: The reference point is applied to all the positioning measurements of the plurality of different positioning methods.

44. The UE according to claim 42, wherein: The UE determines only one timestamp for each set of positioning measurements performed on the same DL-PRS.

45. The UE according to claim 42, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: reporting an additional plurality of positioning measurements associated with the plurality of different positioning methods; and A time stamp is determined for the additional plurality of positioning measurements relative to the reference point.

46. ​​The UE according to claim 33, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: Report the reference point to the TRP or the positioning entity.

47. The UE according to claim 46, wherein: The reference point is reported via higher layer signaling, or The reference point is reported via low layer signaling with a longer duty cycle than the value of the at least one positioning measurement.

48. The UE according to claim 33, wherein: The reference point applies to a threshold number of the most recent DL-PRS instances.

49. The UE according to claim 33, wherein: The reference point comprises a timestamp of another measurement of another DL-PRS performed by the UE during the positioning session.

50. The UE according to claim 33, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: The timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement relative to the reference point is reported to the positioning entity via the low layer signaling.

51. The UE according to claim 33, wherein: The low layer signaling includes uplink control information (UCI) or MAC-CE signaling.

52. The UE of claim 33, wherein: The positioning entity includes a base station associated with the TRP or a location management component (LMC) associated with the TRP, and The TRP is a service TRP.

53. The UE according to claim 33, wherein: The positioning entity includes: a base station serving the UE, or Location Management Component (LMC).

54. A network entity comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; as well as at least one processor, communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: receiving, via the at least one transceiver, from a user equipment (UE) via low layer signaling, a value of at least one positioning measurement for at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the value of the at least one positioning measurement being received at a reception time during a positioning session between the network entity and the UE; determining a reference point for a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement; as well as The timestamp is determined based on the reception time, the reference point, and an offset, wherein the timestamp comprises an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid, and wherein the timestamp comprises sufficient bits to specify the time of the at least one positioning measurement within a subset of time slots in which DL-PRS is scheduled within a given time period.

55. The network entity according to claim 54, wherein: The reference point is relative to a symbol, a slot boundary, a subframe boundary, or a frame boundary.

56. The network entity of claim 54, wherein: The reference point is a time period after a last time slot containing a last DL-PRS instance of the at least one DL-PRS.

57. The network entity according to claim 54, wherein: The reference point is the beginning of a DL-PRS instance including the at least one DL-PRS.

58. The network entity according to claim 57, wherein: Based on a DL-PRS resource of the DL-PRS instance spanning more than a threshold time period, the reference point is the start of the DL-PRS instance including the at least one DL-PRS.

59. The network entity of claim 54, wherein: The at least one processor being configured to determine the reference point comprises the at least one processor being configured to: The reference point is received from the UE via the at least one transceiver.

60. The network entity of claim 59, wherein: The reference point is received via higher layer signaling, or The reference point is received via low layer signaling with a longer duty cycle than the value of the at least one positioning measurement.

61. The network entity of claim 54, wherein: The reference point applies to a threshold number of the most recent DL-PRS instances.

62. The network entity of claim 54, wherein: The reference point comprises a timestamp of another measurement of another DL-PRS performed by the UE during the positioning session.

63. The network entity of claim 54, wherein: The offset comprises a length of time between a time when the UE measures the at least one DL-PRS and a time when the UE sends the value of the at least one positioning measurement.

64. The network entity of claim 54, wherein: The low layer signaling includes uplink control information (UCI) or MAC-CE signaling.

65. A user equipment (UE), comprising: means for performing at least one positioning measurement on at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) received from a transmit-receive point (TRP) during a positioning session; means for reporting the value of the at least one positioning measurement to a positioning entity via low layer signaling; as well as Means for determining a timestamp for the at least one positioning measurement relative to a reference point, wherein the timestamp comprises an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid, and wherein the timestamp comprises sufficient bits to specify the time of the at least one positioning measurement within a subset of time slots in which DL-PRS is scheduled within a given time period.

66. A network entity comprising: means for receiving, via low layer signaling, from a user equipment (UE) a value of at least one positioning measurement for at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the value of the at least one positioning measurement being received at a reception time during a positioning session between the network entity and the UE; means for determining a reference point for a timestamp of said at least one positioning measurement; as well as means for determining the timestamp based on the reception time, the reference point, and an offset, wherein the timestamp comprises an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid, and wherein the timestamp comprises sufficient bits to specify the time of the at least one positioning measurement within a subset of time slots in which DL-PRS is scheduled within a given time period.

67. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: performing at least one positioning measurement on at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) received from a transmit-receive point (TRP) during a positioning session; reporting a value of the at least one positioning measurement to a positioning entity via low layer signaling; and determining a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement relative to a reference point, wherein the timestamp comprises an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid, and wherein, The timestamp includes sufficient bits to specify the time of the at least one positioning measurement within a subset of time slots in which the DL-PRS is scheduled within a given time period.

68. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network entity, cause the network entity to: receiving, from a user equipment (UE) via low layer signaling, a value of at least one positioning measurement for at least one downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), the value of the at least one positioning measurement being received at a reception time during a positioning session between the network entity and the UE; determining a reference point for a timestamp of the at least one positioning measurement; as well as The timestamp is determined based on the reception time, the reference point, and an offset, wherein the timestamp comprises an amount of time relative to the reference point that the at least one positioning measurement is valid, and wherein the timestamp comprises sufficient bits to specify the time of the at least one positioning measurement within a subset of time slots in which DL-PRS is scheduled within a given time period.

Images