Additional feedback for location detection of deviceless objects using wireless communication signals

Abstract

Techniques for wireless sensing are disclosed herein. In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) measures at least a line of sight (LOS) path and a non-line of sight (NLOS) path of a first downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a first transmission reception point (TRP), measures at least a LOS path and a NLOS path of a second DL-PRS from a second TRP, measures at least a LOS path and a NLOS path of a third DL-PRS from a third TRP, and determines a location of a non-participating target object based at least in part on a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement between a time of arrival (ToA) of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and ToAs of the NLOS paths of the first, second, and third DL-PRSs. In one aspect, the non-participating target object does not participate in determining its own location.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 038,019, filed June 11, 2020, entitled “Additional Feedback for Location Detection of Device-Free Objects Using Wireless Communication Signals,” and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 343,476, filed June 9, 2021, entitled “Additional Feedback for Location Detection of Device-Free Objects Using Wireless Communication Signals,” both of which have been assigned to the assignee of this invention and are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The various aspects of this disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved through several generations, including first-generation analog radiotelephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital radiotelephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, wireless services supporting the Internet, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular and Personal Communication Services (PCS) systems. Known examples of cellular systems include the Advanced Cellular System (AMPS), as well as digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), and Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), among others.

[0005] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), demands higher data transmission speeds, greater connection capacity, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGC), the 5G standard aims to provide tens of megabits per second (Mbps) of data rate for each of tens of thousands of users, and 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) for dozens of employees on an office floor. To support large-scale sensor deployments, it should support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections. Therefore, 5G mobile communication should have significantly improved spectral efficiency compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency significantly reduced compared to the current standard. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following is a simplified summary relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, this summary should not be considered a broad overview relating to all anticipated aspects, nor should it be considered an identification of major or key elements relating to all anticipated aspects or a depiction of the scope associated with any particular aspect. Thus, the sole purpose of this summary is to present, in a simplified form, certain concepts relating to one or more aspects involving the mechanisms disclosed herein, prior to the detailed descriptions presented below.

[0007] In one aspect, a wireless sensing method performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: measuring at least the line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) paths of a first downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a first transmit-receive point (TRP); measuring at least the LOS path and NLOS path of a second DL-PRS from a second TRP; measuring at least the LOS path and NLOS path of a third DL-PRS from a third TRP; and enabling the determination of the location of a non-participating target object based at least in part on a first reference signal time difference (RSTD) between the time of arrival (ToA) of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the first DL-PRS, a second RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the second DL-PRS, and a third RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the third DL-PRS, wherein the non-participating target object does not participate in determining the location of the non-participating target object.

[0008] 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 being configured to: measure at least the line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) paths of a first downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a first transmit-receive point (TRP); measure at least the LOS and NLOS paths of a second DL-PRS from a second TRP; and measure at least the LOS and NLOS paths of a third DL-PRS from a third TRP; and This enables the determination of the location of a non-participating target object based at least in part on a first reference signal time difference (RSTD) between the arrival time (ToA) of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the first DL-PRS, a second RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the second DL-PRS, and a third RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the third DL-PRS, wherein the non-participating target object does not participate in determining the location of the non-participating target object.

[0009] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: components for measuring at least a line-of-sight (LOS) path and a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path of a first downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a first transmit-receive point (TRP); components for measuring at least a LOS path and an NLOS path of a second DL-PRS from a second TRP; components for measuring at least a LOS path and an NLOS path of a third DL-PRS from a third TRP; and components for enabling the determination of the location of a non-participating target object based at least in part on a first reference signal time difference (RSTD) between a time of arrival (ToA) of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and a time of arrival (ToA) of the NLOS path of the first DL-PRS, a second RSTD between the time of arrival (ToA) of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the time of arrival (ToA) of the NLOS path of the second DL-PRS, and a third RSTD between the time of arrival (ToA) of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the time of arrival (ToA) of the NLOS path of the third DL-PRS, wherein the non-participating target object does not participate in determining the location of the non-participating target object.

[0010] 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: at least measure the line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) paths of a first downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a first transmit-receive point (TRP); at least measure the LOS and NLOS paths of a second DL-PRS from a second TRP; at least measure the LOS and NLOS paths of a third DL-PRS from a third TRP; and enable... The location of a non-participating target object can be determined at least in part based on a first reference signal time difference (RSTD) between the arrival time (ToA) of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the first DL-PRS, a second RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the second DL-PRS, and a third RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the third DL-PRS, wherein the non-participating target object does not participate in determining the location of the non-participating target object.

[0011] Based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description, other objects and advantages relating to the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The accompanying drawings are provided to help describe various aspects of this disclosure and are provided only for illustrative purposes and not for limiting them.

[0013] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0014] Figure 2A and 2B An exemplary wireless network architecture according to aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0015] Figure 3A , 3B The 3C and 3C are simplified block diagrams of several example aspects of components that can be implemented in user equipment (UE), base stations, and network entities and configured to support communications as taught in this article.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary frame structure according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a graph showing the change of the radio frequency (RF) channel impulse response over time according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 6The example wireless communication system shown illustrates a positioning process based on Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating an exemplary measurement timing sequence of a TDOA-based positioning process according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 8 This is an exemplary hyperbola illustrating various TDOA-based equations according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 9A and Figure 9B This illustrates a comparison between a standard localization process scenario that only locates the UE and a scenario where both the UE and the device-less object can be located.

[0022] Figure 10 The measurement performed by the UE according to aspects of this disclosure enables the detection of a deviceless object.

[0023] Figure 11 This is an illustration of an exemplary network according to aspects of this disclosure, in which three base stations transmit RF signals to the UE, the RF signals being reflected by a deviceless object.

[0024] Figure 12 This is a diagram of an exemplary network of three base stations, a UE, and a deviceless object according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 13 This is a diagram of an exemplary network of three base stations, a UE, and a deviceless object according to aspects of this disclosure.

[0026] Figure 14 An example method of wireless sensing according to aspects of this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The aspects of this disclosure are provided in the following description and in the accompanying drawings, which are provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects are contemplated without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, well-known elements of this disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of this disclosure.

[0028] The terms “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 superior to other aspects. Similarly, the term “aspects of this disclosure” does not require that all aspects of this disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed.

[0029] Those skilled in the art will understand that the information and signals described below can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and skills. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout this specification can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the intended design, and in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0030] Furthermore, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It should be understood that the various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), program instructions executed by one or more processors, or a combination of both. Additionally, the sequences of actions described herein can be considered to be fully implemented in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause or instruct the associated processor of the device to perform the functions described herein. Therefore, various aspects of this disclosure can be implemented in a variety of different forms, all of which are considered to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each aspect described herein, any corresponding form of that aspect can be described herein as, for example, logic "configured" to "perform the described actions".

[0031] Unless otherwise stated, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” as used herein are not intended to specifically or otherwise limit to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT). Generally, a UE can be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset positioning device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE can be mobile or may (e.g., at certain times) be stationary and can communicate with a Radio Access Network (RAN). The term “UE” as used herein may be interchangeably referred to as “Access Terminal” or “AT,” “Client Equipment,” “Wireless Equipment,” “Subscriber Equipment,” “Subscriber Terminal,” “Subscriber Station,” “User Terminal” or “UT,” “Mobile Equipment,” “Mobile Terminal,” “Mobile Station,” or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and a UE can interconnect with external networks such as the Internet and other UEs via the core network. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, etc.).

[0032] Depending on the network in which it is deployed, a base station may operate according to one of several RATs communicating with the UE, and may be alternatively referred to as an Access Point (AP), Network Node, NodeB, Evolved NodeB (eNB), Next Generation eNB (ng-eNB), New Radio (NR) NodeB (also known as gNB or gNodeB), etc. A base station may primarily be used to support the UE's radio access, including supporting the UE's data, voice, and / or signaling connections. In some systems, the base station may provide purely edge node signaling functions, while in others it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link through which the UE can signal to the base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link through which the base station can signal to the UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term "traffic channel" (TCH) may refer to an uplink / reverse or downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0033] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit-receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs, which may be located in the same location or not. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be the antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. When the term "base station" refers to multiple physical TRPs located in the same location, the physical TRPs may be the antenna array of the base station (e.g., in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or in the case of beamforming at the base station). When the term "base station" refers to multiple physical TRPs not located in one place, the physical TRPs may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a spatially separated antenna network connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Additionally, physical TRPs not located in one place may be the serving base station from which the UE receives measurement reports and neighboring base stations from which the UE is measuring its reference radio frequency (RF) signal. Because the TRP used herein refers to the point where a base station transmits and receives radio signals, references to transmissions from or receptions at a base station will be understood to refer to a specific TRP of the base station.

[0034] In some implementations that support UE positioning, the base station may not support the UE's radio access (e.g., it may not support the UE's data, voice, and / or signaling connections), but may instead send a reference signal to the UE for measurement by the UE, and / or may receive and measure the signal sent by the UE. Such base stations may be referred to as positioning beacons (e.g., when sending signals to the UE) and / or as location measurement units (e.g., when receiving and measuring signals from the UE).

[0035] An “RF signal” refers to an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information across the space between a transmitter and a receiver. The transmitter used herein can send a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, the receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted on different paths between the transmitter and receiver can be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. The RF signal used herein may also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal,” where the term “signal” clearly refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal from the context.

[0036] Figure 1An exemplary wireless communication system 100 according to an aspect of this disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled "BS") and various UEs 104. Base station 102 may include macro cell base stations (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: eNB and / or ng-eNB, wherein the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network; or gNB, wherein the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network; or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0037] Base station 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC) network) via backhaul link 122, and interface with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., location management function (LMF) or secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) via core network 170. Location server 172 can be part of core network 170 or external to core network 170. Among other functions, base station 102 can perform functions related to one or more of the following: user data transmission, 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, non-access stratum (NAS) message distribution, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, and warning message delivery. Base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC / 5GC) via backhaul link 134, which can be a wired or wireless link.

[0038] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by base station 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., via some frequency resources, which are referred to as carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier used to distinguish cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), Enhanced Cell Identifier (ECI), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCI), Cell Global Identifier (CGI), etc.). 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.), where these protocol types can provide access for different types of UEs. Since a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term “cell” can refer to one or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. Furthermore, since the TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" are used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" can also refer to the geographical coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, provided that the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within some portion of the geographical coverage area 110.

[0039] Although the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macro cell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in handover areas), some geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may have a geographic coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macro cell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macro cell base stations can be called a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs) that can provide service to restricted groups called Closed Subscriber Groups (CSGs).

[0040] The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (also known as reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna techniques, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be traversed by one or more carrier frequencies. Carrier allocation may be asymmetrical for downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink than to the uplink).

[0041] 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 via a communication link 154 in unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or WLAN AP 150 may perform a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) or Listen-After-Talk (LBT) process before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0042] Small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell base station 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as WLAN AP 150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can improve the coverage and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0043] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate in mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies for communication with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that contains radio frequency (RF). EHF ranges from 30 GHz to 300 GHz and has wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band can be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW may extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz with wavelengths of 100 mm. Ultra-high frequency (SHF) bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and are also known as centimeter waves. Communication using mmW / near-mmW radio bands has high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it should be understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing description is merely exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0044] Transmit beamforming is a technique that focuses RF signals in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectional). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines the location of a given target device (e.g., a UE) relative to the transmitting network node and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thus providing the receiving device with a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal. To change the directivity of the RF signal during transmission, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an antenna array (called a "phased array" or "antenna array") to create RF wave beams that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are fed to the individual antennas with the correct phase relationship so that radio waves from the individual antennas add together to increase radiation in the desired direction while canceling out radiation in unintended directions.

[0045] Transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning they appear to the same parameters to the receiver (e.g., the 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-location (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 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 transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is 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 transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is 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 transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0046] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver may increase the gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a particular direction to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Therefore, when a receiver beamforms in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher than the beam gain in other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gains in all other directions available to the receiver. This results in a higher received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-dry-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0047] The transmit and receive beams can be spatially correlated. Spatial correlation means that the parameters of the second beam (e.g., transmit or receive beam) of the second reference signal can be derived from information about the first beam (e.g., receive or transmit beam) of the first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam to transmit an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0048] Please note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit or receive beam, depending on the entity forming the beam. For example, if a base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE is forming a downlink beam, the beam is a receive beam to receive the downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit or receive beam, depending on the entity forming the beam. For example, if a base station is forming an uplink beam, the beam is an uplink receive beam, and if a UE is forming an uplink beam, the beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0049] In 5G, the spectrum operated by wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (450MHz to 6000MHz), FR2 (24250MHz to 52600MHz), FR3 (above 52600MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). The mmW band typically includes the FR2, FR3, and FR4 frequency ranges. Therefore, the terms "mmW" and "FR2" or "FR3" or "FR4" are often used interchangeably.

[0050] In multi-carrier systems, such as 5G, one carrier frequency is referred to as the "primary carrier," "anchor carrier," "primary serving cell," or "PCell," while the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers," "secondary serving cells," or "SCell." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier operates on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) used by UE 104 / 182 and on the cell where UE 104 / 182 performs an initial Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and may be a carrier on a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured once an RRC connection is established between UE 104 and the anchor carrier and can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier may be a carrier on an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may only include necessary signaling information and signals; for example, UE-specific signals may not be present on the secondary carrier because the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 within a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. For example, this is to balance the load on different carriers. Since a “serving cell” (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier that a base station is communicating on, the terms “cell,” “serving cell,” “component carrier,” “carrier frequency,” etc., are used interchangeably.

[0051] For example, still refer to Figure 1 One of the frequencies used by macro cell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), while the other frequencies used by macro cell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 can be auxiliary carriers ("SCell"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception on multiple carriers enables UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, compared to a single 20MHz carrier, two aggregated 20MHz carriers in a multi-carrier system theoretically result in a data rate increase of two times (i.e., 40MHz).

[0052] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164, which can communicate with the macro cell base station 102 via communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 via mmW communication link 184. For example, the macro cell base station 102 may support PCells 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.

[0053] exist Figure 1 In the example shown, any of the illustrated UEs (for simplicity) Figure 1 The UE 104 (illustrated as a single UE 104) can receive signal 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting spacecraft (SV) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, SV 112 may be part of a satellite positioning system, which the UE 104 may use as an independent source of location information. Satellite positioning systems typically include transmitter systems (e.g., SV 112) positioned such that receivers (e.g., UE 104) can determine their location on the Earth's surface or in the airspace above the Earth, at least in part, based on positioning signals (e.g., signal 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit signals of repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) codes labeled with chip set numbers. Although typically located in SV 112, transmitters may sometimes be located at ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. UE 104 may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive signal 124 derived from geographic location information from SV 112.

[0054] In satellite positioning systems, the use of signal 124 can be enhanced by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS), which may be associated with or otherwise enabled by one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, SBAS may include augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential correction, etc., such as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), GPS-assisted Geo-Augmented Navigation or GPS and Geo-Augmented Navigation System (GAGAN) and / or similar systems. Therefore, the satellite positioning system as used herein may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0055] In one aspect, SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). Within an NTN, SV 112 is connected to an earth station (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn connects to elements in the 5G network, such as an enhanced base station 102 (without a ground antenna) or a network node in a 5GC. This element, in turn, provides access to other elements within the 5G network and ultimately to entities outside the 5G network, such as internet web servers and other user equipment. In this way, instead of receiving communication signals from terrestrial base station 102, UE 104 may receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV 112.

[0056] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, directly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as "side links"). Figure 1 In the example shown, 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 via this 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 via this link). In this example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be configured via, for example, LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), etc. It supports any well-known D2D RAT, etc.

[0057] Figure 2A An exemplary wireless network architecture 200 is illustrated. For example, the 5GC 210 (also known as the Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally considered 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 cooperate to form the core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, and specifically, to the user plane function 212 and the control plane function 214, respectively. In an additional configuration, the ng-eNB 224 can also connect to the 5GC 210 via the NG-C 215, and further to the control plane function 214, and to the user plane function 212 via the NG-U 213. Furthermore, the ng-eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a 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 both ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. Either gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224 (or both) may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0058] Another optional aspect may include location server 230, which can communicate with 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to UE 204. Location server 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically independent servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or each server may alternately correspond to a single server. Location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for UE 204, which can connect to location server 230 via core network 5GC 210 and / or via the Internet (not shown). Furthermore, location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or optionally may be external to the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or service server).

[0059] Figure 2B Another exemplary wireless network architecture 250.5GC 260 is shown (which may correspond to...) Figure 2AThe 5GC210 in the document can be functionally viewed as a control plane function provided by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by the User Plane Function (UPF) 262, which work together to form the core network (i.e., 5GC260). The AMF 264 functions 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 the 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 UEs 204 and the Short Message Service Function (SMSF) (not shown), and the Security Anchor Function (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with the Authentication Server Function (AUSF) (not shown) and UEs 204, and receives an intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204's authentication process. In the case of authentication based on the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The AMF 264 also includes Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF to derive access network-specific keys. The AMF 264 also includes location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (acting as a location server 230), transmission of location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifier allocation for interoperability with EPS, and UE 204 mobility event notification. Furthermore, the AMF 264 supports functions for non-3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0060] The functions of UPF 262 include serving as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (if applicable), 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, reflected QoS marking in downlink), uplink traffic authentication (Service Data Flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), uplink and downlink transport-level packet marking, 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 between UE 204 and location servers such as SLP 272 via the user plane.

[0061] The functions of SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic bootstrapping at UPF 262 to route traffic to the correct destination, control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface between SMF 266 and AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0062] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which can communicate with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically independent servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or each server may alternately correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network 5GC 260 and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 can support similar functionality to the LMF 270, while the LMF 270 can communicate with the AMF 264, NG-RAN 220, and UE 204 via the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols designed to transmit signaling messages but not voice or data), and the SLP 272 can communicate with the UE 204 and external clients via the user plane (e.g., using protocols designed to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP). Figure 2B (Not shown in the image) Communication.

[0063] User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect 5GC 260, specifically UPF 262 and AMF 264, to one or more gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 in NG-RAN 220, respectively. The interface between gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and AMF 264 is referred to as the "N2" interface, and the interface between gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and UPF 262 is referred to as the "N3" interface. The gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 of NG-RAN 220 can communicate directly with each other via backhaul connection 223, referred to as the "Xn-C" interface. One or more of gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 via a radio interface referred to as the "Uu" interface.

[0064] The functions of gNB 222 are divided between gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226 and one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DU) 228. The interface 232 between gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DU 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions such as transmitting user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and session management, but excludes those functions specifically allocated to gNB-DU 228. More specifically, gNB-CU 226 hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols of gNB 222. gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) layers of gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, and a cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. Therefore, UE 204 communicates with gNB-CU226 through the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers and with gNB-DU 228 through the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers.

[0065] Figure 3A , 3B The diagram shows that it can 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 implement any network function described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent of UE 302). Figure 2A and 2B The illustrated NG-RAN220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (e.g., a private network) includes several exemplary components (represented by corresponding boxes) to support the file transfer operations 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, a system-on-a-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components can also be incorporated into other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Furthermore, a given device may contain one or more 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.

[0066] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, providing components for communication (e.g., components for transmitting, components for receiving, components for measurement, components for tuning, components for blocking transmission, etc.) via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc. WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes, such as other UEs, access points, base stations (eNB, gNB), etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) on an associated wireless communication medium (e.g., a certain set of time / frequency resources in a particular spectrum). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured differently to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), respectively, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) according to the designated RAT, respectively. Specifically, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively, and one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0067] UE 302 and base station 304, in at least some cases, also include one or more short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide the capability to communicate over the relevant wireless communication medium via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, etc.). Components (e.g., components for transmitting, components for receiving, components for measuring, components for tuning, components for blocking transmission, etc.) that communicate with other network nodes such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc., including PC5, Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC), Wireless Access in Vehicle Environments (WAVE), Near Field Communication (NFC), etc. Short-range transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured differently to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) respectively, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) respectively according to a specified RAT. Specifically, short-range transceivers 320 and 360 each include one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368 respectively, and one or more receivers 322 and 362 for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368 respectively. As a specific example, short-range transceivers 320 and 360 can be WiFi transceivers, transceiver and / or Transceiver, NFC transceiver, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceiver.

[0068] UE 302 and base station 304 also include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370, at least in some cases. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and may each provide components for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378. When satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, NAVIC signals, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) signals, etc. When satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 may be communication signals originating from a 5G network (e.g., carrying control and / or user data). Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may appropriately request information and operations from other systems, and in at least some cases, perform calculations to determine the locations of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively, using measurements obtained through any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm.

[0069] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, providing components (e.g., components for transmitting, components for receiving, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, base station 304 can use 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. As another example, network entity 306 can use 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.

[0070] Transceivers can be configured to communicate via wired or wireless links. A transceiver (wired or wireless) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some embodiments, the transceiver may be an integrated device (e.g., transmitter and receiver circuitry implemented in a single device), in some embodiments it may include separate transmitter and receiver circuitry, or it may be implemented in other ways in other embodiments. The transmitter and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some embodiments) may be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. 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 an antenna array, which allows corresponding devices (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform the transmit "beamforming" described herein. Similarly, 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 an antenna array, which allows corresponding devices (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform the beamforming described herein. In one aspect, transmitter and receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that each device can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than simultaneously. Wireless transceivers (e.g., WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include network listening modules (NLMs) for performing various measurements.

[0071] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390 in some embodiments) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some embodiments) can generally be characterized as "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Therefore, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver can be deduced from the type of communication performed. For example, backhaul communication between network devices or servers will typically involve signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communication between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) will typically involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0072] 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 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394 for providing functions related to, for example, wireless communication, and for providing other processing functions. Processors 332, 384, and 394 can therefore provide components for processing, such as components for determining, components for calculating, components for receiving, components for transmitting, means for indicating, etc. In one aspect, processors 332, 384, and 394 may 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 circuitry, or various combinations thereof.

[0073] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 include memory circuitry that implements memories 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Memories 340, 386, and 396 can thus provide components for storage, retrieval, maintenance, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may include sensing components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. Sensing components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuitry that is 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 respects, sensing components 342, 388, and 398 may be located outside of processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, sensing components 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by processors 332, 384, and 394 (or the modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A The possible locations of the sensing component 342 are shown. It may be part of one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332 or any combination thereof, or it may be a standalone component. Figure 3B The possible locations of the sensing component 388 are shown. It may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384 or any combination thereof, or it may be a standalone component. Figure 3CThe possible locations of the sensing component 398 are shown. It may be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394 or any combination thereof, or it may be a standalone component.

[0074] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide components for sensing or detecting motion and / or orientation information 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 satellite signal receivers 330. For example, sensor 344 may include accelerometers (e.g., microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, sensor 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine the outputs of these devices to provide motion information. For example, sensor 344 may use a combination of multi-axis accelerometers and orientation sensors to provide the ability to calculate position in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0075] In addition, UE 302 includes a user interface 346, which provides components for providing instructions to the user (e.g., auditory and / or visual instructions) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., after the user activates a sensing device such as a keyboard, touchscreen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, base station 304 and network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0076] Referring more specifically to one or more processors 384, in the downlink, IP packets from network entity 306 can be provided to processor 384. One or more processors 384 can implement functions for the RRC layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Media Access Control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may provide: RRC layer functions associated with broadcast 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 change, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with upper-layer PDU transmission, error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC Service Data Units (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, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority processing, and logical channel priority.

[0077] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 can implement Layer 1 (L1) functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1 includes a physical (PHY) layer, which may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, physical channel modulation / demodulation, and MIMO antenna processing. 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-order quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The encoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined using inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying the 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 scheme, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate can be derived from the reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by UE 302. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. Transmitter 354 can modulate the RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0078] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives signals via its respective antenna 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream destined for UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 302, they can be combined by receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to transform the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. Symbols and reference signals on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the most probable signal constellation points transmitted by 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 transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332, which implement layer 3 (L3) and layer 2 (L2) functions.

[0079] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0080] Similar to the functions described in the downlink transmission description of base station 304, one or more processors 332 provide: RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connectivity, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with upper-layer PDU transmission, error correction via 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 onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), priority processing, and logical channel priority.

[0081] Transmitter 314 can use a reference signal transmitted from base station 304 by channel estimator or a channel estimate derived from feedback to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by transmitter 314 can be provided to different antennas 316. Transmitter 314 can modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0082] Uplink transmissions are processed at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver function at UE 302. Receiver 352 receives signals via its respective antenna 356. Receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides that information to one or more processors 384.

[0083] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from the UE 302. IP packets from one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. One or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0084] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 are in Figure 3A , 3B As shown in 3C, where Figure 3A , 3B 3C includes a variety of components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the components shown may have different functionalities in different designs. Specifically, Figures 3A to 3C The various components shown are optional in alternative configurations, and each aspect includes configurations that may vary due to design choices, cost, equipment usage, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A In certain scenarios, specific implementations of UE 302 may omit WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., wearable devices, tablets, PCs, or laptops may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities but no cellular capabilities), or short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., cellular only), or satellite signal receiver 330, or sensor 344, etc. In another example, in... Figure 3B In certain scenarios, specific implementations of base station 304 may omit WWAN transceiver 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular capabilities), or short-range wireless transceiver 360 (e.g., cellular only), or satellite receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, descriptions of various alternative configurations are not provided herein, but will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

[0085] Various components of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can be communicatively coupled to each other via data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In one aspect, data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 can form or be part of the communication interface between UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, when different logical entities are implemented in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functions are incorporated into the same base station 304), data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 can provide communication between them.

[0086] Figure 3A , 3B 3C and 3C can be implemented in various ways. In some implementation schemes, Figure 3A , 3B The embodiments of 3C can 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). Each circuit herein 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 can be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 350 to 388 can be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Furthermore, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 390 to 398 can be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE", "by the base station", "by the network entity", etc. However, it should be recognized that such operations, actions and / or functions can 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, sensing components 342, 388 and 398, etc.

[0087] In some designs, network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, network entity 306 may operate differently from the network operator or cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that can be configured to communicate with UE 302 via base station 304 or independently of base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link, such as WiFi).

[0088] Various frame structures can be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 4 This is a diagram 400 illustrating an exemplary frame structure according to aspects of this disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0089] LTE, and in some cases NR, uses OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR can also choose to use OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM partitioning divides the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, often referred to as tones, frequency windows (bins), etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated using data. Typically, modulation symbols are transmitted using OFDM in the frequency domain and SC-FDM in the time domain. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) depends on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing could be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) could be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). As a result, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, the nominal FFT size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. System bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband can cover 1.08MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 5, 10, or 20MHz, there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands.

[0090] LTE supports a single parameter set (numerology) (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple parameter sets (μ), for example, subcarrier spacings of 15kHz (μ=0), 30kHz (μ=1), 60kHz (μ=2), 120kHz (μ=3), and 240kHz (μ=4) or higher. Within each subcarrier spacing, each time slot has 14 symbols. For a 15kHz SCS (μ=0), there is one time slot per subframe, 10 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 1 millisecond (ms), a symbol duration of 66.7 microseconds (μs), and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (MHz) of 50 for a 4K FFT size. For a 30kHz SCS (μ=1), there are two time slots per subframe, 20 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.5ms, a symbol duration of 33.3μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (MHz) of 100 for a 4K FFT size. For a 60kHz SCS (μ=2), there are four time slots per subframe, 40 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.25ms, a symbol duration of 16.7μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (MHz) of 200 for a 4K FFT. For a 120kHz SCS (μ=3), there are eight time slots per subframe, 80 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.125ms, a symbol duration of 8.33μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (MHz) of 400 for a 4K FFT. For a 240kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 time slots per subframe, 160 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.0625ms, a symbol duration of 4.17μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (MHz) of 800 for a 4K FFT.

[0091] exist Figure 4 In the example shown, a 15kHz parameter set (numerology) is used. Therefore, in the time domain, a 10ms frame is divided into 10 equal-sized subframes, each 1ms in size, and each subframe contains one time slot. Figure 4 In this diagram, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), increasing from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0092] A resource grid is used to represent time slots, each of which includes one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also known as physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE can correspond to a symbol length in the time domain and a subcarrier in the frequency domain. Figure 4In the parameter set shown, for a regular cyclic prefix, the RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, the RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 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.

[0093] Some REs can carry reference (pilot) signals (RS). Reference signals may include positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), synchronization signal blocks (SSB), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc., depending on whether the frame structure shown is for uplink or downlink communication. Figure 4 An exemplary location of the RE carrying the reference signal (labeled "R") is shown.

[0094] Figure 5 This is a diagram 500 illustrating the channel impulse response of a multipath channel between a receiver device (e.g., any UE or base station described herein) and a transmitter device (e.g., any other UE or base station described herein) according to various aspects of this disclosure. The channel impulse response represents the strength of a radio frequency (RF) signal (e.g., PRS, PTRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SRS, etc.) received through the multipath channel as a function of time delay. Therefore, the horizontal axis is in units of time (e.g., milliseconds), and the vertical axis is in units of signal strength (e.g., decibels). Note that a multipath channel is a channel between a transmitter and a receiver on which the RF signal travels along multiple paths or multiple paths due to the transmission of the RF signal across multiple beams and / or due to the propagation characteristics of the RF signal (e.g., reflection, refraction, etc.).

[0095] exist Figure 5 In the example shown, the receiver detects / measures multiple (four) channel tap clusters. Each channel tap represents the multiple paths along which the RF signal travels between the transmitter and the receiver. That is, the channel tap represents the arrival of the RF signal on the multipath. Each channel tap cluster represents a corresponding multipath that substantially follows the same path. Different clusters may exist because the RF signals are transmitted on different transmit beams (and therefore at different angles), or because of the propagation characteristics of the RF signals (e.g., potentially following different paths due to reflections), or both.

[0096] All channel tap clusters for a given RF signal represent the multipath channel (or simply channel) between the transmitter and receiver. Figure 5 Under the channel shown, the receiver receives a first cluster of two RF signals at time T1, a second cluster of five RF signals at time T2, a third cluster of five RF signals at time T3, and a fourth cluster of four RF signals at time T4. Figure 5 In the example, since the first cluster of RF signals arrives first at time T1, it is assumed to correspond to the RF signal transmitted on the transmit beam aligned with the LOS or the shortest path. The third cluster at time T3 consists of the strongest RF signals and could correspond to, for example, the RF signal transmitted on the transmit beam aligned with the non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path. Note that although... Figure 5 The diagram shows 2 to 5 channel tap clusters, but it should be understood that the clusters may have more or fewer channel taps than shown.

[0097] NR supports various 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 Departure (DL-AoD) in NR. During OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning, the UE measures the difference between the times of arrival (ToA) of a reference signal (e.g., a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS)) received from a base station and the corresponding reference signal, termed the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) or Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) measurement, and reports it to the positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in auxiliary data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each non-reference base station. Based on the known locations of the base stations involved and the RSTD measurement, the positioning entity can estimate the UE's location.

[0098] For DL-AoD positioning, the positioning entity uses beam reports of received signal strength measurements from multiple downlink transmitted 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 location based on the determined angle and the known location of the transmitting base station.

[0099] 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)) transmitted 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 stations. Based on the determined angle and the known location of the base stations, the positioning entity can estimate the location of the UE.

[0100] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID) positioning and Multiple Round-Trip Time (RTT) positioning (also known as "Multi-Cell RTT"). During RTT, 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 returns an RTT response signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) 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, called the receive-to-transmit (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, called the transmit-to-receive (Tx-Rx) time difference. The propagation time (also known as "time of flight") between the initiator and the responder can be calculated from the Tx-Rx and Rx-Tx time differences. 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 for multiple base stations to determine its location based on the known locations of the base stations (e.g., using multilateration of arrival). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning technologies such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD to improve positioning accuracy.

[0101] 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, estimated times, and signal strengths of detected neighboring base stations. The UE's location is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0102] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide auxiliary data to the UE. For example, auxiliary data may include the identifier of the base station (or the 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 silence 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, auxiliary data may be derived directly from the base station itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). In some cases, the UE may be able to detect neighboring network nodes independently without using auxiliary data.

[0103] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, auxiliary data may also include the expected RSTD value and associated uncertainty, or a search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the expected RSTD value may range from + / - 500 microseconds (μs). In some cases, when any resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1, the uncertainty of the expected RSTD may range from + / - 32 μs. In other cases, when all resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the uncertainty of the expected RSTD may range from + / - 8 μs.

[0104] Location estimates can be referred to by other names, such as location estimation, location, positioning, fixed location, etc. Location estimates can be geodetic values ​​and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possible altitude), or they can be urban locations and include street addresses, postal addresses, or other verbal descriptions of the location. Location estimates can be further defined relative to some other known location or defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possible altitude). Location estimates can include anticipated errors or uncertainties (e.g., by including the area or volume expected to be included within the location at a specified or default confidence level).

[0105] Figure 6 This illustration shows a positioning process based on Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) in an example wireless communication system 600 according to aspects of this disclosure. The TDOA-based positioning process can be an Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) positioning process, as in LTE, or a Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA) positioning process, as in 5G NR. Figure 6In the example shown, UE 604 (e.g., any UE described herein) is attempting to calculate an estimate of its location (referred to as "UE-based" positioning) or assisting another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating its location estimate (referred to as "UE-assisted" positioning). UE 604 may communicate (e.g., send and receive information from) one or more of a plurality of base stations 602 (e.g., any combination of base stations described herein) labeled "BS1" 602-1, "BS2" 602-2, and "BS3" 602-3.

[0106] To support location estimation, base station 602 can be configured to broadcast location reference signals (e.g., PRS, TRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) to UE 604 within its coverage area, enabling UE 604 to measure the characteristics of such reference signals. During TDOA-based positioning, UE 604 measures the time difference between specific downlink reference signals (e.g., PRS, TRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) transmitted by different pairs of base stations 602, referred to as Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) or TDOA, and reports these RSTD measurements to a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272), or calculates the location estimate itself based on the RSTD measurements.

[0107] Typically, in the reference cell (e.g., Figure 6 The example of base station 602-1 supports cells) and one or more neighboring cells (e.g., Figure 6 RSTD is measured between the cells supported by base stations 602-2 and 602-3 in the example. The reference cell remains the same for all RSTDs measured by UE 604 for a single positioning using TDOA, and typically corresponds to the serving cell of UE 604 or another nearby cell with good signal strength at UE 604. In one aspect, neighboring cells will typically be cells supported by base stations different from the reference cell base station, and may have good or poor signal strength at UE 604. Location calculation can be based on the measured RSTDs and knowledge of the location and relative transmission timing of the base stations 602 involved (e.g., whether base stations 602 are accurately synchronized or whether each base station 602 transmits with a known time offset relative to other base stations 602).

[0108] To assist TDOA-based positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP272) can provide auxiliary data to UE 604 for a reference cell and neighboring cells relative to the reference cell. For example, the auxiliary data may include the identifier (e.g., PCI, VCI, CGI, etc.) of each cell in a set of cells that UE 604 intends to measure (here, cells supported by base station 602). The auxiliary data may also provide the center channel frequency of each cell, various reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive positioning slots, the period of the positioning slots, silence sequences, frequency hopping sequences, reference signal identifiers, reference signal bandwidth), and / or other cell-related parameters applicable to the TDOA-based positioning process. The auxiliary data may also indicate the serving cell used by UE 604 as the reference cell.

[0109] In some cases, auxiliary data may also include “expected RSTD” parameters, which provide UE 604 with information about the expected RSTD values ​​that UE 604 will measure between the reference cell and each neighboring cell at its current location, as well as the uncertainty of the expected RSTD parameters. The expected RSTD, along with its associated uncertainty, can define a search window for UE 604 within which it is expected to measure RSTD values. In some cases, the expected RSTD value range may be + / - 500 microseconds (μs). In some cases, when any resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1, the uncertainty value range of the expected RSTD may be + / - 32 μs. In other cases, when all resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the uncertainty value range of the expected RSTD may be + / - 8 μs.

[0110] TDOA auxiliary information may also include positioning reference signal configuration information parameters, which allow UE 604 to determine the timing of the positioning reference signal relative to the reference cell, the time when the positioning reference signal timing occurs on the signals received from each neighboring cell, and to determine the sequence of reference signals sent from each cell to measure the reference signal arrival time (ToA) or RSTD.

[0111] In one respect, while location servers (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) can send auxiliary data to UE 604, alternatively, the auxiliary data can originate directly from base station 602 itself (e.g., periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). Alternatively, UE 604 can detect neighboring base stations themselves without using auxiliary data.

[0112] UE 604 (e.g., partly based on auxiliary data (if provided)) can measure and (optionally) report the RSTD between reference signals received from multiple pairs of base stations 602. Using the RSTD measurement, the known absolute or relative transmission timing of each base station 602, and the known locations of the reference base station and neighboring base stations 602, the network (e.g., location server 230 / LMF 270 / SLP272, base station 602) or UE 604 can estimate the location of UE 604. More specifically, the RSTD of neighboring cell "k" relative to the reference cell "Ref" can be given as (ToA_k ToA_Ref). Figure 6 In the example, the RSTD measured between the reference cell of base station 602-1 and the cells of neighboring base stations 602-2 and 602-3 can be represented as T2-T1 and T3-T1, where T1, T2, and T3 represent the ToA of the reference signals from base stations 602-1, 602-2, and 602-3, respectively. UE 604 (if it is not a location entity) can then send the RSTD measurements to a location server or other location entity. Using (i) the RSTD measurements, (ii) the known absolute or relative transmission timing of each base station 602, (iii) the known location of base station 602, and / or (iv) the characteristics of the directional reference signal, such as the transmission direction, the location of UE 604 can be determined (by UE 604 or the location server).

[0113] In one aspect, the position estimation can specify the position of UE 604 in a two-dimensional (2D) coordinate system; however, the aspects disclosed herein are not limited to this, and the position estimation can also be determined using a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system if an additional dimension is required. Furthermore, although Figure 6 The diagram shows one UE 604 and three base stations 602, but it should be understood that there may be more UE 604s and more base stations 602.

[0114] Still refer to Figure 6 When UE 604 uses RSTD to obtain a location estimate, the location server can provide UE 604 with necessary additional data (e.g., the location of base station 602 and relative transmission timing). In some embodiments, the location estimate of UE 604 can be obtained from RSTD and other measurements from UE 604 (e.g., signal timing measurements from Global Positioning System (GPS) or other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites) (e.g., performed by UE 604 itself or by the location server). In these embodiments, referred to as hybrid positioning, RSTD measurements can help obtain a location estimate of UE 604, but may not be sufficient to definitively determine the location estimate.

[0115] Figure 7This is a diagram 700 illustrating an exemplary measurement timing sequence of a TDOA-based positioning process according to aspects of this disclosure. The TDOA between two network nodes (e.g., base stations) can be obtained from RSTD measurements performed by the UE. In the first phase, as... Figure 7 As shown, the UE measures the RSTD between base station pairs, as referenced above. Figure 6 As described. In Figure 7 In the example shown, the UE measures the ToA of the DL-RS (e.g., PRS) from each of three base stations (denoted as "BS1", "BS2", and "BS3"). Each base station transmits its respective DL-RS simultaneously, indicated by the first vertical dashed line. Alternatively, base stations may transmit their DL-RS at different times, as long as the UE (or other positioning entity) is aware of the difference or offset.

[0116] The first base station (BS1) is the reference base station. Therefore, the UE can calculate the RSTD of the second and third base stations (BS2 and BS3) based on the ToA of the DL-RS from the first base station. Specifically, the UE calculates the difference between the ToA of the DL-RS of the first base station (BS1) (labeled "ToA_BS1") and the ToA of the DL-RS from the second base station (BS2) (labeled "ToA_BS2"), as the RSTD between the first base station (BS1) and the second base station (BS2). The RSTD of the second base station is labeled "RSTD_BS2". The UE calculates the difference between the ToA of the DL-RS of the first base station (BS1) (labeled "ToA_BS1") and the ToA of the DL-RS from the third base station (BS3) (labeled "ToA_BS3"), as the RSTD between the first base station (BS1) and the third base station (BS2). The RSTD of the third base station is labeled "RSTD_BS3".

[0117] During DL-TDOA positioning, the UE may not know the time when the DL-RS signal was sent (by...). Figure 7 The first vertical dashed line in the diagram indicates this. Therefore, the UE may not be able to estimate the propagation time between itself and different base stations. However, it can estimate the propagation time between non-reference base stations (e.g., Figure 7 RSTD (e.g., BS2 and BS3) in BS2 and BS3 Figure 7 RSTD_BS2 and RSTD_BS3 in the example are used because these do not need to know the transmission time of DL-RS, but only that they are transmitted simultaneously or have some known offset.

[0118] In the second phase of the DL-TDOA positioning process, for UE-assisted positioning, the UE reports the calculated RSTD measurement value to a location server (which may be located at the serving base station, the core network, or outside the core network). The location server (or other positioning entity) can use the RSTD measurement value to determine the base station involved (e.g., Figure 7 The hyperbola surrounding the known locations of BS1, BS2, and BS3 in the model is used. The location of the UE is determined as the intersection of the hyperbolas.

[0119] More specifically, the following equations represent the equations from each of the base stations involved (e.g., Figure 7 The range (R) or distance from BS1, BS2 and BS3 in the base station to the UE is the propagation time (T_prop) between the base station and the UE multiplied by the speed of light (c).

[0120]

[0121]

[0122]

[0123] However, the aforementioned range is unknown. Therefore, the location server uses the following equation to determine the hyperbola where the UE might be located.

[0124]

[0125]

[0126] Figure 8 This is a diagram 800 illustrating an exemplary hyperbola that satisfies the above equation. Figure 8 Examples and Figure 7 The example in the diagram is related to the example in the diagram, therefore the diagram is illustrated with... Figure 7 The example shows three base stations corresponding to three base stations labeled "BS1", "BS2", and "BS3". For example... Figure 8 As shown, any point P on the half of hyperbola 810 satisfies the following equation (where the subscript is in...). Figure 8 (indicated by underscores):

[0127]

[0128]

[0129] Similarly, any point P on the half of the hyperbola 820 satisfies the following equation:

[0130]

[0131]

[0132] like Figure 8 As shown, the UE is located at the intersection of two hyperbolas 810 and 820. Therefore, using the DL-TDOA positioning method, if the transmitting base stations are synchronized (or have a known offset), the UE's two-dimensional position estimation only requires three base stations and three ToA measurements (for two RSTDs).

[0133] Wireless communication signals transmitted between the UE and the base station (e.g., RF signals configured to carry OFDM symbols) can be reused for environmental sensing. Using wireless communication signals for environmental sensing can be viewed as consumer-grade radar with advanced detection capabilities, enabling contactless / device-free interaction with devices / systems. These wireless communication signals can be cellular signals, such as LTE or NR signals, WLAN signals, etc. High-frequency communication signals, such as mmW RF signals, are particularly advantageous for use as radar signals because higher frequencies provide more accurate range (distance) detection.

[0134] Possible use cases for RF sensing include: health monitoring use cases, such as heart rate detection and respiratory rate monitoring; gesture recognition use cases, such as human activity recognition, keystroke detection, and sign language recognition; context information acquisition use cases, such as location detection / tracking, direction finding, and range estimation; and automotive radar use cases, such as intelligent cruise control and collision avoidance.

[0135] This disclosure provides techniques for using wireless communication signals to detect the location of unattended objects (i.e., objects that do not transmit wireless signals themselves) or non-participating objects (i.e., objects or devices that may have wireless communication capabilities but are not participating in the location session to be located). At a high level, the UE can receive downlink wireless communication signals from a base station and identify characteristics of the signals that indicate whether the signals were reflected away by the unattended / non-participating object on their way from the base station to the UE. The UE can report the measurements of these characteristics to a location server, and the location server can use these measurements to locate the unattended / non-participating object using DL-TDOA technology.

[0136] Figure 9A and Figure 9B This illustrates a comparison between a standard localization process scenario that only locates the UE and a scenario where both the UE and non-device / non-participating objects can be located. Specifically, Figure 9A This is illustration 910 showing a scenario where three base stations (labeled "BS1", "BS2", and "BS3") transmit RF signals (e.g., PRS) to the UE. The UE can measure the ToA of these RF signals and calculate the RSTD measurement value based on the ToA, as referred to above. Figure 6 and Figure 7 As described above. Then you can refer to the above text. Figure 6 and Figure 8 The description determines the location of the UE.

[0137] Figure 9B It is shown that... Figure 9A The diagram 950 illustrates a scenario where three identical base stations (labeled "BS1", "BS2", and "BS3") transmit RF signals (e.g., PRS) to the UE, but some RF signals are reflected by a non-device / non-participating object. The UE can measure the ToA of the RF signals directly received from the base stations (shown by solid lines) and the ToA of the RF signals reflected by the non-device object (shown by dashed lines).

[0138] More specifically, as described above, a transmitter (e.g., a base station) can send a single RF signal or multiple RF signals to a receiver (e.g., a UE). However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, the receiver may receive multiple RF signals corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. Each path may be associated with one or more channel tap clusters. Typically, the time at which the receiver detects the first channel tap cluster is considered to be the ToA of the RF signal on the LOS path (e.g., ...). Figure 5 "Cluster 1" in the text). Subsequent channel tap clusters (e.g., Figure 5 Clusters 2, 3, and 4 are considered to have been reflected by objects between the transmitter and receiver, and therefore travel along the NLOS path between the transmitter and receiver.

[0139] Therefore, see again Figure 9B Solid lines represent RF signals along the LOS path between the corresponding base station and the UE, while dashed lines represent RF signals along the NLOS path between the corresponding base station and the UE due to reflection by an unrepresented object. The base station may transmit multiple RF signals, some along the LOS path and others along the NLOS path. Alternatively, the base station may each transmit a single RF signal in a sufficiently wide beam such that a portion of the RF signal follows the LOS path and a portion follows the NLOS path.

[0140] Figure 10 This is a diagram 1000 illustrating a measurement performed by a UE according to aspects of this disclosure to achieve detection of a device-free / non-participating object. Figure 10 In the example, with Figure 7 Similar to the example in the diagram, the UE measures the ToA of the DL-RS (e.g., PRS) from each of three base stations (illustrated as "BS1", "BS2", and "BS3"). Each base station transmits its respective DL-RS simultaneously, indicated by the first vertical dashed line. Alternatively, base stations may transmit their DL-RS at different times, as long as the UE (or other positioning entity) is aware of the difference or offset.

[0141] exist Figure 10 In this example, the UE measures the ToA of the DL-RS from each base station along the LOS path (indicated by the first vertical arrow in each timeline). Additionally, the UE measures the ToA of the DL-RS from each base station along the NLOS path (indicated by the second vertical arrow in each timeline). It is assumed that the DL-RS on the NLOS path has been reflected by a non-device / non-participating object. The UE can then calculate the corresponding RSTD.

[0142] exist Figure 10 In the example, the first base station (BS1) is the reference base station. Therefore, the UE can calculate the RSTD of the second and third base stations (BS2 and BS3) based on the ToA along the DL-RS along the LOS, as described above. Figure 7 As described above. These RSTDs are labeled "RSTD_D,BS2" and "RSTD_D,BS3". Furthermore, the UE calculates additional RSTDs for the NLOS path. Specifically, the UE calculates the difference between the ToA of the LOS path (first vertical arrow) and the ToA of the NLOS path (second vertical arrow) as the first additional RSTD for the first base station (BS1). This RSTD is labeled RSTD_R,BS1. The UE calculates the difference between the ToA of the LOS path of the first base station and the ToA of the NLOS path of the second base station as the second additional RSTD for the second base station (BS2). This RSTD is labeled RSTD_R,BS2. The UE calculates the difference between the ToA of the LOS path of the first base station and the ToA of the NLOS path of the third base station as the third additional RSTD for the third base station (BS3). This RSTD is labeled RSTD_R,BS3. The UE can then report these measurements to the location server.

[0143] There are different options regarding the RSTD measurements reported by the UE to the location server. For the first option, the UE can report all calculated RSTD values. For example, refer to... Figure 10 The UE can report the LOS path RSTD set {RSTD_D, BS1, RSTD_D, BS2} and the NLOS path RSTD set {RSTD_R, BS1, RSTD_R, BS2, RSTD_R, BS3}. For the second option, the UE can report the differences between the LOS path RSTD set and the NLOS path RSTD set. For example, refer to... Figure 10The UE can report the LOS path RSTD set {RSTD_D,BS1,RSTD_D,BS2} and the NLOS path RSTD difference set {RSTD_R,BS2-RSTD_R,BS1,RSTD_R,BS3-RSTD_R,BS1}. Compared to the first option, this option can reduce feedback overhead.

[0144] As a third option, the UE can report only the differences between NLOS RSTDs. For example, refer to Figure 10 The UE can report the difference set {RSTD_R,BS2,RSTD_R,BS1,RSTD_R,BS3}

[0145] The third option, RSTD_R,BS1}, can be used in special cases where the location server does not need to determine the UE's location but only needs to detect the absence of a device object. In this case, the third option can further reduce feedback overhead.

[0146] Figure 11 The diagram 1100 illustrates an exemplary network according to this disclosure, in which three base stations (labeled "BS1", "BS2", and "BS3") transmit RF signals to the UE, which are reflected by a non-device / non-participating object (labeled "target"). The distance between the first base station (BS1) and the UE is denoted as... (subscript in) Figure 11 (Used as underscores), and the distance between the second base station (BS2) and the UE is expressed as... And the distance between the third base station (BS3) and the UE is expressed as The distance between the first base station and the target non-participating object is expressed as: The distance between the second base station and the target non-participating object is expressed as: Furthermore, the distance between the third base station and the target device (free / non-participating object) is expressed as:

[0147] Based on these distances, the following equation holds:

[0148]

[0149]

[0150]

[0151]

[0152]

[0153] Using the first two equations described above, the location server (or other positioning entity) can determine the UE's location as the intersection of two hyperbolas, as is known in the field and as referred to above. Figure 8 As described above, using the last three equations, the location server can determine the location of the device-free / non-participating object at the intersection of three ellipses, with the foci of each ellipse being the base station and the UE. More specifically, the distance between the UE and the reference base station (e.g., BS1) is denoted as... This can be obtained from the standard DL-TDOA procedure. In other words, the UE location can be estimated using the DL-TDOA procedure, such as... Figure 8 As shown, once the UE's location is known, the distance between the UE and any involved base stations can be calculated based on the known locations of the base stations. Then, the distance can be calculated from the NLOS path RSTD (RSTD). R,BS1 RSTD R,BS2 and RSTD R,BS3 The distance between the first base station and the deviceless object is obtained by adding the distance between the UE and the deviceless object. The distance between the second base station and the deviceless object plus the distance between the UE and the deviceless object. And the distance between the third base station and the deviceless object plus the distance between the UE and the deviceless object. These three ellipses can be obtained using the sum mentioned above (i.e. and The location of the UE and the three base stations are used to draw the graph.

[0154] Figure 12 This is a diagram 1200 of an exemplary network comprising three base stations (labeled “BS1”, “BS2”, and “BS3”), a UE, and a deviceless object (labeled “target”) according to aspects of this disclosure. Figure 12 The figure shows three ellipses calculated using the method described above. As shown, the foci of each ellipse are the base station and the UE. (Refer to...) Figure 12 Any point P on the ellipse associated with the third base station (BS3) satisfies the following equation (in Figure 12 (Use underscores to indicate subscripts):

[0155]

[0156] Similarly, any point P on the ellipse associated with the first and second base stations satisfies the following equation:

[0157]

[0158]

[0159] When the UE reports RSTD measurements, the above method can be used, as described for the first two reporting options. For the third reporting option, where the UE only reports the difference between RSTDs along the NLOS path, a different method can be used. In this case, the target deviceless / non-participating object can be located at the intersection of three hyperbolas, with the focus of the hyperbolas being the base station involved; the UE's location is not required. Specifically, the difference between the distance between the second base station and the deviceless object and the distance between the first base station and the deviceless object. The difference between the distance between the third base station and the deviceless object and the distance between the first base station and the deviceless object. and the difference between the distance between the second base station and the deviceless object and the distance between the third base station and the deviceless object. The RSTD difference of the NLOS path from the three base stations (RSTD) R,BS2 -RSTD R,BS1 RSTD R,BS3 -RSTD R,BS1 This can be obtained using the difference mentioned above (i.e., ...). and The three hyperbolas are plotted using the locations of the three base stations.

[0160] Figure 13 This is a diagram 1300 of an exemplary network of three base stations (labeled "BS1", "BS2" and "BS3"), a UE and a deviceless / non-participating object (labeled "target") according to aspects of this disclosure. Figure 13 The figure shows three hyperbolas calculated using the method described above. As shown, the foci of each hyperbola are the base stations. Figure 13 As shown, any point P on the hyperbola associated with the first base station (BS1) satisfies the following equation ( Figure 13 (Use underscores to indicate subscripts):

[0161]

[0162] in

[0163] It should be understood that although the foregoing examples describe only three base stations involved, there may be more than three. Furthermore, while these examples describe a single target no-device / non-participating object, there may be multiple no-device / non-participating objects. In this case, the UE can calculate and report additional RSTDs for each detected channel tap cluster from a given DL-RS from the base station. For example, if there are multiple objects around the transmitter (e.g., base station) and receiver (e.g., UE), the receiver can detect / measure multiple primary multipath signals, such as a second, third, fourth, etc., path of arrival. If the receiver reports observed RSTDs for the second, third, fourth, etc., paths, the network (e.g., a location server) can process the reported RSTDs to detect multiple target objects. The receiver may not need to distinguish which path originates from which object, depending on how the number of reports is processed to detect multiple targets in the network implementation.

[0164] Figure 14 An example method 1400 for wireless sensing according to an aspect of this disclosure is shown. In one aspect, method 1400 may be performed by a UE (e.g., any UE described herein).

[0165] In 1410, the UE measures at least from the first TRP (e.g., Figure 9B The LOS path of the first DL-PRS in BS1 (e.g., Figure 9B (The solid line from BS1 in the middle) and NLOS path (e.g., Figure 9B (The dashed line from BS1 in the diagram). In one aspect, operation 1410 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340 and / or sensing components 342, any or all of which may be considered as components for performing this operation.

[0166] In 1420, the UE measures at least from the second TRP (e.g., Figure 9B The LOS path of the second DL-PRS in BS2 (e.g., Figure 9B (The solid line from BS2 in the middle) and NLOS path (e.g., Figure 9B (The dashed line from BS2 in the diagram). In one aspect, operation 1420 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340 and / or sensing components 342, any or all of which may be considered as components for performing this operation.

[0167] In 1430, the UE measures at least from the third TRP (e.g., Figure 9B The LOS path of the third DL-PRS in BS3 (e.g., Figure 9B(The solid line from BS3 in the middle) and NLOS path (e.g., Figure 9B (The dashed line from BS3 in the diagram). In one aspect, operation 1430 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340 and / or sensing components 342, any or all of which may be considered as components for performing this operation.

[0168] In 1440, the UE enables the first RSTD (e.g., based at least in part on the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the first DL-PRS) to be based on. Figure 10 The second RSTD (e.g., RSTD_R,BS1) between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the second DL-PRS. Figure 10 The RSTD_R,BS2), and the third RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the third DL-PRS (e.g., Figure 10 The RSTD_R,BS3 in the data is used to determine the location of non-participating target objects (e.g., Figure 9B The non-participating target object (the object without a device / non-participating object) does not participate in determining the location of the non-participating target object. In one aspect, operation 1440 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340 and / or sensing components 342, any or all of which may be regarded as components for performing this operation.

[0169] It should be understood that the technical advantage of Method 1400 is that it can use TDOA-based localization technology to detect the location of unequipped / non-participating objects.

[0170] As can be seen from the detailed description above, different features are combined together in the examples. This manner of disclosure should not be construed as an intention to include more features in the exemplary claims than those explicitly mentioned in each claim. Rather, aspects of this disclosure may include fewer features than those in the individual example claims disclosed. Therefore, the following claims should be considered as included in the specification, where each claim may serve as a separate example on its own. Although each dependent claim may refer in its title to a particular combination with one of the other claims, the aspect of that dependent claim is not limited to that particular combination. It should be understood that other exemplary claims may also include combinations of aspects of a dependent claim with the subject matter of any other dependent or independent claim, or any feature combined with other dependent and independent claims. The aspects disclosed herein expressly include these combinations unless expressly stated or readily inferred that a particular combination is not intended to be (e.g., contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an insulator and a conductor). Furthermore, aspects of a claim may be included in any other independent claim even if the claim does not directly depend on an independent claim.

[0171] Examples of implementation plans are described in the following numbered items:

[0172] Claim 1 A wireless sensing method performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: measuring at least the line-of-sight (LOS) and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) paths of a first downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a first transmit-receive point (TRP); measuring at least the LOS path and NLOS path of a second DL-PRS from a second TRP; measuring at least the LOS path and NLOS path of a third DL-PRS from a third TRP; and enabling the determination of the location of a non-participating target object based at least in part on a first reference signal time difference (RSTD) between the time of arrival (ToA) of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the first DL-PRS, a second RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the second DL-PRS, and a third RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the third DL-PRS, wherein the non-participating target object does not participate in determining the location of the non-participating target object.

[0173] Article 2, according to the method of Article 1, wherein enabling the determination of the location of the non-participating target object includes: reporting at least the first RSTD, the second RSTD, and the third RSTD to a location server.

[0174] Article 3 is the method according to any one of Articles 1 to 2, wherein: the position of the non-participating target object is determined to be located at the intersection of a first ellipse, a second ellipse and a third ellipse, the first focus and the second focus of the first ellipse corresponding to the position of the first TRP and the position of the UE, the first focus and the second focus of the second ellipse corresponding to the position of the second TRP and the position of the UE, and the first focus and the second focus of the third ellipse corresponding to the position of the third TRP and the position of the UE.

[0175] According to the method described in Article 3, the first ellipse is determined based on the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object, the position of the first TRP, and the position of the UE; the second ellipse is determined based on the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object, the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object, the position of the second TRP, and the position of the UE; and the third ellipse is determined based on the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object, the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object, the position of the third TRP, and the position of the UE.

[0176] Clause 5 is based on the method described in Clause 4, wherein: the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object plus the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object is determined based on the first RSTD, the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object plus the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object is determined based on the second RSTD, and the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object plus the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object is determined based on the third RSTD.

[0177] Article 6 is made according to the method of any one of Articles 3 to 5, wherein: the position of the UE is determined based on the RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the LOS path of the second DL-PRS, and the RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the LOS path of the third DL-PRS.

[0178] Article 7 pursuant to any of Articles 1 to 6, wherein enabling the determination of the location of the non-participating target object comprises: reporting to a location server at least the difference between the second RSTD and the first RSTD and the difference between the third RSTD and the first RSTD.

[0179] Article 8 is the method according to any one of Articles 1 to 7, wherein: the position of the non-participating target object is determined at the intersection of a first hyperbola, a second hyperbola, and a third hyperbola, the focus of the first hyperbola being the position of the first TRP, the focus of the second hyperbola being the position of the second TRP, and the focus of the third hyperbola being the position of the third TRP.

[0180] Article 9 is based on the method described in Article 8, wherein: the first hyperbola is determined based on the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object and the difference between the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, the position of the first TRP and the position of the second TRP; the second hyperbola is determined based on the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object and the difference between the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, the position of the first TRP and the position of the third TRP; and the third hyperbola is determined based on the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object and the difference between the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object, the position of the second TRP and the position of the third TRP.

[0181] Article 10 is based on the method described in Article 9, wherein: the difference between the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, the difference between the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, and the difference between the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object are determined based on the difference between the second RSTD and the first RSTD and the difference between the third RSTD and the first RSTD.

[0182] Claim 11, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further includes: reporting to a location server at least the RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the LOS path of the second DL-PRS, and the RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the LOS path of the third DL-PRS, so that the location server can determine the location of the UE.

[0183] Article 12 pursuant to any of Articles 1 to 11, wherein: determining the location of the non-participating target object comprises: determining the location of the non-participating target object based on a first RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the first DL-PRS, a second RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the second DL-PRS, and a third RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the third DL-PRS.

[0184] Article 13, according to the method of Article 12, further includes: receiving the location of the first TRP, the location of the second TRP, and the location of the third TRP, wherein determining the location of the non-participating target object is further based on the location of the first TRP, the location of the second TRP, and the location of the third TRP.

[0185] Claim 14 An apparatus comprising a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor, the processor being communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the memory, the at least one transceiver, and the at least one processor being configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

[0186] Article 15 An apparatus comprising components for performing the method according to any one of Articles 1 to 13.

[0187] Article 16 A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions including at least one instruction for causing a computer or processor to perform the method according to any one of Articles 1 to 13.

[0188] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced in the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0189] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this hardware and software interchangeability, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally according to their functionality. Whether these functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the system as a whole. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functions in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0190] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or executed using general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), ASICs, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or other programmable logic devices, 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 alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0191] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of both. The software module can reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor such that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium can be integrated into the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium can reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0192] In one or more exemplary aspects, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software form, these functions may be stored on or transmitted on a computer-readable medium in the form of one or more instructions or code. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media may be any available medium that is accessible to a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to carry or store the required program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that is accessible to a computer. Furthermore, any connection is appropriately referred to as computer-readable media. For example, if software is transmitted 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 microwave, the definition of media includes coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave. As used in this application, disks and optical discs include compact optical discs (CDs), laser optical discs, optical discs, digital multifunction optical discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, wherein disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0193] Although illustrative aspects of this disclosure have been shown in the foregoing disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to the aspects of this disclosure described herein do not need to be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of this disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, plural forms are contemplated unless a limitation on the singular is explicitly stated.

Claims

1. A wireless sensing method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: At least the line-of-sight (LOS) path and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path of the first downlink positioning reference signal DL-PRS from the first transmit-receive point TRP are measured. At least the LOS path and NLOS path from the second DL-PRS of the second TRP should be measured; At least the LOS path and NLOS path from the third DL-PRS of the third TRP should be measured; as well as This enables the determination of the location of a non-participating target object based at least in part on a first reference signal time difference (RSTD) between the arrival time (ToA) of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the first DL-PRS, a second RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the second DL-PRS, and a third RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the third DL-PRS, wherein the non-participating target object does not participate in determining the location of the non-participating target object.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the determination of the location of the non-participating target object comprises: Report at least the first RSTD, the second RSTD, and the third RSTD to the location server.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The location of the non-participating target object is determined to be at the intersection of the first ellipse, the second ellipse, and the third ellipse. The first focus and the second focus of the first ellipse correspond to the position of the first TRP and the position of the UE. The first and second foci of the second ellipse correspond to the position of the second TRP and the position of the UE, and The first and second foci of the third ellipse correspond to the position of the third TRP and the position of the UE.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The first ellipse is determined based on the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object, the position of the first TRP, and the position of the UE. The second ellipse is determined based on the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object, the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object, the position of the second TRP, and the position of the UE. The third ellipse is determined based on the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object, the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object, the position of the third TRP, and the position of the UE.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, plus the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object, is determined based on the first RSTD. The distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object, plus the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object, is determined based on the second RSTD, and The distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object plus the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object is determined based on the third RSTD.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The location of the UE is determined based on the RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the LOS path of the second DL-PRS, and the RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the LOS path of the third DL-PRS.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the determination of the location of the non-participating target object comprises: The difference between the second RSTD and the first RSTD, and the difference between the third RSTD and the first RSTD, shall be reported to the location server at least once.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The location of the non-participating target object is determined to be at the intersection of the first hyperbola, the second hyperbola, and the third hyperbola. The focus of the first hyperbola is the position of the first TRP. The focus of the second hyperbola is the position of the second TRP, and The focus of the third hyperbola is the position of the third TRP.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The first hyperbola is determined based on the difference between the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, the position of the first TRP, and the position of the second TRP. The second hyperbola is determined based on the difference between the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, the position of the first TRP, and the position of the third TRP. The third hyperbola is determined based on the difference between the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object, the position of the second TRP, and the position of the third TRP.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The difference between the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, the difference between the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, and the difference between the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object are determined based on the difference between the second RSTD and the first RSTD and the third RSTD and the first RSTD.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising: The location server is informed of at least the RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the LOS path of the second DL-PRS, and the RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the LOS path of the third DL-PRS, so that the location server can determine the location of the UE.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein enabling the determination of the location of the non-participating target object comprises: The location of the non-participating target object is determined based on the first RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the first DL-PRS, the second RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the second DL-PRS, and the third RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the third DL-PRS.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: The location of the first TRP, the location of the second TRP, and the location of the third TRP are received, wherein the location of the non-participating target object is determined further based on the location of the first TRP, the location of the second TRP, and the location of the third TRP.

14. 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 being configured to: At least the line-of-sight (LOS) path and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path of the first downlink positioning reference signal DL-PRS from the first transmit-receive point TRP are measured. At least the LOS path and NLOS path from the second DL-PRS of the second TRP should be measured; At least the LOS path and NLOS path from the third DL-PRS of the third TRP should be measured; as well as This enables the determination of the location of a non-participating target object based at least in part on a first reference signal time difference (RSTD) between the arrival time (ToA) of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the first DL-PRS, a second RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the second DL-PRS, and a third RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the third DL-PRS, wherein the non-participating target object does not participate in determining the location of the non-participating target object.

15. The UE according to claim 14, wherein, The at least one processor configured to determine the location of the non-participating target object includes at least one processor configured to perform the following operations: Report at least the first RSTD, the second RSTD, and the third RSTD to the location server.

16. The UE according to claim 14, wherein: The location of the non-participating target object is determined to be at the intersection of the first ellipse, the second ellipse, and the third ellipse. The first focus and the second focus of the first ellipse correspond to the position of the first TRP and the position of the UE. The first and second foci of the second ellipse correspond to the position of the second TRP and the position of the UE, and The first and second foci of the third ellipse correspond to the position of the third TRP and the position of the UE.

17. The UE according to claim 16, wherein: The first ellipse is determined based on the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object, the position of the first TRP, and the position of the UE. The second ellipse is determined based on the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object, the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object, the position of the second TRP, and the position of the UE. The third ellipse is determined based on the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object, the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object, the position of the third TRP, and the position of the UE.

18. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: The distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, plus the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object, is determined based on the first RSTD. The distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object, plus the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object, is determined based on the second RSTD, and The distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object plus the distance between the UE and the non-participating target object is determined based on the third RSTD.

19. The UE of claim 16, wherein the position of the UE is determined based on the RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the LOS path of the second DL-PRS, and the RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the LOS path of the third DL-PRS.

20. The UE according to claim 14, wherein, The at least one processor configured to determine the location of the non-participating target object includes at least one processor configured to perform the following operations: The difference between the second RSTD and the first RSTD, and the difference between the third RSTD and the first RSTD, shall be reported to the location server at least once.

21. The UE according to claim 14, wherein: The location of the non-participating target object is determined to be at the intersection of the first hyperbola, the second hyperbola, and the third hyperbola. The focus of the first hyperbola is the position of the first TRP. The focus of the second hyperbola is the position of the second TRP, and The focus of the third hyperbola is the position of the third TRP.

22. The UE according to claim 21, wherein: The first hyperbola is determined based on the difference between the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, the position of the first TRP, and the position of the second TRP. The second hyperbola is determined based on the difference between the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, the position of the first TRP, and the position of the third TRP. The third hyperbola is determined based on the difference between the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object, the position of the second TRP, and the position of the third TRP.

23. The UE according to claim 22, wherein: The differences between the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, the differences between the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the first TRP and the non-participating target object, and the differences between the distance between the second TRP and the non-participating target object and the distance between the third TRP and the non-participating target object are determined based on the differences between the second RSTD and the first RSTD and the third RSTD and the first RSTD.

24. The UE of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to: The location server is informed of at least the RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the LOS path of the second DL-PRS, and the RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the LOS path of the third DL-PRS, so that the location server can determine the location of the UE.

25. The UE according to claim 14, wherein, The at least one processor configured to determine the location of the non-participating target object includes at least one processor configured to perform the following operations: The location of the non-participating target object is determined based on the first RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the first DL-PRS, the second RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the second DL-PRS, and the third RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the third DL-PRS.

26. The UE of claim 25, wherein one of the processors is further configured to: The location of the first TRP, the location of the second TRP, and the location of the third TRP are received via the at least one transceiver, wherein the location of the non-participating target object is determined further based on the location of the first TRP, the location of the second TRP, and the location of the third TRP.

27. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Components for measuring at least the line-of-sight (LOS) path and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path of the first downlink positioning reference signal DL-PRS from the first transmit / receive point TRP. Components used to measure at least the LOS path and NLOS path of the second DL-PRS from the second TRP; Components used to measure at least the LOS path and NLOS path of the third DL-PRS from the third TRP; as well as Components for enabling the determination of the location of a non-participating target object based at least in part on a first reference signal time difference (RSTD) between the arrival time (ToA) of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the first DL-PRS, a second RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the second DL-PRS, and a third RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the third DL-PRS, wherein the non-participating target object does not participate in determining the location of the non-participating target object.

28. The UE according to claim 27, wherein: The location of the non-participating target object is determined to be at the intersection of the first ellipse, the second ellipse, and the third ellipse. The first focus and the second focus of the first ellipse correspond to the position of the first TRP and the position of the UE. The first and second foci of the second ellipse correspond to the position of the second TRP and the position of the UE, and The first and second foci of the third ellipse correspond to the position of the third TRP and the position of the UE.

29. The UE according to claim 27, wherein: The location of the non-participating target object is determined to be at the intersection of the first hyperbola, the second hyperbola, and the third hyperbola. The focus of the first hyperbola is the position of the first TRP. The focus of the second hyperbola is the position of the second TRP, and The focus of the third hyperbola is the position of the third TRP.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: At least the line-of-sight (LOS) path and non-line-of-sight (NLOS) path of the first downlink positioning reference signal DL-PRS from the first transmit-receive point TRP are measured. At least the LOS path and NLOS path from the second DL-PRS of the second TRP should be measured; At least the LOS path and NLOS path from the third DL-PRS of the third TRP should be measured; and This enables the determination of the location of a non-participating target object based at least in part on a first reference signal time difference (RSTD) between the arrival time (ToA) of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the first DL-PRS, a second RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the second DL-PRS, and a third RSTD between the ToA of the LOS path of the first DL-PRS and the ToA of the NLOS path of the third DL-PRS, wherein the non-participating target object does not participate in determining the location of the non-participating target object.

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