Method and apparatus for deferring reporting of at least one positioning status information (PSI) reporting element

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) generates a positioning state information (PSI) report that is sent to a network entity in a lower layer channel container (e.g., in a physical channel or a medium access control channel) to reduce latency. The PSI report is generated based on multiple PSI reporting elements determined based on uplink (UL), downlink (DL), or UL and DL positioning measurements performed by the UE. Each PSI reporting element includes information related to the positioning measurements performed by the UE. The transmission of at least one PSI reporting element generated by the UE can be deferred and not included in the current PSI report. The PSI report includes one or more deferral indications indicating that one or more PSI reporting elements have been deferred. The serving base station can authorize a lower layer channel container for a second PSI report to include the previously deferred PSI reporting element.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Greek Patent Application No. 20200100157, filed on March 26, 2020, entitled “METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR POSTPONING OF POSITIONING STATE INFORMATION REPORTS FOR POSITIONING,” which application is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

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

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved over many generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including temporary 2.5G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, internet-enabled wireless services, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE), WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are used, including cellular and Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Access (GSM) variants of TDMA, and the like.

[0005] The fifth generation (5G) mobile standard requires, among other improvements, higher data transfer speeds, a greater number of connections, and better coverage. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard (also known as "New Radio" or "NR") is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users and 1 gigabit per second to dozens of workers on an office floor. To support large sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly improved compared to the current 4G / LTE standards. In addition, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency should be significantly reduced compared to current standards. Summary of the Invention

[0006] A user equipment (UE) generates a positioning state information (PSI) report that is sent to a network entity in a lower layer channel container (e.g., a physical channel or a medium access control channel) to reduce latency. The PSI report is generated based on multiple PSI reporting elements determined from uplink (UL), downlink (DL), or UL and DL positioning measurements performed by the UE. Each PSI reporting element includes information related to the positioning measurements performed by the UE. The transmission of at least one PSI reporting element generated by the UE can be deferred and not included in the current PSI report. The PSI report includes one or more indications of deferral, indicating that one or more PSI reporting elements have been deferred. The serving base station can authorize a lower layer channel container for a second PSI report to include the previously deferred PSI reporting element.

[0007] In one embodiment, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication by the UE includes: determining a plurality of positioning state information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element includes information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE; generating a first PSI report based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report includes an indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element; and sending the first PSI report to a network entity in a lower layer channel container.

[0008] In one embodiment, a user equipment (UE) configured to support positioning includes: a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with a network entity in a wireless communication system; at least one memory; at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determine a plurality of positioning state information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element includes information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE; generate a first PSI report based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report includes an indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element; and send the first PSI report to the network entity in a lower layer channel container via the wireless transceiver.

[0009] In one embodiment, a user equipment (UE) configured to support positioning includes: means for determining a plurality of positioning state information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element includes information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE; means for generating a first PSI report based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report includes an indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element; and means for sending the first PSI report to a network entity in a lower layer channel container.

[0010] In one embodiment, a non-transitory storage medium includes program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support positioning, the program code including instructions for performing the following operations: determining a plurality of positioning state information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element includes information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE; generating a first PSI report based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report includes an indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element; and sending the first PSI report to a network entity in a lower layer channel container.

[0011] In one embodiment, a method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), performed by a network entity in a wireless network, includes: receiving a first positioning state information (PSI) report from the UE in a lower layer channel container, the first PSI report containing PSI reporting elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI reporting element includes information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI reporting element and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and the first PSI report includes an indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element; and processing the first PSI report to determine the PSI reporting elements included in the first PSI report and the at least one PSI reporting element is deferred.

[0012] In one embodiment, a network entity in a wireless network configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) includes: an external interface configured to communicate with an entity including the UE in the wireless communication system; at least one memory; at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a first positioning state information (PSI) report from the UE in a lower layer channel container via the external interface, the first PSI report including PSI reporting elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI reporting element includes information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI reporting element and at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and the first PSI report includes an indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element; and process the first PSI report to determine the PSI reporting elements included in the first PSI report and whether the at least one PSI reporting element is deferred.

[0013] In one embodiment, a network entity in a wireless network configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE) includes: means for receiving a first positioning state information (PSI) report from the UE in a lower layer channel container, the first PSI report containing PSI reporting elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI reporting element includes information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI reporting element and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and the first PSI report includes an indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element; and means for processing the first PSI report to determine the PSI reporting elements included in the first PSI report and the at least one PSI reporting element is deferred.

[0014] In one embodiment, a non-transitory storage medium includes program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor of a network entity in a wireless network to support positioning of a user equipment (UE), the program code including instructions for performing the following operations: receiving a first positioning state information (PSI) report from the UE in a lower layer channel container, the first PSI report including PSI reporting elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI reporting element includes information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI reporting element and at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and the first PSI report includes an indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element; and processing the first PSI report to determine the PSI reporting elements included in the first PSI report and whether the at least one PSI reporting element is deferred. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The accompanying drawings are provided to assist in describing the various aspects of the disclosure and are provided solely for purposes of illustration of the aspects and not limitation thereof.

[0016] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0017] Figure 2A and Figure 2B Illustrated are example wireless network structures according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 3 The figure shows a base station and a user equipment (UE) (which may be Figure 1 A block diagram of the design of one of the base stations and one of the UEs in the embodiment.

[0019] Figure 4 is a structural diagram of an exemplary subframe sequence with positioning reference signal (PRS) positioning opportunities.

[0020] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a UE and a network entity configured to send and receive, respectively, a positioning status information (PSI) report with an indication of deferral of one or more PSI reporting elements on a lower layer channel according to the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating a UE and a network entity configured to send and receive PSI reports with indication of deferral of different group types of PSI reporting elements on lower layer channels, respectively, according to the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 7 is a block diagram illustrating a UE configured to sort PSI reporting elements in a PSI report to be sent on a lower layer channel and defer sending low priority PSI reporting elements according to the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 8 is a message flow with various messages sent between components of a wireless communication system according to the disclosure herein, illustrating the sending of a PSI report with indication(s) of deferral of one or more PSI reporting elements.

[0024] Figure 9 is a flow chart of an exemplary method for wireless communication of a UE in which the UE transmits a PSI report on a lower layer channel with an indication(s) of deferral of one or more PSI reporting elements in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

[0025] Figure 10is a flow chart of an exemplary method for wireless communication of a UE in which a network entity receives a PSI report with an indication of deferral(s) of one or more PSI reporting elements on a lower layer channel in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

[0026] Figure 11 is a schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of a UE capable of sending a PSI report with indication(s) of deferral of PSI reporting elements on a lower layer channel in accordance with the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 12 Shown is a schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of a network entity according to the present disclosure, which can support wireless communication with a UE to send a PSI report with a deferral indication(s) of a PSI reporting element on a lower layer channel. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] In the following description and related drawings, various aspects of the present disclosure are provided for the various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, alternative aspects may be designed. In addition, elements well known in the present disclosure will not be described in detail, or will be omitted to avoid blurring the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0029] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects of the disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.

[0030] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and technologies. For example, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc., data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips referenced throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0031] In addition, various aspects can be described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed, for example, by elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. In addition, it can be considered that the (multiple) sequence of actions described herein are fully implemented in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon 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. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure can be implemented in several different forms, all of which are contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to" perform the described actions.

[0032] As used herein, unless otherwise noted, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT). In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet, a laptop, a tracking device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headsets, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate on a wireless communication network. A UE can be mobile or can be stationary (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT," "client device," "wireless device," "subscriber device," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal" or UT, "mobile terminal," "mobile station," or variations thereof. Typically, a UE can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms are also possible for the UE to connect to the core network and / or the Internet, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (eg, based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), and the like.

[0033] A base station may communicate with a UE according to one of several RATs depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), a network node, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a new radio (NR) NodeB (also referred to as a gNB or gNodeB), etc. In addition, in some systems, a base station may provide only edge node signaling functions, while in other systems, a base station may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link through which a UE may signal to a base station is referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link through which a base station may signal to a UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) may refer to either a UL / reverse or a DL / forward traffic channel.

[0034] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmission point or multiple physical transmission points that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical transmission point, the physical transmission point may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical transmission points, the physical transmission point may be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station uses beamforming). Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical transmission points, the physical transmission point may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical transmission points may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from the UE and a neighboring base station whose reference RF signal the UE is measuring.

[0035] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system 100 is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base stations may include eNBs (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or gNBs (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to a 5G network), or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0036] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and be connected to a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a next generation core (NGC)) via backhaul links 122, and to one or more location servers 172 via the core network 170. Among other functions, the base stations 102 may perform functions related to one or more of: transmitting user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC / NGC) over backhaul links 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0037] Base stations 102 can communicate wirelessly with UEs 104. Each of base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, in each coverage area 110, one or more cells can be supported by base station 102. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., via some frequency resource called a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)) used to distinguish cells operating on the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other) that provide access to different types of UEs. In some cases, the term "cell" can also refer to a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) of a base station, where a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within certain portions of geographic coverage area 110.

[0038] Although the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover region), some of the geographic coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by a larger geographic coverage area 110. For example, a small cell base station 102′ may have a geographic coverage area 110′ that substantially overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a Home eNB (HeNB), which may provide services to a restricted group known as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0039] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include UL (also known as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may utilize MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric for the DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the DL than for the UL).

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

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

[0042] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that can communicate with the UE 182 at mmW frequencies and / or near-mmW frequencies. Extremely high frequencies (EHF) are part of the RF spectrum in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF ranges from 30 GHz to 300 GHz and has wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this frequency band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW can extend down to 3 GHz frequencies with a wavelength of 100 mm. Super high frequency (SHF) bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communications using mmW / near-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmitting and / or receiving) on ​​the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. In addition, it will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near-mmW and beamforming. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the foregoing description is merely an example, and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0043] Transmit beamforming is a technique used to focus an RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal to the receiving device(s). To change the directionality of the RF signal as it is transmitted, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an array of antennas (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that produces beams of RF waves that can be "steered" into different directions without having to physically move the antennas. Specifically, the RF current from the transmitter is fed to each antenna with a precise phase relationship so that the radio waves from the different antennas add together to increase radiation in the desired direction while canceling to suppress radiation in undesired directions.

[0044] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses receive beams to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver may increase the gain setting of an antenna array in a particular direction and / or adjust the phase setting of an antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase the gain level) RF signals received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in the RF signal received from that direction having a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc.).

[0045] In 5G, the spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges, FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi-carrier system (such as 5G), one of the carrier frequencies is called the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell", and the remaining carrier frequencies are called "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells". In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) used by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 either 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. A secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured once an RRC connection is established between a UE 104 and an anchor carrier, and can be used to provide additional radio resources. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals, such as those specific to the UE, which may not be present in the secondary carrier, as both the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier for any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier on which some base station is communicating, the terms "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," "carrier frequency," etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0046] For example, still referring to Figure 1 One of the frequencies used by macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies used by macrocell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system will theoretically typically result in a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0047] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs (such as UE 190) that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) or peer-to-peer (P2P) links. Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG1 , UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity) and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In the example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be provided by a wireless network such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth Any well-known D2D RAT such as .

[0048] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164 that may communicate with the macrocell base station 102 via a communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 via a mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164. In one aspect, the UE 164 may include a PSI manager 166 that may enable the UE 164 to perform the UE operations described herein. Note that although Figure 1 Only one UE is shown with a PSI manager 166, but Figure 1 Any UE in the can be configured to perform the UE operations described herein.

[0049] Figure 2AAn example wireless network architecture 200 is illustrated. For example, NGC 210 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally considered to include control plane functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which operate in concert to form a core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNBs 222 to NGC 210, and in particular to control plane functions 214 and user plane functions 212. In additional configurations, eNBs 224 can also connect to NGC 210 via NG-C 215 to control plane functions 214 and NG-U 213 to user plane functions 212. Furthermore, eNBs 224 can communicate directly with gNBs 222 via backhaul connections 223. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of the eNBs 224 and the gNBs 222. The gNBs 222 or the eNBs 224 may communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 20). Another optional aspect may include one or more location servers 230a, 230b (sometimes collectively referred to as location servers 230) (which may correspond to location server 172), which may communicate with control plane function 214 and user plane function 212, respectively, to provide positioning assistance for UE 204 in NGC 210. Location servers 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively may each correspond to a single server. Location servers 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for UE 204, which may connect to location servers 230 via the core network, 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not shown). Furthermore, location servers 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively may be external to the core network, such as in new RAN 220.

[0050] Figure 2BAnother example wireless network architecture 250 is illustrated. For example, NGC 260 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally considered a control plane function, provided by access and mobility management function (AMF) 264, user plane function (UPF) 262, session management function (SMF) 266, SLP 268, and LMF 270, which operate in conjunction to form the core network (i.e., NGC 260). User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect ng-eNB 224 to NGC 260, specifically to UPF 262 and AMF 264, respectively. In additional configurations, gNB 222 can also connect to NGC 260 via control plane interface 265 to AMF 264 and via user plane interface 263 to UPF 262. Furthermore, eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223, with or without a direct gNB connection to NGC 260. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of both ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. The gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 may communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 The base stations of the new RAN 220 communicate with the AMF 264 via the N2 interface and with the UPF 262 via the N3 interface.

[0051] The functions of the AMF include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between the UE 204 and the SMF 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and the short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and a security anchor function (SEAF). The AMF also interacts with the authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204 and receives intermediate keys created as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the AMF retrieves security materials from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF that it uses to derive access network specific keys. The functions of the AMF also include location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which may correspond to the location server 172) and between the new RAN 220 and the LMF 270, transmission of location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of EPS bearer identifiers for interworking with the Evolved Packet System (EPS), and notification of mobility events for the UE 204. In addition, the AMF also supports functions for non-3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access networks.

[0052] The functions of the UPF include acting as an anchor point for intra / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, Quality of Service (QoS) handling for the user plane (e.g., UL / DL rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in DL), UL traffic verification (mapping of service data flows (SDFs) to QoS flows), transport level packet marking in UL and DL, DL packet buffering and DL data notification triggering, and issuing and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node.

[0053] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering on the UPF for routing traffic to the appropriate destination, control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0054] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270 that can communicate with the NGC 260 to provide location assistance for the UE 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each LMF 270 can correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more positioning services for the UE 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, the NGC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown).

[0055] Figure 3 Shows that it can be Figure 1 1. Block diagram of a design 300 of base station 102 and UE 104 for one of the base stations and one of the UEs in FIG. Base station 102 may be equipped with T antennas 334a through 334t, and UE 104 may be equipped with R antennas 352a through 352r, where in general T ≥ 1 and R ≥ 1.

[0056] At base station 102, transmit processor 320 may receive data for one or more UEs from data source 312, may select one or more modulation and coding schemes (MCS) for each UE based at least in part on a channel quality indicator (CQI) received from the UE, may process (e.g., encode and modulate) data for each UE based at least in part on the MCS selected for the UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. Transmit processor 320 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-static resource partitioning information (SRPI) and control information (e.g., CQI requests, grants, upper layer signaling, etc.) and provide overhead symbols and control symbols. Transmit processor 320 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., cell-specific reference signals (CRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS)). The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 330 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, overhead symbols, and / or reference symbols, if applicable, and may provide T output symbol streams to T modulators (MODs) 332a through 332t. Each modulator 332 may process its own output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator 332 may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The T downlink signals from modulators 332a through 332t may be transmitted via T antennas 334a through 334t, respectively. According to various aspects described in greater detail below, position coding may be utilized to generate synchronization signals to convey additional information.

[0057] At UE 104, antennas 352a through 352r can receive downlink signals from base station 102 and / or other base stations and can provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 354a through 354r, respectively. Each demodulator 354 can condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) the received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 354 can further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 356 can obtain received symbols from all R demodulators 354a through 354r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols (if applicable), and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 358 can process (e.g., demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 104 to a data sink 360, and provide decoded control information and system information to a controller / processor 380. The channel processor may determine reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indication (RSSI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), channel quality indication (CQI), etc. In some aspects, one or more components of the UE 104 may be included in a housing.

[0058] On the uplink, at the UE 104, a transmit processor 364 may receive and process data from a data source 362 and control information from a controller / processor 380 (e.g., for reports including RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, CQI, etc.). The transmit processor 364 may also generate reference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 364 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 366 (if applicable), further processed by modulators 354a through 354r (e.g., for DFT-s-OFDM, CP-OFDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 102. At the base station 102, uplink signals from the UE 104 and other UEs may be received by the antennas 334, processed by the demodulators 332, detected by the MIMO detector 336 (if applicable), and further processed by the receive processor 338 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by the UE 104. The receive processor 338 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 339 and the decoded control information to the controller / processor 340. The base station 102 may include a communication unit 344 and communicate with the location server 172 via the communication unit 344. The location server 172 may include a communication unit 394, a controller / processor 390, and a memory 392.

[0059] The controller / processor 340 of the base station 102, the controller / processor 380 of the UE 104, and / or Figure 3Any other component(s) of the base station 102 may perform one or more techniques associated with transmitting positioning status information (PSI) on a lower layer channel and indicating whether transmission of one or more PSI reporting elements is deferred, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, the controller / processor 340 of the base station 102, the controller / processor 380 of the UE 104, and / or Figure 3 Any other component(s) of may perform or direct e.g. Figure 8 The process of 800 Figure 9 The operations of process 900 and / or other processes described herein may be performed. Memories 342 and 382 may store data and program codes for base station 102 and UE 104, respectively. In some aspects, memory 342 and / or memory 382 may include non-transitory computer-readable media storing one or more instructions for wireless communication. For example, when executed by one or more processors of base station 102 and / or UE 104, the one or more instructions may perform or direct, for example, Figure 8 The process of 800 Figure 9 The scheduler 346 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0060] As indicated above, Figure 3 Provided as an example only. Other examples may be found in the Figure 3 Different than described.

[0061] Figure 4 The structure of an exemplary subframe sequence 400 with positioning reference signal (PRS) positioning opportunities according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The subframe sequence 400 may be suitable for broadcasting PRS signals from a base station (e.g., any base station described herein) or other network node. The subframe sequence 400 may be used in an LTE system, and the same or similar subframe sequences may be used in other communication technologies / protocols such as 5G NR. Figure 4 In , time is represented horizontally (e.g., on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (e.g., on the Y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top. Figure 4 As shown in , downlink and uplink radio frames 410 may each have a duration of 10 milliseconds (ms). In the illustrated example, for downlink frequency division duplex (FDD) mode, the radio frame 410 is organized into ten subframes 412, each having a duration of 1 ms. Each subframe 412 includes two time slots 414, each having a duration of, for example, 0.5 ms.

[0062] In the frequency domain, the available bandwidth can be divided into evenly spaced orthogonal subcarriers 416 (also called "tones" or "resolutions"). For example, for a normal length cyclic prefix (CP) using, for example, 15kHz spacing, the subcarriers 416 can be grouped into groups of twelve (12) subcarriers. A resource (represented as a block of subframes 412) that is one OFDM symbol long in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain is called a resource element (RE). Each grouping of 12 subcarriers 416 and 14 OFDM symbols is called a resource block (RB), and in the example above, the number of subcarriers in a resource block can be written as For a given channel bandwidth, the number of available resource blocks on each channel 422 (also referred to as transmit bandwidth configuration 422) is represented as For example, for the 3 MHz channel bandwidth in the above example, the number of available resource blocks on each channel 422 is given by: Note that the frequency components of a resource block (eg, 12 subcarriers) are referred to as a physical resource block (PRB).

[0063] The base station can Figure 4 , a radio frame (e.g., radio frame 410) or other physical layer signaling sequence supporting a PRS signal (i.e., downlink (DL) PRS) may be transmitted using a similar or identical frame configuration as shown in FIG. , which may be measured and used for UE (e.g., any UE described herein) position estimation. Other types of wireless nodes in a wireless communication network (e.g., distributed antenna systems (DAS), remote radio heads (RRHs), UEs, APs, etc.) may also be configured to transmit radio frames (e.g., radio frame 410) supporting a PRS signal (i.e., downlink (DL) PRS) using a similar or identical frame configuration as shown in FIG. Figure 4 A PRS signal configured in the manner described in (or the same as) .

[0064] A set of resource elements used to transmit a PRS signal is referred to as a "PRS resource". A set of resource elements may span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and N (e.g., 1 or more) consecutive symbols within a time slot 414 in the time domain. For example, the cross-hatched resource elements in time slot 414 may be examples of two PRS resources. A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used to transmit a PRS signal, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource identifier (ID). In addition, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same transmit receive point (TRP). The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam transmitted from a single TRP (wherein a TRP may transmit one or more beams). Note that this does not imply whether the UE knows the TRP and beam from which the signal is transmitted.

[0065] PRS may be sent in special positioning subframes that are grouped into positioning opportunities. A PRS opportunity is an instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., (multiple) consecutive time slots) in which PRS is expected to be sent. Each periodically repeating time window may include a group of one or more consecutive PRS opportunities. Each PRS opportunity may include N PRS The PRS positioning opportunity of the cell supported by the base station can be expressed in milliseconds or the number of subframes T PRS The interval represented by occurs periodically. As an example, Figure 4 The diagram shows the periodicity of positioning opportunities, where N PRS is equal to 4(418) and T PRS Greater than or equal to 20 (420). In some aspects, T may be measured as the number of subframes between the start of consecutive positioning opportunities. PRS Multiple PRS opportunities may be associated with the same PRS resource configuration, in which case each such opportunity is referred to as a "PRS resource opportunity," or the like.

[0066] PRS can be transmitted at constant power. PRS can also be transmitted at zero power (i.e., muting). Muting (which turns off regularly scheduled PRS transmission) can be useful when PRS signals between different cells overlap due to simultaneous or nearly simultaneous occurrence. In this case, PRS signals from some cells can be muted, while PRS signals from other cells are transmitted (e.g., at constant power). Muting can help the UE perform signal acquisition and time of arrival (TOA) and reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurements on non-muted PRS signals (by avoiding interference from muted PRS signals). Muting can be considered as not transmitting PRS for a given positioning opportunity for a specific cell. A muting pattern (also known as a muting sequence) can be signaled to the UE using a bit string (e.g., using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP)). For example, in the bit string signaled to indicate the muting pattern, if the bit at position j is set to "0", the UE can infer that the PRS is muted for the jth positioning opportunity.

[0067] To further improve the audibility of PRS, positioning subframes can be low-interference subframes transmitted without user data channels. Therefore, in an ideally synchronized network, PRS may be interfered with by PRSs of other cells with the same PRS pattern index (i.e., with the same frequency shift), but will not be interfered with by data transmissions. The frequency shift can be defined as a function of the PRS ID of the cell or other transmission point (TP) (expressed as ), or if no PRS ID is assigned, it is defined as a function of the physical cell identifier (PCI) (denoted as ), which results in an effective frequency reuse factor of six (6).

[0068] To improve the audibility of PRS (e.g., when the PRS bandwidth is limited, such as when there are only six resource blocks corresponding to a 1.4 MHz bandwidth), the frequency band used for consecutive PRS positioning opportunities (or consecutive PRS subframes) can be changed in a known and predictable manner via frequency hopping. In addition, a cell supported by a base station can support more than one PRS configuration, where each PRS configuration can include a different frequency offset (vshift), a different carrier frequency, a different bandwidth, a different code sequence, and / or a different sequence of PRS positioning opportunities, with each positioning opportunity having a specific number of subframes (N PRS ) and a specific periodicity (T PRS In some embodiments, one or more of the PRS configurations supported in a cell may be used for directional PRS and may then have additional different characteristics, such as different transmission directions, different horizontal angle ranges, and / or different vertical angle ranges.

[0069] The PRS configuration (including the PRS transmission / muting schedule) as described above is signaled to the UE to enable the UE to perform PRS positioning measurements. It is not expected that the UE blindly performs detection of the PRS configuration.

[0070] Please note that the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may sometimes refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in LTE / NR systems. However, as used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS signals in LTE / NR, navigation reference signals (NRS), transmit reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), etc.

[0071] Similar to the DL PRS transmitted by the base station discussed above, the UE may transmit an UL PRS for positioning. The UL PRS may be, for example, a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning. Using the DL PRS received from the base station and / or the UL PRS transmitted to the base station, the UE may perform various positioning methods such as time of arrival (TOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), time difference of arrival (TDOA), reference signal received power (RSRP), time difference between signal reception and transmission (Rx-Tx), angle of arrival (AoA), or angle of departure (AoD). In some embodiments, the DL PRS and the UL PRS are jointly received and transmitted to perform multi-cell positioning measurements such as multiple round trip times (RTTs).

[0072] Various positioning techniques rely on DL PRS or UL PRS (or SRS for positioning). For example, positioning techniques using reference signals include downlink-based positioning, uplink-based positioning, and combined downlink and uplink-based positioning. For example, downlink-based positioning includes positioning methods such as DL-TDOA and DL-AoD. Uplink-based positioning includes positioning methods such as UL-TDOA and UL-AoA. Downlink- and uplink-based positioning includes positioning methods such as RTT with one or more neighboring base stations (multi-RTT). There are other positioning methods, including methods that do not rely on PRS. For example, enhanced cell ID (E-CID) is based on radio resource management (RRM) measurements.

[0073] 3GPP Release 16 addresses high-precision positioning techniques, such as the use of large bandwidth, beam scanning in Frequency Range 2 (FR2) (including the band from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz), angle-based positioning methods (such as AoA and AoD), and multi-RTT. However, the latency issue is not addressed in depth in Release 16. For example, there is consensus in Release 16 that "UE-based positioning" (such as DL-based positioning) can save latency. However, reporting in Release 16 is via LPP or RRC, using mechanisms similar to LTE, and low-latency reporting is not provided. For example, LPP and RRC share physical resources and include redundancy, which is beneficial in many ways, but inherently increases latency.

[0074] However, low latency is desirable for positioning. For example, in some Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) scenarios, latency of less than 100 ms or less than 10 ms may be desired. In order to reduce latency in positioning, reporting can be performed using lower layer channels (such as the Layer 1 (L1) physical (PHY) layer, or the Layer 2 (L2) medium access control (MAC) layer) instead of using the higher latency LPP or RRC. For example, lower layer reporting can be used with on-demand positioning using special physical random access channel (PRACH) sequences. Using lower layer (L1 / L2) reporting to reduce latency is beneficial for communications between the UE 104 and the base station 102. The latency issue between the UE 104 and the LMF 270 can be addressed using an additional mechanism such as "LMF in RAN". With LMF in RAN, the location server is located within the same Technical Specification Group (TSG) Radio Access Network (RAN). For example, the location server can be an internal function of the NG-RAN node, the location server can be a logical node within a separate gNB, or the location server can be a logical node in the NG-RAN, connected to the NG-RAN node (gNB and / or ng-eNB) via an interface so that it can still receive reports from the UE.

[0075] However, positioning measurements are currently reported through higher layer signaling (e.g., via Layer 3 (L3), which is RRC or LPP). For example, measurement reports that may be provided through higher layer signaling include, for example, RSTD, Rx-Tx, RSRP, speed, position determination, one or more TOAs, TDOA, RSRP per path, AoA / AoD, multipath reporting (e.g., for ToA, RSRP, AoA / AoD), LOS and NLOS, SINR, RSRP, motion state (e.g., walking, driving, etc.) and quality, trajectory, etc.

[0076] It may be desirable to report positioning measurements, sometimes referred to herein as positioning state information (PSI) in lower layers (e.g., L1 / L2), to reduce latency. Positioning state information may alternatively be referred to as a CSI report for positioning, a CSI report with positioning measurements, a measured position report, a positioning measurement report, a positioning information report, a position information report, or a CSI report with position information. However, when reporting PSI using lower layer signaling, the size of the PSI report may be larger than the scheduled reporting container. If the PSI report does not fit into the reporting container, instead of discarding the entire PSI report, sending portions of the PSI report (e.g., one or more PSI reporting elements) may be deferred in the PSI report.

[0077] In NR, channel state information (CSI) can be reported by the UE in a manner that omits lower-priority information from the report. CSI is not positioning-related but provides a mechanism by which the UE reports various measured radio channel quality parameters to the network (e.g., gNB). The UE can be configured with a CSI reporting setting, which contains, for example, which parameters to report. For example, a CSI report can include several different radio channel parameters, such as the channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), layer indicator (LI), and L1-RSRP. A CSI reporting setting can include a resource set (RS) setting. For example, each resource set has a BWP (bandwidth part) index and a tag indicating whether the CSIRS resource is aperiodic, periodic, or semi-persistent. Each resource set contains one or more CSI-RS / SSB resource sets: for L1-RSRP, there is only one CSI-RS / SSB resource set; for CSI estimation, there can be two or three CSI-RS resource sets, one for channel measurement and the others for interference measurement. Each CSI-RS resource set can contain one or more CSI-RS resources. For example, each CSI-RS resource can contain one or more antenna ports on which the UE can perform measurements. If a set has multiple CSI-RS resources, the UE can report the CRI, such as the best CSI-RS resource in the set. The CSI reporting settings can also include which UL channel should carry the report, such as the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) or the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

[0078] The interpretation of some fields may depend on the values ​​of other fields, and the CSI report consists of a set of fields arranged in a pre-specified order. For example, a single UL transmission on PUSCH or PUCCH may contain multiple reports arranged according to priority (e.g., as defined in 3GPP TS 38.214), which may depend on the reporting periodicity on PUSCH / PUCCH (e.g., aperiodic, semi-persistent, periodic); type (e.g., L1-RSRP or not); serving cell index (e.g., in case of carrier aggregation) and reportconfigID.

[0079] CSI can be reported in two parts, e.g., a 2-part CSI report. With a 2-part CSI report, the first part (part 1) of all reports are grouped together, the second part (part 2) is grouped separately, and each set is encoded separately. The part 1 payload size is based on configuration parameters, while the part 2 payload size depends on the configuration and the part 1 content. The number of coded bits / symbols to be output after coding and rate matching is calculated based on the number of input bits and the beta factor (e.g., defined in 3GPP TS 38.212). In addition, the association between the instance of the resource set (RS) being measured and the corresponding report is defined.

[0080] For PUSCH-based CSI reporting, and in particular Type II CSI reporting, the CSI payload size can vary significantly depending on the RI selection. For example, for Type II reporting, the PMI payload for RI=2 is almost twice as large as for RI=1. Since the RI selection is unknown to the gNB before scheduling aperiodic CSI reporting on the PUSCH, the gNB will allocate PUSCH resources (i.e., in the frequency and time domains) using its best guess at the RI selection the UE will make (e.g., perhaps by looking at historical RI reports). As a result, the gNB might allocate PUSCH resources under the assumption that the UE will report RI=1, but the UE actually reports RI=2, which has a PMI payload size almost twice that of RI=1. In this case, the CSI payload may not fit in the PUSCH container, i.e., the code rate will be too large or even uncoded systematic bits will not fit. Instead of discarding the entire CSI report, if the CSI payload will not fit into the PUSCH container, partial CSI omission can be used, where parts of the CSI are omitted from the report, but the remaining locations of the CSI are reported. This can provide some utility to the gNB and at least give information about the RI selection so that the gNB can allocate appropriate PUSCH resources for the next aperiodic CSI request, for example.

[0081] The CSI content in CSI Part 2 can be ordered in a predetermined manner. For example, if multiple CSI reports are transmitted in the PUSCH, all reported wideband CSI components (i.e., wideband PMI and CQI) are mapped to the most significant bits of the uplink control information (UCI). Each reported subband CSI is then mapped according to a priority rule, with the subband CSI for even subbands mapped first, followed by the subband CSI for odd subbands. If the final UCI coding rate is above a threshold, the least significant UCI bits are omitted until the coding rate falls below the threshold. Therefore, the subband CSI for reported odd subbands will be omitted before the corresponding subband CSI for even subbands. If the subband CSI for odd subbands is omitted, the gNB will still receive subband PMI and CQI information for even subbands in the frequency domain and can therefore interpolate the PMI / CQI between the two reported subbands to attempt to estimate the value of the missing PMI / CQI intermediate odd subband.

[0082] Positioning status information (PSI) differs from CSI in that the type of information included in a PSI report for positioning measurements may vary significantly depending on the type of positioning measurements performed, the number of positioning measurements, the types of positioning methods supported, etc. For example, the number of TRPs that a UE can detect or report for positioning depends on the UE's choice, the availability of measurement PRSs, etc.

[0083] The types of positioning measurements or information that may be included in a PSI report may include, for example, timing measurements (such as RSTD, UE Rx-Tx, TOA, etc.), energy or power measurements (such as RSRP), angle measurements (such as RSRP), quality metrics, speed and / or trajectory measurements, reference TRP, multipath information, line of sight (LOS) or non-line of sight (NLOS) factors, signal-to-interference and noise ratio (SINR), and timestamps. It should be understood that this list is not exhaustive and that other types of positioning measurements or information may be expected to be included in a PSI report. Each positioning measurement may be reported as one or more vectors, for example, each vector being a set of one or more measurements associated with the same timestamp. Thus, for example, an RSTD vector may be represented as {RSTD1, RSTD2...RSTDN), which are associated with timestamp 1 and may be from the same or different TRPs, as there are cases where a UE reports multiple RSTDs for the same TRP. Therefore, the PSI report can include multiple different types of positioning measurement vectors, including: RSTD vector and timestamp, UE Rx-Tx vector and timestamp, RSRP vector and timestamp, quality metric vector and timestamp, speed vector and timestamp, TOA vector and timestamp, multipath vector and timestamp, LOS / NLOS vector and timestamp, SINR vector and timestamp.

[0084] As described above, it may be desirable to report PSI on a lower layer (L1 / L2) uplink channel, e.g., on the physical layer (PUSCH or PUCCH), on the MAC layer (Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) block), or on the Physical Sidelink Discovery Control Channel (PSSCH). A PSI report may contain one or more types of positioning measurements and one or more sets of positioning measurements of each type. The size of the report of positioning measurements may vary, e.g., based on UE selection or determination of positioning measurements or reporting configuration. The PSI report may be divided into two or more parts, with a subset part having a constant size and a remaining part having a variable size. The size of the varying subset of parts may vary, e.g., because the UE 104 may detect less TRP than expected, or the UE may only report a subset of expected measurements, e.g., the UE may only report RSTD and not RSRP even if the UE is configured to report both.

[0085] Since at least part of the PSI report may be of different size, the PSI payload may not fit in the channel container scheduled for the PSI report, such as PUSCH, PUCCH, PSSCH or MAC-CE, i.e., the code rate will be too large or even uncoded systematic bits will not fit.

[0086] For PSI reporting on lower layer UL or sidelink (SL) data channels (e.g., PUSCH or PSSCH), the PSI payload size may vary significantly depending on the UE's selection, determination, and reporting configuration. For example, the PSI report may be split into two or more parts such that a subset of the parts is of constant size while the remaining parts are of variable size. The size of the subset parts may change because, for example, the UE may detect fewer TRPs than expected, or the UE may report fewer measurements than configured (e.g., the UE may report RSTD instead of RSRP).

[0087] Before scheduling aperiodic PSI reporting on the lower layers, the serving base station may not know information related to the payload size of the PSI report, such as the positioning method or the number of detected TRPs. In this case, the serving base station may have to use a best guess at the required payload size to allocate lower layer resources (i.e., in the frequency and time domains). For example, the serving base station can use historical PSI reports from the UE to predict the payload size of future PSI reports. Therefore, the serving base station can allocate lower layer resources based on the assumption that the UE will report the same amount of PSI as the previous PSI report. However, the payload size of the previous PSI report may not be sufficient for the current PSI report. In this case, the PSI payload will not fit in the lower layer container, i.e., the code rate will be too large, or even the uncoded systematic bits will not fit.

[0088] As discussed above, CSI reporting introduces a partial CSI omission scheme, where part of the CSI can be reported, which can provide some utility to the serving base station and provide information about RI selection so that the serving base station can allocate appropriate PUSCH resources for the next non-periodic CSI request. However, the idea of ​​using partial CSI omission for PSI, i.e., omitting a part of PSI from the PSI report, may cause a large performance loss in positioning. For example, in the previous PSI report from the UE, there may be only 3 base stations configured for positioning, while in the current PSI report, there may be 20 base stations configured for positioning. If the measured PSI from the additional 17 base stations are omitted due to the limited payload size of the allocated lower layer channel (which is allocated for the PSI measured for the 3 base stations), the performance gain of the additional 17 base stations will be lost.

[0089] Therefore, when the payload size of the PSI report does not fit in the allocated lower layer container, a deferral scheme for PSI reporting can be used. For example, when not all PSI reporting elements to be reported fit in the allocated lower layer container (e.g., on PUSCH, PUCCH, PSSCH, or MAC-CE), the UE 104 can defer reporting one or more PSI reporting elements (sometimes referred to herein as deferred PSI reporting elements). Thus, the deferred PSI reporting elements are not included in the PSI report sent to the network entity, but can be included in a PSI report subsequently sent to the network entity.

[0090] In one embodiment, the UE 104 may provide a deferral indication in the PSI report, indicating whether any PSI reporting elements have been deferred and not included in the PSI report. In other words, the deferral indication indicates whether the PSI report is complete or incomplete. For example, the UE 104 may use a single bit in the PSI report to indicate whether any PSI reporting elements have been deferred and not included in the PSI report. For example, the deferral indication may be provided in the PSI report using the first bit of the payload, e.g., a "1" indicating that the PSI report is complete, and a "0" indicating that the PSI report is incomplete, i.e., the transmission of at least one PSI reporting element has been deferred. In another example, the deferral indication may be provided using the last bit of the payload in the PSI report. As an example, the deferral indication may be the first or last bit of the first part of a PSI report having a constant size, or the first or last bit of the second part of a PSI report having a variable size.

[0091] If the transmission of one or more PSI reporting elements is deferred, UE 104 may additionally provide an indication in the PSI report regarding which PSI reporting elements are deferred. For example, if some PSI reporting elements are not included in the current report, UE 104 may assume that these PSI reporting elements are not simply omitted, i.e., not transmitted, but rather deferred, i.e., will be transmitted at a later time. Therefore, UE 104 may wait for a new authorization from the serving base station to transmit the deferred PSI reporting elements in a later PSI report. In some embodiments, for example, if there are multiple deferred PSI reporting elements, multiple subsequent PSI reports may be required to transmit all of the deferred PSI reporting elements.

[0092] Therefore, the UE 104 can indicate whether one or more PSI reporting elements are deferred, and can additionally indicate which PSI reporting elements are deferred. The UE 104 can reserve sufficient bits in the current PSI report (e.g., in the first part of a PSI report with a constant size or in the second part of a PSI report with a variable size) to indicate which PSI reporting elements are not reported in the current PSI report. These information bits can have a higher priority and can be reserved for the purpose of indicating the deferred PSI reporting elements.

[0093] The serving base station may use the indication of the deferred PSI reporting element to determine the size of a lower layer container to authorize subsequent PSI reporting by UE 104 that includes the deferred PSI reporting element.

[0094] Figure 5 5 is a block diagram 500 illustrating a UE 104 and a network entity 510 configured to send and receive a PSI report 502 with an indication of deferral of one or more PSI reporting elements on a lower layer channel, respectively, according to one aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 5 , UE 104 may send a prepared PSI report 502 to a network entity 510. The network entity 510 receiving the PSI report may be, for example, a base station (such as base station 102) or a positioning server (such as positioning server 172 or LMF 270), or a sidelink UE.

[0095] The PSI report may be sent on a lower layer (L1 / L2) uplink channel, for example, on the physical layer (PUSCH or PUCCH), on the MAC layer (Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) block), or on the Physical Sidelink Shared Control Channel (PSSCH). The size of the PSI report may vary depending on a number of factors, such as the type of positioning measurement vector, the number of positioning measurements, the number of selected or available TRPs, etc. Because at least a portion of the PSI report may vary in size, the PSI payload may not fit into the channel container (e.g., PUSCH, PUCCH, PSSCH, or MAC-CE) scheduled for the PSI report, i.e., the code rate will be too large or even uncoded systematic bits will not fit.

[0096] Thus, the PSI report 502 may be complete, i.e., the PSI report 502 may include all PSI reporting elements generated by the UE 104, or may be incomplete, i.e., the PSI report 502 may not include all PSI reporting elements generated by the UE 104. For example, if not all PSI reporting elements fit into the channel container scheduled for the PSI report 502, the UE 104 may defer reporting one or more of the PSI reporting elements.

[0097] UE 104 may provide a deferral indication 512 in PSI report 502. Deferral indication 512 may be, for example, a single bit, sometimes referred to as a completeness bit, that indicates whether PSI report 502 is complete or incomplete. An indication that PSI report 502 is incomplete indicates that there are deferred PSI reporting elements that were not included in PSI report 502.

[0098] The PSI report 502 may also include an indication 514 of deferred PSI reporting elements, which may indicate which PSI reporting elements are not included in the PSI report 502 and will be reported later. For example, the indication 514 of deferred PSI reporting elements may identify the type of positioning measurement or information that may not be included in the PSI report, including, for example, timing measurements (such as RSTD, UE Rx-Tx, TOA, etc.), energy or power measurements (such as RSRP), angle measurements (such as RSRP), quality metrics, speed and / or trajectory measurements, reference TRP, multipath information, LOS or NLOS factors, SINR, and timestamps. Additionally, in some embodiments, the indication 514 of deferred PSI reporting elements may indicate the number of deferred PSI reporting elements.

[0099] like Figure 5 As shown in FIG, the PSI report 502 can be divided into two or more parts, where a subset of the parts have a constant size and the remaining parts have a variable size. Figure 5 , a first portion 504 of the PSI report 502 includes PSI reporting elements or information having a fixed size, and a second portion 506 of the PSI report 502 includes PSI reporting elements that may have a variable size. In some implementations, the UE 104 may include reporting information in the first portion 504 of the PSI report 502 that does not change in size, independent of the content of the UE report, such as the reporting configuration included in portion 2. For example, the first portion 504 may include an indication of the type of positioning measurement vectors included in the second portion 506, and may also indicate the size of each positioning measurement vector.

[0100] The deferral indication 512 may be included in the first portion 504 or the second portion 506 of the PSI report. For example, the deferral indication 512 may be the first bit in the first portion 504 or the last bit in the second portion 506. If desired, the deferral indication 512 may be located elsewhere in the PSI report 502, such as the last bit in the first portion 504 or the first bit in the second portion 506. The indication 514 of the deferred PSI reporting element is illustrated as being included in the second portion 506 of the PSI report, but may be included elsewhere in the PSI report 502 if desired.

[0101] In another embodiment, the UE 104 may provide an indication of the deferral of measurements for different groups of types in the PSI report. For example, an incomplete PSI report may have a greater performance impact on some specific types of measurements than on other measurements. For example, for an RSTD measurement where 16 RSTD measurements are made by the UE 104, if the PSI report only includes 4 RSTD measurements and only 4 RSTD measurements are used to determine the UE position, there may be a performance loss compared to delaying position determination until the deferred RSTD measurements are provided and using all 16 RSTD measurements to determine position. However, other types of position measurements or information may not have a significant performance impact even if the corresponding report is incomplete, and therefore, it may not be necessary to delay position determination until the deferred PRS report is sent.

[0102] Therefore, a deferral indication in a PSI report can be provided by the group type of the PSI report element. For example, a PSI report can indicate, for example, using a single bit, whether a timing measurement is deferred. A PSI report can also indicate, for example, using different bits, whether a power-based positioning measurement (e.g., RSRP) is deferred and / or whether an angle-based measurement is deferred. Another example of a group type that can be deferred is one or more types of information, such as one or more quality metrics, speed and / or trajectory measurements, a reference TRP, multipath information, line-of-sight (LOS) or non-line-of-sight (NLOS) factors, a signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR), and a timestamp. A PSI report can indicate whether reporting of different types of information is deferred, such as whether quality metrics, multipath reports, etc. are deferred.

[0103] For example, Figure 6 6 is a block diagram 600 illustrating a UE 104 and a network entity 610 configured to transmit and receive, respectively, a PSI report 602 on a lower layer channel with an indication of deferral 612a, 612b, 612c, 612d (collectively, 612) for different group types of PSI reporting elements, in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure. The PSI report 602 may include different fields (e.g., bits) to indicate whether PSI reporting elements of different group types are deferred. For example, the first portion 604 (i.e., the fixed portion of the PSI report 602) may identify different types of PSI report elements (e.g., positioning measurement vectors or information) as a bit string of X bits, where each bit corresponds to a specific type of PSI report element and may indicate with a "1" that the PSI report 602 is complete with respect to the specific type of PSI report element, i.e., the PSI report includes all available information of that group type, or with a "0" that the PSI report 602 is incomplete with respect to the specific type of PSI report element, i.e., the PSI report 602 does not include all available information of that group type. Additionally, X numbers may be reported in the first portion 504, where each number corresponds to the size of each deferred PSI report element. As illustrated, if desired, deferred indications 612 for different group types of PSI report elements may be located elsewhere in the PSI report 602, such as at the end of the second portion 606 or elsewhere.

[0104] When one or more PSI reporting elements are deferred and the PSI report is therefore incomplete, the PSI report may still provide partial information that can be used for positioning. For example, the PSI reporting elements included in the current PSI report can be used to determine the location of the UE 104. If and when the deferred PSI reporting elements are received in a later PSI report, the deferred PSI reporting elements can be used to refine the position determination. Therefore, improving latency may be advantageous, for example, to provide higher priority PSI reporting elements as quickly as possible and to defer the transmission of lower priority PSI reporting elements.

[0105] Therefore, PSI report elements can be ordered in a predetermined manner (e.g., according to a priority-based rule), and the transmission of lower-priority PSI elements can be deferred while higher-priority PSI report elements are included in the PSI report. For example, PSI report elements can be mapped to channel containers according to a priority rule, with higher-priority PSI report elements mapped first, followed by lower-priority PSI report elements. If the final code rate of the PSI report is above a threshold (e.g., based on the size of the channel container), the lowest-priority PSI report element is excluded from the current PSI report until the code rate falls below the threshold. Therefore, the transmission of the excluded lower-priority PSI report elements is deferred. A network entity receiving the PSI report can process the PSI report according to the priority-based rule to obtain the PSI report elements. In some embodiments, the serving base station can schedule one or more lower-level channel containers for additional PSI reports, which can include the deferred PSI report elements. The location of UE 104 can be determined based on the initial PSI report and, in some embodiments, can be corrected based on subsequent PSI reports or determined after all PSI reports have been received.

[0106] The types of positioning measurements or information that may be included in a PSI report include, for example, timing measurements (such as RSTD, UE Rx-Tx, TOA, etc.), energy measurements (such as RSRP), quality metrics, speed and / or trajectory measurements, reference TRP, multipath information, line of sight (LOS) or non-line of sight (NLOS) factors, signal-to-interference and noise ratio (SINR), and timestamps. It should be understood that this list is not exhaustive and that other types of positioning measurements or information may be expected to be included in a PSI report. Each positioning measurement may be reported as one or more vectors, for example, each vector being a collection of one or more measurements associated with the same time. Thus, for example, an RSTD vector may be represented as {RSTD1, RSTD2...RSTDN), which are all associated with timestamp 1 and may be from the same or different TRPs, as there are cases where a UE reports multiple RSTDs for the same TRP.

[0107] Priority-based rules may be configured, for example, by the base station or UE, or may be static, for example stored in memory of the UE and the network entity receiving the PSI report. Examples of priority-based rules for sorting PSI report elements may include one or more of the following.

[0108] Rule 1: The first type of positioning measurement has a higher priority than the second type of positioning measurement. For example, in one embodiment, timing measurements may have a higher priority than energy measurements. For example, RSTD across TRPs may take precedence over RSRP across TRPs, or UE Rx-Tx across TRPs may take precedence over RSRP across TRPs. In addition, one type of timing positioning measurement may take precedence over another type of timing positioning measurement, for example, RSTD across TRPs takes precedence over UE Rx-Tx across TRPs. Similarly, one type of energy positioning measurement may take precedence over another type of energy positioning measurement.

[0109] Rule 2: Quality metrics may have a lower priority than the positioning measurements they refer to. For example, UE 104 may prioritize positioning measurement vectors first, followed by quality metric vectors. For example, if UE 104 were to report ten RSTD vectors with associated quality metric vectors, UE 104 may prioritize the reports as follows: RSTD1, RSTD2, ... RSTD10, Quality1, Quality2, ... Quality10.

[0110] Rule 3: Serving base station (e.g., TRP (or reference TRP)) measurements have priority over neighboring TRP measurements. For example, when reporting ten TOA measurements, UE 104 may report TOA1, TOA2, ... TOA10, where the first TOA measurement (e.g., "TOA1") corresponds to the serving or reference TRP.

[0111] Rule 4: The identifier of the reference base station (TRP), PRS resource or PRS resource set has priority over all positioning measurements. Therefore, the identifier of the TRP, PRS resource or PRS resource selected as a reference by the UE is reported before any positioning measurement.

[0112] Rule 5: The priority of the PSI reporting element is based on the configured positioning method. For example, if the UE 104 is configured for TDOA, RSTD positioning measurements have a higher priority than RSRP measurements. If the UE 104 is configured for AoD, RSRP positioning measurements have a higher priority than RSTD measurements. If the UE 104 is configured for multi-RTT, Rx-Tx positioning measurements have a higher priority than RSRP measurements. Priority can be further based on multiple positioning methods, for example, if the UE 104 is configured for a hybrid positioning method. For example, if the UE 104 is configured for TDOA and multi-RTT, RSTD positioning measurements can have a higher priority than Rx-Tx measurements.

[0113] Rule 6: Multipath reports or LOS / NLOS determination factors have lower priority than first path reports. For example, examples of first path reports may include RSTD, UE Rx-Tx, RSRP, and examples of multipath reports may include the difference between the second path positioning measurement relative to the first path positioning measurement. Therefore, UE 104 may sort the PSI report elements by all RSTD, Rx-Tx, RSRP vectors, then the quality metric (if Rule 2 applies), and then the multipath report.

[0114] Rule 7: The UE may receive a configuration of priority rules for each positioning measurement type. For example, the configuration may be received from a location server (e.g., LMF 270), a serving gNB or TRP, or a sidelink UE. For example, UE 104 may receive a configuration with an order of positioning measurement types.

[0115] Rule 8: When UE 104 reports a positioning measurement vector, the corresponding timestamp is reported along with the positioning measurement vector. For example, if UE 104 is reporting an RSTD vector and an RSRP vector along with their timestamps, UE 104 may report RSTD1, RSTD2, ..., RSTD10, TimeStampRSTD, RSRP1, RSRP2, ..., RSRP10, TimeStampRSRP.

[0116] Rule 9: Measurement vectors from different types of positioning measurements are interleaved. For example, if the UE 104 is expected to report two RSTD vectors (e.g., from two different frequency layers) and one Rx-Tx vector, then the vectors from different types of positioning measurements are interleaved, e.g., RSTD vector 1, Rx-Tx vector 1, RSTD vector 2.

[0117] Rule 10: The UE 104 may determine the sequential configuration of the positioning measurement type and report the sequential configuration using the PSI report. For example, the sequential configuration may be reported in the first part of the report having a fixed size.

[0118] In some embodiments, all of the above rules may be used together. In other embodiments, only a subset of the rules may be used. As an example, UE 104 may sort the PSI report elements according to a priority-based rule (such as the above rules shown in the table below), where priority 0 is the highest priority and priority 9 is the lowest priority.

[0119]

[0120] Table 1

[0121] Figure 7700 is a block diagram illustrating a UE 104 configured to prioritize and postpone the transmission of low-priority PSI report elements and include higher-priority PSI report elements in a PSI report to be transmitted on a lower layer channel, according to one aspect of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the UE 104 may determine a plurality of PSI report elements 702. Each PSI report element may include, for example, information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE 104. As discussed above, the PSI report elements may include, for example, RSTD vector(s), UE Rx-Tx vector(s), RSRP vector(s), positioning measurement quality metric(s), velocity vector(s), reference TRP(s), TOA vector(s), multipath vector(s), LOS / NLOS factor(s), SINR vector(s), or timestamp(s). As illustrated by arrow 704, the PSI report elements are sorted by UE 104 according to priority-based rules (such as the rules discussed above), resulting in sorted PSI elements 706, with the highest priority PSI report element displayed on the left and the lowest priority PSI report element displayed on the right. In this example, the size of the sorted PSI report element is larger than the lower layer channel container in which the PSI report is to be sent, such as PUSCH, PUCCH, or PSSCH, or in the MAC-CE. Therefore, UE 104 generates a PSI report 708 including the higher priority PSI report element and postpones 710 the transmission of the remaining lower priority PSI report elements, and these PSI report elements (e.g., PSI element 6 and PSI element 4) are not included in the current PSI report 708. When the transmission of PSI report elements is postponed to a particular priority level, UE 104 can postpone the transmission of all information at that priority level or lower. For example, PSI report elements may be mapped to channel containers according to a priority rule, wherein higher priority PSI report elements are mapped first, followed by lower priority PSI report elements. If the size of the generated PSI report is higher than the size of the channel container, the lowest priority PSI report elements may be excluded from the PSI report until the size of the generated PSI report fits within the channel container, and the excluded PSI report elements may be sent in subsequent PSI reports.

[0122] Figure 8 According to the invention disclosed in this article Figure 1 8. The message flow 800 of various messages sent between components of the communication system 100 depicted in FIG. 8 illustrates a PSI report sent on a lower layer channel where the sending of some PSI report elements is deferred and sent in a subsequent PSI report. The location server 802 may be, for example, Figure 12 or the LMF 270 shown in FIG. 2 . The serving base station 102-1 and the other base stations 102-2 and 102-3 are sometimes collectively referred to as base stations 102. The UE 804 may be a UE that performs sidelink communication with the UE 104. The UE 104 may be configured to perform UE-assisted positioning or UE-based positioning using downlink-based positioning, uplink-based positioning, or combined downlink-based and uplink-based positioning. In the message flow 800, unless otherwise specified, it is assumed that the UE 104 and the location server 802 can communicate using the lower layer channels described above and other mechanisms such as the LMF in the RAN to reduce latency. For example, the location server 802 may be within the RAN 801 (e.g., as an internal function of an NG-RAN node such as the serving base station 102-1), the location server 802 may be a logical node within a split gNB (e.g., the serving base station 102-1), or the location server may be a logical node in the NG-RAN 801 connected to the NG-RAN nodes (e.g., the serving base station 102-1 and the neighboring base stations 102-2 and 102-3) via an interface such that it is still able to receive reports from the UE. It will be appreciated that the UE may be implemented Figure 8 Preparatory or additional conventional phases not shown in FIG, such as capability request and response, request for assistance data and providing assistance data, etc.

[0123] At stage 1, UE 104 may receive a configuration of priority-based rules that may be used to sort PSI report elements and select which PSI report elements to defer. The configuration may be provided by, for example, serving base station 102-1, location server 802, or sidelink UE 804.

[0124] At phase 2 and phase 3, UE 104 receives DLPRS from serving base station 102-1 and neighboring base stations 102-2 and 102-3.

[0125] At stage 4, UE 104 may optionally send a UL PRS or an SRS for positioning to base station 102.

[0126] At stage 5, the UE 104 may perform DL positioning measurements for one or more positioning methods based on the DL PRS received at stages 2 and 3, perform UL positioning measurements for one or more positioning methods based on the UL PRS sent at stage 4, or perform DL and UL positioning measurements for one or more positioning methods based on the DL PRS received at stages 2 and 3 and the UL PRS sent at stage 4. In some embodiments, the UE 104 may perform multiple positioning measurements, for example, positioning measurements of the same type at different times and / or positioning measurements of different types at the same time or different times. For example, the positioning information obtained by the UE 104 from the positioning measurements includes one or more of the following: timing measurements (such as RSTD, UE Rx-Tx, TOA, etc.), angle measurements, power or energy measurements (such as RSRP), quality metrics, speed and / or trajectory measurements, reference TRP, multipath information, LOS / NLOS factors, SINR, and timestamps. The positioning measurements may be used for one or more positioning methods for which the UE 104 is configured, such as TDOA, AoD, multi-RTT, hybrid positioning methods, etc.

[0127] At stage 6, UE 104 may receive, for example, from serving base station 102-1, a schedule or grant for a lower layer container in which UE 105 will send a PSI report. The grant from serving base station 102-1 may be based on, for example, a previous PSI report from UE 104 and, therefore, may not be large enough for all PSI report elements generated by UE 104 based on positioning measurements from stage 5. For mode 2 sidelink transmission of PSI reports to sidelink UE 804, the grant for the lower layer container from serving base station 102-1 may not be necessary.

[0128] At stage 7, the UE 104 generates a PSI reporting element based on the positioning measurements from stage 5, as described above.

[0129] At stage 8, UE 104 may generate a PSI report based on the PSI report elements. If the channel container granted at stage 6 is smaller than the PSI report, the transmission of one or more PSI report elements may be deferred, i.e., the deferred PSI report elements are not included in the PSI report, and the PSI report includes one or more deferred indications. For example, the PSI report may simply indicate, using a single bit, whether any PSI report elements are deferred, i.e., whether the PSI report is complete or incomplete. The PSI report may also indicate information related to the deferred PSI report elements, such as the size of the deferred PSI report elements and / or the type of positioning measurement or information included in the deferred PSI report elements. In some embodiments, the PSI report may indicate the deferral of PSI report elements for each group type. In some embodiments, the deferred PSI report elements may be selected based on a priority-based rule. For example, UE 104 may sort the PSI report elements based on the priority-based rule and exclude lower-priority PSI report elements. For example, a configuration of a priority-based rule may be received from a network entity in phase 1, or the UE may generate a configuration of a priority-based rule based on the positioning measurement type, or the priority-based rule may be fixed in the UE. The UE 104 generates a PSI report using the sorted PSI report elements. If the size of the PSI report element is larger than the size that can be accommodated by the scheduled lower layer channel container, the UE 104 excludes at least one low priority PSI report element when generating the PSI report so that the PSI report fits within the lower layer channel container. The PSI report may be divided into multiple parts, such as Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, the subset portion may have a constant size, while the remaining portion may have a variable size. If the UE 104 generates a priority-based rule configuration, the priority-based rule configuration may be included in the PSI report. The deferred low-priority PSI report element may be included in a PSI report sent later.

[0130] At stage 9, the UE 104 sends a PSI report on the uplink in a lower layer channel container to, for example, the sidelink UE 804, the serving base station 102, or the location server 802. For example, the UE 104 may send the PSI report using the PHY layer (e.g., using PUSCH, PUCCH, PSSCH) or using MAC-CE at the MAC layer. Sending the PSI report on the lower layer channel advantageously reduces latency compared to, for example, sending on the RRC channel.

[0131] At one of stages 10a, 10b, and 10c, the PSI report is processed, for example, by the sidelink UE 804, the serving base station 102-1, or the location server 802, respectively, using priority-based rules to retrieve the included PSI report elements and determine whether one or more PSI report elements have been deferred. In some embodiments, the location of the UE 104 can be determined based on the PSI report elements received in the PSI report sent at stage 9. The serving base station 102-1 can determine the necessary container size for the deferred PSI report elements based on the indication(s) provided in the PSI report from stage 9.

[0132] At stage 11, if a PSI report is sent to the sidelink UE 804 or location server 802, the sidelink UE 804 or location server 802 may propagate any indication of the type and / or size of the deferred PSI reporting element to the serving base station 102-1. The serving base station 102-1 may then determine the necessary container size for the deferred PSI reporting element.

[0133] At stage 12, UE 104 may receive a schedule or grant, eg, from serving base station 102-1, for a lower layer container in which UE 105 may send a PSI report for a deferred PSI reporting element.

[0134] At stage 13, UE 104 generates a second PSI report based on the deferred PSI report elements and may indicate whether any PSI report elements are deferred. For example, if all remaining PSI report elements are included in the PSI report, the PSI report may indicate that the PSI report is complete. If not all PSI report elements can be included in the PSI report, one or more PSI report elements may be deferred again, and the PSI report may indicate that one or more PSI report elements are deferred. As discussed at stage 8, the PSI report may further indicate information related to the deferred PSI report elements, such as the size of the deferred PSI report elements and / or the type or information of positioning measurements included in the deferred PSI report elements. In some embodiments, the PSI report may indicate deferred based on the group type of the PSI report elements. As discussed in stage 8, the deferred PSI report elements may be selected according to priority-based rules.

[0135] At stage 14, the UE 104 sends a second PSI report with the previously deferred PSI reporting element in a lower layer channel container on the uplink to, for example, the sidelink UE 804, the serving base station 102, or the location server 802. For example, the UE 104 can send the PSI report using the PHY layer (e.g., using PUSCH, PUCCH, PSSCH) or using MAC-CE at the MAC layer. Sending the PSI report on the lower layer channel advantageously reduces latency compared to, for example, sending on the RRC channel.

[0136] At one of stages 15a, 15b, and 15c, the second PSI report is processed, for example, by the sidelink UE 804, the serving base station 102-1, or the location server 802, respectively, using priority-based rules to retrieve the included PSI report elements and determine whether one or more PSI report elements have been deferred. If the second PSI report sent at stage 14 is incomplete, stages 11-14 may be repeated until all desired PSI report elements have been reported. In some embodiments, the location of the UE 104 determined earlier (e.g., at stage 10) may be corrected or improved based on the PSI report elements received in the second PSI report sent at stage 14. In some embodiments, the location of the UE 104 may be determined using the PSI report elements from the PSI report received at stage 14 and all previously received PSI report elements. In some embodiments, the sidelink UE 804 may forward the PSI report elements to one of the serving base station 102-1 or the location server 802 for processing.

[0137] Figure 9 A flow chart is shown of an exemplary method 900 for a UE, such as UE 104, to conduct wireless communications in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments, eg, by sending PSI reports on a lower layer channel to reduce latency.

[0138] At block 902, the UE determines a plurality of positioning state information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element includes information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, e.g., as in Figure 8 At block 904, a first PSI report is generated based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report includes a deferral indication for the at least one PSI reporting element, e.g., as in Figure 8 At block 906, a first PSI report is sent to a network entity in a lower layer channel container, e.g., as in Figure 8 As discussed in Stage 9 of

[0139] In some embodiments, the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element includes an integrity bit, e.g. Figure 5 in and Figure 8 As discussed in Stage 8 of

[0140] In some embodiments, the first PSI report may further include an identification of at least one PSI report element that is deferred, for example, Figure 5 in and Figure 8 As discussed in Stage 8 of

[0141] In some embodiments, the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element includes a group type integrity bit that identifies deferrals of PSI reporting elements of different group types, e.g. Figure 6 in and Figure 8 As discussed in Stage 8 of

[0142] In some embodiments, in response to the deferral indication for the at least one PSI reporting element, the UE may further receive from the serving base station an authorization for a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report containing the at least one PSI reporting element, e.g., as in Figure 8 A second PSI report may be generated comprising at least one PSI report element, e.g., as in Figure 8 The second PSI report may be sent to the network entity in a second lower layer channel container, e.g., as in Figure 8 as discussed in Stage 14 of this document.

[0143] In some embodiments, the UE may sort the PSI reporting elements according to a priority-based rule; and generate a first PSI report based on the sorted PSI reporting elements, wherein at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element, e.g., Figure 7 in and Figure 8 As discussed in Stage 8 of

[0144] In some embodiments, the lower layer channel container includes a physical layer channel container or a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) block. For example, the physical layer channel can be a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSSCH).

[0145] In some embodiments, the first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report, e.g., as in Figure 5 and Figure 6 in and Figure 8 As discussed in Stage 8 of

[0146] In some embodiments, the network entity may be one of a serving base station in a radio access network (RAN), a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

[0147] Figure 10 A flow chart is shown of an exemplary method 1000 for wireless communication by a UE (such as UE 104) performed by a network entity in a wireless network, such as a serving base station in a RAN (e.g., base station 102) or a location server in the RAN (such as location server 172 or LMF 270), or a UE in sidelink communication with the UE, which receives PSI reports on a lower layer channel, in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments.

[0148] At block 1002, a network entity receives a first positioning state information (PSI) report from a UE in a lower layer channel container, the first PSI report comprising PSI reporting elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI reporting element and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report and the first PSI report comprises a deferral indication of the at least one PSI reporting element, e.g., as in Figure 8 At block 1004, the first PSI report is processed to determine PSI reporting elements included in the first PSI report and at least one PSI reporting element is deferred, e.g., as in Figure 8 as discussed in Stage 10 of this document.

[0149] In one embodiment, the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element includes an integrity bit, e.g. Figure 5 in and Figure 8 As discussed in Stage 8 of

[0150] In one embodiment, the first PSI report also includes an identification of at least one PSI report element that is deferred, e.g. Figure 5 in and Figure 8 As discussed in Stage 8 of

[0151] In one embodiment, the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element includes a group type integrity bit that identifies deferrals of PSI reporting elements of different group types, e.g. Figure 6 in and Figure 8 As discussed in Stage 8 of

[0152] In one embodiment, the network entity may determine, in response to a deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element, a size of a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report to contain the at least one PSI reporting element, e.g., as in Figure 8 The network entity may send an authorization for a second lower layer channel container to the UE, for example, as discussed in stages 10 and 11 of Figure 8 A second PSI report including the at least one PSI report element may be received from the UE, for example, as discussed in stage 12 of Figure 8 The second PSI report may be processed to determine at least one PSI report element to be included in the second PSI report, for example, as discussed in stage 14 of Figure 8 In one example, the position estimate of the UE may be determined based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report and the position estimate of the UE may be corrected based on at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report, e.g., as in Figure 8 In another example, the network entity may wait until after receiving the second PSI report and determine the UE's position estimate report based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report combined with at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI, for example, as in Figure 8 Stage 15 of the discussion.

[0153] In one embodiment, the PSI reporting elements in the first PSI report are sorted by the UE according to a priority-based rule, wherein at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element, e.g. Figure 7 in and Figure 8 As discussed in Stage 8 of

[0154] In one embodiment, the lower layer channel container includes a physical layer channel container or a medium access control-control element (MAC-CE) block. For example, the physical layer channel may include a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSSCH).

[0155] In one embodiment, the first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report, e.g., as in Figure 5 and Figure 6 in and Figure 8 As discussed in Stage 8 of

[0156] In one embodiment, the network entity may be one of a serving base station in a radio access network (RAN), a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

[0157] Figure 11 1 shows a UE 1100 (which may be, for example, Figure 1 104 ), which is a schematic block diagram of certain exemplary features of a UE 104 (shown in FIG. 104 ), wherein the UE 1100 is capable of deferring the transmission of one or more PSI report elements while transmitting other PSI report elements in a PSI report on a lower layer channel. The UE 1100 may, for example, include one or more processors 1102, a memory 1104, an external interface such as a wireless transceiver 1110 (e.g., a wireless network interface), which may be connected to a non-transitory computer-readable medium 1120 and the memory 1104 using one or more connections 1106 (e.g., a bus, wire, fiber, link, etc.). The computer-readable medium 1120 may be stored in the memory 1104 or otherwise be part of the memory 1104, or may be completely or partially (or temporarily) external to the memory 1104, and therefore, may be considered to be inclusive, exclusive, or a part of each. The UE 1100 may also include additional items not shown, such as a user interface, which may include, for example, a display, a keypad or other input device (such as a virtual keypad on the display) through which a user can interact with the UE, or other types of receivers or transceivers, such as a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver, a Bluetooth transceiver, satellite positioning system receiver, etc. In certain example embodiments, all or part of UE 1100 may take the form of a chipset, etc. For example, wireless transceiver 1110 may include a transmitter 1112 capable of transmitting one or more signals via one or more types of wireless communication networks and a receiver 1114 for receiving one or more signals transmitted via one or more types of wireless communication networks.

[0158] In some embodiments, the UE 1100 may include an antenna 1111, which may be internal or external. The UE antenna 1111 may be used to transmit and / or receive signals processed by the wireless transceiver 1110. In some embodiments, the UE antenna 1111 may be coupled to the wireless transceiver 1110. In some embodiments, measurements of signals received (transmitted) by the UE 1100 may be performed at the connection point between the UE antenna 1111 and the wireless transceiver 1110. For example, the reference measurement point for the measurement of the received (transmitted) RF signal may be the input (output) terminal of the receiver 1114 (transmitter 1112) and the output (input) terminal of the UE antenna 1111. In a UE 1100 having multiple UE antennas 1111 or an antenna array, the antenna connector may be considered as a virtual point representing the aggregate output (input) of the multiple UE antennas. The UE 1100 may receive signals, such as a DL PRS, and / or transmit an UL PRS or SRS for positioning. Measurements of the signal (including one or more of the following: timing measurements (such as RSTD, UE Rx-Tx, TOA, etc.), energy measurements (such as RSRP), quality metrics, speed and / or trajectory measurements, reference TRP, multipath information, line of sight (LOS) or non-line of sight (NLOS) factors, signal-to-interference and noise ratio (SINR), and timestamps) can be processed by one or more processors 1202.

[0159] The one or more processors 1102 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processors 1102 may be configured to perform the functions discussed herein by implementing one or more instructions or program codes 1108 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the medium 1120 and / or the memory 1104. In some embodiments, the one or more processors 1102 may represent one or more circuits that may be configured to perform at least a portion of a data signal computation process or processing associated with the operation of the UE 1100.

[0160] The media 1120 and / or memory 1104 may store instructions or program code 1108 containing executable code or software instructions that, when executed by one or more processors 1102, cause the one or more processors 1102 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. As illustrated in UE 1100, the media 1120 and / or memory 1104 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by one or more processors 1102 to perform the methods described herein. Although the components or modules are illustrated as software in the media 1120 that may be executed by one or more processors 1102, it should be understood that the components or modules may be stored in memory 1104 or may be dedicated hardware in one or more processors 1102 or not in the processor.

[0161] A number of software modules and data tables may reside in the media 1120 and / or memory 1104 and be used by the one or more processors 1102 to manage communications and the functionality described herein. It should be understood that the organization of the contents of the media 1120 and / or memory 1104 as shown in the UE 1100 is merely exemplary, and thus the functionality of the modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated, and / or configured in a different manner, depending on the implementation of the UE 1100.

[0162] The medium 1120 and / or the memory 1104 may include a UL PRS transmission module 1122 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1102 , configures the one or more processors 1102 to transmit a UL PRS or SRS via the wireless transceiver 1110 for positioning.

[0163] The medium 1120 and / or the memory 1104 may include a DL PRS module 1124 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1102 , configures the one or more processors 1102 to receive a DL PRS transmitted by one or more base stations via the wireless transceiver 1110 .

[0164] The medium 1120 and / or the memory 1104 may include a location measurement module 1126 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1102, configures the one or more processors 1102 to perform positioning measurements using received DL PRS and / or UL PRS. For example, the one or more processors 1102 may be configured to perform DL positioning measurements for one or more positioning methods based on received DL PRS, perform UL positioning measurements for one or more positioning methods based on transmitted UL PRS, or perform both DL and UL positioning measurements for one or more positioning methods based on received DL PRS and transmitted UL PRS. Multiple positioning measurements may be performed, for example, the same type of positioning measurements may be performed at different times and / or different types of positioning measurements may be performed at the same time or at different times. The positioning measurements may be used for one or more positioning methods, such as TDOA, AoD, multi-RTT, hybrid positioning methods, and the like. For example, one or more processors 1102 may be configured to perform positioning measurements including one or more of the following: timing measurements (such as RSTD, UE Rx-Tx, TOA, etc.), energy measurements (such as RSRP), quality metrics, speed and / or trajectory measurements, reference TRP, multipath information, LOS / NLOS factors, SINR, and timestamps. In some embodiments, one or more processors 1102 may be further configured to use, for example, position measurements and base station positions received in assistance data to estimate the position of UE 1100 in a UE-based positioning process.

[0165] The medium 1120 and / or the memory 1104 may include a PSI reporting element module 1128 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1102, configures the one or more processors 1102 to determine a plurality of PSI reporting elements based on information related to positioning measurements. For example, the information related to positioning measurements used to determine the PSI reporting elements may include one or more of the following: at least one RSTD vector; at least one UE Rx-Tx vector; at least one RSRP vector; at least one quality metric; at least one speed vector; a reference TRP; at least one TOA vector; at least one multipath vector; at least one LOS / NLOS factor; at least one SINR vector; and at least one timestamp.

[0166] The medium 1120 and / or the memory 1104 may include a priority configuration module 1130, which, when implemented by the one or more processors 1102, configures the one or more processors 1102 to receive a priority-based rule configuration from a network entity (such as a serving base station, a location server, or a sidelink UE) via the wireless transceiver 1110 based on the type of positioning measurement.

[0167] The medium 1120 and / or memory 1104 may include a configure priority rule module 1132 that, when implemented by one or more processors 1102, configures the one or more processors 1102 to configure a priority rule to be used for sorting PSI report elements. For example, the configuration of the priority rule may be received from a network entity and stored in the medium and / or memory 1104. The configuration of the priority rule may be generated by the UE 1100 itself and stored in the medium and / or memory 1104, and may be sent to the network entity along with the PSI report. In some embodiments, the configuration of the priority rule may be static and stored in the medium and / or memory 1104.

[0168] The medium 1120 and / or memory 1104 may include a scheduling module 1134 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1102, configures the one or more processors 1102 to determine a schedule for a lower layer channel container in which the UE 1100 will send a PSI report, e.g., by receiving a grant from a serving base station via a wireless transmitter.

[0169] The medium 1120 and / or the memory 1104 may include an ordering module 1136 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1102, configures the one or more processors 1102 to order the PSI report elements according to a priority-based rule, e.g., from highest priority to lowest priority. For example, the order of the PSI report elements may be based on the priority given to different types of positioning measurement information.

[0170] The medium 1120 and / or the memory 1104 may include a deferral module 1138 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1102, configures the one or more processors 1102 to determine one or more PSI report elements to be deferred (i.e., not included in the current PSI report and sent in a subsequent PSI report). For example, the one or more processors 1102 may be configured to defer at least one low-priority PSI report element, e.g., if the size of the PSI report element is larger than a size that can be accommodated by a scheduled lower layer channel container.

[0171] The medium 1120 and / or the memory 1104 may include a PSI reporting module 1140 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1102, configures the one or more processors 1102 to generate a PSI report based on non-deferred PSI reporting elements and include one or more deferral indications if one or more PSI reporting elements are deferred. For example, the PSI report may simply indicate, for example using a single bit, whether any PSI reporting elements are deferred, i.e., whether the PSI report is complete or incomplete. The PSI report may additionally indicate information related to the deferred PSI reporting elements, such as the size of the deferred PSI reporting elements and / or the type of positioning measurement or information included in the deferred PSI reporting elements. In some embodiments, the PSI report may indicate the deferral of PSI reporting elements by group type. The one or more processors 1102 may be configured to divide the PSI report into multiple parts, wherein a subset of the parts may have a constant size, while the remaining parts may have a variable size. The one or more processors 1102 may be configured to include the priority-based rule configuration in the PSI report, eg, if the priority-based rule configuration is generated by the UE 1100 .

[0172] The medium 1120 and / or the memory 1104 may include a send PSI report module 1142 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1102, configures the one or more processors 1102 to send a PSI report to a network entity (such as another UE, a serving base station, or a location server) via the wireless transceiver 1110 in a SL or UL lower layer channel container. For example, the UE 114 may send the PSI report using a PHY layer (e.g., using a PUSCH, PUCCH, PSSCH) or at a MAC layer using a MAC-CE block.

[0173] Depending on the application, the methods described herein can be implemented in various ways. For example, the methods can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For hardware implementations, the one or more processors 1102 can be implemented in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

[0174] For firmware and / or software implementations, the methods can be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium that tangibly embodies instructions can be used to implement the methods described herein. For example, software code can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium 1120 or memory 1104 connected to and executed by one or more processors 1102. The memory can be implemented within one or more processors or external to one or more processors. As used herein, the term "memory" refers to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile or other memory, and is not limited to any particular type of memory or any amount of memory, or the type of medium on which the memory is stored.

[0175] If implemented in firmware and / or software, these functions may be stored as one or more instructions or program code 1108 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as media 1120 and / or memory 1104. Examples include computer-readable media encoded with a data structure and computer-readable media encoded with a computer program 1108. For example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code 1108 stored thereon may include program code 1108 to support deferring the transmission of one or more PSI report elements and transmitting other PSI report elements in a PSI report on a lower layer channel in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments. Non-transitory computer-readable medium 1120 includes physical computer storage media. The storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code 1108 in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer; as used herein, magnetic disk and optical disk include compact disk (CD), laser disk, optical disk, digital versatile disk (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disk, where magnetic disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while disks reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0176] In addition to being stored on computer-readable media 1120, instructions and / or data can be provided as signals on a transmission medium included in the communication device. For example, the communication device may include a wireless transceiver 1110 with signals indicating instructions and data. The instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to implement the functions outlined in the claims. In other words, the communication device includes a transmission medium with signals indicating information for performing the disclosed functions.

[0177] Memory 1104 can represent any data storage mechanism. Memory 1104 can include, for example, primary memory and / or secondary memory. Primary memory can include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, and the like. Although illustrated in this example as being separate from one or more processors 1102, it should be understood that all or a portion of primary memory can be provided within one or more processors 1102 or otherwise co-located / coupled with one or more processors 1102. Secondary memory can include, for example, the same or similar type of memory as primary memory and / or one or more data storage devices or systems, such as, for example, a magnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive, a tape drive, a solid-state storage drive, and the like.

[0178] In some embodiments, the secondary memory may be operable to receive or otherwise be configurable to be coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium 1120. Thus, in some exemplary embodiments, the methods and / or apparatus presented herein may take the form of, in whole or in part, a computer-readable medium 1120, which may include computer-implemented code 1108 stored thereon, which, if executed by one or more processors 1102, may be operable to enable performance of all or part of the example operations described herein. The computer-readable medium 1120 may be part of the memory 1104.

[0179] A UE configured to support positioning, such as UE 1100, may include means for determining a plurality of positioning state information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element includes information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, which may be, for example, one or more processors 1102 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 1104 or media 1120, such as PSI reporting element module 1128. Means for generating a first PSI report based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report includes an indication of deferring the at least one PSI reporting element, may be, for example, one or more processors 1102 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 1104 or media 1120, such as PSI reporting module 1140. The means for sending the first PSI report to the network entity in the lower layer channel container may be, for example, at least one wireless transceiver 1110 and one or more processors 1102 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 1104 or media 1120, such as a send PSI report module 1142.

[0180] In one embodiment, the UE may further include means for receiving, from the serving base station, authorization for a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report containing the at least one PSI reporting element in response to a deferral indication for the at least one PSI reporting element, which may be, for example, at least one wireless transceiver 1110 and one or more processors 1102 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 1104 or media 1120 (such as a scheduling module 1134). Means for generating the second PSI report containing the at least one PSI reporting element may be, for example, one or more processors 1102 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 1104 or media 1120 (such as a PSI reporting module 1140). Means for sending the second PSI report to the network entity in the second lower layer channel container may be, for example, at least one wireless transceiver 1110 and one or more processors 1102 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 1104 or media 1120 (such as a sending PSI report module 1142).

[0181] In one embodiment, the UE may further include means for sorting the PSI report elements according to a priority-based rule, which means may be, for example, one or more processors 1102 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 1104 or media 1120, such as a sorting module 1136. Means for generating a first PSI report based on the sorted PSI report elements, wherein at least one PSI report element not included in the first PSI report is a low-priority PSI report element, may be, for example, one or more processors 1102 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 1104 or media 1120, such as a PSI reporting module 1140.

[0182] Figure 12 A schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of a network entity 1200 in a wireless network that can support wireless communications with a UE (e.g., UE 104) in accordance with the disclosure herein to defer transmission of one or more PSI reporting elements while transmitting other PSI reporting elements in a PSI report is shown. For example, the network entity 1200 can be Figure 1 and Figure 2BThe serving base station 102 or location server 172 or LMF 270 in the network, or another UE in SL communication with the UE. The network entity 1200 may, for example, include one or more processors 1202, a memory 1204, and an external interface, the external interface may include a wireless transceiver 1210 (e.g., a wireless network interface), for example, in the case where the network entity 1200 is a serving base station or a sidelink UE, and / or a communication interface 1216 (e.g., a wired or wireless network interface to other network entities and / or a core network), which is operatively coupled to a non-transitory computer-readable medium 1220 and the memory 1204 using one or more connections 1206 (e.g., a bus, a line, an optical fiber, a link, etc.). The computer-readable medium 1220 may be stored in the memory 1204 or otherwise be part of the memory 1204, or may be completely or partially (or temporarily) external to the memory 1204, and therefore, may be considered to be inclusive, exclusive, or a part of each. In some embodiments, the network entity 1200 may also include additional items not shown, such as a user interface, which may include, for example, a display, a keypad, or other input device (such as a virtual keypad on a display) through which a user can interact with the network entity, for example, where the network entity is a sidelink UE. In certain example embodiments, all or part of the network entity 1200 may take the form of a chipset or the like. The wireless transceiver 1210 (if present) may, for example, include a transmitter 1212 capable of transmitting one or more signals over one or more types of wireless communication networks and a receiver 1214 capable of receiving one or more signals transmitted over one or more types of wireless communication networks. The communication interface 1216 may be a base station capable of connecting to, for example, other base stations or network entities in the RAN (such as a wireless UE). Figure 1 A wired or wireless interface to the location server 172 shown in FIG.

[0183] In some embodiments, network entity 1200 may include an antenna 1211, which may be internal or external. Antenna 1211 may be used to transmit and / or receive signals processed by wireless transceiver 1210. In some embodiments, antenna 1211 may be coupled to wireless transceiver 1210. In some embodiments, measurements of signals received (transmitted) by network entity 1200 may be performed at the connection point between antenna 1211 and wireless transceiver 1210. For example, the reference measurement point for measurements of received (transmitted) RF signals may be the input (output) terminal of receiver 1214 (transmitter 1212) and the output (input) terminal of antenna 1211. In network entity 1200 with multiple antennas 1211 or an antenna array, the antenna connector may be considered a virtual point representing the aggregate output (input) of the multiple antennas. In some embodiments, network entity 1200 may measure received signals (e.g., UL PRS or SRS for positioning), including signal strength and TOA measurements, and the raw measurements may be processed by one or more processors 1202.

[0184] The one or more processors 1202 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processors 1202 may be configured to perform the functions discussed herein by implementing one or more instructions or program codes 1208 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as the medium 1220 and / or the memory 1204. In some embodiments, the one or more processors 1202 may represent one or more circuits that are configurable to perform at least a portion of a data signal computation process or processing associated with the operation of the network entity 1200.

[0185] The medium 1220 and / or memory 1204 may store instructions or program code 1208 containing executable code or software instructions that, when executed by one or more processors 1202, cause the one or more processors 1202 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. As illustrated in the network entity 1200, the medium 1220 and / or memory 1204 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by one or more processors 1202 to perform the methods described herein. Although the components or modules are illustrated as software in the medium 1220 that may be executed by one or more processors 1202, it should be understood that the components or modules may be stored in the memory 1204 or may be dedicated hardware in one or more processors 1202 or not in the processor.

[0186] A number of software modules and data tables may reside in the media 1220 and / or memory 1204 and be used by the one or more processors 1202 to manage communications and the functionality described herein. It should be understood that the organization of the contents of the media 1220 and / or memory 1204 as shown in the network entity 1200 is merely exemplary, and thus the functionality of the modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated, and / or configured in a different manner, depending on the implementation of the network entity 1200.

[0187] The medium 1220 and / or the memory 1204 may include a UL PRS module 1222 (e.g., in the case where the network entity 1200 is a serving base station), which, when implemented by the one or more processors 1202, configures the one or more processors 1202 to receive a UL PRS or an SRS for positioning from the UE 124 via the wireless transceiver 1210.

[0188] The medium 1220 and / or memory 1204 may include a DL PRS module 1224 (e.g., in the case where the network entity 1200 is a serving base station), which, when implemented by one or more processors 1202, configures the one or more processors 1202 to send a DL PRS to the UE 124 via the wireless transceiver 1210.

[0189] The medium 1220 and / or the memory 1204 may include a scheduling module 1226 (e.g., if the network entity 1200 is a serving base station), which, when implemented by the one or more processors 1202, configures the one or more processors 1202 to schedule a lower layer channel container in which the UE 104 will send a PSI report and transmit a schedule or grant to the UE 104 via a wireless transmitter. The scheduling module 1226 configures the one or more processors 1202 to determine the size of the lower layer channel container for the PSI report based on one or more deferral indications and / or information related to the deferred PSI report element (such as the size of the PSI report and / or the type of positioning measurement or information included in the received PSI report). If the network entity 1200 is another UE or a location server, the scheduling module 1226 may configure the one or more processors 1202 to propagate the deferral information to the serving base station via the transceiver 1210 or the communication interface 1216 for scheduling.

[0190] The medium 1220 and / or the memory 1204 may include a receive PSI report module 1228 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1202, configures the one or more processors 1202 to receive a PSI report from the UE 104 in a lower layer channel container, e.g., via the wireless transceiver 1210 if the network entity 1200 is a sidelink UE or a serving base station, or via the communication interface 1216 if the network entity 1200 is a location server. If one or more PSI report elements are deferred, the PSI report includes one or more deferred indications. For example, the PSI report may simply indicate, for example, using a single bit, whether any PSI report elements are deferred, i.e., whether the PSI report is complete or incomplete. The PSI report may additionally indicate information related to the deferred PSI report elements, such as the size of the deferred PSI report elements and / or the type of positioning measurement or information included in the deferred PSI report elements. In some embodiments, the PSI report may indicate the deferred PSI report elements by group type. For example, if the network entity 1200 is another UE, the lower layer channel container may be a SL channel, or if the network entity 1200 is a serving base station or location server, it may be a UL channel. For example, the PSI report may be received at the PHY layer (e.g., using PUSCH, PUCCH, PSSCH), or at the MAC layer using MAC-CE. The PSI report may include information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE 104, wherein the PSI report elements in the PSI report may be sorted by the UE according to a priority-based rule, wherein at least one low-priority PSI report element in the PSI report is deferred for transmission.

[0191] The medium 1220 and / or memory 1204 may include a priority configuration module 1230 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1202, configures the one or more processors 1202 to configure a priority rule to be used by the UE to sort PSI report elements. For example, the configuration of the priority rule may be sent to the UE, for example, via the wireless transceiver 1210 or the communication interface 1216. If the UE 104 generates a priority rule configuration, the one or more processors 1202 may be configured to receive the priority rule configuration from the UE, for example, in a PSI report. In some embodiments, the configuration of the priority rule may be static and stored in the medium and / or memory 1204.

[0192] The medium 1220 and / or the memory 1204 may include a process PSI report module 1232 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1202, configures the one or more processors 1202 to process the PSI report according to priority-based rules to determine PSI report elements.

[0193] The medium 1220 and / or the memory 1204 may include a location determination module 1234 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 1202, configures the one or more processors 1202 to use the PSI reporting elements received in the PSI report to determine the location of the UE. The one or more processors 1202 may be configured to use the PSI reporting elements received in the first PSI report to determine the location of the UE and, after receiving a subsequent PSI report, to update or revise the location determination using the deferred PSI reporting elements. In another embodiment, the one or more processors 1202 may be configured to wait until all PSI reporting elements are received and use the PSI reporting elements received in the first PSI report in combination with the deferred PSI reporting elements received in the subsequent PSI reports to determine the location of the UE.

[0194] Depending on the application, the methods described herein can be implemented in various ways. For example, the methods can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For hardware implementations, the one or more processors 1202 can be implemented in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof.

[0195] For firmware and / or software implementations, the methods can be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium that tangibly embodies instructions can be used to implement the methods described herein. For example, software code can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium 1220 or memory 1204 connected to and executed by one or more processors 1202. The memory can be implemented within one or more processors or external to one or more processors. As used herein, the term "memory" refers to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory, and is not limited to any particular type of memory or any amount of memory, or the type of medium on which the memory is stored.

[0196] If implemented in firmware and / or software, these functions may be stored as one or more instructions or program code 1208 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as media 1220 and / or memory 1204. Examples include computer-readable media encoded with a data structure and computer-readable media encoded with a computer program 1208. For example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code 1208 stored thereon may include program code 1208 to support a UE in deferring transmission of one or more PSI report elements while transmitting other PSI report elements in a PSI report on a lower layer channel in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments. Non-transitory computer-readable medium 1220 includes physical computer storage media. Storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code 1208 in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer; as used herein, magnetic disk and optical disk include compact disk (CD), laser disk, optical disk, digital versatile disk (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disk, where magnetic disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while disks reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0197] In addition to being stored on computer-readable media 1220, instructions and / or data can be provided as signals on a transmission medium included in the communication device. For example, the communication device may include a wireless transceiver 1210 with signals indicating instructions and data. The instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to implement the functions outlined in the claims. In other words, the communication device includes a transmission medium with signals indicating information for performing the disclosed functions.

[0198] Memory 1204 can represent any data storage mechanism. Memory 1204 can include, for example, primary memory and / or secondary memory. Primary memory can include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, and the like. Although illustrated in this example as being separate from one or more processors 1102, it should be understood that all or a portion of primary memory can be provided within one or more processors 1102 or otherwise co-located / coupled with one or more processors 1102. Secondary memory can include, for example, the same or similar type of memory as primary memory and / or one or more data storage devices or systems, such as, for example, a magnetic disk drive, an optical disk drive, a tape drive, a solid-state storage drive, and the like.

[0199] In some embodiments, the secondary memory may be operable to receive or otherwise be configurable to be coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium 1220. Thus, in some example embodiments, the methods and / or apparatus presented herein may take the form of, in whole or in part, a computer-readable medium 1220, which may include computer-implementable code 1208 stored thereon, which, if executed by one or more processors 1202, may be operable to enable performance of all or part of the example operations described herein. The computer-readable medium 1220 may be part of the memory 1204.

[0200] A network entity configured to support UE positioning (such as network entity 1200) may include a component for receiving a first positioning state information (PSI) report from the UE in a lower layer channel container (the first PSI report contains PSI report elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI report element includes information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI report element and the at least one PSI report element is not included in the first PSI report, and the first PSI report includes a deferral indication for the at least one PSI report element), which may be, for example, an external interface (such as a transceiver 1210 or a communication interface 1216), and one or more processors 1202 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in a memory 1204 or a medium 1220 (such as a receive PSI report module 1228). The means for processing the first PSI report to determine the PSI report elements included in the first PSI report and at least one PSI report element being deferred can be, for example, one or more processors 1202 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 1204 or media 1220 (such as the process PSI report module 1232).

[0201] In one embodiment, the network entity may further include means for determining a size of a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report containing at least one PSI reporting element in response to a deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element, which may be, for example, one or more processors 1202 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 1204 or media 1220 (such as a scheduling module 1226). Means for sending an authorization for the second lower layer channel container to the UE may be, for example, an external interface (such as the transceiver 1210 or the communication interface 1216) and one or more processors 1202 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 1204 or media 1220 (such as a scheduling module 1226). Means for receiving a second PSI report containing at least one PSI reporting element from the UE may be, for example, an external interface (such as the transceiver 1210 or the communication interface 1216) and one or more processors 1202 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 1204 or media 1220 (such as a receive PSI report module 1228). The means for processing the second PSI report to determine at least one PSI report element included in the second PSI report may be, for example, one or more processors 1202 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 1204 or media 1220, such as process PSI report module 1232.

[0202] In one embodiment, the network entity may also include a component for determining a position estimate of the UE based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report and revising the position estimate of the UE based on at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report, which may be, for example, one or more processors 1202 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions (such as a position determination module 1234) in the memory 1204 or medium 1220.

[0203] In one embodiment, the network entity may also include a component for waiting until the second PSI report is received and then determining a position estimate of the UE based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report combined with at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report, which may be, for example, one or more processors 1202 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions (such as a position determination module 1234) in the memory 1204 or medium 1220.

[0204] References throughout this specification to "one example," "an example," "some examples," or "example embodiments" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with that feature and / or example can be included in at least one feature and / or example of the claimed subject matter. Thus, the appearances of the phrases "in one example," "an example," "in some examples," or "in some embodiments," or other similar phrases in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same feature, example, and / or limitation. Furthermore, particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in one or more examples and / or features.

[0205] Some parts of the detailed description included herein are presented in terms of algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on binary digital signals stored in the memory of a specific device or a dedicated computing device or platform. In the context of this specific specification, the term specific device, etc. includes a general-purpose computer that performs specific operations once it is programmed to perform specific operations according to instructions from program software. Algorithmic description or symbolic representation is an example of a technology used by those of ordinary skill in the field of signal processing or related fields to convey the content of their work to other technicians in the field. Algorithms are here and generally considered to be self-consistent sequences of operations or similar signal processing that lead to desired results. In this context, operations or processing involve physical operations on physical quantities. Typically (although not necessarily), these quantities can take the form of electrical or magnetic signals that can be stored, transmitted, combined, compared or otherwise manipulated. Sometimes, mainly for commonly used reasons, such signals are referred to as bits, data, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, numbers, etc., which have proven to be convenient. However, it should be understood that all of these or similar terms will be associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless otherwise expressly stated, it will be apparent from the discussion herein that discussions throughout this specification using terms such as "process," "calculate," "compute," "determine," etc., refer to actions or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special-purpose computer, a special-purpose computing apparatus, or a similar special-purpose electronic computing device. Thus, in the context of this specification, a special-purpose computer or similar special-purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals, which are typically represented as physical electronic or magnetic quantities in a memory, register, or other information storage device, a transmitting device, or a display device of a special-purpose computer or similar special-purpose electronic computing device.

[0206] In the preceding detailed description, numerous specific details have been set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the claimed subject matter. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill have not been described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the claimed subject matter.

[0207] As used herein, the terms "and," "or," and "and / or" may include a variety of meanings that are also expected to depend, at least in part, on the context in which the terms are used. Generally, "or," if used with a list of associations, such as A, B, or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C, used herein in an inclusive sense, and A, B, or C, used herein in an exclusive sense. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "one or more" may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in the singular, or may be used to describe a plurality of features, structures, or characteristics, or some other combination. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example and claimed subject matter is not limited to this example.

[0208] While there has been illustrated and described what are presently considered to be exemplary features, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various other modifications may be made, and equivalents may be substituted, without departing from the claimed subject matter. Additionally, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation to the teachings of the claimed subject matter without departing from the central concept described herein.

[0209] Examples of implementation are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0210] 1. A method for supporting UE positioning, performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising:

[0211] determining a plurality of positioning state information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE;

[0212] generating a first PSI report based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report includes an indication of deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element; and

[0213] A first PSI report is sent to a network entity at a lower layer channel container.

[0214] 2. A method as described in clause 1, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises an integrity bit.

[0215] 3. A method according to any of clauses 1 or 2, wherein the first PSI report further comprises an identification of at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

[0216] 4. A method as claimed in any of clauses 1-3, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises a group type integrity bit identifying deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types.

[0217] 5. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 4, further comprising:

[0218] receiving, in response to a deferral indication for the at least one PSI reporting element, from the serving base station, a grant for a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report including the at least one PSI reporting element;

[0219] generating a second PSI report comprising at least one PSI report element; and

[0220] A second PSI report is sent to the network entity in a second lower layer channel container.

[0221] 6. The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 5, further comprising:

[0222] Sort PSI report elements according to priority-based rules; and

[0223] A first PSI report is generated based on the sorted PSI reporting elements, wherein at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

[0224] 7. A method according to any of clauses 1-6, wherein the lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element (MAC-CE) block.

[0225] 8. A method as described in clause 7, wherein the physical layer channel comprises a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSSCH).

[0226] 9. A method according to any of clauses 1-8, wherein the first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

[0227] 10. A method as described in any of clauses 1-9, wherein the network entity comprises one of a serving base station in a radio access network (RAN), a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

[0228] 11. A user equipment (UE) configured to support positioning, comprising:

[0229] a wireless transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with a network entity in a wireless communication system;

[0230] at least one memory;

[0231] At least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

[0232] determining a plurality of positioning state information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE;

[0233] generating a first PSI report based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report includes an indication of deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element; and

[0234] A first PSI report is sent to a network entity via a wireless transceiver in a lower layer channel container.

[0235] 12. A UE as claimed in clause 11, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises an integrity bit.

[0236] 13. A UE as set out in any of clauses 11 or 12, wherein the first PSI report further comprises an identification of the at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

[0237] 14. A UE as set out in any of clauses 11-13, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises a group type integrity bit identifying deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types.

[0238] 15. A UE as set out in any of clauses 11-14, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0239] receiving, in response to a deferral indication for the at least one PSI reporting element, from the serving base station via the wireless transceiver, authorization for a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report including the at least one PSI reporting element;

[0240] generating a second PSI report comprising at least one PSI report element; and

[0241] A second PSI report is sent in a second lower layer channel container to the network entity via the wireless transceiver.

[0242] 16. A UE as set out in any of clauses 11-15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0243] Sort PSI report elements according to priority-based rules; and

[0244] A first PSI report is generated based on the sorted PSI reporting elements, wherein at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

[0245] 17. A UE as set out in any of clauses 11-16, wherein the lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) block.

[0246] 18. The UE of clause 17, wherein the physical layer channel comprises a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSSCH).

[0247] 19. A UE as set out in any of clauses 11-18, wherein the first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

[0248] 20. A UE as set out in any of clauses 11-19, wherein the network entity comprises one of a serving base station in a radio access network (RAN), a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

[0249] 21. A user equipment (UE) configured to support positioning, comprising:

[0250] means for determining a plurality of positioning state information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE;

[0251] means for generating a first PSI report based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report includes an indication of deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element; and

[0252] Means for sending a first PSI report to a network entity at a lower layer channel container.

[0253] 22. A UE as set out in clause 21, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises an integrity bit.

[0254] 23. A UE as set out in any of clauses 21 or 22, wherein the first PSI report further comprises an identification of the at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

[0255] 24. A UE as set out in any of clauses 21-23, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises a group type integrity bit identifying deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types.

[0256] 25. A UE as set out in any of clauses 21-24, further comprising:

[0257] means for receiving, from a serving base station, authorization for a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report containing at least one PSI reporting element in response to a deferral indication for the at least one PSI reporting element;

[0258] means for generating a second PSI report comprising at least one PSI report element; and

[0259] Means for sending a second PSI report in a second lower layer channel container to the network entity.

[0260] 26. A UE as set out in any of clauses 21-25, further comprising:

[0261] means for sorting PSI report elements according to priority-based rules; and

[0262] Means for generating a first PSI report based on the ordered PSI reporting elements, wherein at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

[0263] 27. A UE as set out in any of clauses 21-26, wherein the lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) block.

[0264] 28. A UE as set out in clause 27, wherein the physical layer channel comprises a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSSCH).

[0265] 29. A UE as set out in any of clauses 21-28, wherein the first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

[0266] 30. A UE as set out in any of clauses 21-29, wherein the network entity comprises one of a serving base station in a radio access network (RAN), a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

[0267] 31. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support positioning, the program code comprising instructions for:

[0268] determining a plurality of positioning state information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE;

[0269] generating a first PSI report based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report includes an indication of deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element; and

[0270] A first PSI report is sent to a network entity at a lower layer channel container.

[0271] 32. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to clause 31, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises an integrity bit.

[0272] 33. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to any of clauses 31 or 33, wherein the first PSI report further comprises an identification of at least one PSI report element that is deferred.

[0273] 34. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code as recited in any of clauses 31-33, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises a group type integrity bit that identifies deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types.

[0274] 35. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to any of clauses 31-34, further comprising instructions for:

[0275] receiving, in response to a deferral indication for the at least one PSI reporting element, from the serving base station, a grant for a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report including the at least one PSI reporting element;

[0276] generating a second PSI report comprising at least one PSI report element; and

[0277] A second PSI report is sent to the network entity in a second lower layer channel container.

[0278] 36. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to any of clauses 31-35, further comprising instructions for:

[0279] Sort PSI report elements according to priority-based rules; and

[0280] A first PSI report is generated based on the sorted PSI reporting elements, wherein at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

[0281] 37. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to any of clauses 31-36, wherein the lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element (MAC-CE) block.

[0282] 38. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to clause 37, wherein the physical layer channel comprises a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSSCH).

[0283] 39. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to any of clauses 31-37, wherein the first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein the subset parts have a constant size and the remaining parts have a variable size, and wherein at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining parts of the first PSI report.

[0284] 40. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code as described in any of clauses 31-39, wherein the network entity comprises one of a serving base station in a radio access network (RAN), a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

[0285] 41. A method performed by a network entity in a wireless network to support positioning of a user equipment (UE), comprising:

[0286] receiving a first positioning state information (PSI) report from the UE in a lower layer channel container, the first PSI report comprising PSI reporting elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI reporting element and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report and the first PSI report comprises a deferral indication of the at least one PSI reporting element; and

[0287] The first PSI report is processed to determine PSI reporting elements included in the first PSI report and at least one PSI reporting element is deferred.

[0288] 42. A method as described in clause 41, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises an integrity bit.

[0289] 43. A method as described in any of clauses 41 or 42, wherein the first PSI report further comprises an identification of at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

[0290] 44. A method as described in any of clauses 41-43, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises a group type integrity bit that identifies deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types.

[0291] 45. A method according to any one of clauses 41 to 44, further comprising:

[0292] In response to a deferral indication for the at least one PSI reporting element, determining a size of a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report including the at least one PSI reporting element;

[0293] sending a grant for a second lower layer channel container to the UE;

[0294] receiving a second PSI report comprising at least one PSI reporting element from the UE; and

[0295] The second PSI report is processed to determine at least one PSI report element included in the second PSI report.

[0296] 46. ​​A method as described in clause 45, further comprising determining a position estimate of the UE based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report and revising the position estimate of the UE based on at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report.

[0297] 47. A method as set out in clause 45, further comprising waiting until after receipt of the second PSI report to determine a position estimate for the UE based on a PSI reporting element in the first PSI report in combination with at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report.

[0298] 48. A method as set out in any of clauses 41-47, wherein the PSI reporting elements in the first PSI report are ordered by the UE according to a priority-based rule, wherein at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

[0299] 49. A method as described in any of clauses 41-48, wherein the lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element (MAC-CE) block.

[0300] 50. A method as set out in clause 49, wherein the physical layer channel comprises a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSSCH).

[0301] 51. A method according to any of clauses 41-50, wherein the first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

[0302] 52. A method as described in any of clauses 41-51, wherein the network entity comprises one of a serving base station in a radio access network (RAN), a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

[0303] 53. A network entity in a wireless network, configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE), comprising:

[0304] an external interface configured to communicate with entities including a UE in a wireless communication system;

[0305] at least one memory;

[0306] At least one processor coupled to an external interface and at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

[0307] receiving, from the UE in a lower layer channel container via an external interface, a first positioning state information (PSI) report, the first PSI report comprising PSI reporting elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI reporting element and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report and the first PSI report comprises a deferral indication of the at least one PSI reporting element; and

[0308] The first PSI report is processed to determine PSI reporting elements included in the first PSI report and at least one PSI reporting element is deferred.

[0309] 54. The network entity of clause 53, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises an integrity bit.

[0310] 55. A network entity as described in any of clauses 53 or 54, wherein the first PSI report further comprises an identification of at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

[0311] 56. A network entity as described in any of clauses 53-55, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises a group type integrity bit that identifies deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types.

[0312] 57. A network entity as described in any of clauses 53-56, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

[0313] In response to a deferral indication for the at least one PSI reporting element, determining a size of a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report including the at least one PSI reporting element;

[0314] sending an authorization for a second lower layer channel container to the UE via an external interface;

[0315] receiving, via the external interface, from the UE, a second PSI report comprising at least one PSI report element; and

[0316] The second PSI report is processed to determine at least one PSI report element included in the second PSI report.

[0317] 58. A network entity as described in clause 57, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine a position estimate of the UE based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report and to correct the position estimate of the UE based on at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report.

[0318] 59. A network entity as described in clause 57, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to wait until receipt of the second PSI report to determine a position estimate of the UE based on a PSI reporting element in the first PSI report in combination with at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI.

[0319] 60. A network entity as set out in any of clauses 53-59, wherein the PSI reporting elements in the first PSI report are ordered by the UE according to a priority-based rule, wherein at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

[0320] 61. A network entity as described in any of clauses 53-60, wherein the lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element (MAC-CE) block.

[0321] 62. A network entity as described in clause 61, wherein the physical layer channel comprises a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSSCH).

[0322] 63. A network entity as described in any of clauses 53-62, wherein the first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

[0323] 64. A network entity as described in any of clauses 53-63, wherein the network entity comprises one of a serving base station in a radio access network (RAN), a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

[0324] 65. A network entity in a wireless network, configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE), comprising:

[0325] means for receiving a first positioning state information (PSI) report from the UE in a lower layer channel container, the first PSI report comprising PSI reporting elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI reporting element and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report and the first PSI report comprises a deferral indication of the at least one PSI reporting element; and

[0326] Means for processing a first PSI report to determine PSI reporting elements included in the first PSI report and at least one PSI reporting element is deferred.

[0327] 66. The network entity of clause 65, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises an integrity bit.

[0328] 67. A network entity as described in any of clauses 65 or 66, wherein the first PSI report further comprises an identification of at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

[0329] 68. A network entity as described in any of clauses 65-67, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises a group type integrity bit that identifies deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types.

[0330] 69. A network entity according to any of clauses 65-68, further comprising:

[0331] means for determining a size of a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report containing at least one PSI reporting element in response to a deferral indication for the at least one PSI reporting element;

[0332] means for sending a grant for a second lower layer channel container to the UE;

[0333] means for receiving, from the UE, a second PSI report comprising at least one PSI reporting element; and

[0334] Means for processing the second PSI report to determine at least one PSI report element included in the second PSI report.

[0335] 70. The network entity of clause 69, further comprising means for determining a position estimate of the UE based on the PSI reporting elements in the first PSI report and revising the position estimate of the UE based on at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report.

[0336] 71. The network entity of clause 69, further comprising means for waiting until receipt of a second PSI report before determining a position estimate of the UE based on a PSI reporting element in the first PSI report in combination with at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI.

[0337] 72. A network entity as set out in any of clauses 65-71, wherein the PSI reporting elements in the first PSI report are ordered by the UE according to a priority-based rule, wherein at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

[0338] 73. A network entity as described in any of clauses 65-72, wherein the lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element (MAC-CE) block.

[0339] 74. A network entity as described in clause 73, wherein the physical layer channel comprises a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSSCH).

[0340] 75. A network entity as described in any of clauses 65-74, wherein the first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

[0341] 76. A network entity as described in any of clauses 65-75, wherein the network entity comprises one of a serving base station in a radio access network (RAN), a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

[0342] 77. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a network entity in a wireless network to support positioning of a user equipment (UE), the program code comprising instructions for:

[0343] receiving a first positioning state information (PSI) report from the UE in a lower layer channel container, the first PSI report comprising PSI reporting elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI reporting element and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report and the first PSI report comprises a deferral indication of the at least one PSI reporting element; and

[0344] The first PSI report is processed to determine PSI reporting elements included in the first PSI report and at least one PSI reporting element is deferred.

[0345] 78. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code of clause 77, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises an integrity bit.

[0346] 79. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to clause 77 or 78, wherein the first PSI report further comprises an identification of at least one PSI report element that is deferred.

[0347] 80. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code as recited in any of clauses 77-79, wherein the deferral indication for at least one PSI reporting element comprises a group type integrity bit that identifies deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types.

[0348] 81. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to any of clauses 77-80, further comprising instructions for:

[0349] In response to a deferral indication for the at least one PSI reporting element, determining a size of a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report including the at least one PSI reporting element;

[0350] sending an authorization for a second lower layer channel container to the UE via an external interface;

[0351] receiving, from the UE via the external interface, a second PSI report comprising at least one PSI report element; and

[0352] The second PSI report is processed to determine at least one PSI report element included in the second PSI report.

[0353] 82. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code of clause 81, further comprising instructions for determining a position estimate of the UE based on the PSI reporting elements in the first PSI report and revising the position estimate of the UE based on at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report.

[0354] 83. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code of clause 81, further comprising instructions for: waiting until receipt of the second PSI report before determining a position estimate for the UE based on a PSI reporting element in the first PSI report in combination with at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI.

[0355] 84. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code as described in any of clauses 77-83, wherein the PSI reporting elements in the first PSI report are ordered by the UE according to a priority-based rule, wherein at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

[0356] 85. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code as recited in any of clauses 77-84, wherein the lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element (MAC-CE) block.

[0357] 86. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to clause 85, wherein the physical layer channel comprises a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), or a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSSCH).

[0358] 87. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to any of clauses 77-86, wherein the first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein the subset parts have a constant size and the remaining parts have a variable size, and wherein at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining parts of the first PSI report.

[0359] 88. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code as described in any of clauses 77-87, wherein the network entity comprises one of a serving base station in a radio access network (RAN), a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

[0360] Therefore, it is intended that the claimed subject matter not be limited to the particular examples disclosed, but that such claimed subject matter may include all aspects falling within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

Claims

1. A method for supporting positioning of a user equipment (UE), performed by the UE, comprising: determining a plurality of positioning status information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE; generating a first PSI report based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report includes an indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element, and the indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element includes a group type integrity bit, the group type integrity bit identifying deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types, wherein the group type of the deferred at least one PSI reporting element is used to determine whether to delay position estimation of the UE; and The first PSI report is sent in a lower layer channel container to a network entity.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first PSI report also includes an identification of the at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving, in response to the indication of deferring the at least one PSI reporting element, from the serving base station, authorization for a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report including the at least one PSI reporting element; generating the second PSI report comprising the at least one PSI report element; as well as The second PSI report is sent to the network entity in the second lower layer channel container.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: sorting the PSI report elements according to a priority-based rule; as well as The first PSI report is generated based on the sorted PSI reporting elements, wherein the at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element MAC-CE block.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The physical layer channel includes a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH or a physical sidelink discovery channel PSSCH.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein the at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein The network entity includes one of a serving base station in a radio access network RAN, a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

9. A user equipment (UE) configured to support positioning, comprising: a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with a network entity in a wireless communication system; at least one memory; at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determining a plurality of positioning status information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE; generating a first PSI report based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report includes an indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element, and the indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element includes a group type integrity bit, the group type integrity bit identifying deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types, wherein the group type of the deferred at least one PSI reporting element is used to determine whether to delay position estimation of the UE; and The first PSI report is sent in a lower layer channel container to a network entity via the wireless transceiver.

10. The UE according to claim 9, wherein: The first PSI report also includes an identification of the at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

11. The UE according to claim 9, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: receiving, in response to the indication of deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element, from a serving base station via the wireless transceiver, authorization for a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report including the at least one PSI reporting element; generating the second PSI report comprising the at least one PSI report element; as well as The second PSI report is sent in the second lower layer channel container to the network entity via the wireless transceiver.

12. The UE according to claim 9, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: sorting the PSI report elements according to a priority-based rule; and The first PSI report is generated based on the sorted PSI reporting elements, wherein the at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

13. The UE according to claim 9, wherein: The lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element MAC-CE block.

14. The UE according to claim 13, wherein: The physical layer channel includes a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH or a physical sidelink discovery channel PSSCH.

15. The UE according to claim 9, wherein: The first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein the at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

16. The UE according to claim 9, wherein: The network entity includes one of a serving base station in a radio access network RAN, a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

17. A user equipment (UE) configured to support positioning, comprising: means for determining a plurality of positioning status information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE; means for generating a first PSI report based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report comprises an indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element, and the indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element comprises a group type integrity bit, the group type integrity bit identifying deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types, wherein the group type of the deferred at least one PSI reporting element is used to determine whether to delay position estimation of the UE; as well as Means for sending the first PSI report in a lower layer channel container to a network entity.

18. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: The first PSI report also includes an identification of the at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

19. The UE according to claim 17, further comprising: means for receiving, from a serving base station, authorization for a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report including the at least one PSI reporting element in response to the indication of deferring the at least one PSI reporting element; means for generating said second PSI report comprising said at least one PSI report element; as well as Means for sending the second PSI report to the network entity in the second lower layer channel container.

20. The UE according to claim 17, further comprising: means for ordering said PSI report elements according to a priority-based rule; as well as Means for generating the first PSI report based on the ordered PSI reporting elements, wherein the at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

21. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: The lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element MAC-CE block.

22. The UE according to claim 21, wherein: The physical layer channel includes a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH or a physical sidelink discovery channel PSSCH.

23. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: The first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein the at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

24. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: The network entity includes one of a serving base station in a radio access network RAN, a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

25. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support positioning, the program code comprising instructions for: determining a plurality of positioning status information (PSI) reporting elements, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE; A first PSI report is generated based on the PSI reporting elements, wherein reporting of at least one PSI reporting element is deferred and is not included in the first PSI report, and wherein the first PSI report includes an indication of deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element, and the indication of deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element includes a group type integrity bit, the group type integrity bit identifying deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types, wherein The group type of the at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred is used to determine whether to delay position estimation of the UE; and The first PSI report is sent in a lower layer channel container to a network entity.

26. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 25, wherein: The first PSI report also includes an identification of the at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

27. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 25, further comprising instructions for: receiving, in response to the indication of deferring the at least one PSI reporting element, from the serving base station, authorization for a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report including the at least one PSI reporting element; generating the second PSI report including the at least one PSI report element; and The second PSI report is sent to the network entity in the second lower layer channel container.

28. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 25, further comprising instructions for: sorting the PSI report elements according to a priority-based rule; and The first PSI report is generated based on the sorted PSI reporting elements, wherein the at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

29. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 25, wherein: The lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element MAC-CE block.

30. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 29, wherein: The physical layer channel includes a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH or a physical sidelink discovery channel PSSCH.

31. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 25, wherein: The first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein the at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

32. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 25, wherein: The network entity includes one of a serving base station in a radio access network RAN, a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

33. A method performed by a network entity in a wireless network to support positioning of a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a first positioning status information (PSI) report from the UE in a lower layer channel container, the first PSI report comprising PSI reporting elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI reporting element and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and the first PSI report comprises an indication of deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element, wherein the indication of deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element comprises a group type integrity bit, the group type integrity bit identifying deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types; processing the first PSI report to determine the PSI reporting elements included in the first PSI report and at least one PSI reporting element is deferred; and Based on the group type of the at least one deferred PSI reporting element, it is determined whether to delay position estimation of the UE.

34. The method according to claim 33, wherein The first PSI report also includes an identification of the at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising: In response to the indication of deferring the at least one PSI reporting element, determining a size of a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report including the at least one PSI reporting element; sending a grant for the second lower layer channel container to the UE; receiving, from the UE, a second PSI report comprising the at least one PSI reporting element; as well as The second PSI report is processed to determine the at least one PSI reporting element included in the second PSI report.

36. The method of claim 35, further comprising: In response to determining not to delay the position estimate of the UE, determining a position estimate of the UE based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report, and revising the position estimate of the UE based on the at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report.

37. The method of claim 35, further comprising: In response to determining to delay position estimation of the UE, waiting until receiving a second PSI report, and determining a position estimate of the UE based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report in combination with the at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein: The PSI reporting elements in the first PSI report are ordered by the UE according to a priority-based rule, wherein the at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein: The lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element MAC-CE block.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein The physical layer channel includes a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH or a physical sidelink discovery channel PSSCH.

41. The method of claim 33, wherein: The first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein the at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

42. The method of claim 33, wherein: The network entity includes one of a serving base station in a radio access network RAN, a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

43. A network entity in a wireless network, configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE), comprising: an external interface configured to communicate with entities including the UE in a wireless communication system; at least one memory; at least one processor coupled to the external interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receiving, from the UE in a lower layer channel container via the external interface, a first positioning state information (PSI) report, the first PSI report comprising PSI report elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI report element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI report element and the at least one PSI report element is not included in the first PSI report, and the first PSI report comprises an indication of deferral of the at least one PSI report element, wherein the indication of deferral of the at least one PSI report element comprises a group type integrity bit, the group type integrity bit identifying deferral of PSI report elements of different group types; processing the first PSI report to determine the PSI reporting elements included in the first PSI report and at least one PSI reporting element is deferred; and Based on the group type of the at least one deferred PSI reporting element, it is determined whether to delay position estimation of the UE.

44. The network entity according to claim 43, wherein: The first PSI report also includes an identification of the at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

45. The network entity according to claim 43, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: In response to the indication of deferring the at least one PSI reporting element, determining a size of a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report including the at least one PSI reporting element; sending, via the external interface, to the UE, an authorization for the second lower layer channel container; receiving, from the UE via the external interface, the second PSI report comprising the at least one PSI reporting element; as well as The second PSI report is processed to determine the at least one PSI reporting element included in the second PSI report.

46. ​​The network entity according to claim 45, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to, in response to determining not to delay the position estimate of the UE, determine a position estimate of the UE based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report, and correct the position estimate of the UE based on the at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report.

47. The network entity according to claim 45, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to, in response to determining to delay the position estimate of the UE, wait until receiving a second PSI report and then determine a position estimate of the UE based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report in combination with the at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report.

48. The network entity according to claim 43, wherein: The PSI reporting elements in the first PSI report are ordered by the UE according to a priority-based rule, wherein the at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

49. The network entity according to claim 43, wherein: The lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element MAC-CE block.

50. The network entity according to claim 49, wherein: The physical layer channel includes a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH or a physical sidelink discovery channel PSSCH.

51. The network entity according to claim 43, wherein: The first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein the at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

52. The network entity according to claim 43, wherein: The network entity includes one of a serving base station in a radio access network RAN, a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

53. A network entity in a wireless network, configured to support positioning of a user equipment (UE), comprising: means for receiving a first positioning status information (PSI) report from the UE in a lower layer channel container, the first PSI report comprising PSI report elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI report element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI report element and the at least one PSI report element is not included in the first PSI report, and the first PSI report comprises an indication of deferral of the at least one PSI report element, wherein the indication of deferral of the at least one PSI report element comprises a group type integrity bit, the group type integrity bit identifying deferral of PSI report elements of different group types; means for processing the first PSI report to determine the PSI reporting elements included in the first PSI report and at least one PSI reporting element is deferred; and means for determining whether to delay position estimation of the UE based on a group type of at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

54. The network entity according to claim 53, wherein: The first PSI report also includes an identification of the at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

55. The network entity according to claim 53, further comprising: means for determining a size of a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report containing the at least one PSI reporting element in response to the indication of deferring the at least one PSI reporting element; means for sending a grant for the second lower layer channel container to the UE; means for receiving, from the UE, the second PSI report comprising the at least one PSI reporting element; as well as Means for processing the second PSI report to determine the at least one PSI reporting element included in the second PSI report.

56. The network entity according to claim 55, further comprising: means for determining a position estimate for the UE based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report and revising the position estimate for the UE based on the at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report in response to determining not to delay the position estimate of the UE.

57. The network entity according to claim 55, further comprising: means for determining a position estimate for the UE based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report in combination with the at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report after waiting until receiving a second PSI report in response to determining to delay the position estimate of the UE.

58. The network entity according to claim 53, wherein: The PSI reporting elements in the first PSI report are ordered by the UE according to a priority-based rule, wherein the at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

59. The network entity according to claim 53, wherein: The lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element MAC-CE block.

60. The network entity according to claim 59, wherein: The physical layer channel includes a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH or a physical sidelink discovery channel PSSCH.

61. The network entity according to claim 53, wherein: The first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein the at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

62. The network entity according to claim 53, wherein: The network entity includes one of a serving base station in a radio access network RAN, a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

63. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor of a network entity in a wireless network to support positioning of a user equipment (UE), the program code comprising instructions for: receiving a first positioning state information (PSI) report from the UE in a lower layer channel container, the first PSI report comprising PSI reporting elements generated by the UE, wherein each PSI reporting element comprises information related to positioning measurements performed by the UE, wherein the UE defers reporting of at least one PSI reporting element and the at least one PSI reporting element is not included in the first PSI report, and the first PSI report comprises an indication of the deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element, wherein the indication of deferral of the at least one PSI reporting element comprising a group type integrity bit, the group type integrity bit identifying deferral of PSI reporting elements of different group types; processing the first PSI report to determine the PSI reporting elements included in the first PSI report and at least one PSI reporting element is deferred, and Based on the group type of the at least one deferred PSI reporting element, it is determined whether to delay position estimation of the UE.

64. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 63, wherein: The first PSI report also includes an identification of the at least one PSI reporting element that is deferred.

65. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 63, further comprising instructions for: In response to the indication of deferring the at least one PSI reporting element, determining a size of a second lower layer channel container for a second PSI report including the at least one PSI reporting element; sending a grant for the second lower layer channel container to the UE; receiving, from the UE, a second PSI report comprising the at least one PSI reporting element; as well as The second PSI report is processed to determine the at least one PSI reporting element included in the second PSI report.

66. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 65 further includes instructions for performing the following operations: in response to determining that the position estimate of the UE is not delayed, determining the position estimate of the UE based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report, and correcting the position estimate of the UE based on the at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report.

67. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 65 further includes instructions for performing the following operations: in response to determining to delay the position estimate of the UE, waiting until a second PSI report is received and then determining the position estimate of the UE based on the PSI reporting element in the first PSI report in combination with the at least one PSI reporting element in the second PSI report.

68. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 63, wherein: The PSI reporting elements in the first PSI report are ordered by the UE according to a priority-based rule, wherein the at least one PSI reporting element not included in the first PSI report is a low priority PSI reporting element.

69. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 63, wherein: The lower layer channel container comprises a physical layer channel container or a medium access control - control element MAC-CE block.

70. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 69, wherein: The physical layer channel includes a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH, a physical uplink control channel PUCCH or a physical sidelink discovery channel PSSCH.

71. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 63, wherein: The first PSI report is divided into a plurality of parts, wherein a subset part has a constant size and a remaining part has a variable size, and wherein the at least one PSI report element is not included in the remaining part of the first PSI report.

72. The non-transitory storage medium comprising program code according to claim 63, wherein: The network entity includes one of a serving base station in a radio access network RAN, a location server in the RAN, or a second UE in sidelink communication with the UE.

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