Differential positioning reference signal reporting in quasi co-located cells

Abstract

Techniques for wireless positioning are disclosed. In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) receives a plurality of downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS) transmitted by a corresponding plurality of cells, where the plurality of cells are grouped into one or more groups, where each of the one or more groups is associated with one or more properties, and where each cell in each of the one or more groups has a same value of the one or more properties; reports, to a positioning entity, at least one baseline positioning measurement for at least one representative cell in at least one of the one or more groups based on DL-PRS transmitted by the at least one representative cell; and reports, to the positioning entity, differential positioning measurements for cells in the at least one group based on the at least one baseline positioning measurement.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This Patent Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 032,379, entitled “DIFFERENTIAL POSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNAL REPORTING WITHIN CO-LOCATED CELLS” and filed on May 29, 2020, and U.S. Nonprovisional Application No. 17 / 326,981, entitled “DIFFERENTIAL POSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNAL REPORTING WITHIN CO-LOCATED CELLS” and filed on May 21, 2021, both of which are assigned to the assignee hereof and hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

[0003] DISCLOSURE

[0004] 1. FIELD OF DISCLOSURE

[0005] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication.

[0006] 2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART

[0007] Wireless communication systems have developed through several generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephones, second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephones, such as cellular telephone systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), and / or frequency division multiple access (FDMA) technologies, third- generation (3G) digital wireless telephone systems, and fourth-generation (4G) wireless telephone systems, such as systems based on long-term evolution (LTE) or WiMax technologies. There are additional generations of wireless telephone systems in development, including fifth-generation (5G) systems.

[0008] A fifth generation (5G) wireless standard, referred to as New Radio (NR), calls for higher data transfer speeds, greater numbers of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, 5G

[0009] SUMMARY

[0010] The following presents a simplified summary related to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Thus, the following summary should not be considered an extensive overview relating to all contemplated aspects, nor should the following summary be deemed to identify key or critical elements relating to all contemplated aspects or delineate the scope associated with any particular aspect. Accordingly, the following summary has the sole purpose to present certain concepts relating to one or more aspects relating to the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form to precede the detailed description presented below.

[0011] In an aspect, a method of wireless positioning performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a plurality of downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS) transmitted by a corresponding plurality of cells, wherein the plurality of cells are grouped into one or more groups, wherein each of the one or more groups is associated with one or more properties, and wherein each cell in each group of the one or more groups has a same value of the one or more properties; reporting, to a positioning entity, at least one baseline positioning measurement for at least one representative cell in at least one of the one or more groups based on a DL-PRS transmitted by the at least one representative cell; and reporting, to the positioning entity, differential positioning measurements for cells in the at least one group based on the at least one baseline positioning measurement.

[0012] In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a plurality of downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS) transmitted by a corresponding plurality of cells, wherein the plurality of cells are grouped into one or more groups, wherein each of the one or more groups is associated with one or more properties, and wherein each cell in each of the one or more groups has a same value of the one or more properties; report, to a positioning entity, at least one baseline positioning measurement for at least one representative cell in at least one of the one or more groups based on DL-PRS transmitted by the at least one representative cell; and report, to the positioning entity, differential positioning measurements for cells in the at least one group based on the at least one baseline positioning measurement.

[0013] In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes means for receiving a plurality of downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS) transmitted by a corresponding plurality of cells, wherein the plurality of cells are grouped into one or more groups, wherein each of the one or more groups is associated with one or more properties, and wherein each cell in each of the one or more groups has a same value of the one or more properties; means for reporting, to a positioning entity, at least one baseline positioning measurement for at least one representative cell in at least one of the one or more groups based on DL-PRS transmitted by the at least one representative cell; and means for reporting, to the positioning entity, differential positioning measurements for cells in the at least one group based on the at least one baseline positioning measurement.

[0014] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a plurality of downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS) transmitted by a corresponding plurality of cells, wherein the plurality of cells are grouped into one or more groups, wherein each of the one or more groups is associated with one or more properties, and wherein each cell in each of the one or more groups has a same value of the one or more properties; report, to a positioning entity, at least one baseline positioning measurement for at least one representative cell in at least one of the one or more groups based on DL-PRS transmitted by the at least one representative cell; and report, to the positioning entity, differential positioning measurements for cells in the at least one group based on the at least one baseline positioning measurement.

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

[0017] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in the description of aspects of the disclosure and are provided solely for illustration of the aspects and not limitation thereof.

[0018] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 2A And Figure 2B An example wireless network structure is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3A , 3B And 3C are simplified block diagrams of several sample aspects of a component that can be employed in a user equipment (UE), a base station, and a network entity, respectively, and configured to support communication as taught herein.

[0021] Figure 4A is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 4B is a diagram illustrating an example uplink frame structure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 5 An example wireless communication system is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 6 is a diagram of an example physical layer procedure for processing positioning reference signals (PRS) transmitted on multiple beams in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 7 An example procedure for position estimation is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 8 An example procedure for selecting time of arrival (TOA) to improve positioning accuracy is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 9 Scenarios for pruning TOA are illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 10 An example method for determining a location of a UE is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 11 An example method of wireless positioning is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0030] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Aspects of the disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings for the various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects can be devised without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the disclosure.

[0032] 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.

[0033] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that can be referenced throughout the description below can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the particular application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0034] Further, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will recognize that various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequence(s) of actions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirely within any form of non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that, upon execution, would cause or instruct an associated processor of a device to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects of the disclosure can be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which have been contemplated to fall within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each of the aspects described herein, the corresponding form of a similar aspect can be described herein as for example “logic configured to” perform the described action.

[0035] As used herein, the terms “user equipment” (UE) and “base station” are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise noted. Generally, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset-positioning device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communications network. A UE can be mobile or can (e.g., at certain times) be stationary, and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” can be referred to as a “access terminal” or “AT,” a “client device,” a “wireless device,” a “subscriber device,” a “subscriber terminal,” a “subscriber station,” a “user terminal,” or “UT,” a “mobile device,” a “mobile terminal,” a “mobile station,” or variations thereof, interchangeably. Generally, UEs can communicate with a core network via a RAN, and through the core network the UEs can be connected to one or more external networks such as the Internet and / or to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms of connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UEs, such as over wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specifications), and so on.

[0036] A base station can operate according to one of a number of RATs to communicate with UEs depending on the network in which it is deployed, and can be alternatively referred to as an access point (AP), a network node, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as a gNB or gNodeB), and so on. The base station can be used mostly to serve a particular geographic region with respect to wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the supported UEs. In some systems, the base station can provide a pure edge node signaling function, while in other systems, the base station can provide additional control and / or network management functionality. A communication link through which UEs can send signals to the base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). A communication link through which the base station can send signals to UEs is called 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) can refer to either an uplink / reverse or downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0037] The term “base station” can refer to a single physical transmission-reception point (TRP) or can refer to multiple physical TRPs that can or can not be co-located. For example, where the term “base station” refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP can be a base station antenna that corresponds to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. Where the term “base station” refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term “base station” refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs can be the serving base station receiving the measurement report from the UE and a neighbor base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signals the UE is measuring. As used herein, a TRP is a point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, and thus a reference to a transmission from or a reception at a base station is to be understood to refer to a particular TRP of the base station.

[0038] In some implementations that support positioning of UEs, a base station can not support wireless access by UEs (e.g., can not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections with UEs), but can instead transmit reference signals to UEs to be measured by the UEs, and / or can receive and measure signals transmitted by UEs. Such a base station can be referred to as a positioning tower (e.g., where signals are transmitted to UEs) and / or as a location measurement unit (e.g., where signals from UEs are received and measured).

[0039] An “RF signal” comprises electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that convey information through the space between a transmitting device and a receiving device. As used herein, a transmitting device can transmit a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiving device. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, the receiving device can receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitting and receiving devices can be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. As used herein, a RF signal can also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal,” where it is clear from the context that the term “signal” refers to a wireless signal or a RF signal.

[0040] Figure 1An example wireless communications system 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communications system 100, which can also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN), can include various base stations 102, labeled as “BS,” and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 can include macro cell base stations (high power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low power cellular base stations). In an aspect, the macro cell base station can include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs (where the wireless communications system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or gNBs (where the wireless communications system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations can include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0041] The base stations 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170, (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)), through backhaul links 122 (e.g., SI, X2, Xn, etc. interfaces), and with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., location management function (LMF) or secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)), through the core network 170. The location server 172 can be part of the core network 170 or can be external to the core network 170. The base stations 102 can perform functions such as delivering user data, radio channel ciphering and deciphering, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution for non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment trace, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages, among other functions. The base stations 102 can communicate with one another directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC / 5GC) via backhaul links 134, which can be wired or wireless links.

[0042] The base stations 102 can wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In an aspect, one or more of the cells can be supported by the base station 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used to provide communication coverage for a particular area in a network and can be associated with a tag identifier (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCI), enhanced cell identifier (ECI), virtual cell identifier (VCI), cell global identifier (CGI), and the like) to distinguish from other cells operating on the same or different carrier frequencies within the network. 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 can provide access for different types of UEs. Since cells are supported by particular base stations, the term “cell” can refer to either or both of a logical communication entity and a base station supporting the logical communication entity, depending on context. In addition, since a TRP is typically the physical transmission point for a cell, the terms “cell” and “TRP” can be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term “cell” can also refer to a geographic coverage area of a base station (e.g., a sector) in the sense that a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a certain portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0043] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of the neighboring macro cell base stations 102 can partially overlap (e.g., in a handover area), some of the geographic coverage areas 110 can substantially overlap. For example, small cell base stations 102' (depicted as “SC” for “small cell”) can have substantially overlapping geographic coverage areas 110' with one or more macro cell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell and macro cell base stations can be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network can also include Home eNBs (HeNBs), which can provide service to a restricted group known as a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication links 120 between the base stations 102 and the UEs 104 can include uplink (UL) channels from a UE 104 to a base station 102 and downlink (DL) channels, from a base station 102 to a UE 104. The UEs 104 can transmit and receive information to and from the base stations 102 over the communication links 120. The communication links 120 can be established using various wireless communication technologies.

[0044] The communication links 120 between the base stations 102 and the UEs 104 can include uplink (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE 104 to a base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from a base station 102 to a UE 104. The communication links 120 can use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication links 120 can be through one or more carrier frequencies. Allocation of carriers can be asymmetric with respect to downlink and uplink (e.g., more or less carriers can be allocated for downlink than for uplink).

[0045] Wireless communications system 100 can further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 in communication with WLAN stations (STAs) 152 via communication links 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STAs 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 can perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen before talk (LBT) procedure prior to communicating in order to determine whether the channel is available.

[0046] The small cell base stations 102' can operate in a licensed and / or an unlicensed frequency spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the small cell base stations 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum as used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base stations 102' employing LTE / 5G in an unlicensed frequency spectrum can boost coverage and / or increase capacity for the access network. NR in an unlicensed frequency spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in an unlicensed frequency spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, License Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0047] The wireless communications system 100 can further include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that can operate in mmW frequencies and / or near mmW frequencies in communication with a UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range from 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band can be referred to as a millimeter wave. Near mmW can extend down to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 millimeters. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, also referred to as centimeter wave. Communications using the mmW / near mmW radio frequency band have high path loss and a relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) over the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Further, it will be appreciated that, in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 can also transmit using mmW or near mmW and beamforming. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the foregoing illustrations are merely examples and should not be construed as being limiting of the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0048] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing the RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts a RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omni-directionally). 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 for the receiving device. To change the direction of the RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters that are broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an array of antennas (known as a “phased array” or “antenna array”) that creates a beam of RF waves that can be “steered” to point in different directions, without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, the RF current from the transmitter is fed to the individual antennas with the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas add together to increase the radiation in a desired direction, while cancelling to suppress radiation in undesired directions.

[0049] The transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning that they have the same parameters as seen by the receiving party (e.g., a UE), regardless of whether the network node’s transmit antennas themselves are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about a source reference RF signal on a source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL Type A, the receiving party can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type B, the receiving party can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type C, the receiving party can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type D, the receiving party can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial receive parameter of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0050] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase a gain setting and / or adjust a phase setting of an antenna array in a particular direction to amplify an RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamformed in a certain direction, this means that the beam gain in that direction is higher relative to the beam gain in other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest of all other receive beams available to the receiver in that direction. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc.) for RF signals received from that direction.

[0051] The transmit beams and receive beams can be spatially related. Spatial relation means that parameters of a second beam (e.g., a transmit or receive beam) for a second reference signal can be derived from information about a first beam (e.g., a receive beam or a transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a particular receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station based on parameters of the receive beam.

[0052] Note that depending on the entity forming the “downlink” beam, the beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE is forming a downlink beam, the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving a downlink reference signal. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the “downlink” beam, the beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if the UE is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0053] In 5G, the frequency spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). The mmW frequency band generally includes the FR2, FR3, and FR4 frequency ranges. As such, the terms “mmW” and “FR2” or “FR3” or “FR4” can generally be used interchangeably.

[0054] In a multi-carrier system, such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell" and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and in the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates a RRC connection reestablishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common control channels as well as UE-specific control channels, and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2), can be configured once the RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier, and can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier can contain only necessary signaling information and signals, e.g., UE-specific signaling information and signals can not be present in the secondary carrier, since 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 is able to change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on the different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier that a certain base station is using for communication, the terms "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," "carrier frequency," and the like can be used interchangeably.

[0055] For example, still referring to Figure 1 One of the frequencies utilized by a macrocell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell") and other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system compared to the data rate obtained by a single 20 MHz carrier would theoretically result in a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40 MHz).

[0056] The wireless communications system 100 can further include a UE 164 that can communicate with macro cell base station 102 over a communication link 120 and / or with mmW base station 180 over a mmW communication link 184. For example, the macro cell base station 102 can support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 can support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0057] In Figure 1 In an example, any of the illustrated UEs (shown as a single UE 104 in Figure 1 may receive signals 124 from one or more Earth orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 112 (e.g., satellites). In an aspect, the SVs 112 can be part of a satellite positioning system of which the UEs 104 can use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SVs 112) positioned in orbit about the Earth that transmit signals (e.g., signals 124) that a receiver (e.g., a UE 104) can use to determine its location on or above the Earth based, at least in part, on known locations of the transmitters and the times the signals were transmitted. Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with a repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) code of set number of chips. While the transmitters are typically located in SVs 112, they can on occasion be located in ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. The UEs 104 can include one or more specialized receivers designed specifically to receive the signals 124 from the SVs 112 to derive geographic location information.

[0058] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signals 124 can be augmented by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBASes) that can be associated with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems or otherwise enabled to work with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, an SBAS can include an augmentation system(s) that provides integrity information, differential corrections, etc. to one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. Examples of augmentation systems include, for example, the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multi-functional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), the Global Positioning System (GPS) Aided Geo Augmented Navigation or GPS and Geo Augmented Navigation system (GAGAN), and / or the like. Thus, as used herein, a satellite positioning system can include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems associated with one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0059] In an aspect, the SVs 112 can additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, the SVs 112 are connected to an earth station (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn is connected to elements in the 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without ground-based antennas) or a network node in the 5GC. This element in turn will provide access to other elements in the 5G network, and ultimately to 5G network external entities, such as Internet web servers and other user equipment. In this way, the UE 104 can receive communication signals from the SVs 112 as an alternative or supplement to receiving communication signals from the ground base stations 102 (e.g., signals 124).

[0060] Wireless communications system 100 can further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that access one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as “sidelinks”). For example, UE 1 can communicate directly with UE 2 using a D2D P2P Figure 1 In an example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (e.g., from which it can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (by which it can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported with any

[0061] Figure 2A ​An example wireless network structure 200 is illustrated. For example, a 5GC 210 (also referred to as a Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be viewed functionally as control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data networks, IP

[0062] Another optional aspect can include a location server 230, which can be in communication with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance for UEs 204. The location server 230 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately can each correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network, 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). Furthermore, the location server 230 can be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternately can be external to the core network (e.g., a third party server, such as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) server, or a business server).

[0063] Figure 2B Another example wireless network structure 250 is illustrated. A 5GC 260 (which can correspond to the 5GC 210) can be viewed functionally as control plane (C-plane) functions 264 (e.g., access and mobility management functions (AMF), unified data management (UDM), etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 262 (e.g., session management functions (SMF), policy control functions (PCF), user plane gateway (UPGW), etc.), which operate cooperatively to form the core network. User plane interface 263 (NG-U) and control plane interface 265 (NG-C) connect the gNB 222 to the 5GC 260, specifically to the user plane functions 262 and control plane functions 264, respectively. In additional configurations, an ng-eNB 224 can also be connected to the 5GC 260 via NG-C 265 to control plane functions 264 and NG-U 263 to user plane functions 262. Further, the ng-eNB 224 can directly communicate with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 can have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more ng-eNBs 224 and one or more gNBs 222. Either or both of a gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein). Figure 2AThe 5GC 210) can be viewed functionally as control plane functions (provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) 264) and user plane functions (provided by a user plane function (UPF) 262), which operate cooperatively to form the core network (i.e., the 5GC 260). The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, session management (SM) message transfer between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and a session management function (SMF) 266, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, short message service (SMS) message transfer between a UE 204 and the short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and a UE 204 to receive an intermediate key that was established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In cases where the authentication is UMTS (Universal Mobile

[0064] The functions of the UPF 262 include acting as an anchor point for intra- / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as a external protocol data unit (PDU) session point of interconnect 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 user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding of one or more “end markers.” The UPF 262 can also support transfer of location service messages between a UE 204 and a location server, such as the SLP 272, over the user plane.

[0065] 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 at the UPF 262 for proper destination, part of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface over which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is referred to as the N11 interface.

[0066] Another optional aspect can include an LMF 270, which can be in communication with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance for UEs 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately can each correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). The SLP 272 can support similar functions to the LMF 270, but whereas the LMF 270 can communicate with the AMF 264, the NG-RAN 220, and UEs 204 over the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to convey signaling messages and not voice or data), the SLP 272 can communicate with UEs 204 and external clients (not shown in FIG. 2) over the user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP) and / or IP). Figure 2B

[0067] The user plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC 260, and specifically the UPF 262 and AMF 264, respectively, to one or more gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 in the NG-RAN 220. The interface between gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 and the AMF 264 is referred to as the “N2” interface, while the interface between gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 and the UPF 262 is referred to as the “N3” interface. The gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 of the NG-RAN 220 can communicate directly with one another over a backhaul connection 223, referred to as the “Xn-C” interface. One or more of the gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 over a wireless interface, referred to as the “Uu” interface.

[0068] ​The functionality of the gNBs 222 is divided between gNB central units (gNB-CUs) 226 and one or more gNB distributed units (gNB-DUs) 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and the one or more gNB-DUs 228 is referred to as the “FI” interface. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions that transfer user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc., except for those functions that are specifically allocated to the gNB-DU 228. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB 222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that hosts the radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical (PHY) layers of the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, while one cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. Thus, the UE 204 communicates with the gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, and with the gNB-DU 228 via the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers.

[0069] Figure 3A 、 3B FIGs. 3A-3C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) that can be incorporated into a UE 302 (which can correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which can correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which can correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including the location server 230 and the LMF 270, or alternatively can be independent of those functions), in support of file transfer operations as taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components can be implemented in different types of apparatuses in different implementations (e.g., in ASICs, in SoCs, etc.). Also, the illustrated components can be incorporated into other apparatuses in the communication system. For example, other apparatuses in the system can include similar components to those described to provide similar functionality. Also, a given apparatus can contain one or more of the illustrated components. For example, an apparatus can include multiple transceiver components that enable the apparatus to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies. Figure 2A and 2B FIGs. 3A-3C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) that can be incorporated into a UE 302 (which can correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which can correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which can correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including the location server 230 and the LMF 270, or alternatively can be independent of those functions), in support of file transfer operations as taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components can be implemented in different types of apparatuses in different implementations (e.g., in ASICs, in SoCs, etc.). Also, the illustrated components can be incorporated into other apparatuses in the communication system. For example, other apparatuses in the system can include similar components to those described to provide similar functionality. Also, a given apparatus can contain one or more of the illustrated components. For example, an apparatus can include multiple transceiver components that enable the apparatus to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0070] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, to provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for suppressing transmission, etc.) for communicating via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown) (such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc.). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356 for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB)) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a time / frequency resource set in a specific spectrum) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured, according to a specified RAT, in various ways to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 each include one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively, and each includes one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0071] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 each further include one or more short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide access via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, etc.). devices (e.g., devices for transmitting, devices for receiving, devices for measuring, devices for tuning, devices for refraining from transmitting, etc.) that communicate via the wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., one or more of a cellular radio access technology (RAT), a wireless local area network (WLAN) RAT, a personal area network (PAN) RAT, a Bluetooth® RAT, a ZigBee® RAT, a Thread® RAT, a PC5, a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), a vehicle environment wireless access (WAVE), a near-field communication (NFC), etc.) with other network nodes such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be variously configured to respectively transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) and respectively receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) in accordance with a designated RAT. Specifically, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 respectively include one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for respectively transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and respectively one or more receivers 322 and 362 for respectively receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368. As particular examples, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be WiFi transceivers, transceivers, and / or transceivers, NFC transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0072] At least in some cases, the UE 302 and the base station 304 also include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. The satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and can respectively provide means for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378. Where the satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be global positioning system (GPS) signals, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. Where the satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) sourced from a 5G network. The satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can each include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378. The satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 request information and operations from other systems as appropriate, and at least in some cases perform calculations to determine the respective locations of the UE 302 and the base station 304 using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm.

[0073] The base stations 304 and network entities 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, providing means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, a base station 304 can employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, a network entity 306 can employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or with other network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0074] A transceiver can be configured to communicate over wired or wireless links. A transceiver, whether a wired or wireless transceiver, includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). The transceiver may, in some implementations, be an integrated device (e.g., implementing transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry in a single device), may, in some implementations, include separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry, or may, in other implementations, be implemented in other ways. The transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390, in some implementations) can be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) can include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, which permits the respective device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit “beamforming,” as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) can include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, which permits the respective device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In an aspect, the transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry can share the same plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that the respective device can either transmit or receive at a given time, but not both. Wireless transceivers (e.g., WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) can also include a network listening module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0075] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) can be generally characterized as a “transceiver,” “at least one transceiver,” or “one or more transceivers,” as appropriate. As such, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver can be inferred from the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers generally involve signaling via wired transceivers, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) generally involve signaling via wireless transceivers.

[0076] The UEs 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operation as disclosed herein. The UEs 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, for providing functionality as described herein, e.g., with regard to wireless communication, and for providing other processing functionality. In an aspect, the processors 332, 384, and 394 can include, for example, one or more general purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry, or various combinations thereof.

[0077] The UE 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 include memory circuitry implementing memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively (e.g., each including a memory device), for maintaining information (e.g., information indicative of reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, and the like). The memories 340, 386, and 396 can thus provide a means for storing, a means for retrieving, a means for maintaining, and the like. In some cases, the UE 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 can each include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. The positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be hardware circuits that are part of, or coupled to, the processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, that when executed cause the UE 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. In other aspects, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be external to the processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, and the like). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be memory modules stored in the memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, that when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, and the like) cause the UE 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Figure 3A Possible locations of the positioning component 342 are illustrated, which can be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the memory 340, the one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3B Possible locations of the positioning component 388 are illustrated, which can be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 350, the memory 386, the one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3C Possible locations of the positioning component 398 are illustrated, which can be part of, for example, one or more network transceivers 390, the memory 396, the one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component.

[0078] The UE 302 can include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the one or more processors 332 to provide a means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or the satellite signal receiver 330. As examples, the sensor(s) 344 can include an accelerometer (e.g., a micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of movement detection sensor. Moreover, the sensor(s) 344 can include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, the sensors 344 can use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and orientation sensors to provide the ability to compute position in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0079] Additionally, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 providing a means for providing indications (e.g., audible and / or visual indications) to a user and / or a means for receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device such as a keypad, a touch screen, a microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 can also include user interfaces.

[0080] Referring to the one or more processors 384 in more detail, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 can be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 can implement functionality for a RRC layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The one or more processors 384 can provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information blocks (SIBs)) broadcast, RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0081] The transmitter 354 and the receiver 352 can implement Layer-1 (LI) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer-1, which includes a physical (PHY) layer, can include error detection on transmission channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transmission channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to signal constellations, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to a orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate can be

[0082] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives a signal through its respective antenna(s) 316. The receiver 312 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the one or more processors 332. The transmitter 314 and the receiver 312 implement Layer-1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they can be combined by the receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time-domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates computed by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and de-interleaved to recover the data and control signals transmitted on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the one or more processors 332, which implement Layer-3 (L3) and Layer-2 (L2) functionality.

[0083] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0084] Similar to the functionality described in connection with the downlink transmission by the base station 304, the one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs) acquisition, RRC connections, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0085] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from the reference signals or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 can be used by the transmitter 314 to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 can be provided to different antenna 316. The transmitter 314 can modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0086] The uplink transmission is processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives information from its respective antenna(s) 356. The receiver 352 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the one or more processors 384.

[0087] In the uplink, the one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. IP packets from the one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0088] For convenience, the UE 302, base station 304, and / or network entity 306 Figure 3A , 3Band 3C are shown to include various components that can be configured in accordance with the various examples described herein. It will be appreciated, however, that the illustrated components can have different functionality in different designs. In particular, Figures 3A to 3C Various components in the are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that can vary due to design choice, cost, use of the device, or other considerations. For example, in the case of Figure 3A , a particular implementation of the UE 302 can omit WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet or PC or laptop can have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capability without cellular capability), or can omit short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., cellular only, etc.), or can omit satellite signal receiver 330, or can omit sensors 344, and so forth. In another example, in the case of Figure 3B , a particular implementation of the base station 304 can omit WWAN transceiver 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi “hotspot” access point without cellular capability), or can omit short-range wireless transceiver 360 (e.g., cellular only, etc.), or can omit satellite receiver 370, and so forth. For brevity, illustration of various alternative configurations has not been provided herein, but would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.

[0089] The various components of the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can be communicatively coupled to each other over data buses 334, 382, and 392, respectively. In an aspect, data buses 334, 382, and 392 can form, or be part of, a communication interface of the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, where different logical entities are implemented in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality incorporated into the same base station 304), data buses 334, 382, and 392 can provide communication therebetween.

[0090] Figure 3A , 3B The various components of the can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe various components of the UE 302, the base station 304, and / or the network entity 306 can each be implemented in one or more circuits such as, for example, one or more processors and / or ASICs (which can include one or more processors). Here, each circuit can use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by that circuit to provide this functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 can be implemented by a processor and memory component of the UE 302 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 388 can be implemented by a processor and memory component of the base station 304 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component). Also, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 398 can be implemented by a processor and memory component of the network entity 306 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component). For simplicity, various operations, acts, and / or functions are described here as being performed by the UE, the base station, the network entity, and / or the like. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, acts, and / or functions can actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, the base station 304, the network entity 306, and / or the like, such as the processors 332, 384, 394, the transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, the memory components 340, 386, and 396, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398, and / or the like.

[0091] In some designs, the network entity 306 can be implemented as a component of a core network. In other designs, the network entity 306 can be distinct from a network operator or operator of the cellular network infrastructure (e.g., the NG RAN 220 and / or the 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 can be a component of a private network that can be configured to communicate with the UE 302 via the base station 304 or independent of the base station 304 (e.g., over a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).

[0092] Various frame structures can be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 4A FIG. 400 is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a downlink frame structure, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies can have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0093] LTE, and in some cases NR, utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. Different from LTE, however, NR also has an option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM partition the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as tones, subcarriers, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In general, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing of adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can be dependent on the system bandwidth. The spacing of adjacent subcarriers can be 15 kilohertz (kHz) in some cases. The minimum resource allocation can be 12 subcarriers (or even one resource block), in some cases. Consequently, the nominal FFT size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024 or 2048 for system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), respectively. The system bandwidth can also be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subband can cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0094] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple numerologies (μ), e.g., subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz (μ = 0), 30 kHz (μ = 1), 60 kHz (μ = 2), 120 kHz (μ = 3), and 240 kHz (μ = 4) or greater can be available. In each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per slot. For 15 kHz SCS (μ = 0), there is one slot per subframe, 10 slots per frame, a slot duration of 1 millisecond (ms), a symbol duration of 66.7 microseconds (μs), and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size of 50. For 30 kHz SCS (μ = 1), there are two slots per subframe, 20 slots per frame, a slot duration of 0.5 ms, a symbol duration of 33.3 μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size of 100. For 60 kHz SCS (μ = 2), there are four slots per subframe, 40 slots per frame, a slot duration of 0.25 ms, a symbol duration of 16.7 μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size of 200. For 120 kHz SCS (μ = 3), there are eight slots per subframe, 80 slots per frame, a slot duration of 0.125 ms, a symbol duration of 8.33 μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size of 400. For 240 kHz SCS (μ = 4), there are 16 slots per subframe, 160 slots per frame, a slot duration of 0.0625 ms, a symbol duration of 4.17 μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size of 800.

[0095] In Figure 4A the example, a 15 kHz numerology is used. Thus, in the time domain, a 10 ms frame is divided into 10 equal size subframes, with each subframe of 1 ms and each subframe including one slot. In Figure 4A the example, time is represented horizontally (on the X axis), with time increasing from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (on the Y axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0096] A resource grid can be used to represent the time slots, with each time slot including one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also referred to as physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE can correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In Figure 4AFor normal cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For extended cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0097] Some REs carry downlink reference (pilot) signals (DL-RSs). DL-RSs can include positioning reference signals (PRSs), tracking reference signals (TRSs), phase tracking reference signals (PTRSs), cell-specific reference signals (CRSs), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs), demodulation reference signals (DMRSs), primary synchronization signals (PSSs), secondary synchronization signals (SSSs), synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), etc. Figure 4A Example locations of REs carrying PRSs are illustrated (labeled “R”).

[0098] A set of resource elements (REs) used for transmission of PRSs is referred to as a “PRS resource.” A set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and ‘N’ (such as 1 or more) consecutive symbols within a slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, a PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0099] Transmission of a PRS resource within a given PRB has a particular comb size (also referred to as “comb density”). The comb size ‘N’ represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for a comb size ‘N’, the PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of one symbol of the PRB. For example, for comb-4, for each symbol of the PRS resource configuration, the REs corresponding to every fourth subcarrier (such as subcarriers 0, 4, 8) are used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. Currently, comb sizes of comb-2, comb-4, comb-6, and comb-12 are supported for DL-PRS. Figure 4A An example PRS resource configuration for comb 6 (which spans 6 symbols) is illustrated. That is, the locations of the shaded REs (labeled “R”) indicate a comb-6 PRS resource configuration.

[0100] Currently, DL-PRS resources use a full frequency domain interlaced pattern that can span 2, 4, 6, or 12 consecutive symbols within a slot. A DL-PRS resource can be configured in any downlink or flexible (FL) symbol of a slot that is configured by higher layers. There can be a constant energy per resource element (EPRE) for all REs of a given DL-PRS resource. The following are the per-symbol frequency offsets for comb sizes 2, 4, 6, and 12 over 2, 4, 6, and 12 symbols. 2-symbol comb-2: {0, 1}; 4-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1}; 6-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1}; 12-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1}; 4-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3}; 12-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3}; 6-symbol comb-6: {0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5}; 12-symbol comb-6: {0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5, 0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5}; and 12-symbol comb-12: {0, 6, 3, 9, 1, 7, 4, 10, 2, 8, 5, 11}.

[0101] A “PRS resource set” is a set of PRS resources used for the transmission of PRS signals, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and is associated with a particular TRP (identified by a TRP ID). In addition, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor (such as “PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor”) across slots. The periodicity is the time from a first repetition of a first PRS resource of a first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of a next PRS instance. The periodicity can have a length selected from 2^μ*{4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} slots, where μ = 0, 1, 2, 3. The repetition factor can have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} slots.

[0102] A PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (where a TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and as such, a “PRS resource” (or simply “resource”) can also be referred to as a “beam.” Note that this does not have any implications on whether the TRP and the beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE.

[0103] A “PRS instance” or “PRS occasion” is one instance of a periodically repeating time window (such as a group of one or more consecutive slots) in which PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS occasion can also be referred to as a “PRS positioning occasion,” “PRS positioning instance,” “positioning occasion,” “positioning instance,” “positioning repetition,” or simply “occasion,” “instance,” or “repetition.”

[0104] A “positioning frequency layer” (also simply referred to as a “frequency layer”) is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets across one or more TRPs that have the same values for certain parameters. Specifically, the collection of PRS resource sets have the same subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning that all numerology designs supported for PDSCH are also supported for PRS), the same Point A, the same value of downlink PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The Point A parameter takes the value of the parameter “ARFCN-ValueNR” (where “ARFCN” stands for “absolute radio frequency channel number”) and is an identifier / code that specifies a pair of physical radio channels used for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth can have a granularity of 4 PRBs, with a minimum value of 24 PRBs and a maximum value of 272 PRBs. Currently, up to 4 frequency layers have been defined, and up to 2 PRS resource sets per frequency layer per TRP can be configured.

[0105] The concept of a frequency layer is somewhat similar to the concepts of component carriers and bandwidth parts (BWPs), but differs in that component carriers and BWPs are used by one base station (or macrocell and small cell base stations) to transmit data channels, whereas a frequency layer is used by several (often three or more) base stations to transmit PRS. A UE can indicate the number of frequency layers that the UE can support when the UE sends its positioning capabilities to the network, such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session. For example, a UE can indicate whether it can support one or four positioning frequency layers.

[0106] Figure 4B FIG. 450 is a diagram 450 illustrating an example uplink frame structure. In Figure 4BIn some examples, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), with time increasing from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top. In Figure 4B In the example of FIG. 1, a 15 kHz numerology is used.

[0107] As Figure 4B As illustrated in the example of FIG. 1, some of the REs (labeled “R”) carry demodulation reference signals (DMRS) for channel estimation at the receiver (e.g., a base station, another UE, etc.). The UE can additionally transmit SRS, e.g., in the last symbol of a slot. The SRS can have a comb structure, and the UE can transmit SRS on one of the combs. In the example of FIG. 1, the illustrated SRS is comb-2 over one symbol. The SRS can be used by the base station to obtain channel state information (CSI) for each UE. The CSI describes how RF signals propagate from the UE to the base station and represents the combined effects of scattering, fading, and power decay with distance. The system uses SRS for resource scheduling, link adaptation, massive MIMO, beam management, etc. Figure 4B

[0108] Currently, SRS resources with a comb size of comb-2, comb-4, or comb-8 can span 1, 2, 4, 8, or 12 consecutive symbols within a slot. The following are the per-symbol frequency offsets for the currently supported SRS comb patterns. 1-symbol comb-2: {0}; 2-symbol comb-2: {0, 1}; 4-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1}; 4-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3}; 8-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3}; 12-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3}; 4-symbol comb-8: {0, 4, 2, 6}; 8-symbol comb-8: {0, 4, 2, 6, 1, 5, 3, 7}; and 12-symbol comb-8: {0, 4, 2, 6, 1, 5, 3, 7, 0, 4, 2, 6}.

[0109] A set of resource elements used for the transmission of SRS is referred to as an “SRS resource” and can be identified by the parameter “SRS-ResourceId.” The set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and N (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols within a slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol, an SRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs. An “SRS resource set” is a set of SRS resources used for the transmission of SRS signals and is identified by an SRS resource set ID (“SRS-ResourceSetId”).

[0110] ​Generally, a UE transmits SRS to enable a receiving base station (a serving base station or a neighboring base station) to measure the channel quality between the UE and the base station. However, SRS can also be specifically configured as an uplink positioning reference signal for uplink-based positioning procedures, such as uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), round trip time (RTT), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA), etc. As used herein, the term “SRS” can refer to SRS configured for channel quality measurement or SRS configured for positioning purposes. When it is necessary to distinguish between the two types of SRS, the former can be referred to herein as “SRS-for-communication” and / or the latter can be referred to as “SRS-for-positioning.”

[0111] Several enhancements to the previous definition of SRS have been proposed for “SRS-for-positioning” (also referred to as “UL-PRS”), such as new staggering patterns within an SRS resource (in addition to single-symbol / comb-2), new comb types for SRS, new sequences for SRS, larger number of SRS resource sets per component carrier, and larger number of SRS resources per component carrier. In addition, the parameters “SpatialRelationInfo” and “PathLossReference” are to be configured based on a downlink reference signal or SSB from a neighboring TRP. Further, one SRS resource can be transmitted outside of the active BWP, and one SRS resource can span multiple component carriers. Furthermore, SRS can be configured in RRC connected state and transmitted only within the active BWP. Also, there can be no frequency hopping, repetition factor, single antenna port, and new lengths of SRS (e.g., 8 and 12 symbols). There can also be open loop power control and no closed loop power control, and comb-8 (i.e., SRS transmitted every eighth subcarrier in the same symbol) can be used. Finally, a UE can transmit through the same transmit beam from multiple SRS resources for UL-AoA. All of these are features outside of the current SRS framework, which is configured by RRC higher layer signaling (and potentially triggered or activated by MAC control element (CE) or DCI).

[0112] Note that the terms “positioning reference signal” and “PRS” generally refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in NR and LTE systems. However, as used herein, the terms “positioning reference signal” and “PRS” can also refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as but not limited to: PRS as defined in LTE and NR, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, SRS, UL-PRS, etc. In addition, the terms “positioning reference signal” and “PRS” can refer to downlink or uplink positioning reference signals, unless otherwise indicated by the context. If further differentiation between types of PRS is needed, downlink positioning reference signals can be referred to as “DL-PRS”, while uplink positioning reference signals (e.g., positioning SRS, PTRS) can be referred to as “UL-PRS”. In addition, for signals that can be transmitted in both uplink and downlink (e.g., DMRS, PTRS), these signals can be prepended with “UL” or “DL” to differentiate the direction. For example, “UL-DMRS” can be differentiated from “DL-DMRS”.

[0113] NR supports several cellular network-based positioning techniques, including downlink-based, uplink-based, and downlink-and-uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) in NR. In an OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedure, a UE measures the difference between the times of arrival (ToAs) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from pairs of base stations, referred to as reference signal time difference (RSTD) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements, and reports these differences to a positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives the identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in assistance data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each non-reference base station. Based on the known locations of the involved base stations and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity can estimate the location of the UE.

[0114] For DL-AoD positioning, a positioning entity determines the angle between a UE and a transmitting base station(s) using beam reports from the UE on received signal strength measurements for multiple downlink transmit beams. The positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE based on the determined angle and the known location of the transmitting base station.

[0115] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but it is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signals (SRS)) transmitted by the UE. For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from a UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurements and the angles of the receive beams to determine the angle between the UE and the base station(s). Based on the determined angles and the known locations of the base stations, the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.

[0116] Downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods include enhanced cell-ID (E-CID) positioning and multireturn time (RTT) positioning (also referred to as “multicell RTT”). In RTT procedures, an initiator (a base station or a UE) transmits an RTT measurement signal (e.g., a PRS or an SRS) to a responder (a UE or a base station), which transmits an RTT response signal (e.g., an SRS or a PRS) back to the initiator. The RTT response signal includes the difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response signal (referred to as the receive-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference). The initiator computes the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal and the ToA of the RTT response signal (referred to as the transmit-receive (Tx-Rx) time difference). The propagation time (also referred to as the “time of flight”) between the initiator and the responder can be computed from the Tx-Rx and Rx-Tx time differences. Based on the propagation time and the known speed of light, the distance between the initiator and the responder can be determined. For multlRTT positioning, a UE performs RTT procedures with multiple base stations to enable the location of the UE to be determined based on the known locations of the base stations (e.g., using multilateration). RTT and multlRTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques, such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD, to improve the accuracy of the location.

[0117] E-CID positioning methods are based on radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, a UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and identifiers, estimated timing, and signal strength of detected neighbor base stations. The location of the UE is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0118] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) can provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data can include identifiers of base stations (or cells / TRPs of base stations) from which to measure reference signals, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., number of consecutive positioning subframes, periodicity of positioning subframes, muting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal identifier, reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data can originate directly from the base stations themselves (e.g., in periodically broadcasted overhead messages, etc.). In some cases, the UE can itself be able to detect neighbor network nodes without the use of assistance data.

[0119] In the case of an OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedure, the assistance data can further include an expected RSTD value and an associated uncertainty, or a search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the value range of the expected RSTD can be + / - 500 microseconds (ps). In some cases, the value range of the uncertainty of the expected RSTD can be + / - 32 ps when any of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1. In other cases, the value range of the uncertainty of the expected RSTD can be + / - 8 ps when all of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2.

[0120] A location estimate can be called by other names, such as a position estimate, location, position, position fix, fix, etc. A location estimate can be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or can be civic and include a street address, postal address, or some other verbal description of a location. A location estimate can further be defined relative to some other known location or defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A location estimate can include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be included with some specified or default confidence level).

[0121] Figure 5 An example wireless communication system 500 is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In Figure 5 In the example of FIG. 5, a UE 504 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) is attempting to compute an estimate of its position, or to assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in computing an estimate of its position. The UE 504 can use RF signals and standardized protocols for modulation of the RF signals and exchange of information packets to communicate wirelessly with base stations 502 (e.g., any of the base stations described herein).

[0122] As Figure 5As explained, base station 502 is using beamforming to transmit multiple beams 511-515 of RF signals. Each beam 511-515 can be formed and transmitted by the antenna array of base station 502. Although Figure 5 It has been explained that base station 502 transmits five beams, but as will be understood, there may be more or fewer than five beams, the beam shape (such as peak gain, width and sidelobe gain) may vary between the transmitted beams, and some of these beams may be transmitted by different base stations.

[0123] For the purpose of distinguishing RF signals associated with one beam from RF signals associated with another beam, a beam index can be assigned to each of the plurality of beams 511-515. Furthermore, the RF signal associated with a specific beam among the plurality of beams 511-515 can carry a beam index indicator. The beam index can also be derived from the transmission time of the RF signal (e.g., frame, time slot, and / or OFDM symbol number). The beam index indicator can be, for example, a three-bit field used to uniquely distinguish up to eight beams. If two different RF signals with different beam indices are received, this indicates that the RF signals are being transmitted using different beams. If two different RF signals share a common beam index, this indicates that the different RF signals are being transmitted using the same beam. Another way to describe that two RF signals are being transmitted using the same beam is that the antenna ports(s) used for the transmission of the first RF signal are spatially quasi-co-located with the antenna ports(s) used for the transmission of the second RF signal.

[0124] exist Figure 5 In the example, UE 504 receives a non-line-of-sight (NLOS) data stream 523 of RF signals transmitted on beam 513 and a line-of-sight (LOS) data stream 524 of RF signals transmitted on beam 514. Although Figure 5NLOS data stream 523 and LOS data stream 524 can be interpreted as single lines (dashed and solid lines, respectively), but as will be understood, NLOS data stream 523 and LOS data stream 524 may each comprise multiple rays up to the time they reach UE 504, for example, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels. For example, when electromagnetic waves are reflected by multiple surfaces of an object and these reflections arrive at the receiver (e.g., UE 504) from approximately the same angle, a cluster of RF signals is formed, each reflection traveling a few wavelengths (e.g., centimeters) more or less than the others. The receiver detects / measures clusters of channel taps, each channel tap generally corresponding to a ray and each cluster generally corresponding to a single transmitted RF signal (e.g., NLOS data stream 523 and LOS data stream 524). Each channel tap represents a multipath followed by the RF signal between the transmitter and receiver. That is, the channel tap indicates the arrival of the RF signal on the multipath. Each cluster of channel taps indicates that the corresponding multipath follows substantially the same path. Different clusters may exist because RF signals are transmitted on different transmit beams (and therefore at different angles), or because of the propagation characteristics of RF signals (e.g., potentially following different paths due to reflection), or both.

[0125] exist Figure 5 In the example, NLOS data stream 523 is not initially directed to UE 504, although, as will be understood, it could. However, it is reflected by reflector 540 (e.g., a building) and reaches UE 504 unimpeded, and therefore can still be a relatively strong RF signal. In contrast, LOS data stream 524 is directed to UE 504 but passes through obstacle 530 (e.g., vegetation, buildings, hills, destructive environments such as clouds or smoke), which can significantly degrade the RF signal. As will be understood, although LOS data stream 524 is weaker than NLOS data stream 523, LOS data stream 524 will arrive at UE 504 before NLOS data stream 523 because it follows the shorter path from base station 502 to UE 504.

[0126] A beam of interest for data communication between a transmitter (e.g., base station 502) and a receiver (e.g., UE 504) is the beam that carries the RF signal that arrives at the receiver with the highest signal strength (e.g., highest RSRP or SINR), while a beam of interest for positioning estimation is the beam that carries the RF signal that excites the LOS path and has the highest gain along the LOS path among all other beams (e.g., beam 514). That is, even though beam 513 (a NLOS beam) would excite the LOS path weakly (due to the propagation characteristics of the RF signal, even without focusing along the LOS path), the weak signal (if any) of the LOS path of beam 513 can not be reliably detected (compared to the LOS path from beam 514), thus resulting in a large error when performing positioning measurements.

[0127] While the beam of interest for data communication and the beam of interest for positioning estimation can often be the same beam for some frequency bands, for other frequency bands (such as mmW), they can not be the same beam. As such, referring to FIG. 5, the beam of interest for data communication is beam 513, while the beam of interest for positioning estimation is beam 514. Figure 5 In the case where UE 504 is engaged in a data communication session with base station 502 (e.g., in the case where base station 502 is the serving base station for UE 504) and is not simply attempting to measure a reference RF signal transmitted by base station 502, the beam of interest for the data communication session can be beam 513, as it is carrying the unobstructed NLOS data stream 523. However, the beam of interest for positioning estimation would be beam 514, as it carries the strongest LOS data stream 524, despite being obstructed.

[0128] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a diagram of an example physical layer procedure 600 for processing PRS transmitted on multiple beams, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. At stage 610, a network (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) configures a given base station (e.g., gNB) to transmit beamformed PRS to one or more UEs in the coverage area(s) of the cell(s) supported by the base station. The PRS configuration can include multiple instances of PRS that beam sweep across all AoDs for each cell at full transmit power per beam. At stage 620, the base station transmits the PRS to the UEs in the coverage area(s) of the cell(s) supported by the base station. Figure 6In the example of FIG. 6A, the base station transmits PRS on a first beam (labeled "Beam 1") at a first time (labeled "Time = 1"), on a second beam (labeled "Beam 2") at a second time (labeled "Time = 2"), and so on until a Nth beam (labeled "Beam N") at an Nth time (labeled "Time = N"), where N is an integer from 1 to 128 (i.e., there can be up to 128 beams for a single cell). The illustrated beams can be for a particular cell supported by the base station, and the base station can beam sweep PRS in each of the cells it supports. The base station can beam sweep using a single antenna or antenna array, in which case the antenna or antenna array transmits each beam (Beams 1-N). Alternatively, the base station can beam sweep using multiple antennas or antenna arrays, in which case each antenna or antenna array transmits one or more of Beams 1-N.

[0129] At 620, the given UE monitors all cells it has been configured by the network to monitor, which are configured to transmit PRS across the configured instances. There can be a need for several PRS instances / occasions to permit the UE to detect a sufficient number of cells for positioning (due to the time it takes for the UE to tune its radio from one cell to another and then monitor that cell). The UE measures the channel, especially the Channel Energy Response (CER) and ToA, across all cells for which the UE has been configured to search for PRS.

[0130] At 630, the UE prunes the CER across the cells to determine the ToA of the PRS beam. In estimating the ToA from the CER, a noise-related quality threshold is used to determine the earliest arriving path (i.e., the LOS path) to eliminate spurious local peaks. The ToA estimate is chosen such that it is the earliest local maximum CER. For example, the ToA estimate can be chosen such that it is the earliest peak that is at least a certain threshold 'X' dB higher than the median of the CER and at most a certain threshold 'Y' dB lower than the main peak.

[0131] At 640, the ToA can be used to estimate the position of the UE using, for example, OTDOA / DL-TDOA, RTT, DL-AoD, etc. For example, the UE can compute RSTD or Rx-Tx measurements based on the ToA of the PRS. If the UE has been provided a base station almanac (BSA) that includes the physical locations of the involved base stations, the UE can estimate its location based on the measurements. Alternatively, if the UE reports the ToA (or RSTD, Rx-Tx time difference, etc.) measurements to the network, the network can estimate the location of the UE.

[0132] Figure 7An example procedure 700 for location estimation according to various aspects of this disclosure is described. At 710, the UE estimates the CER based on the PRS transmitted by the involved TRP / cell. At 720, the ToA is estimated by determining the earliest local maximum CER. At 730, the estimated ToA is then pruned to derive a TDOA vector, which may include multiple ToA-related measurements from multiple cells. At 740, the TDOA vector is then used to estimate the UE's location (for UE-based positioning) or the TDOA vector is reported to the network (for UE-assisted positioning).

[0133] It should be noted that even under relatively high SINR conditions, there are instances where ToA is incorrectly estimated. One way to improve positioning accuracy is to select the ToA based on the PRS estimated from geographically dispersed cells. In one aspect, ToA sorting and pruning techniques can be used to improve positioning accuracy by selecting ToAs from geographically dispersed cells.

[0134] Figure 8 An example procedure 800 for selecting a ToA to improve positioning accuracy according to various aspects of this disclosure is explained. At 810, the UE may rank the ToAs based on one or more quality metrics corresponding to the CER. SINR (including signal-to-noise ratio (SNR)) is one example of a quality metric. Another example is the median to peak ToA ratio. Yet another example is the median to peak ratio. At 820, the UE may then prune the ToAs based on the quality metrics while ensuring that a sufficient number of geographically dispersed TRPs / cells are represented in the TDOA vector. In other words, the quality of the received PRS is not the sole criterion for selecting a ToA for pruning. Instead, the location of the TRP / cell is also considered when selecting a ToA.

[0135] Figure 9 This is a diagram 900 illustrating an example scenario for pruning ToA based on various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 9 In the example, UE 904 can receive PRS from four cells supported by three base stations 902. Specifically, UE 904 can receive PRS from "Cell 1" and "Cell 2" (or anchor points) supported by the same base station 902-1, "Cell 3" supported by base station 902-2, and "Cell 4" supported by base station 902-3. Since "Cell 1" and "Cell 2" are supported by the same base station 902-1, they are referred to as "co-located" or have the same "anchor point".

[0136] Based on the measurements, the UE 904 can have determined that the quality of the PRSs is ordered from best to worst as “Cell 1,” “Cell 2,” “Cell 3,” and “Cell 4.” To estimate the 2D position of the UE 904 using TDOA, at least three ToA measurements are needed. If ToAs are selected based only on the quality metric, the selected three ToAs would be the ToAs of the PRSs from “Cell 1,” “Cell 2,” and “Cell 3.” However, the ToAs of the PRSs from “Cell 1,” “Cell 2,” and “Cell 3” can not be sufficient to determine a 2D position because “Cell 1” and “Cell 2” are co-located, meaning that the UE 904 can not be able to distinguish between the ToAs of “Cell 1” and “Cell 2.” In this case, the ToA of the PRS from “Cell 2” (or “Cell 1”) can be pruned, and the ToA of the PRS from “Cell 4” can be included instead—assuming that the ToA of the PRS from “Cell 4” meets the quality metric requirements.

[0137] In some cases, more than the minimum number of ToAs can be included. For example, referring to Figure 9 ToAs of the PRSs from “Cell 1” and “Cell 2” can be included, as long as ToAs of the PRSs from “Cell 3” and “Cell 4” are also included in the TDOA vector. That is, in an aspect, ToAs can be pruned to ensure that a sufficient number of geographically dispersed cells are represented in the pruned ToAs (e.g., at least three non-co-located cells for 2D positioning, at least four non-co-located cells for 3D positioning). Whether a ToA is of a PRS from a co-located cell is just one of several properties that can be considered when pruning ToAs, as described further below.

[0138] Referring back to Figure 8 At 830, the UE can derive a TDOA vector from the pruned ToAs. For example, the ToA with the highest quality metric can be identified as a reference ToA, and the RSTDs of the other TRPs / cells in the TDOA vector can be computed relative to the reference ToA.

[0139] In an aspect, the UE can be equipped to prune ToAs when the network provides the UE with location properties of the cells. In an aspect, these location properties, or simply “properties,” can be relative (i.e., relative to each other) properties. For example, the signaled properties can not include any absolute location information for the cells, such as x, y, z coordinates of the cells. However, the actual x, y, z coordinates are known to the location server.

[0140] Some (but not necessarily all) of the properties of a cell that can be provided to a UE are: co-location property, row property, zone boundary property, altitude property, altitude boundary property, and plane property. When a group of cells (e.g., two or more cells) have the same co-location property, the member cells in the group are co-located. When a group of cells have the same row property, the member cells are on the same row. For example, the member cells can be on a row that is parallel to train tracks. When a group of cells have the same zone boundary property, the member cells are all within a threshold zone boundary (e.g., within a threshold distance of each other). When a group of cells have the same altitude property, the member cells are all at the same altitude. When a group of cells have the same altitude boundary property, the member cells are all within a threshold altitude boundary (e.g., within a threshold altitude of each other). When a group of cells have the same plane property, the member cells are all on the same 2D plane.

[0141] For example, the signaling of properties from the network can be semi-static and sent to the UE along with the PRS configuration. In an aspect, the signaling can take the form of a set of PRS IDs, where a particular PRS ID identifies a common property (co-location, row, zone boundary, altitude, altitude boundary, plane). The signaling can be provided to the UE after the network is configured, upon request by the UE, or when the network configures the maximum ToA size to report. Note that if the network needs 3D positioning, the altitude related information (e.g., altitude property, altitude boundary property, plane property) can be signaled.

[0142] A network (e.g., location server, LMF 270, SLP 272) can signal properties of multiple cells to a UE. In an aspect, the multiple cells can be grouped into one or more groups of cells, and each group of cells can include one or more member cells. Each group of cells can be associated with a set of properties that includes one or more properties, such that all member cells in the group of cells collectively have all the properties in the associated set of properties.

[0143] In one aspect, the PRS ID can include a scrambling ID, and the attribute information can be embedded in the scrambling ID of the PRS. The UE can use the scrambling ID of each PRS to identify the cell group to which the corresponding cell belongs. For example, for a 16-bit scrambling ID, the last two bits (e.g., bits 1 and 0) can be used for the co-siting attribute. In this example, if the scrambling IDs of two PRSs have the same last two bits, then it can be assumed that the two corresponding cells are co-sited. Conversely, if the last two bits are different, then it can be assumed that the two cells are not co-sited, i.e., are located at different sites. In this example, the last two bits are mapped to the co-siting attribute type. As another example, bits '4' to '2' can be used for the height attribute. For example, it can be assumed that two cells having the same value in bits '4' to '2' are at the same height. Conversely, it can be assumed that two cells having different values in bits '4' to '2' are at different heights. In this example, bits '4' to '2' are mapped to the height attribute type.

[0144] Generally, if a specified set of bits of the scrambling ID is the same for two or more cells, then the two or more cells belong to a cell group having the configured attribute, i.e., they are member cells of the cell group. In one aspect, the bits of each scrambling ID can be divided into one or more attribute bit ranges. Each attribute bit range can include one or more bits, and can be mapped to an attribute type (e.g., a co-siting attribute type, a row attribute type, a zone boundary attribute type, a height attribute type, a height boundary attribute type, a plane attribute type, etc.). For each cell of the plurality of cells, each attribute of the cell can be encoded in the attribute bit range of the scrambling ID that is mapped to the attribute type of the attribute.

[0145] In another aspect, the attribute information can be embedded into the RRC configuration. The PRSs can be configured using resource IDs. Further, different resource IDs can be associated with different attributes of the cells that transmit the PRSs. For example, the UE can determine that every three resource IDs are co-sited. That is, the cells that transmit PRSs using resource IDs '0' to '2' are member cells of a cell group that are co-sited at one location, the cells that use resource IDs '3' to '5' are member cells of a cell group that are co-sited at another location, and so on. Note that the actual x, y, z coordinates of the locations need not be provided to the UE.

[0146] As another example, the UE can determine that the cells with resource IDs ‘10’ through ‘15’ are member cells in a cell group at one altitude, the cells with resource IDs ‘16’ through ‘20’ are member cells in a cell group at another altitude, and so on. Again, the actual altitudes of the cells need not be known to the UE. However, the network entity can inform the UE that the altitudes of the member cells between different cell altitude groups differ from each other by at least a minimum group altitude difference.

[0147] Generally, the multiple PRSs can include multiple resource IDs. The multiple resource IDs can be grouped into one or more resource ID groups, and each resource ID group can correspond to a cell group. In other words, each resource ID group can correspond to a set of one or more attributes as described above.

[0148] In an aspect, the UE can be configured with a default resource ID grouping to associate different resource ID groups with different sets of attributes. Alternatively, or additionally, resource ID group information can be received from a network entity, such as the location server 230, the LMF 270, or the SLP 272. For example, when the UE receives resource ID group information from the network, the UE can overwrite any previous resource ID group information.

[0149] Figure 10 An example method 1000 for determining a location of a UE is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The method 1000 is an example of a UE-assisted positioning method and involves a UE and a network entity (e.g., the location server 230, the LMF 270, the SLP 272). At 1005, the network entity transmits cell group information and attributes of multiple cells configured to transmit a corresponding multiple DL-PRSs. For example, the information can be transmitted to the UE along with the DL-PRS configuration for the involved cells. As mentioned above, the information can be transmitted after a network configuration or as a result of a request from the UE when the network configuration will report a maximum ToA size back to the network.

[0150] The attributes and cell group information can provide at least the following information. The plurality of cells can be grouped into one or more cell groups. Each cell group can include one or more member cells, where each member cell is one of the plurality of cells. Each cell group can be associated with a set of attributes including one or more of co-sited, row, zone boundary, height, height boundary, and plane. For each cell group, all member cells in the cell group should collectively have all attributes of the associated set of attributes. For example, if the set of attributes for a cell group includes row and height attributes, the UE can assume that all member cells in the cell group are in the same row and at the same height.

[0151] The plurality of DL-PRS transmitted by the plurality of cells includes a plurality of PRS IDs (e.g., scrambling IDs, resource IDs). In an aspect, a PRS ID can correspond to a plurality of cells. For each cell group, the PRS ID of each member cell indicates membership of the cell in the cell group. For example, when using scrambling IDs, the bit value of the attribute range of the scrambling ID of an attribute should be the same for all member cells.

[0152] At 1010, the UE receives the attributes and cell group information. At 1015, the network entity can configure the plurality of cells to transmit a plurality of DL-PRS. At 1020, the UE receives the plurality of PRS from the plurality of cells. Additionally, if configured (e.g., in the case of RTT positioning procedures), the UE also transmits UL-PRS (e.g., SRS).

[0153] At 1030, the UE determines ToAs for the received plurality of PRS (e.g., one ToA per received / detected PRS). For example, for each PRS, the corresponding ToA can be determined such that it is the earliest local maximum CER that satisfies a threshold requirement (e.g., at least a certain threshold dB above the median of the CERs and no more than a certain threshold dB below the dominant peak of the CERs). The UE can also determine RSRP for the received plurality of DL-PRS and Rx-Tx time difference measurements for the received DL-PRS and transmitted UL-PRS (if configured for RTT positioning procedures).

[0154] At 1040, the UE prunes the plurality of ToAs based on the attribute information. For example, the UE can rank the ToAs based on one or more quality metrics (e.g., estimated SINR or SNR, median-to-ToA peak ratio, median-to-primary peak ratio, etc.). The UE can then select, for each group of cells, the one ToA with the highest quality metric, thereby pruning the remaining ToAs. For example, if the UE is configured with co-siting attributes for multiple cells and thus the multiple cells are grouped according to whether they are at the same site, the UE can select the highest quality ToA from each group of cells.

[0155] At 1050, a TDOA vector can be derived from the pruned TOAs. The UE ranks the ToAs such that the resulting TDOA vector includes ToA-related measurements (e.g., ToA, RSTD) for the plurality of cells, where each cell represented in the TDOA vector is a cell in the plurality of cells.

[0156] Further, the cells represented in the TDOA vector should be sufficient to determine the UE’s location in at least two dimensions. For example, the ToA pruning can result in a TDOA vector that includes ToA-related measurements from at least three cells that are not co-sited with one another. In other words, the TDOA should represent at least three cells with different co-siting attributes. This ensures that ToAs of PRS from a sufficient number (e.g., more than a certain threshold) of geographically dispersed cells are accounted for in the 2D location determination. Of course, more than three ToA-related measurements can be included if the network allows. Additional measurements can help reduce uncertainty.

[0157] If groups of cells with different row attributes are included, in an aspect, the positioning accuracy can be enhanced by pruning ToAs such that the TDOA vector represents multiple (at least two) cells with different row attributes. If groups of cells with different regional boundary attributes are included, in an aspect, the positioning accuracy can be enhanced by pruning ToAs such that the TDOA vector represents multiple cells with different regional boundary attributes.

[0158] If a three-dimensional position of the UE is desired, the TDOA vector should include at least four ToA-related measurements from geographically dispersed cells. In one aspect, at least four cells that are not co-located with each other can be represented in the TDOA vector. In another aspect, two of the cells can be within the same border region, but at different altitudes. Of course, it is preferred that the cells are in different border regions and at different altitudes. That is, if groups of cells with different altitude attributes are included, in one aspect, the positioning accuracy can be enhanced by pruning ToAs so that the TDOA vector represents multiple cells with different altitude attributes. Further, if groups of cells with different plane attributes are included, in one aspect, the positioning accuracy can be enhanced by pruning ToAs so that the TDOA vector represents multiple cells with different plane attributes. Also, more than four ToA-related measurements can be included to reduce uncertainty, if allowed by the network.

[0159] At 1060, the UE sends the TDOA vector to a network entity (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272). At 1065, the network entity receives the TDOA vector. At 1075, since the network entity can be aware of the x, y, z coordinates of the multiple cells, the network entity determines or otherwise estimates the location of the UE based on the TDOA vector.

[0160] As described above with reference to Figure 9 Quasi-co-located cells provide only one anchor point for positioning estimation. However, as described above with reference to Figure 10 Cells can be grouped based on various attributes, and the UE can select one cell per group (e.g., the cell that provides the best ToA) to report for positioning purposes. This provides various benefits, such as enabling the UE to select a more diverse set of cells for positioning purposes. In addition, reporting the ToA of a single cell per group can also reduce signaling overhead. Specifically, the UE can report one full ToA measurement (referred to as a baseline or representative ToA measurement) of one cell (referred to as a representative cell) and report the ToA measurements of the remaining cells as differentials from the full ToA measurement.

[0161] For example, in some cases, a UE can be configured to report ToAs for multiple cells within the same group (i.e., multiple cells having the same attribute, such as a co-sited attribute). In such cases, the UE can report one full ToA measurement for a representative cell in each group of cells and report ToA measurements for the remaining cells in the group as differential values from the full ToA measurement. Similarly, where a UE reports only one ToA measurement per group of cells, the UE can report one full ToA measurement for a representative cell in one group of cells and differential ToA measurements for all representative cells in the remaining groups of cells that would otherwise be reported as full ToA measurements. As yet another option, the UE can report one full ToA measurement for a representative cell in one group of cells and differential ToA measurements for all other cells in all other groups. In some cases, such a reduction in signaling overhead can be sufficient to enable the UE to transmit the entire measurement report in uplink control information (UCI) on a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or in one or more MAC control elements (MAC-CEs).

[0162] As a specific example, a UE can be configured to measure (and can optionally report) ToAs of PRS transmitted by cells within a group having three cells. This can result in ToA measurements referred to as "ToAl," "ToA2," and "ToA3." Given that the UE is attempting to identify the LOS path between itself and each measured cell, the UE can assume that the earliest significant peak in the channel energy response represents the ToA of the LOS path. However, due to channel noise, the calculated ToA can be earlier than the actual ToA of the LOS path (e.g., a spurious peak can be misidentified as the ToA). As such, it can be beneficial to report ToA measurements for other cells in the group as they can be more accurate. Accordingly, the UE can report a ToA for a representative cell (or reference cell) in the group (e.g., "ToAl") and differential ToAs for the remaining cells in the group (e.g., "ToA2" and "ToA3"). The representative ToA (or baseline ToA) can be reported in 'X' bits and the other ToAs can be reported in 'Y' bits. More specifically, the difference between the representative ToA and the other ToAs can be calculated as, for example, "ToA2" - "ToAl" = "Δ1" and "ToA3" = "ToAl" = "Δ2." The delta values (i.e., the difference between the representative ToA and the other ToA measurements) can be represented in 'Y' bits, where 'Y' is expected to be significantly less than 'X.' In this way, instead of including three sets of 'X' bits (one set of 'X' bits per ToA), the measurement report can include 'X' bits plus two sets of 'Y' bits. With 'Y' less than 'X,' this will result in a (potentially significant) reduction in the number of bits.

[0163] As will be appreciated, the same principles apply to other positioning measurements, such as RSTD, AoA, AoD, and Rx-Tx time difference measurements. This is because these measurements are expected to have a fairly small variance between cells in a group of cells that share one or more of the attributes identified above. However, this is not the case for RSRP measurements, as RSRP measurements, even within a group of cells, can still have a wider range of possible values and thus a larger difference between them. Thus, reporting differential RSRP values within a group of cells or across groups of cells can not save overhead within a measurement report. As such, a UE can not be expected to report differential RSRP measurements. However, if RSRP measurements are within a threshold difference of each other, the UE can report differential RSRP values within a group of cells or even across cells.

[0164] To configure the UE to report differential positioning measurements, a new parameter can be defined in the RRC configuration or PRS configuration that identifies the cells from which to measure PRS. One parameter can indicate the type of baseline (or representative or reference) positioning measurement to report. For example, the field can indicate that the UE is to report a full measurement of the earliest ToA for a group of cells, the smallest RSTD for a group of cells, or the largest RSTD for a group of cells.

[0165] Another parameter can indicate the quantization resolution of the differential positioning measurement. For example, for RSTD measurements, the differential resolution can be 0.1 nanoseconds (ns), 0.2 ns, 0.5 ns, etc. Thus, the UE can report the differential RSTD measurement as a multiple of the differential resolution.

[0166] Another parameter can be the size of the differential positioning measurement (e.g., ‘Y’ bits). In an aspect, if the UE is configured to report the smallest differential, it means that all differential values should be reported as positive values; there is no need to use a bit to indicate negative values, thus saving additional bits for sign bits.

[0167] Another parameter can be the maximum number ‘N’ of differential positioning measurements to report. This can be derived from the uplink grant. By default, ‘N’ can be greater than or equal to zero. If ‘N’ is set to zero, only the baseline measurement is reported per group.

[0168] Another parameter can be the criteria for the differential positioning measurements to report. For example, the differential reporting can be based on ascending order, descending order, a level of confidentiality, or selected based on the UE.

[0169] Another parameter can be a grouping criterion for positioning measurements across the groups of cells. That is, the UE can be configured to report a baseline positioning measurement for a representative cell in a group of cells and differential positioning measurements for the remaining cells in that group and all other cells in all other groups relative to the baseline measurement. Alternatively, the UE can be configured to report a baseline measurement for a representative cell in each group of cells and differential measurements for the remaining cells in each group. For example, if the difference between measurements across all cells in all groups is below a certain first threshold, the UE can report a single baseline measurement for all groups and differential measurements for all cells other than the representative cell. Otherwise, the UE can report a baseline measurement for each group of cells and differential measurements for the remaining cells in each group. Within each group, there can be another threshold to determine whether the measurements for the cells in that group can be reported differentially. In an aspect, in case the UE reports a single baseline measurement for all groups of cells, the UE and the network (e.g., a serving base station, location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) can dynamically configure new groups that include cells previously configured based on attributes (e.g., same cell site). The dynamic reporting group configuration can be reported to the location server and / or serving base station in a dynamic or semi-persistent manner. The group information should be agreed upon between the UE and the network. Otherwise, each report should embed the group information, but this uses additional bandwidth and thus is less preferred.

[0170] Figure 11 An example method 1100 of wireless positioning in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In an aspect, method 1100 can be performed by a UE (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0171] At 1110, the UE receives a plurality of DL-PRS transmitted by a corresponding plurality of cells, where the plurality of cells are grouped into one or more groups, where each of the one or more groups is associated with one or more attributes, and where each cell in each group of the one or more groups has a same value of the one or more attributes. In an aspect, operation 1110 can be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which can be considered means for performing this operation.

[0172] At 1120, the UE reports, to the positioning entity, at least one baseline positioning measurement for at least one representative cell in at least one of the one or more groups based on DL-PRS transmitted by the at least one representative cell. In an aspect, operation 1120 can be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which can be considered means for performing this operation.

[0173] At 1130, the UE reports, to the positioning entity, differential positioning measurements for cells in the at least one group based on the at least one baseline positioning measurement (not necessarily only the remaining cells in the at least one group, as for CER or power delay profile (PDP) reporting, a first channel tap of a cell can be a reference to subsequent taps of the cell). In an aspect, operation 1130 can be performed by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which can be considered means for performing this operation.

[0174] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of method 1100 is reduced overhead in signaling positioning measurements.

[0175] In the above detailed description, various features are grouped together in examples. This manner of disclosure should not be understood as a limitation on the example clauses, but rather a description of various aspects. For example, all features of each example can not be needed to practice the aspects in conformance with the requests. Additionally, not all aspects need to infuse all features of an example together, and the description or disclosure together as a single example. Rather, one example can provide features that are used in combination with one or more aspects of the subject matter described in other examples, which can provide for structuring of a different example. It is therefore pertinent to view each example in the description in a general sense, and not as a potential limitation on the examples. Finally, the description and drawings should not constitute an exhaustive list of examples, and the future examples that fall within the claims are foreseeable.

[0176] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0177] Clause 1. A method of wireless positioning performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a plurality of positioning reference signals (PRSs) transmitted by a corresponding plurality of cells, wherein the plurality of cells are grouped into one or more groups, wherein each of the one or more groups is associated with one or more properties, and wherein each cell in each group of the one or more groups has a same value of the one or more properties; determining at least one baseline positioning measurement for at least one representative cell in at least one of the one or more groups based on a PRS transmitted by the at least one representative cell; determining differential positioning measurements for remaining cells in at least the at least one group based on the at least one baseline positioning measurement; and reporting the at least one baseline positioning measurement and the differential positioning measurements to a positioning entity.

[0178] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the remaining cells in at least the at least one group comprise all remaining cells of all groups of the one or more groups.

[0179] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein the UE determines the differential positioning measurements for all remaining cells in all groups of the one or more groups based on a value of each differential positioning measurement being less than a threshold.

[0180] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 1-3, wherein: the at least one group comprises only one group, and the remaining cells in at least the at least one group comprise only all remaining cells in the at least one group.

[0181] Clause 5. The method of clause 4, wherein: the one or more groups comprise a plurality of groups, determining the at least one baseline positioning measurement comprises determining a baseline positioning measurement for a representative cell in each group of the plurality of groups, determining the differential positioning measurements comprises determining a differential positioning measurement for a remaining cell in each group of the plurality of groups based on the baseline positioning measurement for the group, and reporting comprises reporting each baseline positioning measurement and the differential positioning measurements to the positioning entity.

[0182] Clause 6. The method of clause 5, wherein the UE determines the differential positioning measurements for each group of the plurality of groups based on a value of the differential positioning measurements across the plurality of groups being greater than a threshold.

[0183] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1 to 6, wherein the one or more properties include: a co-sited property indicating that all cells in each of the one or more groups are co-sited, a row property indicating that all cells in each of the one or more groups are in a row, a zone boundary property indicating that all cells in each of the one or more groups are within a threshold zone boundary, a height property indicating that heights of all cells in each of the one or more groups are within a threshold height difference of each other, and a plane property indicating that all cells in each of the one or more groups are on a two-dimensional (2D) plane, or any combination thereof.

[0184] Clause 8. The method of any of clauses 1 to 7, further comprising: receiving a configuration including one or more parameters indicating how to report the at least one baseline positioning measurement and the differential positioning measurements.

[0185] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, wherein the one or more parameters include: a type of the at least one baseline positioning measurement, a quantization resolution of the differential positioning measurements, a bit length of each of the differential positioning measurements, a maximum number of differential positioning measurements per group of the one or more groups, a maximum number of differential positioning measurements across all groups of the one or more groups, a criterion indicating how to select differential positioning measurements for all groups of the one or more groups relative to a single baseline positioning measurement, an indication of whether to report differential positioning measurements for all groups of the one or more groups relative to a single baseline positioning measurement or to report differential positioning measurements for each group of the one or more groups relative to differential positioning measurements for that group, or any combination thereof.

[0186] Clause 10. The method of clause 9, wherein the type of baseline positioning measurement includes: an earliest time of arrival (ToA) measurement of all PRS transmitted by cells in the at least one group, a smallest reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement of all PRS transmitted by cells in the at least one group, or a largest RSTD measurement of all PRS transmitted by cells in the at least one group.

[0187] Clause 11. The method of any of clauses 9 to 10, wherein the quantization resolution is a time increment, and wherein differential positioning measurement values are expected to be reported as multiples of the time increment.

[0188] Clause 12. The method of any of clauses 9 to 11, wherein the bit length does not include a sign bit to indicate negative numbers.

[0189] Clause 13. The method of any of clauses 9 to 12, wherein a maximum number of differential positioning measurements per group of the one or more groups is greater than or equal to zero.

[0190] Clause 14. The method of any of clauses 9 to 13, wherein a maximum number of differential positioning measurements across all groups of the one or more groups is greater than or equal to zero.

[0191] Clause 15. The method of any of clauses 9 to 14, wherein the indication comprises a threshold value.

[0192] Clause 16. The method of any of clauses 9 to 14, wherein the indication comprises a flag bit.

[0193] Clause 17. The method of any of clauses 8 to 16, wherein the configuration comprises a radio resource control configuration.

[0194] Clause 18. The method of any of clauses 8 to 16, wherein the configuration comprises a PRS configuration.

[0195] Clause 19. The method of any of clauses 1 to 18, wherein the UE reports the at least one baseline positioning measurement and the differential positioning measurements in uplink control information (UCI) or one or more medium access control control elements (MAC-CEs).

[0196] Clause 20. The method of any of clauses 1 to 19, wherein the positioning entity comprises a serving base station or a location server.

[0197] Clause 21. An apparatus comprising: a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the memory, the at least one transceiver, and the at least one processor configured to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 20.

[0198] Clause 22. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 1 to 20.

[0199] Clause 23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, comprising at least one instruction for causing a computer or processor to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 20.

[0200] Each additional implementation example is described in the following numbered clauses.

[0201] Clause 1. A method of wireless positioning performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a plurality of downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS) transmitted by a corresponding plurality of cells, wherein the plurality of cells are grouped into one or more groups, wherein each of the one or more groups is associated with one or more properties, and wherein each cell in each group of the one or more groups has a same value of the one or more properties; reporting, to a positioning entity, at least one baseline positioning measurement for at least one representative cell in at least one of the one or more groups based on a DL-PRS transmitted by the at least one representative cell; and reporting, to the positioning entity, differential positioning measurements for cells in the at least one group based on the at least one baseline positioning measurement.

[0202] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the differential positioning measurements for the cells in the at least one group are reported based on a value of each of the differential positioning measurements being less than a threshold value.

[0203] Clause 3. The method of any of clauses 1-2, wherein: the at least one group comprises only one group, and the cells in the at least one group comprise only all remaining cells in the at least one group.

[0204] Clause 4. The method of clause 3, wherein: the one or more groups comprise a plurality of groups, reporting the at least one baseline positioning measurement comprises reporting a baseline positioning measurement for a representative cell in each group of the plurality of groups, and reporting the differential positioning measurements comprises reporting differential positioning measurements for cells in each group of the plurality of groups based on the baseline positioning measurement for the group.

[0205] Clause 5. The method of clause 4, further comprising: determining the differential positioning measurements for each group of the plurality of groups based on a value of differential positioning measurements across the plurality of groups being greater than a threshold value.

[0206] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 1-5, wherein the one or more properties comprise: a co-sited property indicating that all cells in each group of the one or more groups are co-sited, a row property indicating that all cells in each group of the one or more groups are in a row, a region boundary property indicating that all cells in each group of the one or more groups are within a threshold region boundary, a height property indicating that heights of all cells in each group of the one or more groups are within a threshold height difference of each other, and a plane property indicating that all cells in each group of the one or more groups are on a two-dimensional (2D) plane, or any combination thereof.

[0207] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1 to 6, further comprising: receiving a configuration comprising one or more parameters indicating how to report the at least one baseline positioning measurement and the differential positioning measurements.

[0208] Clause 8. The method of clause 7, wherein the one or more parameters comprise: a type of the at least one baseline positioning measurement, a quantization resolution of the differential positioning measurements, a bit length of each of the differential positioning measurements, a maximum number of differential positioning measurements per group of the one or more groups, a maximum number of differential positioning measurements across all of the one or more groups, a criterion indicating how to select differential positioning measurements for all of the one or more groups relative to a single baseline positioning measurement, an indication of whether to report differential positioning measurements for all of the one or more groups relative to a single baseline positioning measurement or to report differential positioning measurements for each group of the one or more groups relative to differential positioning measurements for that group, or any combination thereof.

[0209] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, wherein the type of the at least one baseline positioning measurement comprises: an earliest time of arrival (ToA) measurement of a DL-PRS transmitted by a cell in the at least one group, a measurement based on earliest ToA, a smallest reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement of a DL-PRS transmitted by a cell in the at least one group, a largest RSTD measurement of a DL-PRS transmitted by a cell in the at least one group, a smallest receive to transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference measurement associated with a DL-PRS transmitted by a cell in the at least one group, a largest Rx-Tx time difference measurement associated with a DL-PRS transmitted by a cell in the at least one group, a smallest reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement of a DL-PRS transmitted by a cell in the at least one group, or a largest RSRP measurement of a DL-PRS transmitted by a cell in the at least one group.

[0210] Clause 10. The method of any of clauses 8 to 9, wherein: the quantization resolution is a time increment, and a differential positioning measurement is expected to be reported as a multiple of the time increment.

[0211] Clause 11. The method of any of clauses 8 to 10, wherein the bit length does not include a sign bit to indicate negative numbers.

[0212] Clause 12. The method of any of clauses 8 to 11, wherein the maximum number of differential positioning measurements per group of the one or more groups is greater than or equal to zero.

[0213] Clause 13. The method of any of clauses 8 to 12, wherein the maximum number of differential positioning measurements across all of the one or more groups is greater than or equal to zero.

[0214] Clause 14. The method of any of clauses 8 to 13, wherein: the indication comprises a threshold, or the indication comprises a flag bit.

[0215] Clause 15. The method of any of clauses 7 to 14, wherein the configuration comprises a radio resource control (RRC) configuration.

[0216] Clause 16. The method of any of clauses 7 to 15, wherein the configuration comprises a DL-PRS configuration.

[0217] Clause 17. The method of any of clauses 1 to 16, further comprising: receiving a configuration for an uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS); and transmitting the UL-PRS to the plurality of cells based on the configuration.

[0218] Clause 18. The method of any of clauses 1 to 17, wherein the at least one baseline positioning measurement and the differential positioning measurements are reported in uplink control information (UCI), one or more medium access control control elements (MAC-CEs), one or more RRC messages, or one or more long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) messages.

[0219] Clause 19. An apparatus comprising: a memory, at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the memory, the at least one transceiver, and the at least one processor configured to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 18.

[0220] Clause 20. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 1 to 18.

[0221] Clause 21. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, comprising at least one instruction for causing a computer or processor to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 18.

[0222] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that can be referenced throughout the above description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0223] Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the functions of the various explanatory logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans can implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0224] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an ASIC, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0225] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module can reside in Random-Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, Read-Only Memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal (e.g., an UE). In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium can reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

[0226] In one or more example aspects, the functions described can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise 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 carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray® disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0227] While the forgoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications could be made therein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and / or actions of the methods described in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the present disclosure can be described or claimed in singular form, plural forms can be used therein as well unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Claims

1. A wireless positioning method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: Receive multiple downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS) transmitted by corresponding multiple cells, wherein the multiple cells are grouped into one or more groups, wherein each group in the one or more groups is associated with one or more attributes, and wherein each cell in each group in the one or more groups has the same value of the one or more attributes; Report at least one baseline positioning measurement for the at least one representative cell to the positioning entity based on DL-PRS transmitted from at least one representative cell in at least one of the one or more groups; as well as The differential positioning measurements for cells in the at least one group are reported to the positioning entity based on the at least one baseline positioning measurement, wherein the differential positioning measurements for cells in the at least one group are reported based on the value of each of the differential positioning measurements being less than a threshold.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The at least one group includes only one group, and The cells in the at least one group include all remaining cells in only the at least one group.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein: The one or more groups include multiple groups. The report includes at least one baseline positioning measurement, comprising: reporting baseline positioning measurements for representative cells in each of the plurality of groups. The differential positioning measurements reported include: reporting differential positioning measurements of cells in a group based on the baseline positioning measurements for each of the plurality of groups.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising: Differential localization measurements for each of the multiple groups are determined based on the value of differential localization measurements across the multiple groups being greater than a threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more properties include: Colocation attribute, which indicates that all cells in each of the one or more clusters are colocational. Row attribute, which indicates that all cells in each of the one or more clusters are in a single row. A region boundary attribute, which indicates whether all cells in each of the one or more clusters are within a threshold region boundary. A height attribute, wherein the height of all cells in each of the one or more clusters is within a threshold height difference from each other, and Planar attribute, the planar attribute indicating the position of all cells in each of the one or more clusters in a two-dimensional (2D) plane, or Any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Receive a configuration that includes one or more parameters indicating how to report the at least one baseline positioning measurement and the differential positioning measurement.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the one or more parameters include: The type of at least one baseline positioning measurement The quantization resolution of the differential positioning measurement, The bit length of each of the differential positioning measurements. The maximum number of differential positioning measurements for each of the one or more groups. The maximum number of differential localization measurements across all groups in the one or more groups. Criteria for selecting differential positioning measurements relative to a single baseline for all groups in the one or more groups. Instructions regarding whether to report differential positioning measurements for all groups relative to a single baseline positioning measurement, or to report differential positioning measurements for each group within the one or more groups relative to the differential positioning measurement for that group, or Any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the type of the at least one baseline positioning measurement includes: The earliest arrival time (ToA) measurement of DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group, the measurement based on the earliest ToA, the minimum reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement of DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group, the maximum RSTD measurement of DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group, the minimum received-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference measurement associated with DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group, the maximum Rx-Tx time difference measurement associated with DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group, the minimum reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement of DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group, or the maximum RSRP measurement of DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein: The quantization resolution is a time increment, and Differential positioning measurements are expected to be reported as multiples of the time increment.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the bit length does not include a sign bit used to indicate a negative number.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the maximum number of differential positioning measurements for each of the one or more groups is greater than or equal to zero.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the maximum number of differential positioning measurements across all groups in the one or more groups is greater than or equal to zero.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein: The indication includes a threshold, or The indication includes a flag bit.

14. The method of claim 6, wherein the configuration includes a Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration.

15. The method of claim 6, wherein the configuration includes DL-PRS configuration.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Receive configuration for uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS); as well as The UL-PRS is transmitted to the plurality of cells based on the configuration.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one baseline positioning measurement and the differential positioning measurement are reported in uplink control information (UCI), one or more media access control elements (MAC-CE), one or more RRC messages, or one or more Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages.

18. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; At least one transceiver; as well as At least one processor, communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: Receive multiple downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS) transmitted from corresponding multiple cellular cells via the at least one transceiver, wherein the multiple cellular cells are grouped into one or more groups, wherein each group in the one or more groups is associated with one or more attributes, and wherein each cell in each group in the one or more groups has the same value of the one or more attributes; Report at least one baseline positioning measurement for the at least one representative cell to the positioning entity based on DL-PRS transmitted from at least one representative cell in at least one of the one or more groups; as well as The differential positioning measurements for cells in the at least one group are reported to the positioning entity based on the at least one baseline positioning measurement, wherein the differential positioning measurements for cells in the at least one group are reported based on the value of each of the differential positioning measurements being less than a threshold.

19. The UE as claimed in claim 18, wherein: The at least one group includes only one group, and The cells in the at least one group include all remaining cells in only the at least one group.

20. The UE of claim 19, wherein: The one or more groups include multiple groups. The report includes at least one baseline positioning measurement, comprising: reporting baseline positioning measurements for representative cells in each of the plurality of groups. The differential positioning measurements reported include: reporting differential positioning measurements of cells in a group based on the baseline positioning measurements for each of the plurality of groups.

21. The UE of claim 20, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Differential localization measurements for each of the multiple groups are determined based on the value of differential localization measurements across the multiple groups being greater than a threshold.

22. The UE of claim 18, wherein one or more attributes include: Colocation attribute, which indicates that all cells in each of the one or more clusters are colocational. Row attribute, which indicates that all cells in each of the one or more clusters are in a single row. A region boundary attribute, which indicates whether all cells in each of the one or more clusters are within a threshold region boundary. A height attribute, wherein the height of all cells in each of the one or more clusters is within a threshold height difference from each other, and Planar attribute, the planar attribute indicating the position of all cells in each of the one or more clusters in a two-dimensional (2D) plane, or Any combination thereof.

23. The UE of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: The configuration includes one or more parameters, including instructions on how to report the at least one baseline positioning measurement and the differential positioning measurement, received via the at least one transceiver.

24. The UE of claim 23, wherein the one or more parameters include: The type of at least one baseline positioning measurement The quantization resolution of the differential positioning measurement, The bit length of each of the differential positioning measurements. The maximum number of differential positioning measurements for each of the one or more groups. The maximum number of differential localization measurements across all groups in the one or more groups. Criteria for selecting differential positioning measurements relative to a single baseline for all groups in the one or more groups. Instructions regarding whether to report differential positioning measurements for all groups relative to a single baseline positioning measurement, or to report differential positioning measurements for each group within the one or more groups relative to the differential positioning measurement for that group, or Any combination thereof.

25. The UE of claim 24, wherein the type of said at least one baseline positioning measurement includes: The earliest arrival time (ToA) measurement of DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group, the measurement based on the earliest ToA, the minimum reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement of DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group, the maximum RSTD measurement of DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group, the minimum received-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference measurement associated with DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group, the maximum Rx-Tx time difference measurement associated with DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group, the minimum reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement of DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group, or the maximum RSRP measurement of DL-PRS transmitted by cells in at least one group.

26. The UE of claim 24, wherein: The quantization resolution is a time increment, and Differential positioning measurements are expected to be reported as multiples of the time increment.

27. The UE of claim 24, wherein the bit length does not include a sign bit used to indicate a negative number.

28. The UE of claim 24, wherein the maximum number of differential positioning measurements in each of the one or more groups is greater than or equal to zero.

29. The UE of claim 24, wherein the maximum number of differential positioning measurements across all groups in the one or more groups is greater than or equal to zero.

30. The UE of claim 24, wherein: The indication includes a threshold, or The indication includes a flag bit.

31. The UE of claim 23, wherein the configuration includes a Radio Resource Control (RRC) configuration.

32. The UE of claim 23, wherein the configuration includes DL-PRS configuration.

33. The UE of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Receive configuration for uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS) via the at least one transceiver; and The UL-PRS is transmitted to the plurality of cells via the at least one transceiver based on the configuration.

34. The UE of claim 18, wherein the at least one baseline positioning measurement and the differential positioning measurement are reported in uplink control information (UCI), one or more media access control elements (MAC-CE), one or more RRC messages, or one or more Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) messages.

35. A user equipment (UE), comprising: A means for receiving multiple downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS) transmitted from corresponding multiple cellular cells, wherein the multiple cellular cells are grouped into one or more groups, each of the one or more groups is associated with one or more attributes, and each cellular cell in each of the one or more groups has the same value of the one or more attributes. A means for reporting at least one baseline positioning measurement for the at least one representative cell to a positioning entity based on DL-PRS transmitted by at least one representative cell in at least one of the one or more groups; as well as A means for reporting differential positioning measurements for cells in at least one group to the positioning entity based on the at least one baseline positioning measurement, wherein the differential positioning measurements for cells in at least one group are reported based on the value of each of the differential positioning measurements being less than a threshold.

36. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: Receive multiple downlink positioning reference signals (DL-PRS) transmitted by corresponding multiple cells, wherein the multiple cells are grouped into one or more groups, wherein each of the one or more groups is associated with one or more attributes, and wherein each cell in each of the one or more groups has the same value of the one or more attributes. Report at least one baseline positioning measurement for the at least one representative cell to the positioning entity based on DL-PRS transmitted from at least one representative cell in at least one of the one or more groups; as well as The differential positioning measurements for cells in the at least one group are reported to the positioning entity based on the at least one baseline positioning measurement, wherein the differential positioning measurements for cells in the at least one group are reported based on the value of each of the differential positioning measurements being less than a threshold.

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