Positioning reference signal frequency hopping for reduced capability user equipment

Abstract

Techniques for locating bandwidth-constrained user equipment (UE) are provided. In one example, a method for providing a positioning reference signal (PRS) to a bandwidth-constrained user equipment includes: generating a PRS, the PRS including a plurality of symbols occupying a frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame, the PRS including a first set of the plurality of symbols occupying a first portion of the frequency range, a second set of the plurality of symbols occupying a second portion of the frequency range; and transmitting the PRS to the bandwidth-constrained user equipment.

Description

[0001] background

[0002] Wireless communication systems have evolved over several generations, including first generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including transitional 2.5G networks), third generation (3G) high-speed data wireless service with Internet capabilities, fourth generation (4G) services (e.g., LTE (Long Term Evolution) or WiMax), and fifth generation (5G) wireless standards (referred to as New Radio (NR)). There are many different types of wireless communication systems in use today, including cellular and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), global system for mobile access (GSM) TDMA variants, and the like.

[0003] Obtaining the location or positioning of a mobile device accessing a wireless network can be useful for many applications, including, for example, emergency calls, personal navigation, asset tracking, locating friends or family members, etc. Existing positioning methods include methods based on measuring radio signals transmitted from various devices, including satellite vehicles (SV) and ground-based wireless sources in wireless networks, such as base stations and access points. In the method based on ground-based wireless sources, a mobile device can measure the timing of signals received from two or more base stations and determine the arrival time, arrival time difference, and / or reception time-transmission time difference. Combining these measurements with the known location of the base station and the known transmission time from each base station can enable the use of such positioning methods as observed arrival time difference (OTDOA), round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), or enhanced cellular cell ID (ECID) to achieve positioning of the mobile device.

[0004] To further assist in location determination (e.g., for OTDOA or RTT), each base station may transmit a positioning reference signal (PRS) to improve both measurement accuracy and the number of different base stations for which a mobile device can obtain timing measurements. PRS signal transmission may depend on the radio access technology, such that one type of PRS may be compatible with 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, while another type of PRS may be compatible with newer 5G New Radio (NR) technology. Newer and smaller wireless devices may have reduced bandwidth capabilities compared to previous high-end devices (such as mobile phones). These reduced-capability devices may lack sufficient processing power and / or bandwidth to utilize current positioning technologies.

[0005] Overview

[0006] In one example, a method for providing a positioning reference signal (PRS) to a bandwidth-constrained user equipment according to the present disclosure includes: generating a PRS, the PRS including a plurality of symbols occupying a frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame, the PRS including a first set of the plurality of symbols occupying a first portion of the frequency range, a second set of the plurality of symbols occupying a second portion of the frequency range; and transmitting the PRS to the bandwidth-constrained user equipment.

[0007] Implementations of such methods may include one or more of the following features. The PRS may further include a first retuning gap between the first set of the plurality of symbols and the second set of the plurality of symbols. The duration of the first retuning gap may be based at least in part on the subcarrier spacing of the PRS. The duration of the first retuning gap may be 1 or 2 symbols, and the subcarrier spacing is 15kHz. The PRS may further include a third set of the plurality of symbols occupying a first portion of the frequency range, and a fourth set of the plurality of symbols occupying a second portion of the frequency range. The PRS may further include a first retuning gap between the first set of the plurality of symbols and the second set of the plurality of symbols, a second retuning gap between the second set of the plurality of symbols and the third set of the plurality of symbols, and a third retuning gap between the third set of the plurality of symbols and the fourth set of the plurality of symbols. One or more of the plurality of symbols of the PRS may occupy a second time slot of a radio frame.

[0008] An example method for providing a positioning reference signal (PRS) to a bandwidth-constrained user equipment according to the present disclosure includes generating the PRS based on a first resource set, transmitting a first portion of the PRS in a first frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame, and transmitting a second portion of the PRS in a second frequency range in a second time slot of the radio frame, such that the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range.

[0009] Implementations of such methods may include one or more of the following features. Transmission may be delayed by a tuning gap before transmitting the second portion of the PRS. The duration of the tuning gap may be based at least in part on the subcarrier spacing of the PRS. The first time slot and the second time slot may be adjacent time slots in a radio frame. The method may include transmitting a third portion of the PRS in a third frequency range in a third time slot of the radio frame, and transmitting a fourth portion of the PRS in a fourth frequency range in a fourth time slot of the radio frame, wherein the third frequency range is different from the fourth frequency range. The second time slot may be adjacent to the first time slot, the third time slot may be adjacent to the second time slot, and the fourth time slot may be adjacent to the third time slot. The method may include transmitting a third portion of the PRS in a second frequency range in a third time slot of the radio frame, and transmitting a fourth portion of the PRS in a first frequency range in a fourth time slot of the radio frame. The method may further include generating a second PRS based on a second resource set, transmitting a first portion of the second PRS in a first frequency range in a third time slot of the radio frame, and transmitting a second portion of the second PRS in a second frequency range in a fourth time slot of the radio frame. Transmitting the first portion of the second PRS may occur in a time slot adjacent to the time slot in which the first portion of the PRS is transmitted, and there may be no retuning gap between transmitting the first portion of the PRS and transmitting the first portion of the second PRS.

[0010] An example method for facilitating positioning of bandwidth-constrained user equipment according to the present disclosure includes: receiving a first set of codewords in a positioning reference signal (PRS), wherein the PRS includes multiple codewords occupying a frequency range and the first codeword set codewords are in a first part of the frequency range; receiving a second set of codewords in the PRS in a second part of the frequency range; and obtaining measurement information based on the PRS.

[0011] Implementation of such a method may include one or more of the following features. A second set of symbols may be received after a retuning gap after receiving the first set of symbols. The duration of the retuning gap may be based at least in part on the subcarrier spacing of the PRS. The duration of the retuning gap may be 1 or 2 symbols, and the subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz. The method may include receiving a third set of symbols in the PRS occupying a first portion of a frequency range, and receiving a fourth set of symbols in the PRS occupying a second portion of a frequency range. The second set of symbols may be received after a first retuning gap after receiving the first set of symbols, the third set of symbols may be received after a second retuning gap after receiving the second set of symbols, and the fourth set of symbols may be received after a third retuning gap after receiving the third set of symbols. One or more of the multiple symbols in the PRS may be received in a second time slot of a radio frame.

[0012] An example method for facilitating positioning of bandwidth-limited user equipment using a positioning reference signal (PRS) according to the present disclosure includes: receiving a first portion of the PRS in a first frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame; and receiving a second portion of the PRS in a second frequency range in a second time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range; and obtaining measurement information based on the PRS. The transceiver may be retuned during a tuning gap before receiving the second portion of the PRS. The duration of the retuning gap may be based at least in part on the subcarrier spacing of the PRS. The first time slot and the second time slot may be adjacent time slots in the radio frame. The method may include: receiving a third portion of the PRS in a third frequency range in a third time slot of the radio frame, and receiving a fourth portion of the PRS in a fourth frequency range in a fourth time slot of the radio frame, wherein the third frequency range is different from the fourth frequency range. The second time slot may be adjacent to the first time slot, the third time slot may be adjacent to the second time slot, and the fourth time slot may be adjacent to the third time slot. The method may include receiving a third portion of a PRS in a second frequency range in a third time slot of a radio frame, and receiving a fourth portion of a PRS in a first frequency range in a fourth time slot of the radio frame. The method may include receiving a first portion of a second PRS in a first frequency range in a third time slot of a radio frame, wherein the second PRS is based on a second resource set; and receiving a second portion of the second PRS in a second frequency range in a fourth time slot of the radio frame. Receiving the first portion of the second PRS may occur in a time slot adjacent to a time slot in which the first portion of the PRS is received, and there is no retuning gap between receiving the first portion of the PRS and receiving the first portion of the second PRS.

[0013] An example apparatus for providing a positioning reference signal (PRS) to a bandwidth-constrained user equipment according to the present disclosure includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor, which is communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and is configured to: generate a PRS, the PRS including a plurality of symbols occupying a frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame, the PRS including a first set of the plurality of symbols occupying a first portion of the frequency range, a second set of the plurality of symbols occupying a second portion of the frequency range; and transmit the PRS to the bandwidth-constrained user equipment.

[0014] An example apparatus for providing a positioning reference signal (PRS) to a bandwidth-constrained user equipment according to the present disclosure includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor, which is communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and is configured to: generate the PRS based on a first resource set, transmit a first portion of the PRS in a first frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame, and transmit a second portion of the PRS in a second frequency range in a second time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range.

[0015] An example apparatus for facilitating positioning of bandwidth-constrained user equipment according to the present disclosure includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor, which is communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and is configured to: receive a first set of symbols in a positioning reference signal (PRS), wherein the PRS includes a plurality of symbols occupying a frequency range and the first set of symbols are in a first portion of the frequency range; receive a second set of symbols in the PRS in a second portion of the frequency range; and obtain measurement information based on the PRS.

[0016] An example apparatus for facilitating positioning of bandwidth-constrained user equipment using a positioning reference signal (PRS) according to the present disclosure includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor, which is communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and is configured to: receive a first portion of the PRS in a first frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame, and receive a second portion of the PRS in a second frequency range in a second time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range; and obtain measurement information based on the PRS.

[0017] An example device for providing a positioning reference signal (PRS) to a bandwidth-constrained user equipment according to the present disclosure includes: a device for generating a PRS, the PRS including a plurality of codewords occupying a frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame, the PRS including a first set of the plurality of codewords occupying a first portion of the frequency range, a second set of the plurality of codewords occupying a second portion of the frequency range; and a device for transmitting the PRS to the bandwidth-constrained user equipment.

[0018] An example apparatus for providing a positioning reference signal (PRS) to a bandwidth-constrained user equipment according to the present disclosure includes: means for generating the PRS based on a first resource set, means for transmitting a first portion of the PRS in a first frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame, and means for transmitting a second portion of the PRS in a second frequency range in a second time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range.

[0019] An example apparatus for facilitating positioning of bandwidth-constrained user equipment according to the present disclosure includes: a device for receiving a first set of symbols in a positioning reference signal (PRS), wherein the PRS includes a plurality of symbols occupying a frequency range and the first set of symbols are in a first portion of the frequency range; a device for receiving a second set of symbols in the PRS in a second portion of the frequency range; and a device for obtaining measurement information based on the PRS.

[0020] An example device for utilizing a positioning reference signal (PRS) to facilitate positioning of bandwidth-constrained user equipment according to the present disclosure includes: a device for receiving a first portion of the PRS in a first frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame, a device for receiving a second portion of the PRS in a second frequency range in a second time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range; and a device for obtaining measurement information based on the PRS.

[0021] According to an example non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of the present disclosure, the medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to provide a positioning reference signal (PRS) to a bandwidth-constrained user equipment, the processor-readable instructions including: a code for generating a PRS, the PRS including a plurality of code elements occupying a frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame, the PRS including a first set of the plurality of code elements occupying a first portion of the frequency range, a second set of the plurality of code elements occupying a second portion of the frequency range; and a code for transmitting the PRS to the bandwidth-constrained user equipment.

[0022] According to an example non-volatile processor-readable storage medium of the present disclosure, the medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to provide a positioning reference signal (PRS) to a bandwidth-constrained user equipment, the processor-readable instructions including: code for generating a PRS based on a first resource set, code for transmitting a first portion of the PRS in a first frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame, and code for transmitting a second portion of the PRS in a second frequency range in a second time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range.

[0023] According to an example non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of the present disclosure, the processor-readable instructions include processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to facilitate positioning of bandwidth-constrained user equipment, the processor-readable instructions including: code for receiving a first set of codewords in a positioning reference signal (PRS), wherein the PRS includes multiple codewords occupying a frequency range and the first set of codewords are in a first part of the frequency range; code for receiving a second set of codewords in the PRS in a second part of the frequency range; and code for obtaining measurement information based on the PRS.

[0024] According to an example non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of the present disclosure, the medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to utilize a positioning reference signal (PRS) to facilitate positioning of bandwidth-constrained user equipment, the processor-readable instructions including: code for receiving a first portion of the PRS in a first frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame; code for receiving a second portion of the PRS in a second frequency range in a second time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range; and code for obtaining measurement information based on the PRS.

[0025] The items and / or technologies described herein may provide one or more of the following capabilities and other capabilities not mentioned. Compared to high-end UEs (such as smartphones, laptops, or similar devices), new radio light user equipment (NR-light UE) including mid-end and low-end user equipment (UE) (such as watches, fitness bracelets, industrial wireless sensors (IWSN) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices) may have reduced bandwidth. Frequency hopping may be used to reduce the bandwidth of a positioning reference signal (PRS). PRS may include sets of symbols in two or more frequency positions based on intra-PRS frequency hopping. These sets of symbols may be coherent or may be separated by retuning gaps. PRS physical resource blocks may extend into adjacent time slots in a radio frame. Inter-PRS frequency hopping may be used to provide portions of PRS in a combination of time slots and frequency positions. Frequency hopping time slots and frequency planning may be designed to reduce retuning time. PRS may be provided to bandwidth-constrained user equipment. The accuracy of PRS-based positioning may be improved. Other capabilities may be provided, and not every implementation according to the present disclosure must provide any of the capabilities discussed, let alone all of them. In addition, it is also possible to achieve the above effects in ways other than those described, and the items / techniques described may not necessarily produce the effects described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in describing the various aspects of the disclosure and are provided solely for illustration of the aspects and not limitation thereof.

[0028] Figure 1

[0013] An exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with various aspects is illustrated.

[0029] Figure 2A and Figure 2B

[0013] Example wireless network structures in accordance with various aspects are illustrated.

[0030] Figure 3 is a block diagram of components of an example user equipment.

[0031] Figure 4is a block diagram of the components of an example server.

[0032] Figure 5 Example techniques for determining the location of high-end user equipment using information obtained from multiple base stations are illustrated.

[0033] Figure 6 is a conceptual diagram of an example position determination based on line-of-sight signals.

[0034] Fig. 7A and 7B An example downlink positioning reference signal resource set is illustrated.

[0035] Figure 8 is an illustration of an example subframe format for positioning reference signal transmission.

[0036] Fig. 9 is an example narrowband positioning reference signal with intra-PRS resource hopping.

[0037] Fig.10 is an example narrowband positioning reference signal spanning two time slots with intra-PRS resource hopping.

[0038] Figures 11A to 11D is an example of a narrowband positioning reference signal with inter-PRS resource hopping.

[0039] Fig.12 is a process flow diagram of an example method for providing a positioning reference signal with intra-PRS resource hopping to bandwidth-constrained user equipment.

[0040] Fig.13 is a process flow diagram of an example method for providing a positioning reference signal with inter-PRS resource hopping to bandwidth-constrained user equipment.

[0041] Fig.14 is a process flow diagram of an example method for receiving a positioning reference signal with intra-PRS resource hopping using bandwidth-constrained user equipment.

[0042] Fig.15 is a process flow diagram of an example method for receiving a positioning reference signal with inter-PRS resource hopping using bandwidth-constrained user equipment.

[0043] Detailed Description

[0044] This article discusses techniques for positioning bandwidth-limited user equipment (UE). NR-light UE is an example of a bandwidth-limited or reduced-capability UE, and may include mid-end and low-end user equipment, and may be a wearable device (e.g., a fitness tracker, a watch), an industrial wireless sensor network (IWSN), or other Internet of Things (IoT) devices with limited processing capabilities. Compared to high-end UEs (e.g., for band n78 (3300MHz–3800MHz), the subcarrier spacing (SCS) for 15kHz is 50MHz, and the SCS for 30 / 60kHz is 100MHz), the NR-light UE may be configured to operate on a reduced bandwidth (e.g., 5-20MHz). The reduced bandwidth may result in reduced positioning accuracy. In addition, the transmit power of the NR-light UE may be reduced, which may limit the coverage area of ​​the wireless network accessible to the NR-light UE. The techniques discussed herein provide an equivalently grouped broadband positioning reference signal (PRS) by frequency hopping (FH) of the narrowband PRS in the NR system. For example, the PRS may include frequency hopping within a PRS resource for symbol-level frequency hopping (eg, intra-PRS resource FH), and / or the PRS may include slot-level frequency hopping across consecutive slots (eg, inter-PRS FH). These techniques are merely examples and are not exhaustive.

[0045] Many features are described in the form of a sequence of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. Each action described herein can be performed by a dedicated circuit (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. Additionally, the sequence of actions described herein may be considered to be fully embodied in any form of non-transient processor-readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding processor-readable instruction set that, upon execution, will cause or instruct an associated processor of a device to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various features of the present disclosure may be implemented in a number of different forms, all of which fall within the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0046] As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be dedicated to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise specified. In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a tracking device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, an augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) head-mounted device, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate on a wireless communication network. The UE can be mobile or can be stationary (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT", "client device", "wireless device", "subscriber equipment", "subscriber terminal", "subscriber station", "user terminal" or UT, "mobile terminal", "mobile station", "high-end UE", "NR-light UE", or variations thereof. In general, a UE can communicate with a core network via a RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks (such as the Internet) and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), etc. In general, a reduced capability UE (such as an NR-light UE) is a UE with relatively reduced bandwidth and / or processing capabilities (i.e., compared to a high-end UE such as a smartphone). In an example, a high-end UE may be configured to perform as a reduced capability UE to save power or reduce bandwidth.

[0047] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs when in communication with a UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be referred to alternatively as an access point (AP), a network node, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a new radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as a gNB or gNodeB), etc. In addition, in some systems, a base station may provide pure edge node signaling functions, while in other systems, a base station may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link by which a UE may send a signal to a base station is referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link by which a base station may send a signal to a UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) may refer to a UL / reverse or DL / forward traffic channel.

[0048] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit receive point (TRP) or may refer to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be a base station antenna corresponding to a cell of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an antenna array of a base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and a neighbor base station for which the UE is measuring a reference RF signal. Since the TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmissions from or receptions at a base station should be understood as references to the specific TRP of that base station.

[0049] An "RF signal" includes an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of each RF signal through a multipath channel, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0050] Reference Figure 1 , the example wireless communication system 100 includes components as shown. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macro cell base stations (high power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low power cellular base stations). The macro cell base stations may include eNBs (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or gNBs (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femto cells, pico cells, micro cells, etc.

[0051] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a next generation core (NGC)) through a backhaul link 122, and interface to one or more location servers 172 through the core network 170. The base stations 102 may also perform functions related to one or more of delivery of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (such as handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and alert messages, among other functions. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through EPC / NGC) over a backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0052] Base station 102 may communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each base station 102 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. One or more cells may be supported by base station 102 in each coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., on a certain frequency resource, which is referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.), and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)) to distinguish cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access to different types of UEs. Since a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" may refer to either or both of a logical communication entity and a base station supporting the logical communication entity, depending on the context. In some cases, the term “cell” may also refer to a geographic coverage area (eg, a sector) of a base station, in the sense that a carrier frequency may be detected and used for communications within some portion of geographic coverage area 110 .

[0053] Although the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handoff region), some geographic coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by a larger geographic coverage area 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' may have a coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home eNB (HeNB), which may provide service to a restricted group referred to as a closed subscriber group (CSG).

[0054] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include UL (also known as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL than to UL).

[0055] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 in communication with a WLAN station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) to determine whether the channel is available before communicating.

[0056] The small cell base station 102' may operate in a licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, the small cell base station 102' may employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as that used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in the unlicensed spectrum may boost coverage and / or increase capacity of the access network. NR in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum may be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0057] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate in mmW frequencies and / or near mmW frequencies to communicate with UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 mm and 10 mm. The radio waves in this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near mmW can be extended downward to a 3 GHz frequency with a wavelength of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, which is also referred to as centimeter waves. Communications using mmW / near mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmitting and / or receiving) on ​​the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. In addition, it will be appreciated that in an alternative configuration, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near mmW and beamforming for transmission. The foregoing explanation is by way of example and does not limit the description or the claims.

[0058] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a specific direction. Conventionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, the network node broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal to the receiving device. In order to change the directivity 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, a network node can use an antenna array (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that generates a beam of RF waves, and the beam of the RF wave can be "guided" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, the RF current from the transmitter is fed to the individual antennas in the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas are added together in the desired direction to increase the radiation, while canceling out in the undesired direction to suppress the radiation.

[0059] The transmit beams can be quasi-colocated, which means that they appear to the receiver (e.g., UE) to have the same parameters, regardless of whether the transmit antennas of the network nodes themselves are physically colocated. In NR, there are four types of quasi-colocation (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about the second reference RF signal on the second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Therefore, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver may use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0060] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver may increase the gain setting of an antenna array and / or adjust the phase setting of an antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase its gain level) RF signals received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is referred to as performing beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in that direction for all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc.) for the RF signal received from that direction.

[0061] The receive beams may be spatially correlated. The spatial relationship means that the parameters of the transmit beam for the second reference signal may be derived from information about the receive beam for the first reference signal. For example, the UE may 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 may then form a transmit beam based on the parameters of the receive beam for sending an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station.

[0062] 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 the 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 downlink reference signals. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the "uplink" 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, and if the UE is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0063] In 5G, the spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi-carrier system (such as 5G), one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell", and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells". In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is a carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and on the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common control channels and UE-specific control channels, and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2), which can be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier, and can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals, for example, signaling information and signals that are UE-specific may not be present in the secondary carrier, because both the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. This is also true for the uplink primary carrier. The network is able to change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. For example, this is done to balance the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier that a base station is using for communication, the terms "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0064] For example, still referring to Figure 1 , one of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate obtained by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0065] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs (such as UE 190) that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) or peer-to-peer (P2P) links. Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with a UE 104 connected to a base station 102 (e.g., UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity therefrom), and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity therefrom). In an example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can use any well-known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), In one aspect, UE 190 may be an NR-light UE, and UE 104 connected thereto via D2D P2P link 192 may be a high-end UE. In an example, D2D P2P link 192 may be a sidelink channel configured to support channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) and channel quality information and rank indicator (CQI / RI) measurements.

[0066] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a UE 164 that may communicate with the macrocell base station 102 over the communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 over the mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0067] Reference Figure 2A, an example wireless network architecture 200 is shown. For example, NGC 210 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally viewed as control plane functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which operate in coordination to form a core network. User plane interface (NG-U) 213 and control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNB 222 to NGC 210, in particular to control plane functions 214 and user plane functions 212. In additional configurations, eNB 224 can also be connected to NGC 210 via NG-C 215 to control plane functions 214 and NG-U 213 to user plane functions 212. In addition, eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include both one or more eNBs 224 and one or more gNBs 222. A gNB 222 or an eNB 224 may communicate with a UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 204). A location server 230 may be included that may be in communication with the NGC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The location server 230 may 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 alternatively may each correspond to a single server. The location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which may be connected to the location server 230 via the core network, the NGC 210, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). In addition, the location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively may be external to the core network.

[0068] Reference Figure 2B, another example wireless network architecture 250 is shown. For example, the NGC 260 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally viewed as a control plane function provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) / user plane function (UPF) 264, and a user plane function provided by a session management function (SMF) 262, which operate in coordination to form a core network (i.e., NGC 260). The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the eNB 224 to the NGC 260, and in particular to the SMF 262 and the AMF / UPF 264, respectively. In an additional configuration, the gNB 222 may also be connected to the NGC 260 via a control plane interface 265 to the AMF / UPF 264 and a user plane interface 263 to the SMF 262. In addition, the eNB 224 may communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223, whether or not there is gNB direct connectivity with the NGC 260. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include both one or more eNBs 224 and one or more gNBs 222. A gNB 222 or an eNB 224 may communicate with a UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 The base station of the new RAN 220 communicates with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF 264 through the N2 interface, and communicates with the UPF side of the AMF / UPF 264 through the N3 interface.

[0069] The functions of AMF include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, session management (SM) messaging between UE204 and SMF 262, transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, short message service (SMS) messaging between UE 204 and short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). AMF also interacts with authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and UE 204, and receives intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), AMF retrieves security materials from AUSF. The functions of AMF also include security context management (SCM). SCM receives keys from SEAF, which are used by SCM to derive keys that vary from access network to access network. The functionality of the AMF also includes location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the location management function (LMF) 270 and between the new RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of EPS bearer identifiers for interworking with the Evolved Packet System (EPS), and notification of mobility events for the UE 204. In addition, the AMF also supports the functionality of non-3GPP access networks.

[0070] The functions of the UPF include: acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection 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, user plane quality of service (QoS) handling (e.g., UL / DL rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in DL), UL traffic verification (mapping of service data flows (SDFs) to QoS flows), transport level packet marking in UL and DL, DL packet buffering and DL data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node.

[0071] The functions of SMF 262 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering for routing traffic to the correct destination at UPF, control of part of policy implementation and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which SMF 262 communicates with the AMF side of AMF / UPF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0072] An LMF 270 may be included that may be in communication with the NGC 260 to provide location assistance for the UE 204. The LMF 270 may 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 may alternatively each correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which may be connected to the LMF 270 via the core network, the NGC 260, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated).

[0073] Also refer to Figure 3UE 300 is an example of UE 104, 164, 182, 190, and may include a computing platform including a processor 310, a memory 311 containing software (SW) 312, one or more sensors 313, a transceiver interface 314 for a transceiver 315, a user interface 316, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 317, a camera 318, and a positioning (motion) device 319. The processor 310, the memory 311, the sensor(s) 313, the transceiver interface 314, the user interface 316, the SPS receiver 317, the camera 318, and the positioning (motion) device 319 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 320 (which may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., the camera 318, the positioning (motion) device 319, and / or one or more of the sensors 313, etc.) may be omitted from UE 300. The processor 310 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.). The processor 310 may include multiple processors, including a general / application processor 330, a digital signal processor (DSP) 331, a modem processor 332, a video processor 333, and / or a sensor processor 334. One or more of the processors 330-334 may include multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, the sensor processor 334 may include, for example, a processor for radar, ultrasonic wave, and / or laser radar, etc. The modem processor 332 may support dual SIM / dual connectivity (or even more SIMs). For example, one SIM (subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module) may be used by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and another SIM may be used by an end user of the UE 300 to obtain connectivity. The memory 311 is a non-transitory storage medium, which may include a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a disk memory, and / or a read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 311 stores software 312, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause processor 310 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 312 may not be directly executable by processor 310, but may be configured (e.g., when compiled and executed) to cause processor 310 to perform functions. The present description may only refer to processor 310 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as implementations in which processor 310 executes software and / or firmware. The present description may refer to processor 310 performing functions as shorthand for one or more of processors 330-334 performing the functions. The present description may refer to UE 300 performing functions as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of UE 300 performing the functions.Processor 310 may include a memory having stored instructions in addition to and / or in lieu of memory 311. The functionality of processor 310 is discussed more fully below.

[0074] Figure 3 The configuration of UE 300 shown in is an example rather than a limitation of the present invention (including claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, an example configuration of UE includes one or more of processors 330-334 in processor 310, memory 311, and wireless transceiver 340. Other example configurations include one or more of processors 330-334 in processor 310, memory 311, wireless transceiver 340, and one or more of the following: (s) sensor 313, user interface 316, SPS receiver 317, camera 318, PMD 319, and / or wired transceiver 350. Compared with the description for UE 300, a reduced-capability UE (e.g., NR-light UE) may have fewer components and a smaller processor (e.g., less processing power) and reduced transmit and receive chains (e.g., fewer antennas, smaller transceivers, less capable modems).

[0075] UE 300 may include a modem processor 332 that may be capable of performing baseband processing of signals received and down-converted by transceiver 315 and / or SPS receiver 317. Modem processor 332 may perform baseband processing of signals to be up-converted for transmission by transceiver 315. Additionally or alternatively, baseband processing may be performed by processor 330 and / or DSP 331. However, other configurations may be used to perform baseband processing.

[0076] UE 300 may include sensor(s) 313, which may include, for example, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 370, one or more magnetometers 371, and / or one or more environmental sensors 372. IMU 370 may include one or more inertial sensors, such as, for example, one or more accelerometers 373 (e.g., which collectively respond to acceleration of UE 300 in three dimensions) and / or one or more gyroscopes 374. Magnetometer(s) may provide measurements to determine orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and / or true north) that may be used for any of a variety of purposes (e.g., to support one or more compass applications). Environmental sensor(s) 372 may include, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and / or one or more microphones, etc. Sensor(s) 313 may generate analog and / or digital signals, indications of which may be stored in memory 311 and processed by DSP 331 and / or processor 330 to support one or more applications (such as, for example, applications involving positioning and / or navigation operations).

[0077] The sensor(s) 313 may be used for relative position measurement, relative position determination, motion determination, etc. The information detected by the sensor(s) 313 may be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based position determination, and / or sensor-assisted position determination. The sensor(s) 313 may be used to determine whether the UE 300 is fixed (stationary) or mobile and / or whether to report certain useful information about the mobility of the UE 300 to the server (i.e., LMF 120, SLP 132, or E-SMLC 208). For example, based on the information obtained / measured by the sensor(s) 313, the UE 300 may notify / report to the server (i.e., LMF 120, SLP 132, or E-SMLC 208) that the UE 300 has detected movement or that the UE 300 has moved, and report the relative displacement / distance (e.g., dead reckoning, sensor-based position determination, or sensor-assisted position determination, implemented via the sensor(s) 313). In another example, for relative positioning information, sensors / IMUs may be used to determine the angle and / or orientation of another device relative to the UE 300, etc.

[0078] IMU 370 may be configured to provide measurements of the direction of motion and / or speed of motion of UE 300, which may be used for relative position determination. For example, one or more accelerometers 373 and / or one or more gyroscopes 374 of IMU 370 may detect the linear acceleration and rotational speed of UE 300, respectively. The linear acceleration measurements and rotational speed measurements of UE 300 may be integrated over time to determine the instantaneous direction of motion and displacement of UE 300. The instantaneous direction of motion and displacement may be integrated to track the position of UE 300. For example, a reference position of UE 300 at a certain moment may be determined, for example, using SPS receiver 317 (and / or by some other means), and measurements obtained from (all) accelerometers 373 and (all) gyroscopes 374 after that moment may be used for dead reckoning to determine the current position of UE 300 based on the movement (direction and distance) of UE 300 relative to the reference position.

[0079] The magnetometer(s) 371 may determine the magnetic field strength in different directions, which may be used to determine the orientation of the UE 300. For example, the orientation may be used to provide a digital compass for the UE 300. The magnetometer(s) 371 may include a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of the magnetic field strength in two orthogonal dimensions. Additionally or alternatively, the magnetometer(s) 371 may include a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of the magnetic field strength in three orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer(s) 371 may provide a device for sensing a magnetic field and providing a magnetic field indication, for example, to the processor 310.

[0080] The transceiver 315 may include a wireless transceiver 340 and a wired transceiver 350 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 340 may include a transmitter 342 and a receiver 344 coupled to one or more antennas 346 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) wireless signals 348 and converting signals from the wireless signals 348 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to the wireless signals 348. The PRS reference signal transmission schedule and associated measurements may be obtained via the wireless signals 348. Thus, the transmitter 342 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 344 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 340 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with the TRP and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs), such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc. The new radio may use millimeter wave frequencies and / or sub-6 GHz frequencies. The wired transceiver 350 may include a transmitter 352 and a receiver 354 configured for wired communication (e.g., with the network 135) to, for example, send communications to and receive communications from the gNB 110-1. The transmitter 352 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 354 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 350 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication. The transceiver 315 may be communicatively coupled to the transceiver interface 314 (e.g., via an optical connection and / or an electrical connection). The transceiver interface 314 may be at least partially integrated with the transceiver 315.

[0081] The user interface 316 may include one or more devices in a number of devices (such as, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a display device, a vibration device, a keyboard, a touch screen, etc.). The user interface 316 may include any device more than one of these devices. The user interface 316 may be configured to enable a user to interact with one or more applications hosted by the UE 300. For example, the user interface 316 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in the memory 311 to be processed by the DSP 331 and / or the general processor 330 in response to an action from the user. Similarly, the application hosted on the UE 300 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in the memory 311 to present output signals to the user. The user interface 316 may include an audio input / output (I / O) device, which includes, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a digital-to-analog circuit system, an analog-to-digital circuit system, an amplifier and / or a gain control circuit system (including any device more than one of these devices). Other configurations of audio I / O devices may be used. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface 316 may include one or more touch sensors that respond to touch and / or pressure on, for example, a keyboard and / or a touch screen of the user interface 316 .

[0082] The SPS receiver 317 (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) receiver) may be capable of receiving and acquiring the SPS signal 360 via the SPS antenna 362. The antenna 362 is configured to convert the wireless signal 360 into a wired signal (e.g., an electrical signal or an optical signal) and may be integrated with the antenna 346. The SPS receiver 317 may be configured to process the acquired SPS signal 360 in whole or in part to estimate the position of the UE 300. For example, the SPS receiver 317 may be configured to determine the position of the UE 300 by performing trilateration using the SPS signal 360. The general purpose processor 330, the memory 311, the DSP 331, and / or one or more dedicated processors (not shown) may be utilized in conjunction with the SPS receiver 317 to process the acquired SPS signal in whole or in part, and / or calculate the estimated position of the UE 300. The memory 311 may store indications (e.g., measurements) of the SPS signal 360 and / or other signals (e.g., signals obtained from the wireless transceiver 340) for use in performing positioning operations. The general processor 330, the DSP 331, and / or one or more dedicated processors, and / or the memory 311 may provide or support a location engine for use in processing measurements to estimate the location of the UE 300.

[0083] UE 300 may include a camera 318 for capturing still or moving images. Camera 318 may include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge coupled device or CMOS imager), a lens, analog-to-digital circuitry, a frame buffer, etc. Additional processing, conditioning, encoding, and / or compression of signals representing captured images may be performed by general purpose processor 330 and / or DSP 331. Additionally or alternatively, video processor 333 may perform conditioning, encoding, compression, and / or manipulation of signals representing captured images. Video processor 333 may decode / decompress stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown) (e.g., of user interface 316).

[0084] A position (motion) device (PMD) 319 may be configured to determine the position and possible motion of the UE 300. For example, the PMD 319 may be in communication with, and / or include some or all of, the SPS receiver 317. The PMD 319 may additionally or alternatively be configured to determine the location of the UE 300 using trilateration, assisted acquisition, and use of SPS signals 360, or both, using ground-based signals such as 4G LTE and 5G NR PRS transmission schedules (e.g., at least some of the signals 348), or both. The PMD 319 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 300 using one or more other techniques, e.g., which rely on the UE's self-reported location (e.g., a portion of the UE's location beacon), and may use a combination of techniques (e.g., SPS and ground-based positioning signals) to determine the location of the UE 300. The PMD 319 may include one or more sensors 313 (e.g., gyroscope(s), accelerometer(s), magnetometer(s), etc.), which may sense the orientation and / or motion of the UE 300 and provide an indication of the orientation and / or motion, and the processor 310 (e.g., the processor 330 and / or the DSP 331) may be configured to use the indication to determine the UE The PMD 319 may be configured to provide an indication of the uncertainty and / or error of the determined position and / or motion.

[0085] Reference Figure 4 , and further refer to Figures 1 to 3 , a block diagram of components of an example server 400 is shown. Server 400 is an example of a location server 230 (such as LMF 270, AMF 264, and SMF 262). Server 400 may also be an example of a base station (such as gNB 222 and eNB 224). Server 400 may also include or be connected to one or more SPS receivers ( Figure 4410 ). The server 400 includes a computing platform including a processor 410, a memory 411 including software (SW) 412, and a transceiver 415. The processor 410, the memory 411, and the transceiver 415 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 420 (which may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., a wireless interface) may be omitted from the server 400. The processor 410 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.). The processor 410 may include multiple processors (e.g., including Figure 4 410 ). The memory 411 is a non-volatile storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory 411 stores software 412, which may be a processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause the processor 410 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, the software 412 may not be directly executable by the processor 410, but may be configured (for example, when compiled and executed) to cause the processor 410 to perform various functions. The present description may only refer to the processor 410 performing a function, but this includes other implementations, such as implementations in which the processor 410 executes software and / or firmware. The present description may refer to the processor 410 performing a function as a shorthand for one or more processors included in the processor 410 performing the function. The present description may refer to the server 400 performing a function as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the server 400 performing the function. Processor 410 may include memory with stored instructions in addition to and / or in lieu of memory 411. The functionality of processor 410 is discussed more fully below.

[0086] The transceiver 415 may include a wireless transceiver 440 and a wired transceiver 450 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may include a transmitter 442 and a receiver 444 coupled to one or more antennas 446 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) wireless signals 448 and converting signals from the wireless signals 448 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to the wireless signals 448. Thus, the transmitter 442 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 444 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 440 may be configured to communicate in accordance with various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global Mobile System), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc.) to communicate signals (e.g., with UE 300, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices). The wired transceiver 450 may include a transmitter 452 and a receiver 454 configured for wired communication (e.g., with the network 135) to, for example, send communications to gNB 222 and eNB 224 and receive communications from gNB 222 and eNB 224. The transmitter 452 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 454 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 450 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0087] Figure 4 The configuration of server 400 shown in is an example and is not intended to limit the present invention (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, wireless transceiver 440 may be omitted. Additionally or alternatively, the description herein discusses that server 400 performs or is configured to perform several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by gNB 222, eNB 224, and / or UE 300.

[0088] Reference Figure 5 , shows an exemplary wireless communication system 500 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 5In the example of , UE 504 (which may correspond to any UE described herein) is attempting to calculate a positioning estimate, or assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating a positioning estimate. UE 504 may communicate wirelessly with multiple base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3 (which may correspond to any combination of base stations described herein) using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulating RF signals and exchanging information packets. By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals and utilizing the layout of the wireless communication system 500 (e.g., base station locations, geometry, etc.), UE 504 may determine a positioning estimate, or assist in determining a positioning estimate in a predefined reference coordinate system. In one aspect, UE 504 may specify a positioning estimate using a two-dimensional (2D) coordinate system; however, the aspects disclosed herein are not limited thereto and may also be applicable to determining a positioning estimate using a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system where additional dimensions are desired. Additionally, although Figure 5 One UE 504 and four base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3 are illustrated, but as will be appreciated, there may be more UEs 504 and more or fewer base stations.

[0089] To support positioning estimation, base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3 may be configured to broadcast positioning reference signals (e.g., PRS, NRS, TRS, CRS, etc.) to UEs 504 in their coverage areas, so that UEs 504 can measure the characteristics of such reference signals. For example, the Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) positioning method is a multi-lateration positioning method, in which UEs 504 measure the time differences (referred to as Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD)) between specific reference signals (e.g., PRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) transmitted by different pairs of network nodes (e.g., pairs of base stations, pairs of antennas of base stations, etc.), and either report these time differences to a location server (such as location server 230 or LMF 270), or calculate position estimates themselves based on these time differences.

[0090] Generally, at a reference network node (e.g. Figure 5 502-1 in the example) and one or more neighbor network nodes (e.g., Figure 5RSTD is measured between base stations 502-2 and 502-3 in the example of UE 504). For any single positioning use of OTDOA, the reference network node remains the same for all RSTDs measured by UE 504, and will typically correspond to the serving cell of UE 504 or another nearby cell with good signal strength at UE 504. In an aspect, where the measured network node is a cell supported by a base station, the neighbor network node will typically be a cell supported by a different base station than the base station used for the reference cell, and may have good or poor signal strength at UE 504. The position calculation may be based on the measured time difference (e.g., RSTD) and knowledge of the location and relative transmission timing of the network nodes (e.g., whether the network nodes are accurately synchronized or whether each network node transmits with a known time difference relative to the other network nodes).

[0091] To assist the positioning operation, for reference network nodes (e.g. Figure 5 502-1 in the example in FIG. 502-2 ) and neighbor network nodes (eg, base station 502-1 in the example in FIG. 502-2 ) relative to the reference network node. Figure 5 2 and 502-3 in the example of FIG), a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) may provide OTDOA assistance data to UE 504. For example, the assistance data may provide a center channel frequency of each network node, various reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., number of consecutive positioning subframes, periodicity of positioning subframes, quiet sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal identifier (ID), reference signal bandwidth), network node global ID, and / or other cell-related parameters applicable to OTDOA. The OTDOA assistance data may indicate the serving cell of UE 504 as a reference network node.

[0092] In some cases, the OTDOA assistance data may also include an "expected RSTD" parameter, along with an uncertainty for the expected RSTD parameter, which provides information to the UE 504 regarding the RSTD value that the UE 504 is expected to measure at its current location between the reference network node and each neighbor network node. The expected RSTD, along with the associated uncertainty, may define a search window for the UE 504 within which the UE 504 is expected to measure RSTD values. The OTDOA assistance information may also include a reference signal configuration information parameter that allows the UE 504 to determine when a reference signal positioning opportunity occurs on a signal received from each neighbor network node relative to a reference signal positioning opportunity for the reference network node, and to determine a reference signal sequence transmitted from each network node to measure signal arrival time (ToA) or RSTD.

[0093] In an aspect, while a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) may send data to UE 504, alternatively, the assistance data may originate directly from the network nodes (e.g., base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3) themselves (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). Alternatively, UE 504 may detect neighbor network nodes without using assistance data.

[0094] UE 504 (e.g., based in part on assistance data (if provided)) may measure and (optionally) report RSTD between reference signals received from pairs of network nodes. Using RSTD measurements, known absolute or relative transmission timing of each network node, and known positioning of transmit antennas for reference network nodes and neighboring network nodes, a network (e.g., location server 230 / LMF 270, base station) or UE 504 may estimate the positioning of UE 504. More specifically, the RSTD of neighbor network node “k” relative to reference network node “Ref” may be given as (ToA k –ToA Ref ), where the ToA value can be measured modulo a subframe duration (1ms) to remove the effect of measuring different subframes at different times. Figure 5 In the example of , the time differences measured between the reference cell of base station 502-1 and the cells of neighboring base stations 502-2 and 502-3 are represented as τ2-τ1 and τ3-τ1, where τ1, τ2, and τ3 represent the TOA of the reference signal from the transmit antenna(s) of base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3, respectively. UE 504 can then convert the ToA measurements for different network nodes into RSTD measurements and (optionally) send them to location server 230 / LMF 270. Using (i) RSTD measurements, (ii) known absolute or relative transmission timing of each network node, (iii) known positioning of physical transmit antennas for reference network nodes and neighboring network nodes, and / or (iv) directional reference signal characteristics (such as the direction of transmission), the positioning of UE 504 can be determined (determined by UE 504 or location server 230 / LMF 270).

[0095] Still refer to Figure 5When UE 504 uses the time difference measured by OTDOA to obtain a position estimate, the necessary additional data (e.g., the location and relative transmission timing of network nodes) may be provided to UE 504 by a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270). In some implementations, a position estimate for UE 504 may be obtained (e.g., by UE 504 or by location server 230 / LMF 270) from the time difference measured by OTDOA and from other measurements made by UE 504 (e.g., measurements of signal timing from global positioning system GPS or other global navigation satellite system (GNSS) satellites). In these implementations (referred to as hybrid positioning), OTDOA measurements may contribute to obtaining a position estimate for UE 504, but may not fully determine the position estimate.

[0096] Uplink time difference of arrival (UTDOA) is a positioning method similar to OTDOA, but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signal (SRS), uplink positioning reference signal (ULPRS)) transmitted by a UE (e.g., UE 504). In addition, transmit and / or receive beamforming at the base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3 and / or UE 504 can achieve wideband bandwidth at the cell edge to improve accuracy. Beam refinement can also utilize channel reciprocity procedures in 5G NR.

[0097] In NR, there is no need for precise timing synchronization across the network. Instead, it is sufficient to have coarse timing synchronization (e.g., within the cyclic prefix (CP) duration of an OFDM symbol) across gNBs. Round Trip Time (RTT) based methods typically only require coarse timing synchronization and are therefore a practical positioning method in NR.

[0098] refer to Figure 6 , a conceptual diagram 600 of an example positioning determination based on a line of sight (LOS) signal is shown. Base station 602 is an example of a base station described previously, and is configured to transmit a plurality of positioning reference signals (PRS) 603. Figure 6As depicted in , each PRS may be beamformed and transmitted in a different direction. A PRS resource is a logical structure used to define parameters of a PRS transmission, such as the direction and content of a PRS transmission. For example, a first PRS beam 603a is based on a first PRS resource, while a second PRS beam 603b is based on a second PRS resource, a third PRS beam 603c is based on a third PRS resource, and a fourth PRS beam 603d is based on a fourth PRS resource. UE 604 is configured to measure characteristics of the received PRS. In an example, UE 604 is an NR-light UE with reduced bandwidth capability. One problem with positioning using reduced bandwidth is the potential loss of accuracy due to LOS path identification errors in a multipath environment. For example, the LOS path signal 606 may be degraded based on attenuation due to tree crops 612 or other obstacles. UE 604 may receive other non-LOS (NLOS) signals, such as first NLOS signal 608 and second NLOS signal 610, with increased signal strength compared to LOS path signal 606. Delays in arrival times between signals 606, 608, 610 are more difficult for bandwidth-limited receivers to detect. Therefore, UE 604 may incorrectly indicate that first NLOS signal 608 is, for example, a LOS signal and subsequently generate an inaccurate position estimate using incorrect timing information.

[0099] Reference Fig. 7A and 7B , shows an exemplary downlink PRS resource set. In general, a PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources across a base station (e.g., base station 602) that have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same cross-slot repetition factor. The first PRS resource set 702 includes 4 resources and a repetition factor of 4, where the time gap is equal to 1 time slot. The second PRS resource set 704 includes 4 resources and a repetition factor of 4, where the time gap is equal to 4 time slots. The repetition factor indicates the number of times each PRS resource is repeated in each single instance of the PRS resource set (e.g., values ​​1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32). The time gap represents the offset in time slots between two repeated instances of PRS resources corresponding to the same PRS resource ID within a single instance of the PRS resource set (e.g., values ​​1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32). The time duration spanned by a PRS resource set containing repeated PRS resources does not exceed the PRS periodicity. Repetition of PRS resources enables receiver beam sweeping across the repetitions and combining RF gain to increase coverage. Repetitions can also enable intra-instance muting.

[0100] Reference Figure 8 , shows an example subframe and time slot format for positioning reference signal transmission. The example subframe and time slot format is included in Fig. 7A and 7B The PRS resource set depicted in . Figure 8 The subframe and time slot formats in are examples and not limitations, and include a comb-2 format 802 with 2 symbols, a comb-4 format 804 with 4 symbols, a comb-2 format 806 with 12 symbols, a comb-4 format 808 with 12 symbols, a comb-6 format 810 with 6 symbols, a comb-12 format 812 with 12 symbols, a comb-2 format 814 with 6 symbols, and a comb-6 format 816 with 12 symbols. In general, a subframe may include 14 symbol periods with indices 0 to 13. The subframe and time slot formats may be used for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). In general, a base station may transmit a PRS from antenna port 6 on one or more time slots in each subframe configured for PRS transmission. The base station may avoid transmitting PRS on resource elements allocated to PBCH, a primary synchronization signal (PSS), or a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), regardless of their antenna ports. The cell may generate reference symbols for the PRS based on the cell ID, symbol period index, and slot index.In general, a UE may be able to distinguish PRSs from different cells.

[0101] The base station may transmit PRS on a specific PRS bandwidth, which may be configured by a higher layer. The base station may transmit PRS on subcarriers spaced across the PRS bandwidth. The base station may also transmit PRS based on parameters such as PRS periodicity TPRS, subframe offset PRS, and PRS duration NPRS. PRS periodicity is the periodicity of transmitting PRS. PRS periodicity may be, for example, 160, 320, 640, or 1280 ms. The subframe offset indicates a specific subframe in which PRS is transmitted. And the PRS duration indicates the number of consecutive subframes in which PRS is transmitted in each PRS transmission period (PRS opportunity). The PRS duration may be, for example, 1, 2, 4, or 6 ms.

[0102] PRS periodicity TPRS and subframe offset PRS can be communicated via the PRS configuration index IPRS. The PRS configuration index and PRS duration can be independently configured by a higher layer. A group of NPRS consecutive subframes in which PRS is transmitted may be referred to as a PRS opportunity. Each PRS opportunity may be enabled or muted, for example, the UE may apply a muting bit to each cell. As will be discussed, the muting mode may be applied to PRS transmissions in full-duplex time slots. A PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources across base stations that have the same periodicity, a common muting mode configuration, and the same cross-slot repetition factor (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32 time slots).

[0103] Generally speaking, Figure 6 The PRS resource depicted in the figure may be a set of resource elements used for PRS transmission. The resource element set may span multiple physical resource blocks (PRBs) in the frequency domain and N (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols within a time slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol, the PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs. The PRS resource is described by at least the following parameters: a PRS resource identifier (ID), a sequence ID, a comb size N, a resource element offset in the frequency domain, a starting time slot and a starting codeword, the number of codes per PRS resource (i.e., the duration of the PRS resource), and QCL information (e.g., QCL with other DL reference signals). Frequency hopping information as described herein may be included in the PRS resource. Currently, one antenna port is supported. The comb size indicates the number of subcarriers carrying PRS in each codeword. For example, a comb size of comb-4 means that every fourth subcarrier of a given codeword carries PRS.

[0104] A PRS resource set is a group of PRS resources used for PRS signal transmission, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same transmit receive point (TRP). A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and can be associated with a specific TRP (identified by a cell ID) transmitted by an antenna panel of a base station. A PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (and / or beam ID) transmitted from a single base station (where a base station can transmit one or more beams). Figure 6 As depicted in , each PRS resource in a PRS resource set may be transmitted on a different beam (e.g., 603a-d), and thus, a PRS resource (or simply a resource) may also be referred to as a beam. Note that this does not imply at all whether the UE knows the base station and beam transmitting the PRS.

[0105] A PRS opportunity is one example of a periodically repeating time window (eg, a group of one or more consecutive time slots) in which a PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS opportunity may also be referred to as a PRS positioning opportunity, a positioning opportunity, or simply an opportunity.

[0106] Note that the terms positioning reference signal and PRS are reference signals that can be used for positioning, such as but not limited to: PRS signal in LTE, navigation reference signal (NRS) in 5G, downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), tracking reference signal (TRS), cell-specific reference signal (CRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), sounding reference signal (SRS), etc.

[0107] In one example, the positioning frequency layer can be a set of PRS resource sets across one or more base stations. The positioning frequency layer can have the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) type, the same point A, the same PRS bandwidth value, the same starting PRB and the same comb size value. The parameter design supported by PDSCH is supported by PRS.

[0108] Reference Fig. 9 And further refer to Figure 8 , shows an example narrowband positioning reference signal 900 with intra-PRS resource hopping. The PRS 900 illustrates a single PRB 902 with 12 resource elements 903 to simplify explanation. Resource element 903 represents one subcarrier in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. In operation, the PRS 900 may include additional resource blocks spanning additional subcarriers. The PRS 900 may be based on PRS resources in a PRS resource set stored on a base station or other network server 400. Resource block 902 is an example of a comb-4 with 4 symbol format 804 with intra-PRS resource hopping. Other resource blocks (such as Figure 8 ). The PRS 900 includes a plurality of OFDM symbols designed based on the parameters of the associated radio access technology. For example, a 5G NR system typically includes 14 symbols per time slot. The PRS 900 includes a first set of symbols 904 in a first frequency range 910, a second set of symbols 906 in a second frequency range 912, and a retuning gap 908. The first and second sets of symbols 904, 906 include resource elements 903 defined in the PRS resources. The first and second frequency ranges 910, 912 may be based on the capabilities of the NR-light UE and may be in a range of approximately less than 10 MHz. Other frequency ranges may also be used. The frequency gap 914 may be based on the subcarrier spacing of the radio access technology. Typically, for a network with a 15 kHz SCS, the retuning gap 908 may have a length of 1 or 2 symbols to allow the UE time to re-tune to the appropriate frequency range. For higher frequency applications (e.g., 60 / 120 kHz) with increased SCS, the re-tuning gap 908 may be larger (i.e., 4, 8, 10, 20 symbols, etc.). The size of the frequency gap 914 may also affect the size of the re-tuning gap 908. In general, to reduce the cross-correlation sidelobes of the PRS transmissions (e.g., beams), the size of the frequency gap 914 may be kept within a few subcarriers (e.g., 1, 2, 5, 6, 10 times the SCS). The size of the re-tuning gap 908 and the frequency gap 914 may be different based on the capabilities of the network and the bandwidth requirements of the UE.

[0109] Reference Fig.10 And further refer to Figure 8 and9 , shows an example narrowband PRS 1000 spanning two time slots with intra-PRS frequency hopping. The PRS 1000 illustrates a single PRB 1002 with 12 resource elements to simplify explanation. In operation, the PRS 1000 may include additional resource blocks spanning additional subcarriers. The PRS 1000 may be based on PRS resources in a PRS resource set stored on a base station or other network server 400. The resource block 1002 is an example of a comb-2 with 12 symbol format 806 with intra-PRS resource hopping. Other resource blocks, such as Figure 8 . The first symbol set 1004 may occupy a first frequency range 1012 and the second symbol set 1006 may occupy a second frequency range 1014. The third symbol set 1008 may occupy the first frequency range 1012 and may extend into adjacent time slots in the radio frame. The fourth symbol set 1010 may occupy the second frequency range 1014 in the second time slot. A first retuning gap 1020 may be between the first and second symbol sets 1004, 1006, a second retuning gap 1022 may be between the second and third symbol sets 1006, 1008, and a third retuning gap 1024 may be between the third and fourth symbol sets 1008, 1010. The first and second frequency ranges 1012, 1014 may be separated by a frequency gap 1016. The number of symbols in the symbol sets 1004, 1006, 1008, 1010 is by way of example only and not limitation. PRS 1000 illustrates that one PRS resource with frequency hopping may span two or more time slots. Specifically, additional time slots may be needed to accommodate the extended retuning gaps 1020, 1022, 1024 associated with a larger SCS in the physical layer. For example, referring to Fig. 9 , a single retuning gap 908 may be large enough to extend some or all of the second set of symbols 906 into adjacent time slots.

[0110] refer to Figures 11A to 11D , showing an example of a narrowband positioning reference signal with inter-PRS resource hopping. Figures 11A to 11D The PRS resources depicted in the figure may be part of the PRS resources set on a base station (such as base station 602). In operation, the signaling used to associate the PRS resources with multiple frequency locations for frequency hopping may be a PRS resource set or a PRS resource associated with two or more positioning frequency layers. The PRS resource information may be provided as auxiliary data included in the positioning message to a U positioning message such as a New Radio Positioning Protocol (NRPP) message or other message defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. In one example, the PRS resource information may be included in a system information block (SIB) as part of RRC messaging. Reference Fig.11A , the first example PRS resource set 1110 includes four PRS resources with a resource repetition factor of four and a resource time gap value of one. In one example, the PRS resource set 1110 utilizes four frequency locations, but fewer or additional frequency locations may be used. As depicted, the first PRS resource (PRS resource #1) is transmitted in four different time slots and four different frequency ranges. The time interval between two consecutive hops may be based on a tuning gap associated with an SCS. The receiving UE may complete measurements corresponding to one PRS resource (e.g., one of beams 603a-d) in four consecutive time slots. The first example PRS resource set 1100 also includes a second PRS resource (PRS resource #2), a third PRS resource (PRS resource #3), and a fourth PRS resource (PRS resource #4), which have a common frequency location with the first PRS resource (PRS resource #1).

[0111] Fig. 11B A second example PRS resource set 1120 is depicted, which includes four resources and a resource repetition factor equal to four and a resource time gap value equal to one. In an example, the PRS resource set 1120 utilizes four frequency locations, but fewer or additional frequency locations may be used. In this PRS resource set, the tuning gaps between PRS resource #1 and PRS resource #2 (i.e., time slot n+4), between PRS resource #2 and PRS resource #3 (i.e., time slot n+8), and between PRS resource #3 and PRS resource #4 (i.e., time slot n+12) are eliminated because the corresponding time slots utilize the previous frequency of the previous PRS resource. In operation, the second example PRS resource set 1120 provides the advantage of reduced RF re-tuning time when the UE is measuring across the PRS resources in the set.

[0112] Fig. 11C A third example PRS resource set 1130 is depicted, which includes four resources and a resource repetition factor equal to four and a resource time slot value equal to four. In one example, the PRS resource set 1130 utilizes four frequency locations, but fewer or additional frequency locations may be used. As depicted, a first portion of each of the PRS resources #1-#4 is transmitted in a first frequency location, and subsequent portions are similarly transmitted in three additional frequency locations. A benefit of the PRS resource set 1130 is that the UE may have more time to adjust the receive beam for one of the PRS resources (i.e., the transmit beam) because the repetition of one PRS resource occurs in a larger time interval. For example, PRS resource #1 is captured at slot n, slot n+4, slot n+8, and slot n+12.

[0113] Fig.11DA fourth example PRS resource set 1140 is depicted, which includes four resources and a resource repetition factor equal to four and a resource time slot value equal to four. In one example, the PRS resource set 1140 utilizes two frequency locations, but additional frequency locations may be used. As depicted, a first portion of each of the PRS resources #1-#4 is transmitted in a first frequency location, and a subsequent portion is similarly transmitted in a second additional frequency location and then returns to the first frequency location. In operation, with only two frequency locations, the benefits of setting the frequency offset between hops of time slots (n+8)-to-(n+11) and (n+12)-to-(n+16) relative to the frequency offset between hops of time slots (n)-to-(n+3) and (n+4)-to-(n+7) are reduced RF retuning and improved frequency offset estimation by the UE receiver chain. In one example, an upper frequency in a first frequency range (eg, time slot n) and a lower frequency in a second frequency range (eg, time slot n+1) are within SCS values ​​of each other.

[0114] Reference Fig.12 , and further refer to Figures 1 to 11D , a method 1200 for providing a positioning reference signal with intra-PRS resource hopping to a bandwidth-limited user equipment includes the stages shown. However, the method 1200 is merely an example and is not limiting. The method 1200 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0115] At stage 1202, the method includes generating a positioning reference signal (PRS), the PRS including a plurality of symbols occupying a frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame, the PRS including a first set of the plurality of symbols occupying a first portion of the frequency range, and a second set of the plurality of symbols occupying a second portion of the frequency range. The base station 102 or the server 400 is a device for generating a PRS. The PRS may be based on a PRS resource set and / or parameters in a PRS resource object stored in a memory device (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) in the base station 102 or other networked device. The PRS resource may be a set of resource elements used for PRS transmission. The set of resource elements may span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and N (e.g., 1 or more) consecutive symbols within a time slot in the time domain. In one example, reference Fig. 9, the PRS 900 includes a first set of symbols 904 in a first frequency range 910 and a second set of symbols 906 in a second frequency range 912. The first and second sets of symbols 904, 906 include resource elements 903 defined in the PRS resource. The PRS may include a retuning gap 908 between the first set of the plurality of symbols and the second set of the plurality of symbols. In an example, the first set of symbols 904 and the second set of symbols 906 are adjacent (i.e., consecutive symbols). In other examples, when the SCS is 15kHz, the length of the retuning gap 908 may be 1 or 2 symbols. For larger SCS values ​​(e.g., SCS values ​​of 60 / 120kHz), the retuning gap 908 may be larger. The size of the retuning gap 908 may be such that the PRS extends into adjacent time slots. A frequency gap 914 between the first frequency range 910 and the second frequency range 912 may be based on the SCS. In general, the frequency gap 914 may be determined to reduce the impact of cross-correlation sidelobes in the frequency domain.

[0116] In one embodiment, reference Fig.10 , the PRS resource may have multiple sets of symbols. For example, the method 1200 may include a third set 1008 of the multiple symbols occupying the first frequency range 1012, and a fourth set 1010 of the multiple symbols occupying the second frequency range 1014. Additional sets of symbols and frequency ranges may also be used. Retuning gaps, such as a second retuning gap 1022 and a third retuning gap 1024, may be utilized between the sets of symbols.

[0117] At stage 1204, the method includes transmitting a PRS to a bandwidth-constrained user equipment. The base station 102 and the wireless transceiver 440 are means for transmitting the PRS. The PRS enables a bandwidth-constrained UE (such as an NR-light UE 604) to obtain RSTD measurement information (e.g., timing information) such as described in 3GPP TS 36.211. In an example, the PRS resource may be based on a beamforming technique and the PRS may be coupled to a beam direction (such as Figure 6 is associated with one of the beams 603a-d in .

[0118] Reference Fig.13 , and further refer to Figures 1 to 11D , a method 1300 for providing a positioning reference signal with inter-PRS resource hopping to a bandwidth-limited user equipment includes the stages shown. However, the method 1300 is merely an example and is not limiting. The method 1300 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0119] At stage 1302, the method includes generating a positioning reference signal (PRS) based on a first resource set. The base station 102 or the server 400 is a device for generating a PRS. The PRS may include several PRBs and extend along the frequency domain so that the beamwidth of the PRS is greater than 10 or 20 MHz. The bandwidth of the PRS may exceed the capabilities of NR-light UEs. The base station 102 may divide the PRS into smaller parts using frequency hopping, which meets the bandwidth requirements of UEs with reduced capabilities. The PRS resource set and / or the PRS resource object may be stored in a memory device (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) in the base station 102 or other networked device.

[0120] At stage 1304, the method includes transmitting a first portion of a PRS in a first frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame. The base station 102 is a means for transmitting the first portion of the PRS. FIG. 11A to FIG. 11D In one example, PRS resource set 1110 utilizes four frequency locations, but fewer or additional frequency locations may be used. As depicted, a first PRS resource (e.g., PRS resource #1) is transmitted in four different time slots and four different frequency ranges. The first portion of the PRS includes symbols in the transmission of PRS resource #1 in time slot n.

[0121] At stage 1306, the method includes transmitting a second portion of the PRS in a second frequency range in a second time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range. The base station 102 is a means for transmitting the second portion of the PRS. Referring again to the PRS resource set 1110, the second portion of the PRS resource #1 is transmitted in time slot n+1 in a higher frequency range than the first portion of the PRS transmitted at time slot n. The number of portions and frequency ranges are examples only. FIG. 11A to FIG. 11D An example is provided including using four time slots for each PRS resource, but fewer or additional time slots and frequency ranges may be used. Transmissions for one PRS resource may be interleaved with transmissions for other PRS resources. The time interval between transmissions of two portions (e.g., between time slot n and time slot n+1) may be based on a tuning gap associated with the SCS.

[0122] Reference Fig.14 , and further refer to Figures 1 to 11D , a method 1400 for receiving a positioning reference signal with intra-PRS resource hopping using bandwidth-constrained user equipment includes the stages shown. However, the method 1400 is merely an example and is not limiting. The method 1400 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0123] At stage 1402, the method includes receiving a first set of symbols in a positioning reference signal (PRS), wherein the PRS includes a plurality of symbols occupying a frequency range and the first set of symbols is in a first portion of the frequency range. UE 300 and transceiver 315 are means for receiving the first set of symbols. The UE may be a bandwidth-constrained UE, such as an NR-light UE. In one example, reference Fig. 9 , the PRS 900 includes a first set of symbols 904 in a first frequency range 910 and a second set of symbols 906 in a second frequency range 912. The first and second sets of symbols 904, 906 include resource elements 903 defined in the PRS resources. The UE 300 is configured to receive the first set of symbols 904 in the first frequency range 910. The received symbols may be processed and stored in the memory 311 for further processing together with additional symbols received in a subsequent stage.

[0124] At stage 1404, the method includes receiving a second set of symbols in the PRS in a second portion of the frequency range. The UE 300 and the transceiver 315 are means for receiving the second set of symbols. The UE 300 may be configured to re-tune the wireless transceiver 340 to receive the second set of symbols 906 in the second frequency range 912. The received symbols may be processed and stored in the memory 311 to be further processed (if necessary) with additional symbols received in subsequent stages. The PRS may include a re-tuning gap 908 to allow re-tuning of the transceiver 340 to be completed before receiving the second set of symbols 906. In an example, the first set of symbols 904 and the second set of symbols 906 are consecutive (i.e., there is no re-tuning time). In other examples, when the SCS is 15kHz, the length of the re-tuning gap 908 may be 1 or 2 symbols. For larger SCS values ​​(e.g., SCS values ​​of 60 / 120kHz), the re-tuning gap 908 may be larger. The size of the re-tuning gap 908 can be such that the PRS extends into adjacent time slots. Fig.10 , the PRS resource may have multiple symbol sets. For example, the method 1200 may include a third symbol set 1008 occupying a first frequency range 1012, and a fourth symbol set 1010 occupying a second frequency range 1014. Additional symbol sets and frequency ranges may also be used. Retuning gaps, such as a second retuning gap 1022 and a third retuning gap 1024, may be utilized between these symbol sets.

[0125] At stage 1406, the method includes obtaining measurement information based on the PRS. UE 300 is a device for obtaining measurements. The NR-light UE can be configured to perform RSTD measurements using the PRS. The PRS enables timing (i.e., ranging) measurements of the UE based on base station signals to utilize OTDOA positioning estimates. In an example, the measurement information is timing information associated with the PRS.

[0126] Reference Fig.15 , and further refer to Figures 1 to 11D , a method 1500 for receiving a positioning reference signal with inter-PRS resource hopping using a bandwidth-constrained user equipment includes the stages shown. However, the method 1500 is merely an example and is not limiting. The method 1500 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0127] At stage 1502, the method includes receiving a first portion of a positioning reference signal (PRS) in a first frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame. UE 300 and transceiver 315 are means for receiving the first portion of the PRS. Figures 11A to 11D In one example, the PRS resource set 1110 utilizes four frequency locations, but fewer or additional frequency locations may be used. As depicted, a first PRS resource (e.g., PRS resource #1) is transmitted in four different time slots and four different frequency ranges. The UE 300 (such as the NR-lite UE 604) is configured to receive a portion of the symbols including the PRS in the PRS resource #1 transmission in time slot n.

[0128] At stage 1504, the method includes receiving a second portion of the PRS in a second frequency range in a second time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range. The UE 300 and the transceiver 315 are means for receiving the second portion of the PRS. Referring again to the PRS resource set 1110, the second portion of the PRS resource #1 is transmitted in time slot n+1 in a higher frequency range than the first portion of the PRS transmitted at time slot n. The NR-lite UE 604 may be configured to re-tune the transceiver to receive the PRS resource #1 transmitted in time slot n+1 in the second frequency range. The number of portions and frequency ranges are examples only. The NR-lite UE may be configured to receive fewer or additional PRS resource time slots, such as FIG. 11A to FIG. 11D The time interval between the transmission of the two parts (eg, between time slot n and time slot n+1) can be based on the tuning gap associated with the SCS.

[0129] At stage 1506, the method includes obtaining measurement information based on the PRS. UE 300 is a device for obtaining measurements. The NR-light UE can be configured to perform RSTD measurements using the PRS. The PRS enables timing (i.e., ranging) measurements of the UE based on base station signals to utilize OTDOA positioning estimates. In one example, the measurement information is timing information associated with the PRS.

[0130] Other examples and implementations fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features that implement the functions may also be physically located in a variety of locations, including being distributed so that parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0131] Similarly, as used herein, “or” used in a list of items followed by “at least one of” or followed by “one or more of” indicates a disjunctive list so that, for example, a list of “at least one of A, B, or C” or a list of “one or more of A, B, or C” or “A, B, or C, or a combination thereof” means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), as well as combinations having more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.).

[0132] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, a recitation that a function or operation is “based on” an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the recited item or condition, and may be based on one or more items and / or conditions other than the recited item or condition.

[0133] Furthermore, an indication that information is sent or transmitted "to" an entity, or a statement that information is sent or transmitted "to" an entity, is not required to complete the communication. Such indications or statements include situations where information is passed from a sending entity but does not reach the intended recipient of the information. An intended recipient may be referred to as a recipient entity, e.g., a receiving execution environment, even if the information is not actually received. Furthermore, an entity configured to send or transmit information "to" an intended recipient is not required to be configured to complete the delivery of the information to the intended recipient. For example, the entity may provide information with an indication of the intended recipient to another entity that is capable of forwarding the information and the indication of the intended recipient.

[0134] A wireless communication system is a system in which at least some communications are transmitted wirelessly, for example, by electromagnetic waves and / or sound waves propagating through atmospheric space rather than through wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication network may not enable all communications to be transmitted wirelessly, but may be configured to enable at least some communications to be transmitted wirelessly. In addition, the term "wireless communication device" or similar terms does not require that the functionality of the device is exclusively or uniformly primarily used for communication, or that the device is a mobile device, but rather indicates that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (unidirectional or bidirectional), for example, including at least one radio (each radio is part of a transmitter, receiver or transceiver) for wireless communication.

[0135] Substantial modifications may be made depending on specific requirements. For example, customized hardware may also be used, and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or both. Further, connections to other computing devices (such as network input / output devices) may be employed.

[0136] As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a particular manner. Using a computer system, various computer-readable media may be involved in providing instructions / codes for execution to a processor, and / or may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / codes (e.g., as signals). In many implementations, computer-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media may take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical disks and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, but are not limited to, dynamic memory.

[0137] Common forms of physical and / or tangible computer readable media include, for example: a floppy disk, a floppy disk, a hard disk, a magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, any other physical medium with a pattern of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or memory cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or code.

[0138] Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to one or more processors for execution. By way of example only, the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk and / or optical disc of a remote computer. The remote computer may download the instructions into its dynamic memory and send the instructions as signals over a transmission medium for receipt and / or execution by the computer system.

[0139] The methods, systems, and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations may appropriately omit, replace, or add various procedures or components. For example, in an alternative configuration, the methods may be performed in an order different from the order described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, the features described with respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of the configurations may be combined in a similar manner. In addition, technology may evolve, and thus, many elements are examples, without limiting the scope of the present disclosure or claims.

[0140] Specific details are given in this description to provide a thorough understanding of example configurations (including implementations). However, these configurations can be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown without unnecessary details to avoid confusing these configurations. This description only provides example configurations without limiting the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. On the contrary, the previous description of the configuration provides a description for implementing the technology. Various changes can be made to the function and arrangement of the elements without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure.

[0141] Each configuration may also be described as a process depicted as a flow chart or block diagram. Although each flow chart or block diagram may describe the operation as a sequential process, some operations may be performed in parallel or simultaneously. In addition, the order of the operations may be rearranged. The process may have additional stages and functions that are not included in the accompanying drawings. In addition, examples of these methods may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segment for performing the task may be stored in a non-transient computer-readable medium (such as a storage medium). The processor may perform one or more of the described tasks.

[0142] Components shown in the drawings and / or discussed herein as being connected, coupled (e.g., communicatively coupled), or in communication with each other (functionally or otherwise) are operatively coupled. That is, they can be connected directly or indirectly by wire and / or wirelessly to enable signal transmission between them.

[0143] Several example configurations have been described, and various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the above elements may be components of a larger system, in which other rules may take precedence over the application of the present invention or otherwise modify the application of the present invention. In addition, several operations may be taken before, during, or after considering the above elements. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of the claims.

[0144] "About" and / or "about" as used herein in reference to a measurable value (such as an amount, a duration of time, etc.) encompasses deviations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as is appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein. "Substantially" as used herein in reference to a measurable value (such as an amount, a duration of time, a physical property (such as frequency), etc.) also encompasses deviations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as is appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein.

[0145] A statement that a value exceeds (or is greater than or higher than) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that a value meets or exceeds a second threshold that is slightly greater than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value higher than the first threshold in the resolution of the computing system. A statement that a value is less than (or within or below) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that a value is less than or equal to a second threshold that is slightly lower than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value lower than the first threshold in the resolution of the computing system.

[0146] Furthermore, more than one invention may be disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for providing a positioning reference signal (PRS) to a bandwidth-limited user equipment, comprising: Generate a PRS, the PRS comprising a plurality of symbols occupying a frequency range in a first slot of a radio frame, the PRS comprising: a first set of the plurality of symbols occupying a first portion of the frequency range; a second set of the plurality of symbols occupying a second portion of the frequency range; and a first retuning gap between the first set of the plurality of symbols and the second set of the plurality of symbols, and a duration of the first retuning gap is based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the PRS; and The PRS is transmitted to the bandwidth-constrained user equipment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the duration of the first retuning gap is 1 or 2 symbols and the subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the PRS further comprises: a third set of the plurality of symbols occupying the first portion of the frequency range; as well as A fourth set of the plurality of symbols occupies the second portion of the frequency range.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the PRS further comprises: a second retuning gap between the second set of the plurality of symbols and the third set of the plurality of symbols; as well as A third retuning gap is provided between the third set of the plurality of symbols and the fourth set of the plurality of symbols.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more of the plurality of symbols of the PRS occupy a second time slot of the radio frame.

6. A method for providing a positioning reference signal (PRS) to a bandwidth-limited user equipment, comprising: generating a PRS based on the first resource set; transmitting a first portion of the PRS in a first frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame; delaying a tuning gap, wherein a duration of the tuning gap is based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the PRS; as well as After the delay, a second portion of the PRS is transmitted in a second frequency range in a second time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first time slot and the second time slot are adjacent time slots in the radio frame.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising: transmitting a third portion of the PRS in a third frequency range in a third time slot of the radio frame; as well as A fourth portion of the PRS is transmitted in a fourth frequency range in a fourth time slot of the radio frame, wherein the third frequency range is different from the fourth frequency range.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the second time slot is adjacent to the first time slot, the third time slot is adjacent to the second time slot, and the fourth time slot is adjacent to the third time slot.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising: transmitting a third portion of the PRS in the second frequency range in a third time slot of the radio frame; as well as A fourth portion of the PRS is transmitted in the first frequency range in a fourth slot of the radio frame.

11. The method of claim 6, further comprising: generating a second PRS based on the second resource set; transmitting a first portion of the second PRS in the first frequency range in a third time slot of the radio frame; as well as A second portion of the second PRS is transmitted in the second frequency range in a fourth slot of the radio frame.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein transmitting the first portion of the second PRS occurs in a time slot adjacent to a time slot in which the first portion of the PRS is transmitted, and there is no retuning gap between transmitting the first portion of the PRS and transmitting the first portion of the second PRS.

13. A method for facilitating positioning of bandwidth-limited user equipment using a positioning reference signal (PRS), comprising: receiving a first portion of the PRS in a first frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame; retuning a transceiver during a tuning gap, wherein the duration of the tuning gap is based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the PRS; After the retuning, receiving a second portion of the PRS in a second frequency range in a second time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range; and Measurement information is obtained based on the PRS.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving a third portion of the PRS in a third frequency range in a third time slot of the radio frame; as well as A fourth portion of the PRS is received in a fourth frequency range in a fourth time slot of the radio frame, wherein the third frequency range is different from the fourth frequency range.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving a third portion of the PRS in the second frequency range in a third time slot of the radio frame; as well as A fourth portion of the PRS is received in the first frequency range in a fourth slot of the radio frame.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving a first portion of a second PRS in the first frequency range in a third time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second PRS is based on a second resource set; as well as A second portion of the second PRS is received in the second frequency range in a fourth slot of the radio frame.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein receiving the first portion of the second PRS occurs in a time slot adjacent to a time slot in which the first portion of the PRS is received, and there is no retuning gap between receiving the first portion of the PRS and receiving the first portion of the second PRS.

18. An apparatus for facilitating positioning of bandwidth-constrained user equipment, comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: receiving a first set of symbols in a positioning reference signal (PRS), wherein the PRS comprises a plurality of symbols occupying a frequency range and the first set of symbols is in a first part of the frequency range; receiving a second set of symbols in the PRS in a second portion of the frequency range; as well as obtaining measurement information based on the PRS, Wherein the second set of symbols is received after a retuning gap after receiving the first set of symbols, and a duration of the retuning gap is based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the PRS.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the duration of the retuning gap is 1 or 2 symbols and the subcarrier spacing is 15 kHz.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receiving a third set of symbols in the PRS occupying the first portion of the frequency range; and A fourth set of symbols is received in the PRS occupying the second portion of the frequency range.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the third set of symbols is received after a second retuning gap after receiving the second set of symbols, and the fourth set of symbols is received after a third retuning gap after receiving the third set of symbols.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein one or more of the plurality of symbols in the PRS are received in a second slot of a radio frame.

23. An apparatus for facilitating positioning of bandwidth-limited user equipment using a positioning reference signal (PRS), comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: receiving a first portion of the PRS in a first frequency range in a first time slot of a radio frame; retuning at least one transceiver during a tuning gap, the duration of the tuning gap being based at least in part on a subcarrier spacing of the PRS; as well as After the retuning, receiving a second portion of the PRS in a second frequency range in a second time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second frequency range is different from the first frequency range; and Measurement information is obtained based on the PRS.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receiving a third portion of the PRS in a third frequency range in a third time slot of the radio frame; and A fourth portion of the PRS is received in a fourth frequency range in a fourth time slot of the radio frame, wherein the third frequency range is different from the fourth frequency range.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receiving a third portion of the PRS in the second frequency range in a third time slot of the radio frame; and A fourth portion of the PRS is received in the first frequency range in a fourth slot of the radio frame.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receiving a first portion of a second PRS in the first frequency range in a third time slot of the radio frame, wherein the second PRS is based on a second resource set; and A second portion of the second PRS is received in the second frequency range in a fourth slot of the radio frame.

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