Spatial measurements associated with a tracking reference signal

Abstract

In one aspect, a UE receives a set of tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations associated with a corresponding set of cellular cells; and performs a set of spatial measurements associated with the TRS set on resources configured by the corresponding set of TRS configurations. In another aspect, a cellular cell (e.g., the serving cellular cell of the UE or a non-serving cellular cell of the UE) determines a TRS configuration; and transmits a TRS to the UE in association with a spatial measurement procedure on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of Indian Application No. 202021037438, filed on August 31, 2020, entitled "SPATIAL MEASUREMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH TRACKING REFERENCE SIGNALS", which provisional application has been assigned to the assignee of this application and is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0003] BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE

[0004] 1. Field of the Disclosure

[0005] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication, and more particularly, to spatial measurements associated with tracking reference signals (TRS).

[0006] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0007] Wireless communication systems have evolved through 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 services with Internet capabilities, and fourth - generation (4G) services (e.g., LTE or WiMax). There are many different types of wireless communication systems currently in use, including cellular as well as personal communication service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile access (GSM) TDMA variants, etc.

[0008] The fifth - generation (5G) wireless standard (known as New Radio (NR)) enables higher data transfer speeds, a larger number of connections, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of thousands of users, and data rates of 1 gigabit per second to dozens of employees on an office floor. Support for hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be provided to support large - scale wireless sensor deployments. Thus, compared to current 4G standards, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communication should be significantly improved. In addition, compared to current standards, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency should be greatly reduced.

[0009] SUMMARY

[0010] A simplified overview related to one or more aspects disclosed herein is given below. Accordingly, the following overview should neither be considered an exhaustive survey of all contemplated aspects, nor should it be considered to identify key or decisive elements related to all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope associated with any particular aspect. Accordingly, the sole purpose of the following overview is to present in a simplified form certain concepts related to one or more aspects regarding the mechanisms disclosed herein prior to the detailed description given below.

[0011] In one aspect, a method of operating a user equipment (UE) includes: receiving a set of tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations associated with a set of cellular cells; and performing a set of spatial measurements associated with a set of TRSs on resources configured by the respective set of TRS configurations.

[0012] In some aspects, the method includes receiving a configuration of at least one measurement gap (MG), wherein the set of spatial measurements is performed during the at least one MG.

[0013] In some aspects, the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a location management function (LMF) component.

[0014] In some aspects, the set of spatial measurements includes a set of positioning measurements, or the set of spatial measurements includes a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0015] In some aspects, the set of motion measurements includes a set of speed measurements, or the set of motion measurements includes a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0016] In some aspects, the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0017] In some aspects, the method includes: transmitting an indication of UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0018] In some aspects, the method includes: receiving at least one indication of whether at least one TRS from the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0019] In some aspects, the at least one indication is provided on a per-cell basis for respective configured instances of the respective TRS configuration.

[0020] In some aspects, the method includes: receiving a validity period for at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations.

[0021] In some aspects, at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received in association with an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the set of spatial measurements.

[0022] In some aspects, at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received prior to an on-demand triggering of a spatial measurement procedure that includes the set of spatial measurements, further including: receiving an instruction to perform a spatial measurement procedure on a resource configured by the at least one TRS configuration.

[0023] In some aspects, the method includes: transmitting a measurement report based on the set of spatial measurements.

[0024] In some aspects, the method includes: receiving a request for the location of the UE after the execution, wherein the measurement report is transmitted in response to the request.

[0025] In some aspects, the set of TRSs is received while the UE is operating in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state or an RRC idle state.

[0026] In one aspect, a method of operating a cell includes: determining a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) configuration; and transmitting a TRS to a User Equipment (UE) associated with a spatial measurement procedure on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0027] In some aspects, the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, further including: transmitting an indication of the TRS configuration for the cell and at least one other TRS configuration for at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure to the UE.

[0028] In some aspects, the spatial measurement procedure is performed during at least one Measurement Gap (MG) associated with the UE.

[0029] In some aspects, the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, further including: transmitting a configuration of the at least one MG to the UE.

[0030] In some aspects, the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a Location Management Function (LMF) component.

[0031] In some aspects, the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a set of positioning measurements, or the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0032] In some aspects, the set of motion measurements includes a set of speed measurements, or the set of motion measurements includes a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0033] In some aspects, the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0034] In some aspects, the method includes: receiving an indication of UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0035] In some aspects, the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE and further includes: transmitting to the UE an indication of whether the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic and / or at least one other indication of whether at least one other TRS from at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0036] In some aspects, for each configured instance configured for a respective TRS, the indication and the at least one other indication are provided on a per-cell basis.

[0037] In some aspects, the method includes: transmitting a validity period configured for the TRS.

[0038] In some aspects, the transmission is performed in association with an on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure.

[0039] In some aspects, the transmission is performed before the on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure and further includes: transmitting an instruction to perform the spatial measurement procedure for the TRS on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0040] In some aspects, the method includes: receiving a measurement report associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

[0041] In some aspects, the method includes: transmitting, after the spatial measurement procedure, a request associated with the spatial information of the UE, wherein the measurement report is received in response to the request.

[0042] In some aspects, the TRS is transmitted when the UE operates according to a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state or an RRC idle state.

[0043] In one aspect, a User Equipment (UE) includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a set of Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) configurations associated with a respective set of cells; and perform a set of spatial measurements associated with a set of TRSs on resources configured by the set of TRS configurations.

[0044] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a configuration of at least one Measurement Gap (MG), wherein the set of spatial measurements is performed during the at least one MG.

[0045] In some aspects, the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a Location Management Function (LMF) component.

[0046] In some aspects, the set of spatial measurements includes a set of positioning measurements, or the set of spatial measurements includes a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0047] In some aspects, the set of motion measurements includes a set of velocity measurements, or the set of motion measurements includes a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0048] In some aspects, the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0049] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: transmit, via the at least one transceiver, an indication of UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0050] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, at least one indication of whether at least one TRS from the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0051] In some aspects, the at least one indication is provided on a per-cell basis for a respective configured instance configured for a respective TRS.

[0052] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a validity period for at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations.

[0053] In some aspects, at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received in association with an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the set of spatial measurements.

[0054] In some aspects, at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received before an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the set of spatial measurements, and the at least one processor is further configured to receive, via the at least one transceiver, an instruction to perform a spatial measurement procedure on resources configured by the at least one TRS configuration.

[0055] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: transmit, via the at least one transceiver, a measurement report based on the set of spatial measurements.

[0056] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a request for the location of the UE after the execution, wherein the measurement report is transmitted in response to the request.

[0057] In some aspects, the set of TRSs is received when the UE operates according to a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state or an RRC idle state.

[0058] In one aspect, a cell includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: determine a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) configuration; and transmit, via the at least one transceiver, a TRS to a User Equipment (UE) associated with a spatial measurement procedure on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0059] In some aspects, the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, and the at least one processor is further configured to transmit, via the at least one transceiver, an indication of the TRS configuration for the cell and at least one other TRS configuration for at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure to the UE.

[0060] In some aspects, the spatial measurement procedure is performed during at least one Measurement Gap (MG) associated with the UE.

[0061] In some aspects, the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, and the at least one processor is further configured to transmit, via the at least one transceiver, the configuration of the at least one MG to the UE.

[0062] In some aspects, the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a Location Management Function (LMF) component.

[0063] In some aspects, the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a positioning measurement set, or the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a motion measurement set, or a combination thereof.

[0064] In some aspects, the motion measurement set includes a speed measurement set, or the motion measurement set includes an acceleration measurement set, or a combination thereof.

[0065] In some aspects, the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0066] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, an indication of the UE's ability to process downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0067] In some aspects, the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, and the at least one processor is further configured to transmit, via the at least one transceiver, an indication of whether the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic and / or at least one other indication of whether at least one other TRS from at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure is multiplexed with user plane data traffic to the UE.

[0068] In some aspects, for a respective configured instance corresponding to a respective TRS configuration, the indication and the at least one other indication are provided on a per-cell basis.

[0069] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: transmit, via the at least one transceiver, a validity period for the TRS configuration.

[0070] In some aspects, the transmission is performed in association with an on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure.

[0071] In some aspects, the transmission is performed before the on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure, further comprising: transmitting, via the at least one transceiver, an instruction to perform the spatial measurement procedure for the TRS on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0072] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a measurement report associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

[0073] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: transmit, via the at least one transceiver, a request associated with spatial information of the UE after the spatial measurement procedure, wherein the measurement report is received in response to the request.

[0074] In some aspects, the TRS is transmitted when the UE operates according to a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state or an RRC idle state.

[0075] In one aspect, a User Equipment (UE) comprises: means for receiving a set of Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) configurations associated with a respective set of cell; and means for performing a set of spatial measurements associated with a set of TRS on resources configured by the set of TRS configurations.

[0076] In some aspects, the method comprises: means for receiving a configuration of at least one Measurement Gap (MG), wherein the set of spatial measurements is performed during the at least one MG.

[0077] In some aspects, the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a Location Management Function (LMF) component.

[0078] In some aspects, the set of spatial measurements comprises a set of positioning measurements, or the set of spatial measurements comprises a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0079] In some aspects, the set of motion measurements comprises a set of speed measurements, or the set of motion measurements comprises a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0080] In some aspects, the TRS set is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0081] In some aspects, the method includes: means for transmitting an indication of UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0082] In some aspects, the method includes: means for receiving at least one indication of whether at least one TRS from the TRS set is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0083] In some aspects, for each configured instance configured for a corresponding TRS, the at least one indication is provided on a per-cell basis.

[0084] In some aspects, the method includes: means for receiving a validity period for at least one TRS configuration in the TRS configuration set.

[0085] In some aspects, at least one TRS configuration in the TRS configuration set is received in association with an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the spatial measurement set.

[0086] In some aspects, at least one TRS configuration in the TRS configuration set is received before an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the spatial measurement set, further including: means for receiving an instruction to perform a spatial measurement procedure on a resource configured by the at least one TRS configuration.

[0087] In some aspects, the method includes: means for transmitting a measurement report based on the spatial measurement set.

[0088] In some aspects, the method includes: means for receiving a request for the location of the UE after the execution, wherein the means for transmitting transmits the measurement report in response to the request.

[0089] In some aspects, the TRS set is received when the UE operates according to a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state or an RRC idle state.

[0090] In one aspect, a cell includes: means for determining a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) configuration; and means for transmitting a TRS to a User Equipment (UE) in association with a spatial measurement procedure on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0091] In some aspects, the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, further including: means for transmitting to the UE an indication of the TRS configuration for the cell and at least one other TRS configuration for at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

[0092] In some aspects, the spatial measurement procedure is performed during at least one measurement gap (MG) associated with the UE.

[0093] In some aspects, the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE and further includes means for transmitting a configuration of the at least one MG to the UE.

[0094] In some aspects, the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a Location Management Function (LMF) component.

[0095] In some aspects, the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a positioning measurement set, or the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a motion measurement set, or a combination thereof.

[0096] In some aspects, the motion measurement set includes a speed measurement set, or the motion measurement set includes an acceleration measurement set, or a combination thereof.

[0097] In some aspects, the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0098] In some aspects, the method includes means for receiving an indication of UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0099] In some aspects, the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE and further includes means for transmitting an indication of whether the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic and / or at least one other indication of whether at least one other TRS from at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure is multiplexed with user plane data traffic to the UE.

[0100] In some aspects, the indication and the at least one other indication are provided on a per-cell basis for a respective configured instance configured for the respective TRS.

[0101] In some aspects, the method includes means for transmitting a validity period for the configuration of the TRS.

[0102] In some aspects, the transmission is performed in association with an on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure.

[0103] In some aspects, where the TRS is transmitted before an on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure, the cell further includes means for transmitting an instruction to perform the spatial measurement procedure for the at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration for the TRS.

[0104] In some aspects, the method includes means for receiving a measurement report associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

[0105] In some aspects, the method includes: means for transmitting, after the spatial measurement procedure, a request associated with the spatial information of the UE, wherein the measurement report is received in response to the request.

[0106] In some aspects, the TRS is transmitted when the UE operates according to the radio resource control (RRC) inactive state or the RRC idle state.

[0107] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a set of tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations associated with a corresponding set of cells; and perform a set of spatial measurements associated with a set of TRSs on resources configured by the set of TRS configurations.

[0108] In some aspects, the one or more instructions further cause the UE to: receive a configuration of at least one measurement gap (MG), wherein the set of spatial measurements is performed during the at least one MG.

[0109] In some aspects, the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a location management function (LMF) component.

[0110] In some aspects, the set of spatial measurements includes a set of positioning measurements, or the set of spatial measurements includes a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0111] In some aspects, the set of motion measurements includes a set of speed measurements, or the set of motion measurements includes a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0112] In some aspects, the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0113] In some aspects, the one or more instructions further cause the UE to: transmit an indication of the UE's capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0114] In some aspects, the one or more instructions further cause the UE to: receive at least one indication of whether at least one TRS from the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0115] In some aspects, the at least one indication is provided on a per-cell basis for a corresponding configured instance of a corresponding TRS configuration.

[0116] In some aspects, the one or more instructions further cause the UE to: receive a validity period for at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations.

[0117] In some aspects, at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received in association with an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the set of spatial measurements.

[0118] In some aspects, at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received before an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the set of spatial measurements, further comprising: receiving an instruction to perform a spatial measurement procedure on a resource configured by the at least one TRS configuration.

[0119] In some aspects, the one or more instructions further cause the UE to: transmit a measurement report based on the set of spatial measurements.

[0120] In some aspects, the one or more instructions further cause the UE to: receive a request for the location of the UE after the execution, wherein the measurement report is transmitted in response to the request.

[0121] In some aspects, the set of TRSs is received when the UE operates according to a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state or an RRC idle state.

[0122] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a cell, cause the cell to: determine a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) configuration; and transmit a TRS to a User Equipment (UE) in association with a spatial measurement procedure on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0123] In some aspects, the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, further comprising: transmitting to the UE an indication of the TRS configuration for the cell and at least one other TRS configuration for at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

[0124] In some aspects, the spatial measurement procedure is performed during at least one Measurement Gap (MG) associated with the UE.

[0125] In some aspects, the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, further comprising: transmitting to the UE a configuration of the at least one MG.

[0126] In some aspects, the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a Location Management Function (LMF) component.

[0127] In some aspects, the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a set of positioning measurements, or the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0128] In some aspects, the set of motion measurements includes a set of speed measurements, or the set of motion measurements includes a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0129] In some aspects, the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0130] In some aspects, one or more instructions further cause the cell to: receive an indication of UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0131] In some aspects, the cell corresponding to the serving cell of the UE further includes: transmitting to the UE an indication of whether the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic and / or at least one other indication of whether at least one other TRS from at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0132] In some aspects, for each configured instance configured for a corresponding TRS, the indication and the at least one other indication are provided on a per-cell basis.

[0133] In some aspects, the one or more instructions further cause the cell to: transmit a validity period for the configuration of the TRS.

[0134] In some aspects, the TRS is transmitted in association with an on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure.

[0135] In some aspects, where the TRS is performed before an on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure, it further includes: transmitting an instruction to perform the spatial measurement procedure for the at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0136] In some aspects, the one or more instructions further cause the cell to: receive a measurement report associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

[0137] In some aspects, the one or more instructions further cause the cell to: transmit a request associated with the spatial information of the UE after the spatial measurement procedure, where the measurement report is received in response to the request.

[0138] In some aspects, the TRS is transmitted when the UE operates according to the radio resource control (RRC) inactive state or RRC idle state.

[0139] Based on the drawings and the detailed description, other objectives and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0141] The accompanying drawings are provided to assist in describing aspects of the present disclosure, and are provided only for illustration of the aspects and not for limitation thereof.

[0142] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system is illustrated in accordance with various aspects.

[0143] Figure 2A and 2B An example wireless network architecture is illustrated in accordance with various aspects.

[0144] Figures 3A to 3C is a simplified block diagram of several exemplary aspects of components that can be employed in a wireless communication node and configured to support communication as taught herein.

[0145] Figure 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating examples of frame structures and channels within these frame structures in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0146] Figure 5 An exemplary PRS configuration for a cell supported by a wireless node is illustrated.

[0147] Figure 6 An exemplary wireless communication system is illustrated in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0148] Figure 7 An exemplary wireless communication system is illustrated in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0149] Figure 8A is a graph showing the RF channel response over time at a receiver in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0150] Figure 8B is a diagram illustrating such separation of clusters by AoD.

[0151] Figure 9 An exemplary wireless communication process is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0152] Figure 10 An exemplary wireless communication process is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0153] Figure 11 A tracking reference signal (TRS) configuration is illustrated in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure.

[0154] Detailed description

[0155] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description of various examples provided for illustrative purposes and the associated drawings. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, elements that are well known in the art will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0156] The terms "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as superior to or better than other aspects. Similarly, the term "aspects of the present disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.

[0157] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the following description may be represented, in part, depending on the particular application, in part, on the desired design, in part, on the corresponding technology, etc., by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0158] Furthermore, many aspects are described in the form of sequences of actions performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be recognized that the various actions described herein can be performed by special purpose circuitry (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 can be considered to be fully embodied within any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein the corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause or instruct the associated processor of the device to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects of the present disclosure can be embodied in several different forms, all of which have been contemplated as falling within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Additionally, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect can be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to perform the described actions."

[0159] 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 used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, tracking device, wearable device (e.g., smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). 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 "access terminal" or "AT", "client device", "wireless device", "subscriber device", "subscriber terminal", "subscriber station", "user terminal" or "UT", "mobile terminal", "mobile station", or variants thereof. In general, a UE can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can be connected to an external network (such as the Internet) and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as via a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.).

[0160] The base station can operate according to one of several RATs when communicating with the UE depending on the network in which it is deployed and can alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, B node, evolved B node (eNB), new radio (NR) B node (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), etc. Additionally, in some systems, the base station can provide a pure edge node signaling function, while in other systems, the base station can provide additional control and / or network management functions. In some systems, the base station can correspond to a consumer premise equipment (CPE) or a roadside unit (RSU). In some designs, the base station can correspond to a high-power UE (e.g., vehicle UE or VUE) that can provide limited specific infrastructure functionality. The communication link by which the UE can send signals to the base station is referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link by which the base station can send signals to the UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to a UL / reverse or DL / forward traffic channel.

[0161] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit receive point (TRP) or can refer to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, in the case where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP can be a base station antenna corresponding to a cell of the base station. In the case where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be an antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) system or in the case where beamforming is employed at the base station). In the case where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via 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 can be a serving base station that receives a measurement report from a UE and a neighbor base station whose reference RF signal the UE is measuring. Since a TRP is the point from which the base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, a reference to a transmission from a base station or a reception at a base station should be understood as a reference to a particular TRP of the base station.

[0162] 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 can 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 can receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver can be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0163] According to various aspects, Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system 100 is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) can include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 can include macro cell base stations (high-power cell base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cell base stations). In one aspect, the macro cell base stations can 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 can include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0164] Each base station 102 can jointly form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a next-generation core (NGC)) via a backhaul link 122, and interface to one or more location servers 172 via the core network 170. In addition to other functions, the base station 102 can also perform functions related to one or more of user data transfer, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of alert messages. The base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC / NGC) on the backhaul link 134, which can be wired or wireless.

[0165] The base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with the UE 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for its respective geographical coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by the base stations 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 can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI)) to distinguish cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types that can provide access for different types of UEs (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others). Since a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" can, depending on the context, refer to either or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports the logical communication entity. In some cases, the term "cell" can also refer to the geographical coverage area (e.g., a sector) of a base station in the sense that a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a certain part of the geographical coverage area 110.

[0166] Although the geographical coverage areas 110 of adjacent macro cell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover area), some geographical coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by larger geographical coverage areas 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 macro cell base stations 102. A network including both small cells and macro cell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. The heterogeneous network may further include a home evolved Node B (HeNB) that may serve a restricted group referred to as a closed subscriber group (CSG).

[0167] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include an uplink (UL) (also referred to as a reverse link) transmission from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or a downlink (DL) (also referred to as a forward link) transmission from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to the DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the DL compared to the UL).

[0168] 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 an unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure to determine if the channel is available before communicating.

[0169] 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' adopting LTE / 5G in the unlicensed spectrum may boost the coverage of the access network and / or increase the 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.

[0170] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that may operate in mmW frequencies and / or near mmW frequencies to communicate with the UE 182. The extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. The EHF has a range from 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. The radio waves in this frequency band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near mmW may extend down to 3 GHz frequency with a 100 millimeter wavelength. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, which is also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using the mmW / near mmW radio frequency band has high path loss and a relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Additionally, it will be appreciated that in an alternative configuration, one or more of the base stations 102 may also use mmW or near mmW and beamforming for transmission. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the foregoing explanations are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0171] 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. To change the directivity of the RF signal during transmission, the network node may control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of one or more transmitters that are broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node may use an antenna array (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that generates a beam of RF waves, and the beam of RF waves can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, the RF currents from the transmitters are fed to the individual antennas in the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas add together in the desired direction to increase radiation, while canceling in the undesired directions to suppress radiation.

[0172] Transmission beams can be quasi - co - located, which means that they appear to have the same parameters to the receiving party (e.g., UE), regardless of whether the transmitting antennas of the network nodes are physically co - located themselves. In NR, there are four types of quasi - co - location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters of a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about a source reference RF signal on a source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is of QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler frequency 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 of QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler frequency shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is of QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler frequency shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is of QCL type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0173] In receive beamforming, the receiver uses a receive beam to amplify the RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver can increase the gain setting of the antenna array and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a specific direction to amplify the RF signals received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Thus, when the receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, this means that the beam gain in that direction is relatively high compared to the beam gains in other directions, or the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gains in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength for the RF signals received from that direction (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal - to - interference - plus - noise ratio (SINR), etc.).

[0174] Receive beams can be spatially correlated. The spatial relationship means that the parameters of the transmit beam for a second reference signal can be derived from information about the receive beam of a first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam based on the parameters of the receive beam to transmit an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station.

[0175] 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 the downlink reference signal. 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.

[0176] In 5G, the spectrum in which radio 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 the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and on the cell on which the UE 104 / 182 performs the initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates the RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common control channels as well as UE-specific control channels, and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier, and this carrier 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 only contain the necessary signaling information and signals. For example, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not exist 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 can have different downlink primary carriers. The same holds true for the uplink primary carriers. The network is able to change the primary carrier of any UE104 / 182 at any time. For example, this is done to balance the load on different carriers. Since the "serving cell" (whether it is a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier that a certain base station is using for communication, the terms "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0177] For example, still referring to Figure 1 , one of the frequencies utilized by macro cell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and other frequencies utilized by the macro cell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system 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.

[0178] 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) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. In Figure 1 the example, UE190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with a UE 104 connected to a base station 102 (e.g., UE 190 can obtain cellular connectivity indirectly through it), and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (UE190 can obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity indirectly through it). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can use any known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), etc.) to support.

[0179] Wireless communication system 100 may further include UE 164, which can communicate with macro cell base station 102 on communication link 120 and / or communicate with mmW base station 180 on mmW communication link 184. For example, macro cell base station 102 can support a PCell and one or more SCells for UE 164, and mmW base station 180 can support one or more SCells for UE 164.

[0180] According to various aspects, Figure 2AAn example wireless network architecture 200 is illustrated. For example, NGC 210 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally regarded as a control plane function 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and a user plane function 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to the data network, IP routing, etc.), which operate in concert to form the core network. The user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and the control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to NGC 210, particularly to the control plane function 214 and the user plane function 212. In an additional configuration, the eNB 224 can also be connected to NGC 210 via the NG-C 215 to the control plane function 214 and the NG-U 213 to the user plane function 212. In addition, the eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 can have only one or more gNB 222s, while other configurations include both one or more eNB 224s and one or more gNB 222s. The gNB 222 or the eNB 224 can communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 any UE depicted in

[0181] According to various aspects, Figure 2BAnother example wireless network structure 250 is illustrated. For example, NGC 260 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally regarded as the control plane function provided by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) / User Plane Function (UPF) 264, and the user plane function provided by the Session Management Function (SMF) 262, which operate cooperatively to form the core network (i.e., NGC 260). The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the eNB 224 to NGC 260, specifically to the SMF 262 and the AMF / UPF 264 respectively. In an additional configuration, the gNB 222 can also be connected to NGC 260 via the control plane interface 265 to the AMF / UPF 264 and the user plane interface 263 to the SMF 262. In addition, the eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 via the backhaul connection 223, regardless of whether there is direct gNB connectivity to NGC 260. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 can have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include both one or more eNBs 224 and one or more gNBs 222. The gNB 222 or the eNB 224 can communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 any UE depicted in

[0182] ). The base stations of the new RAN 220 communicate with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF 264 via the N2 interface and with the UPF side of the AMF / UPF 264 via the N3 interface.The functions of the AMF include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, session management (SM) message passing between the UE 204 and the SMF 262, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, short message service (SMS) message passing between the UE 204 and the short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF also interacts with the authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives the intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on a UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) subscriber identity module (USIM), the AMF retrieves the security material from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF also include security context management (SCM). SCM receives the key from the SEAF, which is used by SCM to derive the access network - specific key. 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, EPS bearer identifier allocation for interworking with the evolved packet system (EPS), and UE 204 mobility event notification. In addition, the AMF also supports the functionality of non - 3GPP access networks.

[0183] The functions of the UPF include: acting as an anchor point for RAT - in / RAT - out mobility (when applicable), acting as the external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for the interconnection to the data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user - plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user - plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling of the user - plane (e.g., UL / DL rate enforcement, reflexive QoS marking in DL), UL traffic verification (mapping of service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow), 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.

[0184] The functions of the SMF 262 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of the user - plane function, configuration of traffic steering at the UPF for routing traffic to the correct destination, control of parts of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 262 communicates with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0185] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270 that may be in communication with the NGC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spanning multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively may each correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, and the UE 204 is capable of connecting to the LMF 270 via the core network, the NGC 260, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated).

[0186] Figure 3A , 3B Figures 3C illustrate several example components (represented by corresponding boxes) that may be incorporated into a UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network function described herein, including the location server 230 and the LMF 270) to support file transfer operations as taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components may be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.) in different implementations. The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other devices in the communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Additionally, a given device may include one or more of these components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0187] UE 302 and base station 304 each include a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver 310 and 350 respectively configured to communicate via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown) such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, etc. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be respectively connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356 for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB), etc.) via at least one specified RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) on an interested wireless communication medium (e.g., a set of time / frequency resources in a specific spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be respectively configured in various ways according to the specified RAT for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and conversely respectively configured for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, the transceivers 310 and 350 respectively include one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for respectively transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, and respectively include one or more receivers 312 and 352 for respectively receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358.

[0188] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers 320 and 360 respectively. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 can be respectively connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366 for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) via at least one specified RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, etc.) on an interested wireless communication medium. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 can be respectively configured in various ways according to the specified RAT for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and conversely respectively configured for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, the transceivers 320 and 360 respectively include one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for respectively transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and respectively include one or more receivers 322 and 362 for respectively receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368.

[0189] A transceiver circuit system including a transmitter and a receiver may, in some implementations, include an integrated device (e.g., a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit implemented as a single communication device), in some implementations may include separate transmitter devices and separate receiver devices, or may be implemented otherwise in other implementations. In one aspect, the transmitter may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas such as an antenna array (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), and the plurality of antennas permit the corresponding device to perform transmit "beamforming" as described herein. Similarly, the receiver may include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas such as an antenna array (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), and the plurality of antennas permit the corresponding device to perform receive beamforming as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and the receiver may share the same plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376) such that the corresponding device can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than both simultaneously. The wireless communication devices of devices 302 and / or 304 (e.g., one or both of transceivers 310 and 320 and / or one or both of transceivers 350 and 360) may also include a network listening module (NLM) and the like for performing various measurements.

[0190] In at least some instances, devices 302 and 304 also include satellite positioning system (SPS) receivers 330 and 370. SPS receivers 330 and 370 may be respectively connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376 for receiving SPS signals 338 and 378 (such as Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc.). SPS receivers 330 and 370 may respectively include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing SPS signals 338 and 378. SPS receivers 330 and 370 request information and operations from other systems as appropriate and perform the necessary calculations to determine the positions of devices 302 and 304 using measurements obtained by any suitable SPS algorithm.

[0191] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each include at least one network interface 380 and 390 for communicating with other network entities. For example, network interfaces 380 and 390 (e.g., one or more network access ports) may be configured to communicate with one or more network entities via a wired-based backhaul connection or a wireless backhaul connection. In some aspects, network interfaces 380 and 390 may be implemented as transceivers configured to support wired-based signal communication or wireless signal communication. The communication may involve, for example, sending and receiving: messages, parameters, or other types of information.

[0192] Apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE 302 includes processor circuitry that implements a processing system 332 for providing functionality related to, for example, detecting a false base station (FBS) as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. Base station 304 includes a processing system 384 for providing functionality related to, for example, FBS detection as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. Network entity 306 includes a processing system 394 for providing functionality related to, for example, FBS detection as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. In one aspect, the processing systems 332, 384, and 394 can include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry.

[0193] Apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 include memory circuitry that respectively implements memory components 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). In some cases, apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 can respectively include tracking reference signal (TRS) modules 342 and 388. The TRS modules 342 and 388 can respectively be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to the processing systems 332, 384, and 394, and when executed, cause apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Alternatively, the TRS modules 342 and 388 can respectively be memory modules (as Figures 3A-3C shown) stored in the memory components 340, 386, and 396, and when executed by the processing systems 332, 384, and 394, cause apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functionality described herein.

[0194] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the processing system 332 to provide movement and / or orientation information that is independent of motion data derived from signals received by the WWAN transceiver 310, the WLAN transceiver 320, and / or the GPS receiver 330. As an example, the sensors 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Additionally, the sensors 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, the sensors 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate a position in a 2D and / or 3D coordinate system.

[0195] In addition, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 for providing an indication to the user (e.g., an audible and / or visual indication) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., upon the user actuating a sensing device such as a keypad, a touch screen, a microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the devices 304 and 306 may also include a user interface.

[0196] Referring more specifically to the processing system 384, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processing system 384. The processing system 384 may implement functionality for the RRC layer, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Media Access Control (MAC) layer. The processing system 384 may provide RRC layer functionality associated with broadcast system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the transmission of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and re-ordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with the mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0197] The transmitter 354 and the receiver 352 can implement layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, which includes the physical (PHY) layer, can include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 disposes of the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The decoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with reference signals (e.g., pilots) in the time domain and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using the inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is space precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from the channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes and for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from reference signals transmitted by the UE 302 and / or channel status feedback. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 can modulate an RF carrier with the respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0198] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives signals via its respective antenna 316. The receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the processing system 332. The transmitter 314 and the receiver 312 implement layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If there are multiple spatial streams destined for the UE 302, they can be combined by the receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The receiver 312 then uses the fast Fourier transform (FFT) to convert the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, as well as the reference signals, are recovered and demodulated by determining the signal constellation points most likely transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on the channel estimates calculated by the channel estimator. These soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the original data and control signals transmitted by the base station 304 on the physical channel. These data and control signals are then provided to the processing system 332 that implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality.

[0199] In the UL, the processing system 332 provides demultiplexing between the transport channel and the logical channel, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The processing system 332 is also responsible for error detection.

[0200] Similar to the functionality described in connection with DL transmissions performed by base station 304, processing system 332 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) capture, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transmission of upper layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and re-ordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with the mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0201] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from reference signals or feedback transmitted by base station 304 may be used by transmitter 314 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by transmitter 314 may be provided to different antennas 316. Transmitter 314 may modulate the RF carrier with the respective spatial streams for transmission.

[0202] UL transmissions are processed at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver functionality at UE 302. Receiver 352 receives signals via its respective antennas 356. Receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to processing system 384.

[0203] In the UL, processing system 384 provides demultiplexing between transport channels and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from UE 302. The IP packets from processing system 384 may be provided to the core network. Processing system 384 is also responsible for error detection.

[0204] For convenience, apparatuses 302, 304, and / or 306 are shown in Figures 3A-3C as including various components that may be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it will be appreciated that the illustrated blocks may have different functionality in different designs.

[0205] The various components of apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 may communicate with each other via data buses 334, 382, and 392, respectively. Figures 3A-3C The components of may be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figures 3A-3CThe components can be implemented in one or more circuits (e.g., such as one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors)). Here, each circuit can use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide this functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 can be implemented by the processor and (a) memory component(s) of the UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 388 can be implemented by the processor and memory component(s) of the base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Additionally, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 396 can be implemented by the processor and (a) memory component(s) of the network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being "performed by the UE", "performed by the base station", "performed by the positioning entity", etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, actions, and / or functions can actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE, base station, positioning entity, etc., such as processing systems 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, memory components 340, 386, and 396, TRS modules 342 and 388, etc.

[0206] Figure 4A FIG. 400 is an illustration showing an example of a DL frame structure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 4B FIG. 430 is an illustration showing an example of channels within a DL frame structure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0207] LTE, and in some cases NR, uses OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency-division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also often referred to as frequency tones, frequency slots, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally speaking, the modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain for OFDM and in the time domain for SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal FFT sizes can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048 respectively. The system bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband can cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands respectively.

[0208] LTE supports a single parameter set (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple parameter designs. For example, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 204 kHz or greater can be available. Table 1 provided below lists some of the various parameters for different NR parameter sets.

[0209]

[0210]

[0211] Table 1

[0212] In Figure 4A and 4B 's example, a parameter design of 15 kHz is used. Therefore, in the time domain, a frame (e.g., 10 ms) is divided into 10 equally sized subframes, each 1 ms, and each subframe includes a time slot. In Figure 4A and 4B , time is represented horizontally (e.g., on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (e.g., on the Y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0213] A resource grid can be used to represent time slots, each time slot including one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also referred to as physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into a plurality of resource elements (REs). An RE can correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In Figure 4A and 4B parameter design, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB can include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain (for DL, OFDM symbols; for UL, SC-FDMA symbols), a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB can include 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain, a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0214] As Figure 4A explained, some REs carry DL reference (pilot) signals (DL-RSs) for channel estimation at the UE. The DL-RS can include demodulation reference signals (DMRSs) and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs), and their exemplary positions are marked as "R" in Figure 4A .

[0215] Figure 4B Examples of various channels in the DL subframe of an illustrative frame are explained. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DL control information (DCI) within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE including 9 RE groups (REGs), each REG including 4 consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol. The DCI carries information about UL resource allocation (persistent and non-persistent) and a description of the DL data transmitted to the UE. Multiple (e.g., up to 8) DCIs can be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs can have one of multiple formats. For example, there are different DCI formats for UL scheduling, for non-MIMO DL scheduling, for MIMO DL scheduling, and for UL power control.

[0216] The Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) is used by the UE to determine subframe / symbol timing and the physical layer identity. The Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on this PCI, the UE can determine the position of the aforementioned DL-RS. The Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) carrying the MIB can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also known as SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the DL system bandwidth, as well as the System Frame Number (SFN). The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted through the PBCH (such as System Information Blocks (SIBs)), and paging messages.

[0217] In some cases, the DL RS illustrated in Figure 4A can be a Downlink (DL) Positioning Reference Signal (PRS). Figure 5 An exemplary DL PRS configuration 500 for a cell supported by a radio node (such as base station 102) is illustrated. Figure 5 Shows how the DL PRS positioning occasion is determined by the System Frame Number (SFN), the cell-specific subframe offset (Δ PRS ) 552, and the DL PRS periodicity (T PRS ) 520. Typically, the cell-specific DL PRS subframe configuration is defined by the "PRS configuration index" I PRS included in the Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) assistance data. The DL PRS periodicity (T PRS ) 520 and the cell-specific subframe offset (Δ PRS ) are defined based on the DL PRS configuration index I PRS , as illustrated in Table 2 below.

[0218]

[0219] Table 2 – DL PRS Configuration

[0220] The DL PRS configuration is defined with reference to the SFN of the cell transmitting the DL PRS. For the first subframe among N PRS downlink subframes that includes the first DL PRS positioning occasion, the DL PRS instance can satisfy:

[0221]

[0222] where n f is the SFN, where 0 ≤ n f ≤ 1023, n s is given by nf The number of time slots within a defined radio frame, where 0 ≤ n s ≤ 19, T PRS is the DL PRS period 520, and Δ PRS is the cell-specific subframe offset 552.

[0223] As Figure 5 shown, the cell-specific subframe offset Δ PRS 552 can be defined in terms of the number of subframes starting from system frame number 0 (time slot "number 0", labeled as time slot 550) up to the start of the first (subsequent) DL PRS positioning occasion. In the Figure 5 example in, the number of consecutive positioning subframes (N PRS ) in each consecutive DL PRS positioning occasion 518a, 518b, and 518c is equal to 4. That is, each shaded block representing a DL PRS positioning occasion 518a, 518b, and 518c represents four subframes.

[0224] In some aspects, when the UE receives the PRS configuration index I PRS in the OTDOA assistance data for a specific cell, the UE can use Table 2 to determine the DL PRS period T PRS 520 and the DL PRS subframe offset Δ PRS . The UE can then determine the radio frame, subframe, and time slot when the DL PRS is scheduled in the cell (e.g., using Equation (1)). The OTDOA assistance data can be determined by, for example, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270), and includes assistance data for a reference cell and several neighbor cells supported by respective base stations.

[0225] Typically, the DL PRS occasions from all cells in the network using the same frequency are time-aligned, and can have a fixed known time offset (e.g., the cell-specific subframe offset 552) relative to other cells in the network using different frequencies. In an SFN-synchronized network, all radio nodes (e.g., base station 102) can be aligned both on the frame boundary and the system frame number. Thus, in an SFN-synchronized network, all cells supported by each radio node can use the same PRS configuration index for any particular frequency of DL PRS transmission. On the other hand, in an SFN-asynchronous network, each radio node can be aligned on the frame boundary but not on the system frame number. Accordingly, in an SFN-asynchronous network, the PRS configuration index for each cell can be configured separately by the network so that the DL PRS occasions are time-aligned.

[0226] If a UE can obtain the cell timing (e.g., SFN) of at least one cell (e.g., a reference cell or a serving cell), the UE can determine the timing of the DL PRS occasions of the reference cell and neighbor cells for OTDOA positioning. Subsequently, the timings of other cells can be derived by the UE, for example, based on the assumption about the overlap of DL PRS occasions from different cells.

[0227] The set of resource elements used to transmit the DL PRS is referred to as the "PRS resource". This set of resource elements can 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 a given OFDM symbol, the DL PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs. The DL PRS resource is described by at least the following parameters: DL PRS resource identifier (ID), sequence ID, comb size N, resource element offset in the frequency domain, start time slot and start symbol, number of symbols per DL PRS resource (i.e., the duration of the DL PRS resource), and QCL information (e.g., QCL with other DL reference signals). In some designs, one antenna port is supported. The comb size indicates the number of subcarriers carrying the DL PRS in each symbol. For example, a comb size of comb - 4 means that every fourth subcarrier of a given symbol carries the DL PRS.

[0228] A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used to transmit the DL PRS signal, where each DL PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. Additionally, the DL PRS resources in a DL PRS resource set are associated with the same transmit - receive point (TRP). The PRS resource ID in the PRS resource set is associated with a single beam transmitted from a single TRP (where the TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each DL PRS resource in the DL PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and thus, a "PRS resource" can also be referred to as a "beam". Note that this does not imply anything about whether the UE knows the TRP and beam transmitting the DL PRS. A "DL PRS occasion" is an instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a group of one or more consecutive time slots) in which the DL PRS is expected to be transmitted. A DL PRS occasion can also be referred to as a "DL PRS positioning occasion, positioning occasion, or simply occasion".

[0229] Note that the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may sometimes refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in LTE or NR systems. However, as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as but not limited to: PRS signals in LTE or NR, navigation reference signals (NRS) in 5G, transmitter reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), SSBs, etc.

[0230] Uplink (UL) reference signals can also be configured as PRS. For example, SRS is a UL-only signal transmitted by the UE to help the base station obtain the channel state information (CSI) of each user. Channel state information describes how the RF signal propagates from the UE to the base station and represents the combined effects of scattering, fading, and power attenuation with distance. The system uses SRS for resource scheduling, link adaptation, massive MIMO, beam management, etc.

[0231] Several enhancements to the previously defined SRS have been proposed for SRS used for positioning (e.g., as used herein, SRS-P is an example of UL PRS), such as a new interleaving pattern within the SRS resource, a new comb type of SRS, a new sequence of SRS, a higher number of SRS resource sets per component carrier, and a higher number of SRS resources per component carrier. In addition, the parameters "SpatialRelationInfo" and "PathLossReference" are to be configured based on DL RS from adjacent TRPs. Further still, an SRS resource can be transmitted outside the active bandwidth part (BWP), and an SRS resource can span multiple component carriers. Finally, the UE can transmit via the same transmit beam from multiple SRS resources for UL-AoA. All of these are features outside the current SRS framework, which is configured by RRC higher layer signaling (and potentially triggered or activated by MAC control element (CE) or downlink control information (DCI)).

[0232] As mentioned above, the SRS in NR is a UE-specifically configured reference signal transmitted by the UE for the purpose of sounding the uplink radio channel. Similar to CSI-RS, such sounding provides various levels of knowledge of radio channel characteristics. In one extreme case, the SRS can be simply used at the gNB to obtain signal strength measurements, for example, for UL beam management purposes. In another extreme case, the SRS can be used at the gNB to obtain detailed amplitude and phase estimates as a function of frequency, time, and space. In NR, channel sounding with SRS supports a more diverse set of use cases compared to LTE (e.g., downlink CSI capture for reciprocal-based gNB transmit beamforming (downlink MIMO); uplink CSI capture for link adaptation and codebook / non-codebook-based precoding for uplink MIMO, uplink beam management, etc.).

[0233] The SRS can be configured using various options. The time / frequency mapping of the SRS resource is defined by the following characteristics.

[0234] · Time duration N 码元 SRS - The time duration of the SRS resource can be 1, 2, or 4 consecutive OFDM symbols within a slot, in contrast to LTE which only allows a single OFDM symbol per slot.

[0235] · Starting symbol position l0 - The starting symbol of the SRS resource can be located anywhere within the last 6 OFDM symbols of the slot, provided that the resource does not cross the slot end boundary.

[0236] · Repetition factor R - For an SRS resource configured with frequency hopping, repetition allows sounding of the same set of subcarriers in R consecutive OFDM symbols before the next hop occurs (as used herein, "hop" specifically refers to frequency hopping). For example, the value of R is 1, 2, 4, where R ≤ N 码元 SRS .

[0237] · Transmission comb spacing K TC and comb offset k TC - The SRS resource can occupy resource elements (REs) of a frequency domain comb structure, where the comb spacing is 2 or 4 REs as in LTE. This structure allows frequency domain multiplexing of different SRS resources for the same or different users on different combs, where different combs are offset by an integer number of REs from each other. The comb offset is defined with respect to the PRB boundary and can take values in the range of 0, 1, …, K TC - 1 REs. Thus, for a comb spacing K TC = 2, there are 2 different combs available for multiplexing (if needed), while for a comb spacing K TC= 4, there are 4 different available comb teeth.

[0238] · Periodicity and slot offset for periodic / semi-persistent SRS scenarios.

[0239] · Probing bandwidth within the bandwidth part.

[0240] For low-latency positioning, the gNB can trigger PRS via DCI (e.g., UL PRS (such as UL SRS-P), DL PRS, RTT procedures with Rx-Tx measurements including both UL PRS and DL PRS, etc.) (e.g., the transmitted SRS-P can include repetitions or beam sweeps so that several gNBs can receive the SRS-P). Alternatively, the gNB can send information to the UE about the transmission of aperiodic PRS (e.g., UL PRS or DL PRS) (e.g., the configuration can include information about PRS from multiple gNBs so that the UE can perform timing calculations for positioning (UE-based) or for reporting (UE-assisted)). Although various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to DL PRS-based positioning procedures, some or all of such embodiments can also be applied to UL SRS-P (or more generally, UL PRS)-based positioning procedures.

[0241] Note that the terms "probing reference signal", "SRS", and "SRS-P" may sometimes refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in LTE or NR systems. However, as used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms "probing reference signal", "SRS", and "SRS-P" refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as but not limited to: SRS signals in LTE or NR, navigation reference signals (NRS) in 5G, transmitter reference signals (TRS), random access channel (RACH) signals for positioning (e.g., RACH preambles, such as Msg-1 in a 4-step RACH procedure or Msg-A in a 2-step RACH procedure), etc.

[0242] The various NR positioning aspects introduced in 3GPP Release 16 involve improving the location accuracy of positioning solutions that involve (the) measurements associated with one or more UL or DL PRSs (e.g., higher bandwidth (BW), FR2 beam sweeping, angle-based measurements such as angle of arrival (AoA) and angle of departure (AoD) measurements, multi-cell round-trip time (RTT) measurements, etc.). If reduction of the latency is a priority, UE-based positioning techniques are typically used (e.g., DL-only techniques without UL location measurement reports). However, if the latency is less critical, UE-assisted positioning techniques can be used, whereby data measured by the UE is reported to network entities (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, etc.). By implementing the LMF in the RAN, the latency associated with UE-assisted positioning techniques can be reduced to some extent.

[0243] Layer 3 (L3) signaling (e.g., RRC or Location Positioning Protocol (LPP)) is typically used to convey reports including location-based data associated with UE-assisted positioning techniques. Compared with layer 1 (L1 or PHY layer) signaling or layer 2 (L2 or MAC layer) signaling, L3 signaling is associated with a relatively high latency (e.g., above 100 ms). In some cases, a lower latency (e.g., less than 100 ms, less than 10 ms, etc.) for location-based reporting between the UE and the RAN may be desirable. In such cases, L3 signaling may not be able to achieve these lower latency levels. The L3 signaling for positioning measurements can include any combination of the following:

[0244] · One or more TOA, TDOA, RSRP, or Rx-Tx measurements,

[0245] · One or more AoA / AoD (e.g., currently only DL AoA and UL AoD agreed for gNB->LMF reporting) measurements,

[0246] · One or more multipath reporting measurements, e.g., per-path ToA, RSRP, AoA / AoD (e.g., per-path ToA currently only allowed in LTE)

[0247] · One or more motion states (e.g., walking, driving, etc.) and trajectories (e.g., currently for the UE), and / or

[0248] · One or more reporting quality indicators.

[0249] Recently, it has been envisioned to use L1 and L2 signaling in association with DL PRS-based reporting. For example, L1 and L2 signaling is currently used in some systems to convey CSI reports (e.g., reports of channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), layer indicator (Li), L1-RSRP, etc.). The CSI report may include a set of fields in a predefined order (e.g., defined by a relevant standard). A single UL transmission (e.g., on PUSCH or PUCCH) may include multiple reports, herein referred to as'sub-reports', which are arranged according to a predefined priority (e.g., defined by a relevant standard). In some designs, the predefined order may be based on the associated sub-report periodicity (e.g., aperiodic / semi-persistent / periodic (A / SP / P) on PUSCH / PUCCH), measurement type (e.g., L1-RSRP or non-L1-RSRP), serving cell index (e.g., in a carrier aggregation (CA) scenario), and report configuration ID (reportconfigID). For a two-part CSI report, part 1 of all reports is grouped together, and part 2 is grouped separately, and each group is encoded separately (e.g., the part 1 payload size is fixed based on configuration parameters, while the part 2 size is variable and depends on configuration parameters as well as the associated part 1 content). The number of encoded bits / symbols to be output after coding and rate matching is calculated according to relevant standards based on the number of input bits and the β factor. A link (e.g., a time offset) is defined between an instance of an RS being measured and the corresponding report. In some designs, it is possible to implement CSI-like reports of DL PRS-based measurement data using L1 and L2 signaling.

[0250] Figure 6 An exemplary wireless communication system 600 in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In Figure 6 the example, UE 604 (which may correspond to any UE described above with respect to Figure 1 (e.g., UE 104, UE 182, UE 190, etc.)) is attempting to calculate an estimate of its location, or assisting another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating an estimate of its location. UE 604 may wirelessly communicate with multiple base stations 602a-d (collectively referred to as base stations 602) using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulating RF signals and exchanging information packets, where base stations 602a-d may correspond to Figure 1any combination of base stations 102 or 180 and / or WLAN APs 150 therein. By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals and leveraging the layout of the wireless communication system 600 (i.e., base station locations, geometries, etc.), the UE 604 can determine its location or assist in determining its location in a predefined reference coordinate system. In one aspect, the UE 604 can use a two-dimensional coordinate system to specify its location; however, the aspects disclosed herein are not limited thereto and can also be applicable to using a three-dimensional coordinate system to determine location in cases where additional dimensions are desired. Additionally, although Figure 6 illustrates one UE 604 and four base stations 602, it will be appreciated that there can be more UE 604s and more or fewer base stations 602.

[0251] To support location estimation, the base stations 602 can be configured to broadcast reference RF signals (e.g., DL PRS, cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), synchronization signals, etc.) to the UEs 604 in their coverage areas so that the UE 604 can measure the reference RF signal timing differences (e.g., OTDOA or RSTD) between pairs of network nodes and / or to identify the beam that optimally excites the LOS or shortest radio path between the UE 604 and the transmitting base station 602. Interest in identifying the LOS / shortest path beam(s) is not only because these beams can subsequently be used for OTDOA measurements between a pair of base stations 602, but also because identifying these beams can directly provide some location information based on the beam direction. Additionally, these beams can subsequently be used for other location estimation methods that require precise ToA, such as methods based on round-trip time estimation.

[0252] As used herein, a "network node" can be a base station 602, a cell of the base station 602, a remote radio head, an antenna of the base station 602, where the antenna location of the base station 602 is different from the location of the base station 602 itself or the location of any other network entity capable of transmitting a reference signal. Additionally, as used herein, a "node" can refer to a network node or a UE.

[0253] A location server (e.g., location server 230) may send assistance data to UE 604, which includes the identities of one or more neighbor cells of base station 602, and configuration information regarding the reference RF signals transmitted by each neighbor cell. Alternatively, the assistance data may directly originate from the base stations 602 themselves (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). Alternatively, UE 604 may detect the neighbor cells of base station 602 on its own without using assistance data. UE 604 (e.g., partly based on the assistance data if provided) may measure and (optionally) report the OTDOA from individual network nodes and / or the RSTD between the reference RF signals received from the network nodes. Using these measurements and the known locations of the measured network nodes (i.e., the base stations 602 or antennas that transmitted the reference RF signals measured by UE 604), UE 604 or the location server may determine the distance between UE 604 and the measured network nodes, and thereby calculate the location of UE 604.

[0254] The term "location estimate" is used herein to refer to an estimate of the location of UE 604, which may be geographical (e.g., may include latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude) or civic (e.g., may include a street address, building name, or precise point or area within or near a building or street address (such as a specific entrance to a building, a specific room or suite in a building), or a landmark (such as a town square)). A location estimate may also be referred to as "position", "location", "lock", "location lock", "position lock", "position estimate", "lock estimate", or some other term. The manner of obtaining a location estimate may generally be referred to as "positioning", "addressing", or "location locking". A particular solution for obtaining a location estimate may be referred to as a "positioning solution". A particular method for obtaining a location estimate as part of a positioning solution may be referred to as a "positioning method", or as a "position determination method".

[0255] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmission point or to multiple physical transmission points that may or may not be co-located. For example, in the case where the term "base station" refers to a single physical transmission point, the physical transmission point can be a base station antenna corresponding to a cell of a base station (e.g., base station 602). In the case where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical transmission points, these physical transmission points can be an antenna array of a base station (e.g., as in a MIMO system or in the case where beamforming is employed by the base station). In the case where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical transmission points, these physical transmission points can 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, these non-co-located physical transmission points can be a serving base station that receives a measurement report from a UE (e.g., UE 604) and a neighbor base station whose reference RF signal the UE is measuring. Thus, Figure 6 An aspect is illustrated in which base stations 602a and 602b form a DAS / RRH 620. For example, base station 602a can be a serving base station of UE 604, and base station 602b can be a neighbor base station of UE 604. As such, base station 602b can be an RRH of base station 602a. Base stations 602a and 602b can communicate with each other over a wired or wireless link 622.

[0256] In order to accurately determine the location of UE 604 using OTDOA and / or RSTD between RF signals received from various network nodes, the UE 604 needs to measure the reference RF signals received on the LOS (line-of-sight) path (or the shortest NLOS (non-line-of-sight) path in the case where the LOS path is not available) between the UE 604 and the network nodes (e.g., base stations 602, antennas). However, RF signals do not only travel along the LOS / shortest path between the transmitter and the receiver, but also on several other paths because the RF signals spread out from the transmitter and are reflected by other objects (such as hills, buildings, water, etc.) on their way to the receiver. Thus, Figure 6 Several LOS paths 610 and several NLOS paths 612 between base station 602 and UE 604 are illustrated. Specifically, Figure 6 It is illustrated that base station 602a transmits on LOS path 610a and NLOS path 612a, base station 602b transmits on LOS path 610b and two NLOS paths 612b, base station 602c transmits on LOS path 610c and NLOS path 612c, and base station 602d transmits on two NLOS paths 612d. As Figure 6As explained, each NLOS path 612 reflects from an object 630 (e.g., a building). As will be appreciated, each LOS path 610 and NLOS path 612 transmitted by the base station 602 may be transmitted by different antennas of the base station 602 (e.g., as in a MIMO system), or may be transmitted by the same antenna of the base station 602 (thus explaining the propagation of RF signals). Additionally, as used herein, the term "LOS path" refers to the shortest path between the transmitter and the receiver, and may not be an actual LOS path but the shortest NLOS path.

[0257] In one aspect, one or more base stations 602 may be configured to transmit RF signals using beamforming. In such a case, some available beams may focus the transmitted RF signals along the LOS path 610 (e.g., these beams produce the highest antenna gain along the LOS path), while other available beams may focus the transmitted RF signals along the NLOS path 612. A beam having a high gain along a particular path and thus focusing the RF signal along that path may still allow a certain RF signal to propagate along other paths; the strength of that RF signal naturally depends on the beam gain along those other paths. An "RF signal" includes an electromagnetic wave 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, as further described below, 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.

[0258] In the case where the base station 602 uses beamforming to transmit RF signals, the beam of interest for data communication between the base station 602 and the UE 604 will be the beam carrying the RF signal that arrives at the UE 604 with the highest signal strength (as indicated by, e.g., received signal received power (RSRP) or SINR in the presence of a directional interference signal), while the beam of interest for positioning estimation will be the beam carrying the RF signal that excites the shortest path or LOS path (e.g., LOS path 610). In some frequency bands and for commonly used antenna systems, these beams will be the same beam. However, in other frequency bands (such as mmW), where a large number of antenna elements can typically be used to create narrow transmit beams, they may not be the same beam. As described below with reference to Figure 7 In some cases, the signal strength of the RF signal on the LOS path 610 may be weaker (e.g., due to obstacles) than the signal strength of the RF signal on the NLOS path 612, and the RF signal on the NLOS path 612 arrives later due to propagation delay.

[0259] Figure 7An exemplary wireless communication system 700 in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure is described. In Figure 7 the example, UE 704 (which may correspond to UE 604 in Figure 6 ) is attempting to compute an estimate of its location or assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in computing an estimate of its location. UE 704 may use RF signals and standardized protocols for modulation of RF signals and exchange of information packets to communicate wirelessly with base station 702 (which may correspond to one of the base stations 602 in Figure 6 ).

[0260] As Figure 7 illustrated, base station 702 is utilizing beamforming to transmit multiple beams 711 - 715 of RF signals. Each of the beams 711 - 515 may be formed and transmitted by an antenna array of base station 702. Although Figure 7 illustrates base station 702 transmitting five beams 711 - 715, it will be appreciated that there may be more or fewer than five beams, the beam shapes (such as peak gain, width, and sidelobe gain) may vary between the transmitted beams, and some of these beams may be transmitted by different base stations.

[0261] For the purpose of distinguishing an RF signal associated with one beam from an RF signal associated with another beam, a beam index may be assigned to each of the multiple beams 711 - 715. Additionally, the RF signal associated with a particular beam among the multiple beams 711 - 715 may carry a beam index indicator. The beam index may also be derived from the transmission time of the RF signal (e.g., frame, time slot, and / or OFDM symbol number). The beam index indicator may be, for example, a three-bit field for uniquely distinguishing up to eight beams. If two different RF signals are received with different beam indices, this will indicate that the RF signals were transmitted using different beams. If two different RF signals share a common beam index, this will indicate that the different RF signals were transmitted using the same beam. Another way of describing that two RF signals were transmitted using the same beam is that the (one or more) antenna ports used for transmission of the first RF signal are spatially co-located with the (one or more) antenna ports used for transmission of the second RF signal.

[0262] In Figure 7 the example, UE 704 receives the NLOS data stream 723 of the RF signal transmitted on beam 713 and the LOS data stream 724 of the RF signal transmitted on beam 714. Although Figure 7The NLOS data stream 723 and the LOS data stream 724 are illustrated as single lines (dashed and solid respectively), but as will be appreciated, the NLOS data stream 723 and the LOS data stream 724 may each include multiple rays (i.e., "clusters") up to the time of their arrival at the UE 704, for example due to the propagation characteristics of the RF signal through a multipath channel. For example, when an electromagnetic wave is reflected by multiple surfaces of an object and these reflections arrive at the receiving party (e.g., UE 704) from substantially the same angle, a cluster of RF signals is formed, with each reflection traveling a few more or less wavelengths (e.g., centimeters) than the others. The "cluster" of received RF signals generally corresponds to a single transmitted RF signal.

[0263] In Figure 7 the example of, the NLOS data stream 723 does not initially point to the UE 704, although as will be appreciated, it could have initially pointed to the UE 704, as was the case with the RF signal on the NLOS path 612 in Figure 6 However, it is reflected by the reflector 740 (e.g., a building) and reaches the UE 704 unobstructed, and thus can still be a relatively strong RF signal. In contrast, the LOS data stream 724 points to the UE 704 but passes through an obstacle 730 (e.g., vegetation, a building, a hill, a disruptive environment such as clouds or smoke, etc.), which can significantly degrade the RF signal. As will be appreciated, although the LOS data stream 724 is weaker than the NLOS data stream 723, the LOS data stream 724 will arrive at the UE 704 before the NLOS data stream 723 because it follows a shorter path from the base station 702 to the UE 704.

[0264] As mentioned above, the beam of interest for data communication between a base station (e.g., base station 702) and a UE (e.g., UE 704) is the beam carrying the RF signal that arrives at the UE with the highest signal strength (e.g., the highest RSRP or SINR), while the beam of interest for positioning estimation is the beam carrying the RF signal that excites the LOS path and has the highest gain along the LOS path among all other beams (e.g., beam 714). That is, even if beam 713 (NLOS beam) would originally weakly excite the LOS path (due to the propagation characteristics of the RF signal, even without focusing along the LOS path), the weak signal (if any) of the LOS path of beam 713 may not be reliably detectable (compared to the LOS path from beam 714), thus resulting in a larger error when performing positioning measurements.

[0265] Although the beam of interest for data communication and the beam of interest for positioning estimation may be the same beam for some frequency bands, for other frequency bands (such as mmW), they may not be the same beam. Thus, referring to Figure 7, when the UE 704 participates in a data communication session with the base station 702 (e.g., when the base station 702 is the serving base station of the UE 704) and is not simply attempting to measure the reference RF signal transmitted by the base station 702, the beam of interest for the data communication session can be beam 713 because it is carrying an unobstructed NLOS data stream 723. However, the beam of interest for position estimation will be beam 714 because it is carrying the strongest LOS data stream 724, although it is obstructed.

[0266] Figure 8A FIG. 800A shows the RF channel response over time at a receiver (e.g., UE 704) in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. At Figure 8A the illustrated channel, the receiver receives a first cluster of two RF signals on the channel taps at time T1, a second cluster of five RF signals on the channel taps at time T2, a third cluster of five RF signals on the channel taps at time T3, and a fourth cluster of four RF signals on the channel taps at time T4. At Figure 8A the example of, because the first RF signal cluster arrives first at time T1, it is assumed to be a LOS data stream (i.e., a data stream that arrives on the LOS or shortest path), and may correspond to the LOS data stream 724. The third cluster at time T3 consists of the strongest RF signals and may correspond to the NLOS data stream 723. From the transmitter's side, each cluster of received RF signals may include a portion of RF signals transmitted at different angles, and thus it can be said that each cluster has a different angle of departure (AoD) from the transmitter. Figure 8B FIG. 800B is a diagram illustrating this separation of clusters by AoD. The RF signals transmitted in the AoD range 802a may correspond to Figure 8A one of the clusters in (e.g., "cluster 1"), and the RF signals transmitted in the AoD range 802b may correspond to Figure 8A a different cluster in (e.g., "cluster 3"). Note that although the AoD ranges of the two clusters depicted in Figure 8B are spatially separated, the AoD ranges of some clusters may also partially overlap, although these clusters are separated in time. For example, this can occur when two separate buildings reflect signals towards the receiver at the same AoD from the transmitter. Note that although Figure 8A illustrates clusters of two to five channel taps (or "peaks"), it will be appreciated that these clusters may have more or fewer channel taps than the number of channel taps illustrated.

[0267] RAN1 NR may define UE measurements on DL reference signals applicable to NR positioning (e.g., for serving, reference, and / or neighboring cells), including DL reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurements for NR positioning, DLRSRP measurements for NR positioning, and UE Rx-Tx (e.g., the hardware group delay from signal reception at the UE receiver to response signal transmission at the UE transmitter, e.g., for time difference measurements for NR positioning such as RTT).

[0268] RAN1 NR may define gNB measurements based on UL reference signals applicable to NR positioning, such as relative UL arrival time (RTOA) for NR positioning, UL AoA measurements for NR positioning (e.g., including azimuth and elevation angles), UL RSRP measurements for NR positioning, and gNB Rx-Tx (e.g., the hardware group delay from signal reception at the gNB receiver to response signal transmission at the gNB transmitter, e.g., for time difference measurements for NR positioning such as RTT).

[0269] In some designs, the PRS measurement procedure may be aligned with the measurement gap (MG) configuration. An MG is a period during which UL / DL data traffic or control signaling (e.g., on a specific frequency band, CC, FL, or FR) is not permitted so that the UE can perform certain measurements (such as DL-PRS measurements). In some designs, the list of MG configurations may be pre-defined per RRC. An optional MG index field may form part of one or more PRS configurations stored at the UE. In such a case, the PRS configuration may reference a specific MG configuration.

[0270] In some designs, the DL-PRS configuration is configured in an always-on mode (e.g., half-period or periodic transmission is scheduled indefinitely). For example, many UEs require continuous positioning, and always-on PRS can facilitate UE positioning without an explicit request from the UE to the network. In other designs, the DL-PRS configuration for a specific UE may be off (or inactive) and may be switched on in response to a trigger (e.g., a positioning request from the UE, a positioning request from an application server associated with an application on the UE, etc.). In such a case, in response to the trigger, the DL-PRS configuration is switched on (or activated) for a short duration to perform the UE positioning procedure and then switched back off (e.g., to save power and reduce resource consumption and overhead).

[0271] While the above-mentioned examples of DL-PRS and UL-PRS (e.g., SRS-P) relate to example configurations of reference signals for positioning, in some cases other RS types may also be used for positioning. Such RS types include TRS, phase-tracking RS (PTRS), CSI-IRS, and in some scenarios DMRS. In some designs, the TRS is configured to broadcast a signal for the UE to obtain time and frequency synchronization with the corresponding cell, where the TRS is configured (i.e., transmitted) whenever any UE is active in the corresponding cell (e.g., although in other designs, the TRS may be UE-specific). Aspects of the present disclosure relate to the TRS configuration of cells for spatial measurements such as positioning. Such aspects may facilitate spatial measurements in a manner that does not require the corresponding UE to switch the DL-PRS configuration from off to on, and in some cases may utilize existing TRS resources that are already configured. Thus, such aspects may provide various technical advantages such as reduced positioning latency, reduced system overhead, and so on.

[0272] Figure 9 Illustrates an exemplary wireless communication procedure 900 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In one aspect, method 900 may be performed by a UE, such as any of the UEs described above (e.g., UE 104, 302, etc.).

[0273] At 910, UE 302 (e.g., receiver 312, receiver 322, TRS module 342, etc.) receives a set of TRS configurations associated with a corresponding set of cells. In some designs, some or all of the TRS configurations received at 910 may be received prior to a spatial measurement procedure at UE 302. For example, UE 302 may monitor the TRS of some cells to maintain a timing estimate of neighboring cells (e.g., especially in cases where an interference nulling / cancellation feature is being implemented), in which case the corresponding TRS configurations for each neighboring cell may be known to UE 304 prior to any request for spatial measurement. In other designs, some or all of the TRS configurations received at 910 may be received together with a request for spatial measurement.

[0274] At 920, the UE 302 (e.g., receiver 312, receiver 322, TRS module 342, sensor 344, etc.) performs a set of spatial measurements associated with a TRS set on resources configured by a corresponding set of TRS configurations. In one example, the set of spatial measurements can include a set of positioning measurements (e.g., (multiple) TDOA measurements, (multiple) RTT measurements, (multiple) multi-RTT measurements, angle measurements (such as AoD or AoA), etc.), or a set of motion measurements (e.g., one or more speed measurements, one or more acceleration measurements, etc.), or a combination thereof. In some designs, the TRS set is received at 920 when the UE operates according to a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state or an RRC idle state.

[0275] Figure 10 Exemplary wireless communication process 1000 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In one aspect, process 1000 can be performed by a BS, such as any of the BSs described above (e.g., BS 304, etc.).

[0276] At 1010, the BS 304 (e.g., TRS module 384, processing system 384, etc.) determines a TRS configuration. In some designs, the BS 304 can correspond to the serving cell of the UE, and the TRS configuration can be one of a plurality of TRS configurations that is determined and signaled to the UE in combination with a request to trigger a spatial measurement procedure. In other designs, the BS 304 can correspond to an adjacent cell of the UE. In such a case, the adjacent cell only needs to determine its own TRS configuration, which can be signaled to the UE by the serving cell alone.

[0277] At 1020, the BS 304 (e.g., transmitter 354, transmitter 364, etc.) transmits a TRS associated with a spatial measurement procedure on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration. In some designs where the BS 304 corresponds to an adjacent cell, the BS 304 does not need to actually know that the UE is performing a spatial measurement procedure (e.g., the adjacent cell may instead assume that the UE is performing TRS-based timing synchronization, etc.). In other designs, even if the BS 304 is an adjacent cell, the BS 304 may know that the UE is performing a spatial measurement procedure (e.g., if the spatial measurement procedure corresponds to an RTT procedure, the BS 304 will measure its TRS transmission time and then monitor the SRS-P, etc.). In some designs, the TRS is transmitted at 1020 when the UE operates according to an RRC inactive state or an RRC idle state.

[0278] Reference Figures 9-10, in some designs, UE 302 may receive the configuration of at least one MG for use in spatial measurement procedures. In such a case, the (a) TRS transmission of 1020 and the set of spatial measurements of 920 are performed during at least one MG. In some designs, each cell manages its own corresponding TRS configuration, which does not require cross-cell coordination. In some designs, a single large MG or multiple smaller MGs may be configured to facilitate the (a) TRS measurement across a set of cells. In some designs, at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from the LMF component. For example, the LMF component may collect all the corresponding TRS configurations associated with the spatial measurement procedure and then may recommend the (a) suitable MG to the serving cell (e.g., gNB) and / or the UE.

[0279] Reference Figures 9-10 , in some designs, the TRS set may be multiplexed with user-plane data traffic (e.g., PDSCH) in the same symbol. In such a case, the time-domain processing of the (a) TRS may not be feasible, and the TRS processing may be implemented in the frequency domain instead. In some designs, UE 302 may transmit an indication of the UE's ability to process downlink data in the frequency domain. In some designs, BS 304 may transmit to UE 302 at least one indication of whether at least one TRS from the TRS set is multiplexed with user-plane data traffic (e.g., PDSCH). In some designs, the at least one indication is provided on a per-cell basis for the corresponding configured instance of the corresponding TRS configuration. In some designs, BS 304 may transmit to the UE the validity period (e.g., via a timer value) for at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations.

[0280] Figure 11 Illustrates a TRS configuration 1100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. As Figure 11 shown, the TRS may be transmitted in 2 adjacent time slots and separated by 4 symbols in the corresponding time slots. In some designs, such a configuration is particularly suitable for motion-based measurements, such as speed and / or acceleration measurements. Thus, in some designs, the spatial measurement procedure may include motion-based measurements. In some designs, the UE may perform TOA / TDOA measurements on the TRS, calculate the corresponding speed or acceleration (e.g., which may average the TRS from each cell), and then report the speed or the acceleration to the requesting entity. In other designs, the UE may perform TOA / TDOA measurements on the TRS and then report the TOA / TDOA measurements to the requesting entity (e.g., which may then calculate the corresponding speed or acceleration of the UE). In the case of speed measurement, the corresponding speed may be measured according to linear speed, angular speed, or a combination thereof.

[0281] ReferenceFigures 9-10 , as mentioned above, in some designs, at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received at UE 302 in association with an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure that includes the set of spatial measurements. In other designs, at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received at UE 302 prior to an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure that includes the set of spatial measurements. In such a case, after receiving the at least one TRS configuration, an instruction to perform a spatial measurement procedure on the resources configured by the at least one TRS configuration may be received at UE 302.

[0282] Reference Figures 9-10 , in some designs, UE 302 may transmit a measurement report based on the set of spatial measurements. In some designs, the measurement report may include raw measurement data (e.g., TOA / TDOA measurements, transmission time of SRS-P for RTT, etc.), while in other designs, the measurement report may include processed measurement data (e.g., one or more positioning features, calculated location, calculated acceleration and / or velocity, Rx-Tx measurements for RTT, etc.). In some designs, the measurement report may be associated with a location request that triggers an on-demand spatial measurement procedure. In other designs, UE 302 may already have the most recent TRS measurement information between receiving location requests. In such a case, instead of triggering a new spatial measurement procedure, UE 302 may transmit a measurement report that includes the available TRS measurement information (e.g., TOA / TDOA estimates from the last measured TRS instance without waiting for the next TRS instance). In some designs, UE 302 may supplement this type of "early" measurement report with a supplementary measurement report associated with the next TRS instance. In other designs, the early measurement report may be sufficient to meet the desired accuracy, in which case the supplementary measurement report may be skipped (e.g., the gNB / LMF does not request the supplementary measurement report or cancels the scheduled spatial measurement procedure for the supplementary measurement report).

[0283] As mentioned above, Figure 10 procedure 1000 may be from the BS corresponding to the serving cell of UE 302 during procedure 900 in Figure 9 or the angle of the BS corresponding to the serving cell of UE 302 during procedure 900 in Figure 9 . If the BS is the serving cell, BS 304 may perform certain actions in conjunction with Figure 10 procedure, such as transmitting some or all of the (a) TRS configuration and / or (a) validity period of the (a) TRS configuration and / or validity period, transmitting (a) MG configuration, receiving UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain, transmitting a TRS multiplexing indication, receiving a measurement report, etc. IfFigure 10 If BS304 corresponds to a non-serving cell, then as mentioned above with reference to Figure 10 Some or all of these actions may be skipped, although the non-serving cell will still determine its TRS configuration and transmit the TRS accordingly to facilitate the spatial measurement procedure of process 900 at UE 302 in accordance with Figure 9 the process 900.

[0284] In the foregoing detailed description, it can be seen that in the various examples different features are grouped together. This manner of disclosure should not be construed as intending that the example clauses have more features than those expressly recited in each clause. On the contrary, various aspects of the present disclosure may include fewer features than all of the individual example clauses disclosed. Accordingly, the appended clauses are hereby considered to be incorporated into this description, where each clause by itself may be a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer in the clauses to a particular combination with one of the other clauses, the aspects of that dependent clause are not limited to that particular combination. It will be appreciated that other example clauses may also include combinations of aspects of the dependent clause(s) with the subject matter of any other dependent or independent clause or any features with other dependent and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein expressly include such combinations, unless expressly stated or readily inferred not to be intended for a particular combination (e.g., conflicting aspects such as defining an element as both an insulator and a conductor). Additionally, it is intended that aspects of the clauses may be included in any other independent clause, even if the clause is not directly dependent on that independent clause.

[0285] Implementative examples are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0286] Clause 1. A method of operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a set of tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations associated with a set of cells; and performing a set of spatial measurements associated with a set of TRSs on resources configured by the respective set of TRS configurations.

[0287] Clause 2. The method of Clause 1, further comprising: receiving a configuration of at least one measurement gap (MG), wherein the set of spatial measurements is performed during the at least one MG.

[0288] Clause 3. The method of Clause 2, wherein the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a location management function (LMF) component.

[0289] Clause 4. The method of any one of Clauses 1 to 3, wherein the set of spatial measurements includes a set of positioning measurements, or wherein the set of spatial measurements includes a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0290] Clause 5. The method according to Clause 4, wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of speed measurements, or wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0291] Clause 6. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 5, wherein the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0292] Clause 7. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 6, further comprising: transmitting an indication of UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0293] Clause 8. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 7, further comprising: receiving at least one indication of whether at least one TRS from the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0294] Clause 9. The method according to Clause 8, wherein the at least one indication is provided on a per-cell basis for a respective configured instance configured for a respective TRS.

[0295] Clause 10. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 9, further comprising: receiving a validity period for at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations.

[0296] Clause 11. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 10, wherein at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received in association with an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the set of spatial measurements.

[0297] Clause 12. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 11, wherein at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received before an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the set of spatial measurements, the method further comprising: receiving an instruction to perform a spatial measurement procedure on resources configured by the at least one TRS configuration.

[0298] Clause 13. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 12, further comprising: transmitting a measurement report based on the set of spatial measurements.

[0299] Clause 14. The method according to Clause 13, further comprising: receiving a request for the location of the UE after the execution, wherein the measurement report is transmitted in response to the request.

[0300] Clause 15. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 14, wherein the set of TRSs is received when the UE operates in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) inactive state or an RRC idle state.

[0301] Clause 16. A method of operating a cell, comprising: determining a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) configuration; and transmitting the TRS to a User Equipment (UE) associated with a spatial measurement procedure on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0302] Clause 17. The method of Clause 16, wherein the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, the method further comprising: transmitting an indication of the TRS configuration for the cell and at least one other TRS configuration for at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure to the UE.

[0303] Clause 18. The method of any one of Clauses 16 to 17, wherein the spatial measurement procedure is performed during at least one Measurement Gap (MG) associated with the UE.

[0304] Clause 19. The method of Clause 18, wherein the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, the method further comprising: transmitting a configuration of the at least one MG to the UE.

[0305] Clause 20. The method of any one of Clauses 18 to 19, wherein the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a Location Management Function (LMF) component.

[0306] Clause 21. The method of any one of Clauses 16 to 20, wherein the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a set of positioning measurements, or wherein the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0307] Clause 22. The method of Clause 21, wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of velocity measurements, or wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0308] Clause 23. The method of any one of Clauses 16 to 22, wherein the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0309] Clause 24. The method of any one of Clauses 16 to 23, further comprising: receiving an indication of UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0310] Clause 25. The method of any one of Clauses 16 to 24, wherein the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, the method further comprising: transmitting an indication of whether the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic and / or at least one other indication of whether at least one other TRS from at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure is multiplexed with user plane data traffic to the UE.

[0311] Clause 26. The method of clause 25, wherein for the respective configured instances for the respective TRS configurations, the indication and the at least one other indication are provided on a per-cell basis.

[0312] Clause 27. The method of clause 26, further comprising: transmitting a validity period for the TRS configuration.

[0313] Clause 28. The method of any one of clauses 16 to 27, wherein the transmission is performed in association with an on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure.

[0314] Clause 29. The method of any one of clauses 16 to 28, wherein the transmission is performed before the on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure, the method further comprising: transmitting an instruction to perform the spatial measurement procedure for the TRS on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0315] Clause 30. The method of any one of clauses 16 to 29, further comprising: receiving a measurement report associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

[0316] Clause 31. The method of clause 30, further comprising: transmitting a request associated with the spatial information of the UE after the spatial measurement procedure, wherein the measurement report is received in response to the request.

[0317] Clause 32. The method of any one of clauses 16 to 31, wherein the TRS is transmitted when the UE operates according to a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state or an RRC idle state.

[0318] Clause 33. A user equipment (UE) comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a set of tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations associated with a respective set of cells; and perform a set of spatial measurements associated with a set of TRSs on resources configured by the set of TRS configurations.

[0319] Clause 34. The UE of clause 33, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a configuration of at least one measurement gap (MG), wherein the set of spatial measurements is performed during the at least one MG.

[0320] Clause 35. The UE of clause 34, wherein the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a location management function (LMF) component.

[0321] Clause 36. A UE as in any one of Clauses 33 to 35, where the set of spatial measurements includes a set of positioning measurements, or where the set of spatial measurements includes a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0322] Clause 37. A UE as in Clause 36, where the set of motion measurements includes a set of velocity measurements, or where the set of motion measurements includes a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0323] Clause 38. A UE as in any one of Clauses 33 to 37, where the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0324] Clause 39. A UE as in any one of Clauses 33 to 38, where the at least one processor is further configured to: transmit an indication of the UE's ability to process downlink data in the frequency domain via the at least one transceiver.

[0325] Clause 40. A UE as in any one of Clauses 33 to 39, where the at least one processor is further configured to: receive at least one indication via the at least one transceiver as to whether at least one TRS from the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0326] Clause 41. A UE as in Clause 40, where the at least one indication is provided on a per-cell basis for a respective configured instance of a respective TRS configuration.

[0327] Clause 42. A UE as in any one of Clauses 33 to 41, where the at least one processor is further configured to: receive a validity period for at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations via the at least one transceiver.

[0328] Clause 43. A UE as in any one of Clauses 33 to 42, where at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received in association with an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure that includes the set of spatial measurements.

[0329] Clause 44. A UE as in any one of Clauses 33 to 43, where at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received before an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure that includes the set of spatial measurements, and where the at least one processor is further configured to receive via the at least one transceiver an instruction to perform a spatial measurement procedure on resources configured by the at least one TRS configuration.

[0330] Clause 45. A UE as in any one of Clauses 33 to 44, where the at least one processor is further configured to: transmit a measurement report based on the set of spatial measurements via the at least one transceiver.

[0331] Clause 46. The UE as in Clause 45, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, after the execution, a request for the location of the UE via the at least one transceiver, wherein the measurement report is transmitted in response to the request.

[0332] Clause 47. The UE as in any one of Clauses 33 to 46, wherein the TRS set is received when the UE operates according to the radio resource control (RRC) inactive state or the RRC idle state.

[0333] Clause 48. A cell, comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: determine a tracking reference signal (TRS) configuration; and transmit, via the at least one transceiver, a TRS to a user equipment (UE) associated with a spatial measurement procedure on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0334] Clause 49. The cell as in Clause 48, wherein the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit, via the at least one transceiver, an indication of the TRS configuration for the cell and at least one other TRS configuration for at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure to the UE.

[0335] Clause 50. The cell as in any one of Clauses 48 to 49, wherein the spatial measurement procedure is performed during at least one measurement gap (MG) associated with the UE.

[0336] Clause 51. The cell as in Clause 50, wherein the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit, via the at least one transceiver, the configuration of the at least one MG to the UE.

[0337] Clause 52. The cell as in any one of Clauses 50 to 51, wherein the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a location management function (LMF) component.

[0338] Clause 53. The cell as in any one of Clauses 48 to 52, wherein the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a positioning measurement set, or wherein the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a motion measurement set, or a combination thereof.

[0339] Clause 54. The cell as in Clause 53, wherein the motion measurement set includes a speed measurement set, or wherein the motion measurement set includes an acceleration measurement set, or a combination thereof.

[0340] Clause 55. A cell as in any one of Clauses 48 to 54, wherein the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0341] Clause 56. A cell as in any one of Clauses 48 to 55, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, an indication of UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0342] Clause 57. A cell as in any one of Clauses 48 to 56, wherein the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, and wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit, via the at least one transceiver, an indication of whether the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic and / or at least one other indication of whether at least one other TRS from at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure is multiplexed with user plane data traffic to the UE.

[0343] Clause 58. A cell as in Clause 57, wherein the indication and the at least one other indication are provided on a per-cell basis for the respective configured instances configured for the respective TRS.

[0344] Clause 59. A cell as in Clause 58, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to transmit, via the at least one transceiver, a validity period for the TRS configuration.

[0345] Clause 60. A cell as in any one of Clauses 48 to 59, wherein the transmission is performed in association with an on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure.

[0346] Clause 61. A cell as in any one of Clauses 48 to 60, wherein the transmission is performed before the on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure, and the cell further includes: transmitting, via the at least one transceiver, an instruction to perform the spatial measurement procedure for the at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0347] Clause 62. A cell as in any one of Clauses 48 to 61, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a measurement report associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

[0348] Clause 63. A cell as in Clause 62, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: transmit, via the at least one transceiver, a request associated with the spatial information of the UE after the spatial measurement procedure, wherein the measurement report is received in response to the request.

[0349] Clause 64. A cell as in any of Clauses 48 to 63, wherein the TRS is transmitted when the UE operates according to the radio resource control (RRC) inactive state or the RRC idle state.

[0350] Clause 65. A user equipment (UE) comprising: means for receiving a set of tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations associated with a corresponding set of cells; and means for performing a set of spatial measurements associated with a set of TRSs on resources configured by the set of TRS configurations.

[0351] Clause 66. The UE of Clause 65, further comprising: means for receiving a configuration of at least one measurement gap (MG), wherein the set of spatial measurements is performed during the at least one MG.

[0352] Clause 67. The UE of Clause 66, wherein the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a location management function (LMF) component.

[0353] Clause 68. The UE of any of Clauses 65 to 67, wherein the set of spatial measurements includes a set of positioning measurements, or wherein the set of spatial measurements includes a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0354] Clause 69. The UE of Clause 68, wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of speed measurements, or wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0355] Clause 70. The UE of any of Clauses 65 to 69, wherein the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0356] Clause 71. The UE of any of Clauses 65 to 70, further comprising: means for transmitting an indication of UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0357] Clause 72. The UE of any of Clauses 65 to 71, further comprising: means for receiving at least one indication of whether at least one TRS from the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0358] Clause 73. The UE of Clause 72, wherein the at least one indication is provided on a per-cell basis for a corresponding configured instance of a corresponding TRS configuration.

[0359] Clause 74. The UE of any of Clauses 65 to 73, further comprising: means for receiving a validity period for at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations.

[0360] Clause 75. A UE as in any one of Clauses 65 to 74, wherein at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received in association with an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the set of spatial measurements.

[0361] Clause 76. A UE as in any one of Clauses 65 to 75, wherein at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received before an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the set of spatial measurements, and the UE further includes: means for receiving an instruction to perform a spatial measurement procedure on a resource configured by the at least one TRS configuration.

[0362] Clause 77. A UE as in any one of Clauses 65 to 76, further including: means for transmitting a measurement report based on the set of spatial measurements.

[0363] Clause 78. The UE as in Clause 77, further including: means for receiving a request for the location of the UE after the execution, wherein the means for transmitting transmits the measurement report in response to the request.

[0364] Clause 79. A UE as in any one of Clauses 65 to 78, wherein the set of TRSs is received while the UE is operating in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) Inactive state or an RRC Idle state.

[0365] Clause 80. A cell, including: means for determining a Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) configuration; and means for transmitting a TRS to a User Equipment (UE) in association with a spatial measurement procedure on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0366] Clause 81. The cell as in Clause 80, wherein the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, and the cell further includes: means for transmitting an indication to the UE of the TRS configuration for the cell and at least one other TRS configuration for at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

[0367] Clause 82. The cell as in any one of Clauses 80 to 81, wherein the spatial measurement procedure is performed during at least one Measurement Gap (MG) associated with the UE.

[0368] Clause 83. The cell as in Clause 82, wherein the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, and the cell further includes: means for transmitting a configuration of the at least one MG to the UE.

[0369] Clause 84. The cell as in any one of Clauses 82 to 83, wherein the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a Location Management Function (LMF) component.

[0370] Clause 85. A cell as any one of Clauses 80 to 84, wherein the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a set of positioning measurements, or wherein the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0371] Clause 86. A cell as in Clause 85, wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of velocity measurements, or wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0372] Clause 87. A cell as any one of Clauses 80 to 86, wherein the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0373] Clause 88. A cell as any one of Clauses 80 to 87, further comprising: means for receiving an indication of UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0374] Clause 89. A cell as any one of Clauses 80 to 88, wherein the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, the cell further comprising: means for transmitting to the UE an indication of whether the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic and / or at least one other indication of whether at least one other TRS from at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0375] Clause 90. A cell as in Clause 89, wherein the indication and the at least one other indication are provided on a per-cell basis for the respective configured instances configured for the respective TRS.

[0376] Clause 91. A cell as in Clause 90, further comprising: means for transmitting a validity period for the configuration of the TRS.

[0377] Clause 92. A cell as any one of Clauses 80 to 91, wherein the transmission is performed in association with an on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure.

[0378] Clause 93. A cell as any one of Clauses 80 to 92, wherein the TRS is transmitted before an on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure, the cell further comprising: means for transmitting an instruction to perform the spatial measurement procedure for the TRS on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0379] Clause 94. A cell as any one of Clauses 80 to 93, further comprising: means for receiving a measurement report associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

[0380] Clause 95. The cell as in Clause 94 further includes: means for transmitting a request associated with the spatial information of the UE after the spatial measurement procedure, wherein the measurement report is received in response to the request.

[0381] Clause 96. The cell as in any one of Clauses 80 to 95, wherein the TRS is transmitted when the UE operates according to the radio resource control (RRC) inactive state or the RRC idle state.

[0382] Clause 97. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a set of tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations associated with a corresponding set of cells; and perform a set of spatial measurements associated with the set of TRS on the resources configured by the set of TRS configurations.

[0383] Clause 98. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in Clause 97, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the UE to: receive a configuration of at least one measurement gap (MG), wherein the set of spatial measurements is performed during the at least one MG.

[0384] Clause 99. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in Clause 98, wherein the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a location management function (LMF) component.

[0385] Clause 100. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 97 to 99, wherein the set of spatial measurements includes a set of positioning measurements, or wherein the set of spatial measurements includes a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0386] Clause 101. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in Clause 100, wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of speed measurements, or wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0387] Clause 102. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 97 to 101, wherein the set of TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0388] Clause 103. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 97 to 102, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the UE to: transmit an indication of the UE's ability to process downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0389] Clause 104. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 97 to 103, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the UE to: receive at least one indication of whether at least one TRS from the set of TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0390] Clause 105. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in Clause 104, wherein for each configured instance configured for a corresponding TRS, the at least one indication is provided on a per-cell basis.

[0391] Clause 106. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 97 to 105, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the UE to: receive a validity period for at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations.

[0392] Clause 107. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 97 to 106, wherein at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received in association with an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the set of spatial measurements.

[0393] Clause 108. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 97 to 107, wherein at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received before an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the set of spatial measurements, further including: receiving an instruction to perform a spatial measurement procedure on a resource configured by the at least one TRS configuration.

[0394] Clause 109. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 97 to 108, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the UE to: transmit a measurement report based on the set of spatial measurements.

[0395] Clause 110. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in Clause 109, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the UE to: receive a request for the location of the UE after the execution, wherein the measurement report is transmitted in response to the request.

[0396] Clause 111. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 97 to 110, wherein the set of TRS is received when the UE operates according to a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state or an RRC idle state.

[0397] Clause 112. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a cell, cause the cell to: determine a tracking reference signal (TRS) configuration; and transmit a TRS to a user equipment (UE) in association with a spatial measurement procedure on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0398] Clause 113. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in Clause 112, wherein the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, further comprising: transmitting to the UE an indication of the TRS configuration for the cell and at least one other TRS configuration for at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

[0399] Clause 114. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 112 to 113, wherein the spatial measurement procedure is performed during at least one measurement gap (MG) associated with the UE.

[0400] Clause 115. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in Clause 114, wherein the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, further comprising: transmitting to the UE a configuration of the at least one MG.

[0401] Clause 116. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 114 to 115, wherein the at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a location management function (LMF) component.

[0402] Clause 117. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 112 to 116, wherein the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a set of positioning measurements, or wherein the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0403] Clause 118. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in Clause 117, wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of velocity measurements, or wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

[0404] Clause 119. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 112 to 118, wherein the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0405] Clause 120. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 112 to 119, wherein one or more instructions further cause the cell to: receive an indication of UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

[0406] Clause 121. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 112 to 120, wherein the cell corresponds to the serving cell of the UE, further comprising: transmitting to the UE an indication of whether the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic and / or at least one other indication of whether at least one other TRS from at least one other cell associated with the spatial measurement procedure is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

[0407] Clause 122. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in Clause 121, wherein for the respective configured instances configured for the respective TRS, the indication and the at least one other indication are provided on a per-cell basis.

[0408] Clause 123. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in Clause 122, wherein one or more instructions further cause the cell to: transmit a validity period for the TRS configuration.

[0409] Clause 124. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 112 to 123, wherein the TRS is transmitted in association with an on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure.

[0410] Clause 125. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 112 to 124, wherein the TRS is executed before the on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure, further comprising: transmitting instructions for performing the spatial measurement procedure for the TRS on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

[0411] Clause 126. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 112 to 125, wherein one or more instructions further cause the cell to: receive a measurement report associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

[0412] Clause 127. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in Clause 126, wherein one or more instructions further cause the cell to: transmit a request associated with the spatial information of the UE after the spatial measurement procedure, wherein the measurement report is received in response to the request.

[0413] Clause 128. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as in any one of Clauses 112 to 127, wherein the TRS is transmitted when the UE operates according to the radio resource control (RRC) inactive state or the RRC idle state.

[0414] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0415] In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0416] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0417] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of both. The software modules may reside in RAM, flash memory, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor such that the processor can read from, and write to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

[0418] In one or more exemplary aspects, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc where disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0419] While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or acts in the method claims according to the aspects of the present disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Further, although elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is also contemplated unless expressly stated to be limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A method of operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: Receiving a set of tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations associated with a set of network nodes; Receiving at least one indication as to whether at least one TRS from the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic; and Performing a set of spatial measurements associated with the set of TRSs on resources configured by the respective set of TRS configurations.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving a configuration of at least one measurement gap (MG), wherein the set of spatial measurements is performed during the at least one MG.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a location management function (LMF) component.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the set of spatial measurements includes a set of positioning measurements, or wherein the set of spatial measurements includes a set of motion measurements, or a combination thereof.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of speed measurements, or wherein the set of motion measurements includes a set of acceleration measurements, or a combination thereof.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Transmitting an indication of the UE's capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein Providing the at least one indication on a per-network-node basis for respective configured instances of the respective TRS configuration.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving a validity period for at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein At least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received in association with an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the set of spatial measurements.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one TRS configuration in the set of TRS configurations is received before an on-demand trigger of a spatial measurement procedure including the set of spatial measurements, the method further comprising: Receiving an instruction to perform a spatial measurement procedure on resources configured by the at least one TRS configuration.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Transmitting a measurement report based on the set of spatial measurements.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: Receiving a request for the location of the UE after the performance, wherein the transmitting transmits the measurement report in response to the request.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The set of TRSs is received when the UE operates according to a radio resource control (RRC) inactive state or an RRC idle state.

15. A method of operating a network node, comprising: Determining a tracking reference signal (TRS) configuration; Transmitting a TRS to a user equipment (UE) associated with a spatial measurement procedure on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration; and Transmitting an indication to the UE as to whether the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the network node corresponds to a serving network node of the UE, the method further comprising: Transmit an indication to the UE of the TRS configuration for the network node and at least one other TRS configuration for at least one other network node associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein the spatial measurement procedure is performed during at least one measurement gap (MG) associated with the UE.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the network node corresponds to the serving network node of the UE, and the method further comprises: Transmit a configuration of the at least one MG to the UE.

19. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The at least one MG is based on an MG recommendation from a location management function (LMF) component.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a positioning measurement set, or wherein the spatial measurement procedure is associated with a motion measurement set, or a combination thereof.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the motion measurement set includes a speed measurement set, or wherein the motion measurement set includes an acceleration measurement set, or a combination thereof.

22. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

23. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: Receive an indication of UE capabilities for processing downlink data in the frequency domain.

24. The method according to claim 15, wherein the network node corresponds to the serving network node of the UE, and the method further comprises: Transmit to the UE at least one other indication of whether at least one other TRS from at least one other network node associated with the spatial measurement procedure is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein, Provide the indication and the at least one other indication on a per-network node basis for a corresponding configured instance of the corresponding TRS configuration.

26. The method according to claim 25, further comprising: Transmit a validity period for the TRS configuration.

27. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The transmission is performed in association with an on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure.

28. The method according to claim 15, wherein the transmission is performed before an on-demand trigger of the spatial measurement procedure, and the method further comprises: Transmit an instruction to perform the spatial measurement procedure for the TRS on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration.

29. The method according to claim 15, further comprising: Receive a measurement report associated with the spatial measurement procedure.

30. The method according to claim 29, further comprising: Transmit a request associated with the spatial information of the UE after the spatial measurement procedure, wherein the measurement report is received in response to the request.

31. The method according to claim 15, wherein, The TRS is transmitted when the UE operates according to the radio resource control (RRC) inactive state or the RRC idle state.

32. A user equipment (UE) comprising: A memory; At least one transceiver; And At least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: Receive a set of tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations associated with a corresponding set of network nodes via the at least one transceiver; Receive at least one indication as to whether at least one TRS from the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic; and Perform a set of spatial measurements associated with the set of TRSs on resources configured by the set of TRS configurations.

33. A network node, comprising: A memory; At least one transceiver; And At least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: Determine a tracking reference signal (TRS) configuration; Transmit, via the at least one transceiver, a TRS to a user equipment (UE) associated with a spatial measurement procedure on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration; And Transmit to the UE an indication as to whether the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

34. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Means for receiving a set of tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations associated with a corresponding set of network nodes; Means for receiving at least one indication as to whether at least one TRS from the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic; And Means for performing a set of spatial measurements associated with the set of TRSs on resources configured by the set of TRS configurations.

35. A network node, comprising: Means for determining a tracking reference signal (TRS) configuration; Means for transmitting, associated with a spatial measurement procedure, a TRS to a user equipment (UE) on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration; And Means for transmitting to the UE an indication as to whether the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

36. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to perform the following operations: Receive a set of tracking reference signal (TRS) configurations associated with a set of network nodes; Receive at least one indication as to whether at least one TRS from the set of TRSs is multiplexed with user plane data traffic; and Perform a set of spatial measurements associated with the set of TRSs on resources configured by the set of TRS configurations.

37. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network node, cause the network node to perform the following operations: Determine a tracking reference signal (TRS) configuration; Transmit, associated with a spatial measurement procedure, a TRS to a user equipment (UE) on at least one resource configured by the TRS configuration; and Transmit to the UE an indication as to whether the TRS is multiplexed with user plane data traffic.

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