Positioning reference signal subset indication for user equipment power saving

Abstract

Techniques for positioning a user equipment (UE) are provided. An example positioning method includes receiving a positioning reference signal resource set associated with a base station, receiving an indication of a subset of the positioning reference signal resource set, and obtaining measurements from positioning reference signals associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set.

Description

[0001] background

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

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

[0004] To further assist in location determination (e.g., for OTDOA or RTT), each base station may transmit a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) to improve both measurement accuracy and the number of different base stations for which a mobile device can obtain timing measurements. PRS signaling may depend on the radio access technology, such that one type of PRS may be compatible with 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, while another type of PRS may be compatible with the newer 5G New Radio (NR) technology. Newer and smaller wireless devices may have reduced capabilities and power storage compared to previous high-end devices (such as mobile phones). Improvements in positioning-related signaling may help such reduced-capability devices save battery power.

[0005] Overview

[0006] An example method for locating user equipment according to the present disclosure includes providing a positioning reference signal resource set associated with a base station to the user equipment, providing an indication of a subset of the positioning reference signal resource set to the user equipment, and receiving measurement information from the user equipment based on measurements associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set.

[0007] Implementations of such methods may include one or more of the following features. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be provided via downlink control information signaling. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be provided via a media access control control element. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be provided via one or more higher layer positioning protocol messages. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be based at least in part on an estimated position of the user equipment. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may include a lifetime indication. Receiving measurement information from the user equipment may include receiving measurements associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set during a duration of the lifetime indication, and receiving measurements associated with the full set of the positioning reference signal resource set after the duration of the lifetime indication. The method may include providing a plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets to the user equipment, wherein each of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets is associated with a respective base station, and providing a plurality of subset indicators to the user equipment, wherein each of the plurality of subset indicators is associated with one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets. Measurement information may be received from the user equipment based on measurements associated with the plurality of subset indicators. A subgroup indicator may be provided to the user equipment such that the subgroup indicator is associated with a subgroup including one or more of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets. The method may include receiving measurement information from the user equipment based on measurements associated with the plurality of subset indicators and the subgroup indicator. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may include a first periodicity for measuring the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may include a second periodicity for measuring the full set of the positioning reference signal resource set. The second periodicity may be an integer multiple of the first periodicity. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be based on a PRS resource-level muting configuration associated with one or more indication state values.

[0008] An example positioning method according to the present disclosure includes receiving a positioning reference signal resource set associated with a base station, receiving an indication of a subset of the positioning reference signal resource set, and obtaining measurements from positioning reference signals associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set.

[0009] Implementations of such methods may include one or more of the following features. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be received via downlink control information signaling. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be received via a media access control control element. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be received via one or more higher layer positioning protocol messages. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be based at least in part on an estimated position. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may include a lifetime indication. Obtaining measurements from the positioning reference signal associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may include obtaining measurements associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set during a duration of the lifetime indication, and obtaining measurements associated with the full set of the positioning reference signal resource set after the duration of the lifetime indication. The method may include receiving a plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets, wherein each of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets is associated with a respective base station, and receiving a plurality of subset indicators, wherein each of the plurality of subset indicators is associated with one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets. Measurements may be obtained from the positioning reference signals associated with the plurality of subset indicators. The method may further include receiving a subgroup indicator, wherein the subgroup indicator is associated with a subgroup including one or more of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets, and obtaining measurements from the positioning reference signals associated with the plurality of subset indicators and the subgroup indicator. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may include a first periodicity for measuring the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may include a second periodicity for measuring the full set of the positioning reference signal resource set. The second periodicity may be an integer multiple of the first periodicity. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be based on a PRS resource-level muting configuration associated with one or more indication state values.

[0010] An example apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to provide a positioning reference signal resource set associated with a base station to a user equipment, provide an indication of a subset of the positioning reference signal resource set to the user equipment, and receive measurement information from the user equipment based on measurements associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set.

[0011] Implementations of such an apparatus may include one or more of the following features. The indication of the subset of the set of positioning reference signal resources may be provided via downlink control information signaling. The indication of the subset of the set of positioning reference signal resources may be provided via a media access control control element. The indication of the subset of the set of positioning reference signal resources may be provided via one or more higher layer positioning protocol messages. The indication of the subset of the set of positioning reference signal resources may be based at least in part on an estimated position of the user equipment. The indication of the subset of the set of positioning reference signal resources may include a lifetime indication. The at least one processor may be further configured to receive measurements associated with the subset of the set of positioning reference signal resources during a duration of the lifetime indication, and to receive measurements associated with the full set of the set of positioning reference signal resources after the duration of the lifetime indication. The at least one processor is further configured to provide a plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets to the user equipment, wherein each of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets is associated with a corresponding base station, and provide a plurality of subset indicators to the user equipment, wherein each of the plurality of subset indicators is associated with one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets. The at least one processor may be further configured to receive measurement information from the user equipment based on measurements associated with the plurality of subset indicators. The at least one processor may be further configured to provide a subgroup indicator to the user equipment, wherein the subgroup indicator is associated with a subgroup including one or more of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets. The at least one processor may be further configured to receive measurement information from the user equipment based on measurements associated with the plurality of subset indicators and the subgroup indicator. The indicator of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may include a first periodicity for measuring the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set. The indicator of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may include a second periodicity for measuring the entire set of positioning reference signal resources. The second periodicity may be an integer multiple of the first periodicity. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be based on a PRS resource level muting configuration associated with one or more indication state values.

[0012] An example apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to receive a positioning reference signal resource set associated with a base station, receive an indication of a subset of the positioning reference signal resource set, and obtain measurements from a positioning reference signal associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set.

[0013] Implementations of such an apparatus may include one or more of the following features. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be received via downlink control information signaling. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be received via a media access control control element. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be received via one or more higher layer positioning protocol messages. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be based at least in part on an estimated position. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may include a lifetime indication. The at least one processor may be further configured to obtain measurements associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set during a duration of the lifetime indication, and to obtain measurements associated with the full set of the positioning reference signal resource set after the duration of the lifetime indication. The at least one processor may be further configured to receive a plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets, wherein each of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets is associated with a respective base station, and receive a plurality of subset indications, wherein each of the plurality of subset indications is associated with one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets. The at least one processor may be further configured to obtain measurements from positioning reference signals associated with the plurality of subset indications. The at least one processor may be further configured to receive a subgroup indication such that the subgroup indication is associated with a subgroup comprising one or more of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets. The at least one processor may be further configured to obtain measurements from positioning reference signals associated with the plurality of subset indications and the subgroup indication. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may include a first periodicity for measuring the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may include a second periodicity for measuring the full set of the positioning reference signal resource set. The second periodicity may be an integer multiple of the first periodicity. The indication of the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set may be based on a PRS resource level muting configuration associated with one or more indication state values.

[0014] An example apparatus for locating user equipment according to the present disclosure includes: means for providing a positioning reference signal resource set associated with a base station to the user equipment, means for providing an indication of a subset of the positioning reference signal resource set to the user equipment, and means for receiving measurement information from the user equipment based on measurements associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set.

[0015] An example apparatus according to the present disclosure includes means for receiving a positioning reference signal resource set associated with a base station, means for receiving an indication of a subset of the positioning reference signal resource set, and means for obtaining measurements from positioning reference signals associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set.

[0016] According to an example non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of the present disclosure including processor-readable instructions, the processor-readable instructions being configured to cause one or more processors to locate a user equipment, the processor-readable instructions including: code for providing a positioning reference signal resource set associated with a base station to the user equipment, code for providing an indication of a subset of the positioning reference signal resource set to the user equipment, and code for receiving measurement information from the user equipment based on measurements associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set.

[0017] An example non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to the present disclosure includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to obtain positioning reference signal measurements, the processor-readable instructions including code for receiving a positioning reference signal resource set associated with a base station, code for receiving an indication of a subset of the positioning reference signal resource set, and code for obtaining measurements from a positioning reference signal associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set.

[0018] The items and / or techniques described herein may provide one or more of the following capabilities and other capabilities not mentioned. A network may provide a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource set to one or more base stations in the network. A user equipment may receive an indication of one or more PRS resource subsets in the PRS resource set. The indication of the subset may be based on PRS resource level muting. The user equipment may report measurements of the PRS resource subset to determine positioning. Reducing the number of measurements may reduce the power consumed by the transceiver in the user equipment and extend battery life. Other capabilities may be provided, and not every implementation according to the present disclosure necessarily provides any of the capabilities discussed, let alone all of them. In addition, it is possible to achieve the above effects in ways other than those described, and the items / techniques described may not necessarily produce the effects described. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in describing various aspects of the disclosure and are provided solely for purposes of illustration of these aspects and not limitation thereof.

[0021] Figure 1

[0011] An exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with various aspects is illustrated.

[0022] Figure 2A and Figure 2B

[0014] Example wireless network structures according to various aspects are illustrated.

[0023] Figure 3 is a block diagram of components of an example user equipment.

[0024] Figure 4is a block diagram of the components of an example server.

[0025] Figure 5 Example techniques are illustrated for determining the location of user equipment using information obtained from multiple base stations.

[0026] Figure 6A and 6B An example downlink positioning reference signal resource set is illustrated.

[0027] Figure 7 is an illustration of an example subframe format for positioning reference signal transmission.

[0028] Figure 8A and Figure 8B An example of a positioning reference signal muting pattern is illustrated.

[0029] Figure 9 is an illustration of example relevant positioning reference signals used to locate user equipment.

[0030] Figure 10 Examples of a complete positioning reference signal resource set and a subset of a positioning reference signal resource set are illustrated.

[0031] Figure 11 is a diagram of example groups of a complete positioning reference signal resource set and a subset of a positioning reference signal resource set.

[0032] Figure 12 is an example timeline with periodicity of positioning reference signal resource sets and subsets.

[0033] Figure 13 is a process flow diagram of an example method for receiving positioning measurements associated with a subset of positioning reference signals.

[0034] Figure 14 is a process flow diagram of an example method for obtaining measurements of a subset of positioning reference signals.

[0035] Detailed description

[0036] This document discusses techniques for locating user equipment (UE). For example, the UE may be in proximity to one or more base stations. Each base station may be configured with one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resource sets. The UE may receive signaling indicating a selection of a subset of PRS resources from a set of PRS resources. The UE may be configured to measure and report a subset of PRS resources. The signaling may be received via high-layer or low-layer (e.g., DCI, MAC-CE) messaging. The signaling may also be configured to indicate groups and subgroups of PRS resource subsets to be measured and reported. The subset indication may have a lifetime based on the periodicity of the PRS resource set. The UE may be configured to measure and report each PRS resource in the PRS resource set (i.e., the complete set) without indicating a subset. These techniques are examples only and are not exhaustive.

[0037] Many features are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. Each of the actions described herein can be performed by a dedicated circuit (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. Additionally, the sequences of actions described herein may be considered to be fully embodied within any form of non-transient processor-readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of processor-readable instructions that, upon execution, will cause or instruct an associated processor of a device to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various features of the present disclosure may be implemented in a number of different forms, all of which fall within the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0038] As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise specified. In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet, laptop, 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.) used by a user to communicate on a wireless communication network. A UE can be mobile or can be stationary (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT," "client device," "wireless device," "subscriber device," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal" or UT, "mobile terminal," "mobile station," "high-end UE," "NR-light UE," or variations thereof. In general, a UE can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks (such as the Internet) and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (eg, based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), and the like.

[0039] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs when in communication with a UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be referred to interchangeably as an access point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), New Radio (NR) Node B (also known as gNB or gNodeB), etc. Additionally, in some systems, a base station may provide pure edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems, a base station may provide additional control and / or network management functionality. The communication link by which a UE may send signals to a 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 a base station may send signals to a 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) may refer to either a UL / reverse or a DL / forward traffic channel.

[0040] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit receive point (TRP) or may refer to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be the base station antenna corresponding to the cell of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be the antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and a neighbor base station for which the UE is measuring a reference RF signal. Since a TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmissions from or receptions at a base station should be understood as references to the specific TRP of that base station.

[0041] An "RF signal" comprises an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of each RF signal through a multipath channel, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted over different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0042] Reference Figure 1 , an example wireless communication system 100 includes the components shown. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). The macrocell base stations may include eNBs (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or gNBs (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0043] Each base station 102 may collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a next generation core (NGC)) via backhaul links 122, and, via the core network 170, with one or more location servers 172. Among other functions, the base stations 102 may also perform functions related to one or more of communicating user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of alert messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC / NGC) over backhaul links 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0044] Base stations 102 can communicate wirelessly with UEs 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. One or more cells can be supported by base station 102 in each coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., on a certain frequency resource, which is referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)) to distinguish between cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other) that can provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" can refer to either or both the logical communication entity and the base station supporting the logical communication entity, depending on the context. In some cases, the term “cell” may also refer to a geographic coverage area (eg, a sector) of a base station, in the sense that a carrier frequency may be detected and used for communications within some portion of geographic coverage area 110 .

[0045] Although the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover region), some geographic coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by a larger geographic coverage area 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' may have a coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home eNB (HeNB), which may provide service to a restricted group known as a closed subscriber group (CSG).

[0046] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include UL (also known as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may utilize MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to the DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the DL than to the UL).

[0047] 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 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz) via a communication link 154. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) to determine whether the channel is available before communicating.

[0048] Small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell base station 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum used by WLAN AP 150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can boost coverage and / or increase capacity of the access network. NR in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0049] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180 that can operate in mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with a UE 182. Extremely high frequencies (EHF) are part of the RF spectrum within the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this frequency band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW frequencies extend down to 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 mm. Super high frequency (SHF) frequency bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communications using mmW / near-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and 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. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that, in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near-mmW frequencies and beamforming. The foregoing explanation is by way of example and does not limit the description or the claims.

[0050] 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, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). Using 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 the receiving device with a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal. In order to change the directionality of the RF signal during transmission, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an antenna array (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that generates a beam of RF waves that can be "steered" 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 out in undesired directions to suppress radiation.

[0051] The transmit beams can be quasi-colocated, meaning that they appear to the receiver (e.g., UE) to have the same parameters, regardless of whether the transmit antennas of the network nodes themselves are physically colocated. In NR, there are four types of quasi-colocation (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about the second reference RF signal on the second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Therefore, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver may use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0052] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify the RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver may increase the gain setting of the antenna array and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase the gain level of) the RF signal received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in that direction for all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR), etc.) for the RF signal received from that direction.

[0053] The receive beams can be spatially correlated. This spatial relationship means that the parameters of the transmit beam used for the second reference signal can be derived from information about the receive beam of the first reference signal. For example, a UE can use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam based on the parameters of the receive beam to send an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station.

[0054] Note that depending on the entity forming the "downlink" beam, the beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE is forming a downlink beam, the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving downlink reference signals. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the "uplink" beam, the beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if the UE is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0055] In 5G, the spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi-carrier system (such as 5G), one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell," and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and on the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common control channels as well as UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). A secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals, for example, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier because both the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier for any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on the different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier that a base station is using for communication, the terms "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0056] For example, still referring to Figure 1 In one embodiment, one of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0057] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs (such as UE 190) that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) or peer-to-peer (P2P) links. Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG1 , UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with a UE 104 connected to a base station 102 (e.g., UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity therefrom), and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (e.g., UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity therefrom). In one example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can use any well-known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), In one aspect, the UE 190 may be an NR-light UE, and the UE 104 connected thereto via the D2D P2P link 192 may be a high-end UE. In one example, the D2D P2P link 192 may be a sidelink channel configured to support channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) and channel quality information and rank indicator (CQI / RI) measurements.

[0058] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a UE 164 that may communicate with the macrocell base station 102 over a communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 over a mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0059] Reference Figure 2A, illustrates an example wireless network architecture 200. For example, NGC 210 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally considered to include control plane functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which operate in conjunction to form the core network. User plane interface (NG-U) 213 and control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNB 222 to NGC 210, specifically to control plane functions 214 and user plane functions 212. In additional configurations, eNB 224 can also connect to NGC 210 via NG-C 215 to control plane functions 214 and NG-U 213 to user plane functions 212. Furthermore, eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include both one or more eNBs 224 and one or more gNBs 222. The gNB 222 or the eNB 224 may communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 204). A location server 230 may be included that is in communication with the NGC 210 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The location server 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively may each correspond to a single server. The location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which may be connected to the location server 230 via the core network, the NGC 210, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively may be external to the core network.

[0060] Reference Figure 2B, illustrates another example wireless network architecture 250. For example, NGC 260 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally considered to include control plane functions provided by access and mobility management function (AMF) / user plane function (UPF) 264, and user plane functions provided by session management function (SMF) 262, which operate in conjunction to form the core network (i.e., NGC 260). User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect eNB 224 to NGC 260, specifically to SMF 262 and AMF / UPF 264, respectively. In additional configurations, gNB 222 can also connect to NGC 260 via control plane interface 265 to AMF / UPF 264 and user plane interface 263 to SMF 262. Furthermore, eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223, regardless of whether it has direct gNB connectivity with NGC 260. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include both one or more eNBs 224 and one or more gNBs 222. The gNB 222 or the eNB 224 may communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 The base stations of the new RAN 220 communicate with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF 264 via the N2 interface and communicate with the UPF side of the AMF / UPF 264 via the N3 interface.

[0061] The functions of the AMF include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, session management (SM) messaging between the UE 204 and the SMF 262, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, short message service (SMS) messaging 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 intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the AMF retrieves security material from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF, which are used by the SCM to derive keys that vary depending on the access network. The functionality of the AMF also includes location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 and between the new RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of EPS bearer identifiers for interworking with the Evolved Packet System (EPS), and notification of mobility events for the UE 204. In addition, the AMF also supports functionality for non-3GPP access networks.

[0062] The functions of the UPF include: acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to 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, user plane quality of service (QoS) handling (e.g., UL / DL rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in DL), UL traffic verification (mapping of service data flows (SDFs) to QoS flows), transport layer 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.

[0063] The functions of the SMF 262 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering for routing traffic to the correct destination at the UPF, control of part 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.

[0064] An LMF 270 may be included that can be in communication with the NGC 260 to provide location assistance for 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 spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, the NGC 260, and / or via the Internet (not illustrated).

[0065] Also refer to Figure 3UE 300 is an example of UE 104, 164, 182, 190 and may include a computing platform including a processor 310, a memory 311 containing software (SW) 312, one or more sensors 313, a transceiver interface 314 for a transceiver 315, a user interface 316, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 317, a camera 318, and a positioning (motion) device 319. The processor 310, the memory 311, the sensor(s) 313, the transceiver interface 314, the user interface 316, the SPS receiver 317, the camera 318, and the positioning (motion) device 319 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 320 (which may be configured, for example, for optical and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., the camera 318, the positioning (motion) device 319, and / or one or more of the sensor(s) 313, etc.) may be omitted from the UE 300. Processor 310 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.). Processor 310 may include multiple processors, including a general / application processor 330, a digital signal processor (DSP) 331, a modem processor 332, a video processor 333, and / or a sensor processor 334. One or more of processors 330-334 may include multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, sensor processor 334 may include a processor for radar, ultrasonic wave, and / or lidar, etc. Modem processor 332 may support dual SIM cards / dual connectivity (or even more SIM cards). For example, one SIM card (Subscriber Identity Module or Subscriber Identity Module) may be used by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and another SIM card may be used by an end user of UE 300 to obtain connectivity. Memory 311 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 311 stores software 312, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that, when executed, are configured to cause processor 310 to perform the various functions described herein. Alternatively, software 312 may not be directly executable by processor 310, but may be configured (e.g., when compiled and executed) to cause processor 310 to perform the functions. This description may refer only to processor 310 performing a function, but this includes other implementations, such as implementations in which processor 310 executes software and / or firmware. This specification may refer to processor 310 performing a function as shorthand for one or more of processors 330-334 performing the function. This specification may refer to UE 300 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of UE 300 performing the function.Processor 310 may include memory with stored instructions in addition to and / or in lieu of memory 311. The functionality of processor 310 is discussed more fully below.

[0066] Figure 3 The configuration of UE 300 shown in the figure is an example and not a limitation of the present invention (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, an example configuration of the UE includes one or more of the processors 330-334 in the processor 310, a memory 311, and a wireless transceiver 340. Other example configurations include one or more of the processors 330-334 in the processor 310, a memory 311, a wireless transceiver 340, and one or more of the following: (s) sensor 313, a user interface 316, an SPS receiver 317, a camera 318, a PMD 319, and / or a wired transceiver 350. Compared to the description of UE 300, a reduced-capability UE (e.g., an NR-light UE) may have fewer components and smaller battery storage, a smaller processor (e.g., less processing power), and reduced transmit and receive chains (e.g., fewer antennas, a smaller transceiver, a less capable modem).

[0067] The UE 300 may include a modem processor 332 that may be capable of performing baseband processing on signals received and downconverted by the transceiver 315 and / or the SPS receiver 317. The modem processor 332 may perform baseband processing on signals to be upconverted for transmission by the transceiver 315. Additionally or alternatively, the baseband processing may be performed by the processor 330 and / or the DSP 331. However, other configurations may be used to perform the baseband processing.

[0068] UE 300 may include sensor(s) 313, which may include, for example, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 370, one or more magnetometers 371, and / or one or more environmental sensors 372. IMU 370 may include one or more inertial sensors, such as one or more accelerometers 373 (e.g., collectively responsive to acceleration of UE 300 in three dimensions) and / or one or more gyroscopes 374. Magnetometer(s) may provide measurements to determine orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and / or true north), which may be used for any of a variety of purposes (e.g., to support one or more compass applications). Environmental sensor(s) 372 may include, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and / or one or more microphones. Sensor(s) 313 may generate analog and / or digital signals, indications of which may be stored in memory 311 and processed by DSP 331 and / or processor 330 to support one or more applications (such as, for example, applications involving positioning and / or navigation operations).

[0069] The sensor(s) 313 may be used for relative position measurement, relative position determination, motion determination, and the like. The information detected by the sensor(s) 313 may be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based position determination, and / or sensor-assisted position determination. The sensor(s) 313 may be used to determine whether the UE 300 is stationary (stationary) or mobile and / or whether to report certain useful information related to the mobility of the UE 300 to a server. For example, based on the information obtained / measured by the sensor(s), the UE 300 may notify / report to the server that the UE 300 has detected movement or that the UE 300 has moved, and report the relative displacement / distance (e.g., via dead reckoning, sensor-based position determination, or sensor-assisted position determination implemented by the sensor(s) 313). In another example, for relative positioning information, the sensor / IMU may be used to determine the angle and / or orientation of another device relative to the UE 300.

[0070] The IMU 370 can be configured to provide measurements of the direction and / or speed of motion of the UE 300, which can be used for relative position determination. For example, one or more accelerometers 373 and / or one or more gyroscopes 374 of the IMU 370 can detect the linear acceleration and rotational speed of the UE 300, respectively. The linear acceleration measurements and rotational speed measurements of the UE 300 can be integrated over time to determine the instantaneous direction of motion and displacement of the UE 300. The instantaneous direction of motion and displacement can be integrated to track the position of the UE 300. For example, a reference position of the UE 300 at a certain moment can be determined, for example, using the SPS receiver 317 (and / or by some other means), and measurements obtained from the accelerometer(s) 373 and gyroscope(s) 374 after that moment can be used for dead reckoning to determine the current position of the UE 300 based on the movement (direction and distance) of the UE 300 relative to the reference position.

[0071] The magnetometer(s) 371 can determine the magnetic field strength in different directions, which can be used to determine the orientation of the UE 300. For example, the orientation can be used to provide a digital compass for the UE 300. The magnetometer(s) 371 may include a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of the magnetic field strength in two orthogonal dimensions. Additionally or alternatively, the magnetometer(s) 371 may include a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of the magnetic field strength in three orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer(s) 371 may provide a means for sensing a magnetic field and providing an indication of the magnetic field, for example, to the processor 310.

[0072] The transceiver 315 may include a wireless transceiver 340 and a wired transceiver 350 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 340 may include a transmitter 342 and a receiver 344 coupled to one or more antennas 346 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) wireless signals 348 and converting signals from the wireless signals 348 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and vice versa. The PRS reference signal transmission schedule and associated measurements may be obtained via the wireless signals 348. Thus, the transmitter 342 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 344 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 340 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with the TRP and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs), such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc. The new radio may use millimeter wave frequencies and / or sub-6 GHz frequencies. The wired transceiver 350 may include a transmitter 352 and a receiver 354 configured for wired communication. The transmitter 352 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 354 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 350 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication. The transceiver 315 may be communicatively coupled to the transceiver interface 314 (e.g., via an optical connection and / or an electrical connection). The transceiver interface 314 may be at least partially integrated with the transceiver 315.

[0073] The user interface 316 may include one or more of a number of devices (such as, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a display device, a vibration device, a keyboard, a touch screen, etc.). The user interface 316 may include more than one of any of these devices. The user interface 316 may be configured to enable a user to interact with one or more applications hosted by the UE 300. For example, the user interface 316 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in the memory 311 for processing by the DSP 331 and / or the general processor 330 in response to actions from the user. Similarly, applications hosted on the UE 300 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in the memory 311 to present output signals to the user. The user interface 316 may include audio input / output (I / O) devices, including, for example, a speaker, a microphone, digital-to-analog circuitry, analog-to-digital circuitry, an amplifier, and / or gain control circuitry (including more than one of these devices). Other configurations of audio I / O devices may be used. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface 316 may include one or more touch sensors that respond to touch and / or pressure on, for example, a keyboard and / or a touch screen of the user interface 316 .

[0074] The SPS receiver 317 (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) receiver) can be capable of receiving and acquiring SPS signals 362 via the SPS antenna 360. The antenna 362 is configured to convert the wireless signals 360 into wired signals (e.g., electrical signals or optical signals) and can be integrated with the antenna 346. The SPS receiver 317 can be configured to process the acquired SPS signals 360 in whole or in part to estimate the position of the UE 300. For example, the SPS receiver 317 can be configured to determine the position of the UE 300 by performing trilateration using the SPS signals 360. The general-purpose processor 330, the memory 311, the DSP 331, and / or one or more dedicated processors (not shown) can be utilized in conjunction with the SPS receiver 317 to process the acquired SPS signals in whole or in part and / or calculate the estimated position of the UE 300. The memory 311 may store indications (e.g., measurements) of the SPS signal 360 and / or other signals (e.g., signals obtained from the wireless transceiver 340) for use in performing positioning operations. The general-purpose processor 330, the DSP 331, and / or one or more specialized processors, and / or the memory 311 may provide or support a location engine for processing the measurements to estimate the location of the UE 300.

[0075] The UE 300 may include a camera 318 for capturing still or moving images. The camera 318 may include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge-coupled device or CMOS imager), a lens, analog-to-digital circuitry, a frame buffer, etc. Additional processing, conditioning, encoding, and / or compression of signals representing the captured images may be performed by the general-purpose processor 330 and / or the DSP 331. Additionally or alternatively, a video processor 333 may perform conditioning, encoding, compression, and / or manipulation of signals representing the captured images. The video processor 333 may decode / decompress stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown) (e.g., of the user interface 316).

[0076] A positioning (motion) device (PMD) 319 may be configured to determine the position and possible motion of the UE 300. For example, the PMD 319 may be in communication with the SPS receiver 317 and / or include some or all of the SPS receiver 217. The PMD 319 may additionally or alternatively be configured to determine the location of the UE 300 using trilateration, assisted acquisition, and SPS signals 360, or both, using terrestrial-based signals such as 4G LTE and 5G NR PRS transmission schedules (e.g., at least some signals 348). The PMD 319 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 300 using one or more other techniques, e.g., relying on the UE's self-reported location (e.g., as part of the UE's location beacon), and may use a combination of techniques (e.g., SPS and terrestrial positioning signals). The PMD 319 may include one or more sensors 313 (e.g., gyroscope(s), accelerometer(s), magnetometer(s), etc.) that may sense the orientation and / or motion of the UE 300 and provide an indication of the orientation and / or motion, which the processor 310 (e.g., processor 330 and / or DSP 331) may use to determine the UE's location. The PMD 319 may be configured to provide an indication of uncertainty and / or error in the determined position and / or motion.

[0077] Reference Figure 4 , and further refer to Figures 1 to 3 , a block diagram of components of an example server 400 is shown. Server 400 is an example of a location server 230 (such as LMF 270, AMF 264, and SMF 262). Server 400 may also be an example of a base station (such as gNB 222 and eNB 224). Server 400 may also include or be connected to one or more SPS receivers ( Figure 44). The server 400 includes a computing platform including a processor 410, a memory 411 including software (SW) 412, and a transceiver 415. The processor 410, the memory 411, and the transceiver 415 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 420 (which may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., a wireless interface) may be omitted from the server 400. The processor 410 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.). The processor 410 may include multiple processors (e.g., including Figure 4 ). Memory 411 is a non-volatile storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM), among others. Memory 411 stores software 412, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause processor 410 to perform the various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 412 may not be directly executable by processor 410, but may be configured (e.g., when compiled and executed) to cause processor 410 to perform the functions. This description may refer only to processor 410 performing a function, but this includes other implementations, such as implementations in which processor 410 executes software and / or firmware. This specification may refer to processor 410 performing a function as shorthand for one or more processors included in processor 410 performing that function. This specification may refer to server 400 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of server 400 performing that function. Processor 410 may include memory with stored instructions in addition to and / or in lieu of memory 411. The functionality of processor 410 is discussed more fully below.

[0078] The transceiver 415 may include a wireless transceiver 440 and a wired transceiver 450 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may include a transmitter 442 and a receiver 446 coupled to one or more antennas 444 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) wireless signals 448 and converting signals from wireless signals 448 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and vice versa. Thus, the transmitter 442 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 444 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 440 may be configured to operate in accordance with various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc.) to communicate signals (e.g., with UE 300, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices). Wireline transceiver 450 may include a transmitter 452 and a receiver 454 configured for wired communication (e.g., with wireless communication system 100), for example, to send communications to gNB 222 and eNB 224 and to receive communications from gNB 222 and eNB 224. Transmitter 452 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or receiver 454 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. Wireline transceiver 450 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0079] Figure 4 The configuration of server 400 shown in FIG is an example and does not limit the present invention (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, wireless transceiver 440 may be omitted. Additionally or alternatively, the description herein discusses server 400 performing or being configured to perform several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by gNB 222, eNB 224, and / or UE 300.

[0080] Reference Figure 5 , shows an exemplary wireless communication system 500 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 5In an example, a UE 504 (which may correspond to any UE described herein) is attempting to calculate a positioning estimate, or assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating a positioning estimate. The UE 504 may communicate wirelessly with a plurality of base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3 (which may correspond to any combination of base stations described herein) using RF signals and standardized protocols for modulating the RF signals and exchanging information packets. By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals and utilizing the layout of the wireless communication system 500 (e.g., base station locations, geometry, etc.), the UE 504 may determine a positioning estimate, or assist in determining a positioning estimate in a predefined reference coordinate system. In one aspect, the UE 504 may specify a positioning estimate using a two-dimensional (2D) coordinate system; however, the aspects disclosed herein are not limited thereto and may also be applicable to determining a positioning estimate using a three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system where additional dimensions are desired. Additionally, while Figure 5 One UE 504 and four base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3 are illustrated, but as will be appreciated, there may be more UEs 504 and more or fewer base stations.

[0081] To support positioning estimation, base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3 may be configured to broadcast positioning reference signals (e.g., PRS, NRS, TRS, CRS, etc.) to UEs 504 in their coverage areas, so that UEs 504 can measure the characteristics of such reference signals. For example, the Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) positioning method is a multilateration positioning method in which UEs 504 measure the time difference (referred to as Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD)) between specific reference signals (e.g., PRS, CRS, CSI-RS, etc.) transmitted by different pairs of network nodes (e.g., pairs of base stations, pairs of antennas of base stations, etc.), and either report these time differences to a location server (such as location server 230 or LMF 270) or calculate a position estimate based on these time differences.

[0082] Generally, at a reference network node (e.g. Figure 5 502-1 in the example of FIG) and one or more neighbor network nodes (e.g., Figure 5RSTD is measured between base stations 502-2 and 502-3 in the example of UE 504). For any single positioning use of OTDOA, the reference network node remains the same for all RSTDs measured by UE 504 and will typically correspond to the serving cell of UE 504 or another nearby cell with good signal strength at UE 504. In an aspect, where the measured network node is a cell supported by a base station, the neighbor network node will typically be a cell supported by a different base station than the base station used for the reference cell and may have good or poor signal strength at UE 504. The position calculation may be based on the measured time difference (e.g., RSTD) and knowledge of the positions and relative transmission timing of the network nodes (e.g., whether the network nodes are accurately synchronized or whether each network node transmits with a known time difference relative to the other network nodes).

[0083] To assist in the positioning operation, for reference network nodes (e.g. Figure 5 502-1 in the example in FIG) and neighbor network nodes relative to the reference network node (eg, Figure 5 2 and 502-3 in the example shown in FIG5 ), a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) may provide OTDOA assistance data to UE 504. For example, the assistance data may provide a center channel frequency for each network node, various reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., number of consecutive positioning subframes, periodicity of positioning subframes, quieting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal identifier (ID), reference signal bandwidth), a network node global ID, and / or other cell-related parameters applicable to OTDOA. The OTDOA assistance data may indicate the serving cell of UE 504 as the reference network node.

[0084] In some cases, the OTDOA assistance data may also include an "expected RSTD" parameter, along with an uncertainty for the expected RSTD parameter, that provides information to the UE 504 regarding the RSTD value that the UE 504 is expected to measure at its current location between the reference network node and each neighbor network node. The expected RSTD, along with the associated uncertainty, may define a search window for the UE 504 within which the UE 504 is expected to measure RSTD values. The OTDOA assistance information may also include reference signal configuration information parameters that allow the UE 504 to determine when reference signal positioning opportunities occur on signals received from various neighbor network nodes relative to the reference signal positioning opportunities for the reference network node, and to determine reference signal sequences transmitted from various network nodes to measure signal time of arrival (ToA) or RSTD.

[0085] In an aspect, while a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) may send data to UE 504, alternatively, assistance data may originate directly from the network nodes (e.g., base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3) themselves (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead messages, etc.). Alternatively, UE 504 may detect neighbor network nodes without using assistance data.

[0086] UE 504 (e.g., based in part on assistance data (if provided)) may measure and (optionally) report RSTD between reference signals received from pairs of network nodes. Using RSTD measurements, known absolute or relative transmission timing of each network node, and known positioning of transmit antennas for the reference network node and neighboring network nodes, the network (e.g., location server 230 / LMF 270, base station) or UE 504 may estimate the positioning of UE 504. More specifically, the RSTD of neighbor network node "k" relative to reference network node "Ref" may be given as (ToA k –ToA Ref ), where the ToA value can be measured modulo one subframe duration (1ms) to remove the effect of measuring different subframes at different times. Figure 5 In the example of FIG, the time differences measured between the reference cell of base station 502-1 and the cells of neighboring base stations 502-2 and 502-3 are represented as τ2−τ1 and τ3−τ1, where τ1, τ2, and τ3 represent the ToA of the reference signals from the transmit antennas of base stations 502-1, 502-2, and 502-3, respectively. UE 504 can then convert the ToA measurements for different network nodes into RSTD measurements and (optionally) send them to location server 230 / LMF 270. Using (i) RSTD measurements, (ii) known absolute or relative transmission timing of each network node, (iii) known positioning of the physical transmit antennas for the reference network node and neighboring network nodes, and / or (iv) directional reference signal characteristics (such as the direction of transmission), the position of UE 504 (determined by UE 504 or location server 230 / LMF 270) can be determined.

[0087] Still refer to Figure 5When UE 504 uses the time difference measured by OTDOA to obtain a position estimate, the necessary additional data (e.g., the positions and relative transmission timings of network nodes) may be provided to UE 504 by a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270). In some implementations, a position estimate for UE 504 may be obtained (e.g., by UE 504 or by location server 230 / LMF 270) from the time difference measured by OTDOA and from other measurements made by UE 504 (e.g., measurements of signal timing from Global Positioning System (GPS) or other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) satellites). In these implementations (referred to as hybrid positioning), OTDOA measurements may contribute to obtaining a position estimate for UE 504, but may not fully determine the position estimate.

[0088] Uplink Time Difference of Arrival (UTDOA) is a positioning method similar to OTDOA, but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), Uplink Positioning Reference Signal (ULPRS)) transmitted by a UE (e.g., UE 504). Furthermore, transmit and / or receive beamforming at base stations 502-1, 502-2, 502-3 and / or UE 504 can enable wideband bandwidth at the cell edge for improved accuracy. Beam refinement can also leverage channel reciprocity procedures in 5G NR.

[0089] In NR, precise timing synchronization across the network is not required. Instead, coarse timing synchronization (e.g., within the cyclic prefix (CP) duration of an OFDM symbol) across gNBs is sufficient. Round-trip time (RTT)-based methods typically only require coarse timing synchronization and are therefore practical positioning methods in NR.

[0090] Reference Figure 6A and 6B, shows an exemplary downlink PRS resource set. Generally speaking, a PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources across a base station that have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same cross-slot repetition factor. A first PRS resource set 602 includes 4 resources and a repetition factor of 4, with a time slot equal to 1 slot. A second PRS resource set 604 includes 4 resources and a repetition factor of 4, with a time slot equal to 4 slots. The repetition factor indicates the number of times each PRS resource is repeated in each individual instance of the PRS resource set (e.g., values 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32). For example, an instance of PRS resource set 606 includes a transmission of 4 resources at a repetition factor. An instance of PRS resource 608 is a transmission of a specific PRS resource and corresponds to different transmit beams. The time slot represents the offset in slots between two repeated instances of a PRS resource corresponding to the same PRS resource ID within a single instance of a PRS resource set (e.g., values 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32). The time duration spanned by a PRS resource set containing repeated PRS resources does not exceed the PRS periodicity. The repetition of PRS resources enables receiver beam sweeping across the repetitions and combining RF gain to increase coverage. Repetition can also achieve intra-instance muting.

[0091] Reference Figure 7 , shows an example subframe and time slot format for positioning reference signal transmission. The example subframe and time slot format is included in Figure 6A and 6B The PRS resource set depicted in . Figure 7 The subframe and slot formats in FIG are examples and not limitations and include a comb-2 format 702 having 2 symbols, a comb-4 format 704 having 4 symbols, a comb-2 format 706 having 12 symbols, a comb-4 format 708 having 12 symbols, a comb-6 format 710 having 6 symbols, a comb-12 format 712 having 12 symbols, a comb-2 format 714 having 6 symbols, and a comb-6 format 716 having 12 symbols. In general, a subframe may include 14 symbol periods with indices 0 to 13. The subframe and slot formats may be used for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH). Generally, a base station may transmit a PRS from antenna port 6 on one or more slots in each subframe configured for PRS transmission. The base station may avoid transmitting PRS on resource elements allocated to the PBCH, primary synchronization signal (PSS), or secondary synchronization signal (SSS), regardless of their antenna port. The cell may generate reference symbols for the PRS based on the cell ID, symbol period index, and slot index.In general, a UE may be able to distinguish PRSs from different cells.

[0092] The base station may transmit PRS on a specific PRS bandwidth, which may be configured by a higher layer. The base station may transmit PRS on subcarriers spaced across the PRS bandwidth. The base station may also transmit PRS based on parameters such as PRS periodicity TPRS, subframe offset PRS, and PRS duration NPRS. PRS periodicity is the periodicity with which PRS is transmitted. PRS periodicity may be, for example, 160, 320, 640, or 1280 ms. The subframe offset indicates the specific subframe in which the PRS is transmitted. And the PRS duration indicates the number of consecutive subframes in which the PRS is transmitted in each PRS transmission period (PRS opportunity). The PRS duration may be, for example, 1, 2, 4, or 6 ms.

[0093] The PRS periodicity, PRS, and subframe offset, PRS, may be communicated via a PRS configuration index, PRS. The PRS configuration index and PRS duration may be independently configured by higher layers. A set of consecutive PRS subframes in which PRS is transmitted may be referred to as a PRS opportunity. Each PRS opportunity may be enabled or muted, for example, the UE may apply a muting bit to each cell.

[0094] Note that the terms positioning reference signal and PRS refer to reference signals that can be used for positioning, such as but not limited to: PRS signal in LTE, navigation reference signal (NRS) in 5G, downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS), uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), tracking reference signal (TRS), cell-specific reference signal (CRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), sounding reference signal (SRS), etc.

[0095] In one example, a positioning frequency layer can be a set of PRS resource sets across one or more base stations. The positioning frequency layers can have the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) type, the same point A, the same PRS bandwidth value, the same starting PRB, and the same comb size value. The parameter design supported by PDSCH is supported by PRS.

[0096] Reference Figure 8A and 8B , shows an example of a PRS muting pattern. In general, a muting pattern is used to indicate which PRS resources are not transmitted (or are transmitted at zero power or near zero power). The muting pattern can be configured to reduce interference that may occur when two TRPs are configured with the same PRS resources in the time domain. The muting pattern can be included in the PRS resource set as a bitmap. Figure 8A, shows an example of inter-instance muting. In inter-instance muting, each bit in the bitmap corresponds to a configurable number (e.g., a higher layer parameter such as DL-PRS-MutingBitRepetitionFactor) of consecutive instances of a PRS resource set. All PRS resources within the set are muted for the instances indicated as being muted. For example, a first instance 802a on a first TRP is transmitted when a first instance 804a on a second TRP is muted, and correspondingly, a second instance 802b on the first TRP is muted when a second instance 804b on the second TRP is transmitted. Reference Figure 8B , shows an example of intra-instance muting. In intra-instance muting, each bit in the bitmap may correspond to a single repetition index for each PRS resource within each instance of a PRS resource set. The length of the bitmap may be equal to a configurable number (e.g., a higher layer parameter such as DL-PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor). The benefit of intra-instance muting is that the UE can measure all PRS resources from different TRPs within one instance of a PRS resource set. For example, the UE may receive a first instance 812a from a first TRP to measure a first PRS resource and a second PRS resource, and also receive a first instance 814a from a second TRP to measure a first PRS resource and a second PRS resource. Other muting patterns may also be used. For example, a logical operator (e.g., AND) may be applied to the inter-instance and intra-instance bitmaps.

[0097] refer to Figure 9 , shows an example of related positioning reference signals for positioning user equipment. Wireless communication system 900 includes UE 902 and multiple base stations, such as first TRP 904a, second TRP 904b, and third TRP 904c. Wireless communication system 900 is an example of wireless communication system 100, UE 902 is an example of UE 300, and TRPs 904a-c are examples of base stations 102. UE 902 may be a reduced capability system with limited power / battery storage capability and is configured to obtain PRS measurements for positioning operations, such as Figure 5 Each of the TRPs 904a-c may be configured with one or more PRS resource sets and may be capable of transmitting instances of PRS resources (ie, directional beams), such as Figure 9 . The UE 902 may be configured to attempt to receive each of the transmitted PRS resources, but not all of the transmitted PRS resources are necessary to locate the UE 902. The UE 902 may locate the UE 902 based on the relevant beams transmitted from the TRPs 904a-c (in Figure 9) to determine positioning, and thus power used to attempt to receive non-correlated PRS resources may be wasted. Figure 9 The associated beams described in represent corresponding subsets of the PRS resource set on TRPs 904a-c, and UE 902 can be configured to attempt to measure and include this subset of the PRS resource set.

[0098] refer to Figure 10 , and further reference Figure 9 , a diagram 1000 of an example grouping of a complete PRS resource set and a subset of PRS resources is shown. The second TRP 904b is configured with a complete PRS resource set, including a first PRS resource 1002a, a second PRS resource 1002b, a third PRS resource 1002c, a fourth PRS resource 1002d, a fifth PRS resource 1002e, a sixth PRS resource 1002f, a seventh PRS resource 1002g, and an eighth PRS resource 1002h. The complete PRS resource set is transmitted with a periodicity 1006. The UE (not in Figure 10 1004 ). The UE may receive signaling from a serving cell indicating a subset 1004 of PRS resources to be measured and reported. For example, the subset 1004 may include a second PRS resource 1002b, a third PRS resource 1002c, and a fourth PRS resource 1002d. The signaling may be received via RRC messaging or higher layer (e.g., LTE Positioning Protocol, LPP) messaging. In one example, the indication of the subset 1004 may be included in DCI or MAC-CE signaling. In one example, the LMF 270 or the RAN 220 (e.g., the eNB 224 or the gNB 222) may be configured to determine the subset of PRS resources based on an estimated positioning of the UE. The estimated positioning may be based on RRM results or other coarse positioning techniques (e.g., dead reckoning, cell identification, neighbor reporting, etc.). In one example, an indication status parameter within a PRS resource may be used to associate the PRS resource with a subset or subgroup. Thus, the subset indication received by the UE may be based on the PRS resource level muting configuration associated with the subset indication state.

[0099] refer to Figure 11 , and further reference Figure 9 and Figure 10, a diagram 1100 illustrating complete PRS resource sets and subsets of PRS resource sets is shown. Diagram 1100 depicts elements of a wireless communication system 900 including a UE 902 and TRPs 904a-c. The PRS resource sets on each of the TRPs 904a-c have been grouped into example complete sets and subsets. For example, a first TRP 904a may be configured with corresponding PRS resource sets, including a first complete PRS resource set 1102a and a second complete PRS resource set 1102b. A second TRP 904b may be configured with at least a third complete PRS resource set 1102c, and a third TRP 904c may be configured with at least a fourth complete PRS resource set 1102d. Each of the complete PRS resource sets 1102a-d may include one or more PRS resource subsets. For example, a first subset 1104a of PRS resource sets may be based on PRS resources in the first PRS resource set 1102a. A second subset 1104b of the PRS resource set may be based on the PRS resources in the second PRS resource set 1102b. A third subset 1104c of the PRS resource set may be based on the PRS resources in the third PRS resource set 1102c. A fourth subset 1104d of the PRS resource set may be based on the PRS resources in the fourth PRS resource set 1102d. The selection and number of PRS resources in each subset are merely examples and not limitations, as other combinations of PRS resources may be included in one or more different subsets.

[0100] In operation, a base station may provide a signal or message indicating the selection of a subset of PRS resources from a PRS resource set for positioning measurement and reporting. In one embodiment, the grouping of the indicated subsets may be achieved through configuration(s) of PRS resource-level muting configurations associated with subset indication states. For example, signaling between the LMF 270 and the gNB 222 may be limited to conveying relevant subset and / or subgroup information to the UE. In another embodiment, the network entity for positioning-related functions may be the gNB 222 (or a node in the RAN 220 configured for positioning). In one example, the indication state value in the PRS resource information element may indicate the first subset 1104a of the complete PRS resource set 1102a, thereby configuring the UE 902 to measure and report the first subset 1104a of the PRS resources. In one embodiment, the signaling or messaging may be L1 signaling (e.g., DCI, MAC CE) or higher-layer LPP message(s). In the absence of a subset indication, the UE 902 may be configured to measure and report a complete PRS resource set (e.g., 1102a). Signaling or messaging received by the UE 902 may also indicate a group of PRS resource subsets 1104a-d from the complete PRS resource sets 1102a-d. The groups of PRS resource subsets 1104a-b (and complete sets 1102a-d) may be associated with different TRPs. Signaling and messaging may also indicate the selection of a subgroup of PRS resource sets from a group of different PRS resource sets. For example, the subgroup may configure the UE 902 to measure and report the first, second, third, and fourth complete PRS resource sets 1102a-c and PRS resources in the potential subset from a group of PRS resource sets including the first, second, third, and fourth complete PRS resource sets 1102a-d.

[0101] refer to Figure 12 , shows an example timeline 1200 with periodicity for positioning reference signal resource sets and subsets. Timeline 1200 depicts multiple PRS resource transmissions in the time domain. A TRP may transmit PRS resources at a first periodicity 1206 such that each PRS resource in the set is available for measurement by UEs in the coverage area of the TRP. For example, a first TRP 904a may transmit a first complete PRS resource set 1102a at a first periodicity 1206. A UE 902 may be configured to measure and report a complete PRS resource set 1102a and a subset of a complete PRS resource set at different periodicities. For example, a UE 902 may measure and report a first complete PRS resource set 1102a at a second periodicity 1208, and measure and report a first subset 1104a of the first complete PRS resource set 1102a based on the first periodicity 1206. Reference Figure 12, the UE 902 may measure and report the first complete PRS resource 1102a at a first instance 1202a and subsequently at a second instance 1202b after a second duration 1208. The UE 902 may also measure and report the first subset 1104a of the PRS resources at a third instance 1204a, a fourth instance 1204b, and a fifth instance 1204c, as depicted on timeline 1200. In one example, the periodicity of measuring the first complete set of PRS resources 1102a may be a fixed integer multiple (e.g., every 2, 3, 5, 8, 10, etc.) of the periodicity of measuring the first subset 1104a. In one embodiment, the subset indication received by the UE 902 may be associated with a lifetime value that indicates the periodicity and / or number of instances of PRS transmission of the subset to be measured and reported. After the duration indicated by the lifetime expires, the UE 902 may be configured to return to a default setting and measure and report the complete PRS resources. The lifetime value may be an integer number of periods or instances (eg, 12, 20, 50, 100, etc.) or may be expressed in terms of time based on a duration of time (eg, 10, 60, 100 seconds) or actual time (eg, network time).

[0102] Reference Figure 13 And further refer to Figure 1-12 , a method 1300 for receiving positioning measurements associated with a subset of positioning reference signals includes the stages shown. However, the method 1300 is merely an example and is not limiting. The method 1300 may be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0103] At stage 1302, the method includes providing a positioning reference signal resource set associated with a base station to a user equipment. Base station 102 is a device for providing a PRS resource set to a UE. The PRS resource set may be provided to the UE via RRC signaling or other network messaging. In one example, LMF 270 may provide the PRS resource set to RAN 220, and gNB 222 may transmit the PRS resource set information to the UE. The PRS resource set includes multiple PRS resources, which may include different beams with varying azimuth and / or elevation angles. These beams may cover different geographic areas.

[0104] At stage 1304, the method includes providing an indication of a subset of the positioning reference signal resource set to the user equipment. The base station 102 is a means for providing the indication of the subset to the UE. Signaling may be provided via RRC messaging or a higher layer (e.g., LPP) protocol. In one example, the indication of the subset 1004 may be included in DCI or MAC-CE signaling. In one example, the LMF 270 or the RAN 220 (e.g., the eNB 224 or the gNB 222) may be configured to determine the subset of PRS resources based on the estimated positioning of the UE. The estimated positioning may be based on RRM results or other coarse positioning techniques (e.g., dead reckoning, cell identification, neighbor reporting, etc.). In one example, an indication state parameter within a PRS resource may be used to associate the PRS resource with a subset or subgroup. Thus, the subset indication received by the UE may be based on a PRS resource-level muting configuration associated with the subset indication state. In one example, the indication of the subset may further include a lifetime value indicating a duration over which the PRS resource subset is to be measured and reported. In one example, the PRS resource set information received at stage 1302 may include PRS resource sets for a plurality of base stations, and the indication of the subset may further include an indication of a subgroup of the PRS resource sets to be measured. In one example, the indication of the subset may include a periodicity at which the UE measures and reports the PRS resource subset.

[0105] At stage 1306, the method includes receiving measurement information from the user equipment based on measurements associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set. The base station 102 is a device for receiving measurement information. The UE is configured to measure the PRS transmitted from the base station. For example, the UE may determine RSRP, RSRQ and / or SINR of the PRS signal. The UE may also determine other beam information (such as a beam ID (e.g., PRS-ID), a transmitting station ID (e.g., TRP-ID)) and other positioning-related data (such as arrival time values to be used for RTT, RSTD, TDOA, OTDOA measurements, such as Figure 5 ). The measurement information may include data associated with other terrestrial navigation techniques, such as E-CID and angle of arrival (AoA). In one embodiment, the UE may be configured to provide measurement information, and the base station 102 or another network node, such as the LMF 270, may be configured to determine the UE's position based on the received measurements. In another example, the measurement information may be a position calculated by the UE 300 at least in part based on PRS measurements.

[0106] Reference Figure 14 , and further refer to Figure 1-12Method 1400 for obtaining measurements of a subset of positioning reference signals includes the stages shown. However, method 1400 is merely an example and is not limiting. Method 1400 may be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0107] At stage 1402, the method includes receiving a positioning reference signal resource set associated with a base station. UE 300 is a device for receiving a PRS resource set. The PRS resource set may be provided by the base station via RRC signaling or other network messaging. In one example, LMF 270 may provide the PRS resource set to RAN 220, and gNB 222 may transmit the PRS resource set information to the UE. The PRS resource set includes multiple PRS resources, which may include different beams with varying azimuth and / or elevation angles. These beams may cover different geographic areas.

[0108] At stage 1404, the method includes receiving an indication of a subset of the positioning reference signal resource set. UE 300 is a means for receiving the indication of the subset. Signaling may be received via RRC messaging or a higher layer (e.g., LPP) protocol. In one example, the indication of the subset 1004 may be included in DCI or MAC-CE signaling. In one example, UE 300 may be configured to provide a current estimated position to the serving cell, and the indication of the subset of the PRS resource set may be based on the estimated position. In one example, LMF 270 or RAN 220 (e.g., eNB 224 or gNB 222) may be configured to determine the subset of PRS resources based on the estimated position of UE 300. The estimated position may be based on RRM results or other coarse positioning techniques (e.g., dead reckoning, cell identification, neighbor reports, etc.). In one example, an indication status parameter within a PRS resource may be used to associate the PRS resource with a subset or subgroup. Thus, the subset indication received by the UE may be based on the PRS resource level muting configuration associated with the subset indication state. In one example, the indication of the subset may further include a lifetime value indicating a duration over which the PRS resource subset is to be measured and reported. In one example, the PRS resource set information received at stage 1402 may include PRS resource sets for a plurality of base stations, and the indication of the subset may further include an indication of a subgroup of the PRS resource sets to be measured. In one example, the indication of the subset may include a periodicity at which the UE measures and reports the PRS resource subset.

[0109] At stage 1406, the method includes obtaining measurements from positioning reference signals associated with the subset of the positioning reference signal resource set. UE 300 is an apparatus for obtaining measurements. UE 300 may be configured to measure PRSs transmitted from one or more base stations. For example, UE 300 may determine RSRP, RSRQ, and / or SINR of the PRS signals. UE 300 may also determine other beam information such as a beam ID (e.g., PRS-ID), a transmitting station ID (e.g., TRP-ID), and other positioning-related data such as to be used for, for example, Figure 5 , such as time of arrival values for the positioning techniques described in

[15] (e.g., RTT, RSTD, TDOA, OTDOA, etc.). The measurement information may include data associated with other terrestrial navigation techniques such as E-CID and angle of arrival (AoA). In one embodiment, UE 300 may be configured to provide measurement information, and base station 102 or another network node (such as LMF 270) may be configured to determine the UE's position based on the received measurements. In another example, the measurement information may be a position calculated by UE 300 at least in part based on PRS measurements.

[0110] Other examples and implementations fall within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features that implement the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed so that parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0111] Likewise, as used herein, “or” used in a list of items followed by “at least one of” or followed by “one or more of” indicates a disjunctive list, so that, for example, the list “at least one of A, B, or C” or the list “one or more of A, B, or C” or “A, B, or C, or a combination thereof” means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), as well as combinations having more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.).

[0112] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, a recitation of a function or operation "based on" an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the recited item or condition, and may be based on one or more items and / or conditions other than the recited item or condition.

[0113] Furthermore, an indication that information is sent or transmitted "to" an entity, or a statement that information is sent or transmitted "to" an entity, is not required to complete the communication. Such an indication or statement includes situations where information passes from a sending entity but does not reach the intended recipient of the information. An intended recipient may still be referred to as a receiving entity, e.g., a receiving execution environment, even if it does not actually receive the information. Furthermore, an entity configured to send or transmit information "to" an intended recipient is not required to be configured to complete the delivery of the information to the intended recipient. For example, the entity may provide information with an indication of the intended recipient to another entity that can forward the information and the indication of the intended recipient.

[0114] A wireless communication system is a system in which at least some communications are transmitted wirelessly, for example, by electromagnetic waves and / or sound waves propagating through airspace rather than through wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication network may not have all communications transmitted wirelessly, but may be configured so that at least some communications are transmitted wirelessly. Furthermore, the term "wireless communication device" or similar terms does not require that the functionality of the device be exclusively or uniformly primarily used for communication, or that the device be a mobile device, but rather indicates that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (unidirectional or bidirectional), for example, including at least one radio (each radio being part of a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver) for wireless communication.

[0115] Substantial variations can be made depending on specific requirements. For example, customized hardware can be used, and / or specific elements can be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets), or both. Further, connections to other computing devices (such as network input / output devices) can be employed.

[0116] As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a specific manner. Using a computer system, various computer-readable media may be involved in providing instructions / code for execution to a processor, and / or may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code (e.g., as a signal). In many implementations, computer-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical disks and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, but are not limited to, dynamic memory.

[0117] Common forms of physical and / or tangible computer-readable media include, for example: a floppy disk, a flexible disk, a hard disk, magnetic tape, or any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, any other optical medium, any other physical medium with a pattern of holes, a RAM, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or memory cartridge, a carrier wave as described hereinafter, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or code.

[0118] Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to one or more processors for execution. By way of example only, the instructions may initially be carried on a magnetic disk and / or optical disc of a remote computer. The remote computer may download the instructions into its dynamic memory and transmit the instructions as signals over a transmission medium for receipt and / or execution by the computer system.

[0119] The methods, systems, and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations may appropriately omit, replace, or add various procedures or components. For example, in alternative configurations, these methods may be performed in an order different from the order described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. In addition, the features described with respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of the configurations may be combined in a similar manner. Furthermore, technology will evolve, and thus, many elements are examples and do not limit the scope of this disclosure or the claims.

[0120] Specific details are given in this specification to provide a thorough understanding of example configurations (including implementations). However, these configurations can be put into practice without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown without unnecessary details to avoid confusing these configurations. This specification only provides example configurations and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. On the contrary, the previous description of the configuration provides a description for implementing the technology. Various changes can be made to the function and arrangement of the elements without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure.

[0121] Each configuration may also be described as a process depicted as a flowchart or block diagram. Although each flowchart or block diagram can describe the operation as a sequential process, some operations can be performed in parallel or simultaneously. In addition, the order of the operations can be rearranged. The process may have additional stages and functions that are not included in the accompanying drawings. In addition, examples of these methods can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segment for performing the task can be stored in a non-transient computer-readable medium (such as a storage medium). The processor can perform one or more of the described tasks.

[0122] Components shown in the drawings and / or discussed herein as connected, coupled (e.g., communicatively coupled), or in communication with each other (functionally or otherwise) are operatively coupled. That is, they may be connected directly or indirectly, by wire and / or wirelessly, to enable signal transmission therebetween.

[0123] Several example configurations have been described, and various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the above elements may be components of a larger system, wherein other rules may take precedence over the application of the present invention or otherwise modify the application of the present invention. In addition, several operations may be taken before, during, or after considering the above elements. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of the claims.

[0124] As used herein, “approximately” and / or “about” when referring to a measurable value (such as an amount, a duration of time, etc.) encompasses deviations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as is appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein. “Substantially” as used herein when referring to a measurable value (such as an amount, a duration of time, a physical property (such as frequency), etc.) likewise encompasses deviations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as is appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein.

[0125] A statement that a value exceeds (or is greater than or higher than) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that the value meets or exceeds a second threshold that is slightly greater than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value higher than the first threshold at the resolution of the computing system. A statement that a value is less than (or within or below) the first threshold is equivalent to a statement that the value is less than or equal to a second threshold that is slightly lower than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value lower than the first threshold at the resolution of the computing system.

[0126] Furthermore, more than one invention may be disclosed.

Claims

1. A method for locating user equipment, comprising: providing a plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets for the user equipment; providing a plurality of subset indications for the user equipment, wherein each of the plurality of subset indications indicates a subset of one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets; providing a subgroup indication to the user equipment, wherein the subgroup indication is associated with one or more of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets; as well as Measurement information is received from the user equipment, the measurement information being based on measurements associated with the plurality of subset indications and the subgroup indication.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of subset indications and the subgroup indication are provided via downlink control information signaling or a media access control control element. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one subset indication of the plurality of subset indications comprises a lifetime indication.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein receiving measurement information from the user equipment comprises receiving measurements of a subset associated with the at least one subset indication of the plurality of subset indications during a duration of the lifetime indication, and receiving measurements of a full set associated with the at least one subset indication of the plurality of subset indications after the duration of the lifetime indication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets is associated with a corresponding transmission reception point (TRP).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of subset indications and the subgroup indication are provided via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the subgroup indication is further associated with an indicated subset of the one or more of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one subset indication of the plurality of subset indications comprises a first periodicity for measuring a subset of one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one subset indication of the plurality of subset indications comprises a second periodicity for measuring a complete set of one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the second periodicity is an integer multiple of the first periodicity.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of subset indications are based on a PRS resource level muting configuration associated with one or more indication state values.

12. A positioning method, comprising: receiving a plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets; receiving a plurality of subset indications, wherein each of the plurality of subset indications indicates a subset of one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets; receiving a subgroup indication, wherein the subgroup indication is associated with one or more of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets; and Measurements are obtained from positioning reference signals associated with the plurality of subset indications and the subgroup indication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of subset indications and the subgroup indication are received via downlink control information signaling or a media access control control element. The method of claim 12 , wherein at least one subset indication of the plurality of subset indications comprises a lifetime indication.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining measurements from positioning reference signals comprises: Measurements of a subset associated with the at least one subset indication of the plurality of subset indications are obtained during a duration of the lifetime indication, and measurements of a full set associated with the at least one subset indication of the plurality of subset indications are obtained after the duration of the lifetime indication.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets is associated with a corresponding transmission reception point (TRP).

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of subset indications and the subgroup indication are received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the subgroup indication is further associated with an indicated subset of the one or more of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of subset indications comprises a first periodicity for measuring a subset of one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one subset indication of the plurality of subset indications comprises a second periodicity for measuring a complete set of one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets. The method of claim 20 , wherein the second periodicity is an integer multiple of the first periodicity.

22. The method of claim 12, wherein the plurality of subset indications are based on a PRS resource level muting configuration associated with one or more indication state values.

23. An apparatus comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: Providing multiple positioning reference signal resource sets for user equipment; providing a plurality of subset indications for the user equipment, wherein each of the plurality of subset indications indicates a subset of one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets; providing a subgroup indication to the user equipment, wherein the subgroup indication is associated with one or more of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets; as well as Measurement information is received from the user equipment, the measurement information being based on measurements associated with the plurality of subset indications and the subgroup indication.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein each of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets is associated with a corresponding transmission reception point (TRP).

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the at least one processor is configured to provide the plurality of subset indications and the subgroup indication via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the subgroup indication is further associated with an indicated subset of the one or more of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein at least one subset indication of the plurality of subset indications comprises a lifetime indication.

28. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein at least one of the plurality of subset indications comprises: a first periodicity for measuring a subset of one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets; as well as A second periodicity is used to measure a complete set of one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets.

29. An apparatus comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: receiving a plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets; receiving a plurality of subset indications, wherein each of the plurality of subset indications indicates a subset of one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets; receiving a subgroup indication, wherein the subgroup indication is associated with one or more of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets; and Measurements are obtained from positioning reference signals associated with the plurality of subset indications and the subgroup indication.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein at least one subset indication of the plurality of subset indications comprises a lifetime indication.

31. An apparatus as claimed in claim 30, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to obtain measurements of a subset associated with the at least one subset indication of the multiple subset indications during the duration of the lifetime indication, and to obtain measurements of a complete set associated with the at least one subset of the multiple subset indications after the duration of the lifetime indication.

32. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein each of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets is associated with a corresponding transmission reception point (TRP).

33. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the at least one processor is configured to receive the plurality of subset indications and the subgroup indication via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

34. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the subgroup indication is further associated with an indicated subset of the one or more of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets.

35. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein at least one of the plurality of subset indications comprises: a first periodicity for measuring a subset of one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets; as well as A second periodicity is used to measure a complete set of one of the plurality of positioning reference signal resource sets.

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