Measurement period formulation for reference signal time difference, rstd, measurements

Abstract

Disclosed are techniques for wireless positioning. In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) receives a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration comprising at least a PRS period defining repetition of one or more PRS resources associated with at least a first transmission reception point (TRP), receives a measurement gap configuration comprising at least a measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) defining repetition of a measurement gap, and performs one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources during one or more repetitions of a measurement period, the one or more repetitions of the measurement period having an effective measurement period, the effective measurement period based on an alignment period and a time period T in which the UE can process a duration N of PRS symbols, the alignment period based on the PRS period and the MGRP.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 059,133, filed July 30, 2020, entitled “Establishment of Measurement Period for Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) Measurement”, and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 385,582, filed July 26, 2021, entitled “Establishment of Measurement Period for Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) Measurement”, both of which have been assigned to the assignee of this application and are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The various aspects of this disclosure generally relate to wireless communications. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved through several generations, including first-generation analog radiotelephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital radiotelephone service (including temporary 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, wireless services supporting the Internet, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular and Personal Communication Services (PCS) systems. Known examples of cellular systems include cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (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 Communications (GSM), etc.

[0005] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard (known as New Radio (NR)) demands higher data transmission speeds, more connections, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGC), the 5G standard is designed to provide tens of megabits per second (Mbps) of data rate for each of tens of thousands of users, and gigabit per second (Gbps) for dozens of workers on an office floor. To support the deployment of large sensors, it should support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communication should be significantly enhanced compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency should be improved, and latency should be significantly reduced compared to the current standard. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following is a simplified summary relating to one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, this summary should not be considered a comprehensive overview relating to all the hypothetical aspects, nor should it be regarded as identifying key or essential elements relating to all the hypothetical aspects, or defining the scope associated with any particular aspect. Thus, the sole purpose of this summary is to present, in a simplified form, specific ideas relating to one or more aspects related to the mechanisms disclosed herein, prior to the detailed descriptions presented below.

[0007] In one aspect, a method of wireless positioning performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for at least a first transmit receive point (TRP), the PRS configuration including at least a repeating PRS period defining one or more PRS resources associated with the first TRP; receiving a measurement gap configuration from a serving base station, the measurement gap configuration indicating at least a repeating measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) defining a measurement gap; and, during one or more repetitions of the measurement period, performing one or more positioning measurements of at least one or more PRS resources, the one or more repetitions of the measurement period having a valid measurement period based on an alignment period and a time period T of duration N in which the UE can process PRS symbols, the alignment period being based on the PRS period and the MGRP.

[0008] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: receive via the at least one transceiver a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for at least a first transmit-receive point (TRP), the PRS configuration including at least a repeating PRS period defining one or more PRS resources associated with the first TRP; receive via the at least one transceiver a measurement gap configuration from a serving base station, the measurement gap configuration indicating at least a repeating measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) defining the measurement gap; and, during one or more repetitions of the measurement period, perform one or more positioning measurements of at least one or more PRS resources, the one or more repetitions of the measurement period having a valid measurement period based on an alignment period and a time period T of duration N in which the UE can process PRS symbols, the alignment period being based on the PRS period and the MGRP.

[0009] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: means for receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for at least a first transmit receive point (TRP), the PRS configuration including at least a repeating PRS period defining one or more PRS resources associated with the first TRP; means for receiving a measurement gap configuration from a serving base station, the measurement gap configuration indicating at least a repeating measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) defining the measurement gap; and means for performing one or more positioning measurements of at least one or more PRS resources during one or more repetitions of the measurement period, the one or more repetitions of the measurement period having a valid measurement period, the valid measurement period being based on an alignment period and a time period T of duration N in which the UE can process PRS symbols, the alignment period being based on the PRS period and the MGRP.

[0010] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) configuration for at least a first Transmit Receive Point (TRP), the PRS configuration including at least a repeating PRS period defining one or more PRS resources associated with the first TRP; receive a Measurement Gap Configuration from a serving base station, the Measurement Gap Configuration indicating at least a repeating Measurement Gap Repetition Period (MGRP) defining the measurement gap; and, during one or more repetitions of the measurement period, perform one or more positioning measurements of at least one or more PRS resources, the one or more repetitions of the measurement period having a valid measurement period based on an alignment period and a time period T of duration N in which the UE can process PRS symbols, the alignment period being based on the PRS period and the MGRP.

[0011] Based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description, those skilled in the art will appreciate other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein. Attached Figure Description

[0012] The accompanying drawings are used to help describe various aspects of this disclosure and are intended to illustrate these aspects only, not to limit them.

[0013] Figure 1 Example wireless communication systems according to various aspects of this disclosure are shown.

[0014] Figure 2A and 2B Example wireless network architectures are shown according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0015] Figure 3A , 3BThe 3C and 3C are simplified block diagrams of several example aspects of components that can be used in user equipment (UE), base stations, and network entities and configured to support the communications taught in this paper.

[0016] Figure 4 This illustrates an example Long Term Evolution (LTE) Location Protocol (LPP) call flow between a UE and a location server used to perform location operations.

[0017] Figure 5A This is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0018] Figure 5B This is a diagram illustrating the various downlink channels within an example downlink time slot according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a diagram of an example positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for a given base station PRS transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0020] Figure 7 It is a diagram of example PRS resource sets with different time intervals according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0021] Figure 8 This is a diagram illustrating how the parameters of the measurement gap configuration according to various aspects of this disclosure specify the measurement gap pattern.

[0022] Figure 9 This is a graph showing an example PRS period and duration spanned by three downlink PRS resources, based on the Type II UE duration capability.

[0023] Figure 10 Different cases are shown, according to various aspects of this disclosure, where the subframes spanned by each PRS timing and the subframes covered by the most recent measurement gap timing are compared.

[0024] Figure 11 Example methods of wireless positioning according to various aspects of this disclosure are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Aspects of this disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings, which relate to various examples provided for illustration. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, well-known elements of this disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted to avoid obscuring the relevant details of this disclosure.

[0026] As used herein, the terms “exemplary” and / or “example” mean “as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “exemplary” and / or “example” is not necessarily to be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other aspects. Similarly, the term “aspects of this disclosure” does not require that all aspects of this disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed.

[0027] Those skilled in the art will understand that the information and signals described below can be represented using a variety of different technologies and processes. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the description below can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, and in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0028] Furthermore, many aspects are described as a series of actions to be performed by elements of, for example, a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein can be performed by a specific circuit (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Moreover, the series of actions described herein can be considered as being entirely contained within any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, cause or instruct the associated processor of the device to perform the functions described herein. Therefore, aspects of this disclosure can be implemented in several different forms, all of which are considered to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each aspect described herein, any corresponding form of such aspect may be described herein as, for example, "logically configured" to perform the described actions.

[0029] As used herein, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not intended to be specifically or otherwise limited to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT) unless otherwise stated. Generally, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset positioning device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., motor vehicle, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE can be mobile or can (e.g., at certain times) be fixed and can communicate with a Radio Access Network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” can be interchangeably referred to as “Access Terminal” or “AT”, “Client Equipment”, “Wireless Equipment”, “Subscriber Equipment”, “Subscriber Terminal”, “Subscriber Station”, “User Terminal” or “UT”, “Mobile Equipment”, “Mobile Terminal”, “Mobile Station”, or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks (such as the Internet) and connect with other UEs. Of course, a UE can also have other mechanisms to connect to the core network and / or the Internet (such as through wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on the IEEE 802.11 standard, etc.)).

[0030] Depending on the network in which the base station is deployed, it can operate according to one of several RATs in communication with the UE and can be alternatively referred to as an Access Point (AP), Network Node, NodeB, Evolved NodeB (eNB), Next Generation eNB (ng-eNB), New Radio (NR) Node B (also known as gNB or gNodeB), etc. The base station can primarily be used to support the UE's radio access, including supporting the data, voice, and / or signaling connections of the supported UE. In some systems, the base station can provide purely edge node signaling functions, while in others it can provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link through which the UE sends signals to the base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link through which the base station sends signals to the UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term "traffic channel (TCH)" can refer to an uplink / reverse or downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0031] The term "base station" can refer to a single physical transmit / receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, when the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP can be the antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. When the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP can be the antenna array of the base station (e.g., in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or in the case of beamforming at the base station). When the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP can be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected via a transmission medium to a common source) or a remote radio headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to the serving base station). Alternatively, a non-co-located physical TRP can be the serving base station from which the UE receives measurement reports and a neighboring base station from which the UE measures its reference radio frequency (RF) signal. Because a TRP is the point at which a base station transmits and receives radio signals, as used herein, references to transmitting from or receiving from a base station should be understood to refer to the specific TRP of the base station.

[0032] In some implementations that support UE positioning, the base station may not support the UE's radio access (e.g., it may not support the UE's data, voice, and / or signaling connections), but may instead transmit reference signals to the UE for measurement by the UE, and / or receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting signals to the UE) and / or a location measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring signals from the UE).

[0033] An “RF signal” refers to an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information across space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may send a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted between the transmitter and receiver on different paths can be referred to as a “multipath” RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal,” where, as will be clear from the context, the term “signal” refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0034] Figure 1An example wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled "BS") and various UEs 104. Base station 102 may include macro cell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macro base station may include an eNB and / or ng-eNB in ​​which the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or a gNB in ​​which the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0035] Base station 102 can collectively form a RAN and is interfaced with core network 170 (e.g., evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC)) via backhaul link 122, and is interfaced with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., location management function (LMF) or secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) via core network 170. Location server 172 can be part of core network 170 or external to core network 170. Location server 172 can be integrated with base station 102. UE 104 can communicate with location server 172 directly or indirectly. For example, UE 104 can communicate with location server 172 via base station 102 currently serving UE 104. UE 104 can also communicate with location server 172 via another path (such as via application server (not shown), via another network, such as via wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., AP 150 described below), etc.). For signaling purposes, communication between UE 104 and location server 172 can be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., via core network 170, etc.) or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128), wherein, for clarity, intermediate nodes (if any) are omitted in the signaling diagram.

[0036] In addition to other functions, base station 102 may perform one or more functions related to transmitting user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, location, and delivery of warning messages. Base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via EPC / 5GC) through a backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0037] Base station 102 can wirelessly communicate with UE 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by base station 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., via a frequency resource referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with identifiers (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCI), Enhanced Cell Identifier (ECI), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCI), Cell Global Identifier (CGI), etc.) to distinguish cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured based on different protocol types (e.g., Machine Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or others) that provide access for different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term “cell” can refer to one or both of the logical communication entity and the base station that supports it, depending on the context. Furthermore, because the TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms “cell” and “TRP” can be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" can also refer to the geographic coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, provided that the carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within some part of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0038] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macro cell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in handover areas), some geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, the geographic coverage area 110' of a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may substantially overlap with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macro cell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macro cell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include home eNBs (HeNBs) that can provide services to a limited group called a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

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

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

[0041] 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 as used by WLAN AP 150. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can increase the coverage and / or 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.

[0042] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter-wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate in mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies for communication with the UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum that includes RF. EHF ranges from 30 GHz to 300 GHz, and its wavelengths are between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band can be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW can extend to frequencies up to 3 GHz and wavelengths up to 100 mm. Ultra-high frequency (SHF) bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using mmW / near-mmW radio bands has high path loss and relatively short range. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can 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 is understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Therefore, it is understood that the above description is merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting any aspect of the disclosure herein.

[0043] Transmit beamforming is a technique that focuses RF signals in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectional). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines the location of a given target device (e.g., a UE) (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thus providing the receiving device with a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal. To change the directivity of the RF signal during transmission, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of 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") whose beam can be "manipulated" to point a beam of RF waves in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, RF currents from the transmitters are fed to the individual antennas with the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the individual antennas add together to increase radiation in the desired direction while canceling out radiation in undesired directions.

[0044] Transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning they appear to the receiver (e.g., the UE) as having the same parameters, regardless of whether the transmit antennas of the network nodes themselves are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-located (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that specific 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 can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0045] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a specific channel. For example, a receiver may increase the gain setting of an antenna array and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a specific direction to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Therefore, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a specific direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is higher than the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in all other directions available to the receiver for receiving beams. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.) of the RF signal received from that direction.

[0046] The transmit and receive beams can be spatially correlated. Spatial correlation means that the parameters of the second beam (e.g., transmit or receive beam) of the second reference signal can be derived from information about the first beam (e.g., receive or transmit 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 transmit an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to that base station.

[0047] It's important to note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit or receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station forms a downlink beam to send a "reference signal" to the UE, then the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE forms a downlink beam, then it is a receive beam used to receive the downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit or receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if a base station forms an uplink beam, then it is an uplink receive beam, and if the UE forms an uplink beam, then it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0048] In 5G, the spectrum operated by wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) is divided into several frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). The mmW band typically includes the FR2, FR3, and FR4 frequency ranges. Therefore, the terms "mmW" and "FR2" or "FR3" or "FR4" are often used interchangeably.

[0049] In multi-carrier systems (such as 5G), one carrier frequency is referred to as the "primary carrier," "anchor carrier," "primary serving cell," or "PCell," and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers," "secondary serving cells," or "SCell." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) used by UE 104 / 182 and the cell, where UE 104 / 182 performs an initial Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure within the cell. The primary carrier carries all general and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier on a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured and used to provide additional radio resources once an RRC connection is established between UE 104 and the anchor carrier. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier on an unlicensed frequency. Secondary carriers may contain only necessary signaling information and signals. For example, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not exist on secondary carriers because the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 within a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same applies to the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. For example, this is done to balance the load on different carriers. Because a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier on which some base stations communicate, the terms "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," and "carrier frequency" can be used interchangeably.

[0050] For example, still refer to Figure 1 One of the frequencies utilized by the macro cell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and other frequencies utilized by the macro cell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 can be secondary carriers ("SCell"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception on multiple carriers enables the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rates. For example, two aggregated 20MHz carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40MHz) compared to the data rate achieved by a single 20MHz carrier.

[0051] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164 that can communicate with macro cell base station 102 on communication link 120 and / or with mmW base station 180 on mmW communication link 184. For example, macro cell base station 102 may support PCell and one or more SCells of UE 164, and mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells of UE 164.

[0052] exist Figure 1 In the examples shown, any UE (for simplicity) Figure 1 A single UE 104 (shown as a single UE) may receive signal 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting spacecraft (SV) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, SV 112 may be part of a satellite positioning system that UE 104 can use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SV 112) positioned to enable a receiver (e.g., UE 104) to determine the UE's location on or above the Earth based at least in part on positioning signals (e.g., signal 124) received from the transmitter. Such transmitters typically transmit signals marked with repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) codes with a chip-defined number. While typically located in SV 112, transmitters may sometimes be located at ground control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. UE 104 may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive signal 124 in order to obtain geographic location information from SV 112.

[0053] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signal 124 can be enhanced by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) that can be associated with or otherwise used with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, SBAS can include augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential correction, etc., such as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), GPS-assisted Geo-Augmented Navigation, or GPS and Geo-Augmented Navigation System (GAGAN). Therefore, as used herein, a satellite positioning system can include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0054] In one respect, SV 112 can be additionally or alternatively incorporated into one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). Within an NTN, SV 112 connects to a ground station (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn connects to elements within the 5G network, such as the modified base station 102 (without a ground antenna) or network nodes in the 5GC. This element, in turn, provides access to other elements within the 5G network and ultimately to entities outside the 5G network, such as internet web servers and other user equipment. Thus, UE 104 can receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV 112, rather than (or otherwise) from ground base station 102.

[0055] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs (such as UE 190) that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as "side links"). Figure 1 In the example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with UE 104, which is connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 indirectly obtains cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152, which is connected to WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 indirectly obtains WLAN-based internet connectivity). In this example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported using any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), etc. wait.

[0056] Figure 2A An example wireless network architecture 200 is shown. For example, the 5GC 210 (also referred to as the Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally considered as control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access data network, IP routing, etc.), which cooperate to form the core network. The user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and the control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, specifically to the user plane functions 212 and the control plane functions 214, respectively. In another configuration, the ng-eNB 224 can also connect to the 5GC 210 via the NG-C 215, thereby connecting to the control plane functions 214, and to the user plane functions 212 via the NG-U 213. Furthermore, the ng-eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 via the backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the next-generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. Any (or both) of the gNBs 222 or ng-eNBs 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any UE described herein).

[0057] Another optional aspect may include location server 230, which can communicate with 5GC 210 to provide location assistance to UE 204. Location server 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically independent servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each may correspond to a single server. Location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for UE 204 that can be connected to location server 230 via the core network, 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not shown). Furthermore, location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively, may be located outside the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).

[0058] Figure 2B Another example wireless network architecture 250.5GC 260 is shown (which can correspond to...). Figure 2AThe 5GC 210 in this document can be functionally viewed as a control plane function provided by the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by the User Plane Function (UPF) 262, which work together to form the core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The AMF 264 functions as follows: registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any UE described herein) and the Session Management Function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and the Short Message Service Function (SMSF) (not shown), and a Security Anchor Function (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with the Authentication Server Function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives an intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204's authentication process. In the case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) authentication, the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The AMF 264 also includes Security Environment Management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF and uses it to derive a network-specific key for access. The AMF 264 also includes location service management for regulated services, transmitting location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (as location server 230), transmitting location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifier allocation for interworking with EPS, and UE 204 mobility event notification. Furthermore, the AMF 264 also supports functions for non-3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0059] The functions of UPF 262 include serving as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (where applicable), as an external Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session point for interconnection with a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, user plane Quality of Service (QoS) processing (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflected QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic verification (Service Data Flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport layer packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. UPF 262 can also support the transmission of location service messages on the user plane between UE 204 and a location server (such as SLP 272).

[0060] The functions of SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic redirection in UPF 262 to route traffic to appropriate destinations, control of policy enforcement and QoS components, and downlink data notification. The interface on which SMF 266 communicates with AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0061] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270, which can communicate with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance to the UE 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically independent servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204 connected to the LMF 270 via the core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 can support similar functionality to the LMF 270, but while the LMF 270 can communicate with the AMF 264, NG-RAN 220, and UE 204 on the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols designed to convey signaling messages rather than voice or data), the SLP 272 can communicate with the UE 204 and external clients on the user plane (e.g., using protocols designed to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP). Figure 2B (Not shown) Communication.

[0062] User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect 5GC 260 (specifically UPF 262 and AMF 264) to one or more gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 in NG-RAN 220, respectively. The interface between gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and AMF 264 is referred to as the "N2" interface, and the interface between gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and UPF 262 is referred to as the "N3" interface. The gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 of NG-RAN 220 can communicate directly with each other via backhaul connection 223, referred to as the "Xn-C" interface. One or more of gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 on a radio interface referred to as the "Uu" interface.

[0063] The functionality of gNB 222 is divided between gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226 and one or more gNB Distribution Units (gNB-DU) 228. The interface 232 between gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DU 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. Except for those functions specifically allocated to gNB-DU 228, gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions such as transmitting user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, and session management. More specifically, gNB-CU 226 hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols of gNB 222. gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and Physical (PHY) layers of gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, and a cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. Therefore, UE 204 communicates with gNB-CU 226 via RRC, SDAP and PDCP layers, and with gNB-DU 228 via RLC, MAC and PHY layers.

[0064] Figure 3A , 3B The diagram shows a UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or include any network function described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent of UE 302). Figure 2A and 2BThe NG-RAN220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (such as a private network) depicted herein are used to support several example components (denoted by corresponding boxes) for the file transfer operations taught herein. It is understood that these components can be implemented in different implementations in different types of devices (e.g., in an ASIC, in a System-on-Chip (SoC), etc.). The components shown can also be incorporated into other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Furthermore, a given device may contain one or more components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0065] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more Wireless Wide Area Network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, which provide means (e.g., transmitting means, receiving means, measuring means, tuning means, emission avoidance means, etc.) for communication via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown) (such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc.). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356 for communication with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB), etc.) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) on a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a set of time / frequency resources in a specific spectrum). According to the specified RAT, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured differently to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) respectively, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) respectively. Specifically, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 each include one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358 respectively, and one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358 respectively.

[0066] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 each also include one or more short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360. The short-range radio transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide capabilities for communication over a chosen wireless communication medium via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, etc.). Devices (e.g., transmitters, receivers, measuring devices, tuning devices, emission avoidance devices, etc.) that communicate with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) including PC5, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), Vehicle Environment Wireless Access (WAVE), Near Field Communication (NFC), etc.) are used to communicate with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.). According to the specified RAT, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured differently to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) respectively, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) respectively. Specifically, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 each include one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368 respectively, and one or more receivers 322 and 362 for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368 respectively. As a specific example, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be WiFi transceivers, transceiver and / or Transceiver, NFC transceiver, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceiver.

[0067] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and can each provide devices for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378. When satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. When satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals originating from a 5G network (e.g., carrying control and / or user data). Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may each include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may, as appropriate, request information and operation from other systems, and in at least some cases, perform calculations using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm to determine the locations of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively.

[0068] Base station 304 and network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, which provide means (e.g., transmitting means, receiving means, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 on one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 on one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or to communicate with other network entities 306 on one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0069] Transceivers can be configured to communicate over wired or wireless links. A transceiver (whether wired or wireless) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some embodiments, the transceiver may be an integrated device (e.g., including transmitter and receiver circuitry in a single device), in some embodiments it may include separate transmitter and receiver circuitry, or in other embodiments it may be implemented in a different manner. The transmitter and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some embodiments) may be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, that allow corresponding devices (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit beamforming as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, that allow corresponding devices (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that the corresponding devices can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than simultaneously receiving and transmitting. Wireless transceivers (e.g., WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include network listening modules (NLMs) for performing various measurements.

[0070] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360 in some embodiments, and network transceivers 380 and 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some embodiments) may generally be referred to as "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver can be inferred from the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communication between network devices or servers typically involves signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communication between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) typically involves signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0071] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394 for providing functions related to, for example, wireless communication, and for providing other processing functions. Thus, processors 332, 384, and 394 can provide devices for processing, such as determining devices, computing devices, receiving devices, transmitting devices, indicating devices, etc. In one aspect, processors 332, 384, and 394 may include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuits, or various combinations thereof.

[0072] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include memory circuitry implementing memories 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Therefore, memories 340, 386, and 396 can provide storage devices, retrieval devices, maintenance devices, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may each include positioning components 342, 388, and 398. Positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be, respectively, hardware circuitry that is part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, which, when executed, cause UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other respects, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be located external to processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be memory modules stored in memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by processors 332, 384, and 394 (or modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), enable UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A The possible locations of the positioning component 342 are shown. The positioning component 342 may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or may be a separate component. Figure 3B The possible locations of the positioning component 388 are shown. The positioning component 388 may be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or may be a separate component. Figure 3C The possible locations of the positioning component 398 are shown. The positioning component 398 may be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or may be a separate component.

[0073] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide means for sensing or detecting motion and / or orientation information, wherein the motion and / or orientation information is independent of motion data derived from signals received by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or satellite signal receivers 330. For example, sensor 344 may include accelerometers (e.g., microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices), gyroscopes, geomagnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), altimeters (e.g., barometric altimeters), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, sensor 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, sensor 344 may use a combination of multi-axis accelerometers and orientation sensors to provide the ability to calculate positioning in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0074] In addition, UE 302 includes a user interface 346, which provides means for providing instructions to the user (e.g., voice and / or visual instructions) and / or (e.g., receiving user input when the user triggers a sensing device such as a keypad, touchscreen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, base station 304 and network entity 306 may also include user interfaces.

[0075] Referring more specifically to one or more processors 384, in the downlink, IP packets from network entity 306 can be provided to processor 384. One or more processors 384 can implement the functions of the RRC layer, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and Media Access Control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may provide: RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), measurement configuration for inter-RAT mobility and UE measurement reports; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper-layer PDUs, error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC Service Data Units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority processing, and logical channel priority.

[0076] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 can implement Layer 1 (L1) functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1 (including the physical (PHY) layer) can include error detection of the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. Transmitter 354 processes the mapping to the signal constellation diagram based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The encoded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined using inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying the time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from a reference signal transmitted by UE 302 and / or channel condition feedback. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. Transmitter 354 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate an RF carrier for transmission.

[0077] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives signals via its corresponding antenna 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream destined for UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 302, they can be combined by receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to transform the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency domain signal comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols and reference signals on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the most probable signal constellation points transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. Then, data and control signals are provided to one or more processors 332 that implement the functions of the third layer (L3) and the second layer (L2).

[0078] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport and logical channels to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0079] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with downlink transmissions of base station 304, one or more processors 332 provide: RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connectivity, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper-layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel priority.

[0080] The channel estimate derived by the channel estimator from the reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 can be used by the transmitter 314 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing. The spatial stream generated by the transmitter 314 can be provided to different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 can use the corresponding spatial stream to modulate the RF carrier for transmission.

[0081] Uplink transmissions are handled at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver function in UE 302. Receiver 352 receives signals through its corresponding antenna 356. Receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 384.

[0082] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing between the transport channel and the logical channel to recover IP packets from UE 302. IP packets from the one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0083] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 are in Figure 3A , 3B The components shown in 3C are various and can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it is understood that the components shown may have different functions in different designs. Specifically, Figures 3A to 3CVarious components are optional in replacement configurations, and aspects include configurations that can differ due to design choices, cost, equipment usage, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A In certain cases, a specific implementation of UE 302 may omit WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., wearable devices, tablets, PCs, or laptops may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities but no cellular capabilities), or may omit short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., cellular only), or may omit satellite signal receiver 330, or may omit sensor 344, and so on. In another example, in Figure 3B In certain cases, a specific implementation of base station 304 may omit WWAN transceiver 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular capabilities), or short-range wireless transceiver 360 (e.g., cellular only), or satellite receiver 370, and so on. For the sake of brevity, this document does not provide descriptions of various alternative configurations, but this will be readily understood by those skilled in the art.

[0084] Various components of UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can be communicatively coupled to each other on data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In one respect, data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 can form communication interfaces for UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, or become part of them. For example, when different logical entities are included in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functions are incorporated into the same base station 304), data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 can provide communication therebetween.

[0085] Figure 3A , 3B Components related to 3C (computers, communications, and consumer electronics) can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A , 3BThe components of 3C can be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Each circuit may use and / or include at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide that function. For example, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 310 to 346 can be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 350 to 388 can be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Furthermore, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 390 to 398 can be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by the UE," "by the base station," "by the network entity," etc. However, it is understood that such operation, action and / or function can actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc., such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memory 340, 386 and 396, positioning components 342, 388 and 398, etc.

[0086] In some designs, network entity 306 can be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, network entity 306 can be distinguished from the network operator or operation of the cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, network entity 306 can be a component of a private network that can be configured to communicate with UE 302 via base station 304 or independently of base station 304 (e.g., on a non-cellular communication link, such as WiFi).

[0087] NR supports several cellular network-based positioning technologies, including downlink-based, uplink-based, and downlink-and-uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and Downlink Angle of Departure (DL-AOD) in NR. During OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning, the UE measures the difference between the times of arrival (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from paired base stations (referred to as the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) or Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) measurement) and reports it to the positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in the assistance data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each non-reference base station. Based on the known locations of the base stations involved and the RSTD measurement, the positioning entity can estimate the UE's location.

[0088] For DL-AOD positioning, the positioning entity uses beam reports from the UE to measure the received signal strength of multiple downlink transmitted beams to determine the angle between the UE and the transmitting base station. The positioning entity can then estimate the UE's location based on the determined angle and the known location of the transmitting base station.

[0089] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signals (SRS)) transmitted by the UE. For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurement of the receive beams and the angle to determine the angle between the UE and the base stations. Based on the determined angle and the known location of the base stations, the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.

[0090] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID) positioning and Multiple Round-Trip Time (RTT) positioning (also known as "Multi-Cell RTT" and "Multi-RTT"). During RTT, a first entity (e.g., a base station or a UE) sends a first RTT-related signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or a base station), and the second entity sends a second RTT-related signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the arrival time (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the transmission time of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is called the receive-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The measurement of the Rx-Tx time difference can be generated or adjusted to include only the time difference between the nearest subframe boundaries of the received and transmitted signals. The two entities can then send their Rx-Tx time difference measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 270), which calculates the round-trip time (RTT) between the two entities from the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., calculated as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity can send its Rx-Tx time difference measurement to another entity, which then calculates the RTT. The distance between the two entities can be determined from the RTT and a known signal speed (e.g., the speed of light). For multi-RTT positioning, a first entity (e.g., a UE or base station) performs an RTT positioning process with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) to enable the location of the first entity to be determined based on the distance to the second entities and the known locations of the second entities (e.g., using multipoint positioning). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning technologies (such as UL-AOA and DL-AoD) to improve location accuracy.

[0091] The E-CID positioning method is based on Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and identifiers, estimated timings, and signal strengths of detected neighboring base stations. The UE's location is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of base stations.

[0092] To assist in the positioning operation, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) can provide assistance data to the UE. For example, assistance data may include the identifier of the base station (or the cell / TRP of the base station) from which the reference signal is measured, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive positioning subframes, the period of the positioning subframes, the mutating sequence, the frequency hopping sequence, the reference signal identifier, the reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, assistance data may come directly from the base station itself (e.g., in periodically broadcast overhead information, etc.). In some cases, the UE can detect neighboring network nodes itself without using assistance data.

[0093] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, assisting data may also include the expected RSTD value and associated uncertainty, or a search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the expected RSTD value may range from + / - 500 microseconds (μs). In some cases, when any resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1, the expected RSTD uncertainty may range from + / - 32 μs. In other cases, when all resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the expected RSTD uncertainty may range from + / - 8 μs.

[0094] Location estimation can be referred to by other names, such as location estimate, location, positioning, fixed location, etc. Location estimation can be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possible altitude), or it can be civic and include street addresses, postal addresses, or some other verbal description of the location. Location estimation can also be defined relative to some other known location, or defined in absolute values ​​(e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possible altitude). Location estimation can include anticipated errors or uncertainties (e.g., by including an area or volume in which the location is expected to be included with a certain or default confidence level).

[0095] Figure 4 An example Long Term Evolution (LTE) Location Protocol (LPP) procedure 400 is shown between the UE 404, which performs the location operation, and the location server (shown as Location Management Function (LMF) 470). Figure 4As shown, the location of UE 404 is supported by the exchange of LPP messages between UE 404 and LMF 470. LPP messages can be exchanged between UE 404 and LMF 470 via the serving base station of UE 404 (shown as serving gNB 402) and the core network (not shown). LPP procedure 400 can be used to locate UE 404 to support various location-related services, such as navigation of UE 404 (or its user), routing, providing accurate location to the Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) in association with an emergency call from UE 404 to the PSAP, or for some other reason. LPP procedure 400 can also be referred to as a location session, and there can be multiple location sessions for different types of location methods (e.g., Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA), Round Trip Time (RTT), Enhanced Cell Identification (E-CID), etc.).

[0096] Initially, in phase 410, UE 404 may receive a request for its positioning capabilities from LMF 470 (e.g., an LPP request capability message). In phase 420, UE 404 provides its positioning capabilities relative to the LPP protocol to LMF 470 by sending an LPP provision capability message indicating that UE 404 uses positioning methods supported by LPP and the characteristics of these positioning methods. In some respects, the capabilities indicated in the LPP provision capability message may indicate the positioning types supported by UE 404 (e.g., DL-TDOA, RTT, E-CID, etc.) and may indicate the capabilities of UE 404 to support those types of positioning.

[0097] Upon receiving the LPP provision capability message, in phase 420, LMF 470 determines the specific type of positioning method to use (e.g., DL-TDOA, RTT, E-CID, etc.) based on the positioning type supported by the indicated UE 404, and identifies one or more Transmit / Receive Points (TRPs) from which UE 404 measures downlink positioning reference signals or from which UE 404 transmits uplink positioning reference signals. In phase 430, LMF 470 sends an LPP provision assistance data message to UE 404 to identify the group of TRPs.

[0098] In some implementations, in stage 430, in response to the message sent by UE 404 to LMF 470 ( Figure 4 An LPP Request for Assistance data message (not shown) can be sent by LMF 470 to UE 404. The LPP Request for Assistance data message may include the identifier of UE 404's serving TRP and a request for location reference signal (PRS) configuration for neighboring TRPs.

[0099] In phase 440, LMF 470 sends a request for location information to UE 404. This request can be an LPP request for location information message. This message typically includes information elements defining the type of location information, the desired location estimation accuracy, and the response time (i.e., the desired latency). It is important to note that low latency requirements allow for longer response times, while high latency requirements require shorter response times. However, a long response time is referred to as high latency, and a short response time is referred to as low latency.

[0100] It should be noted that in some implementations, if, in stage 440, UE 404 sends a request for assistance data to LMF 470 after receiving a request for location information (e.g., in an LPP request for assistance data message), Figure 4 If (not shown), then the LPP Assistance Data Message sent in phase 430 can be sent after the LPP Request Location Information Message in phase 440.

[0101] In phase 450, UE 404 uses the assistance information received in phase 430 and any additional data received in phase 440 (e.g., desired location accuracy or maximum response time) to perform positioning operations for the selected positioning method (e.g., DL-PRS measurement, UL-PRS transmission, etc.).

[0102] In phase 460, UE 404 may send an LPP (Location Provided by Provider) message to LMF 470, conveying the results of any measurements (e.g., Time of Arrival (ToA), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Received-Transmitted (Rx-Tx), etc.) obtained in phase 450 and before the expiration of any maximum response time (e.g., the maximum response time provided by LMF 470 in phase 440). The LPP message in phase 460 may also include the time (or number) from which the positioning measurements were obtained and an identifier of the TRP from which the positioning measurements were obtained. It is important to note that the time between the location information request in 440 and the response in 460 is the "response time" and indicates the delay in the positioning session.

[0103] LMF 470 calculates the estimated location of UE 404 using appropriate positioning techniques (e.g., DL-TDOA, RTT, E-CID, etc.) based at least in part on measurements received in the LPP location information message at stage 460.

[0104] Various frame structures can be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs). Figure 5AFigure 500 illustrates an example frame structure according to various aspects of this disclosure. The frame structure can be a downlink or uplink frame structure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0105] LTE (and in some cases NR) uses OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR can also choose to use OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are often referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally, modulation symbols are transmitted in the frequency domain using OFDM and in the time domain using SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, the nominal FFT size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. System bandwidth can also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband can cover 1.08MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20MHz, there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands, respectively.

[0106] LTE supports a single set of parameters (numerology) (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple sets of parameters (μ), for example, subcarrier spacings of 15kHz (μ=0), 30kHz (μ=1), 60kHz (μ=2), 120kHz (μ=3), and 240kHz (μ=4) or larger are available. Within each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per time slot. For a 15kHz SCS (μ=0), there is one time slot per subframe, 10 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 1 millisecond (ms), a symbol duration of 66.7 microseconds (μs), and a maximum rated system bandwidth (in MHz) of 50 with a 4K FFT size. For a 30kHz SCS (μ=1), there are two time slots per subframe, 20 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.5 ms, a symbol duration of 33.3 μs, and a maximum rated system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size of 100. For a 60kHz SCS (μ=2), there are four time slots per subframe, 40 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.25 ms, a symbol duration of 16.7 μs, and a maximum rated system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size of 200. For a 120kHz SCS (μ=3), there are eight time slots per subframe, 80 time slots per frame, a time slot duration of 0.125 ms, a symbol duration of 8.33 μs, and a maximum rated system bandwidth (in MHz) of 4K FFT size of 400. For a 240kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 slots per subframe, 160 slots per frame, a slot duration of 0.0625ms, a symbol duration of 4.17μs, and a maximum rated system bandwidth (in MHz) of 800 with a 4K FFT size.

[0107] exist Figure 5A In the example, a parameter set of 15kHz was used. Therefore, in the time domain, a 10ms frame is divided into 10 subframes of equal size, each subframe being 1ms long, and each subframe including one time slot. Figure 5A In the diagram, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), increasing from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0108] A resource grid can be used to represent time slots, each of which comprises one or more concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also known as physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is also divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE can correspond to a symbol length in the time domain and a subcarrier in the frequency domain. Figure 5AIn the parameter set, for a normal cyclic prefix, the RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, the RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0109] Some REs can carry reference (pilot) signals (RS). Reference signals may include positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), synchronization signal blocks (SSB), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc., depending on whether the frame structure shown is for uplink or downlink communication. Figure 5A An example location (labeled "R") of the RE carrying the reference signal is shown.

[0110] PRS has been defined for NR positioning to enable the UE to detect and measure more nearby TRPs. Multiple configurations are supported for various deployments (e.g., indoor, outdoor, sub-6 GHz, mmW). Furthermore, PRS supports beam scanning to support PRS beam operation. The following illustrates the various types of reference signals that can be used for the various positioning methods supported in NR.

[0111] Table 1

[0112]

[0113]

[0114] The set of resource elements (REs) used to transmit PRS is called a "PRS resource". The set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and span "N" (such as one or more) consecutive symbols in the time domain within a time slot. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, the PRS resource occupies a consecutive PRB in the frequency domain.

[0115] The transmission of PRS resources within a given PRB has a specific comb size (also known as "comb density"). The comb size 'N' represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / frequency modulation spacing) in each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for a comb size 'N', the PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of a symbol in the PRB. For example, for comb-4, for each symbol of the PRS resource configuration, the RE corresponding to every fourth subcarrier (such as subcarriers 0, 4, 8) is used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. Currently, comb sizes of comb-2, comb-4, comb-6, and comb-12 are supported for DL-PRS. Figure 5A This shows an example PRS resource configuration for comb-4 (spanning four symbols). That is, the position of the shaded RE (marked as "R") indicates the PRS resource configuration for comb-4.

[0116] Currently, in full-frequency domain interleaved mode, DL-PRS resources can span 2, 4, 6, or 12 consecutive symbols within a time slot. DL-PRS resources can be configured in downlink or flexible (FL) symbols of any higher-layer configuration within a time slot. For all REs of a given DL-PRS resource, there can be a constant energy per resource element (EPRE). Below are the symbol-to-symbol frequency offsets with comb sizes of 2, 4, 6, and 12 over 2, 4, 6, and 12 symbols. 2-symbol comb-2: {0, 1}; 4-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1}; 6-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1}; 12-symbol comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1}; 4-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3} (e.g.) Figure 5A (as shown in the example); 12-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3}; 6-symbol comb-6: {0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5}; 12-symbol comb-6: {0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5, 0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5}; and 12-symbol comb-12: {0, 6, 3, 9, 1, 7, 4, 10, 2, 8, 5, 11}.

[0117] A “PRS resource set” is a group of PRS resources used to transmit PRS signals, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. Furthermore, PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and associated with a specific TRP (identified by a TRP ID). Additionally, PRS resources in a PRS resource set have the same periodicity, a common suppression mode configuration, and the same repetition factor (such as “PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor”) across time slots. The period refers to the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource in the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource in the next PRS instance. The length of the period can be selected from 2^μ*{4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} time slots, where μ = 0, 1, 2, 3. The length of the repetition coefficient can be selected from slots {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32}.

[0118] In a PRS resource set, a PRS resource ID is associated with a single beam (or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (where a TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam; therefore, a "PRS resource," or simply a "resource," can also be referred to as a "beam." It's important to note that this has no impact on whether the TRP and the beam transmitting the PRS on it are known to the UE.

[0119] A “PRS instance” or “PRS occasion” is an instance of a periodic recurrence of a PRS that is expected to be sent. PRS occasions may also be referred to as “PRS location occasions”, “PRS location instances”, “location occasions”, “location instances”, “location recurrences”, or simply as “occurrences”, “instances”, or “recurrences”.

[0120] A “positioning frequency layer” (also simply “frequency layer”) is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets spanning one or more TRPs with identical values ​​for specific parameters. Specifically, the collection of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning that for PRS, the full set of parameters supported by the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) is also supported), the same point A, the same downlink PRS bandwidth value, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The point A parameter uses the value of the parameter “ARFCN-ValueNR” (where “ARFCN” stands for “Absolute Radio Channel Number”) and is an identifier / code specifying a pair of physical radio channels used for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth can have a granularity of 4 PRBs, with a minimum of 24 PRBs and a maximum of 272 PRBs. Currently, a maximum of four frequency layers have been defined, and each TRP of each frequency layer can be configured with a maximum of two PRS resource sets.

[0121] The concept of a frequency layer is somewhat similar to that of component carriers and bandwidth portions (BWPs), but the difference is that component carriers and BWPs are used by a single base station (or a macro cell base station and a small cell base station) to transmit data channels, while a frequency layer is used by several (usually three or more) base stations to transmit PRS (Positioning Response Modules). When a UE transmits its positioning capabilities to the network (such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session), the UE can indicate the number of frequency layers it can support. For example, the UE can indicate whether it can support one or four positioning frequency layers.

[0122] It is important to note that the terms "location reference signal" and "PRS" typically refer to a specific reference signal used for positioning in NR and LTE systems. However, as used herein, the terms "location reference signal" and "PRS" can also refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, SRS, UL-PRS, etc., as defined in LTE and NR. Furthermore, the terms "location reference signal" and "PRS" can refer to a downlink or uplink positioning reference signal, unless the context otherwise indicates. If it is also necessary to distinguish the type of PRS, a downlink positioning reference signal can be referred to as "DL-PRS," and an uplink positioning reference signal (e.g., SRS, PTRS used for positioning) can be referred to as "UL-PRS." Additionally, for signals that can be transmitted in both the uplink and downlink (e.g., DMRS, PTRS), "UL" or "DL" can be added before the signal to distinguish the direction. For example, "UL-DMRS" can be different from "DL-DMRS."

[0123] Figure 5BFigure 550 illustrates various downlink channels within an example downlink time slot. Figure 5B In this diagram, time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), increasing from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top. Figure 5B In the example, a parameter set of 15 kHz was used. Therefore, in the time domain, the length of the shown time slot is one millisecond (ms), divided into 14 symbols.

[0124] In NR, the channel bandwidth or system bandwidth is divided into multiple bandwidth portions (BWPs). A BWP is a contiguous set of basis blocks (RBs), selected from a contiguous set of common RBs on a given parameter set on a given carrier. Generally, a maximum of four BWPs can be specified in both the downlink and uplink. That is, a UE can be configured with a maximum of four BWPs in the downlink and a maximum of four BWPs in the uplink. At any given time, only one BWP (uplink or downlink) can be active, meaning the UE can only receive or transmit on one BWP at a time. In the downlink, the bandwidth of each BWP should be equal to or greater than the bandwidth of the standard basis block (SSB), but it may or may not contain an SSB.

[0125] refer to Figure 5B The Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) is used by the UE to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identifiers. The Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identifier group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identifier and physical layer cell identifier group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DL-RS. The Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH) carrying the Primary Information Block (MIB) can logically group with the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also known as SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs and the System Frame Number (SFN) in the downlink system bandwidth. The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information (such as System Information Blocks (SIBs)) not transmitted via the PBCH, and paging messages.

[0126] The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries downlink control information (DCI) within one or more Control Channel Elements (CCEs). Each CCE includes one or more RE Group (REG) bundles (which can span multiple symbols in the time domain). Each REG bundle includes one or more REGs, and each REG corresponds to 12 resource elements (one resource block) in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. The physical resource set used to carry the PDCCH / DCI is called the Control Resource Set (CORESET) in NR. In NR, the PDCCH is confined to a single CORESET and transmitted using its own DMRS. This enables UE-specific beamforming of the PDCCH.

[0127] exist Figure 5B In the example, each BWP has one CORESET, and the CORESET spans three symbols in the time domain (although it may only be one or two symbols). Unlike the LTE control channel, which occupies the entire system bandwidth, in NR, the PDCCH channel is located in a specific region (i.e., the CORESET) in the frequency domain. Therefore, Figure 5B The frequency components of the PDCCH shown are represented in the frequency domain as less than a single BWP. It should be noted that although the CORESET shown is continuous in the frequency domain, this is not necessarily the case. Furthermore, a CORESET can span less than three symbols in the time domain.

[0128] The DCI within the PDCCH carries information about uplink resource allocation (persistent and non-persistent) and a description of downlink data sent to the UE, referred to as the uplink grant and downlink grant, respectively. More specifically, the DCI indicates the resources scheduled for downlink data channels (e.g., PDSCH) and uplink data channels (e.g., Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)). Multiple (e.g., up to 8) DCIs can be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs can have one of several formats. For example, uplink scheduling, downlink scheduling, uplink transmit power control (TPC), etc., can have different DCI formats. The PDCCH can be transmitted by 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs to accommodate different DCI payload sizes or coding rates.

[0129] Figure 6 This is a diagram of an example PRS configuration 600 for PRS transmission of a given base station according to various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 6 In the diagram, time is represented horizontally, increasing from left to right. Each long rectangle represents a time slot, and each short (shaded) rectangle represents an OFDM symbol. Figure 6In the example, PRS resource set 610 (labeled "PRS resource set 1") includes two PRS resources, namely, the first PRS resource 612 (labeled "PRS resource 1") and the second PRS resource 614 (labeled "PRS resource 2"). The base station transmits PRS on PRS resources 612 and 614 of PRS resource set 610.

[0130] PRS resource set 610 has a timing length of two time slots (N_PRS) and a period (T_PRS) of, for example, 160 time slots or 160 milliseconds (ms) (for a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing). Therefore, PRS resources 612 and 614 both have the length of two consecutive time slots and repeat once every T_PRS time slot, starting from the time slot where the first symbol of the corresponding PRS resource appears. Figure 6 In the example, PRS resource 612 has a symbol length of two symbols (N_symb), and PRS resource 614 has a symbol length of four symbols (N_symb). PRS resource 612 and PRS resource 614 can be transmitted on separate beams of the same base station.

[0131] Each instance of the PRS resource set 610, as shown in Examples 620a, 620b, and 620c, includes the timing of each PRS resource 612, 614 of the PRS resource set with a length of '2' (i.e., N_PRS = 2). PRS resources 612 and 614 are repeated once per T_PRS time slot until the suppression sequence period T_REP. Therefore, a bitmap of length T_REP is needed to indicate which timings of instances 620a, 620b, and 620c of the PRS resource set 610 are suppressed (i.e., not transmitted).

[0132] In one respect, additional constraints can be imposed on PRS configuration 600. For example, for all PRS resources (e.g., PRS resources 612, 614) of a PRS resource set (e.g., PRS resource set 610), the base station can configure the following parameters to be identical: (a) timing length (T_PRS), (b) number of symbols (N_symb), (c) comb type, and / or (d) bandwidth. Furthermore, for all PRS resources of the entire PRS resource set, the subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix of one or all base stations can be configured to be identical. Whether this is applied to one base station or all base stations depends on the UE's ability to support the first and / or second options.

[0133] As mentioned above, NR supports various DL-PRS resource repetition and beam scanning options. DL-PRS resource repetition serves several purposes, including (1) receive beam scanning across repetitions, (2) combined gain for coverage extension, and (3) suppression within instances. The parameters for configuring PRS repetition are shown below:

[0134] Table 2

[0135]

[0136]

[0137] Figure 7 This is a diagram of example PRS resource sets with different time intervals based on various aspects of this disclosure. Figure 7 In the example, time is represented horizontally, and frequency is represented vertically. Each box represents a time slot in the time domain and some bandwidth in the frequency domain.

[0138] Figure 7 Two DL-PRS resource set configurations are shown: a first DL-PRS resource set configuration 710 and a second DL-PRS resource set configuration 750. Each DL-PRS resource set configuration 710 and 750 includes four PRS resources (labeled "Resource 1", "Resource 2", "Resource 3", and "Resource 4"), and its repetition factor is 4. A repetition factor of 4 means that each of the four PRS resources is repeated four times within the DL-PRS resource set (i.e., sent four times). In other words, each of the four PRS resources within the DL-PRS resource set has four repetitions.

[0139] The DL-PRS resource set configuration 710 has a time slot of one time slot, meaning that each repetition of a PRS resource (e.g., "Resource 1") begins in the first time slot after the previous repetition of that PRS resource. Therefore, as shown in the DL-PRS resource set configuration 710, the four repetitions of each of the four PRS resources are grouped together. Specifically, the four repetitions of PRS resource "Resource 1" occupy the first four time slots of the DL-PRS resource set configuration 710 (i.e., time slots n to n+3), the four repetitions of PRS resource "Resource 2" occupy the second four time slots (i.e., time slots n+4 to n+7), the four repetitions of PRS resource "Resource 3" occupy the third four time slots (i.e., time slots n+8 to n+11), and the four repetitions of PRS resource "Resource 4" occupy the last four time slots (i.e., time slots n+12 to n+15).

[0140] In contrast, the DL-PRS resource set configuration 750 has a four-slot time interval, meaning that each repetition of a PRS resource (e.g., "Resource 2") begins in the fourth time slot after the previous repetition of that PRS resource. Therefore, as shown in the DL-PRS resource set configuration 750, four repetitions of each of the four PRS resources are scheduled in every fourth time slot. For example, the four repetitions of PRS resource "Resource 1" occupy the first, fifth, ninth, and thirteenth time slots of the DL-PRS resource set configuration 750 (i.e., time slots n, n+4, n+8, and n+12).

[0141] It is important to note that, for example Figure 7 The duration spanned by a DL-PRS resource set containing repeating DL-PRS resources, as shown, should not exceed the PRS period. Furthermore, the UE receive beam scan used to receive / measure the DL-PRS resource set is not specified but depends on the UE implementation.

[0142] Various UE capabilities exist related to the processing and buffering requirements of DL-PRS. DL-PRS can be configured and scheduled to match the processing capabilities of the UE that will be measuring DL-PRS, or the UE may only be expected to measure a portion of the DL-PRS it is capable of measuring. One parameter of DL-PRS that can be configured based on UE capabilities includes a limit on the maximum number of DL-PRS resources configured for the UE for the entire TRP within the measurement window. Another parameter is the duration (in milliseconds) of DL-PRS symbols that the UE can process per T ms, assuming maximum PRS bandwidth. Table 3 below illustrates these parameters for LTE and NR.

[0143] Table 3

[0144]

[0145] UE can (for example, in) Figure 4 The LPP provision capability message of phase 420 reports the following parameters to indicate its DL-PRS processing capability.

[0146] • Type I PRS Duration: A combination of (N, T) values ​​per frequency band, where N is the duration (in milliseconds (ms) of the DL-PRS symbols processed per T ms by the UE for a given maximum bandwidth (B) (in MHz). For example, the value of N can be selected from the set {0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50} ms, the value of T can be selected from the set {8, 16, 20, 30, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280} ms, and the value of the maximum bandwidth reported by the UE can be selected from the set {5, 10, 20, 40, 50, 80, 100, 200, 400} MHz.

[0147] • Type II PRS Duration: The maximum number of DL-PRS resources N' that the UE can process in a time slot. For the FR1 band, for each SCS (specifically 15kHz, 30kHz, and 60kHz), N' can be selected from the set {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64}. For the FR2 band, for each SCS (specifically 15kHz, 30kHz, and 60kHz), N' can be selected from the set {1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64}.

[0148] • The maximum number of positioning frequency layers supported by the UE. This value can be selected from the set {1, 2, 3, 4}.

[0149] The parameters above are reported assuming that the maximum ratio of the configured measurement gap and measurement gap length (MGL) to the measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) does not exceed a certain 'X' percentage. The measurement gap is the configured time period during which the serving cell avoids sending data to the UE so that the UE can receive transmissions (e.g., downlink reference signals) from other cells.

[0150] Figure 8 Figure 800 illustrates how parameters of the measurement gap configuration according to various aspects of this disclosure specify the measurement gap pattern. The measurement gap offset (MGO) refers to the offset between the start of the gap pattern and the start of a time slot or subframe within a measurement gap repetition period (MGRP). Currently, there are approximately 160 offset values, but not all values ​​apply to all periods. More specifically, the offset values ​​range from 0 to 1 less than the MGRP. Therefore, for example, if the MGRP is 20 ms, the offset range could be from 0 to 19.

[0151] The measurement gap length (MGL) is the length of the measurement gap (in milliseconds). In NR version 15, the measurement gap length values ​​(in milliseconds) could be selected from the set {1.5, 3, 3.5, 4, 5.5, 6}. In NR version 16, the measurement gap length values ​​(in milliseconds) could be selected from the set {10, 18, 20, 34, 40, 50}. MGRP defines the period (in milliseconds) of measurement gap repetition. Although Figure 8 Not shown, but the measurement gap configuration can also include a Measurement Gap Timing Advance (MGTA) parameter. If configured, the MGTA indicates the amount of time before the occurrence of the time slot or subframe that the measurement gap is configured to begin. Currently, the MGTA can be 0.25 ms for FR2, or 0.5 ms for FR1.

[0152] In NR, there is a type of measurement gap, meaning that the same type of measurement gap will be used for both Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements (i.e., measurements required for RRM reporting) and PRS measurements. In NR, the serving cell configures measurement gaps for the UE during the UE's configuration period, during which the UE is expected to perform RRM measurements. In contrast, the UE requests measurement gaps to perform PRS measurements. Since RRM measurements have higher priority by default, and the UE cannot perform both measurements simultaneously, the UE implementation decides to prioritize PRS measurements over RRM measurements.

[0153] The UE requires measurement gaps for PRS reception so that it can allocate its full processing power to performing PRS measurements. In legacy technologies such as LTE, measurement gaps are only needed for inter-frequency or inter-RAT measurements. Therefore, at the start of a measurement gap, the UE tunes to the target frequency, performs the measurement, and then tunes back to the source frequency at the end of the gap. Uplink transmission is not allowed during measurement gaps because the UE is not synchronized to the uplink timing of the inter-frequency or inter-RAT cell. This applies to both FDD and TDD architectures. Similar to LTE, in NR, uplink transmission is not allowed during measurement gaps.

[0154] The UE should have information about when the DL-PRS is scheduled to be transmitted by the serving base station and any neighboring base stations participating in the positioning session. As described above with reference to Figure 5, this information can be obtained from the location server in the PRS configuration. Therefore, the UE can determine when to request a measurement gap.

[0155] The measurement gaps defined in NR are the same as those defined in LTE. There is a protocol between the UE and the serving base station: (1) the UE will not perform any uplink transmissions during the measurement gap, and (2) the base station will not transmit any downlink data during the measurement gap. This applies to both TDD and FDD type measurements.

[0156] Figure 9 Figure 900 shows an example PRS cycle and duration spanned by three DL-PRS resources, based on the Type II UE duration capability. Figure 9 In this architecture, each block represents one symbol in the time domain, and each group of 14 symbols represents one time slot. Figure 9 In the example, three PRS resources are sent on three symbols in each time slot (distinguished by different hashing methods).

[0157] L PRS (Represented as L_PRS in the attached diagram) represents the span of the PRS timing comprised of all PRS resources in the assistance data, defined as the time from the first slot of the earliest PRS resource to the last slot of the last PRS resource. L represents the UE capability calculated based on the Type I or Type II PRS duration. PRS The PRS symbol of the time slot (Type I) or the entire time slot (if any of its symbols is PRS (Type II)) can be considered. As mentioned above, Figure 9 Demonstrates L based on Type II UE capability PRS T PRS (T_PRS in the attached diagram) represents the PRS period of all DL-PRS resources in the resource set, and the parameter T PRS，max This represents the maximum PRS period among all DL-PRS resources in the positioning frequency layer.

[0158] Other parameters that can be used for signal notification or configuration include It is the number of PRS resources in the time slot configured with assist data. MGRP is the measurement gap period configured by RRC. CSSF is the carrier-specific scaling factor used for measurements sharing gaps with other RRM measurements. N Rx，beam This is the UE receive (Rx) beam scanning coefficient for FR2. sample It is the basic number of PRS moments required to meet the accuracy requirements of the positioning session.

[0159] The “measurement period” is the time period during which the UE actually measures the PRS. More specifically, the measurement period refers to the time period during which the transmitted PRS is aligned with the measurement gap and the UE’s capability is satisfied (i.e., the UE is able to measure and process the PRS during the measurement gap).

[0160] The basic scaling factor for the measurement period should depend on the UE's capabilities N and N'. If L PRSIf the number of PRS resources is ≤ N, then the UE only needs T ms to process the PRS resources. Otherwise, the UE needs to measure the PRS resources in a round-robin manner. Similarly, if the number of PRS resources in a time slot is... If the value is equal to or less than N', then the UE only needs T ms to process the PRS resources. Otherwise, the measurement period is scaled in a manner similar to the N case. Therefore, the basic scaling factor for the measurement period can be expressed as:

[0161]

[0162] It has been agreed that measurement requirements should be defined using only the measurement gap; therefore, the effective measurement gap period should be defined relative to T. PRS It is calculated using special values ​​(that are powers of 2). For example, T PRS =8ms, the effective measurement interval period cannot be shorter than 40ms, even if the RRC (i.e., the serving base station via the RRC) configures the UE with a 20ms MGRP. Based on the entire parameter set and T PRS The value has 23 different PRS periods. Specifically, it is in milliseconds (ms) and T. PRS The value can be selected from the set {0.5, 0.625, 1, 1.25, 2, 2.5, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240}.

[0163] This public disclosure defines the parameter MGRP. min Its representation is related to T PRS The minimum MGRP required for alignment (i.e., complete overlap, meaning a period T is configured) PRS Each instance of the PRS is within the measurement gap instance. This can correspond to the minimum MGRP, such that the following conditions are true. First, it can be assumed that the start of the DL-PRS will occur at the same offset within the measurement gap at each measurement gap timing. Second, MGRP min It is the minimum MGRP extracted from the allowed set of MGRPs (i.e., the currently defined MGRPs configured via RRC), such that MGRP min Divide by T PRS It is an integer greater than or equal to 1.

[0164] Different T PRS Parameter set (e.g., relative to 5*2) N , is 2 N T PRS (value) resulting in a value based on 5*2 N MGRP mismatch. Figure 10The following illustrates different cases of comparing the subframes (in 1 ms) spanned by each PRS timing with the subframes covered by the nearest measurement gap timing, according to various aspects of this disclosure. Table 1000 shows PRS periods of 64, 32, and 16 ms for LPRS = 6 ms. Table 1050 shows L... PRS = 64, 32, and 16 ms PRS periods of 10 ms. For both cases, it is assumed that the measurement gap mode with a period of 20 ms has a length of 6 ms at offset 0. The cells in each table are shaded to indicate MGL and L. PRS Complete overlap, MGL and L PRS Partial overlap, MGL and L PRS A small amount of overlap, and MGL and L PRS The non-overlapping ones.

[0165] As shown in Table 1000, in L PRS With a time interval of 6ms, for timings not multiples of 5, there is no overlap, or only a very small overlap (e.g., 1 or 2ms). Such a short overlap is sufficient for tune-in or tune-out, but not for simultaneous tune-in and tune-out. As shown in Table 1050, in L... PRS With a time interval of 10ms, some timings have approximately 50% overlap between MGL and PRS, some timings have small overlap, and one timing has no overlap at all.

[0166] The table below summarizes T PRS All values ​​of MGRP min The value of .

[0167] Table 4

[0168] <![CDATA[T PRS (ms)]]> <![CDATA[MGRP min (ms)]]> 10，20，≤5 20 8，40 40 16，80 80 32，160 160 64 320 ≥320 <![CDATA[T PRS ]]>

[0169] The left column of Table 4 shows T PRS The different values ​​of T are shown in the right column of Table 4. PRS The corresponding value of MGRP min The value of MGRP can be seen. min It is the minimum MGRP (taken from the set of allowed MGRPs) such that MGRP min Divide by T PRS It is an integer greater than or equal to 1. For example, for the second line, 40(MGRP) min ) divided by 8 (T) PRS The answer is 5, which is an integer greater than or equal to 1. In other words, MGRP... min It is T PRS Integer multiples of.

[0170] Therefore, the effective MGRP that should be used to determine the measurement period is the MGRP. min And a function of the actual MGRP configured to the UE via RRC. More specifically, the effective MGRP (denoted as MGRPe) for PRS measurements can be defined as:

[0171] MGRP e =max(MGRP, MGRP) min (Equation 2)

[0172] Among them, MGRP min Defined in Table 4. MGRPe can also be referred to as "alignment period" or "T". available ", because MGRPe indicates the configured MGRP and becomes T" PRS Multiples of MGRP (i.e., MGRP) min The alignment or overlap of ) . Therefore, the alignment period can also be said to be based on the MGRP and PRS period T PRS , or its function.

[0173] The basic time unit for determining the measurement period is suggested to be (T, T). PRS The maximum value of (MGRP). However, such a formulation is not always accurate. For example, if T = 30 ms, and T... PRS If MGRP = 20ms, then the correct time unit for determining the measurement period should be 40ms, because the UE needs 30ms to process a PRS opportunity, and then the UE needs to wait 10ms until the next PRS opportunity arrives. To solve this problem, the basic time unit can be modified as follows.

[0174] Specifically, this disclosure defines the basic time unit used to determine the measurement period as depending on MGRPe (i.e., the alignment period) and the UE capability T (from the capability pair (N, T)). The basic time unit may also be referred to as the "effective measurement period" or "T". effective "" because it is the effective or actual period of the measurement cycle. Specifically, the basic unit of time or effective measurement cycle can be expressed as:

[0175]

[0176] Based on this definition, for the i-th positioning frequency layer, the measurement period of RSTD measurement (denoted as "T") RSTD The expression ") can be represented as follows. The variables in the equation below have been defined above.

[0177]

[0178] As shown in the equation above, the RSTD measurement period T RSTDIt is based on the disclosed basic scaling factor (Equation 1) and basic time unit (Equation 3).

[0179] It is understood that the above techniques can be extended to other types of measurement cycles, such as RTT measurement cycles, ToA-based measurement cycles, RSRP measurement cycles, etc.

[0180] On one hand, the positioning accuracy or measurement cycle requirements can be specific to the configured MGRP. min Defined as an integer multiple (greater than or equal to 1), or in PRS(T) PRS The period has the format 5*2. N Instead of having format 2 N Cases (e.g., T) PRS Defined when 20, 40, 80, 160, or 320ms. That is, the UE will use the configured MGRP, but only if the configured MGRP is MGRP. min Only when the value is an integer multiple (greater than or equal to 1) can the requirements for positioning accuracy or measurement cycle be expected to be met. In other words, due to MGRP... min It is T PRS It is an integer multiple of, therefore it is only valid if the configured MGRP is a PRS period T. PRS Only when the value is an integer multiple of the value can the UE be expected to meet the requirements for positioning accuracy or measurement cycle.

[0181] Figure 11 An example method 1100 for wireless positioning according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. In one aspect, method 1100 can be performed by a UE (e.g., any UE described herein).

[0182] In 1110, the UE (e.g., in LPP assistance data, such as in...) Figure 4 In phase 430, the system receives a PRS configuration from at least a first TRP (e.g., a non-service TRP), which includes at least a repeating PRS cycle (T) defining one or more PRS resources associated with the first TRP. PRS In one respect, operation 1110 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340 and / or positioning components 342, wherein any or all of them may be regarded as devices performing the operation.

[0183] In 1120, the UE (e.g., via RRC) receives a measurement gap configuration from a serving base station (e.g., any base station described herein), which at least indicates repeating MGRPs defining the measurement gaps. In one aspect, operation 1120 can be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning components 342, wherein any or all of these can be considered as devices performing the operation.

[0184] In 1130, during one or more repetitions of a measurement period, the UE performs one or more positioning measurements (e.g., RSTD, Rx-Tx time difference, ToA, RSRP, etc.) on at least one or more PRS resources. The one or more repetitions of the measurement period have a valid measurement period (i.e., a basic time unit) based on an alignment period (i.e., MGRPe) and a time period T (from the UE capability (N, T)) of duration N for which the UE can process PRS symbols. This alignment period is based on the PRS period and the MGR. In one aspect, operation 1130 can be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, a memory 340, and / or a positioning component 342, wherein any or all of these can be considered as devices performing the operation.

[0185] It is understandable that the technical advantage of method 1100 is due to the improved positioning resulting from the alignment of the PRS period and MGRP used for the measurement period.

[0186] As can be seen in the detailed description above, different features are grouped together in the examples. This manner of disclosure should not be construed as an intention to include more features in the example clauses than are expressly mentioned in each clause. Rather, aspects of this disclosure may include fewer features than all the features of a single example clause disclosed. Therefore, the following clauses should be considered incorporated herein, whereby each clause may serve as a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer to a specific combination with one of the other clauses in the clause, the aspect of that dependent clause is not limited to that specific combination. It is understood that other example clauses may also include combinations of aspects of a dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent or independent clause, or combinations of any feature with other dependent and independent clauses. The aspects disclosed herein expressly include these combinations unless expressly stated or readily inferred that a particular combination is not intended (e.g., contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an insulator and a conductor). Furthermore, it is intended that aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if that clause does not directly depend on the independent clause.

[0187] Examples of implementation methods are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0188] Clause 1. A method of wireless positioning performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for at least a first transmit receive point (TRP), the PRS configuration including at least a repeating PRS period defining one or more PRS resources associated with the first TRP; receiving a measurement gap configuration from a serving base station, the measurement gap configuration indicating at least a repeating measurement gap period (MGRP) defining the repeating measurement gap; and, during one or more repeats of the measurement period, performing one or more positioning measurements of at least one or more PRS resources, the one or more repeats of the measurement period having a valid measurement period, the valid measurement period being based on an alignment period and a time period T of duration N in which the UE can process PRS symbols, the alignment period being based on the PRS period and the MGRP.

[0189] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein the effective measurement period is the alignment period multiplied by the time period T divided by the upper floor function of the alignment period.

[0190] Clause 3. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 2, wherein the measurement period is determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

[0191] Clause 4. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 3, wherein an alignment period and an effective measurement period are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

[0192] Clause 5. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 4, wherein the time period T, the PRS period, and the MGRP are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

[0193] Clause 6. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 5, wherein the alignment period is an integer multiple of the MGRP and PRS periods.

[0194] Clause 7. The method described in Clause 6, wherein an integer multiple of the PRS period is 20, 40, 80, 160 or 320 milliseconds (ms) or a PRS period based on a value of the PRS period.

[0195] Clause 8. The method described in Clause 7, wherein an integer multiple of the PRS period is: 20ms based on a PRS period value of 10ms, 20ms or less than or equal to 5ms, 40ms based on a PRS period value of 8ms or 40ms, 80ms based on a PRS period value of 16ms or 80ms, 160ms based on a PRS period value of 32ms or 160ms, 320ms based on a PRS period value of 64ms, or a PRS period based on a PRS period value greater than or equal to 320ms.

[0196] Clause 9. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 8, wherein one or more positioning measurements are expected to meet the accuracy requirements only when MGRP is an integer multiple of the PRS period.

[0197] Clause 10. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 9, wherein the start of one or more PRS resources occurs at the same time offset within the measurement interval.

[0198] Clause 11. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 10, wherein one or more positioning measurements include one or more RSTD measurements, one or more receive and transmit time difference measurements, one or more time of arrival (ToA) measurements, one or more reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, or any combination thereof.

[0199] Clause 12. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 11, wherein PRS configuration is received from a location server in Long Term Evolution (LTE) Location Protocol (LPP) Assistance Data.

[0200] Clause 13. The method according to any one of Clauses 1 to 12, wherein measurement gap configuration is received from the serving base station via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0201] Clause 14. A user equipment (UE) includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, said at least one processor being configured to: receive via the at least one transceiver a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for at least a first transmit-receive point (TRP), the PRS configuration including at least a repeating PRS period defining one or more PRS resources associated with the first TRP; receive via the at least one transceiver a measurement gap configuration from a serving base station, the measurement gap configuration indicating at least a repeating measurement gap period (MGRP) defining the repeating measurement gap; and, during one or more repeats of the measurement period, perform one or more positioning measurements of at least one or more PRS resources, the one or more repeats of the measurement period having a valid measurement period, the valid measurement period being based on an alignment period and a time period T of duration N in which the UE can process PRS symbols, the alignment period being based on the PRS period and the MGRP.

[0202] Clause 15. The UE as described in Clause 14, wherein the effective measurement period is the alignment period multiplied by the time period T divided by the floor function of the alignment period.

[0203] Clause 16. The UE according to any one of Clauses 14 to 15, wherein the measurement period is determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

[0204] Clause 17. The UE according to any one of Clauses 14 to 16, wherein an alignment period and an effective measurement period are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

[0205] Clause 18. The UE according to any one of Clauses 14 to 17, wherein the time period T, the PRS period, and the MGRP are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

[0206] Clause 19. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 14 to 18, wherein the alignment period is an integer multiple of the MGRP and PRS periods.

[0207] Clause 20. The UE as described in Clause 19, wherein an integer multiple of the PRS period is 20, 40, 80, 160 or 320 milliseconds (ms) or a PRS period based on a value of the PRS period.

[0208] Clause 21. The UE as described in Clause 20, wherein an integer multiple of the PRS period is: 20ms based on a PRS period value of 10ms, 20ms or less than or equal to 5ms, 40ms based on a PRS period value of 8ms or 40ms, 80ms based on a PRS period value of 16ms or 80ms, 160ms based on a PRS period value of 32ms or 160ms, 320ms based on a PRS period value of 64ms, or a PRS period based on a PRS period value greater than or equal to 320ms.

[0209] Clause 22. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 14 to 21, wherein one or more positioning measurements are expected to meet the accuracy requirements only if the MGRP is an integer multiple of the PRS period.

[0210] Clause 23. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 14 to 22, wherein the start of one or more PRS resources occurs at the same time offset within the measurement interval.

[0211] Clause 24. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 14 to 23, wherein one or more positioning measurements include one or more RSTD measurements, one or more receive and transmit time difference measurements, one or more time of arrival (ToA) measurements, one or more reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, or any combination thereof.

[0212] Clause 25. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 14 to 24, wherein the PRS configuration is received from the location server in Long Term Evolution (LTE) Location Protocol (LPP) Assistance Data.

[0213] Clause 26. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 14 to 25, wherein the measurement gap configuration is received from the serving base station via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0214] Clause 27. A user equipment (UE) comprising: a device for receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration for at least a first transmit receive point (TRP), the PRS configuration including at least a repeating PRS period defining one or more PRS resources associated with the first TRP; a device for receiving a measurement gap configuration from a serving base station, the measurement gap configuration indicating at least a repeating measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) defining the measurement gap; and a device for performing one or more positioning measurements of at least one or more PRS resources during one or more repetitions of the measurement period, the one or more repetitions of the measurement period having a valid measurement period, the valid measurement period being based on an alignment period and a time period T of duration N in which the UE can process PRS symbols, the alignment period being based on the PRS period and the MGRP.

[0215] Clause 28. The UE as described in Clause 27, wherein the effective measurement period is the alignment period multiplied by the time period T divided by the upper floor function of the alignment period.

[0216] Clause 29. The UE according to any one of Clauses 27 to 28, wherein the measurement period is determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

[0217] Clause 30. The UE according to any one of Clauses 27 to 29, wherein an alignment period and an effective measurement period are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

[0218] Clause 31. The UE according to any one of Clauses 27 to 30, wherein the time period T, the PRS period, and the MGRP are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

[0219] Clause 32. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 27 to 31, wherein the alignment period is an integer multiple of the MGRP and PRS periods.

[0220] Clause 33. The UE as described in Clause 32, wherein an integer multiple of the PRS period is 20, 40, 80, 160 or 320 milliseconds (ms) or a PRS period based on a value of the PRS period.

[0221] Clause 34. The UE as described in Clause 33, wherein an integer multiple of the PRS period is: 20ms based on a PRS period value of 10ms, 20ms or less than or equal to 5ms, 40ms based on a PRS period value of 8ms or 40ms, 80ms based on a PRS period value of 16ms or 80ms, 160ms based on a PRS period value of 32ms or 160ms, 320ms based on a PRS period value of 64ms, or a PRS period based on a PRS period value greater than or equal to 320ms.

[0222] Clause 35. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 27 to 34, wherein one or more positioning measurements are expected to meet the accuracy requirements only if the MGRP is an integer multiple of the PRS period.

[0223] Clause 36. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 27 to 35, wherein the start of one or more PRS resources occurs at the same time offset within the measurement interval.

[0224] Clause 37. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 27 to 36, wherein one or more positioning measurements include one or more RSTD measurements, one or more receive and transmit time difference measurements, one or more time of arrival (ToA) measurements, one or more reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, or any combination thereof.

[0225] Clause 38. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 27 to 37, wherein the UE receives PRS configuration from the location server in Long Term Evolution (LTE) Location Protocol (LPP) Assistance Data.

[0226] Clause 39. The UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 27 to 38, wherein the measurement gap configuration is received from the serving base station via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0227] Clause 40. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) configuration for at least a first Transmit Receive Point (TRP), the PRS configuration including at least a repeating PRS period defining one or more PRS resources associated with the first TRP; receive a Measurement Gap Configuration from a serving base station, the Measurement Gap Configuration indicating at least a repeating Measurement Gap Repetition Period (MGRP) defining the repeating measurement gap; and, during one or more repetitions of the measurement period, perform one or more positioning measurements of at least one or more PRS resources, the one or more repetitions of the measurement period having a valid measurement period based on an alignment period and a time period T of duration N in which the UE can process PRS symbols, the alignment period being based on the PRS period and the MGRP.

[0228] Clause 41. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 40, wherein the effective measurement period is the alignment period multiplied by the time period T divided by the floor function of the alignment period.

[0229] Clause 42. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 40 to 41, wherein a measurement period is determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

[0230] Clause 43. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 40 to 42, wherein an alignment period and an effective measurement period are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

[0231] Clause 44. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of Clauses 40 to 43, wherein a time period T, a PRS period, and an MGRP are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

[0232] Clause 45. A non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 40 to 44, wherein the alignment period is an integer multiple of the MGRP and PRS periods.

[0233] Clause 46. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 45, wherein an integer multiple of the PRS period is 20, 40, 80, 160, or 320 milliseconds (ms) or a PRS period based on a value of the PRS period.

[0234] Clause 47. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 46, wherein an integer multiple of the PRS period is: 20 ms based on a PRS period value of 10 ms, 20 ms or less than or equal to 5 ms, 40 ms based on a PRS period value of 8 ms or 40 ms, 80 ms based on a PRS period value of 16 ms or 80 ms, 160 ms based on a PRS period value of 32 ms or 160 ms, 320 ms based on a PRS period value of 64 ms, or a PRS period based on a PRS period value greater than or equal to 320 ms.

[0235] Clause 48. A non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 40 to 47, wherein one or more positioning measurements are expected to meet accuracy requirements only if the MGRP is an integer multiple of the PRS period.

[0236] Clause 49. A non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 40 to 48, wherein the start of one or more PRS resources occurs at the same time offset within the measurement interval.

[0237] Clause 50. A non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 40 to 49, wherein one or more positioning measurements include one or more RSTD measurements, one or more receive and transmit time difference measurements, one or more time of arrival (ToA) measurements, one or more reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, or any combination thereof.

[0238] Clause 51. A non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 40 to 50, wherein PRS configuration is received from a location server in Long Term Evolution (LTE) Location Protocol (LPP) Assistance Data.

[0239] Clause 52. A non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 40 to 51, wherein measurement gap configuration is received from the serving base station via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

[0240] Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and skills. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description can be represented using voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or light particles, or any combination thereof.

[0241] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability between hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above according to their functionality. Whether this functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application; however, such implementation decisions should not be construed as departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0242] The various illustrative logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in other cases, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors integrated with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0243] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of both. The software module can reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROMs, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. Example storage media are coupled to a processor such that the processor can read information from and write information to the storage medium. In other cases, the storage medium can be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal (e.g., a UE). In other cases, the processor and storage medium can reside as discrete components in the user terminal.

[0244] In one or more example aspects, the described functionality can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality can be stored on or transmitted on a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. A computer-readable medium includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer. For example (but not limitingly), such a computer-readable medium can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and is accessible to a computer. Furthermore, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave), then coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave) is included in the definition of medium. The terms "disk" and "disc" as used in this article include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. Magnetic discs typically copy data magnetically, while optical discs copy data optically using lasers. Combinations of these should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0245] While the foregoing disclosure illustrates aspects of this disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made to this document without departing from the scope of this disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to the aspects of the disclosure described herein do not need to be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of this disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is also considered unless explicitly limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A method for wireless positioning performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: The location reference signal (PRS) configuration is received from at least a first transmit / receive point (TRP), the PRS configuration including at least a repeating PRS period defining one or more PRS resources associated with the first TRP; Receive measurement gap configuration from the serving base station, the measurement gap configuration indicating at least the measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) that defines the measurement gap; as well as During one or more repetitions of a measurement period, one or more positioning measurements of at least one or more PRS resources are performed, the one or more repetitions of the measurement period having a valid measurement period, the valid measurement period being based on an alignment period and a time period T of the duration N during which the UE is able to process PRS symbols, the alignment period being based on the PRS period and the MGRP, wherein the valid measurement period is the time period T divided by the floor function of the alignment period multiplied by the alignment period.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The measurement period is determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The alignment period and the effective measurement period are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The time period T, the PRS period, and the MGRP are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The alignment period is based on an integer multiple of the MGRP and PRS periods.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The integer multiple of the PRS period is 20, 40, 80, 160, or 320 milliseconds (ms) or a PRS period based on the value of the PRS period.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The integer multiples of the PRS period are: Based on the PRS period value of 10 ms, 20 ms, or 20 ms less than or equal to 5 ms, Based on the value of the PRS period being 8 ms or 40 ms of 40 ms, Based on the value of the PRS period being 16 ms or 80 ms of 80 ms, Based on the value of the PRS period being 32 ms or 160 ms, Based on the PRS period value of 64 ms, or 320 ms The PRS period is based on a value greater than or equal to 320 ms.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more positioning measurements are expected to meet accuracy requirements only when the MGRP is an integer multiple of the PRS period.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The start of the one or more PRS resources occurs at the same time offset within the measurement interval.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more positioning measurements include one or more RSTD measurements, one or more receive and transmit time difference measurements, one or more arrival time to arrival (ToA) measurements, one or more reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, or any combination thereof.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The PRS configuration is received from the location server in the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Location Protocol (LPP) Assistance Data.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The measurement gap configuration is received from the serving base station via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

13. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; At least one transceiver; and At least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: The location reference signal (PRS) configuration of at least a first transmit / receive point (TRP) is received via the at least one transceiver, the PRS configuration including at least a repeating PRS cycle defining one or more PRS resources associated with the first TRP; The measurement gap configuration is received from the serving base station via the at least one transceiver, the measurement gap configuration indicating at least the measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) that defines the measurement gap; as well as During one or more repetitions of a measurement period, one or more positioning measurements of at least one or more PRS resources are performed, the one or more repetitions of the measurement period having a valid measurement period, the valid measurement period being based on an alignment period and a time period T of the duration N during which the UE is able to process PRS symbols, the alignment period being based on the PRS period and the MGRP, wherein the valid measurement period is the time period T divided by the floor function of the alignment period multiplied by the alignment period.

14. The UE according to claim 13, wherein, The measurement period is determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

15. The UE according to claim 13, wherein, The alignment period and the effective measurement period are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

16. The UE according to claim 13, wherein, The time period T, the PRS period, and the MGRP are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

17. The UE according to claim 13, wherein, The alignment period is based on an integer multiple of the MGRP and PRS periods.

18. The UE according to claim 17, wherein, The integer multiple of the PRS period is 20, 40, 80, 160, or 320 milliseconds (ms) or a PRS period based on the value of the PRS period.

19. The UE according to claim 18, wherein, The integer multiples of the PRS period are: Based on the PRS period value of 10 ms, 20 ms, or 20 ms less than or equal to 5 ms, Based on the value of the PRS period being 8 ms or 40 ms of 40 ms, Based on the value of the PRS period being 16 ms or 80 ms of 80 ms, Based on the value of the PRS period being 32 ms or 160 ms, Based on the PRS period value of 64 ms, or 320 ms The PRS period is based on a value greater than or equal to 320 ms.

20. The UE according to claim 13, wherein, The one or more positioning measurements are expected to meet accuracy requirements only when the MGRP is an integer multiple of the PRS period.

21. The UE according to claim 13, wherein, The start of the one or more PRS resources occurs at the same time offset within the measurement interval.

22. The UE according to claim 13, wherein, The one or more positioning measurements include one or more RSTD measurements, one or more receive and transmit time difference measurements, one or more arrival time to arrival (ToA) measurements, one or more reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, or any combination thereof.

23. The UE according to claim 13, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to enable the UE to receive the PRS configuration from the location server in Long Term Evolution (LTE) Location Protocol (LPP) Assistance Data.

24. The UE according to claim 13, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to enable the UE to receive the measurement gap configuration from the serving base station via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

25. A user equipment (UE), comprising: A means for receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration of at least a first transmit / receive point (TRP), the PRS configuration including at least a repeating PRS period defining one or more PRS resources associated with the first TRP; A means for receiving a measurement gap configuration from a serving base station, the measurement gap configuration indicating at least a measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) that defines the repetition of the measurement gap; and A means for performing one or more positioning measurements of at least one or more PRS resources during one or more repetitions of a measurement period, the one or more repetitions of the measurement period having a valid measurement period, the valid measurement period being based on an alignment period and a time period T of the duration N during which the UE is capable of processing PRS symbols, the alignment period being based on the PRS period and the MGRP, wherein the valid measurement period is the time period T divided by the floor function of the alignment period multiplied by the alignment period.

26. The UE according to claim 25, wherein, The measurement period is determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

27. The UE according to claim 25, wherein, The alignment period and the effective measurement period are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

28. The UE according to claim 25, wherein, The time period T, the PRS period, and the MGRP are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

29. The UE according to claim 26, wherein, The alignment period is based on an integer multiple of the MGRP and PRS periods.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: The positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration is received from at least a first transmit / receive point (TRP), the PRS configuration including at least a repeating PRS period defining one or more PRS resources associated with the first TRP; Receive measurement gap configuration from the serving base station, the measurement gap configuration indicating at least the measurement gap repetition period (MGRP) that defines the measurement gap; as well as During one or more repetitions of a measurement period, one or more positioning measurements of at least one or more PRS resources are performed, the one or more repetitions of the measurement period having a valid measurement period, the valid measurement period being based on an alignment period and a time period T of the duration N during which the UE is able to process PRS symbols, the alignment period being based on the PRS period and the MGRP, wherein the valid measurement period is the time period T divided by the floor function of the alignment period multiplied by the alignment period.

31. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 30, wherein, The measurement period is determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

32. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 30, wherein, The alignment period and the effective measurement period are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

33. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 30, wherein, The time period T, the PRS period, and the MGRP are determined for each of one or more positioning frequency layers on which the UE is configured to measure PRS.

34. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 30, wherein, The alignment period is based on an integer multiple of the MGRP and PRS periods.

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