Simultaneous handling of multiple positioning frequency layers in nr by ue

Abstract

A measurement period in which a user equipment (UE) can be configured to take a positioning reference signal (PRS) measurement can include receiving PRS resources of multiple positioning frequency layers (PFLs). To this end, the UE can tune radio frequency (RF) circuitry of the UE from an active bandwidth part (BWP) to a frequency band of at least one PFL; receive, from one or more network nodes, multiple PRS resources of multiple PFLs; and re-tune the RF circuitry of the UE to the active BWP after receiving the multiple PRS resources. The UE can then determine a PRS measurement based on the multiple PRS resources.

Description

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Greek patent application No. 20200100601, filed on October 2, 2020, entitled “Simultaneous Processing of Multiple Positioning Frequency Layers in NR by a UE”, which has been assigned to the assignee of this application and is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Technology Invention Field

[0003] This invention generally relates to the field of wireless communication, and more specifically to using radio frequency (RF) signals to determine the location of user equipment (UE).

[0004] Related technical descriptions

[0005] In fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) mobile communication networks, network nodes (e.g., base stations or reference UEs) can transmit location reference signals (PRS) that can be measured at the UE to determine the UE's location using any of a variety of network-based positioning methods. Increasing the number of signals measured by the UE can lead to increased accuracy. However, the UE's capabilities can limit the amount of signals it can measure at any given time.

[0006] Brief Overview

[0007] A user equipment (UE) can be configured to perform a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurement cycle that may include receiving PRS resources from multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs). To do this, the UE may tune its radio frequency (RF) circuitry from an active bandwidth portion (BWP) to the frequency band of at least one PFL, receive multiple PRS resources from multiple PFLs from one or more network nodes, and retune its RF circuitry to the active BWP after receiving the multiple PRS resources. The UE can then determine the PRS measurement based on the multiple PRS resources.

[0008] According to this disclosure, an example method for measuring Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurements at a User Equipment (UE) using multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs) may include receiving a configuration for measuring the PRS measurement from a network entity. The method may also include determining a measurement period. The method may further include tuning the UE's radio frequency (RF) circuitry from an active bandwidth portion (BWP) to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the multiple PFLs. The method may also include receiving multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs from one or more network nodes. The method may further include retuning the UE's RF circuitry to the active BWP after receiving the multiple PRS resources. The method may also include determining the PRS measurement based at least in part on the multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs and the determined measurement period.

[0009] An example UE for measuring Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurements using multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs) according to this disclosure may include: a transceiver; a memory; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: receive configuration for measuring the PRS measurement from a network entity via the transceiver. The one or more processors may be further configured to determine a measurement period. The one or more processors may be further configured to tune the transceiver's radio frequency (RF) circuitry from an active bandwidth portion (BWP) to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the multiple PFLs. The one or more processors may be further configured to receive multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs from one or more network nodes. The one or more processors may be further configured to retune the transceiver's RF circuitry to the active BWP after receiving the multiple PRS resources. The one or more processors may be further configured to determine the PRS measurement based at least in part on the multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs and the determined measurement period.

[0010] According to this disclosure, an example apparatus for measuring Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurements at a User Equipment (UE) using multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs) may include means for receiving a configuration for measuring the PRS measurement from a network entity. The apparatus may further include means for determining a measurement period. The apparatus may further include means for tuning the UE's radio frequency (RF) circuitry from an active bandwidth portion (BWP) to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the plurality of PFLs. The apparatus may further include means for receiving multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs from one or more network nodes. The apparatus may further include means for retuning the UE's RF circuitry to the active BWP after receiving the multiple PRS resources. The apparatus may further include means for determining the PRS measurement based at least in part on the multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs and the determined measurement period.

[0011] According to this disclosure, an example non-transient computer-readable medium stores instructions for measuring a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurement at a User Equipment (UE) using multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs). The instructions include code for receiving configuration from a network entity for measuring the PRS measurement. The instructions may further include code for determining a measurement period. The instructions may further include code for tuning the UE's radio frequency (RF) circuitry from an active bandwidth portion (BWP) to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the multiple PFLs. The instructions may further include code for receiving multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs from one or more network nodes. The instructions may further include code for retuning the UE's RF circuitry to the active BWP after receiving the multiple PRS resources. The instructions may further include code for determining the PRS measurement based at least in part on the multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs and the determined measurement period.

[0012] This summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used alone to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood in reference to the appropriate portions of this disclosure, any or all drawings, and each claim. The foregoing, as well as other features and examples, will be described in more detail in the following description, claims, and drawings. Brief description of the attached diagram

[0014] Figure 1 This is a diagram of a positioning system according to an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2This is a diagram illustrating a fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) positioning system, explaining how positioning systems are implemented within 5G NR communication systems (e.g., Figure 1 An example of a positioning system.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure for NR that can be used in some embodiments.

[0017] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a radio frame sequence with a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) timing.

[0018] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating how different Transmitter Receiver Points (TRPs) can use PRS resources and the hierarchical structure of PRS resource sets for a given Position Frequency Layer (PFL) as defined in 5G NR.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a simplified diagram illustrating how an anchor UE can be used for locating a target UE in a 5G NR network according to an embodiment.

[0020] Figure 7 This is a timing diagram illustrating two different options for the use of time slots in a resource set according to one embodiment.

[0021] Figure 8 This is a general diagram of the measurement gap (MG) mode.

[0022] Figure 9 It is a timeline diagram with multiple measurement periods of MG.

[0023] Figure 10-12 This is a timeline diagram illustrating an example of how multiple PFLs can be processed in the same MG according to some embodiments.

[0024] Figure 13 This is a flowchart of a method for measuring PRS using multiple PFLs according to an embodiment.

[0025] Figure 14 This is a block diagram of a user equipment (UE) according to one embodiment.

[0026] Figure 15 This is a block diagram of a TRP according to one embodiment.

[0027] Figure 16 This is a block diagram of an embodiment of a computer system according to one embodiment.

[0028] Similar reference numerals in the various figures indicate similar elements according to certain examples. Additionally, multiple instances of an element can be indicated by appending a letter or hyphen followed by a second numeral after the first numeral. For example, multiple instances of element 110 may be indicated as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, etc., or as 110a, 110b, 110c, etc. When only the first numeral is used to refer to such an element, it will be understood to refer to any instance of that element (e.g., element 110 in the previous examples would refer to elements 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3, or elements 110a, 110b, and 110c).

[0029] Detailed description

[0030] Several illustrative embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form part of the embodiments. Although some embodiments that can implement one or more aspects of this disclosure are described below, other embodiments can be used and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0031] The following description is directed to certain implementations in order to illustrate aspects of the innovation of the various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in many different ways. The described implementations can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to any communication standard, such as any of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) IEEE 802.11 standards (including those identified as...). Those technical standards) Standard, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunking Radio (TETRA), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolved Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Revision A, EV-DO Revision B, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), or other known signals used for communication in wireless, cellular, or Internet of Things (IoT) networks (such as systems utilizing 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, or further implementations thereof).

[0032] As used herein, an "RF signal" includes electromagnetic waves that transmit information across the space between a transmitter (or transmitter equipment) and a receiver (or receiver equipment). As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of individual RF signals through a multipath channel, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted on different paths between the transmitter and receiver can be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0033] Figure 1 This is a simplified explanation of a positioning system 100 according to one embodiment, in which a UE 105, a location server 160, and / or other components of the positioning system 100 may use the techniques provided herein for determining the estimated location of the UE 105. The techniques described herein may be implemented by one or more components of the positioning system 100. The positioning system 100 may include: a UE 105; one or more satellites 110 (also referred to as spacecraft (SV)) for a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) (such as Global Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo, or BeiDou); a base station 120; an access point (AP) 130; a location server 160; a network 170; and an external client 180. Generally, the positioning system 100 may estimate the location of the UE 105 based on RF signals received and / or transmitted by the UE 105 and the known locations of other components transmitting and / or receiving RF signals (e.g., GNSS satellites 110, base station 120, AP 130). Reference Figure 2 Further details regarding location-specific estimation techniques will be discussed.

[0034] It should be noted that Figure 1 This provides only a general explanation of the various components, where any or all of them can be appropriately utilized, and each component can be repeated as needed. Specifically, although only one UE 105 is described, it will be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) can utilize positioning system 100. Similarly, positioning system 100 may include more than Figure 1 The illustrated number of base stations 120 and / or access points 130 may be greater or less. The illustrated connections to the various components in the positioning system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on desired functionality. In some embodiments, for example, an external client 180 may be directly connected to the location server 160. Those skilled in the art will recognize numerous modifications to the illustrated components.

[0035] Depending on the desired functionality, network 170 may include any of a wide variety of wireless and / or wired networks. Network 170 may include, for example, any combination of public and / or private networks, local area networks (LANs) and / or wide area networks (WANs). Furthermore, network 170 may utilize one or more wired and / or wireless communication technologies. In some embodiments, network 170 may include, for example, cellular or other mobile networks, wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless wide area networks (WWANs), and / or the Internet. Examples of network 170 include Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless networks, 5G NR wireless networks, Wi-Fi WLANs, and the Internet. LTE, 5G, and NR are wireless technologies defined or being defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). As used herein, the terms “5G NR,” “5G,” and “NR” are used interchangeably to refer to these wireless technologies. Network 170 may also include more than one network and / or more than one type of network.

[0036] Base station 120 and access point (AP) 130 can be communicatively coupled to network 170. In some embodiments, base station 120 may be owned, maintained, and / or operated by a cellular network provider and may employ any of a variety of wireless technologies as described below. Depending on the technology of network 170, base station 120 may include a B-node, evolved B-node (eNodeB or eNB), base transceiver station (BTS), radio base station (RBS), NR B-node (gNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), etc. In the case where network 170 is a 5G network, base station 120, as a gNB or ng-eNB, may be part of a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN) that can connect to a 5G core network (5G CN). For example, AP 130 may include a Wi-Fi AP or An access point (AP) or an AP with cellular capabilities (e.g., 4G LTE and / or 5G NR). Thus, UE 105 can send and receive information with network-connected devices (such as location server 160) via base station 120 accessing network 170 using a first communication link 133. Additionally or alternatively, because AP 130 can also be communicatively coupled to network 170, UE 105 can communicate with network-connected and Internet-connected devices (including location server 160) using a second communication link 135 or via one or more other UEs 145.

[0037] As used herein, the term "base station" generally refers to a single physical transmission point or multiple physical transmission points located at base station 120. A transmit / receive point (TRP) (also referred to as a transmit / receive point) corresponds to this type of transmission point, and the term "TRP" is used interchangeably with the terms "gNB," "ng-eNB," and "base station." In some cases, base station 120 may include multiple TRPs—for example, where each TRP is associated with a different antenna or a different antenna array of base station 120. A physical transmission point may include the antenna array of base station 120 (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system and / or in the case of beamforming at the base station). The term "base station" may additionally refer to multiple non-co-located physical transmission points, which may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected via a transmission medium to a shared source) or a remote radio headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station).

[0038] As used herein, the term "cell" generally refers to a logical communication entity used to communicate with base station 120 and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID)) used to distinguish adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells and may be configured with different protocol types (e.g., Machine-Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or other protocols) that can provide access for different types of devices. In some cases, the term "cell" may refer to a portion (e.g., a sector) of the geographic coverage area on which a logical entity operates.

[0039] Location server 160 may include servers and / or other computing devices configured to determine the estimated location of UE 105 and / or provide data (e.g., “auxiliary data”) to UE 105 to facilitate location determination. According to some embodiments, location server 160 may include a Home Secure User Plane Positioning (SUPL) location platform (H-SLP) that supports SUPL user plane (UP) positioning solutions defined by the Open Mobility Alliance (OMA) and can support location services for UE 105 based on subscription information about UE 105 stored in location server 160. In some embodiments, location server 160 may include a Discovery SLP (D-SLP) or an Emergency SLP (E-SLP). Location server 160 may also include an Enhanced Serving Mobility Location Center (E-SMLC) that uses a control plane (CP) positioning solution to support the positioning of UE 105 for LTE radio access of UE 105. Location server 160 may further include location management function (LMF) that uses a control plane (CP) positioning solution to support the positioning of UE 105 for NR or LTE radio access of UE 105.

[0040] In the CP positioning solution, from the perspective of network 170, signaling for controlling and managing the positioning of UE 105 can use existing network interfaces and protocols and be exchanged as signaling between the various components of network 170 and with UE 105. In the UP positioning solution, from the perspective of network 170, signaling for controlling and managing the positioning of UE 105 can be exchanged as data (e.g., data transmitted using Internet Protocol (IP) and / or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)) between location server 160 and UE 105.

[0041] As previously mentioned (and discussed in more detail below), the estimated location of UE 105 can be based on measurements of RF signals transmitted from and / or received by UE 105. Specifically, these measurements can provide information about the relative distance and / or angle between UE 105 and one or more components of positioning system 100 (e.g., GNSS satellite 110, AP 130, base station 120). The estimated location of UE 105 can be estimated geometrically (e.g., using polygonal measurements and / or polygonal positioning) based on the distance and / or angle measurements along with the known locations of these one or more components.

[0042] While ground components (such as AP 130 and base station 120) may be fixed, the embodiments are not limited thereto. Mobile components may be used. For example, in some embodiments, the location of UE 105 may be estimated at least in part based on measurements of RF signals 140 transmitted between UE 105 and one or more other UEs 145 (which may be mobile or fixed). When one or more other UEs 145 are used in determining the location of a particular UE 105, the UE 105 whose location is to be determined may be referred to as the “target UE,” and each of the one or more other UEs 145 may be referred to as the “anchor UE.” For the location determination of the target UE, the respective locations of the one or more anchor UEs may be known and / or determined jointly with the target UE. Direct communication between UEs in this manner may include sidelinks and / or similar device-to-device (D2D) communication technologies. Sidelinks, as defined by 3GPP, are forms of D2D communication under cellular-based LTE and NR standards.

[0043] The estimated location of UE 105 can be used in various applications—for example, to assist the user of UE 105 in direction finding or navigation, or to assist (e.g., in the location of another user associated with external client 180) in locating UE 105. "Location" is also referred to herein as "location estimation," "estimated location," "location," "positioning," "location estimation," "location lock," "estimated location," "location lock," or "lock." The process of determining location may be referred to as "location," "location determination," "location determination," etc. The location of UE 105 may include the absolute location of UE 105 (e.g., latitude and longitude and possible altitude) or the relative location of UE 105 (e.g., expressed as a distance north or south, east or west, and possibly above or below from another known fixed location (including, for example, the location of base station 120 or AP 130) or another location (such as the location of UE 105 at a known previous time, or the location of another UE 145 at a known previous time)). Location can be specified as a geodetic location including coordinates, which can be absolute (e.g., latitude, longitude, and optionally altitude), relative (e.g., relative to a known absolute location), or local (e.g., X, Y, and optionally Z coordinates according to a coordinate system defined relative to a local area (such as a factory, warehouse, university campus, shopping mall, stadium, or conference center). Location can alternatively be a municipal location, and then may include one or more of the following: street address (e.g., including the name or label of country, state, county, city, road and / or street and / or road or street number) and / or location, building, part of a building, floor of a building and / or room within a building, etc. Location may further include indications of uncertainty or error, such as horizontal distances and possible vertical distances where errors are expected to exist in the location, or indications of the area or volume (e.g., a circle or ellipse) within which UE 105 is expected to be located at a certain confidence level (e.g., 95% confidence).

[0044] External client 180 may be a web server or remote application that can be associated with UE 105 in some way (e.g., accessible by a user of UE 105), or it may be a server, application, or computer system that provides location services to one or more other users, including obtaining and providing the location of UE 105 (e.g., to enable services such as friend or relative locator, asset tracking, or child or pet location). Additionally or alternatively, external client 180 may obtain the location of UE 105 and provide it to emergency service providers, government agencies, etc.

[0045] As previously mentioned, the example positioning system 100 can be implemented using a wireless communication network (such as an LTE-based or 5G NR-based network). Figure 2 A diagram of a 5G NR positioning system 200 is shown, illustrating an embodiment of a positioning system (e.g., positioning system 100) implementing 5G NR. The 5G NR positioning system 200 can be configured to use access nodes 210, 214, 216 (which may correspond to...) Figure 1 The 5G NR positioning system 200 uses one or more positioning methods to determine the location of the UE 105, including base station 120 and access point 130, and optionally LMF 220 (which may correspond to location server 160). Here, the 5G NR positioning system 200 includes the UE 105 and various components of the 5G NR network, including a next-generation (NG) radio access network (RAN) (NG-RAN) 235 and a 5G CN 240. The 5G network may also be referred to as an NR network; the NG-RAN 235 may be referred to as a 5G RAN or NR RAN; and the 5G CN 240 may be referred to as an NG core network. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may further utilize information from GNSS satellites 110 from GNSS systems (e.g., Global Positioning System (GPS)) or similar systems (e.g., GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)). Additional components of the 5G NR positioning system 200 are described below. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may include additional or replacement components.

[0046] It should be noted that Figure 2 This document provides only a general description of the various components, where any or all of them may be utilized appropriately, and each component may be repeated or omitted as needed. Specifically, although only one UE 105 is described, it will be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may utilize the 5G NR positioning system 200. Similarly, the 5G NR positioning system 200 may include a larger (or smaller) number of GNSS satellites 110, gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, wireless local area network (WLAN) 216, access and mobility management functions (AMF) 215, external clients 230, and / or other components. The described connections linking the various components in the 5G NR positioning system 200 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

[0047] UE 105 may include and / or be referred to as a device, mobile device, wireless device, mobile terminal, terminal, mobile station (MS), Secure User Plane Positioning Enabled (SUPL) terminal (SET), or some other name. Furthermore, UE 105 may correspond to a cellular phone, smartphone, laptop device, tablet device, personal data assistant (PDA), tracking device, navigation device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, or some other portable or mobile device. Typically, although not required, UE 105 may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) such as GSM, CDMA, W-CDMA, LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11, etc. Bluetooth and microwave access are globally interoperable (WiMAX) TM 5G NR (e.g., using NG-RAN 235 and 5G CN 240) etc.) can support wireless communication. UE 105 can also use WLAN216 (similar to one or more RATs, and as previously referenced) which can connect to other networks such as the Internet. Figure 1 (As mentioned) to support wireless communication. Using one or more of these RATs allows UE 105 (e.g., via...) Figure 2 The 5G CN 240 (not shown) may communicate with external client 230 via Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 225 and / or allow external client 230 (e.g., via GMLC 225) to receive location information about UE 105. When implemented in or coupled to a 5G NR network, Figure 2 The external client 230 can correspond to Figure 1 External client 180.

[0048] UE 105 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network in which the user may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O devices, and / or body sensors, as well as separate wired or wireless modems. An estimate of the location of UE 105 may be referred to as location, location estimate, location lock, lock, positioning, location estimation, or location lock, and may be geodetic, providing location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of UE 105, which may or may not include an elevation component (e.g., altitude; height above or depth below ground level, floor level, or basement level). Alternatively, the location of UE 105 may be expressed as a municipal location (e.g., expressed as a postal address or designation of a point or smaller area within a building (such as a specific room or floor)). The location of UE 105 may also be expressed as an area or volume within which UE 105 is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.) (geodetically or municipally defined). The location of UE 105 may further be a relative location, which includes, for example, distance and direction defined relative to an origin at a known location, or relative to X, Y (and Z) coordinates, which may be defined geodetically, municipalally, or with reference to a point, area, or volume indicated on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, the use of the term location may include any of these variations unless otherwise indicated. When calculating the location of the UE, local X, Y, and possibly Z coordinates are typically solved, and then, if necessary, the local coordinates are converted to absolute coordinates (e.g., with respect to latitude, longitude, and elevation above or below mean sea level).

[0049] Figure 2 The base station in the NG-RAN 235 shown can correspond to Figure 1 The base station 120 in the NG-RAN 235 may include NRB nodes (gNBs) 210-1 and 210-2 (collectively and generally referred to herein as gNB 210). Pairs of gNBs 210 in the NG-RAN 235 may be interconnected (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 2(The connection shown is either a direct connection or an indirect connection via another gNB 210). The communication interface between the base stations (gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214) may be referred to as the Xn interface 237. Access to the 5G network is provided to UE 105 via wireless communication between UE 105 and one or more gNBs 210, which may use 5G NR to provide wireless communication access to the 5G CN 240 on behalf of UE 105. The radio interface between the base station (gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214) and UE 105 may be referred to as the Uu interface 239. 5G NR radio access may also be referred to as NR radio access or 5G radio access. Figure 2 In this context, it is assumed that the serving gNB of UE 105 is gNB 210-1, but other gNBs (e.g., gNB 210-2) may act as serving gNBs or as secondary gNBs to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105 if UE 105 moves to another location.

[0050] Figure 2 The base stations in the NG-RAN 235 shown may additionally or alternatively include next-generation evolved B nodes (also referred to as ng-eNBs) 214. The ng-eNB 214 may connect to one or more gNBs 210 in the NG-RAN 235—for example, directly or indirectly via other gNBs 210 and / or other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNB 214 may provide LTE radio access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) radio access to the UE 105. Figure 2 Some gNBs 210 (e.g., gNB 210-2) and / or ng-eNBs 214 may be configured to act as location-only beacons, which may transmit signals (e.g., location reference signal (PRS)) and / or broadcast auxiliary data to assist in the location of UE 105, but may not receive signals from UE 105 or from other UEs. Some gNBs 210 (e.g., gNB 210-2 and / or another gNB not shown) and / or ng-eNBs 214 may be configured to act as detection-only nodes, which may scan for signals containing, for example, PRS data, auxiliary data, or other location data. Such detection-only nodes may not transmit signals or data to the UE, but may transmit signals or data (involving, for example, PRS, auxiliary data, or other location data) to other network entities (e.g., one or more components of the 5G CN 240, external client 230, or controller), which may receive and store the data or use the data to locate at least UE 105. Note that although in Figure 2The diagram shows only one ng-eNB 214, but some embodiments may include multiple ng-eNBs 214. Base stations 210 and 214 may communicate directly with each other via the Xn communication interface. Additionally or alternatively, base stations 210 and 214 may communicate directly or indirectly with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200, such as LMF 220 and AMF 215.

[0051] The 5G NR positioning system 200 may also include one or more WLANs 216 that can connect to the non-3GPP interoperability function (N3IWF) 250 in the 5G CN 240 (e.g., in the case of an untrusted WLAN 216). For example, the WLAN 216 may support IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi access for UE 105 and may include one or more Wi-Fi APs (e.g., Figure 1 (AP 130). Here, N3IWF 250 can connect to other components in 5G CN 240, such as AMF 215. In some embodiments, WLAN 216 can support another RAT, such as Bluetooth. N3IWF 250 can provide support for secure access of UE 105 to other components in 5G CN 240 and / or can support interoperability between one or more protocols used by WLAN 216 and UE 105 and one or more protocols used by other components of 5G CN 240 (such as AMF 215). For example, N3IWF 250 can support: establishing an IPSec tunnel with UE 105, terminating the IKEv2 / IPSec protocol with UE 105, terminating the N2 and N3 interfaces to 5G CN 240 for control plane and user plane respectively, and relaying uplink and downlink control plane non-access stratum (NAS) signaling across the N1 interface between UE 105 and AMF 215. In some other embodiments, WLAN 216 may be directly connected to components in the 5G CN240 (e.g., such as...). Figure 2 The AMF 215 (shown by the dashed line) does not pass through N3IWF 250. For example, a direct connection between WLAN 216 and 5GCN 240 can occur if WLAN 216 is a trusted WLAN to 5GCN 240, and a Trusted WLAN Interoperability (TWIF) function that can be used as an internal component of WLAN 216 can be employed. Figure 2 (Not shown in the image) to achieve this. Note that although in Figure 2 Only one WLAN 216 is shown, but some embodiments may include multiple WLANs 216.

[0052] The access node may include any of a variety of network entities that enable communication between UE 105 and AMF 215. This may include gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, WLAN 216, and / or other types of cellular base stations. However, the access node providing the functionality described herein may additionally or alternatively include entities that enable communication with… Figure 2 The entity communicating with any of the various RATs (which may include non-cellular technologies) not described herein. Therefore, as used in the embodiments described below, the term "access node" may include, but is not limited to, gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, or WLAN 216.

[0053] In some embodiments, an access node (such as gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, or WLAN 216) (alone or in combination with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200) may be configured to: in response to a request for location information received from LMF 220, obtain location measurements of uplink (UL) signals received from UE 105 and / or obtain DL location measurements obtained by UE 105 for downlink (DL) signals received by UE 105 from one or more access nodes. As mentioned, although Figure 2 The description depicts access nodes 210, 214, and 216 configured to communicate according to 5G NR, LTE, and Wi-Fi communication protocols, respectively. However, access nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols can be used, such as, for example, a B node using the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) protocol for Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), an eNB using the LTE protocol for Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), or using the protocol for WLAN. The protocol's Bluetooth beacon station. For example, in a 4G Evolved Packet System (EPS) providing LTE radio access to UE 105, the RAN may include an E-UTRAN, which may include base stations containing eNBs supporting LTE radio access. The core network for the EPS may include an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). Thus, the EPS may include an E-UTRAN plus an EPC, where... Figure 2 In this context, E-UTRAN corresponds to NG-RAN 235 and EPC corresponds to 5GCN 240. The methods and techniques described herein for obtaining the municipal location of UE 105 are applicable to other networks of this type.

[0054] The gNB 210 and ng-eNB 214 can communicate with the AMF 215, and for positioning functionality, the AMF 215 communicates with the LMF 220. The AMF 215 supports the mobility of UE 105, including cell changes and handovers from access nodes 210, 214, or 216 of the first RAT to access nodes 210, 214, or 216 of the second RAT. The AMF 215 can also participate in supporting signaling connections to UE 105 and may support data and voice bearers for UE 105. The LMF 220 supports the use of the CP positioning solution to locate UE 105 when it accesses NG-RAN 235 or WLAN 216, and supports various positioning procedures and methods, including UE-assisted / UE-based and / or network-based procedures / methods, such as A-GNSS, Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (which may be referred to as TDOA in NR), Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cellular ID (ECID), Angle of Arrival (AoA), Angle of Departure (AoD), WLAN positioning, Round-Trip Propagation Delay (RTT), Multi-Cell RTT, and / or other positioning procedures and methods. The LMF 220 can also process location service requests for UE 105 received, for example, from AMF 215 or GMLC 225. The LMF 220 can be connected to AMF 215 and / or GMLC 225. In some embodiments, the network (such as 5GCN 240) may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an evolved Serving Mobility Location Center (E-SMLC) or a SUPL Location Platform (SLP). It should be noted that in some embodiments, at least a portion of the location functionality (including determining the location of UE 105) may be performed at UE 105 (e.g., by measuring downlink PRS (DL-PRS) signals transmitted by radio nodes (such as gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, and / or WLAN 216) and / or using auxiliary data, for example, provided to UE 105 by LMF 220).

[0055] Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 225 can support location requests for UE 105 received from external client 230 and can forward such location requests to AMF 215 for forwarding to LMF 220. A location response from LMF 220 (e.g., containing a location estimate for UE 105) can similarly be returned to GMLC 225 directly or via AMF 215, and GMLC 225 can then return the location response (e.g., containing the location estimate) to external client 230.

[0056] Network Open Function (NEF) 245 may be included in 5GCN 240. NEF 245 can support the secure opening of capabilities and events related to 5GCN 240 and UE 105 to external client 230. These capabilities and events can therefore be referred to as Access Functions (AF) and enable the secure provisioning of information from external client 230 to 5GCN 240. NEF 245 may be connected to AMF 215 and / or GMLC 225 for the purpose of obtaining the location of UE 105 (e.g., municipal location) and providing that location to external client 230.

[0057] like Figure 2 As further explained, the LMF 220 can communicate with the gNB 210 and / or the ng-eNB 214 using NR Location Protocol Annex (NRPPa) as defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.445. NRPPa messages can be transmitted between the gNB 210 and LMF 220 and / or between the ng-eNB 214 and LMF 220 via the AMF 215. Figure 2 As further explained, LMF 220 and UE 105 can communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) as defined in 3GPP TS 37.355. Here, LPP messages can be passed between UE 105 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 and UE 105's serving gNB 210-1 or serving ng-eNB 214. For example, LPP messages can be passed between LMF 220 and AMF 215 using messages for service-based operations (e.g., based on Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)), and can be passed between AMF 215 and UE 105 using the 5G NAS protocol. The LPP protocol can be used to support positioning of UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based positioning methods (such as A-GNSS, RTK, TDOA, multi-cell RTT, AoD, and / or ECID). The NRPPa protocol can be used to support the location of UE 105 using network-based location methods such as ECID, AoA, and uplink TDOA (UL-TDOA) and / or can be used by LMF220 to obtain location-related information from gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214, such as defining parameters of DL-PRS transmissions from gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214.

[0058] In the case where UE 105 accesses WLAN 216, LMF 220 can use NRPPa and / or LPP to obtain the location of UE 105 in a manner similar to that described just for UE 105 accessing gNB 210 or ng-eNB 214. Thus, NRPPa messages can be transmitted between WLAN 216 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 and N3IWF 250 to support network-based location of UE 105 and / or to transmit other location information from WLAN 216 to LMF 220. Alternatively, NRPPa messages can be transmitted between N3IWF 250 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 to support network-based location of UE 105 based on location-related information and / or location measurements known or accessible to N3IWF 250 and transmitted from N3IWF 250 to LMF 220 using NRPPa. Similarly, LPP and / or LPP messages can be transmitted between UE105 and LMF 220 via AMF 215, N3IWF 250, and UE 105’s serving WLAN 216 to support UE-assisted or UE-based positioning of UE 105 by LMF 220.

[0059] In the 5G NR positioning system 200, the positioning method can be classified as "UE-assisted" or "UE-based." This depends on where the request to determine the location of UE 105 originates. For example, if the request originates from the UE (e.g., from an application or "app" executed by the UE), the positioning method can be classified as UE-based. On the other hand, if the request originates from an external client or other devices or services within the AF 230, LMF 220, or 5G network, the positioning method can be classified as UE-assisted (or "network-based").

[0060] Using a UE-assisted positioning method, UE 105 can obtain location measurements and send these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 220) for calculating a location estimate for UE 105. For RAT-dependent positioning methods, location measurements may include one or more of the following for one or more access points: Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Round-Trip Time (RTT), Reference Received Power (RSRP), Reference Received Quality (RSRQ), Reference Time Difference (RSTD), Time of Arrival (TOA), AoA, Receive Time-Transmit Time Difference (Rx-Tx), Differential AoA (DAoA), AoD, or Timing Advance (TA). Additionally or alternatively, similar measurements may be performed on sidelink signals transmitted by other UEs, whose locations are known, and these other UEs may be used as anchor points for locating UE 105. Location measurements may additionally or alternatively include measurements for RAT-independent positioning methods, such as GNSS (e.g., GNSS pseudorange, GNSS code phase, and / or GNSS carrier phase with respect to GNSS satellite 110), WLAN, etc.

[0061] Using a UE-based positioning method, UE 105 can obtain a location measurement (e.g., which may be the same as or similar to the location measurement of a UE-assisted positioning method), and can further calculate the location of UE 105 (e.g., with the aid of auxiliary data received from a location server (such as LMF 220, SLP) or broadcast by gNB 210, ng-eNB 214 or WLAN 216).

[0062] Using a network-based positioning method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214), one or more APs (e.g., APs in WLAN 216), or N3IWF 250 can obtain location measurements of signals transmitted by UE 105 (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, or TOA), and / or can receive measurements obtained by UE 105 or, in the case of N3IWF 250, by APs in WLAN 216, and can send these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 220) for calculating a location estimate for UE 105.

[0063] The positioning of UE 105 can also be classified as UL-based, DL-based, or DL-UL-based depending on the type of signal used for positioning. For example, if positioning is based solely on signals received by UE 105 (e.g., from a base station or other UE), the positioning can be classified as DL-based. On the other hand, if positioning is based solely on signals transmitted by UE 105 (which may be received by, for example, a base station or other UE), the positioning can be classified as UL-based. DL-UL-based positioning includes positioning based on signals transmitted and received by UE 105, such as RTT-based positioning. Side-link (SL)-assisted positioning includes signals communicated between UE 105 and one or more other UEs. According to some embodiments, the UL, DL, or DL-UL positioning described herein can enable SL signaling to be used as a supplement to or replacement of SL, DL, or DL-UL signaling.

[0064] Depending on the positioning type (e.g., UL-based, DL-based, or DL-UL-based), the type of reference signal used may differ. For example, for DL-based positioning, these signals may include PRS (e.g., DL-PRS transmitted by the base station or SL-PRS transmitted by other UEs), which can be used for TDOA, AoD, and RTT measurements. Other reference signals that can be used for positioning (UL, DL, or DL-UL) may include: probe reference signal (SRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), synchronization signals (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB) synchronization signal (SS)), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), etc. Furthermore, reference signals may be transmitted in Tx beams and / or received in Rx beams (e.g., using beamforming techniques), which can affect angle measurements such as AoD and / or AoA.

[0065] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure for NR and related terminology, which can serve as the basis for physical layer communication between UE105 and the base station / TRP. The transmission timeline for each of the downlink and uplink can be divided into units of radio frames. Each radio frame may have a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 ms) and may be divided into 10 subframes with indices 0 to 9, each subframe being 1 ms long. Each subframe may include a variable number of time slots, depending on the subcarrier spacing. Each time slot may include a variable number of symbol periods (e.g., 7 or 14 symbols), depending on the subcarrier spacing. An index may be assigned to the symbol periods in each time slot. Mini-time slots may include sub-time slot structures (e.g., 2, 3, or 4 symbols). Additionally, in Figure 3The diagram shows the complete orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) of a subframe, illustrating how a subframe can be divided into multiple resource blocks (RBs) across both time and frequency. A single RB can comprise a grid of resource elements (REs) spanning 14 symbols and 12 subcarriers.

[0066] Each symbol in a time slot can indicate link direction (e.g., downlink (DL), uplink (UL), or flexible) or data transmission, and the link direction used for each subframe can be dynamically switched. Link direction can be based on the time slot format. Each time slot can include DL / UL data and DL / UL control information. In NR, synchronization signal (SS) blocks are transmitted. SS blocks include the primary SS (PSS), secondary SS (SSS), and a two-symbol physical broadcast channel (PBCH). SS blocks can be located at fixed time slot positions (e.g., Figure 3 The symbols 0-3 shown are transmitted. The PSS and SSS can be used by the UE for cell search and acquisition. The PSS provides half-frame timing, and the SS provides cyclic prefix (CP) length and frame timing. The PSS and SSS provide cell identity. The PBCH carries some basic system information, such as downlink system bandwidth, timing information within radio frames, SS burst set periodicity, system frame number, etc.

[0067] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a radio frame sequence 400 with a PRS positioning timing. A “PRS instance” or “PRS timing” is an instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a group of time slots with one or more consecutive time slots) in which PRS resources (explained in more detail below) are expected to be transmitted. A PRS timing may also be referred to as a “PRS positioning timing,” “PRS positioning instance,” “positioning timing,” “positioning instance,” or simply “timing” or “instance.” Subframe sequence 400 can be used for PRS signals (DL-PRS signals) broadcast from base station 120 in positioning system 100. Radio frame sequence 400 can be used in 5G NR (e.g., 5G NR positioning system 200) and / or LTE. Similar to… Figure 3 ,exist Figure 4 Time is represented horizontally (e.g., on the X-axis) and increases from left to right. Frequency is represented vertically (e.g., on the Y-axis) and increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0068] Figure 4 This illustrates how to use the system frame number (SFN) and the subframe offset (Δ) that varies depending on the cell. PRS 415. The length or span of the LPRS subframe, and the periodicity of the PRS (T PRSPRS positioning timings 410-1, 410-2, and 410-3 (collectively referred to here as positioning timing 410) are determined by 420. The cell-specific PRS subframe configuration can be determined by the "PRS configuration index" included in the auxiliary data (e.g., TDOA auxiliary data). PRS This auxiliary data can be defined by the 3GPP control standards. Subframe offset (Δ) varies depending on the cell. PRS )415 can be defined according to the number of subframes transmitted (from system frame number (SFN) 0 to the start of the first (subsequent) PRS positioning time).

[0069] PRS can be transmitted by a radio node (e.g., base station 120 or other UE) after appropriate configuration (e.g., by an operation and maintenance (O&M) server). PRS can be transmitted in specific positioning subframes or time slots grouped into positioning timing 410. For example, PRS positioning timing 410-1 may include N PRS N consecutive positioning subframes, of which the number is N PRS The value can be between 1 and 160 (e.g., values ​​1, 2, 4, and 6, as well as other values). PRS timing 410 can be grouped into one or more PRS timing groups. As mentioned, PRS timing 410 can be expressed using a digital T... PRS The intervals (milliseconds or subframe intervals) are represented and appear periodically, where T PRS It can be equal to 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, or 1280 (or any other suitable value). In some embodiments, T PRS It can be measured in terms of the number of subframes between the start of each consecutive positioning timing.

[0070] In some embodiments, when UE 105 receives PRS configuration index I in auxiliary data for a specific cell (e.g., base station) PRS At that time, UE 105 can use the stored index data to determine the PRS periodicity T. RPS 420 and subframe offset (Δ) that varies depending on the cell PRS 415. UE 105 can subsequently determine the radio frame, subframe, and time slot when the PRS is scheduled within the cell. Auxiliary data can be provided by, for example, a location server (e.g., Figure 1 Location server 160 and / or Figure 2 The LMF 220 in the reference cell is used to determine the reference cell and includes auxiliary data for several neighboring cells supported by each radio node.

[0071] Typically, PRS timings from all cells using the same frequency in the network are time-aligned and may have a fixed, known time offset relative to other cells using different frequencies in the network (e.g., subframe offsets (Δ) that vary from cell to cell). PRS (415). In an SFN synchronous network, all radio nodes (e.g., base station 120) can be aligned on both frame boundaries and system frame numbers. Therefore, in an SFN synchronous network, all cells supported by each radio node can use the same PRS configuration index for any specific frequency of PRS transmission. On the other hand, in an SFN asynchronous network, each radio node can be aligned on frame boundaries but not on system frame numbers. Thus, in an SFN asynchronous network, the PRS configuration index for each cell can be configured individually by the network to ensure that PRS timings are aligned in time. If UE 105 can obtain the cell timing (e.g., SFN or frame number) of at least one cell (e.g., a reference cell or serving cell), UE 105 can determine the timing of the PRS positioning timing 410 for the reference cell and neighboring cells used for TDOA positioning. The timing of other cells can then be derived by UE 105, for example, based on assumptions about the overlap of PRS opportunities from different cells.

[0072] Reference Figure 3 The framework structure for transmitting PRS (Physical Relays) is defined as the set of REs used to transmit PRS. This set of resource elements can span multiple RBs in the frequency domain and one or more coherent symbols within a time slot in the time domain, transmitting pseudo-random quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) sequences from the antenna ports of the TRP (Transmitter Relay). In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, the PRS resource occupies a coherent RB in the frequency domain. The transmission of the PRS resource within a specific RB has a specific combination, or "comb" size. (The comb size can also be called "comb density"). The comb size "N" represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / frequency modulation spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration, where the configuration uses every Nth subcarrier of a specific symbol of the RB. For example, for comb-4, for each of the four symbols of the PRS resource configuration, the RE corresponding to every fourth subcarrier (e.g., subcarriers 0, 4, 8) is used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. For example, the tooth sizes of comb-2, comb-4, comb-6, and comb-12 can be used in PRS. Figure 5 Examples of different comb tooth sizes using different numbers of symbols are provided.

[0073] A “PRS resource set” comprises a group of PRS resources used for the transmission of 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 cell ID). “PRS resource repetition” refers to the repetition of PRS resources during a PRS event / instance. The number of repetitions of a PRS resource can be defined by the “repetition factor” of the PRS resource. Additionally, PRS resources in a PRS resource set may have the same periodicity, share a silent mode configuration, and have the same repetition factor across time slots. The periodicity may have a length selected from the following: 2 m • {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 repetition factor can have a length selected from {1,2,4,6,8,16,32} time slots.

[0074] A PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set can be associated with a single beam (and / or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (where a TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and thus, a "PRS resource" (or simply "resource") can also be referred to as a "beam". Note that this does not imply whether the UE is aware of the TRP and beam transmitting the PRS.

[0075] exist Figure 2 In the described 5G NR positioning system 200, TRPs (e.g., 210, 214, 216) can transmit frames or other physical layer signaling sequences supporting PRS signals (i.e., DL PRS) according to the frame configuration as described above. The PRS signals can be measured and used for location determination of UE 105. As mentioned, other types of wireless network nodes (including other UEs) can also be configured to transmit PRS signals configured in a similar (or identical) manner as described above. Because the transmission of PRS by a wireless network node can be directed to all UEs within radio range, the wireless network node can be considered to transmit (or broadcast) PRS.

[0076] Figure 6This diagram illustrates the hierarchy of PRS resources and PRS resource sets that different TRPs can use for a given Positioning Frequency Layer (PFL) as defined in 5G NR. Regarding the network (Uu) interface, UE 105 can be configured with one or more DL-PRS resource sets from each of one or more TRPs. Each DL PRS resource set comprises K ≥ 1 DL-PRS resources, each corresponding to a Tx beam of the TRP, as mentioned earlier. A DL-PRS PFL is defined as a set of DL-PRS resource sets that have the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) type, the same DL-PRS bandwidth value, the same center frequency, and the same comb size value. In the current iteration of the NR standard, UE 105 can be configured with up to four DL-PRS PFLs.

[0077] The NR has multiple frequency bands spanning different frequency ranges (e.g., frequency range 1 (FR1) and frequency range 2 (FR2)). PFLs can be on the same or different frequency bands. In some embodiments, they can even be on different frequency ranges. Additionally, as... Figure 6 As explained above, multiple TRPs (e.g., TRP1 and TR2) can be on the same PFL. Currently under NR, each TRP can have, for example, up to two PRS resource sets, and each PRS resource set has one or more PRS resources, as described above.

[0078] Different PRS resource sets can have different periodicity. For example, one PRS resource set can be used for tracking, while another can be used for acquisition. Additionally or alternatively, one PRS resource set may have more beams, while another may have fewer beams. Therefore, different resource sets can be used by a wireless network for different purposes. Figure 7 The example repeat and beam sweep options for the resource set are explained in the text.

[0079] Figure 7This is a timing diagram illustrating two different options for the use of time slots in a resource set according to one embodiment. Because each example repeats each resource four times, the resource set is considered to have a repetition factor of four. Continuous sweep 710 involves repeating a single resource (resource 1, resource 2, etc.) four times before moving to the next resource. In this example, if each resource corresponds to a different beam of the TRP, the TRP repeats the beam in four consecutive time slots before moving to the next beam. Because each resource is repeated in consecutive time slots (e.g., resource 1 is repeated in time slots n, n+1, n+2, etc.), the time slot is considered one time slot. On the other hand, for interleaved sweep 720, the TRP can move from one beam to the next in each subsequent time slot, with four rotations through four beams. Because each resource is repeated in every four time slots (e.g., resource 1 is repeated in time slots n, n+4, n+8, etc.), the time slot is considered one time slot. Of course, the embodiments are not limited to this. The resource set may include different numbers of resources and / or repetitions. Furthermore, as mentioned above, each TRP can have multiple resource sets, multiple TRPs can utilize a single PFL, and the UE can measure PRS resources transmitted via multiple PFLs.

[0080] Therefore, in order to obtain PRS measurements from PRS signals transmitted by the TRP and / or UE in the network, the UE can be configured to observe PRS resources during a time period known as the measurement period. That is, in order to use the PRS signals to determine the UE's location, the UE and the location server (e.g., Figure 2 The LMF 220 can initiate a location session, in which the UE is given a period of time to observe PRS resources and report the obtained PRS measurements to the location server. As described in more detail below, this measurement period can be determined based on the UE's capabilities.

[0081] To measure and process PRS resources during a measurement period, the UE can be configured to perform a measurement gap (MG) mode. For example, the UE can request a measurement gap from the serving TRP, and the TRP can then provide the UE with configuration (e.g., via the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol). For discussion purposes, Figure 8 The document provides a general diagram of the MG mode.

[0082] As mentioned, the UE can be configured to perform MG mode to measure and process PRS resources outside the active DL bandwidth portion (BWP) of the PRS resource set, via which the UE sends and receives data with the serving TRP. To allow the network to configure the UE in a manner that adapts to the UE's processing and buffering capabilities (potentially dynamically), the UE can provide the network (e.g., the TRP or location server) with capabilities related to PRS processing. Given these capabilities, various parameters of the MG mode can be configured.

[0083] like Figure 8 As shown, the various parameters of the MG mode include MG offset (MGO), MG length (MGL), and MG repetition period (MGRP). MGL is the time period during which the UE can tune from an active BWP (e.g., DL BWP) to a frequency band with one or more PFLs (where PRS resources are transmitted). Therefore, MGL (which could be, for example, 6ms) is the periodic opportunity for the UE to receive PRS resources for PRS measurement.

[0084] The UE's capabilities can include a combination of N and T values ​​for each frequency band. Here, N is the duration of processing PRS symbols in milliseconds every T milliseconds for a given maximum bandwidth (B) supported by the UE in MHz. For example, if T = 8 and N = 4, this means the UE can process 4 ms of PRS symbols every 8 ms. The value of N can be {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 {8, 16, 20, 30, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280} ms. And the value of B reported by the UE can be {5, 10, 20, 40, 50, 80, 100, 200, 400} MHz. The UE's capacity N' (reported per SCS per band) to process the number of PRS resources in a time slot can be {1, 2, 4, 8, 12, 16, 32, 64}.

[0085] These capabilities can be considered when determining the UE's measurement period, where the measurement period is the total time allocated to the UE for reporting PRS measurements. The basic scaling factor for the measurement period should depend on the UE capabilities N and N'. Wherein (as mentioned earlier) L PRS L represents the span of PRS timing 410, which consists of all PRS resources. It is defined as the time from the first slot of the earliest PRS resource to the last slot of the last PRS resource. PRS It can be different from (for example, shorter than) the length of the gap (MGL) itself. Given this understanding, if L PRS If the number of PRS resources is ≤N, then the UE may only need T ms to process the PRS resources. Otherwise, the measurement period can be scaled across multiple time slots to allow the UE to measure PRS resources cyclically. Similarly, if the number of PRS resources in a time slot is... If the value is equal to or less than N', the UE may only need T ms to process the PRS resources. Otherwise, the measurement period can be scaled similarly to the N case. This scaling factor for the measurement period can therefore be expressed as:

[0086]

[0087] Given a measurement period scaling factor (1), the measurement period T of the i-th PFL RSTD,i It can be calculated as follows:

[0088]

[0089] Where N Rx，beam N is the UE Rx beam sweep factor (i.e., the number of beams sampled before measurement is obtained). sample It is the basic number of PRS opportunities required to meet accuracy requirements. CSSF is a carrier-specific scaling factor for measurements used for gap sharing with other Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements (e.g., 50% utilization of the MG used for PRS measurements would result in a CSSF value of 2). This term... The time-division multiplexing signal is explained based on UE capability limitations, and T is provided as an additional buffer. Since the UE traditionally processes different PFLs sequentially, the total measurement period for the UE to obtain PRS measurements across multiple PFLs will be the sum of Equation (2) for all PFLs:

[0090] T RSTD,total =∑ i T RSTD，i (3)

[0091] Figure 9 It provides a timeline plot that visualizes equation (3). Compared to other parts of this paper... Figure 1 Thus, the passage of time is interpreted from left to right. Here, the functionality of the UE is interpreted as tuning the RF circuitry (e.g., transceiver) from the active BWP to one or more different frequency bands during a series of MGs to measure different PFLs. The timeline begins in the upper left, where the UE tunes from the active BWP to a separate frequency band during an MG to receive PRS resources in the first PFL (PFL1). According to equation (2), this may need to be repeated across multiple MGs to meet the accuracy requirements of the measurement in the first PFL. As shown in the ellipse, Figure 9 The timeline at the top of the explanation continues below, where the UE then tunes to the second PFL (PFL2) during the measurement interval. Therefore, the total measurement time for all frequency layers is the sum of the measurement times for each frequency layer.

[0092] According to the embodiments described herein, the UE can utilize its current UE capabilities to tune to multiple PFLs during MG, resulting in a more efficient total measurement cycle. This can be achieved using time-division multiplexing (TDMed) and / or frequency-division multiplexing (FDMed) configurations, such as... Figure 10 and 11 The explanation.

[0093] Figure 10 It is similar to Figure 9The timeline diagram illustrates the TDMed configuration 1000 used for frequency layer processing. Here, the UE tunes to a different frequency band from the active BWP during the measurement gap to receive the PRS resources of the first PFL (PFL1). However, before the end of the measurement gap, the UE further receives the PRS resources of the second PFL (PFL2) before retuning to the active BWP. Figure 10 As indicated by the arrows between PFL1 and PFL2, the UE can tune from the first frequency band to the second frequency band to receive PRS resources from both the first and second PFLs. However, this may not always be the case. In some instances, the first and second PFLs may be in the same frequency band. In such cases, retuning during MG may not be necessary.

[0094] Figure 11 It is another timeline diagram, similar to Figure 10 However, it has an alternative configuration. FDMed configuration 1110 explains that the UE can simultaneously process the PRS resource configuration of both the first and second PFLs. In this case, the two PFLs may be in the same frequency band and may partially or completely overlap, thus using some or all of the same symbols.

[0095] Hybrid configuration 1120 represents a combination of FDMed configuration 1110 and TDMed configuration 1000. That is, the UE can perform measurements on each group of PFLs: a first set of measurements on the first group of PFLs (PFL1 and PFL2), and a second set of measurements on the second group of PFLs (PFL3 and PFL4). The measurements within each group are similar to FDMed configuration 1110, and the combination of the two groups is similar to TDMed configuration 1000. Thus, the UE can retune the RF circuitry between the first and second groups of PFLs from the first frequency band to the second frequency band.

[0096] To handle multiple PFLs within a single MG series, the UE may possess certain capabilities. For example, regarding RF functionality, the UE may have antennas and RF front-ends capable of receiving PRS signals in multiple frequency layers (e.g., 2.5 GHz and 3.5 GHz). Regarding baseband capabilities, the UE may be able to handle different PRS signals simultaneously. The UE can communicate these capabilities (e.g., the ability to handle X PFLs simultaneously) to network nodes (e.g., TRPs or location servers).

[0097] The UE's ability to process PRS resources across multiple PFLs simultaneously can alter the calculation of the total measurement period in equation (3). That is, the total measurement period is not the sum of the measurement periods of all PFLs, but rather becomes the maximum measurement period of each PFL:

[0098] T RSTD,total =max i (TRSTD，i (4)

[0099] In some instances, the embodiments can still process multiple PFLs sequentially, such as Figure 12 As explained, during a series of MG (Main Memory) cycles, the UE can first receive PRS resources in the first set of PFLs (PFL1 and PFL2), and then in the second set of PFLs (PFL3 and PFL4). Although Figure 12 The reception of the two groups shown is based on FDMed configuration 1110, but the embodiment is not limited to this. Alternatively, one or both groups can be received according to TDMed configuration 1000 and / or a hybrid configuration 1120. In this example, the total measurement period can be determined as the sum of the maximum measurement periods of each PFL group:

[0100]

[0101] S1 and S2 are group 1 and group 2, respectively. It can be seen that equation (5) can be extended to the case of using additional sets. It can be further noted that equation (5) is backward compatible. That is, if each group includes only one PFL, then equation (5) actually becomes equation (3).

[0102] As noted, in order to properly consider the UE's ability to simultaneously process PRS resources in multiple frequency layers when determining the measurement period in the UE's MG configuration, the UE may provide information indicating its capabilities to network nodes (e.g., location servers or TRPs). According to some embodiments, this may include reporting PFL combinations that can be processed simultaneously (e.g., the UE is capable of processing PFL1 and PFL2 simultaneously, and PFL3 and PFL4 simultaneously). It may also imply that other combinations cannot be processed simultaneously. According to some embodiments, this may include reporting all PFL combinations, and whether the UE is capable of processing each combination simultaneously (e.g., the UE is capable of processing PFL1 and PFL2 simultaneously, and cannot process PFL1 and PFL4 simultaneously, etc.). The UE may further report whether it can process PFLs and / or groups of PFLs according to TDMed configuration 1000, FDMed configuration 1110, and / or hybrid configuration 1120. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may indicate whether it is capable of simultaneously processing all PFLs in a specific frequency band or frequency range (FR).

[0103] The capabilities of a UE can be dynamic and therefore can change from one location session to the next. That is, in some instances, a UE may be able to provide additional resources (e.g., RF resources and / or processing resources) for high-priority / urgent location. In such cases, the UE can report to network entities that it has more capabilities than in lower-priority scenarios.

[0104] According to some embodiments, MG ( Figure 8 The length of the MGL (Measuring Gauge) shown is adapted to accommodate the UE's capabilities. That is, the UE can be configured with a longer measurement gap to allow for additional simultaneous processing. On the other hand, a UE with less simultaneous processing capability can be configured with a relatively short MG (Measuring Gauge).

[0105] It can be noted that although the embodiments have described the simultaneous processing of PRS resources of TRPs on different PFLs, the embodiments are not limited to the network interface (Uu). That is, as an addition to or replacement of the DL PRS resources of the TRP, the embodiments can utilize side-link (SL) PRS resources from other UEs in a similar manner. For example, the UE may be able to process DL PRS resources and SL PRS resources simultaneously in the manner previously described. That is, in some embodiments, DL PRS resources and SL PRS resources can be processed separately in a dedicated block. Therefore, the measurement period of the PFL in Uu is not affected by whether the positioning PFL in SL is configured. The reporting may be completely independent.

[0106] Figure 13 This is a flowchart 1300 of a method for measuring PRS using multiple PFLs according to an embodiment. (For measuring...) Figure 13 The functionalities described in the boxes shown can be measured by the hardware and / or software components of the UE. Figure 14 The example components of the UE have been explained, and will be described in more detail below.

[0107] In block 1310, functionality includes receiving configuration from a network entity for measuring the PRS measurement. As previously mentioned, the MG gap configuration may be provided from the serving TRP via the RRC protocol. That is, according to some embodiments, other types of configuration may be made and provided to the UE by different network entities, such as location servers. Furthermore, the configuration is not necessarily an MG configuration. Here, configuration may refer more broadly to the configuration for the UE to perform measurements. As detailed below, this does not necessarily mean that the measurement is performed in the MG. As used herein, the term "measurement window" may include an MG (e.g., as defined by the relevant 3GPP standard) or a similar time period during which the UE may de-activate the active BWP to perform positioning measurements before retuning back to the active BWP. Means for performing functionality in block 1310 may include wireless communication interface 1430, bus 1405, digital signal processor (DSP) 1420, processor 1410, memory 1460, and / or other components of the UE 105, as explained in 14.

[0108] In block 1320, this functionality includes determining a measurement period. As described above, the determination of the measurement period can be performed separately by the network and the UE using common rules for calculating the measurement period, which can be included in the communication standard. That is, according to some embodiments, the calculation of the measurement period can be performed by one entity and sent to another entity. Therefore, according to some embodiments, the UE can determine the measurement period by receiving the calculation of the measurement period performed by a location server (e.g., LMF). The means for performing the functionality in block 1320 may include a wireless communication interface 1430, a bus 1405, a DSP 1420, a processor 1410, a memory 1460, and / or other components of the UE 105, as explained in 14.

[0109] In block 1330, functionality includes tuning the UE's RF circuitry from the active BWP to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the plurality of PFLs. Further, in block 1340, functionality includes receiving a plurality of PRS resources from one or more network nodes of the at least two PFLs. Additionally, in block 340, functionality includes retuning the UE's RF circuitry to the active BWP after receiving the plurality of PRS resources. As noted in the above embodiments, the operations in blocks 1330, 1340, and 1345 can be performed during each of a series of measurement windows (e.g., MG) in a measurement period used for PRS measurement (e.g., in...). Figure 12 (As shown in the diagram). It is further noted that receiving PRS resources in different PFLs can be performed according to TDMed and / or FDMed configurations. For embodiments utilizing TDMed configurations (e.g., as shown in the diagram), Figure 10 As shown), receiving multiple PRS resources of at least two PFLs may include receiving a first PRS resource of a first PFL during a first set of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in a measurement window, and receiving a second PRS resource of a second PFL during a second set of OFDM symbols in a measurement window. In some embodiments, the UE may retune its RF circuitry between the first and second sets of symbols. Thus, in such embodiments, the first PFL may be on a first frequency band, while after receiving the first PRS resource and before retuning the UE's RF circuitry to the active BWP, the UE's RF circuitry is tuned to a second frequency band, wherein the second PRS resource is received via the second frequency band. For embodiments utilizing FDMed configurations (e.g., as shown), Figure 11 and 12 As shown), receiving the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs may include receiving the first PRS resource of the first PFL and the second PRS resource of the second PFL during the same OFDM symbol set in a single measurement window.

[0110] Depending on the required functionality, the type and / or number of one or more network nodes may vary. As noted in the embodiments above, a network node may include a TRP and / or a UE. Thus, in some embodiments, the one or more network nodes include at least one TRP, and the plurality of PRS resources include at least one DL PRS resource. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more network nodes include at least one additional UE, and the plurality of PRS resources include at least one sidelink (SL) PRS resource.

[0111] The means for performing functions at blocks 1330, 1340 and 1345 may include a wireless communication interface 1430, a bus 1405, a DSP 1420, a processor 1410, a memory 1460 and / or other components of the UE 105, as explained in 14.

[0112] In block 1350, functionality includes determining PRS measurements based at least in part on the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs and the determined measurement period. As previously indicated, these measurements (which may indicate the time of receiving the PRS signal) can be used, for example, for OTDOA-based, RTT-based, and / or AOD-based positioning methods. Furthermore, they may be provided by the UE to a location server during a positioning session between two entities. Means for performing the functionality in block 1340 may include a wireless communication interface 1430, a bus 1405, a DSP 1420, a processor 1410, a memory 1460, and / or other components of the UE 105, as explained in 14.

[0113] According to some embodiments, the UE may additionally perform operations in relation to a positioning session with a location server. For example, according to some embodiments, the UE may further provide the location server with its capabilities related to performing PRS measurements before receiving configuration. Providing the UE's capabilities includes providing indications of: the UE's ability to receive multiple PRS resources from multiple PFLs during a single measurement window; the number of PFLs from which the UE can receive PRS resources during a single measurement window; PFLs that the UE can receive during a shared OFDM symbol set; PFLs that the UE cannot receive during the shared OFDM symbol set; or one or more frequency bands of PRS resources that the UE is capable of receiving, or any combination thereof. According to some embodiments, after providing this capability to the UE, the UE may receive an indication of the measurement period from the location server.

[0114] As detailed in the previously described embodiments, the determination of the measurement period (e.g., made by the UE and / or location server) can be performed in various ways using various considerations. According to some embodiments, this determination can be based on the capabilities of the UE. Furthermore, as indicated by equation (4), the measurement period can be based on the maximum total measurement period of at least two PFLs. Furthermore, as indicated by equation (5), the total measurement period can be based on the sum of the maximum measurement periods of one or more groups of PFLs. Thus, according to some embodiments of method 1300, the at least two PFLs include at least two PFLs of a first group, the method further comprising: determining the total measurement period based on the sum of the first maximum measurement period and the second maximum measurement period of at least two PFLs of a second group, the at least two PFLs of the first group possibly being the same as or different from the at least two PFLs of the second group. The measurement period can be determined based on the assumption that the UE can simultaneously process PFLs in the same frequency band, and / or based on the assumption that the UE can simultaneously process PFLs in the same frequency range (FR). According to some embodiments, the measurement period can be further determined based on one or more network nodes, including transmit / receive points (TRPs) and additional UEs. Optionally, the measurement period may be determined as (A) the maximum time the UE spends processing one or more PRS resources from the TRP, (B) the maximum time the UE spends processing one or more PRS resources from the additional UE, or the sum of (A) and (B). Furthermore, according to some embodiments, the measurement period may be determined based on the assumption that the UE has dedicated resources for processing one or more PRS resources from the TRP and for processing one or more PRS resources from the additional UE, such that the following are achieved: the time the UE spends processing one or more PRS resources from the additional UE is not affected by the UE's processing of one or more PRS resources from the TRP; and the time the UE spends processing the one or more PRS resources from the TRP is not affected by the UE's processing of the one or more PRS resources from the TRP.

[0115] Figure 14 An embodiment of UE 105 has been explained, which can be implemented as described above (e.g., in conjunction with...). Figure 1-13 The described location is utilized. For example, UE 105 can perform... Figure 13 The method shown herein has one or more functions. It should be noted that... Figure 14 This is intended only to provide a general explanation of the various components, which may be appropriately utilized by any or all of them. Note that in some instances, [the components are...]. Figure 14 The components described can be localized to a single physical device and / or distributed among various networked devices that can be located in different physical locations. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, the functionality of the UE discussed in the previously described embodiments can be provided by… Figure 14To perform the operation, one or more of the hardware and / or software components shown are used.

[0116] UE 105 is shown as including hardware elements electrically coupled (or otherwise communicable) via bus 1405. The hardware elements may include processors 1410, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., application processors), one or more special-purpose processors (such as digital signal processor (DSP) chips, graphics accelerator processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), and / or other processing structures or means. Processor 1410 may include one or more processing units, which may be housed in a single integrated circuit (IC) or multiple ICs. Figure 14 As shown, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1420 depending on the desired functionality. Wireless communication-based location determination and / or other determinations may be provided in the processor 1410 and / or the wireless communication interface 1430 (discussed below). The UE 105 may also include one or more input devices 1470 and one or more output devices 1415, the input devices 1470 including, but not limited to, one or more keyboards, touchscreens, touchpads, microphones, buttons, dial pads, switches, etc.; the output devices 1415 including, but not limited to, one or more displays (e.g., touchscreens), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, etc.

[0117] UE 105 may also include a wireless communication interface 1430, which may include, but is not limited to, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset (such as...). Devices, such as IEEE 802.11 devices, IEEE 802.15.4 devices, Wi-Fi devices, WiMAX devices, WAN devices, and / or various cellular devices, etc., can enable the UE 105 to communicate with other devices as described in the above embodiments. Therefore, the wireless communication interface 1430 may include an RF circuitry system capable of being tuned between an active BWP and one or more additional frequency bands having one or more FLs used for PRS signals, as described herein. The wireless communication interface 1430 may permit the transmission of data and signaling with a network TRP (e.g., via an eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, access point, various base stations, and / or other access node types, and / or other network components), computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices communicatively coupled to a TRP as described herein. Communication may be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 1432 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 1434. According to some embodiments, the wireless communication antennas 1432 may include a plurality of discrete antennas, antenna arrays, or any combination thereof. Antenna 1432 may be able to transmit and receive wireless signals using beams (e.g., Tx beams and Rx beams). Beamforming may be performed using digital and / or analog beamforming techniques with appropriate digital and / or analog circuitry. Wireless communication interface 1430 may include such circuitry.

[0118] Depending on the desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 1430 may include separate receivers and transmitters, or any combination of transceivers, transmitters, and / or receivers, to communicate with base stations (e.g., ng-eNBs and gNBs) and other terrestrial transceivers (such as wireless devices and access points). This may include, for example, transceiver 1436, which may further include RF circuitry capable of tuning to the different frequency bands described herein. UE 105 may communicate with various data networks, which may include a variety of network types. For example, a wireless wide area network (WWAN) may be a CDMA network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, and so on. A CDMA network may implement one or more RATs, such as WCDMA, etc. This includes IS-95, IS-2000, and / or IS-856 standards. TDMA networks can implement GSM, Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (D-AMPS), or some other RAT. OFDMA networks can employ LTE, Advanced LTE, 5G NR, etc. 5G NR, LTE, Advanced LTE, GSM, and WCDMA are described in documents from 3GPP. This is described in documents from an organization called "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. A Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) can also be an IEEE 802.11x network, while a Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) can be a Bluetooth network, IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. The technologies described herein can also be used in any combination of WWAN, WLAN, and / or WPAN.

[0119] UE 105 may further include sensors 1440. Sensors 1440 may include, but are not limited to, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, magnetometers, altimeters, microphones, proximity sensors, light sensors, barometers, etc.), some of which may be used to obtain measurements and / or other information related to positioning.

[0120] Embodiments of UE 105 may also include a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver 1480, which is capable of receiving signals 1484 from one or more GNSS satellites using an antenna 1482 (which may be the same as antenna 1432). Positioning based on GNSS signal measurements may be used to supplement and / or incorporate the techniques described herein. The GNSS receiver 1480 may use conventional techniques to extract the positioning of UE 105 from GNSS satellites 110 of GNSS systems such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, IRNSS over India, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) over China, etc. In addition, the GNSS receiver 1480 can be used with various augmentation systems (e.g., satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS)) that can be associated with or otherwise enabled to be used with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems, such as, for example, the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Coverage Service (EGNOS), the Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), and the Geographic Augmentation Navigation System (GAGAN).

[0121] It can be noted that, although in Figure 14The GNSS receiver 1480 is described herein as a distinct component, but embodiments are not limited thereto. As used herein, the term "GNSS receiver" can include hardware and / or software components configured to acquire GNSS measurements (measurements from GNSS satellites). Thus, in some embodiments, the GNSS receiver may include a measurement engine executed by one or more processors (as software), such as processors 1410, DSP 1420, and / or a processor within a wireless communication interface 1430 (e.g., in a modem). The GNSS receiver may also optionally include a positioning engine that can use GNSS measurements from the measurement engine to determine the GNSS receiver's location using an extended Kalman filter (EKF), weighted least squares (WLS), a hatch filter, a particle filter, etc. The positioning engine may also be executed by one or more processors, such as processors 1410 or DSP 1420.

[0122] UE 105 may further include memory 1460 and / or be in communication with memory 1460. Memory 1460 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices (such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM)), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0123] The memory 1460 of UE 105 may also include software elements ( Figure 14 (Not shown in the text), these software elements include operating systems, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code (such as one or more applications). These software elements may include computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or may be designed to implement methods provided by other embodiments, and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more procedures described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in memory 1460 executable by UE 105 (and / or processor 1410 or DSP 1420 within UE 105). In some embodiments, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0124] Figure 15 An embodiment of the TRP 1500 has been explained, which can be implemented as described above (e.g., in conjunction with...). Figure 1-13 The land described is being used. It should be noted that... Figure 15This is intended only to provide a general explanation of the various components, which may be used appropriately for any or all of them.

[0125] TRP 1500 is shown as including hardware elements electrically coupled (or otherwise in communication) via bus 1505. The hardware elements may include processors 1510, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as DSP chips, graphics accelerator processors, ASICs, etc.), and / or other processing architectures or devices. Figure 15 As shown, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1520 depending on the desired functionality. According to some embodiments, wireless communication-based location determination and / or other determinations may be provided in the processor 1510 and / or the wireless communication interface 1530 (discussed below). The TRP 1500 may also include one or more input devices and one or more output devices, the input devices including, but not limited to, a keyboard, display, mouse, microphone, buttons, dial pads, switches, etc.; the output devices including, but not limited to, a display, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, etc.

[0126] The TRP 1500 may also include a wireless communication interface 1530, which may include, but is not limited to, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset (such as...). Devices such as IEEE 802.11 devices, IEEE 802.15.4 devices, Wi-Fi devices, WiMAX devices, cellular communication facilities, etc., enable the TRP1500 to communicate as described herein. The wireless communication interface 1530 allows the transmission (e.g., delivery and reception) of data and signaling to the UE, other base stations / TRPs (e.g., eNB, gNB, and ng-eNB), and / or other network components, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices described herein. Communication can be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 1532 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 1534.

[0127] The TRP 1500 may also include a network interface 1580, which may include support for wired communication technologies. The network interface 1580 may include a modem, network card, chipset, etc. The network interface 1580 may include one or more input and / or output communication interfaces to allow data exchange with networks, communication network servers, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices described herein.

[0128] In many embodiments, TRP 1500 may further include memory 1560. Memory 1560 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices (such as RAM and / or ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0129] The memory 1560 of the TRP 1500 may also include software elements ( Figure 15 (Not shown in the text), these software elements include operating systems, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code (such as one or more applications). These software elements may include computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or may be designed to implement methods provided by other embodiments, and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more procedures described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in memory 1560 executable by TRP 1500 (and / or processors 1510 or DSP 1520 within TRP 1500). In some embodiments, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0130] Figure 16 This is a block diagram of an embodiment of computer system 1600, which can be used, in whole or in part, to provide one or more network components as described in the embodiments herein (e.g., Figure 1 Location server 160 Figure 2 The functionality of the LMF 220. It should be noted that... Figure 16 This is merely intended to provide a general explanation of the various components, which can be appropriately utilized by any or all of them. Therefore, Figure 16 It broadly explains how individual system components can be implemented in a relatively separate or relatively more integrated manner. Additionally, it can be noted that... Figure 16 The components of the explanation can be localized into a single device and / or distributed among various networked devices that can be deployed in different geographical locations.

[0131] Computer system 1600 is shown to include hardware elements electrically coupled (or otherwise communicative) via bus 1605. The hardware elements may include processors 1610, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as digital signal processing chips, graphics accelerators, etc.), and / or other processing architectures, which may be configured to perform one or more methods described herein. Computer system 1600 may also include: one or more input devices 1615, which may include, but are not limited to, a mouse, keyboard, camera, microphone, etc.; and one or more output devices 1620, which may include, but are not limited to, display devices, printers, etc.

[0132] Computer system 1600 may further include one or more non-transient storage devices 1625 (and / or in communication with said one or more non-transient storage devices 1625), which may include, but are not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage, and / or may include, but are not limited to, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices (such as RAM and / or ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc. Such data storage may include databases and / or other data structures for storing and managing messages and / or other information to be transmitted via a central hub to one or more devices, as described herein.

[0133] Computer system 1600 may also include a communication subsystem 1630, which may include wireless communication technologies managed and controlled by wireless communication interface 1633, as well as wired technologies (such as Ethernet, coaxial communication, Universal Serial Bus (USB), etc.). Wireless communication interface 1633 may include one or more wireless transceivers that can transmit and receive wireless signals 1650 (e.g., signals according to 5G NR or LTE) via wireless antenna 1655. Thus, communication subsystem 1630 may include modems, network interface cards (wireless or wired), infrared communication devices, wireless communication devices, and / or chipsets, etc., which enable computer system 1600 to communicate with any device (including user equipment (UE), base station and / or other TRP, and / or any other electronic device described herein) on any or all of the communication networks described herein. Therefore, communication subsystem 1630 can be used to receive and transmit data as described in the embodiments herein.

[0134] In many embodiments, the computer system 1600 will further include working memory 1635, which may include RAM or ROM devices as described above. Software elements shown to reside within working memory 1635 may include operating system 1640, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code (such as one or more applications 1645), which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments and / or may be designed to implement methods provided by other embodiments and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more procedures described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions executable by a computer (and / or a processor within a computer); in one respect, such code and / or instructions may then be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0135] These sets of instructions and / or code may be stored on a non-transient computer-readable storage medium (such as storage device 1625 described above). In some cases, the storage medium may be incorporated into a computer system (such as computer system 1600). In other embodiments, the storage medium may be separate from the computer system (e.g., a removable medium, such as an optical disc), and / or may be provided in an installation package so that the storage medium can be used to program, configure, and / or adapt a general-purpose computer storing the instructions / code. These instructions may take the form of executable code (which can be executed by computer system 1600) and / or may take the form of source code and / or installable code, which takes the form of executable code when compiled and / or installed on computer system 1600 (e.g., using various general-purpose compilers, installers, compression / decompression utilities, etc.).

[0136] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial modifications can be made to suit specific requirements. For example, custom hardware may be used, and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software such as applets), or both. Furthermore, connectivity to other computing devices (such as network input / output devices) may be employed.

[0137] Referring to the accompanying drawings, components that may include memory may include non-transient machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable media" and "computer-readable media" refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that enables a machine to operate in a particular manner. In the embodiments provided above, various machine-readable media may be involved in providing instructions / code to a processor and / or / other devices for execution. Additionally or alternatively, machine-readable media may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code. In many implementations, computer-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile and volatile media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example: magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical media with a hole pattern, RAM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or memory cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or code.

[0138] The methods, systems, and devices discussed herein are examples. Various procedures or components may be appropriately omitted, substituted, or added to the various embodiments. For example, features described with reference to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. Various components of the accompanying drawings provided herein may be embodied in hardware and / or software. Moreover, technology evolves, and therefore many elements are examples that do not limit the scope of this disclosure to those particular examples.

[0139] Primarily for reasons of common use, referring to such signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, items, quantities, numbers, etc., has proven convenient in some cases. However, it should be understood that all such terms, or similar terms, are to be associated with the appropriate physical quantity and are merely convenient labels. Unless otherwise specifically stated, as is apparent from the foregoing discussion, it should be understood that throughout this specification, discussions using terms such as “processing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “identifying,” “ascertaining,” “identifying,” “associating,” “measuring,” “performing,” etc., refer to the actions or processes of a particular device (such as a dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device). Therefore, in the context of this specification, a dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals of physical, electronic, electrical, or magnetic quantities typically represented in the memory, registers, or other information storage, transmission, or display devices of that dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device.

[0140] As used herein, the terms “and” and “or” can include a variety of meanings, which are also contemplated to depend at least in part on the context in which such terms are used. Generally, “or,” when used in relation to a list such as A, B, or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C (in the inclusive sense) and A, B, or C (in the exclusive sense). Additionally, the term “one or more” as used herein can be used to describe any feature, structure, or property in the singular form, or can be used to describe some combination of features, structures, or properties. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example, and the claimed subject matter is not limited to this example. Furthermore, the term “at least one of” when used in relation to a list such as A, B, or C can be interpreted as meaning any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0141] Several embodiments have been described, and various modifications, substitutions, constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure. For example, the above elements may be components of a larger system, where other rules may take precedence over the application of the various embodiments or otherwise modify the application of the various embodiments. Furthermore, several steps may be taken before, during, or after considering the above elements. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0142] In view of this specification, various embodiments may include different combinations of features. Examples of implementations are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0143] Clause 1. A method for measuring a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurement at a User Equipment (UE) using multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs), the method comprising: receiving a configuration for measuring the PRS measurement from a network entity; determining a measurement period; tuning the UE's radio frequency (RF) circuitry from an active bandwidth portion (BWP) to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the plurality of PFLs; receiving a plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs from one or more network nodes; retuning the UE's RF circuitry to the active BWP after receiving the plurality of PRS resources; and determining the PRS measurement based at least in part on the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs and the determined measurement period.

[0144] Clause 2. The method as described in Clause 1, wherein receiving the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs comprises: receiving a first PRS resource of a first PFL during a first set of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in a measurement window; and receiving a second PRS resource of a second PFL during a second set of OFDM symbols in the measurement window.

[0145] Clause 3. The method as described in Clause 2, wherein the first PFL is on a first frequency band; after receiving the first PRS resource and before retuning the RF circuitry of the UE to the active BWP, the RF circuitry of the UE is tuned to a second frequency band; and the second PRS resource is received via the second frequency band.

[0146] Clause 4. The method of any one of Clauses 2-3, wherein the first OFDM symbol set overlaps at least partially with the second OFDM symbol set.

[0147] Clause 5. The method as described in any one of Clauses 2-4, wherein the measurement window includes the measurement gap (MG).

[0148] Clause 6. The method as described in Clause 1, wherein receiving the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs includes receiving a first PRS resource of the first PFL and a second PRS resource of the second PFL during the same OFDM symbol set in a single measurement window.

[0149] Clause 7. The method of any one of Clauses 1-6 further includes providing the UE's capabilities to the location server prior to receiving the configuration, wherein the UE's capabilities are related to measuring the PRS measurement.

[0150] Clause 8. The method as described in Clause 7, wherein providing the capability of the UE includes providing an indication of: the UE's ability to receive multiple PRS resources from multiple PFLs during a single measurement window, the number of PFLs from which the UE can receive PRS resources during a single measurement window, the PFLs from which the UE can receive PRS resources during a shared OFDM symbol set, the PFLs from which the UE cannot receive PLS resources during the shared OFDM symbol set, or one or more frequency bands from which the UE can receive PRS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0151] Clause 9. The method as described in any one of Clauses 7-8 further includes determining the measurement period based on the capabilities of the UE.

[0152] Clause 10. The method as described in any one of Clauses 1-9, wherein the measurement cycle includes a first maximum measurement cycle of the at least two PFLs.

[0153] Clause 11. The method as described in Clause 10, wherein the at least two PFLs comprise at least two PFLs of a first group; the method further comprises determining a total measurement period based on the sum of the first maximum measurement period and the second maximum measurement periods of the at least two PFLs of the second group; and wherein the at least two PFLs of the first group are the same as or different from the at least two PFLs of the second group.

[0154] Clause 12. The method of any one of Clauses 1-11, wherein the measurement period is determined based on the assumption that the UE can simultaneously process PFLs of the same frequency band or frequency range (FR).

[0155] Clause 13. The method of any one of Clauses 1-12, wherein the measurement period is determined based on the one or more network nodes including the Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) and the attached UE.

[0156] Clause 14. The method as described in Clause 13, wherein the measurement period is determined to be: (A) the maximum time the UE spends processing one or more PRS resources from the TRP, (B) the maximum time the UE spends processing one or more PRS resources from the additional UE, or the sum of (A) and (B).

[0157] Clause 15. The method of any one of Clauses 13-14, wherein the measurement period is determined based on the assumption that the UE has dedicated resources for processing one or more PRS resources from the TRP and for processing one or more PRS resources from the additional UE, such that the time the UE spends processing the one or more PRS resources from the additional UE is not affected by the UE's processing of the one or more PRS resources from the TRP; and the time the UE spends processing the one or more PRS resources from the TRP is not affected by the UE's processing of the one or more PRS resources from the TRP.

[0158] Clause 16. The method as described in Clause 7 further includes receiving an indication of the measurement period from the location server after providing the UE with the capability.

[0159] Clause 17. The method of any one of Clauses 1-16, wherein the one or more network nodes include at least one TRP, and the plurality of PRS resources include at least one downlink (DL) PRS resource.

[0160] Clause 18. The method of any one of Clauses 1-17, wherein the one or more network nodes include at least one additional UE, and the plurality of PRS resources include at least one sidelink (SL) PRS resource.

[0161] Clause 19. A UE for measuring Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurements using multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs), the UE comprising: a transceiver; a memory; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: receive configuration for measuring the PRS measurements from a network entity via the transceiver; determine a measurement period; tune the radio frequency (RF) circuitry of the transceiver from an active bandwidth portion (BWP) to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the plurality of PFLs; receive multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs from one or more network nodes; retun the RF circuitry of the transceiver to the active BWP after receiving the multiple PRS resources; and determine the PRS measurements based at least in part on the multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs and the determined measurement period.

[0162] Clause 20. The UE as described in Clause 19, wherein, in order to receive the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs, the one or more processors are configured to: receive a first PRS resource of a first PFL during a first set of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in a measurement window; and receive a second PRS resource of a second PFL during a second set of OFDM symbols in the measurement window.

[0163] Clause 21. The UE as described in Clause 20, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: receive the first PRS resource of the first PFL in a first frequency band; tune the RF circuitry of the transceiver to a second frequency band after receiving the first PRS resource and before retuning the RF circuitry of the transceiver to the active BWP; and receive the second PRS resource via the second frequency band.

[0164] Clause 22. The UE as described in any one of Clauses 20-21, wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive the first PRS resource and the second PRS resource such that the first OFDM symbol set at least partially overlaps with the second OFDM symbol set.

[0165] Clause 23. The UE as described in any one of Clauses 20-22, wherein the measurement window includes the measurement gap (MG).

[0166] Clause 24. The UE as described in Clause 19, wherein, in order to receive the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs, the one or more processors are configured to receive a first PRS resource of the first PFL and a second PRS resource of the second PFL during the same OFDM symbol set in a single measurement window.

[0167] Clause 25. The UE as described in any one of Clauses 19-24, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide the UE's capabilities to the location server prior to receiving the configuration, wherein the UE's capabilities relate to measuring the PRS measurement.

[0168] Clause 26. The UE as described in Clause 25, wherein, in order to provide the capability of the UE, the one or more processors are configured to provide indications of: the UE's ability to receive multiple PRS resources from multiple PFLs during a single measurement window, the number of PFLs from which the UE can receive PRS resources during a single measurement window, the PFLs from which the UE can receive PRS resources during a shared OFDM symbol set, the PFLs from which the UE cannot receive PRS resources during the shared OFDM symbol set, or one or more frequency bands from which the UE can receive PRS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0169] Clause 27. The UE as described in any one of Clauses 25-26, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine the measurement period based on the capabilities of the UE.

[0170] Clause 28. The UE as described in any one of Clauses 19-27, wherein, in order to determine the measurement period, the one or more processors are configured to determine a first maximum measurement period for the at least two PFLs.

[0171] Clause 29. The UE as described in Clause 28, wherein the at least two PFLs comprise at least two PFLs of a first group; the one or more processors are configured to determine a total measurement period based on the sum of the first maximum measurement period and the second maximum measurement period of the at least two PFLs of the second group; and wherein the at least two PFLs of the first group are the same as or different from the at least two PFLs of the second group.

[0172] Clause 30. The UE as described in Clauses 19-29, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the measurement period based on the assumption that the UE can simultaneously process PFLs of the same frequency band or frequency range (FR).

[0173] Clause 31. The UE as described in any one of Clauses 19-30, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the measurement period based on the one or more network nodes including the Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) and the attached UE.

[0174] Clause 32. The UE as described in Clause 31, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the measurement period as: (A) the maximum time the UE spends processing one or more PRS resources from the TRP, (B) the maximum time the UE spends processing one or more PRS resources from the additional UE, or the sum of (A) and (B).

[0175] Clause 33. The UE as described in any one of Clauses 31-32, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the measurement period based on the assumption that the UE has dedicated resources for processing one or more PRS resources from the TRP and for processing one or more PRS resources from the additional UE, such that the following are achieved: the time the UE spends processing one or more PRS resources from the additional UE is not affected by the UE's processing of one or more PRS resources from the TRP; and the time the UE spends processing the one or more PRS resources from the TRP is not affected by the UE's processing of the one or more PRS resources from the TRP.

[0176] Clause 34. As described in Clause 25, the one or more processors are further configured to receive an indication of the measurement period from the location server after providing the UE with the aforementioned capabilities.

[0177] Clause 35. The UE as described in any one of Clauses 19-34, wherein the one or more network nodes include at least one TRP, and the plurality of PRS resources include at least one downlink (DL) PRS resource.

[0178] Clause 36. The UE as described in any one of Clauses 19-35, wherein the one or more network nodes include at least one additional UE, and the plurality of PRS resources include at least one sidelink (SL) PRS resource.

[0179] Clause 37. An apparatus for measuring Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurements at a User Equipment (UE) using multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs), the apparatus comprising: means for receiving a configuration for measuring the PRS measurements from a network entity; means for determining a measurement period; means for tuning the UE's radio frequency (RF) circuitry from an active bandwidth portion (BWP) to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the plurality of PFLs; means for receiving a plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs from one or more network nodes; means for retuning the UE's RF circuitry to the active BWP after receiving the plurality of PRS resources; and means for determining the PRS measurements at least in part based on the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs and the determined measurement period.

[0180] Clause 38. A non-transient computer-readable medium storing instructions for measuring Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurements at a User Equipment (UE) using multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs), the instructions comprising code for: receiving from a network entity a configuration for measuring the PRS measurement; determining a measurement period; tuning the UE's radio frequency (RF) circuitry from an active bandwidth portion (BWP) to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the multiple PFLs; receiving multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs from one or more network nodes; retuning the UE's RF circuitry to the active BWP after receiving the multiple PRS resources; and determining the PRS measurement based at least in part on the multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs and the determined measurement period.

[0181] Clause 39. A method at a positioning server for determining a measurement period in which a user equipment (UE) measures a positioning reference signal using multiple positioning frequency layers (PFLs), the method comprising: receiving from the UE a capability of the UE to measure a PRS measurement; and determining a measurement period in which the UE performs: tuning the UE's radio frequency (RF) circuitry from an active bandwidth portion (BWP) to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the multiple PFLs; receiving multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs from one or more network nodes; and retuning the UE's RF circuitry to the active BWP after receiving the multiple PRS resources.

[0182] Clause 40. As described in Clause 39, determining the measurement period includes determining that the UE will: receive a first PRS resource of a first PFL during a first set of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in the measurement window; and receive a second PRS resource of a second PFL during a second set of OFDM symbols in the measurement window.

[0183] Clause 41. The method of any one of Clauses 39-40, wherein determining the measurement period comprises: determining that the UE will receive a first PRS resource of a first PFL and a second PRS resource of a second PFL during the same OFDM symbol set.

[0184] Clause 42. The method of any one of Clauses 39-41, wherein determining the measurement period comprises determining that the UE will receive the first PRS resource of the first PFL and the second PRS resource of the second PFL in a single MG.

[0185] Clause 43. The method of any one of Clauses 39-42, wherein receiving the UE’s capability in relation to measuring PRS measurements includes receiving an indication of: the UE’s capability to receive multiple PRS resources from multiple PFLs during a single measurement window, the number of PFLs from which the UE can receive PRS resources during a single measurement window, the PFLs from which the UE can receive PRS resources during a shared OFDM symbol set, the PFLs from which the UE cannot receive PFLs during the shared OFDM symbol set, or one or more frequency bands from which the UE can receive PRS resources, or any combination thereof.

[0186] Clause 44. The method of any one of Clauses 39-43, wherein the measurement cycle includes the first maximum measurement cycle of the at least two PFLs.

[0187] Clause 45. The method of any one of Clauses 39-44, wherein the at least two PFLs comprise at least two PFLs of a first group; the method further comprises determining a total measurement period based on the sum of the first maximum measurement period and the second maximum measurement periods of the at least two PFLs of the second group; and wherein the at least two PFLs of the first group are the same as or different from the at least two PFLs of the second group.

[0188] Clause 46. The method of any one of Clauses 39-45, wherein the measurement period is determined based on the assumption that the UE can simultaneously process PFLs in the same frequency band.

[0189] Clause 47. The method of any one of Clauses 39-46, wherein the measurement period is determined based on the assumption that the UE can simultaneously process PFLs of the same frequency range (FR).

[0190] Clause 48. The method of any one of Clauses 39-47, wherein the measurement period is further determined based on the one or more network nodes including the Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) and the attached UE.

[0191] Clause 49. The method of any one of Clauses 39-48, wherein the measurement period is determined as: (A) the maximum time the UE spends processing one or more PRS resources from the TRP, (B) the maximum time the UE spends processing one or more PRS resources from the additional UE, or the sum of (A) and (B).

[0192] Clause 50. The method of any one of Clauses 39-49, wherein the measurement period is determined based on the assumption that the UE has dedicated resources for processing one or more PRS resources from the TRP and for processing one or more PRS resources from the additional UE, such that the time the UE spends processing one or more PRS resources from the additional UE is not affected by the UE's processing of one or more PRS resources from the TRP; and the time the UE spends processing the one or more PRS resources from the TRP is not affected by the UE's processing of the one or more PRS resources from the TRP.

[0193] Clause 51. The method as described in any one of Clauses 39-50, wherein the one or more network nodes include at least one TRP, and the plurality of PRS resources include at least one downlink (DL) PRS resource.

[0194] Clause 52. The method of any one of Clauses 39-51, wherein the one or more network nodes include at least one additional UE, and the plurality of PRS resources include at least one sidelink (SL) PRS resource.

Claims

1. A method for measuring a Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) at a User Equipment (UE) using multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs), the method comprising: Receive a configuration index from the network entity for measuring the PRS measurement; Determine the measurement cycle; The radio frequency (RF) circuitry of the UE is tuned from the active bandwidth portion (BWP) to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the plurality of PFLs; Receive multiple PRS resources from one or more network nodes for the at least two PFLs; After receiving the plurality of PRS resources, the RF circuitry of the UE is retuned to the active BWP; as well as PRS measurements are determined at least by observing the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs received during the determined measurement period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of PRS resources from the at least two PFLs comprises: During the first set of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in the measurement window, the first PLS resource of the first PFL is received; as well as The second PRS resource of the second PFL is received during the second OFDM symbol set in the measurement window.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein: The first PFL is in the first frequency band; After receiving the first PRS resource and before retuning the UE's RF circuitry to the active BWP, the UE's RF circuitry is tuned to the second frequency band; and The second PRS resource is received via the second frequency band.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the first OFDM symbol set at least partially overlaps with the second OFDM symbol set.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the measurement window includes a measurement gap (MG).

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs includes receiving a first PRS resource of the first PFL and a second PRS resource of the second PFL during the same OFDM symbol set in a single measurement window.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing the UE's capabilities to a location server prior to receiving the configuration, wherein the UE's capabilities are related to measuring the PRS measurement.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein providing the capability of the UE comprises providing indication of: The UE's ability to receive multiple PRS resources from multiple PFLs during a single measurement window. The number of PFLs that the UE can receive for PRS resources during a single measurement window. PFLs that can be received by the UE during the shared OFDM symbol set PFLs that cannot be received by the UE during the shared OFDM symbol set, or The UE is capable of receiving one or more frequency bands of PRS resources, or Any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising determining the measurement period based on the capability of the UE.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the measurement cycle includes a first maximum measurement cycle of the at least two PFLs.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein: The at least two PFLs include at least two PFLs from the first group; The method further includes determining a total measurement period based on the sum of the first maximum measurement period and the second maximum measurement periods of at least two PFLs in the second group; and At least two PFLs in the first group are the same as or different from at least two PFLs in the second group.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the measurement period is determined based on the one or more network nodes including the Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) and the attached UE.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the measurement period is determined as follows: (A) The maximum time the UE uses to process one or more PRS resources from the TRP. (B) The maximum time the UE uses to process one or more PRS resources from the additional UE, or The sum of (A) and (B).

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the measurement period is determined based on the assumption that the UE has dedicated resources for processing one or more PRS resources from the TRP and one or more PRS resources from the additional UE, such that the following are achieved: The time the UE spends processing the one or more PRS resources from the additional UE is not affected by the UE processing the one or more PRS resources from the TRP; and The time the UE spends processing the one or more PRS resources from the TRP is not affected by the UE's processing of the one or more PRS resources from the TRP.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising receiving an indication of the measurement period from the location server after providing the capability of the UE.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more network nodes include at least one TRP, and the plurality of PRS resources include at least one downlink (DL) PRS resource.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more network nodes include at least one additional UE, and the plurality of PRS resources include at least one sidelink (SL) PRS resource.

18. A UE for measuring Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurements using multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs), the UE comprising: transceiver; Memory; as well as One or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: Receive a configuration index for measuring the PRS measurement from the network entity via the transceiver; Determine the measurement cycle; The radio frequency (RF) circuitry of the transceiver is tuned from the active bandwidth portion (BWP) to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the plurality of PFLs; Receive multiple PRS resources from one or more network nodes for the at least two PFLs; After receiving the plurality of PRS resources, the RF circuitry of the transceiver is retuned to the active BWP; as well as PRS measurements are determined at least by observing the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs received during the determined measurement period.

19. The UE as claimed in claim 18, wherein, In order to receive the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs, the one or more processors are configured to: During the first set of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in the measurement window, the first PRF resource of the first PFL is received; and The second PRS resource of the second PFL is received during the second OFDM symbol set in the measurement window.

20. The UE of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: Receive the first PRS resource of the first PFL in the first frequency band; After receiving the first PRS resource and before retuning the transceiver's RF circuitry to the active BWP, the transceiver's RF circuitry is tuned to the second frequency band; and The second PRS resource is received via the second frequency band.

21. The UE of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive the first PRS resource and the second PRS resource such that the first OFDM symbol set at least partially overlaps with the second OFDM symbol set.

22. The UE as claimed in claim 18, wherein, In order to receive the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs, the one or more processors are configured to receive the first PRS resource of the first PFL and the second PRS resource of the second PFL during the same OFDM symbol set in a single measurement window.

23. The UE of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to provide the UE's capabilities to a location server prior to receiving the configuration, wherein the UE's capabilities are related to measuring the PRS measurement.

24. The UE of claim 23, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine the measurement period based on the capabilities of the UE.

25. The UE as claimed in claim 24, wherein, In order to determine the measurement cycle, the one or more processors are configured to determine a first maximum measurement cycle for the at least two PFLs.

26. The UE of claim 25, wherein: The at least two PFLs include at least two PFLs from the first group; The one or more processors are configured to determine the total measurement period based on the sum of the first maximum measurement period and the second maximum measurement periods of at least two PFLs in the second group; as well as At least two PFLs in the first group are the same as or different from at least two PFLs in the second group.

27. The UE of claim 24, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the measurement period based on the one or more network nodes including a transmit / receive point (TRP) and an additional UE.

28. The UE of claim 23, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive an indication of the measurement period from the location server after providing the capability of the UE.

29. An apparatus for measuring Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurements at a User Equipment (UE) using multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs), the apparatus comprising: A means for receiving a configuration index from a network entity for measuring the PRS measurement; A device for determining the measurement period; A means for tuning the radio frequency (RF) circuitry of the UE from the active bandwidth portion (BWP) to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the plurality of PFLs; A means for receiving multiple PRS resources of the at least two PFLs from one or more network nodes; Means for retuning the RF circuitry of the UE to the active BWP after receiving the plurality of PRS resources; as well as A means for determining a PRS measurement by observing the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs received during a determined measurement period.

30. A non-transient computer-readable medium storing instructions for measuring Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) measurements at a User Equipment (UE) using multiple Positioning Frequency Layers (PFLs), the instructions including code for the following operations: Receive a configuration index from the network entity for measuring the PRS measurement; Determine the measurement cycle; The radio frequency (RF) circuitry of the UE is tuned from the active bandwidth portion (BWP) to one or more frequency bands of at least two of the plurality of PFLs; Receive multiple PRS resources from one or more network nodes for the at least two PFLs; After receiving the plurality of PRS resources, the RF circuitry of the UE is retuned to the active BWP; as well as PRS measurements are determined at least by observing the plurality of PRS resources of the at least two PFLs received during the determined measurement period.

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