Triggering of aperiodic or semi-periodic positioning reference signal process

Abstract

In one aspect, the UE obtains multiple positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations and receives an L1 or L2 message from the BS indicating one of the multiple PRS configurations, thereby triggering an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 058,365, filed on July 29, 2020, entitled “TRIGGERING OF AN APERIODIC OR SEMI-PERIODIC POSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNAL PROCEDURE,” and U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 349,375, filed on June 16, 2021, entitled “TRIGGERING OF AN APERIODIC OR SEMI-PERIODICPOSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNAL PROCEDURE,” both of which are assigned to the assignee of this application and are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications and, more particularly, to triggering of aperiodic or semi-periodic positioning reference signal (PRS) procedures. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems have evolved over several generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including transitional 2.5G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, internet-enabled wireless services, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., LTE or WiMax). Currently, there are many different types of wireless communication systems in use, including cellular and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), and TDMA-based global system for mobile access (GSM) variants.

[0005] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), supports higher data transmission speeds, a greater number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide higher data rates, more accurate positioning (e.g., based on reference signals for positioning (RS-P), such as downlink or sidelink Positioning Reference Signals (PRS), uplink or sidelink Sounding Reference Signals for positioning (SRS-P), and other technical enhancements compared to the 4G standard. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following is a simplified summary of one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, the following summary should not be considered an exhaustive overview of all contemplated aspects, nor should it be considered to identify important or critical elements related to all contemplated aspects or to describe the scope associated with any particular aspect. Therefore, the sole purpose of the following summary is to provide some concepts related to one or more aspects of the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form before the detailed description given below.

[0007] In one aspect, a method of operating a user equipment (UE) includes obtaining a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations; receiving an L1 or L2 message indicating one of the plurality of PRS configurations; and triggering an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0008] In some aspects, the obtaining comprises configuring a plurality of PRS configurations via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0009] In some aspects, the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of combined UL and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0010] In some aspects, an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on the time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0011] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, with only one of a DL PRS and a UL PRS.

[0012] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0013] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0014] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0015] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0016] In some aspects, the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0017] In one aspect, a method of operating a base station includes sending an L1 or L2 message indicating one of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations to a user equipment (UE) to trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process; and performing the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0018] In some aspects, the method includes sending a plurality of PRS configurations to the UE.

[0019] In some aspects, the multiple PRS configurations are transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0020] In some aspects, the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of combined UL and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0021] In some aspects, an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on the time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0022] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, with only one of a DL PRS and a UL PRS.

[0023] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0024] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0025] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0026] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0027] In some aspects, the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0028] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: obtain a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations; receive, via the at least one transceiver, an L1 or L2 message indicating one of the plurality of PRS configurations; and trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0029] In some aspects, the obtaining comprises configuring a plurality of PRS configurations via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0030] In some aspects, the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of combined UL and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0031] In some aspects, an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on the time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0032] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, with only one of a DL PRS and a UL PRS.

[0033] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0034] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0035] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0036] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0037] In some aspects, the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0038] In one aspect, a base station includes a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: send an L1 or L2 message indicating one of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations to a user equipment (UE) via the at least one transceiver to trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process; and perform the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0039] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to transmit, via the at least one transceiver, a plurality of PRS configurations to the UE.

[0040] In some aspects, the multiple PRS configurations are transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0041] In some aspects, the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of combined UL and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0042] In some aspects, an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on the time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0043] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, with only one of a DL PRS and a UL PRS.

[0044] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DLPRS and the ULPRS.

[0045] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0046] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0047] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0048] In some aspects, the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0049] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes means for obtaining a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations; means for receiving an L1 or L2 message indicating one of the plurality of PRS configurations; and means for triggering an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0050] In some aspects, the obtaining comprises configuring a plurality of PRS configurations via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0051] In some aspects, the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of combined UL and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0052] In some aspects, an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on the time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0053] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, with only one of a DL PRS and a UL PRS.

[0054] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0055] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0056] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0057] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0058] In some aspects, the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0059] In one aspect, a base station includes means for sending an L1 or L2 message indicating one of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations to a user equipment (UE) to trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process; and means for performing the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0060] In some aspects, the method includes means for transmitting a plurality of PRS configurations to a UE.

[0061] In some aspects, the multiple PRS configurations are transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0062] In some aspects, the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of combined UL and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0063] In some aspects, an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on the time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0064] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, with only one of a DL PRS and a UL PRS.

[0065] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0066] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0067] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0068] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0069] In some aspects, the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0070] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: obtain a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations; receive an L1 or L2 message indicating one of the plurality of PRS configurations; and trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0071] In some aspects, the obtaining comprises configuring a plurality of PRS configurations via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0072] In some aspects, the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of combined UL and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0073] In some aspects, an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on the time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0074] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, with only one of a DL PRS and a UL PRS.

[0075] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0076] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0077] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0078] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0079] In some aspects, the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0080] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, when executed by a base station, causes the base station to: send an L1 or L2 message indicating one of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations to a user equipment (UE) to trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process; and perform the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0081] In some aspects, the one or more instructions further cause the base station to: send the plurality of PRS configurations to the UE.

[0082] In some aspects, the multiple PRS configurations are transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0083] In some aspects, the multiple PRS configurations include a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or the multiple PRS configurations include a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of combined UL PRS configurations and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0084] In some aspects, an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on the time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0085] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, with only one of a DL PRS and a UL PRS.

[0086] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0087] In some aspects, another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0088] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS opportunities to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0089] In some aspects, the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0090] In some aspects, the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0091] Other objects and advantages associated with the various aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0092] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in describing various aspects of the disclosure and are provided solely to illustrate these aspects and not to limit these aspects.

[0093] Figure 1

[0014] An example wireless communication system in accordance with various aspects is shown.

[0094] Figure 2A and Figure 2BExample wireless network architectures according to various aspects are shown.

[0095] Figures 3A to 3C is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components taught herein that may be used in a wireless communication node and configured to support communications.

[0096] Figure 4A and Figure 4B is a diagram of an example of a frame structure and channels within the frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0097] Figure 5 An exemplary PRS configuration for a cell supported by a wireless node is shown.

[0098] Figure 6 An exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0099] Figure 7 An exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0100] Figure 8A is a graph illustrating RF channel response at a receiver over time in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0101] Figure 8B is a diagram showing the separation of clusters on AoD.

[0102] Figure 9 An exemplary process for wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0103] Figure 10 An exemplary process for wireless communication according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0104] Figure 11 DL PRS configuration according to one aspect of the present disclosure is shown

[0105] Figure 12 A hybrid PRS sequence according to one aspect of the present disclosure is shown.

[0106] Figure 13 A hybrid PRS sequence according to another aspect of the present disclosure is shown.

[0107] Figure 14 A hybrid PRS sequence according to another aspect of the present disclosure is shown.

[0108] Figure 15 A DL PRS timing scenario according to another aspect of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0109] Various aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings, which are directed to various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be designed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, well-known elements of the present disclosure may not be described in detail or may be omitted to avoid confusing the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0110] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects of the disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.

[0111] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of a variety of different technologies and techniques may be used to represent the information and signals described below. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the following specification may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0112] Furthermore, various aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It should be understood that the various actions described herein may be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Furthermore, the sequences of actions described herein may be considered to be fully embodied in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause or instruct an associated processor of a device to perform the functions described herein. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in a variety of different forms, all of which are considered to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Furthermore, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described as, for example, "logic configured to" perform the actions.

[0113] As used herein, unless otherwise noted, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT). In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet, a laptop, a tracking device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headsets, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE can be mobile or can be (e.g., at certain times) stationary and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT," "client device," "wireless device," "subscriber equipment," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal" or UT, "mobile terminal," "mobile station," or variations thereof. In general, a UE can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms are also possible for the UE to connect to the core network and / or the Internet, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (eg, based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), and so on.

[0114] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs for communicating with UEs, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), new radio (NR) NodeB (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), etc. Furthermore, in some systems, a base station may provide purely edge node signaling functions, while in other systems, a base station may provide additional control and / or network management functions. In some systems, a base station may correspond to a customer premises equipment (CPE) or a roadside unit (RSU). In some designs, a base station may correspond to a high-power UE (e.g., a vehicle UE or VUE) that may provide limited specific infrastructure functions. The communication link over which a UE may send signals to a base station is referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link over which a base station may send signals to a UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) may refer to either a UL / reverse or a DL / forward traffic channel.

[0115] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit receive point (TRP) or to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to the cell of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system, or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and a neighboring base station whose reference RF signal is being measured by the UE. Because, as used herein, a TRP is a point at which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, references to transmissions from a base station or receptions at a base station will be understood to refer to a specific TRP of a base station.

[0116] An "RF signal" comprises electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transmit information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0117] According to various aspects, Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication system 100 is shown. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base station may include an eNB where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network, or a gNB where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network, or a combination of both, and the small cell base station may include a femtocell, a picocell, a microcell, etc.

[0118] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a next generation core (NGC)) via backhaul links 122 and connect to one or more location servers 172 via the core network 170. Among other functions, the base stations 102 may also perform functions related to one or more of: transmission of user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC / NGC) via backhaul links 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0119] Base stations 102 can communicate wirelessly with UEs 104. Each of base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, base station 102 can support one or more cells within each coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used for communicating with a base station (e.g., via some frequency resource referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI)) that distinguishes cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other) that can provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" can refer to either or both the logical communication entity and the base station supporting it, depending on the context. In some cases, the term "cell" can also refer to a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) of a base station, as long as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within certain portions of geographic coverage area 110.

[0120] Although the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover region), some geographic coverage areas 110 may be substantially overlapped by a larger geographic coverage area 110. For example, a small cell base station 102′ may have a coverage area 110′ that substantially overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a Home eNB (HeNB), which may provide service to a restricted group known as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0121] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include UL (also known as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may utilize MIMO antenna technology including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to the DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the DL compared to the UL).

[0122] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a WLAN station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen before talk (LBT) to determine whether the channel is available before communicating.

[0123] The small cell base station 102′ can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed spectrum, the small cell base station 102′ can adopt LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell 102′ adopting LTE / 5G in the unlicensed spectrum can increase the coverage and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in the unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0124] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate at mmW frequencies and / or near-mmW frequencies and communicate with the UE 182. Extremely high frequencies (EHF) are part of the RF spectrum in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF ranges from 30 GHz to 300 GHz, with wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this frequency band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW can extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz, with wavelengths of 100 mm. Super high frequency (SHF) bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and are also known as centimeter waves. Communications using mmW / near-mmW radio frequency bands have higher path losses and relatively shorter distances. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path losses and extremely short distances. In addition, it should be understood that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also use mmW or near-mmW and beamforming for transmission. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing description is merely exemplary and is not to be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0125] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectional). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines the location of a given target device (e.g., a UE) relative to the transmitting network node and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing the receiving device with a faster and stronger RF signal (in terms of data rate). In order to change the direction of the RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an array of antennas (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that produces a beam of RF waves that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, the RF current from the transmitter is fed to each antenna in the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from each antenna are added together to increase the radiation in the desired direction while canceling to suppress radiation in undesired directions.

[0126] The transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning that they appear to the receiver (e.g., UE) to have the same parameters, regardless of whether the transmit antennas of the network nodes themselves are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about the second reference RF signal on the second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial reception parameters of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel.

[0127] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify the RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver may increase the gain setting and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a particular direction to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Therefore, when a receiver is said to be performing beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in the RF signal received from that direction having a higher received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.).

[0128] The receive beams can be spatially correlated. This spatial relationship means that the parameters of the transmit beam used for the second reference signal can be derived from information about the receive beam used for the first reference signal. For example, the UE can use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0129] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if the base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE is forming a downlink beam, it is a receive beam that receives the downlink reference signal. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity forming it. For example, if the base station is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if the UE is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0130] In 5G, the spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi-carrier system (such as 5G), one of the carrier frequencies is called the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell", while the remaining carrier frequencies are called "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells". In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) used by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (but not always). A secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2). Once an RRC connection is established between a UE 104 and an anchor carrier, the secondary carrier can be configured and used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals; for example, UE-specific information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier, as both the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier for any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance load across different carriers. Because a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier through which a base station is communicating, the terms "cell," "serving cell," "component carrier," "carrier frequency," etc., are used interchangeably.

[0131] For example, still referring to Figure 1One of the frequencies utilized by macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies utilized by macrocell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0132] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs (such as UE 190) that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) or peer-to-peer (P2P) links. Figure 1 In the example of FIG, UE 190 has: a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., UE 190 can indirectly obtain cell connectivity through the link 192); and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 152 connected to a WLAN AP 150 (UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity through the link 194). In the example, the D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be connected via any well-known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), etc.) to support.

[0133] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164 that may communicate with the macrocell base station 102 via a communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 via a mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0134] According to various aspects, Figure 2AAn example wireless network architecture 200 is shown. For example, NGC 210 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally considered to include control plane functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which can operate in conjunction to form a core network. User plane interface (NG-U) 213 and control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNB 222 to NGC 210, and specifically, to control plane functions 214 and user plane functions 212. In another configuration, ng-eNB 224 can also connect to NGC 210 via NG-C 215 to control plane functions 214 and NG-U 213 to user plane functions 212. Furthermore, eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations may include one or more of both eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. Either gNB 222 or eNB 224 may communicate with a UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 204). Another optional aspect may include a location server 230 that may communicate with the NGC 210 to provide location assistance for the UE 204. The location server 230 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, may each correspond to a single server. The location server 230 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which may be connected to the location server 230 via the core network, the NGC 210, and / or via the Internet (not shown). Furthermore, the location server 230 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively may be external to the core network.

[0135] According to various aspects, Figure 2BAnother example wireless network architecture 250 is shown. For example, NGC 260 (also referred to as "5GC") can be functionally considered to include control plane functions provided by access and mobility management function (AMF) / user plane function (UPF) 264, and user plane functions provided by session management function (SMF) 262, which operate in conjunction to form the core network (i.e., NGC 260). User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect eNB 224 to NGC 260, and specifically, to SMF 262 and AMF / UPF 264, respectively. In other configurations, gNB 222 can also connect to NGC 260 via control plane interface 265 to AMF / UPF 264 and user plane interface 263 to SMF 262. In addition, in situations where the gNB is directly or indirectly connected to NGC 260, eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. The gNB 222 or the eNB 224 may communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 The base stations of the new RAN 220 communicate with the AMF side of the AMF / UPF 264 via the N2 interface and communicate with the UPF side of the AMF / UPF 264 via the N3 interface.

[0136] The functions of the AMF include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between the UE 204 and the SMF 262, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and the short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and a security anchor function (SEAF). The AMF also interacts with the authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) User Identity Module (USIM), the AMF retrieves security materials from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF, which it uses to derive access network-specific keys. The functions of the AMF also include location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 and between the new RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of EPS bearer identifiers for interworking with the Evolved Packet System (EPS), and notification of mobility events for the UE 204. In addition, the AMF also supports functions for non-3GPP access networks.

[0137] The functions of the UPF include acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection with a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, user plane quality of service (QoS) processing (e.g., UL / DL rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in DL), UL traffic validation (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in UL and DL, DL packet buffering and DL data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding of one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node.

[0138] The functions of the SMF 262 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering at the UPF to route traffic to the appropriate destination, control of parts of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 262 communicates with the AMF side of the AMF / UPPF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0139] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270 that can communicate with the NGC 260 to provide location assistance for the UE 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, the NGC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown).

[0140] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C Several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) are shown that may be incorporated into a UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network function described herein, including location server 230, LMF 270) to support file transfer operations as taught herein. It should be understood that these components may be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.) in different implementations. The components shown may also be incorporated into other devices in a communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Furthermore, a given device may include one or more of the components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0141] UE 302 and base station 304 each include a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver 310 and 350, respectively, configured to communicate via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown) (such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc.). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc., via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a set of time / frequency resources in a specific spectrum). Depending on the designated RAT, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured in various ways to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and in turn, receive and decode signals 318 and 358, respectively (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively, and WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0142] At least in some cases, the UE 302 and the base station 304 also include wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 can each connect to a wireless network for communication via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, , etc.), and one or more antennas 326 and 366 for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) over the wireless communication medium of interest. Depending on the designated RAT, the WLAN transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured in various ways to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and in turn to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, the transceivers 320 and 360 include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively.

[0143] The transceiver circuitry including the transmitter and receiver may comprise an integrated device in some implementations (e.g., embodied as the transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry of a single communication device), may comprise separate transmitter devices and separate receiver devices in some implementations, or may be embodied in other ways in other implementations. In one aspect, the transmitter may comprise or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), such as an antenna array, which permits the corresponding device to perform transmit "beamforming," as described herein. Similarly, the receiver may comprise or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), such as an antenna array, which permits the corresponding device to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter and receiver may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 336, and 376), such that the corresponding device can only receive or transmit at a given time, but not simultaneously. The wireless communication device of apparatus 302 and / or 304 (eg, one or both of transceivers 310 and 320 and / or 350 and 360 ) may further include a network listening module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0144] At least in some cases, devices 302 and 304 also include satellite positioning system (SPS) receivers 330 and 370. SPS receivers 330 and 370 can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, for receiving SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively, such as global positioning system (GPS) signals, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian regional navigation satellite system (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. SPS receivers 330 and 370 can include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing SPS signals 338 and 378, respectively. SPS receivers 330 and 370 request appropriate information and operations from other systems and use measurements obtained by any suitable SPS algorithm to perform the calculations required to determine the position of devices 302 and 304.

[0145] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include at least one network interface 380 and 390 for communicating with other network entities. For example, the network interfaces 380 and 390 (e.g., one or more network access ports) can be configured to communicate with one or more network entities via a wired or wireless backhaul connection. In some aspects, the network interfaces 380 and 390 can be implemented as transceivers configured to support wired or wireless signal communication. Such communication can involve, for example, sending and receiving messages, parameters, or other types of information.

[0146] Apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE 302 includes processor circuitry that implements a processing system 332 for providing functionality related to, for example, fake base station (FBS) detection as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. Base station 304 includes a processing system 384 for providing functionality related to, for example, FBS detection as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. Network entity 306 includes a processing system 394 for providing functionality related to, for example, FBS detection as disclosed herein, and for providing other processing functionality. In one aspect, processing systems 332, 384, and 394 can include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry.

[0147] The apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 include memory circuitry that implements memory components 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). In some cases, the apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 may include PRS triggering modules 342 and 388, respectively. The PRS triggering modules 342 and 388 may be hardware circuitry that is part of or coupled to the processing systems 332, 384, and 394, respectively, and that, when executed, causes the apparatuses 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Alternatively, the PRS triggering modules 342 and 388 may be memory modules (e.g., memory modules) stored in the memory components 340, 386, and 396, respectively. Figure 3A-3C ), which, when executed by processing systems 332, 384, and 394, cause devices 302, 304, and 306 to perform the functions described herein.

[0148] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the processing system 332 to provide movement and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by the WWAN transceiver 310, the WLAN transceiver 320, and / or the GPS receiver 330. By way of example, the sensors 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, the sensors 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide movement information. For example, the sensors 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate position in a 2D and / or 3D coordinate system.

[0149] In addition, UE 302 includes a user interface 346 for providing indications to the user (e.g., audio and / or visual indications) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when the user activates a sensing device such as a keyboard, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, apparatuses 304 and 306 may also include a user interface.

[0150] Referring to the processing system 384 in more detail, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processing system 384. The processing system 384 may implement the functionality of the RRC layer, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. The processing system 384 may provide RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0151] The transmitter 354 and the receiver 352 can implement Layer-1 (L1) functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer-1, including the physical (PHY) layer, can include error detection on the transmission channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transmission channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 handles the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols can then be divided into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with reference signals (e.g., pilots) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback sent by the UE 302. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 can modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0152] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives the signal via its corresponding antenna 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to processing system 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for UE 302, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by receiver 312. Receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. By determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by base station 304, the symbols and reference signals on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the processing system 332, which implements layer-3 and layer-2 functions.

[0153] In the UL, the processing system 332 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. The processing system 332 is also responsible for error detection.

[0154] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with the DL transmission of the base station 304, the processing system 332 provides RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs into transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling and logical channel prioritization.

[0155] The transmitter 314 may select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme and facilitate spatial processing using channel estimates derived by a channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback sent by the base station 304. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 may be provided to different antennas 316. The transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0156] UL transmissions are processed at base station 304 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver functionality at UE 302. Receivers 352 receive signals through their respective antennas 356. Receivers 352 recover information modulated onto an RF carrier and provide the information to processing system 384.

[0157] In the UL, the processing system 384 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. The IP packets from the processing system 384 can be provided to the core network. The processing system 384 is also responsible for error detection.

[0158] For convenience, devices 302, 304 and / or 306 are Figure 3A-3C The block diagram is shown as including various components that can be configured according to various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the blocks shown may have different functions in different designs.

[0159] The various components of devices 302 , 304 , and 306 may communicate with one another via data buses 334 , 382 , and 392 , respectively. Figure 3A-3CThe components of can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A-3C The components may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or include at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide the functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). In addition, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 396 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed “by a UE,” “by a base station,” “by a positioning entity,” etc. However, it will be understood that such operations, actions and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components of the UE, base station, positioning entity, etc., or a combination of these components (such as processing systems 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memory components 340, 386 and 396, PRS triggering modules 342 and 388, etc.).

[0160] Figure 4A is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a DL frame structure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 4B is a diagram 430 illustrating an example of channels within a DL frame structure in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0161] LTE, and in some cases NR, uses OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR can also choose to use OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are often also called tones or bins. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In general, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal FFT size can be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth may also be divided into subbands. For example, one subband may cover 1.08 MHz (ie, 6 resource blocks), and for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands, respectively.

[0162] LTE supports a single parameter set (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple parameter sets. For example, subcarrier spacing of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, and 240kHz or larger may be available. Table 1 below lists the various parameters of some different NR parameter sets (numerology).

[0163]

[0164] Table 1

[0165] exist Figure 4A and Figure 4B In the 15kHz parameter set, a frame (e.g., 10ms) is divided into 10 equally sized subframes, each 1ms, and each subframe includes one time slot. Figure 4A and Figure 4B , time is represented horizontally (eg, on the X-axis), with time increasing from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (eg, on the Y-axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0166] A resource grid can be used to represent a time slot, each of which includes one or more time-parallel resource blocks (RBs) (also called physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE can correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. Figure 4A and Figure 4B In the parameter set for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 7 consecutive symbols in the time domain (OFDM symbols for DL ​​and SC-FDMA symbols for UL), for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB can contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 6 consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0167] like Figure 4A As shown, some of the REs carry DL reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. DL-RS may include a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), with exemplary locations at Figure 4A are marked as "R".

[0168] Figure 4B An example of various channels within a DL subframe of a frame is shown. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DL control information (DCI) within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE comprising nine RE groups (REGs), each REG comprising four consecutive REs in one OFDM symbol. The DCI carries information about UL resource allocations (persistent and non-persistent) and a description of the DL data being sent to the UE. Multiple (e.g., up to 8) DCIs can be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs can have one of a variety of formats. For example, there are different DCI formats for UL scheduling, non-MIMO DL scheduling, MIMO DL scheduling, and UL power control.

[0169] The UE uses the primary synchronization signal (PSS) to determine the subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification. The UE uses the secondary synchronization signal (SSS) to determine the physical layer cell identification group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identification and the physical layer cell identification group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the position of the aforementioned DL-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the MIB can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also known as SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the DL system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information that is not transmitted through the PBCH, such as system information blocks (SIBs) and paging messages.

[0170] In some cases, Figure 4A The DL RS shown in can be a downlink (DL) positioning reference signal (PRS). Figure 5 An exemplary DL PRS configuration 500 for a cell supported by a wireless node, such as base station 102, is shown. Figure 5 It shows how to use the system frame number (SFN), cell-specific subframe offset (Δ PRS )552 and DLPRS period (T PRS ) 520 to determine the DL PRS positioning opportunity. Typically, the cell-specific DL PRS subframe configuration is determined by the "PRS configuration index" included in the observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) assistance data. PRS As shown in Table 2 below, based on the DL PRS configuration index I PRS To define the DL PRS period (T PRS )520 and cell-specific subframe offset (Δ PRS ).

[0171]

[0172] Table 2-DL PRS Configuration

[0173] The DL PRS configuration is defined with reference to the SFN of the cell that transmits the DL PRS. PRS In the first subframe of a downlink subframe, the DL PRS instance can meet the following requirements:

[0174]

[0175] where n f is 0≤n f SFN ≤ 1023, n s is 0≤n s n ≤ 19 fThe timeslot number within the defined radio frame, T PRS is the DL PRS period 520, and Δ PRS It is the cell-specific subframe offset 552.

[0176] like Figure 5 As shown, the cell-specific subframe offset Δ may be defined based on the number of subframes transmitted starting from system frame number 0 (time slot '0', labeled as time slot 550) to the start of the first (subsequent) DL PRS positioning opportunity. PRS 552. Figure 5 In the example of FIG. 5 , the number of consecutive positioning subframes (N) in each of the consecutive DLPRS positioning opportunities 518a, 518b, and 518c is PRS ) is equal to 4. That is, each shaded block representing the DL PRS positioning opportunities 518a, 518b, and 518c represents four subframes.

[0177] In some aspects, when a UE receives a PRS configuration index I in OTDOA assistance data for a particular cell, PRS When , the UE can use Table 2 to determine the DL PRS period T PRS 520 and DL PRS subframe offset Δ PRS . The UE may then determine the radio frame, subframe, and time slot when scheduling the DL PRS in the cell (e.g., using equation (1)). The OTDOA assistance data may be determined, for example, by a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270) and include assistance data for a reference cell and several neighboring cells supported by various base stations.

[0178] Typically, DL PRS opportunities from all cells in the network using the same frequency are aligned in time and may have a fixed, known time offset (e.g., cell-specific subframe offset 552) relative to other cells in the network using different frequencies. In a SFN synchronous network, all wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102) may be aligned on both frame boundaries and system frame numbers. Thus, in a SFN synchronous network, for any particular frequency of DL PRS transmission, all cells supported by various wireless nodes may use the same PRS configuration index. On the other hand, in a SFN asynchronous network, various wireless nodes may be aligned on frame boundaries but not on system frame numbers. Thus, in a SFN asynchronous network, the PRS configuration index for each cell may be individually configured by the network so that the DL PRS opportunities are aligned in time.

[0179] If the UE can obtain the cell timing (e.g., SFN) of at least one cell (e.g., a reference cell or a serving cell), the UE can determine the timing of the DL PRS opportunities of the reference cell and neighboring cells for OTDOA positioning. The UE can then derive the timing of other cells based on the assumption that, for example, DL PRS opportunities from different cells overlap.

[0180] The set of resource elements used for DL ​​PRS transmission is called a "PRS resource". The set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and N (e.g., 1 or more) consecutive symbols 460 within a time slot 430 in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol 460, the DL PRS resources occupy consecutive PRBs. The DL PRS resources are described by at least the following parameters: a DL PRS resource identifier (ID), a sequence ID, a comb size N, a resource element offset in the frequency domain, a starting time slot and a starting symbol, the number of symbols per DL PRS resource (i.e., the duration of the DL PRS resource), and QCL information (e.g., QCL with other DL reference signals). In some designs, one antenna port is supported. The comb size indicates the number of subcarriers carrying the DL PRS in each symbol. For example, a comb size of comb-4 means that every fourth subcarrier in a given symbol carries a DL PRS.

[0181] A "PRS resource set" is a DL PRS resource set used for DL ​​PRS signal transmission, where each DLPRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, the DLPRS resources in the DLPRS resource set are associated with the same transmit-receive point (TRP). The PRS resource ID in the PRS resource set is associated with a single beam transmitted from a single TRP (wherein the TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each DLPRS resource in the DLPRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and therefore, a "PRS resource" can also be referred to as a "beam". Note that this has no effect on whether the UE knows the TRP and the beam on which the DL PRS is transmitted. A "DLPRS opportunity" is an example of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a group of one or more consecutive time slots) in which a DL PRS is expected to be transmitted. A DL PRS opportunity can also be referred to as a "DL PRS positioning opportunity", "positioning opportunity", or simply "opportunity".

[0182] Note that the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may sometimes refer to a specific reference signal used for positioning in LTE or NR systems. However, as used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS signals in LTE or NR, navigation reference signals (NRS) in 5G, transmitter reference signals (TRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), SSB, etc.

[0183] Uplink (UL) reference signals can also be configured as PRSs. For example, SRSs are uplink-only signals that the UE transmits to help the base station obtain channel state information (CSI) for each user. CSI describes how the RF signal propagates from the UE to the base station and represents the combined effects of scattering, fading, and power loss over distance. Systems use SRSs for resource scheduling, link adaptation, massive MIMO, beam management, and more.

[0184] Several enhancements to the previous definition of SRS have been proposed for SRS for positioning (SRS-P) (e.g., as used herein, SRS-P is an example of UL PRS), such as a new interleaving pattern within SRS resources, a new comb type for SRS, a new sequence for SRS, a larger number of SRS resource sets per component carrier, and a larger number of SRS resources per component carrier. In addition, the parameters "SpatialRelationInfo" and "PathLossReference" will be configured based on DLRS from neighboring TRPs. In addition, one SRS resource can be transmitted outside the active bandwidth part (BWP), and one SRS resource can span multiple component carriers. Finally, for UL-AoA, a UE can transmit over the same transmit beam from multiple SRS resources. All of these are additional features to the current SRS framework, which is configured through RRC high layer signaling (and potentially triggered or activated through MAC control elements (CEs) or downlink control information (DCI)).

[0185] As mentioned above, the SRS in NR is a UE-specifically configured reference signal transmitted by the UE for sounding the uplink radio channel. Similar to the CSI-RS, this sounding provides various levels of knowledge of the radio channel characteristics. At one extreme, the SRS can be used simply at the gNB to obtain signal strength measurements, for example, for UL beam management purposes. At the other extreme, the SRS can be used at the gNB to obtain detailed amplitude and phase estimates as a function of frequency, time, and space. In NR, channel sounding using SRS supports a more diverse set of use cases compared to LTE (e.g., downlink CSI acquisition for reciprocity-based gNB transmit beamforming (downlink MIMO)); uplink CSI acquisition for link adaptation; and codebook-based / non-codebook precoding for uplink MIMO, uplink beam management, etc.).

[0186] SRS can be configured using various options. The time / frequency mapping of SRS resources is defined by the following properties.

[0187] Duration N symb SRS - The duration of the SRS resource can be 1, 2 or 4 consecutive OFDM symbols within a slot, in contrast to LTE which only allows a single OFDM symbol per slot.

[0188] • Starting symbol position 10 - The starting symbol of the SRS resource can be located anywhere within the last 6 OFDM symbols of a slot, as long as the resource does not cross the end-of-slot boundary.

[0189] Repetition factor R - For SRS resources configured with frequency hopping, repetition allows the same set of subcarriers to be detected in R consecutive OFDM symbols before the next hop occurs (as used herein, "hop" refers specifically to frequency hopping). For example, the value of R is 1, 2, 4, where R ≤ N symb SRS .

[0190] Transmission comb spacing K TC and comb offset k TC - SRS resources can occupy resource elements (REs) of a frequency domain comb structure, where the comb spacing is 2 or 4 REs, as in LTE. This structure allows frequency domain multiplexing of different SRS resources for the same or different users on different combs, where different combs are offset from each other by an integer number of REs. The comb offset is defined relative to the PRB boundary and can take the range 0, 1, ..., K TC -1 RE value. Therefore, for the comb interval K TC = 2, if necessary, there are 2 different combs available for multiplexing, and for the comb spacing K TC=4, there are 4 different combs available.

[0191] • Period and slot offset in case of periodic / semi-persistent SRS.

[0192] • The detection bandwidth within the bandwidth section.

[0193] For low-latency positioning, the gNB may trigger PRS (e.g., UL PRS, such as UL SRS-P, DL PRS, RTT procedure including both UL PRS and DL PRS with Rx-Tx measurement, etc.) via DCI (e.g., the transmitted SRS-P may include repetitions or beam sweeping to enable several gNBs to receive the SRS-P). Alternatively, the gNB may send information about aperiodic PRS (e.g., UL PRS or DL ​​PRS) transmission to the UE (e.g., the configuration may include information about PRS from multiple gNBs to enable the UE to perform timing calculations for (UE-based) positioning or for (UE-assisted) reporting). Although various aspects of the present disclosure relate to DL PRS-based positioning procedures, some or all of these aspects may also be applicable to UL SRS-P-based (or more generally, UL PRS-based) positioning procedures.

[0194] Note that the terms "sounding reference signal", "SRS", and "SRS-P" may sometimes refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in LTE or NR systems. However, as used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms "sounding reference signal", "SRS", and "SRS-P" refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, SRS signals in LTE or NR, navigation reference signals (NRS) in 5G, transmitter reference signals (TRS), random access channel (RACH) signals used for positioning (e.g., RACH preambles, such as Msg-1 in a 4-step RACH process or Msg-A in a 2-step RACH process), etc.

[0195] 3GPP Release 16 introduces various NR positioning aspects designed to improve the position accuracy of positioning schemes that involve measurements associated with one or more UL or DL ​​PRSs (e.g., higher bandwidth (BW), FR2 beam scanning, angle-based measurements such as angle of arrival (AoA) and angle of departure (AoD) measurements, multi-cell round trip time (RTT) measurements, etc.). If latency reduction is a priority, UE-based positioning techniques are typically used (e.g., DL-only techniques without UL position measurement reporting). However, if latency is less important, UE-assisted positioning techniques can be used, whereby UE-measured data is reported to a network entity (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, etc.). By implementing LMF in the RAN, the latency associated with UE-assisted positioning techniques can be reduced to some extent.

[0196] Layer 3 (L3) signaling (e.g., RRC or Position Positioning Protocol (LPP)) is typically used to transmit reports that include location-based data associated with UE-assisted positioning techniques. Compared to Layer 1 (L1 or PHY layer) signaling or Layer 2 (L2 or MAC layer) signaling, L3 signaling is associated with relatively high latency (e.g., above 100 ms). In some cases, lower latency (e.g., less than 100 ms, less than 10 ms, etc.) may be desired between the UE and the RAN for location-based reporting. In such cases, L3 signaling may not be able to achieve these lower latency levels. L3 signaling for positioning measurements may include any combination of the following:

[0197] One or more TOA, TDOA, RSRP or Rx-Tx measurements,

[0198] One or more AoA / AoD (e.g., currently only gNB->LMF is allowed to report DL AoA and UL AoD) measurements,

[0199] One or more multipath reporting measurements, e.g., per-path ToA, RSRP, AoA / AoD (e.g., currently only per-path ToA is allowed in LTE)

[0200] One or more motion states (e.g., walking, driving, etc.) and trajectories (e.g., current for the UE), and / or

[0201] • One or more report quality indicators.

[0202] Recently, consideration has been given to using L1 and L2 signaling in conjunction with DL PRS-based reporting. For example, L1 and L2 signaling are currently used in some systems to transmit CSI reports (e.g., reports of channel quality indication (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), layer indicator (LIS), L1-RSRP, etc.). A CSI report may include a set of fields in a predefined order (e.g., defined by the relevant standard). A single UL transmission (e.g., on PUSCH or PUCCH) may include multiple reports, referred to herein as "sub-reports", which are arranged according to a predefined priority (e.g., defined by the relevant standard). In some designs, the predefined order may be based on the associated sub-report periodicity (e.g., aperiodic / semi-persistent / periodic (A / SP / P) on PUSCH / PUCCH), the measurement type (e.g., L1-RSRP or non-L1-RSRP), the serving cell index (e.g., in the case of carrier aggregation (CA)), and the reportconfigID. With 2-part CSI reporting, all reported part 1s are grouped together, while part 2s are grouped separately, and each group is encoded separately (e.g., the part 1 payload size is fixed based on configuration parameters, while the part 2 size is variable and depends on the configuration parameters and the associated part 1 content). The number of coded bits / symbols to be output after coding and rate matching is calculated based on the number of input bits and a beta factor according to the relevant standard. A link (e.g., time offset) is defined between the instance of the measured RS and the corresponding report. In some designs, CSI-like reporting of DL PRS-based measurement data can be implemented using L1 and L2 signaling.

[0203] Figure 6 An exemplary wireless communication system 600 is shown in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 6 In the example of UE604 (which may correspond to the above reference Figure 1 Any UE described (e.g., UE 104, UE 182, UE 190, etc.) is attempting to calculate an estimate of its location, or assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating an estimate of its location. UE 604 may wirelessly communicate with a plurality of base stations 602a-602d (collectively, base stations 602) using RF signals and standardized protocols for RF signal modulation and information packet exchange, which may correspond to Figure 1By extracting different types of information from the exchanged RF signals and utilizing the layout of the wireless communication system 600 (i.e., base station locations, geometry, etc.), the UE 604 can determine its position in a predefined reference coordinate system, or assist in determining its position. In one aspect, the UE 604 can use a two-dimensional coordinate system to specify its position; however, the aspects disclosed herein are not limited thereto and may also be adapted to use a three-dimensional coordinate system to determine position if additional dimensions are required. Furthermore, although Figure 6 One UE 604 and four base stations 602 are shown, but it should be understood that there may be more UEs 604 and more or fewer base stations 602.

[0204] To support position estimation, the base station 602 can be configured to broadcast reference RF signals (e.g., DLPRS, cell-specific reference signal (CRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), synchronization signal, etc.) to UEs 604 in its coverage area to enable the UEs 604 to measure the reference RF signal timing difference (e.g., OTDOA or RSTD) between a pair of network nodes and / or identify the beam that best excites the LOS or shortest radio path between the UE 604 and the transmitting base station 602. Identifying LOS / shortest path beams is of interest not only because these beams can then be used for OTDOA measurements between a pair of base stations 602, but also because identifying these beams can directly provide some positioning information based on the beam direction. In addition, these beams can then be used for other position estimation methods that require accurate ToA, such as methods based on round-trip time estimation.

[0205] As used herein, a "network node" may be a base station 602, a cell of a base station 602, a remote radio head, an antenna of a base station 602 where the antenna of the base station 602 is located differently from the base station 602 itself, or any other network entity capable of transmitting a reference signal. Furthermore, as used herein, a "node" may refer to a network node or a UE.

[0206] A location server (e.g., location server 230) may send assistance data to UE 604, including identification of one or more neighboring cells of base station 602 and configuration information for a reference RF signal transmitted by each neighboring cell. Alternatively, the assistance data may originate directly from base station 602 itself (e.g., in a periodically broadcast overhead message, etc.). Alternatively, UE 604 may detect neighboring cells of base station 602 itself without using assistance data. UE 604 (e.g., based in part on the assistance data, if provided) may measure and (optionally) report OTDOA from various network nodes and / or RSTD between reference RF signals received from pairs of network nodes. Using these measurements and the known location of the measured network node (i.e., base station 602 or antenna that transmitted the reference RF signal measured by UE 604), UE 604 or the location server may determine the distance between UE 604 and the measured network node, thereby calculating the location of UE 604.

[0207] As used herein, the term "position estimate" refers to an estimate of the location of the UE 604, which may be geographic (e.g., may include latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude) or urban (e.g., may include a street address, a building name, or a precise point or area within or near a building or street address, such as a specific entrance to a building, a specific room or suite in a building, or a landmark such as a town square). A position estimate may also be referred to as a "location / position," "fix," "location / position fix," "location estimate," "position estimate," or other terms. The means of obtaining a position estimate may generally be referred to as "positioning / locating" or "position fix." A specific solution for obtaining a position estimate may be referred to as a "position solution." As part of a position solution, a specific method for obtaining a position estimate may be referred to as a "position method" or "positioning method."

[0208] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmission point or multiple physical transmission points, which may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical transmission point, the physical transmission point may be an antenna of a base station (e.g., base station 602) corresponding to a cell of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical transmission points, the physical transmission points may be an antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a MIMO system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical transmission points, the physical transmission points may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical transmission point may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE (e.g., UE 604), as well as a neighboring base station whose reference RF signal the UE is measuring. Thus, Figure 6 The diagram shows an aspect where base stations 602a and 602b form a DAS / RRH 620. For example, base station 602a can be a serving base station for UE 604, while base station 602b can be a neighboring base station for UE 604. Thus, base station 602b can be an RRH for base station 602a. Base stations 602a and 602b can communicate with each other via a wired or wireless link 622.

[0209] In order to accurately determine the position of UE 604 using OTDOA and / or RSTD between RF signals received from a pair of network nodes, UE 604 needs to measure a reference RF signal received via a LOS path (or the shortest NLOS path when the LOS path is not available) between UE 604 and a network node (e.g., base station 602, antenna). However, RF signals propagate not only via the LOS / shortest path between a transmitter and a receiver, but also via multiple other paths as the RF signal spreads from the transmitter and is reflected by other objects (such as mountains, buildings, water, etc.) on the way to the receiver. Therefore, Figure 6 6. A plurality of LOS paths 610 and a plurality of NLOS paths 612 between a base station 602 and a UE 604 are shown. Specifically, Figure 6 Base station 602a is shown transmitting via LOS path 610a and NLOS path 612a, base station 602b is shown transmitting via LOS path 610b and two NLOS paths 612b, base station 602c is shown transmitting via LOS path 610c and NLOS path 612c, and base station 602d is shown transmitting via two NLOS paths 612d. Figure 6As shown, each NLOS path 612 reflects off some objects 630 (e.g., buildings). It should be understood that each LOS path 610 and NLOS path 612 transmitted by base station 602 can be transmitted by different antennas of base station 602 (e.g., as in a MIMO system) or can be transmitted by the same antenna of base station 602 (thereby illustrating the propagation of RF signals). In addition, as used herein, the term "LOS path" refers to the shortest path between a transmitter and a receiver, and may not be the actual LOS path, but rather the shortest NLOS path.

[0210] In one aspect, one or more of the base stations 602 can be configured to transmit RF signals using beamforming. In this case, some of the available beams can focus the transmitted RF signal along the LOS path 610 (e.g., the beams produce the highest antenna gain along the LOS path), while other available beams can focus the transmitted RF signal along the NLOS path 612. A beam that has high gain along a particular path and therefore focuses the RF signal along that path may still have some RF signal propagating along other paths; the strength of that RF signal naturally depends on the beam gain along those other paths. An "RF signal" comprises an electromagnetic wave that conveys information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter can transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, as further described below, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver can receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal.

[0211] In the case where the base station 602 uses beamforming to transmit RF signals, the beam of interest for data communication between the base station 602 and the UE 604 will be the beam carrying the RF signal that arrives at the UE 604 with the highest signal strength (e.g., as indicated by received signal received power (RSRP) or SINR in the presence of a directional interfering signal), while the beam of interest for position estimation will be the beam carrying the RF signal that excites the shortest path or LOS path (e.g., LOS path 610). In some frequency bands and for commonly used antenna systems, these will be the same beam. However, in other frequency bands, such as mmW, where a large number of antenna elements can typically be used to create narrow transmit beams, they may not be the same beam. As described below with reference Figure 7 As depicted, in some cases (eg, due to obstacles) the signal strength of the RF signal on the LOS path 610 may be weaker than the signal strength of the RF signal on the NLOS path 612 where the RF signal arrives later due to propagation delay.

[0212] Figure 7An exemplary wireless communication system 700 is shown in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 7 In the example, it can correspond to Figure 6 The UE 704 of the UE 604 in FIG. 7 is attempting to calculate an estimate of its location, or assist another entity (e.g., a base station or core network component, another UE, a location server, a third-party application, etc.) in calculating an estimate of its location. The UE 704 may communicate with the base station 702 (which may correspond to a UE 604) using RF signals and standardized protocols for RF signal modulation and information packet exchange. Figure 6 Wireless communication with one of the base stations 602 in the system.

[0213] like Figure 7 As shown, base station 702 is utilizing beamforming to transmit multiple beams 711-715 of RF signals. Each beam 711-715 may be formed and transmitted by an antenna array of base station 702. Figure 7 Base station 702 is shown transmitting five beams 711-715, but it will be understood that there may be more or less than five beams, that beam shapes such as peak gain, width, and sidelobe gain may differ between the transmitted beams, and that some of the beams may be transmitted by different base stations.

[0214] A beam index can be assigned to each of the multiple beams 711-715 to distinguish between RF signals associated with one beam and RF signals associated with another beam. In addition, the RF signal associated with a particular beam in the multiple beams 711-715 can carry a beam index indicator. The beam index can also be derived from the transmission time of the RF signal (e.g., frame, time slot and / or number of OFDM symbols). The beam index indicator can be, for example, a three-bit field used to uniquely distinguish up to eight beams. If two different RF signals with different beam indices are received, this will indicate that the RF signals are sent using different beams. If two different RF signals share a common beam index, this will indicate that the different RF signals are sent using the same beam. Another way to describe that two RF signals are sent using the same beam is to say that the antenna port used for transmission of the first RF signal is spatially quasi-co-located with the antenna port used for transmission of the second RF signal.

[0215] exist Figure 7 In the example of FIG, UE 704 receives NLOS data stream 723 where the RF signal is transmitted on beam 713 and LOS data stream 724 where the RF signal is transmitted on beam 714. Figure 7NLOS data stream 723 and LOS data stream 724 are shown as single lines (dashed and solid, respectively), but it will be appreciated that, due to, for example, the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, NLOS data stream 723 and LOS data stream 724 may each comprise multiple rays (i.e., "clusters") upon reaching UE 704. For example, clusters of RF signals are formed when electromagnetic waves reflect from multiple surfaces of an object, and the reflections arrive at a receiver (e.g., UE 704) from approximately the same angle, with each reflection propagating a few wavelengths (e.g., centimeters) more or less than the other reflections. A "cluster" of received RF signals generally corresponds to a single transmitted RF signal.

[0216] exist Figure 7 In the example of FIG. 7 , the NLOS data stream 723 is not initially directed to the UE 704, although as will be appreciated, it may be directed to the UE 704, such as Figure 6 7. FIG. 7 shows an RF signal along NLOS path 612 in FIG. 1 . However, it is reflected by reflector 740 (e.g., a building) and reaches UE 704 unimpeded, and therefore may still be a relatively strong RF signal. In contrast, LOS data stream 724 is directed toward UE 704 but passes through obstacles 730 (e.g., vegetation, buildings, mountains, interfering environments such as clouds or smoke, etc.), which may significantly weaken the RF signal. As will be appreciated, although LOS data stream 724 is weaker than NLOS data stream 723, LOS data stream 724 will reach UE 704 before NLOS data stream 723 because it follows a shorter path from base station 702 to UE 704.

[0217] As described above, the beam of interest for data communication between a base station (e.g., base station 702) and a UE (e.g., UE 704) is the beam that carries the RF signal that reaches the UE with the highest signal strength (e.g., the highest RSRP or SINR), while the beam of interest for position estimation is the beam (e.g., beam 714) that carries the RF signal that excites the LOS path and has the highest gain along the LOS path among all other beams. That is, even if beam 713 (NLOS beam) excites the LOS path weakly (even if it is not focused along the LOS path due to the propagation characteristics of the RF signal), the weak signal (if any) of the LOS path of beam 713 may not be reliably detected (compared to the signal from the LOS path of beam 714), thereby resulting in a larger error when performing positioning measurements.

[0218] The beam of interest for data communication and the beam of interest for position estimation may be the same beam for some frequency bands, but may not be the same beam for other frequency bands (such as mmW). Figure 7, in the case where UE 704 is engaged in a data communication session with base station 702 (e.g., where base station 702 is the serving base station for UE 704) and does not simply attempt to measure the reference RF signal transmitted by base station 702, the beam of interest for the data communication session may be beam 713 because it carries the unobstructed NLOS data stream 723. However, the beam of interest for position estimation would be beam 714 because it carries the strongest LOS data stream 724, despite being obstructed.

[0219] Figure 8A FIG800 is a diagram illustrating the variation of RF channel response at a receiver (eg, UE 704) over time in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 8A In the channel shown, the receiver receives a first cluster of two RF signals on the channel tap at time T1, a second cluster of five RF signals on the channel tap at time T2, a third cluster of five RF signals on the channel tap at time T3, and a fourth cluster of four RF signals on the channel tap at time T4. Figure 8A In the example shown in FIG, because the first cluster of RF signals arrives first at time T1, it is assumed to be a LOS data stream (i.e., a data stream that arrives via LOS or the shortest path) and may correspond to LOS data stream 724. The third cluster at time T3 consists of the strongest RF signal and may correspond to NLOS data stream 723. From the transmitter side, each cluster of received RF signals may include RF signal portions transmitted at different angles, so each cluster may be said to have a different angle of departure (AoD) relative to the transmitter. Figure 8B FIG800B is a diagram illustrating this separation of clusters on AoD. The RF signal transmitted in AoD range 802a may correspond to Figure 8A The RF signal transmitted in the AoD range 802b may correspond to one of the clusters (e.g., “cluster 1”) in the AoD range 802b. Figure 8A different clusters in (e.g., "Cluster 3"). Note that although Figure 8B The AoD ranges of the two clusters depicted in are spatially isolated, but the AoD ranges of some clusters may also partially overlap, even if the clusters are separated in time. This may occur, for example, when two separate buildings at the same AoD relative to the transmitter reflect the signal to the receiver. Note that although Figure 8A Clusters of two to five channel taps (or "peaks") are shown, but it will be understood that the clusters may have more or fewer channel taps than shown.

[0220] RAN1 NR may define UE measurements of DL reference signals (e.g., for serving, reference, and / or neighbor cells) applicable to NR positioning, including DL reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement for NR positioning, DL RSRP measurement for NR positioning, and UE Rx-Tx (e.g., hardware group delay from signal reception at the UE receiver to response signal transmission at the UE transmitter, e.g., time difference measurements such as RTT for NR positioning).

[0221] RAN1 NR may define gNB measurements based on UL reference signals applicable to NR positioning, such as relative UL time of arrival (RTOA) for NR positioning, UL AoA measurements for NR positioning (e.g., including azimuth and zenith angle), UL RSRP measurements for NR positioning, and gNB Rx-Tx (e.g., hardware group delay from signal reception at the gNB receiver to response signal transmission at the gNB transmitter, e.g., time difference measurements such as RTT for NR positioning).

[0222] In some systems, a PRS configuration may be specified for periodic PRS rather than aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS. The PRS configuration for periodic PRS may be configured via L3 signaling (e.g., RRC signaling). In some systems, aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS may be implemented and triggered via L1 or L2 signaling, for example:

[0223]

[0224]

[0225] Table 3

[0226] Referring to Table 3, periodic PRS can be associated with L1 or L2 aperiodic, semi-periodic, or periodic (A / SP / P) reporting, where A / SP reporting is DCI-triggered or MAC-CE-triggered; semi-periodic PRS can be associated with L1 or L2 aperiodic reporting, where A / SP reporting is DCI-triggered or MAC-CE-triggered; and aperiodic PRS can be associated with L1 or L2 aperiodic reporting, where A reporting is DCI-triggered.

[0227] However, in some systems, even if a particular PRS configuration can be triggered via L1 / L2 signaling, the PRS configuration needs to be configured via L3 (e.g., RRC) signaling. Therefore, in order to switch from one PRS configuration to another, an L3 procedure is performed. One or more aspects are directed to maintaining multiple PRS configurations at a UE, whereby some of the PRS configurations do not need to be activated. An L1 or L2 message (e.g., DCI or MAC-CE) can be configured to indicate (or specify) one (or more) of the multiple PRS configurations so that an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS procedure is triggered according to the indicated PRS configuration. In this scenario, a new PRS configuration can be activated for the UE from a pre-stored PRS configuration, rather than based on an L3 session. These aspects can provide various technical advantages, such as improved spectral efficiency, less system overhead, less latency associated with establishing a positioning session, and the like.

[0228] Figure 9 An exemplary process 900 for wireless communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In one aspect, process 900 may be performed by a UE, such as any of the UEs described above (eg, UE 104, 302, etc.).

[0229] At 910, the UE 302 (e.g., receiver 312, receiver 322, memory 340, etc.) obtains a plurality of PRS configurations. In some designs, the plurality of PRS configurations may be downloaded to the UE 302 based on an L3 session (e.g., RRC signaling) with a network component (e.g., LMF) and then stored in the memory 340 at the UE 302. In some designs, the plurality of PRS configurations may include a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations (e.g., for TDOA measurement of a DL PRS at the UE 302) or a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations (e.g., for TDOA of a UL PRS at the gNB), or a combination thereof (e.g., both UL PRS and DL PRS for RTT measurement such as Rx-Tx).

[0230] At 920, the UE 302 (e.g., the receiver 312, the receiver 322, the memory 340, etc.) receives an L1 or L2 message indicating one of a plurality of PRS configurations. In some designs, the L1 or L2 message may be part of a DCI communication or a MAC-CE. For example, the plurality of PRS configurations may be stored in a list or table at the UE 302, and the L1 or L2 message may include an index or reference to a particular PRS configuration in the list or table. In some designs, the L1 or L2 message may indicate the plurality of PRS configurations.

[0231] At 930 , the UE 302 (eg, the WWAN transceiver 310 , the WLAN transceiver 320 , the sensor 344 , the PRS triggering module 340 , etc.) triggers an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0232] Figure 10 An exemplary process 1000 for wireless communications in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. In one aspect, process 1000 may be performed by a BS, such as any of the BSs described above (eg, BS 304, etc.).

[0233] At 1010, BS 304 (e.g., receiver 312, receiver 322, memory 340, etc.) optionally sends multiple PRS configurations to the UE. In some designs, 1010 is optional, as the UE may alternatively obtain the multiple PRS configurations via another BS. In some designs, the multiple PRS configurations may be downloaded to UE 302 via BS 304 acting as a relay based on an L3 session (e.g., RRC signaling) with a network component (e.g., LMF), and then stored in memory 340 at UE 302. In some designs, the multiple PRS configurations may include a set of DL PRS configurations (e.g., for TDOA measurements of DLPRS at UE 302) or a set of UL PRS configurations (e.g., for TDOA measurements of UL PRS at BS 304 and / or one or more other BSs), or a combination thereof (e.g., both UL PRS and DLPRS for RTT measurements such as Rx-Tx).

[0234] At 1020, the BS 304 (e.g., the receiver 312, the receiver 322, the memory 340, the PRS triggering module 388, etc.) sends an L1 or L2 message to the UE indicating one of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations to trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process. In some designs, the L1 or L2 message may be part of a DCI communication or a MAC-CE. For example, the plurality of PRS configurations may be stored in a list or table at the UE 302, and the L1 or L2 message may include an index or reference to a particular PRS configuration in the list or table. In some designs, the L1 or L2 message may indicate the plurality of PRS configurations.

[0235] At 1030, the BS 304 (e.g., the WWAN transceiver 350, the WLAN transceiver 360, etc.) performs an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration. In some designs, at 1030, the BS 304 may perform the entire aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration as scheduled. In other designs, the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process may be partially performed (e.g., the BS 304 decides to cancel the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process before an aperiodic PRS or after one or more instances of a semi-periodic PRS).

[0236] Figure 11 1 shows a DL PRS configuration 1100 according to one aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 11 In Figure 1, the first frequency band is associated with the PCell and SCells 1-3, and the second frequency band is associated with SCells 4-7. According to DL PRS configuration 1100, the PCell transmits DL PRS on FL1_1 and FL1_2, SCell 2 transmits DL PRS on FL2_1, and SCell 4 transmits DL PRS on FL2_1 and FL2_2. The UE measures the DL PRS and sends a PRS report via the uplink resource denoted as UL1. Although not explicitly shown, a similar configuration can also be specified for the UL PRS (e.g., SRS-P).

[0237] refer to Figure 9-10 As described above, multiple PRS configurations can be established via RRC signaling. In some designs, similar to CSI triggering (CSI-trigger), trigger states can be defined in RRC, such as [PRS-AperiodicTriggerStateList] and [PRS-SemiPersistentTriggerStateList]. Then, an L1 or L2 message can provide a reference to the trigger state in the listed trigger states that maps to a specific pre-stored PRS configuration.

[0238] refer to Figure 9-10In some designs, one or more of the PRS configurations may include a PRS reporting configuration for DL ​​PRS (e.g., DL PRS-only configuration). Even if the PRS process is A / SP, the PRS reporting configuration may be A / SP / P. In some designs, the PRS reporting configuration may specify the PUCCH cell and resource allocation (e.g., intra-carrier or cross-carrier scheduling), the PRS reporting type (e.g., RSTD, AoA, AoD, etc.), and / or the reporting time offset (e.g., if slot-based, the reporting time offset may depend on the FL CC parameter set). In some designs, the DL PRS-only configuration may specify parameters such as TDOA assistance data, PRS assistance data, position calculation assistance data, FL information, position calculation assistance data, TDOA error, trigger state index / reference, etc.

[0239] refer to Figure 9-10 In some designs, a PRS configuration may include a UL-only PRS configuration or a combined UL+DL PRS configuration. In some designs, for A / SP / PRTT-based positioning, a new PRS reporting configuration may be defined for the combined UL+DL PRS configuration (e.g., for Rx-Tx measurements). In an example, the PRS reporting configuration may specify the reporting cell identifier and resource allocation (e.g., frequency), the reporting type (e.g., TDOA, Rx-Tx, etc.), and the reporting time offset (e.g., if slot-based, the reporting time offset may depend on the FLCC parameter set). For the UL-only PRS configuration, parameters such as SRS resource information (e.g., resource set ID, maximum number of resources per set, etc.), aperiodic or semi-persistent, trigger state index / reference, etc. may be specified. For the combined UL+DL PRS configuration (e.g., RTT configuration), in addition to the parameters described above for DL-only PRS or UL-only PRS, parameters such as multi-RTT assistance data, multi-RTT error, etc. may also be specified.

[0240] refer to Figure 9-10In some legacy systems, RTT is required to be aligned with the PRS type. Specifically, a periodic UL PRS opportunity will need to be associated with a corresponding periodic DL PRS opportunity for Rx-Tx measurement; a semi-periodic UL PRS opportunity will need to be associated with a corresponding semi-periodic DL PRS opportunity for Rx-Tx measurement; and an aperiodic UL PRS opportunity will need to be associated with a corresponding aperiodic DL PRS opportunity for Rx-Tx measurement. Thus, an aperiodic DL PRS opportunity cannot be paired with a periodic UL PRS opportunity for RTT; a semi-periodic DL PRS opportunity cannot be paired with a periodic UL PRS opportunity for RTT, and so on. In contrast, some aspects of the present disclosure relate to RTT measurements (e.g., Rx-Tx measurements) with "mixed" PRS types (e.g., the DL PRS for RTT may be P / SP, while the UL PRS may be SP / A).

[0241] Figure 12 A hybrid PRS sequence 1200 is shown according to one aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 12 In

[0065] , a first SP / P PRS configuration is established for TDOA measurements. At time T, a trigger (e.g., via an L1 / L2 message) activates a second A / SP PRS configuration. If the first SP / P PRS configuration is for DL ​​PRS, the second A / SP PRS configuration is for UL PRS. Alternatively, if the first SP / P PRS configuration is for UL PRS, the second A / SP PRS configuration is for DL ​​PRS. In this case, there are two activated PRS configurations, and PRS opportunities or instances with both UL PRS and DL PRS are used for RTT, while only UL PRS or only DLPRS opportunities are used for TDOA. It should be understood that if the hybrid PRS sequence 1200 is from the perspective of the UE, the TDOA is the DL TDOA of the DLPRS, and if the hybrid PRS sequence 1200 is from the perspective of the gNB, the TDOA is the UL TDOA of the UL PRS.

[0242] Figure 13 A hybrid PRS sequence 1300 is shown according to another aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 13 In the TDOA configuration, only one PRS configuration is active for each PRS opportunity. Therefore, the TDOA PRS configuration is deactivated and replaced with the RTT configuration instead of Figure 12 Specifically, the periodic or semi-periodic TDOAPRS configuration is deactivated, after which the A / SP RTT PRS configuration is triggered at T0, and the A / SP TDOA PRS configuration is configured at T1. As will be appreciated, Figure 12-13In the hybrid PRS sequence 1200-1300, the actual TDOA and RTT processes are the same, but the triggering mechanisms are different.

[0243] Figure 14 FIG. 1 shows a PRS triggering sequence 1500 according to another aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 14 In the embodiment of the present invention, a single trigger (e.g., a single L1 / L2 message) can be used to reconfigure multiple PRS opportunities for RTT measurement and reporting. For example, a combined UL+DL PRS configuration (e.g., an RTT configuration) can include (i) an indication of a specific activated A / SP UL or DL ​​resource (e.g., a PRS opportunity, which may include a set of PRS resources) as shown at 1402, or (ii) an indication of an SP / P UL or DL ​​PRS configuration as shown at 1404. As will be understood, 1402 is an explicit reference to the A / SP PRS configuration to be activated, while 1404 is an implicit reference to the A / SP PRS configuration to be activated (e.g., a PRS opportunity, which may include a set of PRS resources) because the A / SP PRS configuration is activated by reference to an already activated SP / P UL or DL ​​PRS configuration.

[0244] refer to Figure 9-10 , the indicated PRS configuration may be associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration. A MG is a period in which UL / DL data traffic or control signaling (e.g., on a specific frequency band, CC, FL, or FR) is not permitted so that specific measurements (such as DL PRS measurements) may be performed. In some designs, a list of MG configurations may be predefined per RRC. The optional MG index field may be part of one or more PRS configurations stored at the UE. In this case, the PRS configuration may reference a specific MG configuration. In this case, when the PRS process is triggered via an L1 / L2 message (e.g., DCI or MAC-CE), the offset may be defined by the MG configuration of the starting point of the specified MG (relative to the L1 / L2 message) or the DL PRS starting point within the MG (relative to the L1 / L2). Figure 15 1500 is shown in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure. Figure 15 , DL PRS from various cells are received at 1502 within the MG. The DL PRS process is triggered via an L1 / L2 message at time T. Via the associated MG configuration, an offset 1504 to the MG starting point T1 may be indicated, or alternatively, an offset 1506 to the DL PRS starting point T2 may be indicated.

[0245] Although some aspects of the present disclosure are described above with respect to a 5G NR system, it should be understood that these aspects are applicable in some cases to other systems, such as a traditional 4G LTE system.

[0246] In the above detailed description, it can be seen that different features are combined together in the examples. This disclosure should not be understood as meaning that the example clauses have more features than those explicitly mentioned in each clause. On the contrary, various aspects of the present disclosure may include less than all the features of the disclosed single example clause. Therefore, the following clauses should be considered to be included in the specification, where each clause itself can serve as a separate example. Although each dependent clause may be referenced in a clause in a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the aspects of the dependent clause are not limited to that specific combination. It should be understood that other example clauses may also include combinations of various aspects of the dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause, or combinations of any features with other dependent clauses and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations, unless it is expressly expressed or can be easily inferred that it is not directed to a specific combination (for example, contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as an insulator and a conductor). In addition, it is also intended that various aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if the clause is not directly subordinate to the independent clause.

[0247] Example implementations are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0248] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the specification may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0249] Clause 1. A method of operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: obtaining a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations; receiving an L1 or L2 message indicating one of the plurality of PRS configurations; and triggering an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0250] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the obtaining comprises configuring the plurality of PRS configurations via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0251] Clause 3. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 2, wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of combined UL PRS configurations and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0252] Clause 4. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on a time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0253] Clause 5. The method of clause 4, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, associated with only one of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0254] Clause 6. The method of clause 5, wherein the other PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0255] Clause 7. The method of clause 6, wherein the another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0256] Clause 8. A method according to any of clauses 1 to 7, wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0257] Clause 9. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 8, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0258] Clause 10. The method of clause 9, wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0259] Clause 11. A method of operating a base station, comprising: sending an L1 or L2 message indicating one of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations to a user equipment (UE) to trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process; and performing the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0260] Clause 12. The method of clause 11, further comprising: sending the plurality of PRS configurations to the UE.

[0261] Clause 13. The method of clause 12, wherein the plurality of PRS configurations are transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0262] Clause 14. A method according to any of clauses 11 to 13, wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of combined UL PRS configurations and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0263] Clause 15. The method of any of clauses 11 to 14, wherein the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on a time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0264] Clause 16. The method of clause 15, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, associated with only one of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0265] Clause 17. The method of clause 16, wherein the other PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0266] Clause 18. The method of clause 17, wherein the another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0267] Clause 19. A method according to any of clauses 11 to 18, wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0268] Clause 20. The method of clause 19, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0269] Clause 21. The method of clause 20, wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0270] Clause 22. A user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: obtain a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations; receive, via the at least one transceiver, an L1 or L2 message indicating one of the plurality of PRS configurations; and trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0271] Clause 23. The UE of clause 22, wherein the obtaining comprises configuring the plurality of PRS configurations via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0272] Clause 24. A UE according to any of clauses 22 to 23, wherein the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations comprise a set of combined UL PRS configurations and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0273] Clause 25. A UE according to any one of clauses 22 to 24, wherein the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on a time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0274] Clause 26. The UE of clause 25, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, associated with only one of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0275] Clause 27. The UE of clause 26, wherein the other PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0276] Clause 28. The UE of clause 27, wherein the another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0277] Clause 29. A UE according to any of clauses 22 to 28, wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0278] Clause 30. A UE according to any one of clauses 22 to 29, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0279] Clause 31. The UE of clause 30, wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0280] Clause 32. A base station comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: send an L1 or L2 message indicating one of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations to a user equipment (UE) via the at least one transceiver to trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process; and perform the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0281] Clause 33. The base station of clause 32, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: transmit a plurality of PRS configurations to the UE via the at least one transceiver.

[0282] Clause 34. The base station of clause 33, wherein the plurality of PRS configurations are transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0283] Clause 35. A base station according to any of clauses 32 to 34, wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of combined UL PRS configurations and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0284] Clause 36. A base station according to any of clauses 32 to 35, wherein the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on a time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0285] Clause 37. The base station of clause 36, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, associated with only one of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0286] Clause 38. The base station of clause 37, wherein the other PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0287] Clause 39. The base station of clause 38, wherein the another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0288] Clause 40. A base station according to any of clauses 32 to 39, wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0289] Clause 41. The base station of clause 40, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0290] Clause 42. The base station of clause 41, wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0291] Clause 43. A user equipment (UE), comprising: means for obtaining a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations; means for receiving an L1 or L2 message indicating one of the plurality of PRS configurations; and means for triggering an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0292] Clause 44. The UE of clause 43, wherein the obtaining comprises configuring the plurality of PRS configurations via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0293] Clause 45. A UE according to any of clauses 43 to 44, wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of combined UL PRS configurations and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0294] Clause 46. A UE according to any of clauses 43 to 45, wherein the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on a time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0295] Clause 47. The UE of clause 46, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, associated with only one of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0296] Clause 48. The UE of clause 47, wherein the other PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0297] Clause 49. The UE of clause 48, wherein the another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0298] Clause 50. A UE according to any of clauses 43 to 49, wherein the indicated PRS configuration comprises an explicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or wherein the indicated PRS configuration comprises an implicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0299] Clause 51. A UE according to any one of clauses 43 to 50, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0300] Clause 52. The UE of clause 51, wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0301] Clause 53. A base station comprising: means for sending an L1 or L2 message indicating one of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations to a user equipment (UE) to trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process; and means for performing the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0302] Clause 54. The base station of clause 53, further comprising: means for sending a plurality of PRS configurations to the UE.

[0303] Clause 55. The base station of clause 54, wherein the plurality of PRS configurations are transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0304] Clause 56. A base station according to any of clauses 53 to 55, wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the multiple PRS configurations include a set of combined UL PRS configurations and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0305] Clause 57. A base station according to any of clauses 53 to 56, wherein the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on a time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0306] Clause 58. The base station of clause 57, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, associated with only one of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0307] Clause 59. The base station of clause 58, wherein the other PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0308] Clause 60. The base station of clause 59, wherein the another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0309] Clause 61. A base station according to any of clauses 53 to 60, wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0310] Clause 62. The base station of clause 61, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0311] Clause 63. The base station of clause 62, wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0312] Clause 64. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: obtain a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations; receive an L1 or L2 message indicating one of the plurality of PRS configurations; and trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0313] Clause 65. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 64, wherein the obtaining comprises configuring the plurality of PRS configurations via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0314] Clause 66. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of clauses 64 to 65, wherein the plurality of PRS configurations comprises a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or wherein the plurality of PRS configurations comprises a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the plurality of PRS configurations comprises a set of combined UL PRS configurations and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0315] Clause 67. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 64 to 66, wherein the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on a time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0316] Clause 68. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 67, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL PRS-only configuration or a DL-only configuration, associated with only one of a DL PRS and a ULPRS.

[0317] Clause 69. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 68, wherein the other PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0318] Clause 70. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 69, wherein the another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0319] Clause 71. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of clauses 64 to 70, wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0320] Clause 72. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 64 to 71, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0321] Clause 73. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 72, wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0322] Clause 74. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a base station, cause the base station to: send an L1 or L2 message indicating one of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations to a user equipment (UE) to trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process; and perform the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process according to the indicated PRS configuration.

[0323] Clause 75. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 74, wherein the one or more instructions further cause the base station to: send a plurality of PRS configurations to the UE.

[0324] Clause 76. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 75, wherein the plurality of PRS configurations are transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0325] Clause 77. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of clauses 74 to 76, wherein the plurality of PRS configurations comprises a set of downlink (DL) PRS configurations, or wherein the plurality of PRS configurations comprises a set of uplink (UL) PRS configurations, or wherein the plurality of PRS configurations comprises a set of combined UL PRS configurations and DL PRS configurations, or a combination thereof.

[0326] Clause 78. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 74 to 77, wherein the aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on a time difference between a downlink (DL) PRS and an uplink (UL) PRS.

[0327] Clause 79. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 78, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a UL PRS-only configuration or a DL-only configuration, associated with only one of a DL PRS and a ULPRS.

[0328] Clause 80. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 79, wherein the other PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

[0329] Clause 81. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 80, wherein the another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

[0330] Clause 82. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any of clauses 74 to 81, wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or wherein the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS timing to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

[0331] Clause 83. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 82, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration.

[0332] Clause 84. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 83, wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a MG start time, or wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG.

[0333] In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above according to their functions. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed by the overall system. Technicians can implement the described functions in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as resulting in departure from the scope of this disclosure.

[0334] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0335] The methods, sequences and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be directly embodied in hardware, a software module executed by a processor, or a combination of the two. The software module may reside in a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated with the processor. The processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE). Alternatively, the processor and the storage medium may reside in a user terminal as discrete components.

[0336] In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium or sent via a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, and the communication media include any media that facilitates transferring a computer program from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the required program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. In addition, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is sent from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave), the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technology (such as infrared, radio, and microwave) can be included in the definition of the medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0337] Although the foregoing disclosure shows exemplary aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to the various aspects of the present disclosure described herein do not need to be performed in any particular order. In addition, although the elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural form may also be envisioned unless a limitation to the singular form is explicitly stated.

Claims

1. A method for operating a user equipment (UE), comprising: Obtaining multiple positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations; receiving an L1 or L2 message indicating one of a plurality of PRS configurations, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap MG configuration, The MG configuration indicates the offset between the L1 or L2 message and the MG start time, or wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG; and The aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is triggered according to the indicated PRS configuration.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The obtaining includes configuring a plurality of PRS configurations via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

3. The method according to claim 1, in, The multiple PRS configurations include a set of downlink DLPRS configurations, or The multiple PRS configurations include a set of uplink UL PRS configurations, or The multiple PRS configurations include a set of combined UL and DL PRS configurations, or A combination of them.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS procedure is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on the time difference between the downlink DLPRS and the uplink ULPRS.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The indicated PRS configuration is associated with either a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, or with only one of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: Another PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

8. The method according to claim 1, in, The indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS occasions to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or Therein, the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS occasions to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

9. A method of operating a base station, comprising: Sending an L1 or L2 message indicating one of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations to a user equipment (UE) to trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration, The MG configuration indicates the offset between the L1 or L2 message and the MG start time, or wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG; and An aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is performed according to the indicated PRS configuration.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: Multiple PRS configurations are sent to the UE.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The plurality of PRS configurations are transmitted via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

12. The method according to claim 9, in, The multiple PRS configurations include a set of downlink DLPRS configurations, or The multiple PRS configurations include a set of uplink UL PRS configurations, or The multiple PRS configurations include a set of combined UL and DL PRS configurations, or A combination of them.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS procedure is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on the time difference between the downlink DLPRS and the uplink ULPRS.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein The indicated PRS configuration is associated with either a UL-only PRS configuration or a DL-only configuration, or with only one of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein Another PRS configuration is associated with the other of the DL PRS and the UL PRS.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein The another PRS configuration is associated with a semi-periodic or periodic PRS process.

17. The method according to claim 9, in, The indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS occasions to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or Therein, the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS occasions to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

18. A user equipment (UE), comprising: at least one memory including instructions; at least one transceiver; as well as at least one processor, communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions so that the UE: Obtaining multiple positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations; receiving, via the at least one transceiver, an L1 or L2 message indicating one of a plurality of PRS configurations, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap MG configuration, The MG configuration indicates the offset between the L1 or L2 message and the MG start time, or wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG; and The aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is triggered according to the indicated PRS configuration.

19. The UE according to claim 18, in, The multiple PRS configurations include a set of downlink DLPRS configurations, or The multiple PRS configurations include a set of uplink UL PRS configurations, or The multiple PRS configurations include a set of combined UL and DL PRS configurations, or A combination of them.

20. The UE according to claim 18, wherein The aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS procedure is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on the time difference between the downlink DLPRS and the uplink ULPRS.

21. The UE according to claim 18, in, The indicated PRS configuration includes an explicit indication of the PRS occasions to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, or Therein, the indicated PRS configuration includes an implicit indication of the PRS occasions to be used for an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process.

22. A base station, comprising: at least one memory including instructions; at least one transceiver; as well as at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to execute the instructions to cause the base station to: sending, via the at least one transceiver, an L1 or L2 message indicating one of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations to a user equipment (UE) to trigger an aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process, wherein the indicated PRS configuration is associated with a corresponding measurement gap (MG) configuration; The MG configuration indicates the offset between the L1 or L2 message and the MG start time, or wherein the MG configuration indicates an offset between an L1 or L2 message and a PRS start time within the corresponding MG; and An aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS process is performed according to the indicated PRS configuration.

23. The base station according to claim 22, in, The multiple PRS configurations include a set of downlink DLPRS configurations, or The multiple PRS configurations include a set of uplink UL PRS configurations, or The multiple PRS configurations include a set of combined UL and DL PRS configurations, or A combination of them.

24. The base station according to claim 22, wherein: The aperiodic or semi-periodic PRS procedure is associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement based on the time difference between the downlink DLPRS and the uplink ULPRS.

25. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising means for performing the method of any one of claims 1-17.

26. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1-17.

27. A computer program product comprising computer instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 17.

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