Proximity-based prioritization of uplink and downlink positioning resources

Abstract

Various techniques for wireless communications are disclosed. In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) can receive, from a network entity, first information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources. The UE can receive, from a base station, second information identifying sounding reference signal (SRS) resources. The UE can select, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies a PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information. The UE can use the selected PRS resource at least for performing a UE Rx-Tx measurement. In another aspect, a network entity can transmit, to a UE, first information identifying PRS resources. The network entity can transmit, to the UE, second information specifying a number of PRS resources to be used by the UE at least for performing a UE Rx-Tx measurement.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to Indian Patent Application No. 202021045013 filed on October 15, 2020, entitled “PROXIMITY-BASED PRIORITIZATION OF UPLINK AND DOWNLINK POSITIONING RESOURCES,” which has been assigned to the assignee of this application and is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0003] Public background

[0004] 1. Public Domain

[0005] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless positioning.

[0006] 2. Description of Related Technologies

[0007] 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 and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data wireless service with Internet capabilities, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (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), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and the like.

[0008] The fifth generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), calls for 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 data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, and 1 gigabit per second to dozens of employees on an office floor. Hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported to support large sensor deployments. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly improved compared to the current 4G standard. In addition, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency should be significantly reduced compared to current standards. Summary of the Invention

[0009] The following provides a simplified overview of one or more aspects disclosed herein. Thus, the following overview should not be considered an exhaustive overview of all contemplated aspects, nor should it be considered to identify key or critical elements related to all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope associated with any particular aspect. Accordingly, the sole purpose of the following overview is to present certain concepts related to one or more aspects of the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form prior to the detailed description provided below.

[0010] In one aspect, a method for performing wireless communications by a user equipment (UE) includes: receiving first information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource from a network entity; receiving second information identifying a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource from a base station; selecting, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies a PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information; and using the selected PRS resource for at least performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0011] In one aspect, a method of performing wireless communications by a network entity includes: transmitting first information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources to a user equipment (UE); and transmitting second information to the UE specifying a number of PRS resources to be used by the UE to perform at least UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0012] 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: receive first information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource from a network entity via the at least one transceiver; receive second information identifying a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource from a base station via the at least one transceiver; select, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies a PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information; and use the selected PRS resource for at least performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0013] In one aspect, a network entity 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: transmit first information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources to a user equipment (UE) via the at least one transceiver; and transmit second information specifying a number of PRS resources to be used by the UE for at least performing UE Rx-Tx measurements to the UE via the at least one transceiver.

[0014] Other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in describing examples of one or more aspects of the disclosed subject matter and are provided solely for the purpose of illustrating the examples and not limiting thereof:

[0017] Figure 1

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

[0018] Figure 2A and 2B

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

[0019] Figure 3A 、 3B 3C are simplified block diagrams of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a user equipment (UE), a base station, and a network entity, respectively, and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0020] Figure 4A and 4B is a diagram illustrating example frame structures and channels within these frame structures in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 5 An example scenario is shown where the PRS occasions and the SRS occasions have different periods.

[0022] Figure 6

[0014] Example methods for proximity-based prioritization of UL and DL positioning resources in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0023] Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B 、 Figure 7C 、 Figure 7D and Figure 7E is a flow diagram illustrating portions of an example process associated with proximity-based prioritization of uplink and downlink positioning resources in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 8 is a flow diagram of another example process associated with proximity-based prioritization of uplink and downlink positioning resources in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Detailed description

[0026] Various aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description of various examples provided for illustrative purposes and in the related drawings. Alternative aspects may be designed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, well-known elements in the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0027] To overcome the technical shortcomings of the conventional systems and methods described above, a mechanism is proposed that can dynamically adjust (e.g., in response to environmental conditions) the bandwidth used by user equipment (UE) for positioning reference signals (PRS). For example, a UE receiver can indicate the conditions of the environment in which the UE is operating to a transmitting entity, and in response, the transmitting entity can adjust the PRS bandwidth.

[0028] The words "exemplary" and "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" 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.

[0029] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the information and signals described below 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 referred to throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or 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.

[0030] In addition, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein can be performed by dedicated circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. In addition, the sequences of actions described herein may be considered to be fully embodied within any form of non-transient computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that, upon execution, will cause or instruct an associated processor of a device to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in several different forms, all of which have been contemplated as falling within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each aspect described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described as, for example, "logic configured to perform the described actions."

[0031] As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise specified. In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet, a laptop, a tracking device, a wearable device (e.g., a smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, 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 on a wireless communication network. A UE can be mobile or can be stationary (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT," "client device," "wireless device," "subscriber device," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal" (UT), "mobile device," "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 other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network, to the Internet, or to both are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (eg, based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), and the like.

[0032] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs to communicate with UEs, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be referred to interchangeably as an access point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), new radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), etc. A base station may be primarily used to support wireless access by UEs, including supporting data, voice, signaling connections, or various combinations thereof for the supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may provide pure edge node signaling functions, while in other systems, a base station may provide additional control functions, network management functions, or both. The communication link by which a UE may send signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link by which a base station may send signals to a UE is called 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) can refer to either an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0033] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit receive point (TRP) or may refer to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be the base station antenna corresponding to the cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be the antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and a neighbor base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signal (or simply "reference signal") the UE is measuring. Since a TRP is the point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmissions from or receptions at a base station should be understood as references to the specific TRP of that base station.

[0034] In some implementations that support UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access for the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, signaling connections, or various combinations thereof for the UE), but may instead transmit a reference signal to the UE to be measured by the UE, may receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE, or both. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning tower (e.g., when transmitting signals to the UE), a position measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring signals from the UE), or both.

[0035] An "RF signal" comprises an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of each RF signal through a multipath channel, the receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted over different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a "wireless signal" or simply a "signal," where the context clearly indicates whether the term "signal" refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0036] Figure 1An exemplary wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects is illustrated. 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), small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations), or both. In one aspect, the macrocell base stations may include eNBs, ng-eNBs, or both (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or gNBs (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, and the like.

[0037] The base stations 102 may collectively form a radio access network (RAN) and interface with a core network 108 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)) via a backhaul link 110, and may be connected to one or more location servers 112 (which may be part of the core network 108 or external to the core network 108) via the core network 108. Among other functions, the base stations 102 may also perform functions related to one or more of communicating user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of alert messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC / 5GC) via a backhaul link 114 (which may be wired or wireless).

[0038] Base stations 102 may communicate wirelessly with UEs 104. Each base station 102 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 116. In one aspect, one or more cells may be supported by base station 102 in each geographic coverage area 116. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., on a certain frequency resource, referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI), a cell global identifier (CGI)) to distinguish between cells operating on the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other) that may provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" may refer to either or both the logical communication entity and the base station supporting the logical communication entity, depending on the context. Additionally, because a TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" may be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) of a base station, in the sense that a carrier frequency may be detected and used for communications within a portion of the geographic coverage area 116.

[0039] Although the geographic coverage areas 116 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover region), some geographic coverage areas 116 may be substantially overlapped by a larger geographic coverage area 116. For example, a small cell base station 102' may have a coverage area 116' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage areas 116 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home eNB (HeNB), which may provide service to a restricted group known as a closed subscriber group (CSG).

[0040] The communication link 118 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink (also known as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102, downlink (also known as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104, or both. The communication link 118 may utilize MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, transmit diversity, or various combinations thereof. The communication link 118 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink than to the uplink).

[0041] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 120 in communication with a WLAN station (STA) 122 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz) via a communication link 124. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 122, the WLAN AP 120, or various combinations thereof may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure to determine whether a channel is available before communicating.

[0042] Small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed or unlicensed spectrum, or both. When operating in unlicensed spectrum, small cell base station 102' can employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum used by WLAN AP 120. Small cell base station 102' employing LTE / 5G in unlicensed spectrum can boost access network coverage, increase access network capacity, or both. NR in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0043] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 126 that can operate in mmW frequencies, near-mmW frequencies, or a combination thereof to communicate with the UE 128. Extremely high frequencies (EHF) are part of the RF spectrum in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this frequency band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW frequencies extend down to 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 mm. Super high frequency (SHF) frequency bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communications using mmW / near-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and a relatively short range. The mmW base station 126 and the UE 128 may utilize beamforming (transmit, receive, or both) on the mmW communication link 130 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it will be appreciated that, in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near-mmW frequencies along with beamforming. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the foregoing explanation is merely an example, and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0044] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a specific direction. Conventionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). Using transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing the receiving device with a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal. In order to change the directionality of the RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters that are broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an antenna array (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that generates a beam of RF waves that can be "steered" in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, the RF currents from the transmitters are fed to the individual antennas in the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas add together in the desired direction to increase radiation, and cancel out in the undesired direction to suppress radiation.

[0045] The transmit beams can be quasi-colocated, which means 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-colocated (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about the second reference RF signal on the second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Therefore, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver may use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0046] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify the RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver may increase the gain setting of the antenna array, adjust the phase setting of the antenna array, or a combination thereof in a particular direction to amplify the RF signal received from that direction (e.g., increase its gain level). Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in that direction for all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc.) for the RF signal received from that direction.

[0047] The receive beams may be spatially correlated. The spatial relationship means that the parameters of the transmit beam for the second reference signal may be derived from information about the receive beam of the first reference signal. For example, a UE may receive one or more reference downlink reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signal (PRS), narrowband reference signal (NRS), tracking reference signal (TRS), phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), cell-specific reference signal (CRS), channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), synchronization signal block (SSB), etc.) from a base station using a specific receive beam. The UE may then form a transmit beam based on the parameters of the receive beam for sending one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., uplink positioning reference signal (UL-PRS), sounding reference signal (SRS), demodulation reference signal (DMRS), PTRS, etc.) to the base station.

[0048] Note that depending on the entity forming the "downlink" beam, the beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE is forming a downlink beam, the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving downlink reference signals. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the "uplink" beam, the beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if the UE is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0049] In 5G, the spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 126, UEs 104 / 128) operate is divided into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi-carrier system (such as 5G), one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell," and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells." In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 128 and on the cell in which the UE 104 / 128 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common control channels as well as UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). A secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier and can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals; for example, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier because both the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 128 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 / 128 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on the different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier that a base station is using for communication, the terms "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. may be used interchangeably.

[0050] For example, still referring to Figure 1 One of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102, the mmW base station 126, or a combination thereof may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission, reception, or both of multiple carriers enables the UE 104 / 128 to significantly increase its data transmission rate, reception rate, or both. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0051] The wireless communication system 100 may further include one or more UEs (such as UE 132) that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) or peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as “side links”). Figure 1 In the example shown in FIG1 , UE 132 has a D2D P2P link 134 with one UE 104 connected to one base station 102 (e.g., through which UE 132 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with a WLAN STA 122 connected to a WLAN AP 120 (through which UE 132 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one example, D2D P2P link 134 and D2D P2P link 136 can use any well-known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), etc.) to support.

[0052] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a UE 138 that may communicate with the macrocell base station 102 over the communication link 118, with the mmW base station 126 over the mmW communication link 130, or a combination thereof. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 138, and the mmW base station 126 may support one or more SCells for the UE 138.

[0053] Figure 2A An example wireless network architecture 200 according to various aspects is illustrated. For example, 5GC 210 (also referred to as Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally considered to include control plane functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which operate in conjunction to form a core network. User plane interface (NG-U) 213 and control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNB 222 to 5GC 210, and in particular to control plane functions 214 and user plane functions 212. In additional configurations, ng-eNB 224 can also connect to 5GC 210 via NG-C 215 to control plane functions 214 and NG-U 213 to user plane functions 212. Furthermore, ng-eNB 224 can communicate directly with gNB 222 via backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include both one or more ng-eNBs 224 and one or more gNBs 222. The gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 may communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 204). Another optional aspect may include a location server 112 that may be in communication with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance for the UE 204. The location server 112 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively may each correspond to a single server. The location server 112 may be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which may be connected to the location server 112 via the core network (5GC 210), via the Internet (not illustrated), or via both. Furthermore, the location server 112 may be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively may be external to the core network.

[0054] Figure 2B Another example wireless network architecture 250 according to various aspects is illustrated. For example, the 5GC 260 can be functionally considered to include control plane functions (provided by the access and mobility management function (AMF) 264) and user plane functions (provided by the user plane function (UPF) 262), which operate in conjunction to form the core network (i.e., the 5GC 260). The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the ng-eNB 224 to the 5GC 260, and in particular to the UPF 262 and AMF 264, respectively. In additional configurations, the gNB 222 can also connect to the 5GC 260 via a control plane interface 265 to the AMF 264 and a user plane interface 263 to the UPF 262. Furthermore, the ng-eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 via a backhaul connection 223, with or without direct gNB connectivity to the 5GC 260. In some configurations, the new RAN 220 may have only one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include both one or more ng-eNBs 224 and one or more gNBs 222. The gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224 may communicate with the UE 204 (e.g., Figure 1 The base stations of the new RAN 220 communicate with the AMF 264 via the N2 interface and with the UPF 262 via the N3 interface.

[0055] The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between the UE 204 and the session management function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and the short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with the authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204 and receives intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF 264 also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF, which are used by the SCM to derive keys that vary depending on the access network. The functionality of the AMF 264 also includes location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as the location server 112), transmission of location service messages 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 264 also supports functionality for non-3GPP access networks.

[0056] The functions of the UPF 262 include: serving as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), serving as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to 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, quality of service (QoS) handling for the user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in the downlink), uplink traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and sending and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support the transmission of location service messages on the user plane between the UE 204 and a location server (such as a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP) 272).

[0057] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, traffic steering configuration for routing traffic to the correct destination at the UPF 262, partial control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface that the SMF 266 uses to communicate with the AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0058] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270 that can be in communication with the 5GC 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 spread 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 (5GC 260), via the Internet (not illustrated), or via both. The SLP 272 may support similar functionality as the LMF 270, but whereas the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, the new RAN 220, and the UE 204 on the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols designed to convey signaling messages rather than voice or data messages), the SLP 272 may communicate with the UE 204 and external clients (e.g., using protocols designed to carry voice or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP) on the user plane. Figure 2B Communicate with the

[0059] In one aspect, the LMF 270, SLP 272, or both may be integrated into a base station, such as a gNB 222 or an ng-eNB 224. When integrated into a gNB 222 or an ng-eNB 224, the LMF 270 or SLP 272 may be referred to as a location management component (LMC). However, as used herein, references to the LMF 270 and SLP 272 include both the case where the LMF 270 and SLP 272 are components of a core network (e.g., 5GC 260) and the case where the LMF 270 and SLP 272 are components of a base station.

[0060] Figure 3A 、 3B and 3C illustrate that 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 and LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent thereof) may be included. Figure 2A and 2B20 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure, such as a dedicated network, to support file transfer operations as taught herein. It will be appreciated that these components may be implemented in different types of devices (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.) in different implementations. The illustrated components may also be incorporated into other devices in 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 these components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0061] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, providing means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for refraining from transmitting, etc.) via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown) (e.g., NR network, LTE network, GSM network, etc.). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes (e.g., other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNB, gNB), etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a set of time / frequency resources in a specific spectrum) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured in various ways according to the designated RAT to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indicators, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indicators, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354, respectively, to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358, respectively, and include one or more receivers 312 and 352, respectively, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0062] At least in some cases, the UE 302 and the base station 304 each further include one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide for communication via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Z- The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 are devices (e.g., devices for transmitting, devices for receiving, devices for measuring, devices for tuning, devices for suppressing transmission, etc.) for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., PC5, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), wireless access in vehicular environments (WAVE), near field communication (NFC), etc.). The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured in various ways according to the specified RAT to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 include one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, respectively, and one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively. As specific examples, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be WiFi transceivers, transceiver, and / or Z- transceiver, NFC transceiver, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceiver.

[0063] In at least some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and can provide means for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) originating from a 5G network. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may request information and operations from other systems as appropriate, and in at least some cases perform calculations to determine the respective positions of UE 302 and base station 304 using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm.

[0064] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, to provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, the base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, the network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or to communicate with other network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0065] A transceiver can be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. A transceiver (whether a wired transceiver or a wireless transceiver) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). A transceiver can be an integrated device in some implementations (e.g., implementing the transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry in a single device), can include separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry in some implementations, or can be implemented in other ways in other implementations. The transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) can be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which permit the respective device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit "beamforming," as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which permit the respective device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter circuitry and the receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366) so that the respective device can only receive or transmit at a given time, but not both simultaneously. The wireless transceivers (eg, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include a network listening module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0066] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and in some implementations, network transceivers 380 and 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) may be generally characterized as a "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver may be inferred from the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers generally involve signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) generally involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0067] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394 for providing functionality related to, for example, wireless communication and for providing other processing functionality. Processors 332, 384, and 394 can thus provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for computing, means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for indicating, and the like. In one aspect, processors 332, 384, and 394 can include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuitry, or various combinations thereof.

[0068] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 include memory circuitry that implements memory 340, 386, and 396, respectively (e.g., each including a memory device), for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Thus, memories 340, 386, and 396 may provide means for storing, means for retrieving, means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. Positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively, may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, that, when executed, cause UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. In other aspects, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be external to the processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be memory modules stored in the memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Figure 3A Possible locations are illustrated for a positioning component 342, which can be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or can be a stand-alone component. Figure 3B Possible locations are illustrated for a positioning component 388, which can be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or can be a stand-alone component. Figure 3C Possible locations are illustrated for a positioning component 398, which can be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or can be a stand-alone component.

[0069] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide a means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information that is independent of motion data derived from signals received by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or satellite signal receivers 330. 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 motion information. For example, the sensors 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate position in a two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system.

[0070] Additionally, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides a means for providing indications to the user (e.g., audible and / or visual indications) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device such as a keypad, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include a user interface.

[0071] Referring in more detail to the one or more processors 384, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 may implement functionality for the RRC layer, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)) broadcast, RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with delivery of upper layer PDUs, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0072] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may implement Layer 1 (L1) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. 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 decoded and modulated symbols may then be split into parallel streams. Each stream may 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 symbol stream is spatially precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes and for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 may modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0073] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives a signal via its corresponding antenna 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 may 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 may be combined by receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. 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. The symbols on each subcarrier, as well as the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the signal constellation point most likely transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. These soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted on the physical channel by the base station 304. These data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332 that implement layer 3 (L3) and layer 2 (L2) functionality.

[0074] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport channels and logical channels, packet reassembly, code decoding, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0075] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with downlink transmissions performed by the base station 304, the one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with delivery 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 functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0076] Channel estimates derived by a channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by base station 304 may be used by transmitter 314 to select appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by transmitter 314 may be provided to different antennas 316. Transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0077] Uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described with respect to the receiver functionality at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives the signal through its respective antenna 356. The receiver 352 recovers information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 384.

[0078] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from UE 302. The IP packets from one or more processors 384 may be provided to the core network. One or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0079] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 may be configured to Figure 3A 、 3Band 3C are shown as including various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it will be appreciated that the illustrated components may have different functionality in different designs. Specifically, Figures 3A to 3C The various components in are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that may vary due to design choice, cost, use of the device, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A In the case of , a specific implementation of UE 302 may omit WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet or PC or laptop may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities but no cellular capabilities), or may omit short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., only cellular, etc.), or may omit satellite signal receiver 330, or may omit sensor 344, etc. In another example, in Figure 3B In the case of a wireless network, a particular implementation of the base station 304 may omit the WWAN transceiver 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular capabilities), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver 360 (e.g., cellular only, etc.), or may omit the satellite receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, illustrations of various alternative configurations are not provided herein, but will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0080] Various components of the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may be communicatively coupled to one another over data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In an aspect, the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may form or be part of communication interfaces for the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, where different logical entities are implemented in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality are incorporated into the same base station 304), the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may provide communication therebetween.

[0081] Figure 3A 、 3B The components of 3C can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3CEach component of the UE 302 may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). 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 this 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 the UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of the base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). Furthermore, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 398 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of the network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriately configuring the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by a UE," "by a base station," "by a network entity," and so on. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, actions, and / or functions may actually be performed by a specific component or combination of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc. (such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memories 340, 386 and 396, positioning components 342, 388 and 398, etc.).

[0082] In some designs, the network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, the network entity 306 may be distinct from the network operator or operation of the cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that may be configured to communicate with the UE 302 via the base station 304 or independently of the base station 304 (e.g., over a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).

[0083] NR supports several cellular network-based positioning technologies, including downlink-based positioning methods, uplink-based positioning methods, and downlink and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include: observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) in NR. In the OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, the UE measures the difference between the arrival time (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., PRS, TRS, narrowband reference signal (NRS), CSI-RS, SSB, etc.) received from paired base stations (referred to as reference signal time difference (RSTD) or arrival time difference (TDOA) measurement) and reports these differences to the positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in assistance data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each non-reference base station. Based on the known positions of the base stations involved and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity can estimate the UE's position. For DL-AoD positioning, a base station measures the angle of a downlink transmit beam used to communicate with a UE and other channel properties (eg, signal strength) to estimate the position of the UE.

[0084] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) transmitted by the UE. For UL-AoA positioning, the base station measures the angle of the uplink receive beam used to communicate with the UE and other channel properties (e.g., gain level) to estimate the UE's position.

[0085] Downlink and uplink based positioning methods include enhanced cell ID (E-CID) positioning and multi-round trip time (RTT) positioning (also known as "multi-cell RTT"). In the RTT procedure, the initiator (base station or UE) transmits an RTT measurement signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to the responder (UE or base station), and the responder transmits an RTT response signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) back to the initiator. The RTT response signal includes the difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response signal (referred to as receive to transmit (Rx-Tx) measurement). The initiator calculates the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal and the ToA of the RTT response signal (referred to as "Tx-Rx" measurement). The propagation time (also known as "time of flight") between the initiator and the responder can be calculated from the Tx-Rx measurement and the Rx-Tx measurement. Based on the propagation time and the known speed of light, the distance between the initiator and the responder can be determined. For multi-RTT positioning, the UE performs RTT procedures with multiple base stations so that the UE's position can be triangulated based on the known positions of each base station. RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning technologies (such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD) to improve position accuracy.

[0086] The E-CID positioning method is based on radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and the identifiers, estimated timing, and signal strength of detected neighboring base stations. The UE's position is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0087] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 112, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data may include: an identifier of the base station (or the cell / TRP of the base station) from which the reference signal is measured, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive positioning slots, the periodicity of the positioning slots, the quieting sequence, the frequency hopping sequence, the reference signal identifier (ID), the reference signal bandwidth, the slot offset, etc.), other parameters applicable to the specific positioning method, or a combination thereof. Alternatively, the assistance data may originate directly from the base station itself (e.g., in a periodically broadcast overhead message, etc.). In some cases, the UE itself may be able to detect neighboring network nodes without the use of assistance data.

[0088] A position estimate may be referred to by other names, such as a position estimate, a position, a fix, a position fix, a fix, etc. A position estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be municipal and include a street address, a postal address, or some other verbal description of the location. A position estimate may further be defined relative to some other known location or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A position estimate may include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be contained with some specified or default confidence level).

[0089] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (eg, base stations and UEs).

[0090] Figure 4A is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a downlink frame structure in accordance with various aspects.

[0091] Figure 4B is a diagram 430 illustrating an example of channels within a downlink frame structure in accordance with various aspects. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures, different channels, or both.

[0092] LTE, and in some cases NR, utilizes OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also often referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally speaking, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain for OFDM and in the time domain for SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kHz, and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal FFT size can be equal to 128, 256, 504, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth may be further divided into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.8 MHz (ie, 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for system bandwidths of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0093] LTE supports a single parameter design (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR supports multiple parameter designs (μ), for example, subcarrier spacings of 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, and 240kHz or larger may be available. Table 1 provided below lists some of the various parameters used for different NR parameter designs.

[0094] Table 1

[0095]

[0096] exist Figure 4A and Figure 4B In the example of , a parameter design of 15 kHz is used. Thus, in the time domain, a 10 millisecond (ms) frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes, each subframe is 1 ms, and each subframe includes one time slot. Figure 4A and 4B , time is represented horizontally (eg, on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (eg, on the Y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0097] A resource grid can be used to represent time slots, each time slot comprising one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also referred to as physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE may correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and to one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In NR, a subframe is 1 ms in duration, a slot is 14 symbols in the time domain, and an RB contains 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 14 consecutive symbols in the time domain. Thus, in NR, there is one RB per slot. Depending on the SCS, an NR subframe may have 14 symbols, 28 symbols, or more symbols, and therefore may have 1 slot, 2 slots, or more slots. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0098] Some REs carry downlink reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS). DL-RS may include PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, etc. Figure 4A Exemplary locations of REs carrying PRSs (labeled "R") are illustrated.

[0099] A "PRS instance" or "PRS opportunity" is one instance of a periodically repeating time window (e.g., a group of one or more consecutive time slots) in which a PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS opportunity may also be referred to as a "PRS positioning opportunity," "PRS positioning instance," "positioning opportunity," "positioning instance," "positioning repetition," or simply "opportunity," "instance," or "repetition."

[0100] The set of resource elements (REs) used for transmission of PRS is called a "PRS resource." This set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and can span 'N' (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols within a time slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, a PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0101] The transmission of PRS resources within a given PRB has a specific comb size (also referred to as "comb density"). The comb size 'N' represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for comb size 'N', the PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of a symbol of the PRB. For example, for comb-4, for each of the 4th symbols of the PRS resource configuration, REs corresponding to every 4th subcarrier (e.g., subcarriers 0, 4, 8) are used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. Currently, comb sizes of comb-2, comb-4, comb-6, and comb-12 are supported for DL ​​PRS. Figure 4A An exemplary PRS resource configuration for comb-finger 6 (which spans six symbols) is illustrated. That is, the positions of the shaded REs (labeled "R") indicate the PRS resource configuration for comb-finger-6.

[0102] A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used for transmission of a PRS signal, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and is associated with a specific TRP (identified by the TRP ID). In addition, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor across time slots (e.g., PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor). The periodicity is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource of the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of the next PRS instance. The periodicity may have a length selected from: 2 μ {4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5040, 10240} time slots, where μ = 0, 1, 2, 3. The repetition factor may have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} time slots.

[0103] The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (where a TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and as such, a "PRS resource" (or simply "resource") may also be referred to as a "beam." Note that this does not imply whether the UE knows the TRP and beam in which the PRS is transmitted.

[0104] A "positioning frequency layer" (also referred to simply as a "frequency layer") is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets with the same values ​​for certain parameters across one or more TRPs. Specifically, the set of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning that all parameter designs supported by PDSCH are also supported by PRS), the same point A, the same value for the downlink PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The point A parameter takes the value of the parameter ARFCN-ValueNR (where "ARFCN" stands for "Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number") and is an identifier / code that specifies the physical radio channel pair used for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth can have a granularity of 4 PRBs, with a minimum value of 24 PRBs and a maximum value of 272 PRBs. Currently, up to 4 frequency layers have been defined, and up to 2 PRS resource sets can be configured per frequency layer per TRP.

[0105] The concept of frequency layers is somewhat similar to the concepts of component carriers and bandwidth parts (BWPs), but the difference is that component carriers and BWPs are used by one base station (or macrocell base station and small cell base station) to transmit data channels, while frequency layers are used by several (often three or more) base stations to transmit PRSs. The UE can indicate the number of frequency layers it can support when it sends its positioning capabilities to the network (such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session). For example, the UE can indicate whether it can support one or four positioning frequency layers.

[0106] Figure 4BAn example of various channels within a downlink timeslot of a radio frame is illustrated. In NR, the channel bandwidth or system bandwidth is divided into multiple BWPs. A BWP is a set of contiguous PRBs selected from a contiguous subset of common RBs designed for given parameters for a given carrier. In general, a maximum of 4 BWPs can be specified in the downlink and uplink. That is, a UE can be configured to have up to 4 BWPs on the downlink and up to 4 BWPs on the uplink. Only one BWP (uplink or downlink) can be active at a given time, which means that the UE can only receive or transmit on one BWP at a time. On the downlink, the bandwidth of each BWP should be equal to or greater than the bandwidth of an SSB, but it may or may not contain an SSB.

[0107] Reference Figure 4B , the primary synchronization signal (PSS) is used by the UE to determine the subframe / symbol timing and the physical layer identity. The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and the radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on 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 referred to as SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the downlink 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.

[0108] The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries downlink control information (DCI) in one or more control channel elements (CCEs). Each CCE includes one or more RE group (REG) bundles (which can span multiple symbols in the time domain). Each REG bundle includes one or more REGs, each REG corresponding to 12 resource elements (one resource block) in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. The set of physical resources used to carry PDCCH / DCI is called a control resource set (CORESET) in NR. In NR, the PDCCH is confined to a single CORESET and transmitted with its own DMRS. This enables UE-specific beamforming for the PDCCH.

[0109] exist Figure 4BIn the example shown in Figure 2, there is one CORESET per BWP, and the CORESET spans three symbols in the time domain (although it could be just one symbol or two symbols). Unlike LTE control channels that occupy the entire system bandwidth, in NR, PDCCH channels are localized to a specific region (i.e., CORESET) in the frequency domain. Thus, Figure 4B The frequency components of the PDCCH shown in FIG are illustrated as less than a single BWP in the frequency domain. Note that although the illustrated CORESETs are contiguous in the frequency domain, the CORESETs do not need to be contiguous. Additionally, a CORESET may span less than three symbols in the time domain.

[0110] The DCI within the PDCCH carries information about uplink resource allocations (persistent and non-persistent) and a description of downlink data transmitted to the UE. Multiple (e.g., up to 8) DCIs can be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs can have one of a variety of formats. For example, there are different DCI formats for uplink scheduling, for non-MIMO downlink scheduling, for MIMO downlink scheduling, and for uplink power control. The PDCCH can be transmitted by 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs to accommodate different DCI payload sizes or coding rates.

[0111] Positioning reference signals are defined for NR positioning, enabling UEs to detect and measure more neighbor TRPs. Several configurations are supported to enable various deployments (such as indoor, outdoor, sub-6, and millimeter wave (mmW) deployments). Both UE-assisted and UE-based positioning calculations are supported:

[0112] Table 2

[0113]

[0114] In conventional systems, a UE will report its ability to process PRS resources in a capability update and subsequently receive assistance data (AD) from a network entity (e.g., from a location server) that lists DL-PRS resources sorted in descending order of measurement priority. Since the AD typically lists more PRS resources than the UE has the processing capability to handle, the UE, according to the protocol, will select the first N PRS resources from the list for processing, where N is the number of PRS resources the UE can process. For example, the AD may list twenty DL-PRS resources, but the UE may only be able to process five of them. By protocol, the UE will select the first five PRS resources for processing. The AD prioritizes PRS resources based entirely on PRS measurements.

[0115] However, to perform Rx-Tx measurements, the UE must perform both PRS measurements and SRS transmissions. Furthermore, to obtain accurate Rx-Tx measurements, the PRS and SRS need to be close in time, for example, to minimize errors due to possible clock drift between the UE and the base station. Current standards specify that the PRS and SRS must be no more than 25 milliseconds (msec) apart in time, but other proximity requirements are also contemplated, such as 20 ms, 80 ms, 160 ms, etc.

[0116] Figure 5 An example scenario is shown where the PRS occasions (PRS0, PRS1 and PRS2) have a different periodicity than the SRS occasions (SRS0 and SRS1). As a result, some PRS-SRS pairs do not meet the proximity requirement. Figure 5 For example, the pair {PRS0, SRS0} and the pair {PRS2, SRS1} satisfy the proximity requirement, but the pair {PRS1, SRS0} and the pair {PRS1, SRS1} do not satisfy the proximity requirement.

[0117] One problem is that the PRS resources are provided to the UE by the location server, but the SRS configuration is provided to the UE by the serving base station, for example, via a radio resource control (RRC) message. The location server is unaware of the SRS scheduling and prioritizes the PRS resources based solely on PRS measurements without considering the SRS. As a result, when the UE selects the top N PRS resources defined in the AD as described above, some of the selected PRS resources may not meet the PRS-SRS proximity requirement. Figure 5 For example, PRS1 may be included in the first N PRS resources defined in AD, but PRS1 does not meet the proximity requirement and thus should not be used for Rx-Tx measurement.

[0118] Several approaches are under consideration to address this problem. One approach under consideration is to apply the proximity timing requirement only when any SRS transmission is within 25 ms of at least one DL PRS resource per TRP in the assistance data. Another approach is under consideration to apply the proximity timing requirement only when there is at least one SRS transmission within the measurement period. Yet another approach is to always apply the proximity timing requirement regardless of the time separation between PRS and SRS, but to require the UE to compensate for differences in the reception timing of the radio frame containing the PRS and the subframe used to transmit the SRS.

[0119] There are disadvantages associated with each of these approaches. The first two approaches simply abandon the proximity requirement, which cannot be met, essentially rendering it meaningless. The third approach places an additional burden on the UE to track and compensate for the timing difference between the received PRS and the transmitted SRS.

[0120] To overcome these drawbacks, this paper proposes an improved method for performing Rx-Tx measurements, where PRS resources from the AD are selected based on PRS-SRS proximity instead of simply selecting the first N PRS resources from the list provided by the AD.

[0121] Figure 6 An exemplary method 600 for proximity-based prioritization of UL and DL positioning resources in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 6 FIG. is a signaling message diagram showing the interaction between a UE 302, a base station (BS) 304, and a network entity (NE) 306, where the network entity (NE) 306 can be a location server (e.g., location server 112, LMF 270, or SLP 272). At 602, the network entity 306 requests capability information from the UE 302, and at 604, the UE provides the capability information to the network entity 306. At 606, the UE requests assistance data from the network entity, and at 608, the network entity provides the assistance data to the UE 302. In some aspects, the assistance data includes information identifying a first set of N PRS resources and also includes a parameter M that is < N. Examples of PRS resources include, but are not limited to, positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, PRS resource sets, PRS frequency layers, transmit / receive points (TRPs), cells, or combinations thereof.

[0122] At 610, the UE receives information from the base station 304 identifying a second set that includes at least one SRS resource. This information can be in the form of an SRS configuration and can be received via RRC. Note that the order of the signaling messages at 602, 604, 606, 608, and 610 is illustrative and not restrictive, i.e., Figure 6 the specific order of those elements can be different. For example, the UE 302 can receive PRS configuration information after receiving the SRS configuration, or vice versa. Similarly, the UE 302 can receive the information in response to a specific request for the information, or it can receive the information unilaterally, i.e., without a specific request being made for it.

[0123] At 612, the UE 302 selects PRS resources based on the proximity of each PRS resource to the SRS resources. In some aspects, the UE 302 selects PRS resources within a maximum allowable distance from the SRS resources - e.g., within a proximity threshold - and the UE 302 can determine the proximity threshold based on the PRS and SRS information received from the network entity 306 and the base station 304, respectively. At 614, the UE 302 receives the PRS, and at 616, the UE 302 transmits the SRS. At Figure 6In the example illustrated in , the PRS and SRS are within the proximity threshold, so at 618, the UE 302 calculates Rx-Tx and, at 620, reports the value of Rx-Tx to the base station 304, the network entity 306, or both.

[0124] Figure 7A 、 Figure 7B 、 Figure 7C 、 Figure 7D and Figure 7E is a flow chart illustrating a portion of an example process 700 associated with proximity-based prioritization of uplink and downlink positioning resources in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Figures 7A-7E One or more process blocks of may be performed by a user equipment (UE) (e.g., UE 104). In some implementations, Figures 7A-7E One or more process blocks of may be performed by another device or a group of devices separate from or including the UE. Additionally or alternatively, Figures 7A-7E The one or more process blocks of process 700 may be performed by one or more components of UE 302, such as processor(s) 332, memory 340, WWAN transceiver(s) 310, short-range wireless transceiver(s) 320, satellite signal receiver(s) 330, sensor(s) 344, user interface 346, and positioning component(s) 342, any or all of which may be means for performing the operations of process 700.

[0125] like Figure 7A As shown in FIG, process 700 may include receiving first information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources from a network entity (block 702). Means for performing the operations of block 702 may include processor(s) 332, memory 340, or WWAN transceiver(s) 310 of UE 302. For example, UE 302 may utilize a transceiver (such as transmitter(s) 314 or transmitter(s) 324) to receive the first information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources. In some aspects, the network entity comprises a location server. In some aspects, the location server comprises a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0126] As in Figure 7AAs further shown in FIG, process 700 may include receiving second information identifying a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource from a base station (block 704). Means for performing the operations of block 704 may include processor(s) 332, memory 340, or WWAN transceiver(s) 310 of UE 302. For example, UE 302 may utilize a transceiver (such as transmitter(s) 314 or transmitter(s) 324) to receive the second information identifying a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource. In some aspects, the base station comprises a gNode B (gNB).

[0127] As in Figure 7A As further shown in FIG, process 700 may include selecting a PRS resource from the PRS resources identified by the first information that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement for at least one SRS resource identified by the second information (block 706). Means for performing the operations of block 706 may include the processor(s) 332, the memory 340, or the WWAN transceiver(s) 310 of the UE 302. For example, the UE 302 may use the processor(s) 332 or the positioning component(s) 342 (e.g., based on information stored in the memory 340) to select a PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement for at least one SRS resource identified by the second information. In some aspects, selecting the PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement for at least one SRS resource identified by the second information includes selecting a PRS resource that has a time difference between receiving the PRS and transmitting the SRS that does not exceed a maximum time difference threshold.

[0128] As in Figure 7A As further shown in FIG, process 700 may include using the selected PRS resources for at least performing UE Rx-Tx measurements (block 708). Means for performing the operations of block 708 may include processor(s) 332, memory 340, or WWAN transceiver(s) 310 of UE 302. For example, UE 302 may use the selected PRS resources when performing UE Rx-Tx measurements using signals received by receiver(s) 312 or receiver(s) 322 and signals transmitted by transmitter(s) 314 or transmitter(s) 324. In some aspects, process 700 includes reporting results of the Rx-Tx measurements to a base station, a network entity, or both.

[0129] like Figure 7BAs shown in , in some aspects, selecting a PRS resource that satisfies a PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information (block 706) includes selecting a subset of PRS resources from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to a priority (block 710), and selecting a PRS resource from the subset of PRS resources based on a proximity of the PRS resource in time to the SRS resource identified by the second information (block 712).

[0130] like Figure 7C As shown in , in some aspects, selecting a subset of PRS resources based on priority (block 710) includes determining a maximum number M of PRS resources that the UE can process during a predefined time interval (block 714), and selecting M highest priority PRS resources from the PRS resources identified by the first information as the subset of PRS resources (block 716).

[0131] like Figure 7D As shown in , in some aspects, selecting PRS resources that satisfy the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information (block 706) includes identifying PRS resources to be considered for Rx-Tx measurement from the PRS resources identified by the first information as a first set (block 718), identifying one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs that satisfy the PRS-SRS proximity requirement as a second set (block 720), identifying PRS resources from the first set that are part of at least one PRS-SRS resource pair in the second set as a third set (block 722), and selecting some or all of the PRS resources in the third set (block 724).

[0132] like Figure 7E As shown in , in some aspects, selecting some or all of the PRS resources in the third set (block 724) includes determining whether a maximum number of PRS resources (M) that the UE can process during the predefined time interval is less than the number of PRS resources (N) in the third set (block 726).

[0133] If the UE can process more PRS resources than in the third set during the predefined time interval (i.e., M>N), all PRS resources in the third set are selected (block 728) and additional PRS resources are selected from the first set until M PRS resources are selected (block 730).

[0134] If the third set includes more PRS resources than the UE can process during a predefined time interval (i.e., M < N), then, in some aspects, prioritize the PRS-SRS resource pairs in the second set based on, for example, PRS-SRS proximity, priority of the PRS, etc. (block 732), and then select the PRS resources from the top M PRS-SRS pairs in the second set (block 734).

[0135] Process 700 may include additional implementations, such as any individual implementation or any combination of implementations described below and / or in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere in this document. Although FIG. 7 shows example blocks of process 700, in some implementations, process 700 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or blocks arranged differently compared to the blocks depicted in FIG. 7. Additionally or alternatively, two or more blocks of process 700 may be executed in parallel.

[0136] Figure 8 is a flowchart of an example process 800 associated with proximity-based prioritization of uplink and downlink positioning resources in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In some implementations, Figure 8 one or more of the process blocks of may be performed by a network entity (e.g., location server 112, location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272). In some implementations, Figure 8 one or more of the process blocks may be performed by another device or a group of devices separate from or including the network entity. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 8 one or more of the process blocks may be performed by one or more components of network entity 306 (such as processors 394, memories 396, network transceivers 390, and positioning components 398), any one or all of which may be means for performing the operations of process 800.

[0137] As shown in Figure 8 process 800 may include transmitting first information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources to a user equipment (UE) (block 802). The means for performing the operations of block 802 may include processors 394, memories 396, or network transceivers 390 of network entity 306. For example, network entity 306 may use network transceivers 390 to transmit the first information.

[0138] As shown in Figure 8As further shown in FIG. 8 , process 800 may include transmitting, to the UE, second information specifying a number of PRS resources to be used by the UE at least to perform UE Rx-Tx measurements (block 804). Means for performing the operations of block 804 may include the processor(s) 394, the memory 396, or the network transceiver(s) 390 of the network entity 306. For example, the network entity 306 may use the network transceiver(s) 390 to transmit the second information.

[0139] Process 800 may include additional implementations, such as any single implementation or any combination of implementations described below and / or in conjunction with one or more other processes described elsewhere herein. Figure 8 Example blocks of process 800 are shown, but in some implementations, process 800 may include Figure 8 8. In some embodiments, the process 800 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in FIG. Additionally or alternatively, two or more blocks of process 800 may be executed in parallel.

[0140] In the above detailed description, it can be seen that different features are grouped together in each example. This disclosure should not be understood as an intention that the example clauses have more features than the features explicitly mentioned in each clause. On the contrary, various aspects of the present disclosure may include less than all the features of the disclosed individual example clauses. Therefore, the attached clauses should be considered to be incorporated into this description, wherein each clause itself may be a separate example. Although each dependent clause can be cited in each clause in a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the (all) aspects of the dependent clause are not limited to this specific combination. It will be appreciated that other example clauses may also include a combination of the dependent clause (all) aspects with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause or a combination of any feature with other dependent and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations, unless explicitly expressed or can be easily inferred that it is not intended to be a specific combination (for example, contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as an insulator and a conductor at the same time). In addition, it is also intended that the various aspects of the clause can be included in any other independent clause, even if the clause is not directly subordinate to the independent clause.

[0141] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0142] Clause 1. A method of performing wireless communications by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving first information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource from a network entity; receiving second information identifying a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource from a base station; selecting, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies a PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information; and using the selected PRS resource for at least performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0143] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein selecting a PRS resource that satisfies a PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information from the PRS resources identified by the first information comprises: selecting a PRS resource that has a time difference between receiving the PRS and transmitting the SRS that does not exceed a maximum time difference threshold.

[0144] Clause 3. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 2, wherein selecting a PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information from the PRS resources identified by the first information includes: selecting a subset of PRS resources from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to a priority; and selecting a PRS resource from the subset of PRS resources based on the temporal proximity of the PRS resource to the SRS resource identified by the second information.

[0145] Clause 4. A method as described in Clause 3, wherein the PRS resource subset is selected from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to priority: determining a maximum number M of PRS resources that the UE can process during a predefined time interval; and selecting M highest priority PRS resources from the PRS resources identified by the first information as the PRS resource subset.

[0146] Clause 5. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 4, further comprising: reporting results of the Rx-Tx measurements to the base station, the network entity, or both.

[0147] Clause 6. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 5, wherein selecting PRS resources that satisfy the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information from the PRS resources identified by the first information includes: identifying PRS resources to be considered for Rx-Tx measurement from the PRS resources identified by the first information as a first set; identifying one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs that satisfy the PRS-SRS proximity requirement as a second set; and identifying PRS resources from the first set that are part of at least one PRS-SRS resource pair in the second set as a third set.

[0148] Clause 7. The method of clause 6, wherein identifying one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs that meet the PRS-SRS proximity requirement as a second set further comprises prioritizing the PRS-SRS resource pairs in the second set according to proximity; and wherein identifying PRS resources from the first set that are part of at least one PRS-SRS resource pair in the second set as the third set comprises: determining a maximum number M of PRS resources that the UE can process during a predefined time interval; upon determining that the third set contains a number of PRS resources greater than or equal to M, selecting the first M PRS resources in the third set; and upon determining that the third set contains a number L of PRS resources less than M, selecting the PRS resources in the third set and using an additional ML PRS resources from the first set.

[0149] Clause 8. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 7, wherein the network entity comprises a location server.

[0150] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, wherein the location server comprises a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0151] Clause 10. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 9, wherein the base station comprises a g Node B (gNB).

[0152] Clause 11. A method of performing wireless communications by a network entity, the method comprising: transmitting first information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources to a user equipment (UE); and transmitting second information to the UE specifying a number of PRS resources to be used by the UE at least to perform UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0153] Clause 12. The method of clause 11, wherein the network entity comprises a location server.

[0154] Clause 13. The method of clause 12, wherein the location server comprises a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0155] Clause 14. A user equipment (UE), comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, first information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource from a network entity; receive, via the at least one transceiver, second information identifying a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource from a base station; select, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies a PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information; and use the selected PRS resource for at least performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0156] Clause 15. The UE of clause 14, wherein, to select, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information, the at least one processor is configured to select a PRS resource having a time difference between receiving the PRS and transmitting the SRS that does not exceed a maximum time difference threshold.

[0157] Clause 16. A UE as described in any of clauses 14 to 15, wherein, to select a PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information from the PRS resources identified by the first information, the at least one processor is configured to: select a subset of PRS resources from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to a priority; and select a PRS resource from the subset of PRS resources based on a temporal proximity of the PRS resource to the SRS resource identified by the second information.

[0158] Clause 17. A UE as described in clause 16, wherein the PRS resource subset is selected from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to priority: determining a maximum number M of PRS resources that the UE can process during a predefined time interval; and selecting M highest priority PRS resources from the PRS resources identified by the first information as the PRS resource subset.

[0159] Clause 18. The UE of any one of clauses 14 to 17, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to report results of the Rx-Tx measurements to the base station, the network entity, or both.

[0160] Clause 19. A UE as described in any of clauses 14 to 18, wherein, in order to select, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information, the at least one processor is configured to: identify, as a first set, PRS resources to be considered for Rx-Tx measurement from the PRS resources identified by the first information; identify, as a second set, one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs that satisfy the PRS-SRS proximity requirement; and identify, as a third set, PRS resources from the first set that are part of at least one PRS-SRS resource pair in the second set.

[0161] Clause 20. The UE of clause 19, wherein, to identify as the second set one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs that satisfy the PRS-SRS proximity requirement, the at least one processor is configured to prioritize the PRS-SRS resource pairs in the second set according to proximity; and wherein, to identify as the third set PRS resources from the first set that are part of at least one PRS-SRS resource pair in the second set, the at least one processor is configured to: determine a maximum number M of PRS resources that the UE can process during a predefined time interval; upon determining that the third set contains a number of PRS resources greater than or equal to M, select first M PRS resources in the third set; and upon determining that the third set contains a number L of PRS resources less than M, select the PRS resources in the third set and use an additional ML PRS resources from the first set.

[0162] Clause 21. The UE of any one of clauses 14 to 20, wherein the network entity comprises a location server.

[0163] Clause 22. The UE of clause 21, wherein the location server comprises a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0164] Clause 23. A UE as described in any of clauses 14 to 22, wherein the base station comprises a g Node B (gNB).

[0165] Clause 24. A network entity 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: transmit, via the at least one transceiver, first information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources to a user equipment (UE); and transmit, via the at least one transceiver, to the UE, second information specifying a number of PRS resources to be used by the UE at least to perform UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0166] Clause 25. The network entity of Clause 24, wherein the network entity comprises a location server.

[0167] Clause 26. The network entity of Clause 25, wherein the location server comprises a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0168] Clause 27. A user equipment (UE), comprising: means for receiving first information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource from a network entity; means for receiving second information identifying a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource from a base station; means for selecting, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies a PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information; and means for using the selected PRS resource for at least performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0169] Clause 28. A UE as described in clause 27, wherein the means for selecting a PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information from the PRS resources identified by the first information comprises means for selecting a PRS resource that has a time difference between receiving the PRS and transmitting the SRS that does not exceed a maximum time difference threshold.

[0170] Clause 29. A UE as described in any of clauses 27 to 28, wherein the means for selecting a PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information from the PRS resources identified by the first information comprises: means for selecting a subset of PRS resources from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to a priority; and means for selecting a PRS resource from the subset of PRS resources based on a temporal proximity of the PRS resource to the SRS resource identified by the second information.

[0171] Clause 30. A UE as described in Clause 29, wherein the means for selecting the subset of PRS resources from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to the priority includes: means for determining a maximum number M of PRS resources that the UE can process during a predefined time interval; and means for selecting M highest priority PRS resources from the PRS resources identified by the first information as the subset of PRS resources.

[0172] Clause 31. The UE of any one of clauses 27 to 30, further comprising reporting results of Rx-Tx measurements to the base station, the network entity, or both.

[0173] Clause 32. A UE as described in any of clauses 27 to 31, wherein the means for selecting PRS resources that satisfy the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information from the PRS resources identified by the first information comprises: means for identifying, as a first set, PRS resources to be considered for Rx-Tx measurement from the PRS resources identified by the first information; means for identifying, as a second set, one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs that satisfy the PRS-SRS proximity requirement; and means for identifying, as a third set, PRS resources from the first set that are part of at least one PRS-SRS resource pair in the second set.

[0174] Clause 33. A UE as described in clause 32, wherein the means for identifying the one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs that meet the PRS-SRS proximity requirement as the second set further includes means for prioritizing the PRS-SRS resource pairs in the second set according to proximity; and wherein the means for identifying PRS resources from the first set that are part of the at least one PRS-SRS resource pair in the second set as the third set includes: means for determining a maximum number M of PRS resources that the UE can process during a predefined time interval; means for selecting the first M PRS resources in the third set upon determining that the third set contains a number of PRS resources greater than or equal to M; and means for selecting the PRS resources in the third set and using an additional ML PRS resources from the first set upon determining that the third set contains a number L of PRS resources less than M.

[0175] Clause 34. The UE of any one of clauses 27 to 33, wherein the network entity comprises a location server.

[0176] Clause 35. The UE of clause 34, wherein the location server comprises a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0177] Clause 36. A UE as described in any of clauses 27 to 35, wherein the base station comprises a g Node B (gNB).

[0178] Clause 37. A network entity comprising: means for transmitting first information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources to a user equipment (UE); and means for transmitting second information to the UE specifying a number of PRS resources to be used by the UE at least to perform UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0179] Clause 38. The network entity of Clause 37, wherein the network entity comprises a location server.

[0180] Clause 39. The network entity of Clause 38, wherein the location server comprises a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0181] Clause 40. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive first information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources from a network entity; receive second information identifying sounding reference signal (SRS) resources from a base station; select, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies a PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information; and use the selected PRS resource for at least performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0182] Clause 41. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network entity, cause the network entity to: transmit first information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources to a user equipment (UE); and transmit second information to the UE specifying a number of PRS resources to be used by the UE at least to perform UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0183] Clause 40. An apparatus comprising: a memory, a transceiver, and a processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the transceiver, the memory, the transceiver, and the processor configured to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 13.

[0184] Clause 41. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 1 to 13.

[0185] Clause 42. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, the computer-executable instructions comprising at least one instruction for causing a computer or processor to perform the method of any of clauses 1 to 13.

[0186] Other aspects include but are not limited to the following:

[0187] In one aspect, a method of performing wireless communications by a user equipment (UE) includes: receiving information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource from a network entity; receiving information identifying a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource from a base station; selecting a PRS resource based on a temporal proximity of the PRS resource to the SRS resource; and using the selected PRS resource for at least performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0188] In some aspects, the results of these Rx-Tx measurements are reported to the base station, the network entity, or both.

[0189] In some aspects, the method includes: receiving information identifying PRS resources including receiving information identifying a first set of N positioning reference signal (PRS) resources and information of a parameter M < N; receiving information identifying SRS resources including receiving information identifying a second set of at least one sounding reference signal (SRS) resources; selecting PRS resources based on the proximity of the PRS resources to the SRS resources in time, including: identifying a third set of L PRS-SRS resource pairs that meet the PRS-SRS proximity requirement from the first set and the second set; defining a fourth set of M PRS resources to be considered for Rx-Tx measurements from the first set of N PRS resources; and identifying PRS-SRS pairs from the third set whose PRS resources are members of the fourth set as a fifth set; and using the selected PRS resources at least for performing UE Rx-Tx measurements including using the fifth set for Rx-Tx measurements.

[0190] In some aspects, the PRS-SRS proximity requirement includes a maximum time difference between receiving the PRS and transmitting the SRS.

[0191] In some aspects, the maximum time difference is + / - 25 milliseconds.

[0192] In some aspects, the PRS-SRS pairs in the fifth set are prioritized according to proximity.

[0193] Using the fifth set for Rx-Tx measurements includes: comparing the size K of the fifth set with the PRS processing capacity J of the UE; when determining that K ≥ J, using the first J PRS-SRS pairs in the fifth set; and when determining that K < J, using the PRS-SRS pairs in the fifth set and using J - K additional PRS resources from the first set.

[0194] In some aspects, J indicates the maximum number of PRS resources that the UE can process at one time.

[0195] In some aspects, the network entity includes a location server.

[0196] In some aspects, the location server includes a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0197] In some aspects, the base station includes a g Node B (gNB).

[0198] In one aspect, a method for wireless communication performed by a network entity includes: transmitting information identifying a first set of N positioning reference signal (PRS) resources to a user equipment (UE); and transmitting a parameter M < N specifying the number of PRS resources to be used by the UE at least for performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0199] In some aspects, the network entity includes a location server.

[0200] In some aspects, the location server includes a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0201] 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: receive information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources from a network entity; receive information identifying sounding reference signal (SRS) resources from a base station; select PRS resources based on the proximity of the PRS resources in time to the SRS resources; and use the selected PRS resources at least for performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0202] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to report the results of the Rx-Tx measurements to the base station, the network entity, or both.

[0203] In some aspects, the method includes: receiving information identifying PRS resources includes receiving information identifying a first set of N positioning reference signal (PRS) resources and a parameter M < N; receiving information identifying SRS resources includes receiving information identifying a second set of at least one sounding reference signal (SRS) resources; and selecting PRS resources based on the proximity of the PRS resources in time to the SRS resources includes: identifying a third set of L PRS-SRS resource pairs that meet the PRS-SRS proximity requirements from the first set and the second set; defining a fourth set of M PRS resources to be considered for Rx-Tx measurements from the first set of N PRS resources; and identifying the PRS-SRS pairs from the third set whose PRS resources are members of the fourth set as a fifth set; and using the selected PRS resources for Rx-Tx measurements includes using the fifth set for Rx-Tx measurements.

[0204] In some aspects, the PRS-SRS proximity requirements include a maximum time difference between receiving a PRS and transmitting an SRS.

[0205] In some aspects, the maximum time difference is + / - 25 milliseconds.

[0206] In some aspects, the PRS-SRS pairs in the fifth set are prioritized according to proximity.

[0207] In some aspects, using the fifth set for Rx-Tx measurement includes: comparing the size K of the fifth set with the PRS processing capability J of the UE; when determining that K≥J, using the first J PRS-SRS pairs in the fifth set; and when determining that K<J, using the PRS-SRS pairs in the fifth set and using J–K additional PRS resources from the first set.

[0208] In some aspects, J indicates the maximum number of PRS resources that the UE can process at one time.

[0209] In some aspects, the network entity includes a location server.

[0210] In some aspects, the location server includes a Location Management Function (LMF) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0211] In some aspects, the base station includes a g Node B (gNB).

[0212] In one aspect, a network entity includes: a memory; at least one network interface; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one network interface, the at least one processor being configured to: cause the at least one network interface to transmit information identifying a first set of N positioning reference signal (PRS) resources to a user equipment (UE); and cause the at least one network interface to transmit a parameter M<N specifying the number of PRS resources to be used by the UE at least for performing UE Rx-Tx measurement.

[0213] In some aspects, the network entity includes a location server.

[0214] In some aspects, the location server includes a Location Management Function (LMF) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0215] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: means for receiving information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources from a network entity; means for receiving information identifying sounding reference signal (SRS) resources from a base station; means for selecting PRS resources based on the proximity of the PRS resources in time to the SRS resources; and means for using the selected PRS resources at least for performing UE Rx-Tx measurement.

[0216] In one aspect, a network entity includes: means for transmitting information identifying a first set of N positioning reference signal (PRS) resources to a user equipment (UE); and means for transmitting to the UE a parameter M < N specifying the number of PRS resources to be used by the UE at least for performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0217] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes: at least one instruction instructing a user equipment (UE) to receive information identifying positioning reference signal (PRS) resources from a network entity; at least one instruction instructing the UE to receive information identifying sounding reference signal (SRS) resources from a base station; at least one instruction instructing the UE to select PRS resources based on the proximity in time of the PRS resources to the SRS resources; and at least one instruction instructing the UE to use the selected PRS resources at least for performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0218] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes: at least one instruction instructing a network entity to transmit information identifying a first set of N positioning reference signal (PRS) resources to a user equipment (UE); and at least one instruction instructing the network entity to transmit to the UE a parameter M < N specifying the number of PRS resources to be used by the UE at least for performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

[0219] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0220] In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in different ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0221] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or executed with a general purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A 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, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0222] The methods, sequences and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read and write information from / to the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE). In an alternative, the processor and storage medium may reside in the user terminal as discrete components.

[0223] In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, each function may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. Similarly, any connection is also properly referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves are included in the definition of medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0224] While the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to the various aspects of the present disclosure described herein do not have to be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving first information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource from a network entity; receiving second information identifying a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource from a network node; selecting a PRS resource subset from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to a priority; selecting, from the subset of PRS resources, a PRS resource that satisfies a PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information based on the PRS resource's proximity in time to the at least one SRS resource; and The selected PRS resources are used at least for performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information comprises: A PRS resource is selected that has a time difference between receiving the PRS and transmitting the SRS that does not exceed a maximum time difference threshold.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting the subset of PRS resources from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to the priority comprises: Determining a maximum number M of PRS resources that the UE can process during a predefined time interval; as well as M highest-priority PRS resources are selected from the PRS resources identified by the first information as the PRS resource subset.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising reporting a result of the Rx-Tx measurement to the network node, the network entity, or both.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein selecting, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information comprises: identifying, as a first set, PRS resources to be considered for Rx-Tx measurement from the PRS resources identified by the first information; identifying one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs that meet the PRS-SRS proximity requirement as a second set; as well as PRS resources from the first set that are part of at least one PRS-SRS resource pair in the second set are identified as a third set.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein identifying the one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs that satisfy the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information as the second set further comprises prioritizing the PRS-SRS resource pairs in the second set according to proximity; and Wherein identifying the PRS resources from the first set that are part of the at least one PRS-SRS resource pair in the second set as the third set comprises: Determining a maximum number M of PRS resources that the UE can process during a predefined time interval; When it is determined that the third set includes a number of PRS resources greater than or equal to M, selecting first M PRS resources in the third set; as well as Upon determining that the third set includes a number L of PRS resources that is less than M, the PRS resources in the third set are selected and additional ML PRS resources from the first set are used.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network entity comprises a location server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the location server comprises a Location Management Function (LMF) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the network node comprises a gNode B (gNB).

10. A wireless communication method performed by a network entity, the method comprising: transmitting first information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource; as well as Second information specifying a number of PRS resources to be used by a user equipment (UE) at least to perform UE Rx-Tx measurements is transmitted, wherein the network entity comprises a location server.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the location server comprises a Location Management Function (LMF) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

12. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; 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: receiving, via the at least one transceiver, first information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource from a network entity; receiving, via the at least one transceiver, second information identifying a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource from a network node; selecting a PRS resource subset from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to a priority; selecting, from the subset of PRS resources, a PRS resource that satisfies a PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information based on the PRS resource's proximity in time to the at least one SRS resource; and The selected PRS resources are used at least for performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

13. The UE according to claim 12, wherein: To select a PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information from the PRS resources identified by the first information, the at least one processor is configured to select a PRS resource that has a time difference between receiving the PRS and transmitting the SRS that does not exceed a maximum time difference threshold.

14. The UE of claim 12 , wherein selecting the PRS resource subset from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to the priority comprises: Determining a maximum number M of PRS resources that the UE can process during a predefined time interval; as well as M highest-priority PRS resources are selected from the PRS resources identified by the first information as the PRS resource subset.

15. The UE of claim 12, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to report a result of the Rx-Tx measurement to the network node, the network entity, or both.

16. The UE according to claim 12, wherein: To select, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information, the at least one processor is configured to: identifying, as a first set, PRS resources to be considered for Rx-Tx measurement from the PRS resources identified by the first information; identifying one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs that meet the PRS-SRS proximity requirement as a second set; as well as PRS resources from the first set that are part of at least one PRS-SRS resource pair in the second set are identified as a third set.

17. The UE according to claim 16, in, To identify, as the second set, the one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs that satisfy the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information, the at least one processor is configured to prioritize the one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs in the second set according to proximity; and In order to identify, from the first set, a PRS resource that is part of the at least one PRS-SRS resource pair in the second set as the third set, the at least one processor is configured to: Determining a maximum number M of PRS resources that the UE can process during a predefined time interval; Upon determining that the third set includes a number of PRS resources greater than or equal to M, selecting first M PRS resources in the third set; and Upon determining that the third set includes a number L of PRS resources that is less than M, the PRS resources in the third set are selected and additional ML PRS resources from the first set are used.

18. The UE of claim 12, wherein the network entity comprises a location server.

19. The UE of claim 18, wherein the location server comprises a Location Management Function (LMF) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

20. The UE of claim 12, wherein the network node comprises a g Node B (gNB).

21. A network entity comprising: Memory; 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: transmitting, via the at least one transceiver, first information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource; and Second information specifying a number of PRS resources to be used by a user equipment (UE) at least to perform UE Rx-Tx measurements is transmitted via the at least one transceiver, wherein the network entity comprises a location server.

22. The network entity of claim 21, wherein the location server comprises a Location Management Function (LMF) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

23. A user equipment (UE), comprising: means for receiving first information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource from a network entity; means for receiving second information identifying a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource from a network node; means for selecting a subset of PRS resources from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to a priority; means for selecting, from the subset of PRS resources, a PRS resource that satisfies a PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information based on the PRS resource's proximity in time to the at least one SRS resource; as well as Means for utilizing the selected PRS resources at least for performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

24. The UE of claim 23 , wherein the means for selecting, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information comprises: Means for selecting a PRS resource having a time difference between receiving the PRS and transmitting the SRS that does not exceed a maximum time difference threshold.

25. The UE of claim 23 , wherein the means for selecting the PRS resource subset from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to the priority comprises: means for determining a maximum number M of PRS resources that the UE can process during a predefined time interval; as well as means for selecting M highest-priority PRS resources from the PRS resources identified by the first information as the PRS resource subset.

26. The UE of claim 23, further comprising reporting a result of the Rx-Tx measurement to the network node, the network entity, or both.

27. The UE of claim 23 , wherein the means for selecting, from the PRS resources identified by the first information, a PRS resource that satisfies the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information comprises: means for identifying, as a first set, PRS resources to be considered for Rx-Tx measurement from the PRS resources identified by the first information; means for identifying one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs satisfying the PRS-SRS proximity requirement as a second set; as well as means for identifying, as a third set, PRS resources from the first set that are part of at least one PRS-SRS resource pair in the second set.

28. The UE according to claim 27, wherein the means for identifying the one or more PRS-SRS resource pairs satisfying the PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to the at least one SRS resource identified by the second information as the second set further comprises means for prioritizing the PRS-SRS resource pairs in the second set according to proximity; and wherein the means for identifying, as the third set, PRS resources from the first set that are part of the at least one PRS-SRS resource pair in the second set comprises means for: Determining a maximum number M of PRS resources that the UE can process during a predefined time interval; Upon determining that the third set includes a number of PRS resources greater than or equal to M, selecting first M PRS resources in the third set; and Upon determining that the third set includes a number L of PRS resources that is less than M, the PRS resources in the third set are selected and additional ML PRS resources from the first set are used.

29. The UE of claim 23, wherein the network entity comprises a location server.

30. The UE of claim 29, wherein the location server comprises a Location Management Function (LMF) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

31. The UE of claim 23, wherein the network node comprises a g Node B (gNB).

32. A network entity comprising: means for transmitting first information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource; as well as Means for transmitting second information specifying a number of PRS resources to be used by a user equipment (UE) at least to perform UE Rx-Tx measurements, wherein the network entity comprises a location server.

33. The network entity of claim 32, wherein the location server comprises a Location Management Function (LMF) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

34. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receiving first information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource from a network entity; receiving second information identifying a sounding reference signal (SRS) resource from a network node; selecting a PRS resource subset from the PRS resources identified by the first information according to a priority; selecting, from the subset of PRS resources, a PRS resource that satisfies a PRS-SRS proximity requirement with respect to at least one SRS resource identified by the second information based on the PRS resource's proximity in time to the at least one SRS resource; and The selected PRS resources are used at least for performing UE Rx-Tx measurements.

35. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network entity, cause the network entity to: transmitting first information identifying a positioning reference signal (PRS) resource; and Second information specifying a number of PRS resources to be used by the UE at least to perform UE Rx-Tx measurements is transmitted, wherein the network entity comprises a location server.

36. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 35, wherein the location server comprises a Location Management Function (LMF) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

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