Positioning calibration with reference points

Abstract

Various techniques for wireless communication are disclosed. In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) can determine that the UE is or will be at a location within a calibration zone. The UE can report location information to a network entity, the location information associated with the location within the calibration zone. In an aspect, a network entity can obtain calibration error information associated with a user equipment (UE) and a calibration zone. The network entity can transmit the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

Description

[0001] Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 077,336, filed September 11, 2020, entitled “POSITIONING CALIBRATION WITH REFERENCE POINT,” and U.S. Nonprovisional Patent Application No. 17 / 470,917, filed September 9, 2021, entitled “POSITIONING CALIBRATION WITH REFERENCE POINT,” both of which are assigned to the assignee hereof and fully incorporated herein by reference for all that they disclose.

[0003] DISCLOSURE

[0004] 1. Field of the Disclosure

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

[0006] 2. Description of Related Art

[0007] Wireless communication systems have developed through several generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephones, second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephones, third- generation (3G) high speed data, and fourth-generation (4G) high speed data and Internet access. Many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular and personal communication 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), the Global System for Mobile access (GSM), etc.

[0008] A fifth generation (5G) wireless standard, referred to as New Radio (NR), calls for higher data transfer speeds, larger numbers of connected devices, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, 5G

[0009] SUMMARY

[0010] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects related to the subject matter disclosed herein. Thus, the following summary should not be considered an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, nor should the following summary be deemed to identify key or essential

[0011] In an aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes determining that the UE is at or will be at a location within a calibration zone; and reporting location information to a network entity, the location information being associated with the location within the calibration zone.

[0012] In an aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a network entity includes obtaining calibration error information associated with a user equipment (UE) and a calibration zone; and transmitting the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0013] In an 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 determine that the UE is at or will be at a location within a calibration zone; and report location information to a network entity, the location information being associated with the location within the calibration zone.

[0014] In an 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 obtain calibration error information associated with a user equipment (UE) and a calibration zone; and transmit, via the at least one transceiver, the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0015] Other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of examples of the subject matter, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate several examples, and, together with the description, serve to explain principles of the subject matter.

[0018] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 2A And 2B An example wireless network structure is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 3A 、 3B and 3C are simplified block diagrams of several sample aspects of components that can be employed in a user equipment (UE), a base station, and a network entity, respectively, and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0021] Figure 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating example frame structures and channels within these frame structures, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 5A Various sources of potential timing calibration error are illustrated, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 5B How calibration zones can provide opportunities to correct TOA errors is illustrated, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 6A and 6B are flow diagrams illustrating portions of an example process performed by a UE associated with positioning calibration with reference points, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 7A and 7B are flow diagrams illustrating portions of an example process performed by a network entity associated with positioning calibration with reference points, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings directed to various examples provided for illustration purposes. Alternative aspects can be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the disclosure.

[0028] To overcome the technical shortcomings of the above-described conventional systems and methods, mechanisms are presented that can dynamically (e.g., in response to environmental conditions) adjust the bandwidth used by a user equipment (UE) for positioning reference signals (PRS). For example, a UE receiver can indicate to a transmitting entity the conditions of the environment in which the UE is operating, and in response, the transmitting entity can adjust the PRS bandwidth.

[0029] The words “example” and “exemplary” are used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any aspect described herein as “example” or “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term “aspects of the present disclosure” does not require that all aspects of the present disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation.

[0030] 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 can be referenced throughout the above description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0031] Further, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will recognize that various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. Additionally, the sequence(s) of actions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirely within any form of non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored therein

[0032] 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 noted. Generally, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, tracking device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., automobile, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communications network. A UE can be mobile or can (e.g., at certain times) be stationary, and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” can be referred to as a “access terminal” or “AT,” a “client device,” a “wireless device,” a “subscriber device,” a “subscriber terminal,” a “subscriber station,” a “user terminal” (UT), a “mobile device,” a “mobile terminal,” a “mobile station,” or variations thereof. Generally, UEs can communicate with a core network via a RAN, and through the core network the UEs can communicate with an external network such as the Internet and with other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms of connecting to the core network, to the Internet, or to both are also possible for the UEs, such as over wired access networks, wireless local area network (WLAN) networks (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.) and so on.

[0033] A base station can operate according to one of a number of RATs to communicate with UEs depending on the network in which it is deployed, and can be alternatively referred to as an access point (AP), a network node, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a New Radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB, or gNode B), etc. Base stations can be used to serve UEs in a wireless network and can support different functionalities depending on the network in which they are used. In some systems, base stations can provide pure edge node signaling functions, while in other systems, they can provide additional control functionalities, network management functionalities, or both. A communication link through which UEs can 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.). A communication link through which the base station can send signals to UEs 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.

[0034] The term “base station” can refer to a single physical transmission-reception point (TRP) or can refer to multiple physical TRPs that can or can not be co-located. For example, where the term “base station” refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP can be a base station antenna that corresponds to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. Where the term “base station” refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term “base station” refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRPs can be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via transmission medium) or remote radio heads (RRHs) (remote base stations connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRPs can be the serving base station from which a UE receives measurements reports and a neighbor base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signals (or simply “reference signals”) the UE is measuring. As used herein, a TRP is a point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, and thus a reference to a transmission from or a reception at a base station is to be understood as a reference to a particular TRP of the base station.

[0035] In some implementations that support positioning of UEs, a base station can not support wireless access by UEs (e.g., can not support data, voice, signaling connections, or various combinations thereof for UEs), but can instead transmit reference signals to UEs to be measured by the UEs, can receive and measure signals transmitted by the UEs, or both. Such a base station can be referred to as a positioning tower (e.g., where signals are transmitted to UEs), as a location measurement unit (e.g., where signals from UEs are received and measured), or both.

[0036] An “RF signal” comprises electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that convey information through the space between a transmitting device and a receiving device. As used herein, a transmitting device can transmit a single “RF signal” or multiple “RF signals” to a receiving device. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, the receiving device can receive multiple “RF signals” corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. Identical RF signals transmitted over different paths between the transmitting and receiving devices can be referred to as “multipath” RF signals. As used herein, an RF signal can also be referred to as a “wireless signal” or simply a “signal,” where it is clear from the context that the term “signal” refers to a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0037] Figure 1An exemplary wireless communications system 100, in accordance with various aspects, is illustrated. The wireless communications system 100 (which can also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WW AN)) can include various base stations 102 and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 can include macro cell base stations (high power cellular base stations), small cell base stations (low power cellular base stations), or both. In an aspect, the macro cell base station can include eNBs, ng-eNBs, or both (where the wireless communications system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or gNBs (where the wireless communications system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations can include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0038] The base stations 102 can collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)) through backhaul links 122 (e.g., SI, X2, Xn, etc. interfaces), and can connect to one or more location servers 172 (which can be part of core network 170 or can be external to core network 170) through core network 170. In addition to other functions, the base stations 102 can also perform functions related to one or more of transferring user data, radio channel ciphering and deciphering, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, non-access stratum (NAS) message transfer, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment trace, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through the EPC / 5GC) via backhaul links 134 (which can be wired or wireless links).

[0039] The base stations 102 can wirelessly communicate with the UEs 104. Each of the base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110. In an aspect, one or more of the cells can be supported by the base stations 102 in each of the geographic coverage areas 110. A “cell” is a logical communication entity used for communication to a base station (e.g., on a certain frequency resource, which can be referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, and like), and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCI), virtual cell identifier (VCI), cell global identifier (CGI)). In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other) that can provide access for different types of UEs. Since cells are supported by particular base stations, the term “cell” can refer to a logical communication entity and / or the base station supporting such a logical communication entity depending on context. In addition, because a TRP is typically the physical transmission point for a cell, the terms “cell” and “TRP” can be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term “cell” can also refer to a base station’s geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) in the sense that a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a certain portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0040] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of the neighboring macro cell base stations 102 can partially overlap (e.g., in a handover area), some of the geographic coverage areas 110 can substantially overlap. For example, small cell base stations 102' (e.g., a femto cell, a pico cell, a micro cell, etc.) can have a coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with one or more of the macro cell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell and macro cell base stations 102 can be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network can also include Home eNBs (HeNBs), which can provide service to a restricted group known as a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication links 120 between the base stations 102 and the UEs 104 can include uplink (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE 104 to a base station 102, downlink (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from a base station 102 to a UE 104, or both.

[0041] The communication links 120 between the base stations 102 and the UEs 104 can include uplink (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE 104 to a base station 102, downlink (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from a base station 102 to a UE 104, or both. The communication links 120 can use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, transmit diversity, or various combinations thereof. The communication links 120 can be through one or more carrier frequencies. Allocation of carriers can be asymmetric with respect to downlink and uplink (e.g., more or less carriers can be allocated for downlink than for uplink).

[0042] The wireless communications system 100 can further include a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) 150 in communication with WLAN stations (STAs) 152 via communication links 154 in an unlicensed frequency spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the WLAN STAs 152, WLAN AP 150, or various combinations thereof can perform clear channel assessment (CCA) or listen before talk (LBT) procedures prior to communicating to determine whether the channel is available.

[0043] The small cell 102' can operate in a licensed, an unlicensed spectrum, or both. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, the small cell 102' can employ LTE or NR technologies and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum as used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell 102' employing LTE / 5G in an unlicensed spectrum can boost coverage of the access network, increase capacity of the access network, or both. NR in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, License Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0044] The wireless communications system 100 can further include millimeter wave (mmW) base stations 180 that can operate in mmW frequencies, near mmW frequencies, or combinations thereof, to communicate with UEs 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is the part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range from 30 GHz to 300 GHz and a wavelength between 1 millimeter and 10 millimeters. Radio waves in this band can be referred to as a millimeter wave. Near mmW can extend down to a frequency of 3 GHz with a wavelength of 100 millimeters. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz, also referred to as centimeter wave. Communications using the mmW / near mmW radio frequency band have high path loss and a relatively short range. The mmW base stations 180 and the UEs 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit, receive, or both) over a mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Further, it will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 can also transmit using mmW or near mmW and beamforming. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described examples are just examples, and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0045] Transmit beamforming is a technique used to focus the transmitted RF signal in a specific direction. Conventional beamforming (also referred to as analog beamforming) uses a network node’s transmit chain to shape the beam in a specific direction. This is done by adjusting the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters. For example, a network node can use an array of antennas (known as a “phased array” or “antenna array”) to produce a beam of RF waves that can be “steered” to point in different directions, without moving the antennas itself. Specifically, the RF current from the transmitter is fed to the individual antennas with the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas add together to increase the radiation in a desired direction, while cancelling to suppress radiation in undesired directions.

[0046] Transmit beams can be quasi co-located, which means they have the same parameters as seen by the receiver (e.g., a UE), regardless of whether the network node’s transmit antennas themselves are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi co-location (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given QCL relationship of Type A means that the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of a second reference RF signal on a second beam can be derived from information about a source reference RF signal on a source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL Type A, a receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type B, a receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type C, a receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL Type D, a receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the spatial receive parameter of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0047] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver can increase a gain setting of an antenna array in a particular direction, adjust a phase setting of the antenna array, or a combination thereof, to amplify an RF signal received from that direction (e.g., to increase a gain level thereof). Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamformed in a certain direction, this means that the beam gain in that direction is higher relative to the beam gain in other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest among the beam gains in that direction of 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.

[0048] A receive beam can be spatially related. Spatially related means that parameters for a transmit beam for a second reference signal can be derived from information about a receive beam for a first reference signal. For example, a UE can receive one or more reference downlink reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRSs), narrowband reference signals (NRSs), tracking reference signals (TRSs), phase tracking reference signals (PTRSs), cell-specific reference signals (CRSs), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RSs), primary synchronization signals (PSSs), secondary synchronization signals (SSSs), synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), etc.) from a base station using a particular receive beam. The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., uplink positioning reference signals (UL-PRSs), sounding reference signals (SRSs), demodulation reference signals (DMRSs), PTRSs, etc.) to the base station based on parameters of the receive beam.

[0049] Note that depending on the entity forming a “downlink” beam, the beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if a base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE is forming a downlink beam, the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving a downlink reference signal. Similarly, depending on the entity forming an “uplink” beam, the beam can be a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if a base station is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if a UE is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0050] In 5G, the frequency spectrum in which wireless nodes (e.g., base stations 102 / 180, UEs 104 / 182) operate is partitioned into multiple frequency ranges: FR1 (from 450 to 6000 MHz), FR2 (from 24250 to 52600 MHz), FR3 (above 52600 MHz), and FR4 (between FR1 and FR2). In a multi-carrier system, such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the “primary carrier” or “anchor carrier” or “primary serving cell” or “PCell,” and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as “secondary carriers” or “secondary serving cells” or “SCells.” In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is the carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and in the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates a RRC connection reestablishment 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 (although this is not always the case). The secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured once the 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 can contain only necessary signaling information and signals, e.g., UE-specific signaling information and signals can not be present in the secondary carrier, since both primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell can have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network is able to change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Since a “serving cell” (whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier that a certain base station is using to communicate, the terms “cell,” “serving cell,” “component carrier,” “carrier frequency,” and the like, can be used interchangeably.

[0051] For example, still referring to Figure 1 One of the frequencies utilized by a macrocell base station 102 can be an anchor carrier (or “PCell”), and the other frequencies utilized by that macrocell base station 102, mmW base station 180, or a combination thereof can be secondary carriers (“SCells”). Simultaneous transmission, reception, or both, on multiple carriers enables the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission rate, reception rate, or both. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system compared to the data rate obtained by a single 20 MHz carrier would theoretically result in a doubling of the data rate (i.e., 40 MHz).

[0052] Wireless communications system 100 can further include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, that indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as “sidelinks”). For example, UE 190 can form a ProSe Figure 1 In the example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported with any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, and so on. In the example, UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of the UEs 104 connected to one of the base stations 102 (through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity), and a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to the WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported with any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, and so on.

[0053] Wireless communications system 100 can further include UE 164, which can communicate with macro cell base station 102 over a communication link 120, with a mmW base station 180 over a mmW communication link 184, or a combination thereof. For example, macro cell base station 102 can support PCell and one or more SCells for UE 164, and mmW base station 180 can support one or more SCells for UE 164.

[0054] Figure 2A An example wireless network structure 200 is illustrated in accordance with various aspects. For example, a 5GC 210 (also referred to as Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be viewed functionally as control plane functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data networks, IP Figure 1Any of the UEs depicted in FIG. 1). Another optional aspect can include a location server 172, which can be in communication with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance for UEs 204. The location server 172 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately can each correspond to a single server. The location server 172 can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204, which can connect to the location server 172 via the core network (5GC 210), via the Internet (not illustrated), or via both. Further, the location server 172 can be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternately can be external to the core network.

[0055] Figure 2B Another example wireless network structure 250 is illustrated in accordance with various aspects. For example, a 5GC 260 can be viewed functionally as control plane functions (provided by access and mobility management function (AMF) 264) and user plane functions (provided by user plane function (UPF) 262), which operate cooperatively to form the core network (i.e., 5GC 260). User plane interface 263 and control plane interface 265 connect the ng-eNB 224 to the 5GC 260, specifically to UPF 262 and AMF 264, respectively. In an additional configuration, gNB 222 can also be connected to the 5GC 260 via control plane interface 265 to AMF 264 and user plane interface 263 to UPF 262. Further, ng-eNB 224 can directly communicate with gNB 222 via the backhaul connection 223, with or without direct Figure 1 communication to the 5GC 260. In some configurations, the New RAN 220 can only have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more ng-eNBs 224 and one or more gNBs 222. Either gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224 can communicate with UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs depicted in FIG. 1) in the system. The base stations of the New RAN 220 communicate with the AMF 264 over an N2 interface and with the UPF 262 over an N3 interface.

[0056] The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful intercept, transport for session management (SM) messages between the UE 204 and a session management function (SMF) 266, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transport for short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and an SMS function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives a medium key as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In cases where a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) subscriber identity module (SIM) is used for authentication, the AMF 264 retrieves the security material from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF 264 also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives a key from the SEAF that it uses to derive access network- specific keys. The functionality of the AMF 264 also includes location management for regulatory services, transport for location service messages between the UE 204 and a location management function (LMF) 270, which acts as a location server 172, transport for location service messages between the new RAN 220 and the LMF 270, evolved packet system (EPS) bearer identifier allocation for interworking with the EPS, and UE 204 mobility event notification. In addition, the AMF 264 also supports functionality for non-3GPP access networks.

[0057] The functions of the UPF 262 include acting as an anchor point for intra- / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as a external protocol data unit (PDU) session point of interconnect 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 intercept (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) handling for 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 of one or more “end markers.” The UPF 262 can also support transport for location service messages between the UE 204 and a location server, such as a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP) 272, over a user plane.

[0058] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering at the UPF 262 for proper user

[0059] Another optional aspect can include an LMF 270, which can be in communication with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance for UEs 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as a plurality of separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules spread across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternately can each correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for UEs 204 that can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network (5GC 260), via the Internet (not illustrated), or via both. The SLP 272 can support similar functions to the LMF 270, but whereas the LMF 270 can communicate with the AMF 264, the new RAN 220, and UEs 204 over the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to convey signaling messages, rather than voice or data messages), the SLP 272 can communicate with UEs 204 and external clients (not shown in FIG. 2) over the user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice or data, such as the transmission control protocol (TCP) and / or IP). Figure 2B

[0060] In an aspect, the LMF 270, the SLP 272, or both, can be integrated into a base station, such as the gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224. When integrated into a gNB 222 or an ng-eNB 224, the LMF 270 or the SLP 272 can be referred to as a location management component (LMC). However, as used herein, references to the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 include both instances where the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 are components of the core network (e.g., the 5GC 260) and instances where the LMF 270 and the SLP 272 are components of a base station.

[0061] Figure 3A , 3B and 3C illustrate that can be incorporated into a UE 302 (which can correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which can correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which can correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including the location server 230 and the LMF 270, or alternately can be independent of the Figure 2A and 2B ​A number of example components (represented by corresponding blocks) depicted in the NG-RAN 220 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 can be implemented in different types of apparatuses in different implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components can also be incorporated into other apparatuses in the communication system. For example, other apparatuses in the system can include components similar to those described to provide similar functionality. Also, a given apparatus can contain one or more of the components. For example, an apparatus can include multiple transceiver components enabling the apparatus to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0062] The UE 302 and the base stations 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.) over one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as an NR network, an LTE network, a GSM network, and so on. The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can each be respectively connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356 for

[0063] At least in some cases, the UE 302 and the base stations 304 each also 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 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 specified RATs (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, Bluetooth, NFC, etc.) over a communication medium (e.g., one or more channels of a frequency band) that is distinct from the WWAN. devices (e.g., devices for transmitting, devices for receiving, devices for measuring, devices for tuning, devices for refraining from transmitting, etc.) that communicate via the wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., one or more of a cellular radio access technology (RAT), a wireless local area network (WLAN) RAT, a personal area network (PAN) RAT, a Bluetooth® RAT, a ZigBee® RAT, a Thread® RAT, a PC5, a dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), a vehicle environment wireless access (WAVE), a near-field communication (NFC), etc.) with other network nodes such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be variously configured to respectively transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) and respectively receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.) in accordance with a designated RAT. Specifically, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 respectively include one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for respectively transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and respectively include one or more receivers 322 and 362 for respectively receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368. As particular examples, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be WiFi transceivers, Bluetooth® transceivers, ZigBee® transceivers, Thread® transceivers, NFC transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers. transceivers, and / or transceivers, NFC transceivers, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceivers.

[0064] At least in some cases, the UE 302 and the base station 304 also include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. The satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and can respectively provide means for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378. Where the satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, the 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 Navigational Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. Where the satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, the satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) originating from a 5G network. The satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can each include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378. The satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can request information and operations from other systems as appropriate, and at least in some cases perform calculations to determine respective locations of the UE 302 and the base station 304 using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm.

[0065] The base stations 304 and network entities 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, providing means for communicating (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, a base station 304 can 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, a network entity 306 can 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 with other network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0066] A transceiver can be configured to communicate over wired or wireless links. A transceiver, whether a wired or wireless transceiver, includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). The transceiver may, in some implementations, be an integrated device (e.g., implementing transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry in a single device), may, in some implementations, include separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry, or may, in other implementations, be implemented in other ways. 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) can include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, which permits 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) can include or be coupled to a plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as an antenna array, which permits the respective device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In an aspect, the transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry can share the same plurality of antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that the respective device can either transmit or receive at a given time, but not both. Wireless transceivers (e.g., WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) can also include a network listening module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0067] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) can be generally characterized as “transceivers,” “at least one transceiver,” or “one or more transceivers,” as used herein. As such, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver can be inferred from the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers generally involve signaling via wired transceivers, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) generally involve signaling via wireless transceivers.

[0068] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be beneficial in conjunction with the operations as disclosed herein. The UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, for providing functionality

[0069] The UE 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 include memory circuitry implementing memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively (e.g., each including a memory device), for maintaining information (e.g., information indicative of reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, and the like). The memories 340, 386, and 396 can thus provide a means for storing, a means for retrieving, a means for maintaining, and the like. In some cases, the UE 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 can each include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. The positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be hardware circuits that are part of, or coupled to, the processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, that when executed cause the UE 302, the base stations 304, and the 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, and the like). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be memory modules stored in the memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, that when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, and the like) cause the UE 302, the base stations 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Figure 3A Possible locations for the positioning component 342 are illustrated, which can be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the memory 340, the one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3B Possible locations for the positioning component 388 are illustrated, which can be part of, for example, one or more WWAN transceivers 350, the memory 386, the one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3C Possible locations for the positioning component 398 are illustrated, which can be part of, for example, one or more network transceivers 390, the memory 396, the one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component.

[0070] The UE 302 can include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the one or more processors 332 to provide a means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or the satellite signal receiver 330. As examples, the sensor(s) 344 can include an accelerometer (e.g., a micro-electrical mechanical systems (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of movement detection sensor. Moreover, the sensor(s) 344 can include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, the sensor(s) 344 can use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and orientation sensors to provide the ability to calculate position in two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate systems.

[0071] Additionally, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 providing a means for providing indications (e.g., audible and / or visual indications) to a user and / or a means for receiving user input (e.g., upon user actuation of a sensing device such as a keypad, a touchpad, a microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 can also include user interfaces.

[0072] Referring to the one or more processors 384 in more detail, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 can be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 can implement functionality for a RRC layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The one or more processors 384 can provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information blocks (SIBs)) 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 the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation 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.

[0073] The transmitter 354 and the receiver 352 can implement Layer- 1 (LI) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, which includes a physical (PHY) layer, can include error detection on the transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols can then be split into parallel streams. Each stream can then be mapped to a orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) 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 produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate can be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 can modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0074] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives a signal through its respective antenna 316. The receiver 312 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the one or more processors 332. The transmitter 314 and the receiver 312 implement Layer- 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they can be combined by the receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The 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 comprises a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates computed by the channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and de-interleaved to recover the data and control signals transmitted on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the one or more processors 332, which implement Layer-3 (L3) and Layer-2 (L2) functionality.

[0075] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, 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.

[0076] Similar to the functionality described in connection with the downlink transmission by the base station 304, the one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs) acquisition, RRC connections, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation 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.

[0077] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator from the reference signals or feedback transmitted by the base station 304 can be used by the transmitter 314 to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the transmitter 314 can be provided to different antenna 316. The transmitter 314 can modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0078] The uplink transmission is processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives information from the respective antennas 356. The receiver 352 recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the one or more processors 384.

[0079] In the uplink, the one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 302. IP packets from the one or more processors 384 can be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0080] For convenience, the UE 302, base station 304, and / or network entity 306 Figure 3A , 3Band 3C are shown to include various components that can be configured in accordance with the various examples described herein. It will be appreciated, however, that the illustrated components can have different functionality in different designs. In particular, Figures 3A to 3C Various components in the 3C are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that can vary due to design choice, cost, use of the device, or other considerations. For example, in the case of Figure 3A , a particular implementation of the UE 302 can omit the WWAN transceiver(s) 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet or PC or laptop can have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capability without cellular capability), or can omit the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 320 (e.g., cellular-only, etc.), or can omit the satellite signal receiver 330, or can omit the sensor(s) 344, and so on. In another example, in the case of Figure 3B , a particular implementation of the base station 304 can omit the WWAN transceiver(s) 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi “hotspot” access point without cellular capability), or can omit the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 360 (e.g., cellular-only, etc.), or can omit the satellite receiver 370, and so on. For brevity, illustration of various alternative configurations has not been provided herein, but would be understood by one of skill in the art.

[0081] The various components of the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 can be communicatively coupled to each other over data buses 334, 382, and 392, respectively. In an aspect, the data buses 334, 382, and 392 can form, or be part of, a communication interface of the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306, respectively. For example, where different logical entities are implemented in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality incorporated into the same base station 304), the data buses 334, 382, and 392 can provide communication therebetween.

[0082] Figure 3A , 3B The components of the 3C can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A , Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe various components of the UE 302, the base station 304, and / or the network entity 306 can each be implemented in one or more circuits such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which can include one or more processors). Here, each circuit can use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by that circuit to provide this functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 can be implemented by a processor and memory component of the UE 302 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 388 can be implemented by a processor and memory component of the base station 304 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component). Also, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 398 can be implemented by a processor and memory component of the network entity 306 (e.g., by execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component). For simplicity, various operations, acts, and / or functions are described herein as being performed by the UE, the base station, the network entity, and / or the like. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, acts, and / or functions can actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, the base station 304, the network entity 306, and / or the like, such as the processors 332, 384, 394, the transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, the memories 340, 386, and 396, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398, and / or the like.

[0083] In some designs, the network entity 306 can be implemented as a component of a core network. In other designs, the network entity 306 can be distinct from a network operator or operator of the cellular network infrastructure (e.g., the NG RAN 220 and / or the 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 can be a component of a private network that can be configured to communicate with the UE 302 via the base station 304 or independent of the base station 304 (e.g., over a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).

[0084] NR supports several cellular network-based positioning techniques, including downlink-based, uplink-based, and downlink-and-uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) in NR. In an OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedure, a UE measures the difference between the times of arrival (ToAs) of reference signals (e.g., PRS, TRS, narrowband reference signal (NRS), CSI-RS, SSB, etc.) received from pairs of base stations, referred to as reference signal time difference (RSTD) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements, and reports these differences to a positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives the 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 locations of the involved base stations and the RSTD measurements, the positioning entity can estimate the location of the UE. For DL-AoD positioning, a base station measures the angle and other channel properties (e.g., signal strength) of a downlink transmit beam used to communicate with a UE to estimate the location of the UE.

[0085] 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 it is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) transmitted by the UE. For UL-AoA positioning, a base station measures the angle and other channel properties (e.g., gain level) of an uplink receive beam used to communicate with a UE to estimate the location of the UE.

[0086] Downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods include Enhanced Cell-ID (E-CID) positioning and Multilateration (also referred to as “Multicell RTT”). In RTT procedures, an initiating party (a base station or a UE) transmits RTT measurement signals (e.g., PRSs or SRSs) to a responding party (a UE or a base station), which transmits RTT response signals (e.g., SRSs or PRSs) back to the initiating party. The RTT response signals include the difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signals and the transmission time of the RTT response signals (referred to as a Receive-To- Transmit (Rx-Tx) measurement). The initiating party calculates the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signals and the ToA of the RTT response signals (referred to as a “Tx-Rx” measurement). The propagation time (also referred to as the “time of flight”) between the initiating party and the responding party 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 initiating party and the responding party can be determined. For Multicell RTT positioning, a UE performs RTT procedures with multiple base stations to enable the location of the UE to be triangulated based on the known locations of the base stations. RTT and Multicell RTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques, such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD, to improve location accuracy.

[0087] E-CID positioning methods are based on Radio Resource Management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, a UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and identifiers, estimated timing, and signal strength of detected neighbor base stations. The location of the UE is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0088] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 172, LMF 270, SLP 272) can provide assistance data to a UE. For example, the assistance data can include identifiers of base stations (or cells / TRPs of base stations) from which to measure reference signals, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., number of consecutive positioning slots, periodicity of positioning slots, muting sequence, frequency hopping sequence, reference signal identifier (ID), reference signal bandwidth, slot offset, etc.), other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method, or combinations thereof. Alternatively, the assistance data can originate directly from the base stations themselves (e.g., in periodically broadcasted overhead messages, etc.). In some cases, a UE can be able to detect neighbor network nodes without the use of assistance data.

[0089] A position estimate can be referred to by other names, such as a location estimate, location, position, position fix, fix, and the like. A position estimate can be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude) or can be civic and include a street address, postal address, or some other verbal description of a location. A position estimate can further be defined relative to some other known location or defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A position estimate can include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the position is expected to be included with some specified or default confidence level).

[0090] Various frame structures can be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., base stations and UEs).

[0091] Figure 4A FIG. 400 is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a downlink frame structure, in accordance with various aspects.

[0092] Figure 4B FIG. 430 is a diagram 430 illustrating an example of channels within the downlink frame structure, in accordance with various aspects. Other wireless communication technologies can have different frame structures, different channels, or both.

[0093] LTE and in some cases NR utilize OFDM on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. Devices complying to NR, however, also have an option to use OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM partition the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as tones, subcarriers, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In general, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with SC-FDM. The spacing of the subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers K can be dependent on the system bandwidth. For example, the spacing of the subcarriers can be 15 kHz and the minimum resource allocation (called a “resource block” (RB)) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Consequently, for a 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz) system bandwidth, the nominal FFT size can be equal to 128, 256, 504, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth can also be partitioned into subbands. For example, a subband can cover 1.8 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there can be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for a 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz system bandwidth, respectively.

[0094] LTE supports a single numerology (subcarrier spacing, symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple numerologies (μ), e.g., subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz or greater can be available. Table 1 provided below lists some various parameters for different NR numerologies.

[0095]

[0096] Table 1

[0097] In Figure 4A and Figure 4B the example, a numerology of 15 kHz is used. Thus, in the time domain, a 10 millisecond (ms) frame is divided into 10 equal sized subframes, each of 1 ms, and each subframe includes one slot. In Figure 4A and 4B time is represented horizontally (e.g., on the X-axis), with time increasing from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (e.g., on the Y-axis), with frequency increasing (or decreasing) from bottom to top.

[0098] A resource grid can be used to represent the time slots, each time slot including 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 can correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. In NR, a subframe is a 1 ms duration, a slot is 14 symbols in the time domain, and a RB contains 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and 14 consecutive symbols in the time domain. Thus, there are 12*14 = 168 REs per RB. Depending on the SCS, an NR subframe can have 14 symbols, 28 symbols, or more, and thus can have 1 slot, 2 slots, or more. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0099] Some REs carry downlink reference (pilot) signals (DL-RS). DL-RS can include PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, etc. Figure 4A An example location of REs carrying PRS is illustrated (labeled “R”).

[0100] A “PRS instance” or “PRS occasion” is one instance of a periodically repeating window of time (e.g., a group of one or more consecutive slots) in which PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS occasion can also be referred to as a “PRS positioning occasion,” a “PRS positioning instance,” a “positioning occasion,” a “positioning instance,” a “positioning repetition,” or simply “occasion,” “instance,” or “repetition.”

[0101] 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.

[0102] 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.

[0103] 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.

[0104] A 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”) can also be referred to as a “beam.” Note that this does not have any implications on whether the TRP and beam transmitting the PRS are known to the UE.

[0105] A “positioning frequency layer” (also simply referred to as a “frequency layer”) is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets across one or more TRPs that have the same values for certain parameters. Specifically, the collection of PRS resource sets have the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning that all numerology designs supported for PDSCH are also supported for PRS), the same point A, the same value of 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 per frequency layer per TRP can be configured.

[0106] The concept of a frequency layer is somewhat similar to the concept of a component carrier and a bandwidth part (BWP), but with the difference being that a component carrier and a BWP are used by one base station (or macrocell base station and small cell base station) to transmit data channels, whereas a frequency layer is used by several (often three or more) base stations to transmit PRS. A UE can indicate the number of frequency layers that the UE can support when the UE sends its positioning capabilities to the network, such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session. For example, a UE can indicate whether it can support one or four positioning frequency layers.

[0107] Figure 4BExamples of various channels within the downlink time slot of a radio frame are illustrated. In NR, the channel bandwidth or system bandwidth is divided into multiple BWPs. A BWP is a set of contiguous PRBs selected from the common set of RBs designed for a given numerology for a given carrier. Generally, a maximum of 4 BWPs can be specified in 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, meaning 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 larger than the bandwidth of the SSB, although it can or can not contain the SSB.

[0108] Referring to Figure 4B A primary synchronization signal (PSS) is used by a UE to determine subframe / symbol timing and a physical layer identity. A secondary synchronization signal (SSS) is used by a UE to determine a physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine a PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the locations of the aforementioned DL-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH), which carries an MIB, can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also referred to as SS / PBCH). The MIB provides a number of RBs in the downlink system bandwidth, and a system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information (such as system information blocks (SIBs)), and paging messages.

[0109] The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries downlink control information (DCI) within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE including one or more RE group (REG) bundles (which can span one or more symbols in the time domain), each REG bundle including 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 the PDCCH / DCI is referred to as the control resource set (CORESET) in NR. In NR, the PDCCH is confined to a single CORESET and is transmitted with its own DMRS. This enables UE-specific beamforming for the PDCCH.

[0110] In Figure 4BIn the example shown in FIG. 1, there is one CORESET per BWP, and the CORESET spans three symbols in the time domain (although it could be only one symbol or two symbols). Unlike the LTE control channel, which occupies the entire system bandwidth, in NR, the PDCCH channel is localized to a particular region in the frequency domain (i.e., the CORESET). Thus, Figure 4B The frequency component of the PDCCH shown in FIG. 1 is illustrated in the frequency domain as less than a single BWP. Note that although the illustrated CORESET is contiguous in the frequency domain, the CORESET need not be contiguous. In addition, the CORESET can span less than three symbols in the time domain.

[0111] DCI within the PDCCH carries information about uplink resource allocation (persistent and non-persistent) as well as descriptions 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 multiple 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.

[0112] Time of arrival (TOA) errors exist in positioning measurements. Errors can exist in transmission, propagation, or reception. Example transmission errors include synchronization errors across base stations and transmit RF chain calibration errors (i.e., errors in calibration). Example propagation errors include secondary delays such as air density variations and penetration delays and primary delays such as non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signals. Example reception errors include receive RF chain calibration errors.

[0113] A calibration point or calibration region is a point or region with a known geographic location. Since a calibration point can be considered a zero-volume calibration region, the term calibration region will be used herein to refer to both calibration regions (with non-zero volume) and calibration points (with zero volume).

[0114] Figure 5A Various sources of potential timing calibration errors are illustrated. Generally, a timing calibration error is a timing error caused by imperfect timing calibration. That is, timing calibration is the process of accounting for and compensating for timing errors (e.g., by adjusting an internal clock, by changing an internal delay time, by including a compensation value in calculations, and so on), and imperfect timing calibration fails to perfectly compensate for timing errors. Timing calibration errors and other types of calibration errors can occur at both the transmitter and receiver, e.g., at both the gNB and the UE. The following definitions are used herein for the purpose of discussing internal timing errors.

[0115] Tx timing error: From a signal transmission perspective, there will be a time delay between the time a digital signal is generated at baseband and the time the RF signal is transmitted from the Tx antenna. These are shown in FIG. 5 as time delay 500A (gNB) and time delay 500B (UE). To support positioning, a UE / TRP can implement an internal calibration / compensation of the Tx time delay for transmitted DL PRS / UL SRS signals, which can also include calibration / compensation of the relative time delay between different RF chains in the same TRP / UE. This compensation can also possibly account for the offset of the Tx antenna phase center to the physical antenna center. However, this calibration can not be perfect. The Tx time delay remaining after calibration, or uncalibrated Tx time delay, is defined as a Tx timing error, which is a type of calibration error.

[0116] Rx timing error: From a signal reception perspective, there will be a time delay between the time an RF signal arrives at the Rx antenna and the time the signal is digitized and time-stamped at baseband. These are shown in FIG. 5 as time delay 502A (UE) and time delay 502B (gNB). To support positioning, a UE / TRP can implement an internal calibration / compensation of the Rx time delay before the UE / TRP reports measurements obtained from DL PRS / UL SRS signals, which can also include calibration / compensation of the relative time delay between different RF chains in the same TRP / UE. This compensation can also possibly account for the offset of the Rx antenna phase center to the physical antenna center. However, this calibration can not be perfect. The Rx time delay remaining after calibration, or uncalibrated Rx time delay, is defined as an Rx timing error, which is another type of calibration error. Figure 5A

[0117] UE Tx ‘timing error group’ (UE Tx TEG): A UE Tx TEG is associated with the transmission of one or more UL SRS resources for positioning purposes that have a Tx timing error within some margin.

[0118] TRP Tx ‘timing error group’ (TRP Tx TEG): A TRP Tx TEG is associated with the transmission of one or more DL SRS resources that have a Tx timing error within some margin.

[0119] UE Rx ‘timing error group’ (UE Rx TEG): A UE Rx TEG is associated with one or more DL measurements that have a Rx timing error within some margin.

[0120] TRP Rx ‘timing error group’ (TRP Rx TEG): A TRP Rx TEG is associated with one or more UL measurements that have a Rx timing error within some margin.​

[0121] UE RxTx 'Timing Error Group' (UE RxTx TEG): A UE RxTx TEG is associated with one or more UE Rx-Tx time difference measurements, and one or more UL SRS resources for positioning purposes, which have 'Rx timing error + Tx timing error' within a certain margin.

[0122] TRP RxTx 'Timing Error Group' (TRP RxTx TEG): A TRP RxTx TEG is associated with one or more gNB Rx-Tx time difference measurements and one or more DL PRS resources with 'Rx timing error + Tx timing error' within a certain margin.

[0123] There are various types of calibration errors, including but not limited to the following:

[0124] Timing calibration errors. These errors affect timing-based positioning measurements such as ToA, RTT, RSTD, etc. Figure 5A In addition to the Tx timing error and Rx timing error described in

[15] , timing alignment error also includes gNB synchronization error, for example, when the system clocks of two gNBs are not precisely aligned. The UE or LMF or other location server can use techniques such as Kalman filtering to track each error in the total alignment error and can report each error individually, the sum of all errors, or both. An example ToA alignment error is the difference between the measured ToA and the true ToA, where the true ToA is calculated based on the known distance between the UE location and the anchor location and the speed of light. An example RSTD alignment error is the difference between the measured RSTD and the true RSTD.

[0125] Angle calibration errors. These errors affect angle-based positioning measurements such as DL-AoD, UL-AoA, etc. An example DL-AoD calibration error is the difference between the measured DL-AoD and the true DL-AoD, where the true DL-AoD is calculated based on the distance vector from the anchor point to the UE converted to AoD.

[0126] Position estimation calibration error. The calibration is calculated based on a comparison of true (baseline) measurements based on true knowledge of the UE's position and anchor positions with estimated measurements based on PRS operation. An example of a position estimation calibration error is the difference between the UE's estimated position and the UE's true position.

[0127] Figure 5B Illustrate how a calibration area can provide an opportunity to correct TOA errors, for example by comparing the estimated position, range or angle of a UE calculated from TOA in the calibration area with the actual position, range or angle of the UE in the calibration area.Figure 5B In particular, the TOA error in the positioning measurement results yields a distance calculation that does not reflect the actual distance of the UE 104 from the base station 102 that is the anchor point (i.e., the source of the PRS signal). In particular, the TOA error in the positioning measurement results yields a distance calculation that does not reflect the actual distance of the UE 104 from the base station 102 that is the anchor point (i.e., the source of the PRS signal). Figure 5B In particular, the UE 104 detects that the UE 104 is located in a calibration region (or calibration point) 504 having a known location. The UE 104 can detect that the UE 104 is located in the calibration region 504 through various means, including using sensor input (e.g., detecting a visual indicator or barcode, receiving a positioning signal, etc.), receiving a message from an external proximity sensor, receiving a message from a stationary UE, and other techniques. For example, the presence of the UE 104 in the calibration region can provide information about the UE location that can be used to derive an actual distance 506 from the anchor point. This actual distance is compared to the calculated distance 508 to calculate a calibration error 510 that can be used to correct the calculated distance. The calculation, correction, or both of the calibration error 510 can be performed at a network entity, such as a location server, such as a location management function (LMF), but also by the UE in the case where the location of the anchor point (the entity that transmitted the reference signal whose TOA was measured) is known to the UE (e.g., provided to the UE via the location server). In this way, the calibration error delta_t (Δ_t) (angle) can be derived. The reference nodes in the double difference scheme can calculate various errors based on their locations and all reference signals.

[0128] Using calibration regions has several benefits, including: using calibration regions for TOA measurement calibration; informing the network of detected calibration errors (bias); informing other UEs of detected bias (e.g., via sidelink (SL) communications); informing base stations of clock synchronization errors (which assist in clock synchronization across the network); and providing an opportunity for the network to request PRS when the UE is in a calibration region.

[0129] Disclosed herein are procedures for calibration error calculation or reporting. In some aspects, the procedure is “UE-assisted,” e.g., the process involves interactions between the UE and a network entity (e.g., a location server, a base station, or both). In these aspects, the UE can only know its location or orientation. In other aspects, the procedure is “UE-based,” e.g., the process can be performed at the UE without assistance from a network entity.

[0130] According to some aspects, in a UE-assisted procedure, the UE provides information about its position to a location server (e.g., LMF, LMS, SLP), and the location server computes the calibration error (e.g., for TOA, RSTD, DL-AOD, UL-AOA) based on the location report. The location server then sends the calibration error to the UE (for compensation), to the gNB (for drift compensation), or both.

[0131] According to some aspects, in a UE-based procedure, the UE knows its position / orientation. The computation of the calibration error can or can not require assistance from a location server. In some aspects, the UE can still report its position in a standalone report, as the UE-based approach does not require the UE to report PRS measurements. In some aspects, the location report includes an indication that the position is derived from a calibration area, rather than from an estimate. In some aspects, the UE can use a new type of location report for positions derived from a calibration area. For example, instead of reporting the UE position to the network, the UE can compute the calibration error itself using a reference point, which the UE reports to the base station or to the location server. The calibration error can be used by the location server for other UE-assisted positioning, and can be distributed to other base stations for clock synchronization. Furthermore, after the UE obtains the computed calibration error, the UE can use sidelink communication to distribute this information to other neighboring UEs.

[0132] The information included in the location report provided by the UE can include coordinates, a range of the UE’s position / orientation, a timestamp (e.g., the time when the UE arrived at the calibration area) or a time range, Rx or Tx calibration error at the UE, information about uncertainty (confidence level). The calibration error or uncertainty can be only one value for one or more items, or can include a value for each of several items. For RSTD measurements, the UE can further include the TOA or RTT of the reference anchor point. The UE can further include an offset time between the time the UE arrived at the calibration area and the time the UE received a certain PRS.

[0133] In some aspects, the feedback from the LMF can include the computed calibration error. In some aspects, the feedback can include the calibration error for a specific RSTD, TOA (for a specific PRS resource), specific to RTT (Rx-Tx), or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the feedback can include a range (to limit the timing estimate), an upper / lower bound for a specific RSTD, TOA, RTT (Rx-TX), etc.

[0134] In some aspects, the UE can include certain indicators in the report to indicate that the calibration error is compensated in the measurement report. In some aspects, the report can include a field with the computed calibration error for the LMF reference.

[0135] Similarly, the UE can send a calibration error report to the server side. In some aspects, the calibration error report can contain calibration error for RSTD, per PRS resource, per RTT (Rx-Tx), uncertainty (confidence level), and all timestamps, etc. In some aspects, after the LMF / gNB receives this information, the LMF / gNB can redistribute this information to other UEs with the same PRS resource and with the same serving gNB and / or the same area.

[0136] In some aspects, the UE can share its computed calibration error to neighboring UEs for calibration. For mode 1 sidelink communication, the UE can request the gNB (LMF) to relay this calibration error information to neighbor UEs through Uu interface or via gNB scheduled SL sharing grant. For mode 2 sidelink communication, the UE can directly transmit the computed calibration error to its neighbors. In some aspects, the two UEs can first negotiate the common PRS (e.g., through PRS resource ID, PRS resource set ID, cell ID, TRP ID, etc.) and exchange their locations, then identify the relevant calibration error, and finally exchange the calibration error through SL. In some aspects, the UE can send the measurement to the neighbor UE.

[0137] In some aspects, when the location server receives or computes the calibration error, the location server can further align the clock across the anchors (gNBs). However, it is noted that the calibration error can represent more than just the synchronization error. Thus, in some aspects, if the measured PRS signal is a LOS link, the main positioning error based on TDOA comes from the synchronization error across gNBs (e.g., the measured RSTD error compared to the true RSTD in the calibration area / calibration point). Therefore, the clock adjustment is more accurate if it is based on the measurement of the LOS signal only. In one aspect, if the UE or gNB can do LOS detection, and identify that the measurement is computed based on the LOS path only, the report to the location server can indicate that the calibration error represents the synchronization error. In some aspects, the location server can use the received calibration error information to compensate other positioning estimates with the same gNB pair, or send the drift error to certain gNBs (e.g., gNBs for RSTD computation) to correct / align the clock for PRS transmission. In some aspects, the UE can directly report the clock drift with PRS resource or cell ID, etc. to the serving gNB through UCI, MAC-CE, or higher layer message for UE based approach. In some aspects, the serving gNB can distribute the synchronization error to the corresponding gNBs through Xn interface, or the serving gNB can group the report and send it to the LMF through NRPP(a).

[0138] In some aspects, the anchors provide feedback to the LMF after they receive the drift and adjust their clocks. The LMF can then send a new message to the UE to update the calibration error: since the synchronization error is now compensated, the new measurements do not need to include the old calibration error.

[0139] In some aspects, to assist calibration, the UE can request PRS to be scheduled at a specific time / frame / slot or during a specific time range. The PRS can be on-demand SP / A PRS or rescheduling of current PRS configuration for regular scheduled movement.

[0140] For regular calibration (e.g., in case of UE moving in regular pattern, such as in robotics / IoT use cases), the UE can send a request to the LMF or gNB to reconfigure P / SP PRS to accommodate the calibration procedure. In some aspects, the reconfiguration can be a time offset, a new PRS timing pattern, a muting pattern, etc. In some aspects, the UE can also send a request to the serving gNB to modify the discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurement or transmission rules. In some aspects, the PRS operation should consider power saving features.

[0141] In some aspects, the location server reconfigures the PRS accordingly (if the current resources allow it to do so). In some aspects, the reconfiguration reconfigures the PRS operation at multiple base stations (e.g., gNBs). The base stations can also reconfigure the DRX of the UE.

[0142] For one-time calibration, the UE can request on-demand PRS for calibration. In some aspects, the UE sends an LPP request to the location server for on-demand PRS. The location server allocates PRS resources and sends PRS configuration to multiple base stations for related PRS operation. The UE can send uplink control information (UCI) MAC-CE to the base station to request on-demand SP / A-PRS. The on-demand PRS can be A / SP PRS and can be preconfigured in RRC. In some aspects, the base station will send a request to the location server (which then redistributes to neighbors) or neighbor gNBs to prepare PRS operation. In some aspects, the serving gNB sends a PRS trigger (e.g., DCI / MAC-CE) to the UE for related operation. In some aspects, the UE can optionally indicate the purpose of the PRS (e.g., for calibration) when it makes the request. In some aspects, the UE can also indicate specific PRS resource ID, cell, TRP, etc. for calibration purpose. In some aspects, the selection can consider various factors (e.g., link quality, geometric constraints, better positioning service, etc.).

[0143] Figure 6Ais a flowchart illustrating portions of an example process 600 associated with positioning calibration with reference points, in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In some implementations, Figure 6A One or more process blocks of the process 600 can be performed by a user equipment (UE) (e.g., the UE 104). In some implementations, Figure 6A One or more process blocks of the process 600 can be performed by another device or a group of devices separate from or including the UE. Additionally or alternatively, Figure 6A One or more process blocks of the process 600 can be performed by one or more components of the UE 302, such as the processor(s) 332, the memory 340, the WWAN transceiver(s) 310, the short-range wireless transceiver(s) 320, the satellite signal receiver(s) 330, the sensor(s) 344, the user interface 346, and the positioning component(s) 342, any or all of which can be means for performing the operations of the process 600.

[0144] As shown in Figure 6A The process 600 can include determining that the UE is or will be in a position within a calibration area (block 602). Means for performing the operations of block 602 can include the processor(s) 332, the memory 340, or the WWAN transceiver(s) 310 of the UE 302. For example, the UE 302 can determine that the UE is or will be in a position within a calibration area by computing a current or future position using the processor(s) 332 (e.g., using information received from the receiver(s) 312 or the sensor(s) 344).

[0145] As further shown in Figure 6A The process 600 can include reporting position information to a network entity, the position information associated with the position within the calibration area (block 604). Means for performing the operations of block 604 can include the processor(s) 332, the memory 340, or the WWAN transceiver(s) 310 of the UE 302. For example, the UE 302 can report the position information using the transmitter(s) 314. In some aspects, the UE reports its position or orientation in a global coordinate system (GCS) or a local coordinate system (LCS). In some aspects, the network entity can include a base station or a location server. In some aspects, the base station can include a gNodeB. In some aspects, the location server can include a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0146] In some aspects, the position information includes geographic coordinates or a location, a range of geographic coordinates or a location, a distance or a range of distances, an angle or a range of angles, a timestamp or a range of timestamps, a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, an uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

[0147] In some aspects, the location information includes a calibration error or uncertainty for a number of items, or a calibration error or uncertainty for each of a number of items.

[0148] In some aspects, the location information includes an indication that the location is derived from positioning detection of the UE within the calibration area, rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0149] In some aspects, the location information includes a measured value associated with a transmitter of the reference signal (which can be a positioning reference signal).

[0150] In some aspects, the measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal includes a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), a round trip time (RTT), an offset time between a first time at which the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time at which the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0151] In some aspects, the location information includes an indicator that the measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal includes a correction to previously received calibration error information.

[0152] Figure 6B is a flowchart illustrating optional steps that the UE can additionally perform in some aspects. As shown in Figure 6B The UE can obtain calibration error information (block 606), as shown in FIG. 6. In some aspects, the calibration error information can include a calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, a time of arrival for a specified positioning reference signal resource, a specified round trip time, or a combination thereof. A means for performing the operation of block 606 can include the processor(s) 332, the memory 340, or the WWAN transceiver(s) 310 of the UE 302. For example, in some aspects, the UE can obtain the calibration error information from a network entity, such as a location server, via the receiver(s) 312.

[0153] In some aspects, obtaining the calibration error information can include calculating, using the processor(s) 332, the calibration error information based on the location information associated with the location within the calibration area. In some aspects, calculating the calibration error information can include calculating the calibration error information based on a geographic coordinate or location, a range of geographic coordinate or location, a distance or range of distance, an angle or range of angle, a timestamp or range of timestamp, a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, an uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

[0154] In some aspects, calculating the calibration error information can include calculating the calibration error information based on a measured value associated with a transmitter of the reference signal. In some aspects, the measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal can include a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), an offset time between a time that the UE arrived at the location within the calibration area and a time that the UE received the reference signal, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0155] As further shown in Figure 6B The UE can use the calibration error information to correct a positioning calculation (block 608), as further shown in

[0156] As further shown in Figure 6B The UE can report the calibration error information to a network entity and / or another UE (block 610), as further shown in

[0157] In some aspects, the UE can report the calibration error information to a network entity, such as a base station or a location server. In some aspects, the base station can include a gNodeB. In some aspects, the location server can include a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0158] In some aspects, the UE can report the calibration error information to another UE. In some aspects, transmitting the calibration error information to the other UE can include transmitting the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel. In some aspects, transmitting the calibration error information via the sidelink communication channel can include transmitting the calibration error information to a network entity and requesting that the network entity relay the calibration error information to at least a neighbor UE via a Uu interface or a gNB scheduled sidelink shared grant. In some aspects, transmitting the calibration error information via the sidelink communication channel can include transmitting the calibration error information directly to the second UE without passing through a base station. In some aspects, transmitting the calibration error information directly to the second UE can include negotiating a common positioning reference signal with the second UE, exchanging location information with the second UE, identifying a related calibration error, and exchanging the related calibration error via the sidelink communication channel.

[0159] In some aspects, the method can include, prior to determining that the UE is or will be in a position within the calibration area: determining that the UE will be located within the calibration area at a particular time or during a particular time range; and transmitting, to a network entity, a request to schedule a positioning reference signal (PRS) at the particular time or during the particular time range. In some aspects, the request to schedule the PRS can include a request to schedule an on-demand synchronization, periodic, or asynchronous PRS or a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration. In some aspects, the request can include a request for a new time offset, a new PRS timing pattern, a new PRS muting pattern, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the network entity can include a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP). In some aspects, transmitting the request can include transmitting the request via a long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) message. In some aspects, transmitting the request can include transmitting the request via an uplink control information (UCI) medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE). In some aspects, the request can include information indicating a purpose of the request, a particular PRS resource ID, a particular PRS resource set ID, a particular cell ID, a particular transmission / reception point (TRP) ID, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the method can include transmitting, to a serving base station, a request to change a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurement or transmission rules. In some aspects, the method can include receiving a PRS trigger from a serving base station. In some aspects, receiving the PRS trigger can include receiving the PRS trigger via a downlink control information (DCI) MAC-CE.

[0160] In some aspects, the method can include, prior to determining that the UE is or will be in a position within the calibration area: determining that the UE will be located within the calibration area at a particular time or during a particular time range; and transmitting, to the network entity, a request to schedule a positioning reference signal (PRS) at the particular time or during the particular time range. In some aspects, the request to schedule the PRS can include a request to schedule an on-demand synchronization, periodic, or asynchronous PRS or a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration. In some aspects, the request can include a request for a new time offset, a new PRS timing pattern, a new PRS muting pattern, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the network entity can include a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP). In some aspects, transmitting the request can include transmitting the request via a long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) message. In some aspects, transmitting the request can include transmitting the request via an uplink control information (UCI) medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE). In some aspects, the request can include information indicating a purpose of the request, a particular PRS resource ID, a particular PRS resource set ID, a particular cell ID, a particular transmission / reception point (TRP) ID, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the method can include transmitting, to a serving base station, a request to change a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurement or transmission rules. In some aspects, the method can include receiving a PRS trigger from a serving base station. In some aspects, receiving the PRS trigger can include receiving the PRS trigger via a downlink control information (DCI) MAC-CE.

[0161] Process 600 can include additional implementations, such as any single implementation or any combination of Figure 6A and Figure 6B The example blocks of process 600 are illustrated in a particular order. In some implementations, process 600 can include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in Figure 6A and Figure 6B In addition or as an alternative, two or more of the blocks of process 600 can be performed in parallel.

[0162] Figure 7A is a flow diagram that illustrates portions of an example process 700 associated with positioning calibration with reference points in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In some implementations, process 700 can include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in Figure 7AOne or more process blocks of may be performed by a network entity (e.g., location server 172, base station 102). In some aspects, the network entity may comprise a base station or a location server. In some aspects, the base station may comprise a g Node B. In some aspects, the location server may comprise a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP). In some implementations, Figure 7A One or more process blocks of FIG. 7 may be performed by another device or group of devices separate from or including the network entity. Additionally or alternatively, one or more process blocks of FIG. 7 may be performed by one or more components of the network entity 306 (such as the processor(s) 394, the memory 396, the network transceiver(s) 390, and the positioning component(s) 398), any or all of which may be means for performing the operations of process 700.

[0163] like Figure 7A As shown in FIG, process 700 may include obtaining calibration error information associated with a user equipment (UE) and a calibration area (block 702). Means for performing the operations of block 702 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 obtain calibration error information associated with the user equipment (UE) and the calibration area.

[0164] In some aspects, obtaining calibration error information associated with the UE and the calibration area includes receiving the calibration error information from the UE.

[0165] In some aspects, obtaining calibration error information associated with the UE and the calibration area includes: receiving location information from the UE, the location information associated with a location within the calibration area; and calculating the calibration error information based on the location information. The location within the calibration area can be a location currently occupied by the UE, will be occupied at an indicated time in the future, or previously occupied at an indicated time in the past.

[0166] In some aspects, the location information includes geographic coordinates or a location, a range of geographic coordinates or locations, a distance or a range of distances, an angle or a range of angles, a timestamp or a range of timestamps, a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, an uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing, or a combination thereof.

[0167] In some aspects, the location information includes a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal (which may be a positioning reference signal).

[0168] In some aspects, the measured values associated with the transmitting side of the reference signal include a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), a round trip time (RTT), an offset time between a first time at which the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time at which the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0169] In some aspects, calculating the calibration error information includes calculating a difference between a range or a location as calculated from the reference signal measurements and a location from the calibration area or a location within the calibration area.

[0170] In some aspects, the reference signal measurements include a time of arrival (TOA) measurement, a time of departure (TOD) measurement, an angle of arrival (AOA) measurement, an angle of departure (AOD) measurement, a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement, a round trip time (RTT) measurement, or a combination thereof.

[0171] In some aspects, the calibration error information includes a calibration error or an error range for a specified reference signal time difference, a time of arrival for a specified positioning reference signal resource, a specified round trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0172] As further shown in Figure 7A Process 700 can include transmitting the calibration error information to the UE, the base station, or a combination thereof (block 704). A device for performing the operation of block 704 can 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 can use the network transceiver(s) 390 to transmit the calibration error information to the UE, the base station, or a combination thereof.

[0173] Figure 7B is a flowchart illustrating additional optional steps that the network entity can additionally perform in some aspects. As shown in Figure 7B Process 700 can include using the calibration error information to compensate other positioning estimates for each of the one or more base stations (block 706). A device for performing the operation of block 706 can include the processor(s) 394, the memory 396, or the network transceiver(s) 390 of the network entity 306. For example, the calibration error information stored in the memory 396 can be used by the processor(s) 394 to correct the other positioning estimates. In some aspects, if it is determined that the calibration error information is based on non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signal measurements, the calibration error information is not used to calculate a clock adjustment. In some aspects, the method can include using the calibration error information to compensate other positioning estimates for each of the one or more base stations.

[0174] As further shown in Figure 7BAs further shown in FIG, process 700 may include sending a clock adjustment to each of the one or more base stations (block 708). Means for performing the operations of block 708 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 send the clock adjustment.

[0175] Process 700 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 7B and 7B Example blocks of process 700 are shown, but in some implementations, process 700 may include Figure 7A and 7B 7. In some embodiments, the process 700 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 700 may be executed in parallel.

[0176] 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.

[0177] Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses.

[0178] Clause 1. A method of performing wireless communications by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: determining a location where the UE is or will be within a calibration area; and reporting location information to a network entity, the location information associated with the location within the calibration area.

[0179] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the location information comprises geographic coordinates or a location, a range of geographic coordinates or a location, a distance or a range of distances, an angle or a range of angles, a timestamp or a range of timestamps, a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, an uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

[0180] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein the location information comprises a calibration error or uncertainty that applies to one item or a calibration error or uncertainty that applies to several items.

[0181] Clause 4. The method of any of clauses 1-3, wherein the location information comprises an indication that the location is derived from a positioning detection of the UE within the calibration area rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0182] Clause 5. The method of any of clauses 1-4, wherein the location information comprises a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

[0183] Clause 6. The method of clause 5, wherein the measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal comprises a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), a round trip time (RTT), an offset time between a first time that the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time that the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0184] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 5-6, wherein the location information comprises an indicator that the measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal includes a correction to previously received calibration error information.

[0185] Clause 8. The method of any of clauses 1-7, further comprising: obtaining calibration error information; and using the calibration error information to correct a positioning calculation.

[0186] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, wherein the calibration error information comprises: a calibration error or a range of errors for a specified reference signal time difference; a time of arrival for a specified positioning reference signal resource; a specified round trip time; or a combination thereof.

[0187] Clause 10. The method of any of clauses 8-9, wherein obtaining the calibration error information comprises: receiving the calibration error information from the network entity.

[0188] Clause 11. The method of any of clauses 8-10, wherein obtaining the calibration error information comprises: calculating the calibration error information based on location information associated with the location within the calibration area.

[0189] Clause 12. The method of clause 11, wherein computing the calibration error information based on the location information associated with the location within the calibration area comprises computing the calibration error information based on: geographic coordinates or a location; a range of geographic coordinates or a location; a distance or a range of distances; an angle or a range of angles; a timestamp or a range of timestamps; a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE; an uncertainty associated with one or more of the above; or a combination thereof.

[0190] Clause 13. The method of any of clauses 11-12, wherein computing the calibration error information comprises computing the calibration error information based on a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

[0191] Clause 14. The method of any of clauses 8-13, further comprising reporting the calibration error information to the network entity, sending the calibration error information directly or indirectly to another UE, or a combination thereof.

[0192] Clause 15. The method of any of clauses 1-14, comprising, prior to determining that the UE is or will be at the location within the calibration area: determining that the UE will be located within the calibration area at a particular time or during a particular time range; and sending a request to the network entity to schedule a positioning reference signal (PRS) at the particular time or during the particular time range.

[0193] Clause 16. The method of clause 15, wherein sending the request to schedule the PRS comprises sending: a request to schedule an on-demand, periodic, or asynchronous PRS; a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration; a request for a new time offset; a request for a new PRS timing pattern; a request for a new PRS muting pattern; or a combination thereof.

[0194] Clause 17. The method of any of clauses 15-16, wherein the request comprises information indicating a purpose of the request, a particular PRS resource ID, a particular PRS resource set ID, a particular cell ID, a particular transmission / reception point (TRP) ID, or a combination thereof.

[0195] Clause 18. The method of any of clauses 15-17, further comprising sending a request to a serving base station to change a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurement or transmission rules.

[0196] Clause 19. A method of wireless communication performed by a network entity, comprising: obtaining calibration error information associated with a user equipment (UE) and a calibration area; and sending the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0197] Clause 20. The method of clause 19, further comprising: using the calibration error information to compensate other positioning estimates for each of the one or more base stations.

[0198] Clause 21. The method of any one of clauses 19 to 20, wherein obtaining the calibration error information associated with the UE and the calibration area comprises: receiving the calibration error information from the UE.

[0199] Clause 22. A method as described in any one of clauses 19 to 21, wherein obtaining the calibration error information associated with the UE and the calibration area includes: receiving location information from the UE, the location information being associated with a location within the calibration area; and calculating the calibration error information based on the location information.

[0200] Clause 23. A method as described in Clause 22, wherein the location information includes geographic coordinates or positions, a range of geographic coordinates or positions, a distance or a range of distances, an angle or a range of angles, a timestamp or a range of timestamps, a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, an uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing, or a combination thereof.

[0201] Clause 24. The method of any one of clauses 22 to 23, wherein the location information comprises a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

[0202] Clause 25. A method as described in Clause 24, wherein the measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal includes a reference signal time difference (RSTD), an arrival time (TOA), a round trip time (RTT), an offset time between a first time when the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time when the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0203] Clause 26. The method of any one of clauses 19 to 25, wherein calculating the calibration error information comprises calculating a difference between a range or position as calculated from a reference signal measurement and a range from the calibration region or a position within the calibration region.

[0204] Clause 27. The method of clause 26, wherein the reference signal measurement comprises a time of arrival (TOA) measurement, a time of departure (TOD) measurement, an angle of arrival (AOA) measurement, an angle of departure (AOD) measurement, a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement, a round trip time (RTT) measurement, or a combination thereof.

[0205] Clause 28. The method of any one of clauses 19 to 27, wherein the calibration error information comprises a calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, an arrival time for a specified positioning reference signal resource, a specified round trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0206] Clause 29. 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: determine that the UE is at or will be at a location within a calibration zone; and report location information to a network entity, the location information associated with the location within the calibration zone.

[0207] Clause 30. 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: obtain calibration error information associated with a user equipment (UE) and a calibration zone; and transmit, via the at least one transceiver, the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0208] Clause 29. 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 1-28.

[0209] Clause 30. An apparatus comprising means for performing the method of any of clauses 1-28.

[0210] Clause 31. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions, comprising at least one instruction for causing a computer or processor to perform the method of any of clauses 1-28.

[0211] Additional aspects include, but are not limited to, the following aspects:

[0212] In an aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes determining that the UE is at or will be at a location within a calibration zone; and reporting location information to a network entity, the location information associated with the location within the calibration zone.

[0213] In some aspects, the location information includes a geographic coordinate or location, a range of geographic coordinates or locations, a distance or range of distances, an angle or range of angles, a timestamp or range of timestamps, a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, an uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

[0214] In some aspects, the location information includes an indication that the location is derived from a positioning detection of the UE within the calibration zone rather than from a reference signal measurement.

[0215] In some aspects, reporting the location information comprises reporting the location information in a reporting format for reporting a location derived from positioning detection of the UE within the calibration area rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0216] In some aspects, the location information comprises a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

[0217] In some aspects, the measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal comprises a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), an offset time between a first time at which the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time at which the UE receives a reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0218] In some aspects, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0219] In some aspects, the location information comprises an indicator that a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal includes a correction to previously received calibration error information.

[0220] In some aspects, the network entity comprises a base station or a location server.

[0221] In some aspects, the base station comprises a gNodeB.

[0222] In some aspects, the location server comprises a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0223] In some aspects, the method comprises receiving calibration error information from the network entity; and correcting a positioning calculation using the calibration error information.

[0224] In some aspects, the calibration error information comprises a calibration error or an error range for a specified reference signal time difference, a time of arrival for a specified positioning reference signal resource, a specified round trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0225] In some aspects, the method comprises transmitting the calibration error information to another UE.

[0226] In some aspects, transmitting the calibration error information to another UE comprises transmitting the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel.

[0227] In some aspects, the method comprises determining that the UE will be located within a calibration area at a particular time or during a particular time range; and transmitting a request to a network entity to schedule a positioning reference signal (PRS) at the particular time or during the particular time range.

[0228] In some aspects, the request to schedule the PRS comprises a request to schedule an on-demand synchronous, periodic, or asynchronous PRS or a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration.

[0229] In some aspects, the request comprises a request for a new time offset, a new PRS timing pattern, a new PRS muting pattern, or a combination thereof.

[0230] In some aspects, the network entity comprises a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Server (LMS), or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP).

[0231] In some aspects, sending the request includes sending the request via a Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) message.

[0232] In some aspects, sending the request includes sending the request via an uplink control information (UCI) medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE).

[0233] In some aspects, the request includes information indicating the purpose of the request, a specific PRS resource ID, a specific cell, a specific transmit / receive point (TRP), or a combination thereof.

[0234] In some aspects, the method includes sending a request to a serving base station to change a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurement or transmission rules.

[0235] In some aspects, the method further includes receiving a PRS trigger from the serving base station.

[0236] In some aspects, receiving the PRS trigger comprises receiving the PRS trigger via a downlink control information (DCI) MAC-CE.

[0237] In one aspect, a method of performing wireless communications by a user equipment (UE) includes determining a location where the UE is or will be within a calibration area; calculating calibration error information based on position information associated with the location within the calibration area; and correcting a positioning calculation using the calibration error information.

[0238] In some aspects, the location information includes geographic coordinates or location, a range of geographic coordinates or locations, a distance or distance range, an angle or angle range, a timestamp or timestamp range, a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, an uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing, or a combination thereof.

[0239] In some aspects, the location information is derived from positioning detections of the UE within the calibration area rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0240] In some aspects, the location information includes a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

[0241] In some aspects, the measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal includes a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), an offset time between a first time at which the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time at which the UE receives a reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0242] In some aspects, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0243] In some aspects, calculating the calibration error information includes calculating the calibration error information based on a geographic coordinate or location, a range of geographic coordinate or location, a distance or range of distance, an angle or range of angle, a timestamp or range of timestamp, a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, an uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

[0244] In some aspects, calculating the calibration error information includes calculating the calibration error information based on a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

[0245] In some aspects, the measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal includes a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), an offset time between a first time at which the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time at which the UE receives a reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0246] In some aspects, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0247] In some aspects, the calibration error information includes a calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference, a time of arrival for a specified positioning reference signal resource, a specified round trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0248] In some aspects, the method includes reporting the calibration error information to a network entity.

[0249] In some aspects, the network entity includes a base station or a location server.

[0250] In some aspects, the network entity includes a gNodeB.

[0251] In some aspects, the location server includes a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0252] In some aspects, the method includes transmitting the calibration error information to another UE.

[0253] In some aspects, transmitting the calibration error information to another UE includes transmitting the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel.

[0254] In some aspects, transmitting the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel includes transmitting the calibration error information to a network entity and requesting the network entity to relay the calibration error information to at least a neighbor UE via a Uu interface or a gNB scheduled sidelink shared grant.

[0255] In some aspects, transmitting the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel includes transmitting the calibration error information directly to the second UE without passing through a base station.

[0256] In some aspects, transmitting the calibration error information directly to the second UE includes negotiating a common positioning reference signal with the second UE; exchanging location information with the second UE; identifying a relevant calibration error; and exchanging the relevant calibration error via the sidelink communication channel.

[0257] In some aspects, the method includes determining that the UE will be located within a calibration area at a particular time or during a particular time range; and transmitting, to a network entity, a request to schedule a positioning reference signal (PRS) during the particular time or during the particular time range.

[0258] In some aspects, the request to schedule the PRS includes a request to schedule an on-demand, periodic, or asynchronous PRS or a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration.

[0259] In some aspects, the request includes a request for a new time offset, a new PRS timing pattern, a new PRS muting pattern, or a combination thereof.

[0260] In some aspects, the network entity includes a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0261] In some aspects, transmitting the request includes transmitting the request via a long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) message.

[0262] In some aspects, transmitting the request includes transmitting the request via an uplink control information (UCI) medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE).

[0263] In some aspects, the request includes information indicating a purpose of the request, a particular PRS resource ID, a particular cell, a particular transmission / reception point (TRP), or a combination thereof.

[0264] In some aspects, the method includes transmitting, to a serving base station, a request to change a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurement or transmission rules.

[0265] In some aspects, the method further includes receiving a PRS trigger from the serving base station.

[0266] In some aspects, receiving the PRS trigger includes receiving the PRS trigger via downlink control information (DCI) MAC-CE.

[0267] In an aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a network entity includes receiving, from a user equipment (UE), location information associated with a location within a calibration zone, calculating calibration error information based on the location information, and transmitting the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0268] In some aspects, the location information includes geographic coordinates or a location, a range of geographic coordinates or a location, a distance or a range of distances, an angle or a range of angles, a timestamp or a range of timestamps, a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, an uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

[0269] In some aspects, the location information includes a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

[0270] In some aspects, the measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal includes a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), an offset time between a first time at which the UE arrives at the location within the calibration zone and a second time at which the UE receives a reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0271] In some aspects, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0272] In some aspects, calculating the calibration error information includes calculating a difference between a location as computed from a reference signal measurement and the location within the calibration zone.

[0273] In some aspects, the reference signal measurement includes a time of arrival (TOA) measurement, a time of departure (TOD) measurement, an angle of arrival (AOA) measurement, an angle of departure (AOD) measurement, a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement, a round trip time (RTT) measurement, or a combination thereof.

[0274] In some aspects, the calibration error information includes a calibration error or an error range for a specified reference signal time difference, a time of arrival for a specified positioning reference signal resource, a specified round trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0275] In some aspects, the network entity includes a base station or a location server.

[0276] In some aspects, the network entity comprises a gNodeB.

[0277] In some aspects, the location server comprises a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0278] In some aspects, the method comprises: using the calibration error information to calculate a clock adjustment for each of one or more base stations; and transmitting the clock adjustment to each of the one or more base stations.

[0279] In some aspects, the calibration error information is not used to calculate the clock adjustment if it is determined that the calibration error information is based on a non-line of sight (NLOS) signal measurement.

[0280] In some aspects, the method comprises: using the calibration error information to compensate other positioning estimates with each of one or more base stations.

[0281] In an aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a network entity comprises: receiving calibration error information from a user equipment (UE); and transmitting the calibration error information to another UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0282] In some aspects, the calibration error information comprises a calibration error or an error range for a specified reference signal time difference, a time of arrival for a specified positioning reference signal resource, a specified round trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0283] In some aspects, the network entity comprises a base station or a location server.

[0284] In some aspects, the network entity comprises a gNodeB.

[0285] In some aspects, the location server comprises a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0286] In some aspects, the method comprises: using the calibration error information to calculate a clock adjustment for each of one or more base stations; and transmitting the clock adjustment to each of the one or more base stations.

[0287] In some aspects, the calibration error information is not used to calculate the clock adjustment if it is determined that the calibration error information is based on a non-line of sight (NLOS) signal measurement.

[0288] In some aspects, the method comprises: using the calibration error information to compensate other positioning estimates with each of one or more base stations.

[0289] In an 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: determine that the UE is at or will be at a location within a calibration area; and cause the at least one transceiver to report location information to a network entity, the location information associated with the location within the calibration area.

[0290] In some aspects, the location information includes geographic coordinates or a location, a range of geographic coordinates or a location, a distance or a range of distances, an angle or a range of angles, a timestamp or a range of timestamps, a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, an uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

[0291] In some aspects, the location information includes an indication that the location is derived from a positioning detection of the UE within the calibration area rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0292] In some aspects, reporting the location information includes reporting the location information in a reporting format for reporting locations, the location being derived from a positioning detection of the UE within the calibration area rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0293] In some aspects, the location information includes a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

[0294] In some aspects, the measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal includes a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), an offset time between a first time at which the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time at which the UE receives a reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0295] In some aspects, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0296] In some aspects, the location information includes an indicator that the measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal includes a correction to previously received calibration error information.

[0297] In some aspects, the network entity includes a base station or a location server.

[0298] In some aspects, the network entity includes a gNodeB.

[0299] In some aspects, the location server includes a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0300] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: receive calibration error information from the network entity; and correct a positioning calculation using the calibration error information.

[0301] In some aspects, the calibration error information includes a calibration error or an error range for a specified reference signal time difference, a time of arrival for a specified positioning reference signal resource, a specified round trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0302] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: cause the at least one transceiver to transmit the calibration error information to another UE.

[0303] In some aspects, transmitting the calibration error information to another UE includes: transmitting the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel.

[0304] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to, prior to determining that the UE is or will be in a position within a calibration area: determine that the UE will be located within the calibration area at a particular time or during a particular time range; and cause the at least one transceiver to transmit, to a network entity, a request to schedule a positioning reference signal (PRS) at the particular time or during the particular time range.

[0305] In some aspects, the request to schedule the PRS includes a request to schedule an on-demand, periodic, or asynchronous PRS or a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration.

[0306] In some aspects, the request includes a request for a new time offset, a new PRS timing pattern, a new PRS muting pattern, or a combination thereof.

[0307] In some aspects, the network entity includes a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0308] In some aspects, transmitting the request includes transmitting the request via a long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) message.

[0309] In some aspects, transmitting the request includes transmitting the request via an uplink control information (UCI) medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE).

[0310] In some aspects, the request includes information indicating a purpose of the request, a particular PRS resource ID, a particular cell, a particular transmission / reception point (TRP), or a combination thereof.

[0311] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the at least one transceiver to transmit, to the serving base station, a request to change a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurement or transmission rules.

[0312] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to receive, from the serving base station, a PRS trigger.

[0313] In some aspects, receiving the PRS trigger includes receiving the PRS trigger via downlink control information (DCI) MAC-CE.

[0314] In an 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 determine that the UE is or will be at a location within a calibration zone; calculate calibration error information based on location information associated with the location within the calibration zone; and correct a positioning calculation using the calibration error information.

[0315] In some aspects, the location information includes geographic coordinates or locations, ranges of geographic coordinates or locations, distances or ranges of distances, angles or ranges of angles, timestamps or ranges of timestamps, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration errors at the UE, uncertainties associated with one or more of the above, or combinations thereof.

[0316] In some aspects, the location information is derived from positioning detection by the UE within the calibration zone rather than from reference signal measurements.

[0317] In some aspects, the location information includes a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

[0318] In some aspects, the measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal includes a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), an offset time between a first time at which the UE arrives at the location within the calibration zone and a second time at which the UE receives a reference signal, or combinations thereof.

[0319] In some aspects, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0320] In some aspects, calculating the calibration error information includes calculating the calibration error information based on geographic coordinates or locations, ranges of geographic coordinates or locations, distances or ranges of distances, angles or ranges of angles, timestamps or ranges of timestamps, transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration errors at the UE, uncertainties associated with one or more of the above, or combinations thereof.

[0321] In some aspects, calculating the calibration error information includes calculating the calibration error information based on a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

[0322] In some aspects, the measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal includes a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), an offset time between a first time that the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time that the UE receives a reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0323] In some aspects, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0324] In some aspects, the calibration error information includes a calibration error or an error range for a specified reference signal time difference, a time of arrival for a specified positioning reference signal resource, a specified round trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0325] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to report the calibration error information to a network entity.

[0326] In some aspects, the network entity includes a base station or a location server.

[0327] In some aspects, the network entity includes a gNodeB.

[0328] In some aspects, the location server includes a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0329] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to cause the at least one transceiver to transmit the calibration error information to another UE.

[0330] In some aspects, transmitting the calibration error information to another UE includes transmitting the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel.

[0331] In some aspects, transmitting the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel includes transmitting the calibration error information to a network entity and requesting the network entity to relay the calibration error information to at least a neighbor UE via a Uu interface or a gNB scheduled sidelink shared grant.

[0332] In some aspects, transmitting the calibration error information via a sidelink communication channel includes transmitting the calibration error information directly to a second UE without passing through a base station.

[0333] In some aspects, the transmitting the calibration error information directly to the second UE includes: negotiating a common positioning reference signal with the second UE; exchanging location information with the second UE; identifying a relevant calibration error; and exchanging the relevant calibration error via the sidelink communication channel.

[0334] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to, prior to determining that the UE is or will be in a location within a calibration area: determine that the UE will be located within the calibration area at a particular time or during a particular time range; and cause the at least one transceiver to transmit, to a network entity, a request to schedule a positioning reference signal (PRS) at the particular time or during the particular time range.

[0335] In some aspects, the request to schedule the PRS includes a request to schedule an on-demand, periodic, or asynchronous PRS or a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration.

[0336] In some aspects, the request includes a request for a new time offset, a new PRS timing pattern, a new PRS muting pattern, or a combination thereof.

[0337] In some aspects, the network entity includes a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0338] In some aspects, the transmitting the request includes transmitting the request via a long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) message.

[0339] In some aspects, the transmitting the request includes transmitting the request via an uplink control information (UCI) medium access control (MAC) control element (MAC-CE).

[0340] In some aspects, the request includes information indicating a purpose of the request, a particular PRS resource ID, a particular cell, a particular transmission / reception point (TRP), or a combination thereof.

[0341] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: cause the at least one transceiver to transmit, to a serving base station, a request to change a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurement or transmission rules.

[0342] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to: receive a PRS trigger from the serving base station.

[0343] In some aspects, the receiving the PRS trigger includes receiving the PRS trigger via a downlink control information (DCI) MAC-CE.

[0344] In an 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 configured to: receive, from a user equipment (UE), location information, the location information associated with a location within a calibration area; calculate calibration error information based on the location information; and cause the at least one network interface to transmit the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0345] In some aspects, the location information includes geographic coordinates or a location, a range of geographic coordinates or a location, a distance or a range of distances, an angle or a range of angles, a timestamp or a range of timestamps, a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, an uncertainty associated with one or more of the above, or a combination thereof.

[0346] In some aspects, the location information includes a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

[0347] In some aspects, the measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal includes a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), an offset time between a first time that the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time that the UE receives a reference signal, or a combination thereof.

[0348] In some aspects, the reference signal is a positioning reference signal.

[0349] In some aspects, calculating the calibration error information includes calculating a difference between a location as computed from a reference signal measurement and the location within the calibration area.

[0350] In some aspects, the reference signal measurement includes a time of arrival (TOA) measurement, a time of departure (TOD) measurement, an angle of arrival (AOA) measurement, an angle of departure (AOD) measurement, a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement, a round trip time (RTT) measurement, or a combination thereof.

[0351] In some aspects, the calibration error information includes a calibration error or an error range for a specified reference signal time difference, a time of arrival for a specified positioning reference signal resource, a specified round trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0352] In some aspects, the network entity includes a base station or a location server.

[0353] In some aspects, the network entity includes a gNodeB.

[0354] In some aspects, the location server includes a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0355] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to calculate a clock adjustment for each of one or more base stations using the calibration error information; and transmit the clock adjustment to each of the one or more base stations.

[0356] In some aspects, the calibration error information is not used to calculate a clock adjustment if it is determined that the calibration error information is based on a non-line of sight (NLOS) signal measurement.

[0357] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to compensate other positioning estimates with each of one or more base stations using the calibration error information.

[0358] In an 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 configured to receive calibration error information from a user equipment (UE); and cause the at least one network interface to transmit the calibration error information to another UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0359] In some aspects, the calibration error information includes a calibration error or an error range for a specified reference signal time difference, a time of arrival for a specified positioning reference signal resource, a specified round trip time, or a combination thereof.

[0360] In some aspects, the network entity includes a base station or a location server.

[0361] In some aspects, the network entity includes a gNodeB.

[0362] In some aspects, the location server includes a location management function (LMF), a location management server (LMS), or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP).

[0363] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to calculate a clock adjustment for each of one or more base stations using the calibration error information; and cause the at least one network interface to transmit the clock adjustment to each of the one or more base stations.

[0364] In some aspects, the calibration error information is not used to calculate a clock adjustment if it is determined that the calibration error information is based on a non-line of sight (NLOS) signal measurement.

[0365] In some aspects, the at least one processor is further configured to compensate other positioning estimates with each of one or more base stations using the calibration error information.

[0366] In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes means for determining that the UE is at or will be at a location within a calibration zone, and means for reporting location information to a network entity, the location information associated with the location within the calibration zone.

[0367] In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes means for determining that the UE is at or will be at a location within a calibration zone, means for calculating calibration error information based on location information associated with the location within the calibration zone, and means for correcting a positioning calculation using the calibration error information.

[0368] In an aspect, a network entity includes means for receiving location information from a user equipment (UE), the location information associated with a location within a calibration zone, means for calculating calibration error information based on the location information, and means for transmitting the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0369] In an aspect, a network entity includes means for receiving calibration error information from a user equipment (UE), and means for transmitting the calibration error information to another UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0370] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes at least one instruction for instructing a user equipment (UE) to determine that the UE is at or will be at a location within a calibration zone, and at least one instruction for instructing the UE to cause at least one transceiver to report location information to a network entity, the location information associated with the location within the calibration zone.

[0371] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes at least one instruction for instructing a user equipment (UE) to determine that the UE is at or will be at a location within a calibration zone, at least one instruction for instructing the UE to calculate calibration error information based on location information associated with the location within the calibration zone, and at least one instruction for instructing the UE to correct a positioning calculation using the calibration error information.

[0372] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions includes at least one instruction for instructing a network entity to receive location information from a user equipment (UE), the location information associated with a location within a calibration zone, at least one instruction for instructing the network entity to calculate calibration error information based on the location information, and at least one instruction for instructing the network entity to cause at least one network interface to transmit the calibration error information to the UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0373] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer- executable instructions includes at least one instruction for instructing a network entity to receive calibration error information from a user equipment (UE), and at least one instruction for instructing the network entity to cause at least one network interface to transmit the calibration error information to another UE, a base station, or a combination thereof.

[0374] 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 can be referenced throughout the above description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0375] Further, 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 can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally 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 can implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0376] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented or performed 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 can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., 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.

[0377] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in software with associated processor functionality, or in a combination of the two. A software module can reside in Random Access Memory (RAM), flash memory, Read-only memory (ROM), Erasable Programmable ROM (EPROM), Electrically Erasable Programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, hard 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 such that the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integral to the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in an ASIC. The ASIC can reside in a user terminal (e.g., an UE). In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium can reside as discrete components in a user terminal.

[0378] In one or more exemplary aspects, the functions described can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise 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. Also, any connection is properly termed 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 microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray® disc where disks usually 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.

[0379] While the forgoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications could be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims. The functions, steps and / or actions of the methods claims in accordance with the aspects of the disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the present disclosure can be described or claimed in particular combinations, each combination should be considered as separate and discrete embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise explicitly stated.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining that the UE will be located within a calibration area at a particular time or during a particular time range; transmitting, to a network entity, a request to schedule a positioning reference signal (PRS) at the particular time or during the particular time range; determining a location at which the UE is or will be within the calibration area; and reporting, to the network entity, location information associated with the location within the calibration area. the location information comprises a geographic position, a range of geographic positions, a distance or range of distances, an angle or range of angles, a timestamp or range of timestamps, a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, an uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing, or a combination thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the location information comprises a calibration error or uncertainty that is applicable to one project or a calibration error or uncertainty that is applicable to multiple projects.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein, the location information comprises an indication that the location is derived from a positioning detection that the UE is within the calibration area rather than from a reference signal measurement.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, the location information comprises a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, the measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal comprises a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), a round trip time (RTT), an offset time between a first time at which the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time at which the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein, the location information comprises an indicator that the measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal comprises a correction to previously received calibration error information.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein, 8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: obtaining calibration error information; and correcting a positioning calculation using the calibration error information. the calibration error information comprises: a calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference; 9. The method of claim 8, wherein, a time of arrival for a specified positioning reference signal resource; a specified round trip time; or a combination thereof. obtaining the calibration error information comprises receiving the calibration error information from the network entity. obtaining the calibration error information comprises calculating the calibration error information based on location information associated with the location within the calibration area.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein, calculating the calibration error information based on the location information associated with the location within the calibration area comprises calculating the calibration error information based on:

11. The method of claim 8, wherein, a geographic position; 12. The method of claim 11, wherein, a range of geographic positions; a distance or range of distances; an angle or range of angles; a timestamp or range of timestamps; a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE; an uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing; or a combination thereof. calculating the calibration error information comprises calculating the calibration error information based on a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal. reporting the calibration error information to the network entity, transmitting the calibration error information directly or indirectly to another UE, or a combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein, ​ 14. The method of claim 8, further comprising: ​ 15. The method of claim 1, wherein, transmitting the request to schedule the PRS includes transmitting each of: a request to schedule on-demand synchronization, periodic, or asynchronous PRS; a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration; a request for a new time offset; a request for a new PRS timing pattern; a request for a new PRS muting pattern; or a combination thereof.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein, the request includes information indicating a purpose of the request, a particular PRS resource ID, a particular PRS resource set ID, a particular cell ID, a particular transmission / reception point (TRP) ID, or a combination thereof.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting a request to a serving base station to change a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurement or transmission rules.

18. 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: determine that the UE will be located within a calibration area at a particular time or during a particular time range; transmit, to a network entity, a request to schedule a positioning reference signal (PRS) during the particular time or during the particular time range determine a location at which the UE is or will be within the calibration area; and report, to the network entity, location information associated with the location within the calibration area.

19. The UE of claim 18, wherein, the location information includes a geographic position, a range of geographic positions, a distance or range of distances, an angle or range of angles, a timestamp or range of timestamps, a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE, an uncertainty associated with one or more of the foregoing, or a combination thereof.

20. The UE of claim 19, wherein, the location information includes a calibration error or uncertainty that is applicable to one item or a calibration error or uncertainty that is applicable to multiple items.

21. The UE of claim 18, wherein, the location information includes an indication that the location is derived from a positioning detection that the UE is within the calibration area rather than from a reference signal measurement.

22. The UE of claim 18, wherein, the location information includes a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

23. The UE of claim 22, wherein, the measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal includes a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), a round trip time (RTT), an offset time between a first time at which the UE arrives at the location within the calibration area and a second time at which the UE receives the reference signal, or a combination thereof.

24. The UE of claim 22, wherein, the location information includes an indicator that the measured value associated with the transmitter of the reference signal includes a correction to previously received calibration error information.

25. The UE of claim 18, the at least one processor further configured to: obtain calibration error information; and correct a positioning calculation using the calibration error information.

26. The UE of claim 25, wherein, the calibration error information includes: a calibration error or error range for a specified reference signal time difference; a time of arrival for a specified positioning reference signal resource; a specified round trip time; or a combination thereof.

27. The UE of claim 25, wherein, the at least one processor being configured to obtain the calibration error information includes the at least one processor being configured to receive the calibration error information from the network entity.

28. The UE of claim 25, wherein, The at least one processor being configured to obtain the calibration error information includes the at least one processor being configured to calculate the calibration error information based on location information associated with the location within the calibration area.

29. The UE of claim 28, wherein, The at least one processor being configured to calculate the calibration error information based on the location information associated with the location within the calibration area includes the at least one processor being configured to calculate the calibration error information based on: a geographic location; a range of geographic locations; a distance or range of distances; an angle or range of angles; a timestamp or range of timestamps; a transmit (TX) or receive (RX) calibration error at the UE; an uncertainty associated with one or more of the above; or a combination thereof.

30. The UE of claim 28, wherein, The at least one processor being configured to calculate the calibration error information includes the at least one processor being configured to calculate the calibration error information based on a measured value associated with a transmitter of a reference signal.

31. The UE of claim 25, the at least one processor being further configured to report the calibration error information to the network entity, send the calibration error information directly or indirectly to another UE, or a combination thereof.

32. The UE of claim 18, wherein, The at least one processor being configured to send the request to schedule the PRS includes the at least one processor being configured to send: a request to schedule on-demand synchronization, periodic, or asynchronous PRS; a request to reschedule an existing PRS configuration; a request for a new time offset; a request for a new PRS timing pattern; a request for a new PRS muting pattern; or a combination thereof.

33. The UE of claim 18, wherein, The request includes information indicating a purpose of the request, a specific PRS resource ID, a specific PRS resource set ID, a specific cell ID, a specific transmission / reception point (TRP) ID, or a combination thereof.

34. The UE of claim 18, the at least one processor being further configured to send a request to a serving base station to change a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration and related PRS measurement or transmission rules.

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