Aggregation of positioning signal and supplementary signal

Abstract

A signal processing method includes: receiving a PRS and a supplementary signal at a UE, the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal and spanning a first frequency range, the first frequency range being at least partially outside a second frequency range spanned by the PRS; at the UE, processing the PRS and supplementary signal in combination to generate an effective signal bandwidth greater than the second frequency range to determine location information; and including at least one of the following: sending a capability message from the UE to a network entity, the capability message indicating the UE's processing capability to process the PRS and supplementary signal in combination; or sending a signal combination indication from the UE to a network entity, the signal combination indication indicating that the UE has processed the PRS and supplementary signal in combination to determine location information.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Greek patent application No. 20200100711, filed on December 3, 2020, entitled “AGGREGATION OF POSITIONING SIGNAL AND SUPPLEMENTAL SIGNAL”, which has been assigned to the assignee of this application and whose entire contents are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes. Background Technology

[0003] Wireless communication systems have undergone multiple generations of development, including first-generation analog radiotelephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital radiotelephone service (including temporary 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, wireless services supporting the Internet, fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax), and fifth-generation (5G) services. Currently, various types of wireless communication systems are used, including cellular and Personal Communication Services (PCS) systems. Known examples of cellular systems include cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and TDMA variants of the Global System for Mobile Access (GSM).

[0004] The fifth-generation (5G) mobile standard, among other improvements, demands higher data transmission speeds, a greater number of connections, and better coverage. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGC), the 5G standard is designed to provide tens of megabits per second (Mbps) of data to each of tens of thousands of users, and 1 gigabit per second (Gbps) of data to dozens of workers on an office floor. To support large-scale sensor deployments, it should support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections. Therefore, compared to the current 4G standard, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly improved. Furthermore, compared to the current standard, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency should be significantly reduced. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An example user equipment configured for wireless signal transmission includes: an interface; a memory; and a processor communicatively coupled to the interface and the memory, and configured to: receive via the interface a PRS (Location Reference Signal) and a supplementary signal, the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal and spanning a first frequency range, the first frequency range being at least partially outside a second frequency range spanned by the PRS; process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination to generate an effective signal bandwidth greater than the second frequency range to determine location information; and be configured to: transmit via the interface a capability message to a network entity indicating the user equipment's processing capability to process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination; or transmit via the interface a signal combination indication to a network entity instructing the processor to process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination to determine location information.

[0006] Implementations of such user equipment may include one or more of the following features: The supplementary signal is a synchronization signal block signal. The processor is configured to coherently combine the PRS and supplementary signals to determine location information. The processor is configured to transmit a capability message that also indicates whether the processor is capable of processing the PRS and supplementary signals by combining PRS and supplementary signals with different parameter sets. The processor is configured to transmit a capability message indicating the user equipment's processing capability to process the PRS and supplementary signals in combination, and the corresponding frequency band or combination of corresponding frequency bands. The processor is configured to transmit a capability message indicating the minimum overlap between a first frequency range and a second frequency range. The processor is configured to transmit a capability message indicating the maximum time associated with the PRS and supplementary signals. The processor is configured to transmit a capability message indicating the accuracy of the location information and at least one of the following: whether the PRS and supplementary signals overlap in frequency, the amount of frequency overlap between the PRS and supplementary signals, time drift accuracy, or phase offset accuracy. The processor is configured to transmit a signal combination indication indicating the accuracy of the location information.

[0007] Another example user equipment configured for wireless signal transmission includes: components for receiving a PRS (Location Reference Signal) and a supplementary signal, the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal and spanning a first frequency range, the first frequency range being at least partially outside a second frequency range spanned by the PRS; components for combining the PRS and the supplementary signal to generate an effective signal bandwidth greater than the second frequency range to determine location information; and components including at least one of: a first transmitting component for transmitting a capability message to a network entity, the capability message indicating the user equipment's processing capability to combine the PRS and the supplementary signal; or a second transmitting component for transmitting a signal combination indication to a network entity, the signal combination indication instructing the user equipment to combine the PRS and the supplementary signal to determine location information.

[0008] Implementations of such user equipment may include one or more of the following features: The supplementary signal is a synchronization signal block signal. The processing components include components for coherently combining the PRS and supplementary signals to determine location information. The user equipment includes a first transmitting component, and the capability message further indicates whether the user equipment is capable of processing the PRS and supplementary signals by combining PRS and supplementary signals with different parameter sets. The user equipment includes a first transmitting component, and the user equipment also includes components for generating a capability message indicating the user equipment's processing capability to process the PRS and supplementary signals in combination, and the corresponding frequency band or combination of corresponding frequency bands. The user equipment includes a first transmitting component, and the user equipment also includes components for generating a capability message indicating minimum overlap between a first frequency range and a second frequency range. The user equipment includes a first transmitting component, and the user equipment also includes components for generating a capability message indicating the maximum time associated with the PRS and supplementary signals. The user equipment includes a first transmitting component, and the user equipment also includes components for generating a capability message indicating at least one of the following: location information accuracy and whether the PRS and supplementary signals overlap in frequency, the amount of frequency overlap between the PRS and supplementary signals, time drift accuracy, or phase offset accuracy. The user equipment includes a second transmitting component, and the user equipment also includes a component for generating a signal combination indication used to indicate the accuracy of the location information.

[0009] An example signal processing method includes: receiving a PRS (Location Reference Signal) and a supplementary signal at a UE (User Equipment), the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal and spanning a first frequency range, the first frequency range being at least partially outside a second frequency range spanned by the PRS; at the UE, processing the PRS and supplementary signal in combination to generate an effective signal bandwidth greater than the second frequency range to determine location information; and at least one of the following: sending a capability message from the UE to a network entity indicating the UE's processing capability to process the PRS and supplementary signal in combination; or sending a signal combination indication from the UE to a network entity instructing the UE to process the PRS and supplementary signal in combination to determine location information.

[0010] Implementations of such methods may include one or more of the following features: The supplementary signal is a synchronization signal block signal. Processing the PRS and supplementary signals in combination includes coherently combining the PRS and supplementary signals to determine location information. The signal processing method includes transmitting a capability message, and further includes generating a capability message indicating whether the UE can process the PRS and supplementary signals by combining PRS and supplementary signals with different parameter sets. The signal processing method includes transmitting a capability message, and further includes generating a capability message indicating the UE's processing capability to process the PRS and supplementary signals in combination, and the corresponding frequency band or combination of corresponding frequency bands. The signal processing method includes transmitting a capability message, and further includes generating a capability message indicating the minimum overlap between a first frequency range and a second frequency range. The signal processing method includes transmitting a capability message, and further includes generating a capability message indicating the maximum time associated with the PRS and supplementary signals. The signal processing method includes transmitting a capability message, and further includes generating a capability message indicating the accuracy of the location information and at least one of the following: whether the PRS and supplementary signals overlap in frequency, the amount of frequency overlap between the PRS and supplementary signals, time drift accuracy, or phase offset accuracy. The signal processing method includes transmitting a signal combination indication, and the signal processing method also includes generating a signal combination indication used to indicate the accuracy of the position information.

[0011] An example non-transitory processor-readable storage medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of a UE (User Equipment) to: receive a PRS (Location Reference Signal) and a supplementary signal, the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal and spanning a first frequency range, the first frequency range being at least partially outside a second frequency range spanned by the PRS; process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination to generate an effective signal bandwidth greater than the second frequency range to determine location information; and at least one of the following: send a capability message to a network entity instructing the UE to process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination; or send a signal combination instruction to a network entity instructing the processor to process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination to determine location information.

[0012] Implementations of such storage media may include one or more of the following features: The supplementary signal is a synchronization signal block signal. Processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to process the PRS and supplementary signals in combination include processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to coherently combine the PRS and supplementary signals to determine location information. The storage medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to send a capability message, and the storage medium also includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to generate a capability message indicating whether the UE can process the PRS and supplementary signals by combining PRS and supplementary signals with different parameter sets. The storage medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to send a capability message, and the storage medium also includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to generate a capability message indicating the UE's processing capability to process the PRS and supplementary signals in combination and the corresponding frequency band or corresponding frequency band combination. The storage medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to send a capability message, and the storage medium also includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to generate a capability message indicating the minimum overlap between a first frequency range and a second frequency range. The storage medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor to send a capability message, and further includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor to generate a capability message indicating the maximum time associated with the PRS and supplementary signals. The storage medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor to send a capability message, and further includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor to generate a capability message indicating position information accuracy and at least one of the following: whether the PRS and supplementary signals overlap in frequency, the amount of frequency overlap between the PRS and supplementary signals, time drift accuracy, or phase offset accuracy. The storage medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor to send a signal combination indication, and further includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to generate a signal combination indication indicating the accuracy of the position information.

[0013] An example network entity includes: an interface; a memory; and a processor communicatively coupled to the interface and the memory, and configured to: receive a capability message via the interface, the capability message indicating the user equipment's capability to process a PRS (Location Reference Signal) and a supplementary signal, the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal; and request the transmission of the PRS and supplementary signal from a TRP (Transmit / Receive Point) according to one or more criteria, so that the user equipment can process the PRS and supplementary signal in combination to meet at least one accuracy threshold.

[0014] Implementations of such network entities may include one or more of the following characteristics: The supplementary signal is a synchronization signal block signal. The processor is configured to request the TRP to transmit the PRS and supplementary signal using the same antenna port. The processor is configured to request the TRP to transmit the PRS and supplementary signal using a quasi-co-located antenna port. The processor is configured to analyze capability messages for one or more standards. One or more standards include the relative timing of the PRS and supplementary signal. The processor is configured to request the TRP to send a scaling factor indicating the power scaling between the PRS and supplementary signal to the user equipment via the interface.

[0015] Another example network entity includes: a component for receiving a capability message from a user equipment indicating the user equipment's capability to process a PRS (Positioning Reference Signal) and a supplementary signal, the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal; and a component for requesting the transmission of the PRS and supplementary signal from a TRP (Transmit / Receive Point) according to one or more criteria to enable the user equipment to process the PRS and supplementary signal in combination to meet at least one accuracy threshold.

[0016] The implementation of such a network entity may include one or more of the following features: The supplementary signal is a synchronization signal block signal. Components for requesting the transmission of PRS and supplementary signals include components for requesting the TRP to transmit PRS and supplementary signals using the same antenna port. Components for requesting the transmission of PRS and supplementary signals include components for requesting the TRP to transmit PRS and supplementary signals using a quasi-co-located antenna port. The network entity also includes components for analyzing capability messages against one or more standards. One or more standards include the relative timing of PRS and supplementary signals. The network entity also includes components for requesting the TRP to send a scaling factor to the user equipment indicating the power scaling between the PRS and supplementary signals.

[0017] An example signal transmission request method includes: receiving a capability message from a user equipment at a network entity, the capability message indicating the user equipment's capability to process a PRS (Location Reference Signal) and a supplementary signal, the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal; and requesting transmission of the PRS and supplementary signal from a TRP (Transmit / Receive Point) according to one or more criteria to enable the user equipment to process the PRS and supplementary signal in combination to meet at least one accuracy threshold.

[0018] Implementations of such methods may include one or more of the following features: The supplementary signal is a synchronization signal block signal. Requesting the transmission of PRS and supplementary signals includes requesting the TRP to transmit PRS and supplementary signals using the same antenna port. Requesting the transmission of PRS and supplementary signals includes requesting the TRP to transmit PRS and supplementary signals using a quasi-co-located antenna port. The signal request method also includes analysis capability messages for one or more standards. One or more standards include the relative timing of the PRS and supplementary signals. The signal transmission request method also includes requesting the TRP to send a scaling factor to the user equipment indicating the power scaling between the PRS and supplementary signals.

[0019] Another example of a non-transitory processor-readable storage medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of a network entity to: receive a capability message from a user equipment indicating the user equipment's capability to process a PRS (Location Reference Signal) and a supplementary signal, the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal; and request the transmission of the PRS and supplementary signal from a TRP (Transmit / Receive Point) according to one or more criteria to cause the user equipment to process the PRS and supplementary signal in combination to meet at least one accuracy threshold.

[0020] Implementations of such storage media may include one or more of the following features: The supplementary signal is a synchronization signal block signal. Processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to request the transmission of PRS and supplementary signals include processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to request the TRP to transmit PRS and supplementary signals using the same antenna port. Processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to request the transmission of PRS and supplementary signals include processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to request the TRP to transmit PRS and supplementary signals using a quasi-co-located antenna port. The storage medium also includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to analyze one or more standard capability messages. One or more standards include the relative timing of PRS and supplementary signals. The storage medium also includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to request the TRP to send a scaling factor to the user equipment indicating the power scaling between the PRS and supplementary signals. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a simplified diagram of an example wireless communication system.

[0022] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows the block diagram of the components of an example user device.

[0023] Figure 3 This is a block diagram of the components of an example send / receive point.

[0024] Figure 4 Its various embodiments are in Figure 1The diagram shows a block diagram of the components of the example server.

[0025] Figure 5 This is a block diagram of an example user device.

[0026] Figure 6 It is a block diagram of network entities.

[0027] Figure 7 This is a timing diagram of a frequency division multiplexed signal.

[0028] Figure 8 This is a timing diagram showing the departure and arrival times of two signals.

[0029] Figure 9 This is a simplified block diagram of the resource blocks of the synchronization signal block.

[0030] Figure 10 This is a timing diagram of two instances of the downlink positioning reference signal and the synchronization signal block signal.

[0031] Figure 11 This is an example of a report on the combined signal processing capabilities of a user equipment.

[0032] Figure 12 This is an example of a location information report from a user device.

[0033] Figure 13 It is the signaling and processing flow used to determine location information.

[0034] Figure 14 This is a flowchart of a signal processing method.

[0035] Figure 15 This is a flowchart of the signal sending request method. Detailed Implementation

[0036] This document discusses techniques for managing location signal processing. For example, a User Equipment (UE) can provide one or more indications of its processing capabilities for processing a combination of Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) and supplementary signals. Different processing capabilities can be indicated for the combined processing of PRS and supplementary signals. For example, the UE can indicate the accuracy of the location information it will provide (e.g., measurement accuracy and / or location estimation accuracy) corresponding to one or more criteria for the PRS and / or supplementary signals. These criteria may include one or more of frequency bands, frequency band combinations, frequency overlap, frequency separation (e.g., maximum frequency gap in a sub-band), requirements for frequency adjacency of the PRS and supplementary signals, time separation (e.g., maximum gap in a symbol), requirements for time adjacency of the PRS and supplementary signals (e.g., in consecutive symbols), phase offset, and / or time drift. Network entities can configure, for example, to schedule the transmission of PRS and supplementary signals to facilitate combined processing. For example, network entities can ensure that the PRS and supplementary signals meet one or more transmission criteria specified by the UE for the combined processing of the PRS and supplementary signals. One or more transmission standards may include the relative frequencies of the PRS and supplementary signals and / or the use of the same antenna ports for transmitting the PRS and supplementary signals. Network entities may instruct power scaling between the PRS and supplementary signals. These are examples, and other examples (e.g., UEs and / or standards) may be implemented.

[0037] The items and / or techniques described herein can provide one or more of the following capabilities, as well as others not mentioned. The accuracy of mobile device location determination, such as lateral (horizontal) and / or vertical (height) location, can be increased. The accuracy of location scheduling can be improved. The ability to determine (e.g., anticipate) fulfillment of one or more positioning requirements can be improved. Other capabilities can be provided, and not every implementation according to this disclosure is required to provide any, let alone all, of the capabilities discussed.

[0038] Determining the location of mobile devices accessing a wireless network can be useful for a variety of applications, including, for example, emergency calls, personal navigation, consumer asset tracking, and locating friends or family members. Existing positioning methods include those based on measuring radio signals transmitted from various devices or entities (such as base stations and access points) within a wireless network, including satellite vehicles (SVs) and terrestrial wireless power sources. The standardization of 5G wireless networks is expected to include support for various positioning methods that can utilize reference signals transmitted by base stations in a manner similar to how LTE wireless networks currently use Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) and / or Cell-Specific Reference Signals (CRS) for location determination.

[0039] This description may refer to, for example, a sequence of actions to be performed by elements of a computing device. The various actions described herein may be performed by specific circuitry (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), program instructions executed by one or more processors, or a combination of both. The sequence of actions described herein may be implemented on a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a corresponding set of computer instructions stored thereon, which, when executed, will cause the associated processor to perform the functions described herein. Therefore, the aspects described herein may be implemented in several different forms, all of which are within the scope of this disclosure, including the claimed subject matter.

[0040] As used herein, unless otherwise indicated, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not specific to or otherwise limited to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT). Generally, such a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset tracking device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. The 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” is interchangeably referred to as “Access Terminal” or “AT”, “Client Equipment”, “Wireless Equipment”, “Subscriber Equipment”, “Subscriber Terminal”, “Subscriber Station”, “User Terminal” or “UT”, “Mobile Terminal”, “Mobile Station”, “Mobile Equipment”, or variations thereof. Typically, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting the UE to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible, such as via a wired access network, a WiFi network (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), etc.

[0041] Depending on the network in which it is deployed, a base station can communicate with the UE using one of several RATs. Examples of base stations include access points (APs), network nodes, NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), or generic NodeBs (gNodeBs, gNBs). Furthermore, in some systems, a base station may only provide edge node signaling functions, while in others it may provide additional control and / or network management functions.

[0042] The UE can be implemented using any of a variety of devices, including but not limited to printed circuit (PC) cards, compact flash memory devices, external or internal modems, wireless or wired telephones, smartphones, tablet computers, consumer asset tracking devices, asset tags, etc. The communication links through which the UE signals to the RAN are referred to as uplink channels (e.g., reverse traffic channels, reverse control channels, access channels, etc.). The communication links through which the RAN signals to the UE are referred to as downlink or forward link channels (e.g., paging channels, control channels, broadcast channels, forward traffic channels, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to uplink / reverse or downlink / forward traffic channels.

[0043] As used herein, the terms "cell" or "sector" may correspond to one of multiple cells of a base station, or to the base station itself, depending on the context. The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., via a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID)) used to distinguish adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured based on different protocol types that provide access for different types of devices (e.g., Machine-Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or others). In some examples, the term "cell" may refer to a portion (e.g., a sector) of the geographical coverage area on which a logical entity operates.

[0044] refer to Figure 1Examples of communication system 100 include UE 105, UE 106, radio access network (RAN) (here, fifth-generation (5G) next-generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN) 135), 5G core network (5GC) 140, and server 150. UE 105 and / or UE 106 can be, for example, IoT devices, location tracker devices, cellular phones, vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, buses, boats, etc.) or other devices. 5G networks can also be referred to as new radio (NR) networks; NG-RAN 135 can be referred to as 5G RAN or NRRAN; and 5GC 140 can be referred to as NG core network (NGC). Standardization of NG-RAN and 5GC is underway within the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Therefore, NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 can conform to current or future standards supported by 5G from 3GPP. NG-RAN 135 can be another type of RAN, such as 3G RAN, 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. UE 106 can be configured and coupled similarly to UE 105 to send and / or receive signals from similar entities in system 100, but for the sake of simplicity in the diagram, ... Figure 1 No such signaling is indicated in the document. Similarly, for simplicity, the discussion focuses on UE 105. Communication system 100 may utilize information from constellation 185 of satellite vehicles (SVs) 190, 191, 192, 193 for satellite positioning systems (SPS) (e.g., Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS)), such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, or BeiDou, or some other local or regional SPS (such as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), the European Geosynchronous Satellite Navigation Coverage Service (EGNOS), or the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)). Additional components of communication system 100 are described below. Communication system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

[0045] like Figure 1As shown, NG-RAN 135 includes NR nodeBs (gNB) 110a, 110b and next-generation eNodeB (ng-eNB) 114, and 5GC 140 includes Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMF) 115, Session Management Functions (SMF) 117, Location Management Functions (LMF) 120 and Gateway Mobility Location Center (GMLC) 125. gNBs 110a, 110b and ng-eNB 114 are communicatively coupled to each other, each configured to communicate bidirectionally with UE 105, and each is communicatively coupled to AMF 115 and configured to communicate bidirectionally with AMF 115. gNBs 110a, 110b and ng-eNB 114 may be referred to as base stations (BS). AMF 115, SMF 117, LMF 120 and GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the GMLC is communicatively coupled to an external client 130. SMF 117 can be used as the initial contact point for Service Control Functions (SCF) (not shown) to create, control, and delete media sessions. Base stations such as gNB110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 can be macrocells (e.g., high-power cellular base stations), small cells (e.g., low-power cellular base stations), or access points (e.g., configured to use technologies such as WiFi, WiFi-Direct (WiFi-D)). - Short-range base stations for short-range communication technologies such as Low Energy (BLE) and Zigbee. One or more BSs (e.g., one or more of gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) can be configured to communicate with UE105 via multiple carriers. Each of gNB 110a, 110b and ng-eNB 114 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic area (e.g., cell). Each cell can be divided into multiple sectors based on the base station antennas.

[0046] Figure 1A general illustration of the various components is provided, and any or all of them may be used appropriately, with each component repeated or omitted as needed. Specifically, although one UE 105 is shown, multiple UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may be used in the communication system 100. Similarly, the communication system 100 may include a larger (or smaller) number of SVs (i.e., more or fewer than the four SVs 190-193 shown), gNBs 110a and 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, external client 130, and / or other components. The connections shown linking the various components in the communication system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

[0047] Although Figure 1 The illustration depicts a 5G-based network, but similar network implementations and configurations can be used for other communication technologies such as 3G, LTE, etc. The implementations described herein (specifically for 5G technology and / or for one or more other communication technologies and / or protocols) can be used to transmit (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals, receive and measure directional signals at a UE (e.g., UE 105), and / or provide location assistance to UE 105 (via GMLC 125 or other location servers), and / or calculate the location of UE 105 at a locationable device such as UE 105, gNB110a, 110b, or LMF 120 based on measurements received at UE 105 for such directional transmission signals. Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125, Location Management Function (LMF) 120, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 115, SMF 117, ng-eNB (eNodeB) 114, and gNB (gNodeB) 110a, 110b are examples, and in various embodiments, various other location server functions and / or base station functions may be replaced by or included by various other location server functions and / or base station functions, respectively.

[0048] System 100 is capable of wireless communication because its components can communicate directly or indirectly (at least some of the time using wireless connections), for example, via gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114 and / or 5GC 140 (and / or one or more other devices not shown, such as one or more other base transceiver stations). For indirect communication, communication can be altered during transmission from one entity to another, for example, by changing the header information of data packets, changing the format, etc. UE 105 may include multiple UEs and can be mobile wireless communication devices, but can communicate wirelessly and via wired connections. UE 105 can be any of a variety of devices, such as smartphones, tablets, vehicle-based devices, etc., but these are examples, as UE 105 is not required to be any of these configurations, and other configurations of the UE can be used. Other UEs may include wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart jewelry, smart glasses, or headphones, etc.). Other UEs, whether currently existing or developed in the future, may also be used. In addition, other wireless devices (whether mobile or not) can be implemented within system 100 and can communicate with each other and / or with UE 105, gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, 5GC 140, and / or external client 130. For example, such other devices may include Internet of Things (IoT) devices, medical devices, home entertainment and / or automation devices, etc. 5GC 140 can communicate with external client 130 (e.g., a computer system) to allow external client 130 to request and / or receive location information about UE 105 (e.g., via GMLC 125).

[0049] UE 105 or other devices can be configured to communicate in various networks and / or for various purposes and / or using various technologies (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi communication, multiple frequencies of Wi-Fi communication, satellite positioning, one or more types of communication (e.g., GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), V2X (vehicle-to-everything, e.g., V2P (vehicle-to-pedestrian), V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure), V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle), etc.)), IEEE 802.11p, etc.). V2X communication can be cellular (Cellular-V2X (C-V2X)) and / or WiFi (e.g., DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Connectivity)). System 100 can support operation on multiple carriers (waveform signals of different frequencies). A multi-carrier transmitter can simultaneously transmit modulated signals on multiple carriers. Each modulated signal can be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) signal, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) signal, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) signal, Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) signal, etc. Each modulated signal can be transmitted on a different carrier and can carry pilot information, overhead information, data, etc. UEs 105 and 106 can communicate with each other via UE-to-UE sidelink communication by transmitting on one or more sidelink (SL) channels (such as the Physical Sidelink Synchronization Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), or Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH)).

[0050] UE 105 may include and / or may be referred to as a device, mobile device, wireless device, mobile terminal, terminal, mobile station (MS), terminal (SET) supporting Secure User Plane Positioning (SUPL), or some other name. Furthermore, UE 105 may correspond to a telephone, smartphone, laptop computer, tablet computer, PDA, consumer asset tracking device, navigation device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, health monitor, security system, smart city sensor, smart meter, wearable tracker, or some other portable or mobile device. Typically, although not necessarily, UE 105 may support wireless communication using one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs), such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High-Speed ​​Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 WiFi (also known as Wi-Fi). (BT), Global Microwave Access Interoperability (WiMAX), 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140), etc. UE 105 can support wireless communication using a wireless local area network (WLAN), which can connect to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using, for example, digital subscriber line (DSL) or packet cable. Using one or more of these RATs allows UE 105 to communicate with external client 130 (e.g., via...). Figure 1 The elements of 5GC 140 not shown in the figure, or possibly via GMLC 125) and / or allow external client 130 to receive location information about UE 105 (e.g., via GMLC 125).

[0051] UE 105 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as within a personal area network where the user can use audio, video, and / or data I / O (input / output) devices and / or body sensors, as well as separate wired or wireless modems. The estimation of the location of UE 105 may be referred to as a location, location estimate, location lock, lock, position, location estimation, or location lock, and may be geographic, thus providing location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) for UE 105, which may or may not include an elevation component (e.g., height above sea level, height above ground level, floor level, or depth below basement level). Alternatively, the location of UE 105 may be represented as a city location (e.g., as a postal address or designation of a point or small area within a building (such as a specific room or floor)). The location of UE 105 may be represented as an area or volume (defined geographically or in urban form) in which UE 105 is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of UE 105 can be represented as a relative location, which includes, for example, distance and direction from a known location. This relative location can be represented as relative coordinates (e.g., X, Y (and Z) coordinates) defined relative to an origin at a known location, which may be defined, for example, geographically, in urban terms, or by reference to a point, area, or volume indicated, for example, on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, the use of the term "location" can include any of these variations unless otherwise indicated. When calculating the location of the UE, local x, y, and (possibly) z coordinates are typically solved, and then, if necessary, converted to absolute coordinates (e.g., for latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level).

[0052] UE 105 can be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of a variety of technologies. UE 105 can be configured to indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. D2D P2P links can be supported by any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), etc. One or more UEs in a UE group utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area of ​​a Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) such as gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. Other UEs in such a group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may otherwise be unable to receive transmissions from the base station. A UE group communicating via D2D communication can utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, in which each UE can transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP can facilitate resource scheduling for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication can be performed between UEs without the involvement of a TRP. One or more UEs in a UE group utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area of ​​a TRP. Other UEs in such a group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may otherwise be unable to receive transmissions from the base station. A UE group communicating via D2D communication can utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, in which each UE can transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP can facilitate resource scheduling for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication can be performed between UEs without the involvement of TRP.

[0053] Figure 1 The base stations (BS) in the NG-RAN 135 shown include NR Node Bs, referred to as gNBs 110a and 110b. The gNBs 110a and 110b pair in the NG-RAN 135 can be interconnected via one or more other gNBs. Providing UE 105 with access to the 5G network via wireless communication between UE 105 and one or more of gNBs 110a and 110b can represent UE 105 providing wireless communication access to the 5GC 140 using 5G. Figure 1 In this context, it is assumed that the serving gNB for UE 105 is gNB110a, although another gNB (e.g., gNB 110b) may act as the serving gNB if UE 105 moves to another location, or may act as an auxiliary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105.

[0054] Figure 1The base station (BS) in the NG-RAN 135 shown may include ng-eNB 114, also known as a next-generation evolved Node B. ng-eNB 114 may (potentially via one or more other gNBs and / or one or more other ng-eNBs) connect to one or more of the gNBs 110a and 110b in the NG-RAN 135. ng-eNB 114 may provide LTE radio access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) radio access to UE 105. One or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may be configured to act as location-only beacons, transmitting signals to help determine the location of UE 105, but not receiving signals from UE 105 or other UEs.

[0055] gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 may each include one or more TRPs. For example, each sector within a cell of the BS may include a TRP, although multiple TRPs may share one or more components (e.g., share a processor but have separate antennas). System 100 may include a macro TRP individually, or system 100 may have different types of TRPs, such as macro, pico, and / or femto TRPs. Macro TRPs may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access for terminals with service subscriptions. Pico TRPs may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a pico cell) and may allow unrestricted access for terminals with service subscriptions. Femto or home TRPs may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a femto cell) and may allow restricted access for terminals associated with that femto cell (e.g., terminals for users in a home).

[0056] Each of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may include a Radio Unit (RU), a Distributed Unit (DU), and a Central Unit (CU). For example, the gNB 110a includes RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113. RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113 divide the functionality of the gNB 110a. Although the gNB 110a is shown as having a single RU, a single DU, and a single CU, the gNB may include one or more RUs, one or more DUs, and / or one or more CUs. The interface between CU 113 and DU 112 is referred to as the F1 interface. RU 111 is configured to perform digital front-end (DFE) functions (e.g., analog-to-digital conversion, filtering, power amplification, transmit / receive) and digital beamforming, and includes a portion of the physical (PHY) layer. RU 111 may perform DFE using massive MIMO and may be integrated with one or more antennas of the gNB 110a. DU 112 hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC), and Physical Layer of gNB 110a. A DU can support one or more units, and each unit is supported by a single DU. The operation of DU 112 is controlled by CU 113. CU 113 is configured to perform functions for transmitting user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, location, session management, etc., although some functions are individually assigned to DU 112. CU 113 hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols of gNB 110a. UE 105 can communicate with CU 113 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, with DU 112 via the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers, and with RU 111 via the PHY layer.

[0057] As mentioned above, although Figure 1 The diagram depicts nodes configured to communicate according to 5G communication protocols, but nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols such as LTE or IEEE 802.11x can be used. For example, in an evolved packet system (EPS) providing LTE radio access to UE 105, the RAN may include an evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), which may include base stations containing evolved Node Bs (eNBs). The core network for the EPS may include an evolved packet core (EPC). The EPS may include the E-UTRAN plus the EPC, where the E-UTRAN corresponds to... Figure 1 In NG-RAN 135, EPC corresponds to Figure 1 5GC 140.

[0058] gNB 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 can communicate with AMF 115, which in turn communicates with LMF120 for positioning functions. AMF 115 can support UE 105 mobility, including cell changes and handovers, and can participate in supporting signaling connections to UE 105 and (potentially) data and voice bearers for UE 105. LMF 120 can communicate directly with UE 105 (e.g., via wireless communication) or directly with gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. LMF 120 can support UE 105 positioning when UE 105 accesses NG-RAN 135, and can support location procedures / methods such as Auxiliary GNSS (A-GNSS), Observation Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (e.g., Downlink (DL) OTDOA or Uplink (UL) OTDOA), Round Trip Time (RTT), Multi-Cell RTT, Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), Angle of Arrival (AoA), Angle of Departure (AoD), and / or other positioning methods. LMF 120 can process, for example, location service requests for UE 105 received from AMF 115 or GMLC 125. LMF 120 can connect to AMF 115 and / or GMLC 125. LMF 120 may be referred to by other names such as Positioning Manager (LM), Positioning Function (LF), Commercial LMF (CLMF), or Value-Added LMF (VLMF). The node / system implementing LMF 120 can additionally or alternatively implement other types of positioning support modules, such as Enhanced Serving Mobility Location Center (E-SMLC) or Secure User Plane Positioning (SUPL) Positioning Platform (SLP). At least a portion of the positioning functionality (including deriving the location of UE 105) can be performed at UE 105 (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by UE 105 against signals transmitted by radio nodes such as gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114, and / or auxiliary data provided to UE 105, for example, by LMF 120). AMF 115 can serve as a control node for handling signaling between UE 105 and 5GC140 and can provide QoS (Quality of Service) streaming and session management. AMF 115 can support the mobility of UE 105, including cell changes and handovers, and can participate in supporting signaling connections to UE 105.

[0059] Server 150 (e.g., a cloud server) is configured to obtain the location estimate of UE 105 and provide it to external client 130. Server 150 may be configured, for example, to run a microservice / service for obtaining the location estimate of UE 105. Server 150 may extract the location estimate, for example, from (e.g., by sending a location request to it) one or more of UE 105, gNB 110a and 110b (e.g., via RU 111, DU 112 and CU 113) and / or ng-eNB 114 and / or LMF 120. As another example, the location estimate of UE 105 may be pushed to server 150 by one or more of UE 105, gNB 110a and 110b (e.g., via RU 111, DU 112 and CU 113) and / or LMF 120.

[0060] GMLC 125 can support location requests for UE 105 received from external client 130 via server 150, and can forward such location requests to AMF 115, which in turn forwards them to LMF 120, or can forward the location requests directly to LMF 120. Location responses from LMF 120 (e.g., containing location estimates for UE 105) can be returned to GMLC 125 directly or via AMF 115, and GMLC 125 can then return the location response (e.g., containing location estimates) to external client 130 via server 150. GMLC 125 is shown connected to both AMF 115 and LMF 120, although in some implementations it may not be connected to either AMF 115 or LMF 120.

[0061] like Figure 1 As further illustrated, the LMF 120 can communicate with gNB 110a, 110B, and / or ng-eNB 114 using a new Radio Location Protocol A (which may be referred to as NPPa or NRPPa), defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa can be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LTE Location Protocol A (LPPa) defined in 3GPP TS 36.455, wherein NRPPa messages are transmitted via AMF 115 between gNB 110a (or gNB 110b) and the LMF 120, and / or between ng-eNB 114 and the LMF 120. Figure 1As further illustrated, LMF 120 and UE 105 can communicate using the LTE Location Protocol (LPP), which is defined in 3GPP TS 36.355. LMF 120 and UE 105 can also, or alternatively, communicate using a new radio location protocol (which may be referred to as NPP or NRPP), which may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of LPP. Here, LPP and / or NPP messages can be transmitted between UE 105 and LMF 120 via AMF 115 and the serving gNB 110a, 110b, or serving ng-eNB 114 for UE 105. For example, LPP and / or NPP messages can be transmitted between LMF 120 and AMF 115 using the 5G Location Service Application Protocol (LCS AP), and can be transmitted between AMF 115 and UE 105 using the 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. The LPP and / or NPP protocols can be used to support the positioning of UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based location methods (such as A-GNSS, RTK, OTDOA, and / or E-CID). The NRPPa protocol can be used to support the positioning of UE 105 using network-based location methods such as E-CID (e.g., when used with measurements obtained by gNB 110a, 110b, or ng-eNB 114), and / or can be used by LMF 120 to obtain location-related information from gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114, such as parameters defining directional SS or PRS transmissions from gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. LMF 120 can be co-located or integrated with gNB or TRP, or can be configured to be located away from gNB and / or TRP and communicate directly or indirectly with gNB and / or TRP.

[0062] Using the UE-assisted location method, UE 105 can obtain location measurements and send them to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for calculating a location estimate for UE 105. For example, location measurements may include one or more of the following for gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, and / or WLAN AP: Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), Round-Trip Time (RTT), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), and / or Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ). Location measurements may also, or alternatively, include measurements of GNSS pseudorange, code phase, and / or carrier phase for SV 190-193.

[0063] Using a UE-based location method, UE 105 can obtain location measurements (e.g., which may be the same as or similar to location measurements used for UE-assisted location methods) and can calculate the location of UE 105 (e.g., with the help of auxiliary data received from a location server such as LMF 120 or auxiliary data broadcast by gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114 or other base stations or APs).

[0064] Using a network-based location method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) or APs can obtain location measurements (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, or Time of Arrival (ToA) of signals transmitted by UE 105) and / or can receive measurements obtained by UE 105. One or more base stations or APs can send the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for calculating a location estimate for UE 105.

[0065] The information provided to the LMF 120 by the gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 using NRPPa may include timing and configuration information for directional SS or PRS transmissions, as well as location coordinates. The LMF 120 may provide some or all of this information to the UE 105 as supplementary data in LPP and / or NPP messages via NG-RAN 135 and 5GC140.

[0066] The LPP or NPP message sent from LMF 120 to UE 105 can instruct UE 105 to perform any of a variety of things according to the required functionality. For example, the LPP or NPP message can contain instructions for UE 105 to obtain measurements of GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and / or OTDOA (or some other location method). In the case of E-CID, the LPP or NPP message can instruct UE 105 to obtain one or more measurements of directional signals transmitted within a specific cell supported by one or more of gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 (or supported by some other type of base station such as eNB or WiFi AP) (e.g., beam ID, beamwidth, average angle, RSRP, RSRQ measurements). UE 105 can send measurements back to LMF 120 via service gNB 110a (or service ng-eNB 114) and AMF 115 in an LPP or NPP message (e.g., within a 5G NAS message).

[0067] As noted, while a communication system 100 is described in relation to 5G technology, the communication system 100 may be implemented to support other communication technologies, such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc., which are used to support and interact with mobile devices (such as UE 105) (e.g., for implementing voice, data, location, and other functions). In some such embodiments, 5GC 140 may be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, 5GC 140 may use non-3GPP interoperability functions (N3IWF) in 5GC 140. Figure 1 (Not shown) Connected to a WLAN. For example, the WLAN may support IEEE 802.11 WiFi access for UE 105 and may include one or more WiFi APs. Here, the N3IWF may connect to the WLAN and other components in 5GC 140, such as AMF115. In some embodiments, both NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 may be replaced by one or more other RANs and one or more other core networks. For example, in EPS, NG-RAN 135 may be replaced by E-UTRAN containing eNBs, and 5GC140 may be replaced by EPC containing a Mobility Management Entity (MME) replacing AMF 115, an E-SMLC replacing LMF 120, and a GMLC similar to GMLC 125. In such EPS, the E-SMLC may use LPPa instead of NRPPa to send and receive location information from eNBs in the E-UTRAN, and LPP may be used to support UE 105's location. In these other embodiments, the location of UE 105 using directional PRS can be supported in a manner similar to that described herein for 5G networks, except that the functions and procedures described herein for gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115 and LMF 120 can, in some cases, replace other network elements such as eNB, WiFi AP, MME and E-SMLC.

[0068] As noted, in some embodiments, the positioning function may be implemented at least in part using directional SS or PRS beams transmitted by base stations (such as gNB110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) that will determine the location of the UE (e.g., Figure 1 Within the range of UE 105. In some cases, the UE can use directional SS or PRS beams from multiple base stations (such as gNB110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, etc.) to calculate the UE's location.

[0069] Also refer to Figure 2UE 200 is an example of one of UEs 105 and 106, and includes a computing platform comprising a processor 210, a memory 211 including software (SW) 212, one or more sensors 213, a transceiver interface 214 for transceivers 215 (including a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250), a user interface 216, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 217, a camera 218, and a location device (PD) 219. The processor 210, memory 211, sensor(s)(s), transceiver interface 214, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, and location device 219 can be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 220 (which can be configured, for example, for optical and / or electrical communications). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., camera 218, location device 219, and / or one or more of sensor(s) 213, etc.) may be omitted from UE 200. Processor 210 may include one or more smart hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), microcontroller, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. Processor 210 may include multiple processors, including a general-purpose / application processor 230, a digital signal processor (DSP) 231, a modem processor 232, a video processor 233, and / or a sensor processor 234. One or more of processors 230-234 may include multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, sensor processor 234 may include processors for RF (radio frequency) sensing (by transmitting one or more (cellular) wireless signals and multiple reflections for identifying, mapping, and / or tracking objects) and / or ultrasound, etc. Modem processor 232 may support dual SIM / dual connectivity (or even more SIMs). For example, a SIM (subscriber identification module or subscriber identity module) may be used by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), while another SIM may be used by the end user of UE 200 for connectivity. Memory 211 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 211 stores software 212, which may be processor-readable and processor-executable software code containing instructions configured to cause processor 210 to perform the various functions described herein during execution. Alternatively, software 212 may not be directly executable by processor 210, but may be configured to cause processor 210 to perform functions, for example, during compilation and execution. This description may refer to processor 210 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as processor 210 performing software and / or firmware. This description may refer to processor 210 performing functions, as a shorthand for one or more of processors 230-234 performing functions. This description may refer to UE 200 performing functions, as a shorthand for one or more suitable components of UE 200 performing functions.In addition to and / or in place of memory 211, processor 210 may include memory containing stored instructions. The functionality of processor 210 will be discussed more fully below.

[0070] Figure 2 The configuration of UE 200 shown is an example of this disclosure, including the claims, and not a limitation, and other configurations may be used. For example, an example configuration of the UE includes one or more of processors 230-234 of processor 210, memory 211, and wireless transceiver 240. Other example configurations include one or more of processors 230-234 of processor 210, memory 211, wireless transceiver, and one or more of sensors 213, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, PD 219, and / or wired transceiver.

[0071] UE 200 may include a modem processor 232, which may be capable of performing baseband processing on signals received and downconverted by transceiver 215 and / or SPS receiver 217. Modem processor 232 may perform baseband processing on signals to be upconverted for transmission by transceiver 215. Similarly, or alternatively, baseband processing may be performed by processor 230 and / or DSP 231. However, other configurations may be used to perform baseband processing.

[0072] UE 200 may include multiple sensors 213, which may include one or more of various types of sensors, such as one or more inertial sensors, one or more magnetometers, one or more environmental sensors, one or more optical sensors, one or more weight sensors, and / or one or more radio frequency (RF) sensors. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) may include, for example, one or more accelerometers (e.g., collectively responding to acceleration of UE 200 in three dimensions) and / or one or more gyroscopes (e.g., multiple three-dimensional gyroscopes). Multiple sensors 213 may include one or more magnetometers (e.g., multiple three-dimensional magnetometers) to determine orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and / or true north), which may be used for any of a variety of purposes, such as supporting one or more compass applications. Multiple environmental sensors may include, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and / or one or more microphones. Multiple sensors 213 can generate analog and / or digital signals, the indications of which can be stored in memory 211 and processed by DSP 231 and / or processor 230 to support one or more applications, such as applications for positioning and / or navigation operations.

[0073] The multiple sensors 213 can be used for relative location measurement, relative location determination, motion determination, etc. Information detected by the multiple sensors 213 can be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based location determination, and / or sensor-assisted location determination. The multiple sensors 213 can be used to determine whether the UE 200 is stationary or moving, and / or whether to report certain useful information about the UE 200's mobility to the LMF 120. For example, based on information obtained / measured by the multiple sensors 213, the UE 200 can notify / report to the LMF 120 that the UE 200 has detected movement or that the UE 200 has moved, and report relative displacement / distance (e.g., via dead reckoning, or sensor-based location determination, or sensor-assisted location determination enabled by the multiple sensors 213). In another example, for relative positioning information, the sensors / IMU can be used to determine the angle and / or azimuth of other devices relative to the UE 200, etc.

[0074] The IMU can be configured to provide measurements of the UE 200's direction of motion and / or velocity, which can be used for relative location determination. For example, one or more accelerometers and / or one or more gyroscopes of the IMU can detect the UE 200's linear acceleration and rotational velocity, respectively. The linear acceleration and rotational velocity measurements of the UE 200 can be integrated over time to determine the UE 200's instantaneous direction of motion and displacement. The instantaneous direction of motion and displacement can be integrated to track the UE 200's location. For example, the UE 200's reference location at a given moment can be determined, for instance, using an SPS receiver 217 (and / or some other component), and measurements acquired from the accelerometer(s) and gyroscope(s) after that moment can be used for dead reckoning to determine the UE 200's current location based on its motion (direction and distance) relative to the reference location.

[0075] Multiple magnetometers can determine the magnetic field strength in different directions, which can be used to determine the orientation of the UE 200. For example, this orientation can be used to provide a digital compass for the UE 200. The multiple magnetometers may include a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide indications of magnetic field strength in two orthogonal dimensions. The multiple magnetometers may include a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide indications of magnetic field strength in three orthogonal dimensions. The multiple magnetometers may provide components for sensing magnetic fields and, for example, providing indications of magnetic fields to the processor 210.

[0076] Transceiver 215 may include a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250, which are configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, wireless transceiver 240 may include a wireless transmitter 242 and a wireless receiver 244, coupled to an antenna 246, for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals 248, and for converting signals from wireless signals 248 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals, and vice versa. Therefore, wireless transmitter 242 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or wireless receiver 244 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 240 can be configured to transmit signals according to a variety of radio access technologies (RATs) (e.g., with TRP and / or one or more other devices), such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Telephone Systems), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, and WiFi Direct (WiFi-D). Zigbee, etc. New radios can use millimeter-wave frequencies and / or sub-6 GHz frequencies. Wired transceiver 250 may include a wired transmitter 252 and a wired receiver 254, configured for wired communication; for example, a network interface may be used to communicate with NG-RAN 135 to send and receive communications from NG-RAN 135. Wired transmitter 252 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or wired receiver 254 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. Wired transceiver 250 may be configured for, for example, optical and / or electrical communication. Transceiver 215 may be communicatively coupled to transceiver interface 214, for example, via optical and / or electrical connections. Transceiver interface 214 may be at least partially integrated with transceiver 215. The wireless transmitter 242, the wireless receiver 244, and / or the antenna 246 may each include multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, and / or multiple antennas, respectively for transmitting and / or receiving suitable signals.

[0077] User interface 216 may include one or more of a plurality of devices, such as speakers, microphones, display devices, vibration devices, keyboards, touch screens, etc. User interface 216 may include any device that includes more than one of these devices. User interface 216 may be configured to enable a user to interact with one or more applications hosted on UE 200. For example, in response to an action from the user, user interface 216 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in memory 211 for processing by DSP 231 and / or general-purpose / application processor 230. Similarly, applications hosted on UE 200 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in memory 211 to present output signals to the user. User interface 216 may include audio input / output (I / O) devices, including, for example, speakers, microphones, digital-to-analog circuitry, analog-to-digital circuitry, amplifiers and / or gain control circuitry (including any device that includes more than one of these devices). Other configurations of audio I / O devices may be used. Similarly, or alternatively, user interface 216 may include one or more touch sensors that respond to touch and / or pressure, for example, on a keyboard and / or touchscreen of user interface 216.

[0078] SPS receiver 217 (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver) may be able to receive and acquire SPS signal 260 via SPS antenna 262. SPS antenna 262 is configured to convert SPS signal 260 from a wireless signal to a wired signal, such as an electrical or optical signal, and may be integrated with antenna 246. SPS receiver 217 may be configured to process the acquired SPS signal 260, in whole or in part, for estimating the location of UE 200. For example, SPS receiver 217 may be configured to use SPS signal 260 to determine the location of UE 200 via trilateration. General-purpose / application processor 230, memory 211, DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors (not shown) may be used in conjunction with SPS receiver 217 to process the acquired SPS signal, in whole or in part, and / or calculate the estimated location of UE 200. Memory 211 may store indications (e.g., measurements) of SPS signal 260 and / or other signals (e.g., signals acquired from wireless transceiver 240) used for performing positioning operations. A general-purpose / application processor 230, a DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors and / or memory 211 may provide or support a location engine for processing measurements to estimate the location of the UE 200.

[0079] UE 200 may include a camera 218 for capturing still or moving images. Camera 218 may include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge-coupled device or a CMOS imager), a lens, analog-to-digital circuitry, a frame buffer, etc. Additional processing, conditioning, encoding, and / or compression of the signals representing the captured images may be performed by a general-purpose / application processor 230 and / or a DSP 231. Similarly, or alternatively, a video processor 233 may perform conditioning, encoding, compression, and / or manipulation of the signals representing the captured images. The video processor 233 may decode / decompress stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown), such as user interface 216.

[0080] Location device (PD) 219 may be configured to determine the location of UE 200, the movement of UE 200, and / or the relative position of UE 200, and / or time. For example, PD 219 may communicate with, and / or include some or all of SPS receivers 217. PD 219 may suitably work in conjunction with processor 210 and memory 211 to perform at least a portion of one or more positioning methods, although the description herein may refer to PD 219 being configured to perform according to (multiple) positioning methods, or PD 219 performing according to (multiple) positioning methods. PD 219 may also, or alternatively, be configured to determine the location of UE 200 using at least some of the following land-based signals (e.g., radio signals 248) for trilateration, to aid in the acquisition and use of SPS signal 260, or for both. PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of UE 200 based on the cell of the serving base station (e.g., cell center) and / or another technology such as E-CID. PD 219 can be configured to determine the location of UE 200 using image recognition combined with one or more images from camera 218 and known locations of landmarks (e.g., natural landmarks such as mountains and / or artificial landmarks such as buildings, bridges, streets, etc.). PD 219 can be configured to determine the location of UE 200 using one or more other techniques (e.g., relying on UE's self-reported location (e.g., part of the UE's location beacon)) and can use a combination of techniques (e.g., SPS and terrestrial positioning signals) to determine the location of UE 200. PD 219 may include one or more of sensors 213 (e.g., multiple gyroscopes, multiple accelerometers, multiple magnetometers, etc.) that can sense the orientation and / or motion of UE 200 and provide indications of motion (e.g., velocity vectors and / or acceleration vectors) of UE 200 to a processor 210 (e.g., processor 230 and / or DSP 231). PD 219 can be configured to provide an indication of uncertainties and / or errors in the determined position and / or motion. The functionality of PD 219 can be provided in various ways and / or configurations, for example, by another component of general-purpose / application processor 230, transceiver 215, SPS receiver 217 and / or UE 200, and can be provided by hardware, software, firmware or various combinations thereof.

[0081] Also refer to Figure 3Examples of TRP 300 for gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 include a computing platform comprising a processor 310, a memory 311 including software (SW) 312, and a transceiver 315. The processor 310, memory 311, and transceiver 315 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 320 (which may be configured, for example, for optical and / or electrical communications). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., wireless interfaces) may be omitted from the TRP 300. The processor 310 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 310 may include multiple processors (e.g., such as...). Figure 2 As shown, this includes general-purpose / application processors, DSPs, modem processors, video processors, and / or sensor processors. Memory 311 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM). Memory 311 stores software 312, which may be processor-readable and processor-executable software code containing instructions configured to cause processor 310 to perform the various functions described herein during execution. Alternatively, software 312 may not be directly executable by processor 310, but may be configured to cause processor 310 to perform functions, for example, during compilation and execution.

[0082] This description may refer to the processor 310 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as the processor 310 performing software and / or firmware. This description may refer to the processor 310 performing functions, as a shorthand for one or more performing functions within the processor included in the processor 310. This description may refer to the TRP 300 performing functions, as a shorthand for one or more suitable components (e.g., processor 310 and memory 311) in the TRP 300 (and therefore one of the gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) performing functions. In addition to and / or in place of memory 311, the processor 310 may include memory with stored instructions. The functionality of the processor 310 will be discussed more fully below.

[0083] Transceiver 315 may include a wireless transceiver 340 and a wired transceiver 350, which are configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, wireless transceiver 340 may include a wireless transmitter 342 and a wireless receiver 344, coupled to one or more antennas 346 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more downlink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more uplink channels) wireless signals 348, and for converting signals from wireless signals 348 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals, and vice versa. Therefore, wireless transmitter 342 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or wireless receiver 344 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 340 can be configured to transmit signals according to various radio access technologies (RATs) (e.g., with UE 200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices), such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Telephone Systems), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, and WiFi Direct (WiFi-D). Zigbee, etc. Wired transceiver 350 may include a wired transmitter 352 and a wired receiver 354 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that can be used to communicate with NG-RAN 135 to send communications to, for example, LMF 120 and / or one or more other network entities and to receive communications from, for example, LMF 120 and / or one or more other network entities. Wired transmitter 352 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or wired receiver 354 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. Wired transceiver 350 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0084] Figure 3The configuration of TRP 300 shown is an example of this disclosure, including the claims, and not a limitation, and other configurations may be used. For example, the description herein discusses TRP 300 being configured to perform or perform several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by LMF 120 and / or UE 200 (i.e., LMF 120 and / or UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0085] Also refer to Figure 4 Server 400, exemplified by the LMF 120, includes a computing platform comprising a processor 410, a memory 411 including software (SW) 412, and a transceiver 415. The processor 410, memory 411, and transceiver 415 are communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 420 (which may be configured, for example, for optical and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., wireless interfaces) may be omitted from server 400. Processor 410 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. Processor 410 may include multiple processors (e.g., such as...). Figure 2 As shown, this includes general-purpose / application processors, DSPs, modem processors, video processors, and / or sensor processors. Memory 411 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM). Memory 411 stores software 412, which may be processor-readable and processor-executable software code containing instructions configured to cause processor 410 to perform the various functions described herein during execution. Alternatively, software 412 may not be directly executable by processor 410, but may be configured to cause processor 410 to perform functions, for example, during compilation and execution. This description may refer to processor 410 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as processor 410 performing software and / or firmware. This description may refer to processor 410 performing functions, as a shorthand for one or more processors included in processor 410 performing functions. This description may refer to server 400 performing functions, as a shorthand for one or more suitable components of server 400 performing functions. In addition to and / or in place of memory 411, processor 410 may include memory with stored instructions. The functionality of processor 410 will be discussed more fully below.

[0086] Transceiver 415 may include a wireless transceiver 440 and a wired transceiver 450, which are configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, wireless transceiver 440 may include a wireless transmitter 442 and a wireless receiver 444, which are coupled to one or more antennas 446 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) wireless signals 448, and for converting signals from wireless signals 448 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals, and vice versa. Therefore, wireless transmitter 442 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or wireless receiver 444 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 440 can be configured to transmit signals according to various radio access technologies (RATs) (e.g., with UE 200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices), such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Telephone Systems), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTEDirect (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, and WiFiDirect (WiFi-D). Zigbee, etc. Wired transceiver 450 may include a wired transmitter 452 and a wired receiver 454 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that can be used to communicate with NG-RAN 135 to send and receive communications to, for example, TRP 300 and / or one or more other network entities. Wired transmitter 452 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or wired receiver 454 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. Wired transceiver 450 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0087] This description may refer to processor 410 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as processor 410 performing software (stored in memory 411) and / or firmware. The description herein may refer to server 400 performing functions, as a shorthand for the performance of functions by one or more suitable components of server 400 (e.g., processor 410 and memory 411).

[0088] Figure 4 The configuration of server 400 shown is an example of this disclosure, including the claims, and not a limitation, and other configurations may be used. For example, wireless transceiver 440 may be omitted. Similarly, or alternatively, the description herein discusses server 400 being configured to perform several functions, or performing several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by TRP 300 and / or UE 200 (i.e., TRP 300 and / or UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0089] Positioning technology

[0090] For terrestrial positioning of UEs in cellular networks, techniques such as Advanced Forward Link Trilateral Measurement (AFLT) and Observation Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) typically operate in a "UE-assisted" mode. In this mode, the UE measures reference signals (e.g., PRS, CRS, etc.) transmitted by the base station and provides them to a location server. The location server then calculates the UE's location based on the measurements and the base station's known location. Because these techniques use a location server, rather than the UE itself, to calculate the UE's location, they are not frequently used in applications such as car or mobile phone navigation, which typically rely on satellite-based positioning.

[0091] UEs can use a Satellite Positioning System (SPS) (Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)) for high-precision positioning using Precise Point Positioning (PPP) or Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) techniques. These techniques use auxiliary data such as measurements from terrestrial base stations. LTE Release 15 allows encryption of this data, enabling UEs subscribed to the service to exclusively access the information. This auxiliary data changes over time. Therefore, a UE subscribed to the service may not easily "crack the encryption" for other UEs by passing the data to them who have not yet paid for the subscription. This transmission needs to be repeated each time the auxiliary data changes.

[0092] In UE-assisted positioning, the UE sends measurements (e.g., TDOA, Angle of Arrival (AoA), etc.) to a positioning server (e.g., LMF / eSMLC). The positioning server has a Base Station Almanac (BSA) containing multiple "entries" or "records," one record per cell, where each record contains the geographic cell location, but may also include other data. Identifiers of the "records" within the multiple "records" in the BSA can be referenced. The BSA and the measurements from the UE are used to calculate the UE's location.

[0093] In traditional UE-based positioning, the UE calculates its own location, thus avoiding sending measurements to the network (e.g., a location server), which in turn improves latency and scalability. The UE uses relevant BSA (Browser Status Allocation) information from the network (e.g., the location of the gNB (growth network base station)). BSA information can be encrypted. However, since BSA information changes far less frequently than, for example, PPP or RTK auxiliary data described earlier, it is easier to make BSA information (compared to PPP or RTK information) available to UEs that have not subscribed and paid for decryption keys. The gNB's transmission of reference signals makes it possible for BSA information to be accessed through crowdsourcing or driving attacks, essentially enabling BSA information to be generated based on field and / or top-down observations.

[0094] Positioning technologies can be characterized and / or evaluated based on one or more criteria, such as location determination accuracy and / or latency. Latency is the time elapsed between the event that triggers the determination of location-related data and the availability of that data at the positioning system interface (e.g., the interface of an LMF 120). The latency of the availability of location-related data at the initialization of the positioning system is called the First Time to Position (TTFF), and it is greater than the latency after the TTFF. The reciprocal of the time elapsed between two consecutive availability of location-related data is called the update rate, which is the rate at which location-related data is generated after the first positioning. Latency can depend on processing capabilities, such as the processing power of the UE. For example, the UE can report its processing power as the duration of a DL PRS symbol, in units of the time (e.g., milliseconds) that the UE can process per T time units (e.g., T ms) assuming a 272 PRB (Physical Resource Block) allocation. Other examples of capabilities that may affect latency include the number of TRPs the UE can process for a PRS, the number of PRSs the UE can process, and the UE's bandwidth.

[0095] One or more of several different positioning techniques (also known as positioning methods) can be used to determine the location of an entity such as UE 105, 106. Known location determination techniques include RTT, multiple RTT, OTDOA (also known as TDOA and including UL-TDOA and DL-TDOA), Enhanced Cell Identification (E-CID), DL-AoD, UL-AoA, etc. RTT uses the time it takes for a signal to travel from one entity to another and back to determine the range between two entities. This range, plus the known location of the first entity and the angle between the two entities (e.g., azimuth), can be used to determine the location of the second entity. In multiple RTT (also known as multi-cell RTT), the location of an entity can be determined using multiple ranges from one entity (e.g., UE) to other entities (e.g., TRP) and the known locations of other entities. In TDOA, the relative distance to other entities can be determined using the time difference of travel between an entity and other entities, and those time differences combined with the known locations of other entities can be used to determine the location of an entity. The angle of arrival and / or the angle of departure can be used to help determine the location of an entity. For example, the angle of arrival or departure of a signal, combined with the distance between a device (determined using the signal's travel time, received power, etc.) and a known location of one of these devices, can be used to determine the location of another device. The angle of arrival or departure can be an azimuth angle relative to a reference direction such as true north. The angle of arrival or departure can also be a zenith angle relative to directly upwards from an entity (i.e., radially outwards from the Earth's center). E-CID uses the serving cell's identifier, timing advance (i.e., the difference between the receive and transmit times at the UE), estimated timing and power of detected neighboring cell signals, and (possibly) the angle of arrival (e.g., the angle of arrival of signals from a base station at the UE, or vice versa) to determine the UE's location. In TDOA, the time difference of arrival of signals from different sources at the receiving device, along with the known location of the source and the known offset of the transmit time from the source, is used to determine the location of the receiving device.

[0096] In network-centric RTT estimation, the serving base station instructs the UE to scan / receive RTT measurement signals (e.g., PRS) on the serving cells of two or more neighboring base stations (typically the serving base station, as at least three base stations are required). One of the multiple base stations transmits the RTT measurement signal on low-reuse resources (e.g., resources used by the base station to transmit system information) allocated by the network (e.g., a location server such as LMF 120). The UE records the arrival time (also known as receive time, reception time, time of reception, or time of arrival (ToA)) of each RTT measurement signal relative to the UE's current downlink timing (e.g., derived by the UE from the DL signal received from its serving base station), and sends a common or separate RTT response message (e.g., an SRS (Probe Reference Signal) for positioning, i.e., UL-PRS) to one or more base stations (e.g., when instructed by its serving base station), and may include the time difference T between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response message in the payload of each RTT response message. Rx→Tx (UET Rx-Tx or UE Rx-Tx The RTT response message will include a reference signal from which the base station can infer the ToA of the RTT response. This is achieved by comparing the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal from the base station with the difference T between the transmission time and the ToA of the RTT response at the base station. Tx→Rx The time difference T between the UE report and the UE report Rx→Tx The base station can deduce the propagation time between the base station and the UE, and the base station can determine the distance between the UE and the base station from the propagation time by assuming the speed of light during the propagation time.

[0097] UE-centric RTT estimation is similar to a network-based approach, except that the UE transmits (e.g., when indicated by the serving base station) uplink RTT measurement signals, which are received by multiple base stations near the UE. Each involved base station responds with a downlink RTT response message, which may include in its payload the time difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal at the base station and the transmission time of the RTT response message from the base station.

[0098] For network-centric and UE-centric processes, the side performing RTT calculation (network or UE) typically (though not always) sends (multiple) first messages or (multiple) signals (e.g., (multiple) RTT measurement signals), while the other side responds with one or more RTT response messages or signals, which may include the difference between the ToA of (multiple) first messages or (multiple) signals and the transmission time of (multiple) RTT response messages or (multiple) signals.

[0099] Multiple RTT (Real-Time To-Time) techniques can be used to determine location. For example, a first entity (e.g., a UE) may transmit one or more signals (e.g., unicast, multicast, or broadcast from a base station), and multiple second entities (e.g., other TSPs such as (multiple) base stations and / or (multiple) UEs) may receive signals from the first entity and respond to those received signals. The first entity receives responses from the multiple second entities. The first entity (or another entity such as an LMF) may use the responses from the second entities to determine the distance to the second entities, and the location of the first entity may be determined by trilateration using multiple distances to the second entities and known locations.

[0100] In some instances, additional information can be obtained in the form of angle of arrival (AoA) or angle of departure (AoD), which defines the range of a straight-line direction (e.g., it can be in the horizontal plane or in three dimensions) or (possibly) the location of the UE from the base station. The intersection of the two directions can provide another estimate of the UE's location.

[0101] For positioning techniques that use PRS (Location Reference Signal) signals (e.g., TDOA and RTT), the PRS signals transmitted by multiple TRPs are measured, and the range from the UE to the TRPs is determined using the signal arrival time, known transmission time, and known location of the TRPs. For example, the RSTD (Reference Signal Time Difference) can be determined for PRS signals received from multiple TRPs, and the RSTD is used in TDOA techniques to determine the UE's location. The Location Reference Signal can be referred to as the PRS or PRS signal. PRS signals are typically transmitted with the same power, and PRS signals with the same signal characteristics (e.g., the same frequency shift) may interfere with each other, such that a PRS signal from a more distant TRP may be overwhelmed by a PRS signal from a closer TRP, making the signal from the more distant TRP undetectable. PRS muting can be used to help reduce interference by muting some PRS signals (reducing the power of the PRS signal, e.g., reducing it to zero, and therefore not transmitting the PRS signal). In this way, the UE can more easily detect the weaker PRS signal (at the UE) without the stronger PRS signal interfering with the weaker PRS signal. The term RS and its variations (e.g., PRS, SRS, CSI-RS (Channel State Information - Reference Signal)) can refer to one or more reference signals.

[0102] The Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) comprises a downlink PRS (DL PRS, often simply referred to as PRS) and an uplink PRS (UL PRS) (which may be referred to as the SRS (Sound Reference Signal) for positioning). The PRS may include PN codes (pseudo-random codes) or be generated using PN codes (e.g., by modulating a carrier signal with PN codes), such that the source of the PRS can be used as a pseudo-satellite. The PN code can be unique for the PRS source (at least within a specified area, such that the same PRS from different PRS sources does not overlap). The PRS may include PRS resources and / or PRS resource sets of a frequency layer. The DL PRS positioning frequency layer (or simply frequency layer) is a collection of DL PRS resource sets from one or more TRPs, where the PRS resources(s) have common parameters configured by the higher-level parameters DL-PRS-PositioningFrequencyLayer, DL-PRS-ResourceSet, and DL-PRS-Resource. Each frequency layer has a DL PRS subcarrier spacing (SCS) for the DL PRS resource set and DL PRS resources within the frequency layer. Each frequency layer has a DL PRS resource set and a DL PRS cyclic prefix (CP) for the DL PRS resources within that frequency layer. In 5G, a resource block occupies 12 consecutive subcarriers and a specified number of symbols. A common resource block is a set of resource blocks that occupy the channel bandwidth. A bandwidth portion (BWP) is a set of consecutive common resource blocks and may include all common resource blocks or a subset of common resource blocks within the channel bandwidth. Furthermore, the DL PRS point A parameter defines the frequency of a reference resource block (and the lowest subcarrier of the resource block), where DL PRS resources belonging to the same DL PRS resource set have the same point A, and all DL PRS resource sets belonging to the same frequency layer have the same point A. Frequency layer A also has the same DL PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size value (i.e., the frequency of the PRS resource element for each symbol, such that for comb-N, every Nth resource element is a PRS resource element). A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and may be associated with a specific TRP (identified by the cell ID) transmitted by the base station's antenna panel. The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set can be associated with an omnidirectional signal and / or with a single beam (and / or beam ID) transmitted from a single base station (where a base station can transmit one or more beams). Each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, therefore a PRS resource (or simply a resource) can also be referred to as a beam. This has no impact on whether the UE knows the base station and beam transmitting the PRS.

[0103] The TRP can be configured, for example, to transmit DL PRS according to a schedule via instructions received from a server and / or via software within the TRP. According to this schedule, the TRP can transmit DL PRS intermittently, for example, periodically transmitting DL PRS at consistent intervals starting from the initial transmission. The TRP can be configured to transmit one or more PRS resource sets. A resource set is a collection of PRS resources across a TRP that have the same periodicity, a common silence mode configuration (if any), and the same repetition factor across time slots. Each PRS resource set comprises multiple PRS resources, and each PRS resource comprises multiple OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) resource elements (REs), which may reside in multiple resource blocks (RBs) within N (or more) consecutive symbols in a time slot. PRS resources (or generally, reference signal (RS) resources) may be referred to as OFDM PRS resources (or OFDM RS resources). An RB is a collection of REs spanning one or more consecutive symbols in the time domain and the number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain (12 RBs for 5G). Each PRS resource is configured with an RE offset, a slot offset, a symbol offset within a slot, and the number of consecutive symbols that the PRS resource can occupy within a slot. The RE offset defines the initial RE offset of the first symbol within the DL PRS resource in terms of frequency. The relative RE offsets of the remaining symbols within the DL PRS resource are defined based on the initial offset. The slot offset is the starting slot of the DL PRS resource relative to the slot offset of the corresponding resource set. The symbol offset determines the starting symbol of the DL PRS resource within the starting slot. Transmitted REs can be repeated across slots, with each transmission referred to as a repetition, thus multiple repetitions can exist within a PRS resource. DL PRS resources in a DL PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP, and each DL PRS resource has a DL PRS resource ID. The DL PRS resource ID in a DL PRS resource set is associated with a single beam transmitted from a single TRP (although a TRP can transmit one or more beams).

[0104] PRS resources can also be defined by quasi-co-location and starting PRB parameters. The quasi-co-location (QCL) parameter defines any quasi-co-location information of the DL PRS resource with other reference signals. DL PRS can be configured with QCL type D, having DL PRS or SS / PBCH (Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel) blocks from either the serving cell or a non-serving cell. DL PRS can also be configured with QCL type C, having SS / PBCH blocks from either the serving cell or a non-serving cell. The starting PRB parameter defines the starting PRB index of the DL PRS resource relative to reference point A. The granularity of the starting PRB index is one PRB, and it can have a minimum value of 0 and a maximum value of 2176 PRBs.

[0105] A PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources with the same period, the same silence mode configuration (if any), and the same repetition factor across time slots. Each time all repetitions of all PRS resources in a PRS resource set are configured for transmission is called an "instance". Therefore, an "instance" of a PRS resource set is a specified number of repetitions for each PRS resource and a specified number of PRS resources in the PRS resource set, such that the instance is complete once the specified number of repetitions have been transmitted for each of the specified number of PRS resources. An instance can also be referred to as an "opportunity". A DL PRS configuration, including DL PRS transmission scheduling, can be provided to the UE to facilitate (or even enable) UE measurement of DL PRS.

[0106] Multiple frequency layers of a PRS can be aggregated to provide a larger effective bandwidth than any single layer can provide. Multiple frequency layers of component carriers (which can be consecutive and / or separate) and meeting criteria such as quasi-co-located (QCLed) and having the same antenna port can be spliced ​​to provide a larger effective PRS bandwidth (for DL ​​PRS and UL PRS), thereby increasing the accuracy of time of arrival measurements. Splicing involves combining measurements on individual bandwidth segments (e.g., PRS and supplementary signals) into a unified segment, such that the spliced ​​signal can be considered as derived from a single measurement. With QCL, different frequency layers behave similarly, enabling splicing to produce a larger effective bandwidth. The larger effective bandwidth (which may be referred to as the bandwidth of the aggregated signal or the frequency bandwidth of the aggregated signal) provides better time-domain resolution (e.g., TDOA). The aggregated signal comprises a collection of signal resources, each of which may be called a signal component, and each signal component may be transmitted on different component carriers, frequency bands, or frequency layers, or on different portions of the same frequency band.

[0107] RTT positioning is an active positioning technology because RTT uses positioning signals sent by the TRP to the UE and sent by the UE (participating in RTT positioning) to the TRP. The TRP can send a DL-PRS signal received by the UE, and the UE can send an SRS (Probe Reference Signal) signal received by multiple TRPs. The Probe Reference Signal can be called an SRS or SRS signal. In 5G multi-RTT, coordinated positioning can be used, where the UE sends a single UL-SRS received by multiple TRPs for positioning, instead of sending separate UL-SRS for each TRP. A participating TRP will typically search for UEs currently residing on that TRP (the serving UE, where the TRP is the serving TRP) and UEs residing on neighboring TRPs (neighboring UEs). Neighboring TRPs can be TRPs of a single BTS (e.g., gNB), or they can be TRPs of a single BTS and TRPs of individual BTSs. For RTT positioning, including multi-RTT positioning, the DL-PRS signal and UL-SRS of the positioning signal pair used to determine the RTT (and therefore the distance between the UE and TRP) can be temporally close to each other, such that errors caused by UE movement and / or UE clock drift and / or TRP clock drift are within acceptable limits. For example, the signals in the PRS / SRS of the positioning signal pair can be transmitted from the TRP and the UE respectively within approximately 10 ms of each other. As the SRS for the positioning signal is transmitted by the UE, and the PRS and SRS for the positioning signal are transmitted temporally close to each other, it has been found that, especially if multiple UEs attempt to locate simultaneously, radio frequency (RF) signal congestion (which may lead to excessive noise, etc.) and / or computational congestion may occur at the TRP where multiple UEs are attempting to measure simultaneously.

[0108] RTT positioning can be UE-based or UE-assisted. In UE-based RTT, UE 200 determines the RTT and corresponding distances to each of the TRPs 300, as well as the location of UE 200, based on the distance to the TRPs 300 and the known locations of the TRPs 300. In UE-assisted RTT, UE 200 measures positioning signals and provides measurement information to the TRPs 300, and the TRPs 300 determine the RTT and distance. The TRPs 300 provide the distance to a location server, such as server 400, and the server determines the location of UE 200, for example, based on the distances to different TRPs 300. RTT and / or distance can be determined by the TRPs 300 that receive signals from UE 200, by the TRPs 300 in combination with one or more other devices (e.g., one or more other TRPs 300 and / or server 400), or by one or more devices other than the TRPs 300 that receive signals from UE 200.

[0109] 5G NR supports multiple positioning technologies. Native NR positioning methods supported by 5G NR include DL-only positioning, UL-only positioning, and DL+UL positioning. Downlink-based positioning methods include DL-TDOA and DL-AoD. Uplink-based positioning methods include UL-TDOA and UL-AoA. Combined DL+UL positioning methods include RTT with a single base station and RTT with multiple base stations (multi-RTT).

[0110] Location estimation (e.g., for the UE) can be referred to by other names, such as location estimation, location, position, location lock, lock, etc. Location estimation can be geodetic and includes coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and (possibly) altitude), or it can be civil and include street addresses, postal addresses, or some other verbal description of the location. Location estimation can be further defined relative to another known location or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and (possibly) altitude). Location estimation may include anticipated errors or uncertainties (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be included at a specified or default confidence level).

[0111] Combined processing of PRS and supplementary signals

[0112] Various techniques can be implemented to facilitate and / or improve signal processing of wireless signals, such as those used for positioning. For example, a PRS can be transmitted as a frequency-hopping PRS by a TRP, where different portions of the PRS have different center frequencies, and the frequency-hopping PRS portions are processed in combination to determine location information, such as one or more measurements, such as ToA, UE location, etc. The determined location information can have higher accuracy than that determined by a non-frequency-hopping PRS and spans a smaller bandwidth than a combined frequency-hopping PRS. As another example, DL PRS resource repetition can facilitate or enable receive beam scanning across repetitions, combined gain for coverage extension, and / or intra-instance silence. As another example, a supplementary signal can be combined with the PRS to increase the bandwidth of the processed signal, for example, to improve measurement accuracy (e.g., ToA accuracy). The PRS and supplementary signal can span different frequency ranges, although these ranges can at least partially overlap. The supplementary signal can be a non-PRS signal, such as a signal used for (e.g., measurement) one or more other (non-location) purposes, but which is also used for location purposes in addition to those other purposes, thus avoiding additional blind searches for supplementary signals used for location purposes. The supplementary signal can be a broadcast signal, making it non-UE-specific. The supplementary signal can be broadcast periodically. By processing the PRS and supplementary signals in combination, processing a bandwidth greater than that of the PRS, the accuracy of measurements derived by processing the PRS and supplementary signals can be improved compared to processing the PRS alone.

[0113] refer to Figure 5 For further reference Figure 1-4 UE 500 includes a processor 510, an interface 520, and a memory 530 that are communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 540. UE 500 may include... Figure 5 The components shown may include one or more other components, such as Figure 2 Any of the components shown makes UE 200 an example of UE 500. For example, processor 510 may include one or more of the components of processor 210. Interface 520 may include one or more of the components of transceiver 215, such as wireless transmitter 242 and antenna 246, or wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246, or wireless transmitter 242, wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246. Similarly, or alternatively, interface 520 may include wired transmitter 252 and / or wired receiver 254. Memory 530 may be configured similarly to memory 211, for example, including software with processor-readable instructions configured to enable processor 510 to perform functions.

[0114] The description herein may refer to the processor 510 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as the processor 510 performing software (stored in memory 530) and / or firmware. The description herein may refer to the UE 500 performing functions, as a shorthand for one or more suitable components of the UE 500 (e.g., processor 510 and memory 530) performing functions. The processor 510 (possibly in conjunction with memory 530 and appropriately with interface 520) includes a combination processing unit 550 configured to combine and process PRS and supplementary signals (e.g., coherently or incoherently combining PRS and supplementary signals), which may be referred to as splicing. The combination processing unit 550 may be configured to report to the UE 500 one or more processing capabilities regarding the combined processing of PRS and supplementary signals, and / or report the combined processing of PRS and supplementary signals to provide reported location information (e.g., one or more measurements, one or more distances, one or more location estimates, etc.). The combined processing unit 550 is further discussed below, and the description may refer to processor 510 or UE 500 in general, as performing any function of combined processing unit 550, wherein UE 500 is configured to perform the function in discussion.

[0115] Also refer to Figure 6 Network entity 600 includes a processor 610, an interface 620, and a memory 630 that are communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 640. Network entity 600 may include... Figure 6 The components shown may include one or more other components, such as Figure 3 and / or Figure 4 Any of the components shown makes TRP 300 and / or server 400 an example of network entity 600 (e.g., network entity 600 may provide both TRP and server features). For example, interface 620 may include one or more components of transceiver 315, such as wireless transmitter 342 and antenna 346 and / or wireless receiver 344 and antenna 346. Similarly, or alternatively, interface 520 may include wired transmitter 352 and / or wired receiver 354. Similarly, or alternatively, interface 620 may include one or more components of transceiver 415, such as wireless transmitter 442 and antenna 446 and / or wireless receiver 444 and antenna 446 and / or wired transmitter 452 and / or wired receiver 454. Memory 630 may be configured similarly to memory 311 and / or memory 411, for example, including software with processor-readable instructions configured to enable processor 610 to perform functions.

[0116] The description herein may refer to the functionality performed by processor 610, but this includes other implementations, such as processor 610 performing software (stored in memory 630) and / or firmware. The description herein may refer to the functionality performed by network entity 600, as a shorthand for the functionality performed by one or more suitable components of network entity 600 (e.g., processor 610 and memory 630). Processor 610 (possibly in conjunction with memory 630 and, where appropriate, with interface 620) includes scheduling unit 650 and positioning timeline unit 660. Scheduling unit 650 is configured to request the transmission of DL PRS, for example, to transmit DL PRS with one or more indicated transmission characteristics (e.g., timing, frequency, etc.) to TRP 300. For example, if network entity 600 is a server, scheduling unit 650 may issue a request for transmission of PRS and supplementary signals to TRP 300 via interface 620, or, for example, if network entity 600 includes a TRP, scheduling unit 650 may send the request to another part of processor 610. The indicated transmission characteristics(s) can facilitate the combined processing of PRS and supplementary signals by the UE 500. One or more of the indicated transmission characteristics(s) can be based on the UE 500's ability to process PRS and supplementary signals in combination. The positioning timeline unit 660 is configured to determine the update rate of positioning timeline information, such as location information (e.g., one or more location measurements of one or more positioning signals received by the UE 500, or the location of the UE 500). The positioning timeline unit 660 can be configured to determine the accuracy of the location information, such as the actual accuracy of the UE 500's determined location or the expected accuracy of the location information (such as one or more signal measurements and / or the location of the UE 500). The positioning timeline unit 660 can be configured to determine the positioning timeline information based on the UE 500's processing capabilities for combined processing of PRS and supplementary signals. The scheduling unit 650 and the positioning timeline unit 660 are further discussed herein, and this description may refer to the processor 610 or the network entity 600 as performing any function of the scheduling unit 650 and / or the positioning timeline unit 660, wherein the network entity 600 is configured to perform the functions discussed.

[0117] Also refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8Signals that have undergone frequency division multiplexing and / or time division multiplexing can be concatenated by the combination processing unit 550 of the UE 500. For example, signals 710 and 720 are frequency-division multiplexed (at least partially non-overlapping in the frequency domain) instead of being time-division multiplexed across the same time window. Signals 710, 720 are time-division multiplexed with signal 730, where signals 710 and 730 are both time-division multiplexed and frequency-division multiplexed. Signals 710, 720, and 730 can be represented by h(f1,t1), h(f2,t1), and h(f2,t2), respectively. Signal pairs 710, 720, and 730 are correlated by corresponding phase offsets and corresponding phase slopes. Figure 8 As shown, each signal in the signal pair has its own departure time (TOD) from transmitter 810 and arrival time (TOA) to receiver 820. The time values ​​t1 and t2 are their respective TOA plus their respective clock drifts ε1 and ε2. The relationship between signals 710 and 730 (h(f1,t1), h(f2,t2)) can be given by the following...

[0118]

[0119] Where θ represents the phase discontinuity (phase jump, phase shift) between signals 710 and 730, and

[0120]

[0121] Where R is the compression factor, δ A It is the timing drift in transmitter 810, and δ B This refers to timing drift in receiver 820. If the spliced ​​signals at least partially overlap in the frequency domain, i.e., have one or more overlapping tones, such as signals 710 and 740, the determination of phase discontinuities and timing drift can be greatly simplified (and thus determined more quickly).

[0122] refer to Figure 9 For further reference Figure 5The combination processing unit 550 can be configured to process the PRS by combining the SSB (Synchronization Block Signal) as a supplementary signal. For example, the combination processing unit 550 can use the PBCH DMRS (Demodulation Reference Signal) and SSS (Auxiliary Synchronization Signal) 910 (shown as shaded RBs from RB 5 to RB 16) of the SSB with the PRS to measure ToA and derive RSTD and / or Rx-Tx measurements. Therefore, the SSB can be used for a variety of purposes. The combination processing unit 550 can be configured to avoid processing (e.g., not process) the PSS (Primary Synchronization Signal) 920 (shown as shaded RBs from RB 5 to RB 16) used for positioning, because the PSS can be shared across cells, while the SSS 910 is cell-specific. The UE 500 can be configured with SSB information from neighboring cells, and the combination processing unit 550 can obtain the SSB information, for example, by accessing pre-specified information stored in the memory 530. The combined processing unit 550 can be configured to use only the SSB signal identified for RRM (Radio Resource Management) measurements to help avoid (blind) searches of (multiple) SSB signals, in addition to searches for SSBs used for RRM measurements. The combined processing unit 550 can measure the ToA of a combination of PRS and SSB signals. Because the SSB signal is also used for one or more non-location purposes, there may not be any silence or measurement gap provided for measuring the SSB signal. Therefore, the measurement period for measuring the SSB signal may be longer than the measurement period for measuring the PRS.

[0123] refer to Figure 10 For further reference Figure 5 and 6 The scheduling unit 650 of network entity 600 can be configured to schedule PRS and supplementary signals (e.g., SSB) to facilitate combined processing (concatenation) of PRS and supplementary signals, and the combined processing unit 550 can be configured to process PRS and supplementary signals in combination. For example, UE 500 may wish to combine supplementary signal 1020 (here, an SSB signal) to process PRS 1010. For example, UE 500 (e.g., a degraded UE) may not be able to process the full DL-PRS resource bandwidth 1030, and / or for another reason, such as to improve measurement accuracy, may wish to increase the effective bandwidth of the processed DL-PRS. The combined processing unit 550 can be configured to combine supplementary signal 1020 to process PRS 1010, such as multiple instances 1022, 1023 of supplementary signal 1020, to increase the effective bandwidth of DL-PRS, for example, to achieve one or more measurements and / or improve the accuracy of (multiple) measurements.

[0124] The combination processing unit 550 can be configured to process the PRS and supplementary signals in combination to determine location information (e.g., signal measurement or the location of the UE 500). For example, the combination processing unit 550 can coherently combine the PRS and supplementary signals by compensating for phase differences (if any) when processing samples of the PRS and supplementary signals, for example, with a single IFFT (Inverse Fast Fourier Transform). By combining the PRS with the supplementary signal, where each of the PRS and supplementary signals has at least some non-shared tones (each spanning a certain frequency range that the other does not), the effective PRS processing bandwidth will be increased to the composite bandwidth spanned by the combination of the PRS and supplementary signals. Combination processing can improve location determination performance, such as ToA accuracy (e.g., better resolution of correlation peaks in the time domain due to the larger bandwidth). The combination processing unit 550 can, for example, fill the IFFT buffer with samples from the PRS and supplementary signals at different frequencies (e.g., different center frequencies), as if the PRS and supplementary signals were transmitted in the same symbol. Thus, for example, also refer to Figure 10 The combination processing unit 550 can coherently combine multiple instances 1022, 1023 of the PRS 1010 and the supplementary signal 1020 to generate position information, such as a single ToA for the combination of the PRS 1010 and the supplementary signal 1020. The combination processing unit 550 can combine the PRS and the TDM (Time Division Multiplexing) supplementary signal, but there may be constraints on the time interval between the PRS and the supplementary signal. For example, measurement accuracy may decrease as the time interval between the PRS and the supplementary signal increases. Similarly, measurement accuracy may decrease as the frequency spacing between the PRS and the supplementary signal increases. There may be trade-offs between frequency overlap and accuracy and / or latency; for example, increasing overlap makes parameter estimation simpler, faster, and more accurate, but also reduces effective bandwidth and thus measurement accuracy, while reducing overlap makes parameter estimation more complex, slower, and less accurate, but also increases effective bandwidth and thus measurement accuracy (although further frequency separation once the signals no longer overlap may further degrade parameter estimation without increasing effective bandwidth).

[0125] Also refer to Figure 11The combination processing unit 550 can be configured to report the UE 500's ability to process PRS and supplementary signals in combination, i.e., the ability to splice PRS and supplementary signals. The combination processing unit 550 can be configured to report that the UE 500 can process PRS and supplementary signals in combination with one or more criteria affecting the UE 500's ability to splice PRS and supplementary signals. The combination processing unit 550 can be configured to send a report 1100 to network entity 600 (e.g., TRP 300 and / or server 400), including a splicing capability field 1110 (combined signal processing capability field), a frequency band / band combination field 1120, a PRS attribute field 1130, a supplementary signal type field 1140, a supplementary signal attribute field 1145, a maximum parameter set difference field 1147, an accuracy field 1150, a minimum frequency overlap field 1160, a maximum frequency separation field 1165, a maximum time separation field 1170, a phase offset field 1180, a time drift field 1190, and a valid time field 1195. Report 1100 is an example, and one or more of the fields shown in Report 1100 may be omitted, and one or more other fields not shown may be added (i.e., included). For example, the band / band combination field 1120 may be omitted, for example, if the band or combination is implied in one or more values ​​of one or more of the other fields. As another example, the splicing capability field 1110 (also known as the combined signal processing field) may be omitted, where the presence of a value in one or more of the included fields implies the ability to splice signals. As another example, a maximum total bandwidth field may be included, which indicates the maximum non-overlapping composite bandwidth of the PRS and supplementary signals that the UE 500 is capable of processing in combination. As another example, a maximum total time field may be included, which indicates the maximum amount of time that the UE 500 can receive the PRS and supplementary signals for combined processing. Furthermore, for illustrative purposes, the values ​​shown in Report 1100 are shown. Fields other than the splicing capability field 1110 and the accuracy field 1150 may indicate values ​​that must be satisfied in order for the UE 500 to provide (or guarantee to provide) the accuracy(s) indicated in the accuracy field(s) 1150.

[0126] The various fields of Report 1100 indicate whether UE 500 is capable of processing the corresponding signal, meeting the indicated corresponding criteria, and, possibly, what level of accuracy UE 500 can provide for signals that meet the criteria. For example, the stitching capability field 1110 may indicate whether UE 500 is capable of stitching the PRS and the supplementary signal of the corresponding frequency band or frequency band combination indicated in field 1120, while providing at least the indicated level of accuracy (discussed below). Therefore, Combination Processing Unit 550 may indicate UE 500's ability to process the PRS and supplementary signal in combination on a per-band and / or per-band combination basis. An indication that band combination stitching is supported indicates that UE 500 will allow (e.g., PRS and SSB) cross-band stitching. For indications in field 1110 that stitching of the corresponding frequency band / frequency band combination is not supported, the remaining fields of Report 1100 may be filled with null values. PRS attribute field 1130 may indicate one or more attributes that the PRS has in order for Combination Processing Unit 550 to process the PRS in combination with the supplementary signal. For example, PRS attributes may include frequency layer, comb number, parameter set (e.g., subcarrier spacing (SCS)), etc. PRS attributes may include PRS type, such as DL-PRS, SL-PRS, UL-PRS, which may imply one or more other attributes. Therefore, report 1100 may generally indicate a supplementary signal, for example, indicating one or more attributes of the supplementary signal. Similarly, or alternatively, report 1100 may specifically identify the supplementary signal, for example, by indicating a signal type such as SSB. The supplementary signal type field 1140 may indicate the type of supplementary signal, such as SSB, PBCH DMR, SSS, etc. If the supplementary signal type field 1140 is included, and the value of the supplementary signal type field 1140 implies a corresponding attribute, then the supplementary signal type field 1140 may be omitted, or the supplementary signal attribute field 1145 may be omitted. The supplementary signal attribute field 1145 may indicate one or more attributes of the supplementary signal, which enable the combination processing unit 550 to process the PRS at least for the indicated frequency / frequency combination and the indicated precision(s) (discussed below) in combination with the supplementary signal. For example, supplementary signal attributes may include frequency layer, comb number, parameter set (e.g., subcarrier spacing (SCS)), etc. The maximum parameter set difference field 1147 may indicate the maximum difference between the parameter set of the PRS and the parameter set of the supplementary signal, so that the combination processing unit 550 can process the PRS at least for the indicated frequency / frequency combination and the indicated precision(s) in combination with the supplementary signal. The maximum parameter set difference may be an absolute amount (e.g., a number of MHz) or a relative amount (e.g., within 10% of each other).The accuracy field 1150 can indicate one or more minimum accuracies for one or more indicated location information types, such as the measurement accuracy of ToA, RSTD, Rx-Tx, etc., which the UE 500 can provide if the criteria indicated by the values ​​in other fields are met. The minimum frequency overlap field 1160 can indicate the minimum frequency overlap between the PRS and the supplementary signal, such as the minimum number of tones shared by the PRS and the supplementary signal. The maximum frequency separation field 1165 can indicate the maximum frequency gap (e.g., the maximum number of subbands) between the bandwidth of the PRS and the bandwidth of the supplementary signal (e.g., the instance of the supplementary signal closest to the PRS in frequency). The maximum time interval field 1170 can indicate the maximum time gap between the PRS and the instance of the supplementary signal closest to the PRS in time (e.g., the end of the PRS / supplementary signal and the beginning of the supplementary signal / PRS). The maximum time interval can be specified in time (e.g., nanoseconds) or other terms (e.g., symbols). The phase offset field 1180 and the time drift field 1190 indicate the maximum permissible phase offset and the maximum permissible time drift between the PRS and the supplementary signal, respectively. The validity time field 1195 indicates the time for which the set of other corresponding field values ​​is valid, or at least the value of the accuracy field 1150 (e.g., given other values, the UE 500 may be able to process the PRS and supplementary fields, but accuracy values ​​outside the time-domain window indicated by the validity time field 1195 are not guaranteed). The validity time can be indicated in various ways, such as the amount of time in the time window, or the start and end times of the time window.

[0127] The combination processing unit 550 can be configured to provide an indication of the processing quality available for the corresponding combined PRS and supplementary signal processing. For example, the combination processing unit 550 can report the error rate as part of the accuracy and can be configured to report the achievable accuracy for future positioning signal measurements based on the corresponding combination of the PRS and supplementary signals. Different accuracies can be provided for different bandwidths of the combined PRS and supplementary signals (e.g., 50% absolute ToA error of 5 ns at 100 MHz bandwidth, 2.5 ns at 200 MHz bandwidth, and 1.2 ns at 400 MHz bandwidth). The accuracy achievable by the combination processing unit 550 may depend on the total frequency of the combined PRS and supplementary signals and / or on the frequency span of the combined PRS and supplementary signals, and not just on the individual total bandwidth of the PRS and supplementary signals (e.g., 300 MHz for each 200 MHz signal overlapping 100 MHz).

[0128] The combination processing unit 550 can be configured to provide an indication of the processing time for the UE 500 to process combinations of PRS and supplementary signals to determine location information. For example, the combination processing unit 550 can be configured to provide a processing time indication in report 1100 for each combination of PRS and supplementary signals, or for the combined bandwidth of PRS and supplementary signals, or for one or more other characteristics of the PRS and supplementary signals to be processed in combination.

[0129] One or more fields of report 1100 can be encoded. For example, one or more potential values ​​of a field can be stored in memory 530 (e.g., statically stored during manufacturing or dynamically stored based on one or more received messages), and the field value (e.g., a bit string) is encoded to indicate which of the potential values(s) to use. For a single potential value, the bit string can be a single bit indicating whether a pre-stored value is used. Encoded values ​​(e.g., index numbers) are mapped to potential values(s) where the encoded values ​​use fewer bits than the potential values(s), thus saving communication overhead for indicating which of the potential values(s) to use.

[0130] Network entity 600 can be configured to provide PRS and supplementary signals to enable and / or facilitate UE 500 to process PRS and supplementary signals in combination. For example, network entity 600 can request (e.g., send a request to outside TRP 300 and / or send an internal request) FDM and (possibly) TMD for PRS and supplementary signals. Regardless of whether network entity 600 includes TRP (e.g., using LPP signaling), network entity 600 can send one or more messages (e.g., requests, signal configuration information, etc.) to UE 500. The request can be based on report 1100, such that PRS and supplementary signals meet the criteria indicated in at least one line of report 1100. Network entity 600 can be configured to request TDM (if any) for PRS and supplementary signals, such that PRS and supplementary signals are temporally separated by a threshold time interval or less, which will result in measurement accuracy of combined signal processing at or better than the threshold accuracy (e.g., keeping time drift at or below the threshold time drift). Similarly, or alternatively, network entity 600 may request power scaling indication between the PRS and supplementary signals to UE 500. For example, network entity 600 may request a power scaling factor (e.g., X dB) indicating the ratio of the EPR (Energy Per Resource Element) of the PRS to the EPR of the supplementary signal to be provided to UE 500. Similarly, or alternatively, network entity 600 may be configured to request the transmission of the PRS and supplementary signals from antenna ports of QCL (Quasi-Co-located) and therefore using the same beam. For example, network entity 600 may request the transmission of the PRS and supplementary signals from antenna ports of QCL type A or QCL type C. This helps ensure that UE 500 can combine the PRS and supplementary signals at least incoherently. As another example, network entity 600 may request the transmission of the PRS and supplementary signals using the same antenna port. In this scenario, the PRS and supplementary signals will encounter the same channel and have phase continuity, enabling network entity 600 to help ensure that UE 500 coherently combines the PRS and supplementary signals, for example, between PFL (Location Frequency Layer) and SSB FL (SSB Frequency Layer).

[0131] Also refer to Figure 12The combined processing unit 550 can be configured to send location information and combine it to form a report 1200 for determining the corresponding signal of the location information. In this example, the report 1200 includes a location information field 1210, a PRS field 1220, a supplementary signal field 1230, and an accuracy field 1240. The location information field 1210 indicates the location information that has been determined and is being reported. The location information may include, for example, a ToA value, an RSTD value, an Rx-Tx value, a location estimate, and / or a distance. The PRS field 1220 indicates the PRS used to determine the location information. The PRS field 1220 may indicate the type of PRS and / or one or more attributes of the PRS used. The supplementary signal field 1230 may indicate the type of PRS and / or one or more attributes of the supplementary signal used. The accuracy field 1240 may, for example, report the accuracy (possibly including the error rate) of the determined location information (e.g., positioning measurement) based on the combined signals used to determine the location information.

[0132] operate

[0133] refer to Figure 13 For further reference Figures 1-12 The signaling and processing flow 1300 for determining location information from a combination of PRS and supplementary signals includes the stages shown. Flow 1300 is an example, as stages can be added, rearranged, and / or removed. For example, stage 1310 can be omitted. As another example, stages 1370 and / or stage 1380 can be omitted.

[0134] In phase 1310, UE 500 sends one or more indications of one or more processing capabilities for combined processing of PRS and supplementary signals. For example, combined processing unit 550 may send processing capability message 1312 to network entity 600, which instructs UE 500 to use one or more capabilities for combined signal processing to determine location information. Processing capability message 1312 may be, for example, report 1100 or another report, including some of the information in report 1100. In this example, network entity 600 includes server 400 and TRP 300. Processing capability message 1312 may be provided directly to TRP 300 and / or server 400, or may be provided indirectly to TRP 300 via server 400, or vice versa.

[0135] In phase 1320, network entity 600 determines the signal configuration of the signals to be processed in combination by UE 500. Scheduling unit 650 may use information from processing capability message 1312 to determine the attributes (e.g., frequency, timing, etc.) of the PRS and supplementary signals to facilitate and / or enable combined processing by UE 500. Similarly, or alternatively, scheduling unit 650 may use one or more criteria not included in processing capability message 1312 to determine that UE 500 will be able to process the PRS and supplementary signals in combination to meet one or more performance criteria, such as at least threshold accuracy and / or no more than threshold latency.

[0136] In phase 1330, network entity 600 sends configuration message 1332 to UE 500 with a defined signal configuration. For example, network entity 600 may request TRP to send configuration message 1332, such as requesting its own TRP or a TRP outside of network entity 600 to send configuration message 1332 to UE 500. For example, network entity 600 may request TRP to schedule PRS and supplementary signals to be transmitted using the same antenna port.

[0137] In phase 1340, network entity 600 determines location timeline information. For example, location timeline unit 660 may be configured to use information from processing capability message 1312 to determine the expected waiting time and / or the expected accuracy from such location information when receiving location information from UE 500. Location timeline unit 660 may use this information to determine the timing of the location determination of UE 500 with the desired accuracy. Network entity 600 may determine the accuracy based on multiple capabilities reported by UE 500 for processing PRS; for example, network entity 600 may determine what processing UE 500 will perform based on multiple capabilities reported in phase 1330 and configuration message 1332, and determine the accuracy based on the processing. Phase 1340 may be executed before, concurrently with, and / or after phase 1330.

[0138] In phase 1350, network entity 600 (i.e., TRP 300 of network entity 600) sends PRS and supplementary signal 1352 to UE 500. The PRS and supplementary signal are sent according to the configuration indicated by configuration message 1332 (for FDM and possibly TDM) and are received by UE 500.

[0139] At stage 1360, UE 500 determines location signal measurements. For example, processor 510 may process the PRS and supplementary signals in combination (e.g., by coherently combining the PRS and supplementary signals (if possible), or incoherently combining the PRS and supplementary signals) to determine one or more measurements, such as ToA. For example, processor 510 may process samples of the PRS and supplementary signals in conjunction with a single IFFT to determine measurements (e.g., ToA, RSTD). By processing the PRS and supplementary signals in combination, a larger signal bandwidth is processed than by processing the PRS alone, which can produce more accurate measurements (and therefore more accurate location information based on the measurements). Processor 510 may use one or more measurements to determine other location information, such as the location estimate of UE 500, distance to another entity, etc., using multiple measurements. Processor 510 may process the PRS and supplementary signals in combination, where some portions of the signals meet a combination criterion while one or more other portions do not. For example, if three instances of the SSB signal combined with the PRS meet the criteria, but the fourth instance of the SSB signal does not meet the criteria (e.g., it is too separated in time and / or frequency, and / or would result in too much total frequency and / or time), then the combination processing unit 550 can process the three instances of the PRS and SSB in combination and ignore the fourth instance of the SSB (at least for combination processing with the PRS for positioning purposes).

[0140] In phase 1370, UE 500 may send location information to network entity 600 in location information message 1372. Location information message 1372 may include raw signal information and / or processed positioning signal information, such as positioning reference signal measurements and / or the location of UE 500. The determined location of UE 500 may be referred to as a location estimate. Location information message 1372 may include information about the processing of PRS and supplementary signals to determine the corresponding location information. For example, location information message 1372 may include report 1200, which indicates what PRS and what supplementary signals were processed in combination and the accuracy of the location information. Information about the processing of PRS and supplementary signals to determine the location information may be included in a quality metric. Even if UE 500 does not send processing capability message 1312, and / or the network entity does not receive processing capability message 1312 or use processing capability message 1312 for the configuration of PRS and / or supplementary signals, UE 500 may still report the combined processing of PRS and supplementary signals. For example, network entity 600 may send PRS and supplementary signals with configurations (e.g., attributes) that enable UE 500 to process PRS and supplementary signals in combination, regardless of why these configurations are used. UE 500 may instruct that combined processing of PRS and supplementary signals is performed, regardless of why the combined processing is performed.

[0141] At stage 1380, network entity 600 can determine the location information of UE 500. Network entity 600 can collect location information from one or more location information messages 1372 and perform one or more positioning techniques to determine further location information, such as the location of UE 500. Network entity 600 can use the location information from message(s)1372(s) to update previously determined location information of UE 500. Network entity 600 can determine the accuracy of the location information based on (multiple) reporting capabilities of UE 500 for processing PRS and supplementary signals, indications of the actual processing performed by UE 500 on PRS and supplementary signals, and / or attributes of the PRS and supplementary signals processed by UE 500. Therefore, the accuracy of the location information can be implicitly determined in addition to or instead of explicit indications of accuracy provided by UE 500.

[0142] refer to Figure 14 For further reference Figures 1-13 Signal processing method 1400 includes the stages shown. However, method 1400 is an example and not a limitation. Method 1400 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing stages simultaneously, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0143] In phase 1410, method 1400 includes receiving a PRS and supplementary signal at the UE, the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal and spanning a first frequency range that is at least partially outside a second frequency range spanned by the PRS. For example, UE 500 receives the PRS and supplementary signal 1352 from network entity 600, wherein the PRS and supplementary signal are FDM and possibly TDM. Processor 510, memory 530, and interface 520 (e.g., radio receiver 244 and antenna 246) may include components for receiving the PRS and supplementary signal.

[0144] In stage 1420, method 1400 includes processing the PRS and supplementary signals in combination at the UE to generate an effective signal bandwidth greater than the second frequency range to determine location information. For example, combination processing unit 550 applies a single IFFT and / or other processing to the PRS and supplementary signals, such as the SSB signal, to determine one or more measurements, such as ToA, RSTD, location estimation, etc. Due to the larger bandwidth of the combination of PRS and supplementary signals, this can produce more accurate location information than processing the PRS alone. Processor 510 and memory 530 may include components for processing the PRS and supplementary signals.

[0145] At stage 1430, method 1400 includes at least one of the following: sending a capability message from the UE to a network entity, the capability message indicating the UE's processing capability to process PRS and supplementary signals in combination; or sending a signal combination indication from the UE to the network entity, the signal combination indication instructing the processor to process PRS and supplementary signals in combination to determine location information. For the capability message, the combination processing unit 550 may, for example, send a processing capability message 1312, such as report 1100 and / or another message, to the network entity 600, indicating the UE 500's capability to process PRS and supplementary signals in combination, and (possibly) one or more criteria for processing, for example, to provide the accuracy of the indication (e.g., indicated in the processing capability message 1312). The combination processing unit 550 may send the capability message before the UE receives the PRS and / or supplementary signals. Sending the capability message helps ensure that appropriate signals (PRS and supplementary signals) are sent to the UE 500 to enable the determination of location information with the desired accuracy and / or latency. For the signal combination indication, the combination processing unit 550 may, for example, report location information and determine that location information by combining and processing the PRS and supplementary signals. The combination processing unit 550 may, for example, send some or all of the report 1200, such as its indication of location information and the PRS and supplementary signals combined to determine the reported location information. Sending the signal combination indication can help the network entity 600 determine the accuracy of the provided location information (even if not included in the signal combination indication). The network entity 600 can use the signal combination indication to determine (e.g., if the required accuracy and / or latency is not achieved, one or more different signal configurations) for future transmissions to the UE 500. The processor 510, memory 530, and interface 520 (e.g., wireless transmitter 242 and antenna 246) may include components for transmitting capability messages and / or components for transmitting the signal combination indication.

[0146] Implementations of method 1400 may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, the supplementary signal may include a supplementary signal block (SSB) signal. In another example implementation, processing the PRS and supplementary signal in combination may include, for example, coherently combining the PRS and supplementary signal by the combination processing unit 550 to determine position information.

[0147] Similarly, or alternatively, implementations of method 1400 may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, method 1400 includes transmitting a capability message, and method 1400 further includes generating a capability message indicating whether the UE is capable of processing the positioning reference signal and supplementary signal in combination with different parameter sets. For example, the capability message may include a maximum parameter set difference field 1147 (and possibly, a splicing capability field 1110) indicating an acceptable parameter set difference between the PRS and supplementary signals, which implicitly indicates that the UE 500 is capable of processing the PRS and supplementary signals in combination with different parameter sets. As another example, the capability message may provide an indication of the UE 500's ability to process the PRS and supplementary signals in combination with different parameter sets, whether or not an acceptable parameter set difference is indicated. In another example implementation, method 1400 includes transmitting a capability message, and method 1400 further includes generating a capability message indicating the UE's processing capability to process the positioning reference signal and supplementary signal in combination, and the corresponding frequency band or corresponding combination of frequency bands. For example, the capability message may include a band / band combination field 1120 (and possibly, a splicing capability field 1110) indicating that the combination processing unit 550 can process bands and / or band combinations of the PRS and supplementary signals in combination. In another example implementation, method 1400 includes transmitting a capability message, and method 1400 also includes generating a capability message to indicate minimum overlap between a first frequency range and a second frequency range. For example, the capability message may include a minimum frequency overlap field 1160 (and possibly, a splicing capability field 1110) indicating, for example, the minimum number of tones shared by the PRS and supplementary signals for processing them in combination. In another example implementation, method 1400 includes transmitting a capability message, and method 1400 also includes generating a capability message to indicate the maximum time associated with the PRS and supplementary signals. For example, the capability message may include a maximum time interval field 1170 (and possibly, a splicing capability field 1110) indicating the allowable time gap between the PRS and supplementary signals. In another example implementation, method 1400 includes sending a capability message, and method 1400 also includes generating a capability message to indicate the accuracy of the location information and at least one of the following: whether the PRS and the supplementary signal overlap in frequency, the amount of frequency overlap between the PRS and the supplementary signal, time drift accuracy, or phase offset accuracy. For example, the capability message may include an accuracy field 1150 (and possibly, a splicing capability field 1110) and a minimum frequency overlap field 1160, a phase offset field 1180, a time drift field 1190, and / or fields indicating the overlap of the PRS and supplementary fields having or not having an indication of the amount of overlap.The processor 510 and memory 530 may include components for generating capability messages (e.g., capability messages of any form).

[0148] Similarly, or alternatively, implementations of method 1400 may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, method 1400 includes transmitting a signal combination indication, and method 1400 also includes generating a signal combination indication to indicate the accuracy of the location information. For example, combination processing unit 550 may generate and transmit report 1200 including an accuracy field 1240. Processor 510 and memory 530 may include components for generating the signal combination indication.

[0149] refer to Figure 15 For further reference Figures 1-13 The signal sending request method 1500 includes the stages shown. However, method 1500 is an example and not a limitation. Method 1500 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, performing stages simultaneously, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0150] In phase 1510, method 1500 includes receiving a capability message from a user equipment at a network entity. This capability message indicates the user equipment's processing capability to combine PRS and supplementary signals, where the supplementary signals are broadcast signals. For example, network entity 600 receives a processing capability message 1312 from UE 500. Processing capability message 1312 may include, for example, a splicing capability field 1110 in report 1100, indicating the UE 500's capability to splice PRS and supplementary signals. Processor 610, memory 630, and interface 620 (e.g., radio receiver 344 and antenna 346 and / or radio receiver 444 and antenna 446 and / or wired receiver 354 and / or wired receiver 454) may include components for receiving the capability message.

[0151] In stage 1520, method 1500 includes requesting the transmission of PRS and supplementary signals from the TRP according to one or more criteria, enabling the user equipment to process the PRS and supplementary signals in combination to meet at least one accuracy threshold. For example, scheduling unit 650 may send a request (e.g., to a TRP inside network entity 600 or to a TRP outside network entity 600) to transmit PRS and supplementary signals with one or more specified criteria. Requesting the transmission of PRS and supplementary signals can help ensure the accuracy of location information determined by the UE (and possibly, low latency). Processor 610 and memory 630, and (possibly) interface 620 (e.g., wireless transmitter 442 and antenna 446 or wired transmitter 452) may include components for requesting the transmission of PRS and supplementary signals.

[0152] Implementations of method 1500 may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, the supplementary signal is a synchronization signal block signal. In another example implementation, requesting the transmission of the PRS and supplementary signal includes requesting the TRP to transmit the PRS and supplementary signal using the same antenna port. Using the same antenna port can help ensure that the UE 500 can coherently combine the PRS and supplementary signal, which can help improve the accuracy of location information determination (e.g., compared to processing the PRS separately). In another example implementation, requesting the transmission of the PRS and supplementary signal includes requesting the TRP to transmit the PRS and supplementary signal using a quasi-co-located antenna port. Using a quasi-co-located antenna port can help ensure that the UE 500 can at least incoherently combine the PRS and supplementary signal, which can help improve the accuracy of location information determination (e.g., compared to processing the PRS separately). In another example implementation, method 1500 may include messages for one or more standard analysis capabilities. For example, scheduling unit 650 can decode processing capability message 1312 and analyze its contents against one or more criteria (e.g., from fields 1120, 1140, 1145, 1147, 1150, 1165, 1170) for PRS and supplementary signals to satisfy UE 500's combined processing of PRS and supplementary signals and request TRP to send PRS and supplementary signals such that the PRS and supplementary signals have one or more (e.g., all) parameters indicating the PRS and supplementary signals. This helps ensure that UE 500 will be able to process PRS and supplementary signals in combination and helps ensure that UE 500 will be able to provide the desired accuracy of location information within the expected amount of time (e.g., maintaining low latency). Similarly, or alternatively, one or more of the criteria can be stored in memory 630. In another example implementation, the criteria include the relative timing of PRS and supplementary signals. For example, scheduling unit 650 may request that the PRS and supplementary signals meet one or more timing criteria, such as the maximum time gap between the PRS and supplementary signals, to help ensure that UE 500 will be able to process the PRS and supplementary signals in combination. In another example implementation, method 1500 includes requesting the TRP to send a scaling factor to the user equipment indicating power scaling between the PRS and supplementary signals. For example, scheduling unit 650 may send a request to the TRP (e.g., to a TRP inside network entity 600 or to a TRP outside network entity 600) to cause the TRP to send a power scaling factor indicating the relative transmission power of the PRS and supplementary signals. Processor 610 and memory 630, and (possibly) interface 620 (e.g., wireless transmitter 442 and antenna 446 or wired transmitter 452) may include components for requesting the TRP to send the scaling factor.

[0153] Other considerations

[0154] Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, the functions described above can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof run by a processor. Features implementing the functions can also be physically located in various locations, including portions distributed such that functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0155] As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprise,” “comprising,” “include,” and / or “including” as used herein specify the presence of the stated feature, integer, step, operation, element, and / or component, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0156] Furthermore, as used herein, the "or" used in the list of items (which may begin with "at least one" or "one or more") indicates a disjunctive list such that a list of, for example, "at least one of A, B, or C," or a list of "one or more of A, B, or C," or a list of "A or B or C" means A or B or C or AB (A and B) or AC (A and C) or BC (B and C) or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or a combination having more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.). Therefore, stating that an item (e.g., a processor) is configured to perform a function with respect to at least one of A or B, or stating that an item is configured to perform function A or function B, means that the item can be configured to perform a function with respect to A, or can be configured to perform a function with respect to B, or can be configured to perform a function with respect to both A and B. For example, the phrase "a processor configured to measure at least one of A or B" or "a processor configured to measure A or measure B" means that the processor can be configured to measure A (and may or may not be configured to measure B), or can be configured to measure B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or can be configured to measure both A and B (and can be configured to select which one or both of A and B to measure). Similarly, a statement about a component for measuring at least one of A or B includes a component for measuring A (which may or may not be able to measure B), or a component for measuring B (which may or may not be configured to measure A), or a component for measuring A and B (which may select which one or both of A and B to measure). As another example, stating that an item (e.g., a processor) is configured to perform at least one of function X or function Y means that the item can be configured to perform function X, or can be configured to perform function Y, or can be configured to perform both functions X and Y. For example, the phrase “a processor configured to measure at least one of X or Y” means that the processor can be configured to measure X (and may or may not be configured to measure Y), or can be configured to measure Y (and may or may not be configured to measure X), or can be configured to measure both X and Y (and can be configured to select which one or both of X and Y to measure).

[0157] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, the description of a function or operation "based on" an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on said item or condition and may be based on one or more items and / or conditions other than said item or condition.

[0158] Substantial modifications can be made to meet specific requirements. For example, customized hardware can be used, and / or specific components can be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software such as applets, etc.), or both, executed by the processor. Furthermore, connections to other computing devices, such as network input / output devices, can be employed. Unless otherwise stated, functional or other components shown in the accompanying drawings and / or discussed herein as interconnected or communicating are communicatively coupled. That is, they can be directly or indirectly connected to enable communication between them.

[0159] The systems and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations may appropriately omit, substitute, or add various processes or components. For example, features described with respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of configurations may be combined in a similar manner. Furthermore, technology is evolving, so many of these elements are examples and do not limit the scope of the disclosure or claims.

[0160] A wireless communication system is a system in which communication is transmitted wirelessly, i.e., propagated through atmospheric space via electromagnetic and / or sound waves rather than through wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication network may not have all wirelessly transmitted communications, but is configured to have at least some wirelessly transmitted communications. Furthermore, the term "wireless communication device" or similar terms do not require that the device's functions are exclusively or equally primarily for communication, or that the device is a mobile device, but rather indicate that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (one-way or two-way), for example, including at least one radio for wireless communication (each radio being part of a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver).

[0161] Specific details are provided in the specification to offer a thorough understanding of the example configurations (including implementations). However, the configurations can be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques are shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring the configuration. This specification provides example configurations and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. Rather, the above description of the configurations provides a description for implementing the techniques described. Various changes can be made to the functionality and arrangement of the elements.

[0162] As used herein, the terms “processor-readable medium,” “machine-readable medium,” and “computer-readable medium” refer to any medium that participates in providing data that enables a machine to operate in a particular manner. Various processor-readable media can participate in providing instructions / code to (or more) processors for execution, and / or can be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code (e.g., as signals), by using a computing platform. In many implementations, a processor-readable medium is a physical and / or tangible storage medium. Such media can take many forms, including, but not limited to, non-volatile and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, but are not limited to, dynamic memory.

[0163] After describing several example configurations, various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents can be used. For example, the above elements can be components of a larger system, where other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of this disclosure. Furthermore, multiple operations may be performed before, during, or after considering the above elements. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of the claims.

[0164] A value exceeding (or greater than or higher than) a first threshold is equivalent to a value satisfying or exceeding a second threshold that is slightly greater than the first threshold. For example, in the resolution of a computing system, the second threshold is a value higher than the first threshold. A value less than (or within or below) a first threshold is equivalent to a value less than or equal to a second threshold that is slightly lower than the first threshold. For example, in the resolution of a computing system, the second threshold is a value lower than the first threshold.

Claims

1. A user equipment configured for wireless signal transmission, the user equipment comprising: interface; At least one memory containing instructions; as well as At least one processor is configured to execute the instructions to cause the user equipment to: The positioning reference signal (PRS) and a supplementary signal are received via the interface. The supplementary signal is a broadcast signal and spans a first frequency range, which is at least partially outside a second frequency range spanned by the PRS. The PRS and the supplementary signal are processed in combination to generate an effective signal bandwidth greater than the second frequency range, in order to determine location information, and At least one of the following: The capability message is sent to the network entity via the interface, indicating the user equipment's ability to process the PRS and the supplementary signals in combination; or The signal combination indication is sent to the network entity via the interface, the signal combination indication instructing the processor to process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination to determine the location information.

2. The user equipment according to claim 1, wherein the supplementary signal is a synchronization signal block signal.

3. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to coherently combine the PRS and the supplementary signal to determine the location information.

4. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the capability message, the capability message further indicating whether the processor is capable of processing the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination with PRS and supplementary signals having different parameter sets.

5. The user equipment according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to send the capability message, which indicates the user equipment's ability to process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination, along with the corresponding frequency band or a combination of corresponding frequency bands.

6. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the capability message, the capability message indicating minimum overlap between the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

7. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the capability message, the capability message indicating a maximum time associated with the PRS and the supplementary signal.

8. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the capability message, the capability message indicating location information accuracy and at least one of the following: whether the PRS and the supplementary signal overlap in frequency, the amount of frequency overlap between the PRS and the supplementary signal, time drift accuracy, or phase offset accuracy.

9. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is configured to send the signal combination indication indicating the accuracy of the location information.

10. A user equipment configured for wireless signal transmission, the user equipment comprising: Components for receiving a positioning reference signal (PRS) and a supplementary signal, the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal and spanning a first frequency range, the first frequency range being at least partially outside a second frequency range spanned by the PRS; Components for combined processing of the PRS and the supplementary signal, generating an effective signal bandwidth greater than the second frequency range to determine location information, and At least one of the following: A first transmitting component is configured to transmit a capability message to a network entity, the capability message indicating the user equipment's processing capability to combine the PRS and the supplementary signal, or The second transmitting component is configured to transmit a signal combination indication to the network entity, the signal combination indication instructing the user equipment to process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination to determine the location information.

11. The user equipment according to claim 10, wherein the supplementary signal is a synchronization signal block signal.

12. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the processing component includes a component for coherently combining the PRS and the supplementary signal to determine the location information.

13. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the user equipment includes the first transmitting component, wherein the capability message further indicates whether the user equipment is capable of processing the PRS and the supplementary signal by combining PRS and supplementary signals with different parameter sets.

14. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the user equipment includes the first transmitting component, and the user equipment further includes a component for generating a processing capability message indicating the user equipment's ability to process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination, as well as the corresponding frequency band or the corresponding combination of frequency bands.

15. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the user equipment includes the first transmitting component, and the user equipment further includes a component for generating a capability message indicating minimum overlap between the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

16. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the user equipment includes the first transmitting component, and the user equipment further includes a component for generating a capability message indicating the maximum time associated with the PRS and the supplementary signal.

17. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the user equipment includes the first transmitting component, and the user equipment further includes a component for generating a capability message indicating location information accuracy and at least one of the following: whether the PRS and the supplementary signal overlap in frequency, the amount of frequency overlap between the PRS and the supplementary signal, time drift accuracy, or phase offset accuracy.

18. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the user equipment includes the second transmitting component, and the user equipment further includes a component for generating a signal combination indication for indicating the accuracy of the location information.

19. A signal processing method, comprising: At the user equipment (UE), a positioning reference signal (PRS) and a supplementary signal are received. The supplementary signal is a broadcast signal and spans a first frequency range, which is at least partially outside a second frequency range spanned by the PRS. The PRS and the supplementary signal are processed in combination at the UE to generate an effective signal bandwidth greater than the second frequency range in order to determine location information; as well as At least one of the following: The UE sends a capability message to the network entity, the capability message indicating the UE's ability to process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination; or The UE sends a signal combination indication to the network entity, the signal combination indication instructing the UE to process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination to determine the location information.

20. The signal processing method according to claim 19, wherein the supplementary signal is a synchronization signal block signal.

21. The signal processing method of claim 19, wherein processing the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination comprises coherently combining the PRS and the supplementary signal to determine the position information.

22. The signal processing method of claim 19, wherein the signal processing method includes sending the capability message, and the signal processing method further includes generating a capability message indicating whether the UE is capable of processing the PRS and the supplementary signals in combination with PRS and supplementary signals having different parameter sets.

23. The signal processing method of claim 19, wherein the signal processing method includes sending the capability message, and the signal processing method further includes generating a capability message for indicative of the UE's combined processing capability for processing the PRS and the supplementary signal, and the corresponding frequency band or corresponding frequency band combination.

24. The signal processing method of claim 19, wherein the signal processing method includes transmitting the capability message, and the signal processing method further includes generating a capability message for indicating minimum overlap between the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

25. The signal processing method of claim 19, wherein the signal processing method includes sending the capability message, and the signal processing method further includes generating a capability message indicating the maximum time associated with the PRS and the supplementary signal.

26. The signal processing method of claim 19, wherein the signal processing method includes transmitting the capability message, and the signal processing method further includes generating a capability message indicating position information accuracy and at least one of the following: whether the PRS and the supplementary signal overlap in frequency, the amount of frequency overlap between the PRS and the supplementary signal, time drift accuracy, or phase offset accuracy.

27. The signal processing method of claim 19, wherein the signal processing method includes transmitting the signal combination indication, and the signal processing method further includes generating a signal combination indication for indicating the accuracy of the location information.

28. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium including processor-readable instructions, said processor-readable instructions being configured to cause a processor of a user equipment (UE) to: Receive a positioning reference signal (PRS) and a supplementary signal, the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal and spanning a first frequency range, the first frequency range being at least partially outside a second frequency range spanned by the PRS; The PRS and the supplementary signal are processed in combination to generate an effective signal bandwidth greater than the second frequency range, in order to determine location information, and At least one of the following: Send a capability message to the network entity, the capability message indicating the UE's ability to process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination; or A signal combination instruction is sent to the network entity, which instructs the processor to process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination to determine the location information.

29. A network entity, comprising: interface; At least one memory containing instructions; as well as At least one processor is configured to execute the instructions such that the network entity: The user equipment receives a capability message via the interface, the capability message indicating the user equipment's ability to process a combination of a positioning reference signal (PRS) and a supplementary signal, the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal and spanning a first frequency range, the first frequency range being at least partially outside a second frequency range spanned by the PRS; as well as The PRS and the supplementary signal are requested to be sent from the Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) according to one or more criteria, so that the User Equipment can process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination to meet at least one accuracy threshold, wherein the PRS and the supplementary signal are processed in combination to produce an effective signal bandwidth greater than the second frequency range.

30. A signal transmission request method, comprising: At the network entity, a capability message is received from the user equipment, the capability message indicating the user equipment's capability to process a combination of a positioning reference signal (PRS) and a supplementary signal, the supplementary signal being a broadcast signal and spanning a first frequency range, the first frequency range being at least partially outside a second frequency range spanned by the PRS; as well as The PRS and the supplementary signal are requested to be sent from the Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) according to one or more criteria, so that the User Equipment can process the PRS and the supplementary signal in combination to meet at least one accuracy threshold, wherein the PRS and the supplementary signal are processed in combination to produce an effective signal bandwidth greater than the second frequency range.

31. A network entity configured for wireless signal transmission, the network entity including means for performing the method according to claim 30.

32. A computer-readable medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method of claim 30.

33. A computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method according to any one of claims 19-27.

34. A computer program product comprising a computer program that, when executed by a processor, implements the steps of the method of claim 30.

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