Timing advance (ta) handling for sidelink (sl) assisted positioning

Abstract

Timing advance (TA) handling for sidelink (SL) assisted positioning of a first user equipment (UE) includes determining that the first UE is configured to transmit a SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to a second UE for SL assisted positioning. A guard period length can be determined based on a configuration of the first UE to transmit the SL-PRS, where the guard period can include a time period in which the first UE transmits the SL-PRS. A message can be transmitted to a serving transmission reception point (TRP) of the first UE, where the message indicates the guard period and includes a TA related request. The TA related request includes a request to defer application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the guard period or a request that the serving TRP does not transmit a TA command to the first UE during the guard period.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates generally to the field of wireless communication, and more specifically, to determining the location of a user equipment (UE) using radio frequency (RF) signals. Background Technology

[0002] Using a side-link (SL) interface to locate a UE (or “target UE”) is similar in approach to using a base station. However, unlike a base station, the UE used to locate the target UE (or “anchor UE”) may obey timing advance (TA) commands. These commands affect the transmission time of the reference signal used to locate the target UE, which in turn affects the accuracy of the target UE’s location estimation. The applicable communication standards for SL-based positioning currently cannot interpret these TA commands. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to this disclosure, an example method for timing advance (TA) processing of side-link (SL) assisted positioning for a first user equipment (UE) includes determining that the first UE is configured to send an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to a second UE to perform SL assisted positioning. The method further includes determining the length of a protection period based on the configuration of the first UE for sending the SL-PRS, wherein the protection period may include the time period during which the first UE sends the SL-PRS. The method also includes sending a message to the serving transmission and reception point (TRP) of the first UE indicating the protection period and potentially including a TA-related request, wherein the TA-related request includes a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or a request from the serving TRP not to send a TA command to the first UE during the protection period.

[0004] According to this disclosure, another example of a method for timing advance (TA) processing of side-link (SL) assisted positioning for a first user equipment (UE) includes receiving a message from a network node at the serving transmit and receive point (TRP) of the first UE. This message indicates a protection period and may include a TA-related request, wherein: the protection period may include a time period during which the first UE transmits an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to a second UE; and the TA-related request may include: a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or a request from the serving TRP not to transmit a TA command to the first UE during the protection period. The method further includes determining a response to the message based on applicable TA priority conditions. The method also includes sending a response to the network node.

[0005] According to this disclosure, an example device for providing timing advance (TA) processing for sidelink (SL) assisted positioning of a first user equipment (UE) includes a communication interface, a memory, and one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the communication interface and the memory. The one or more processing units are configured to determine that the first UE is configured to send an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to a second UE to perform SL assisted positioning; the one or more processing units are also configured to determine the length of a protection period based on the configuration of the first UE for sending the SL-PRS, wherein the protection period may include the time period during which the first UE sends the SL-PRS. The one or more processing units are also configured to send a message indicating the protection period and which may include TA-related requests to the serving transmission and reception point (TRP) of the first UE via the communication interface, wherein the TA-related requests include requests to postpone the application of TA commands received by the first UE until after the protection period, or requests from the serving TRP not to send TA commands to the first UE during the protection period.

[0006] According to this disclosure, another example device for providing timing advance (TA) processing for sidelink (SL) assisted positioning of a first user equipment (UE) includes a communication interface, a memory, and one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the communication interface and the memory. The one or more processing units are configured to receive a message from a network node via the communication interface, the message indicating a protection period and potentially including a TA-related request, wherein the protection period may include a time period during which the first UE sends an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to a second UE; and the TA-related request may include: a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or a request from the serving transmission and reception point (TRP) not to send a TA command to the first UE during the protection period. The one or more processing units are also configured to determine a response to the message based on applicable TA priority conditions and to send the response to the network node via the communication interface. Attached Figure Description

[0007] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a positioning system according to an embodiment.

[0008] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of a fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) positioning system, illustrating a positioning system implemented in a 5G NR communication system (e.g., Figure 1 An example of a positioning system.

[0009] Figure 3 and Figure 4 This is an illustration of different types of positioning methods for determining the location of a UE according to an embodiment.

[0010] Figure 5This is a simplified diagram illustrating how to use an anchor UE when locating a UE in a 5G NR network according to an embodiment.

[0011] Figure 6 This is a timing diagram illustrating the round-trip signal propagation delay (RTT) exchange 600 between two UEs according to an embodiment.

[0012] Figure 7 This is a timing diagram illustrating a measurement based on the time difference of arrival (TDOA) between two UEs according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 8 and Figure 9 This is a flowchart of a timing advance (TA) processing method for side link (SL) assisted positioning of a first UE according to some embodiments.

[0014] Figure 10 This is a block diagram of an embodiment of the UE, which can be used in the embodiments described herein.

[0015] Figure 11 This is a block diagram of an embodiment of a base station, which can be used in the embodiments described herein.

[0016] Figure 12 This is a block diagram of an embodiment of a computer system that can be used in the embodiments described herein.

[0017] According to certain exemplary embodiments, the same reference numerals in the various figures denote the same elements. Furthermore, multiple instances of an element can be indicated by adding a letter or hyphen and a second numeral after a first numeral for that element. For example, multiple instances of element 110 can be indicated as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, etc., or as 110a, 110b, 110c, etc. When only the first numeral is used to refer to such an element, it should be understood that any instances of that element (e.g., element 110 in the preceding examples would refer to elements 110-1, 110-2, and 110-3, or elements 110a, 110b, and 110c) are acceptable. Detailed Implementation

[0018] For the purpose of describing the innovative aspects of this disclosure, the following description relates to certain implementations. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a variety of different ways. The described implementations can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to any communication standard such as any of the following: Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) IEEE 802.11 standard (including those identified as... (Technical standards) Standard, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunking Radio (TETRA), Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolved Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B, High-Speed ​​Packet Data (HSPA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPD), High-Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High-Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), or other known signals used for communication in wireless, cellular, or Internet of Things (IoT) networks (such as systems utilizing 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, or other implementations or technologies thereof).

[0019] As used herein, "RF signal" refers to electromagnetic waves that transmit information through space between a transmitter (or transmitting device) and a receiver (or receiving device). As used herein, a transmitter may send a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between the transmitter and receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a simplified illustration of a positioning system 100 according to an embodiment, wherein the UE 105, location server 160, and / or other components of the positioning system 100 may use the techniques provided herein to process timing advance (TA) commands when determining the estimated location of the UE 105 using side-link (SL) assisted positioning. Again, when determining the location of a UE (e.g., UE 105), it may be referred to as the “target UE”. The techniques described herein may be implemented by one or more components of the positioning system 100. The positioning system 100 may include: UE 105; one or more satellites 110 (also referred to as spacecraft (SV)) for a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) (such as Global Positioning System (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo, or BeiDou); base station 120; access point (AP) 130; location server 160; network 170; and external client 180. Generally, positioning system 100 can estimate the location of UE 105 based on RF signals received and / or transmitted by UE 105 and other components transmitting and / or receiving RF signals (e.g., GNSS satellite 110, base station 120, AP 130). Reference Figure 2Further details regarding location-specific estimation techniques will be discussed.

[0021] It should be noted that, Figure 1 Only a general illustration of the various components is provided. Any or all of these components can be used appropriately, and each component can be repeated as needed. Specifically, although only one UE 105 is shown, it should be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) can utilize the positioning system 100. Similarly, the positioning system 100 may include more than Figure 1 The diagram shows a greater or lesser number of base stations 120 and / or access points 130. The connections shown for the various components in the positioning system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, depending on the desired functionality, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted. In some embodiments, for example, an external client 180 may be directly connected to the location server 160. Those skilled in the art will recognize numerous modifications to the illustrated components.

[0022] Depending on the desired functionality, network 170 may include any of a variety of wireless and / or wired networks. Network 170 may include, for example, any combination of public and / or private networks, local area networks (LANs) and / or wide area networks (WANs). Furthermore, network 170 may utilize one or more wired and / or wireless communication technologies. In some embodiments, for example, network 170 may include cellular or other mobile networks, wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless wide area networks (WWANs), and / or the Internet. Examples of network 170 include Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless networks, fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks (also known as New Radio (NR) wireless networks or 5G NR wireless networks), Wi-Fi WLANs, and the Internet. LTE, 5G, and NR are wireless technologies defined or being defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Network 170 may also include more than one network and / or more than one type of network.

[0023] Base station 120 and access point (AP) 130 can be communicatively coupled to network 170. In some embodiments, base station 120 may be owned, maintained, and / or operated by a cellular network provider and may employ any of a variety of wireless technologies as described below. Depending on the technology of network 170, base station 120 may include a B-node, evolved B-node (eNodeB or eNB), base transceiver station (BTS), radio base station (RBS), NR B-node (gNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), etc. Base station 120 as a gNB or ng-eNB may be part of a next-generation radio access network (NG-RAN), which may connect to a 5G core network (5GC) if network 170 is a 5G network. For example, AP 130 may include a Wi-Fi AP or AP. Therefore, UE 105 can send and receive information with network-connected devices (such as location server 160) via network access through base station 120 using the first communication link 133. Additionally or alternatively, because AP 130 can also be communicatively coupled to network 170, UE 105 can use the second communication link 135 to communicate with network-connected and internet-connected devices (including location server 160).

[0024] As used herein, the term "base station" generally refers to a single physical transmission point or multiple cooperatively located physical transmission points that may be located at base station 120. A transmit / receive point (TRP) (also referred to as a transmit / receive point) corresponds to this type of transmission point, and the term "TRP" may be used interchangeably with the terms "gNB," "ng-eNB," and "base station" herein. In some cases, base station 120 may include multiple TRPs—for example, where each TRP is associated with a different antenna or a different antenna array of base station 120. A physical transmission point may include the antenna array of base station 120 (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system and / or in the case of beamforming at the base station). The term "base station" may additionally refer to multiple non-cooperatively located physical transmission points, which may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected via a transmission medium to a shared source) or a remote radio headend (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station).

[0025] As used herein, the term "cell" can generally refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with base station 120 and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID)) used to distinguish neighboring cells operating via the same or different carriers. In some examples, a carrier can support multiple cells and can be configured with different cell types based on different protocol types that can provide access to different types of devices (e.g., Machine-Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or others). In some cases, the term "cell" can refer to a portion of the geographical coverage area (e.g., a sector) on which a logical entity operates.

[0026] Location server 160 may include servers and / or other computing devices configured to determine the estimated location of UE 105 and / or provide data (e.g., “auxiliary data”) to UE 105 to facilitate location measurement and / or location determination. According to some embodiments, location server 160 may include a Home Secure User Plane Positioning (SUPL) location platform (H-SLP) that can support SUPL user plane (UP) positioning solutions defined by the Open Mobility Alliance (OMA) and can support location services for UE 105 based on subscription information about UE 105 stored in location server 160. In some embodiments, location server 160 may include a Discovery SLP (D-SLP) or an Emergency SLP (E-SLP). Location server 160 may also include an Enhanced Serving Mobility Location Center (E-SMLC) that uses a control plane (CP) positioning solution to support the positioning of UE 105 for LTE radio access of UE 105. Location server 160 may further include location management function (LMF) that uses a control plane (CP) positioning solution to support the positioning of UE 105 for NR or LTE radio access of UE 105.

[0027] In the CP positioning solution, from the perspective of network 170, signaling for controlling and managing the positioning of UE 105 can use existing network interfaces and protocols and be exchanged as signaling between the various components of network 170 and with UE 105. In the UP positioning solution, from the perspective of network 170, signaling for controlling and managing the positioning of UE 105 can be exchanged as data (e.g., data transmitted using Internet Protocol (IP) and / or Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)) between location server 160 and UE 105.

[0028] As previously mentioned and discussed in more detail below, the estimated location of UE 105 can be based on measurements of RF signals transmitted from and / or received by UE 105. Specifically, these measurements can provide information about the relative distance and / or angle between UE 105 and one or more components of positioning system 100 (e.g., GNSS satellite 110, AP 130, base station 120). The estimated location of UE 105 can be estimated geometrically (e.g., using polygonal measurements and / or polygonal positioning) based on the distance and / or angle measurements along with the known locations of these one or more components.

[0029] Although the land components (such as AP 130 and base station 120) can be fixed, the embodiments are not limited to this. Mobile components can be used. Furthermore, in some embodiments, it can be at least partially based on UE 105 and one or more other UEs ( Figure 1 The location of UE 105 is estimated by measuring the RF signals transmitted between (not shown in the image) and other UEs, which may be mobile. Direct communication between UE 105 and one or more other UEs may include sidelinks and / or similar device-to-device (D2D) communication technologies. Sidelinks, as defined by 3GPP, are D2D communication forms based on cellular LTE and NR standards.

[0030] The estimated location of UE 105 can be used in various applications, such as assisting the user of UE 105 in direction finding or navigation, or assisting another user (e.g., associated with external client 180) in locating UE 105. "Location" is also referred to herein as "location estimate," "estimated location," "position," "location," "location estimation," "location lock," "estimated location," "location lock," or "lock." The location of UE 105 can include the absolute location of UE 105 (e.g., latitude and longitude and possible altitude) or the relative location of UE 105 (e.g., a location expressed as a distance to north or south, east or west, and possibly above or below some other known fixed location or some other location (such as the location of UE 105 at some known previous time)). Location can be specified as a geodetic location including coordinates, which can be absolute (e.g., latitude, longitude, and optional altitude), relative (e.g., relative to a known absolute location), or local (e.g., X, Y, and optional Z coordinates according to a coordinate system defined relative to a local area (such as a factory, warehouse, university campus, shopping mall, stadium, or conference center). Location can alternatively be a municipal location, and then may include one or more of the following: street address (e.g., including the name or label of country, state, county, city, road and / or street and / or road or street number) and / or location, building, part of a building, floor of a building and / or room within a building, etc. Location may further include indications of uncertainty or error, such as horizontal distances and possible vertical distances where errors are expected to exist in the location, or indications of the area or volume (e.g., a circle or ellipse) within which UE 105 is expected to be located at a certain confidence level (e.g., 95% confidence).

[0031] External client 180 may be a web server or remote application that can be associated with UE 105 in some way (e.g., accessible by a user of UE 105), or it may be a server, application, or computer system that provides location services to one or more other users, which may include obtaining and providing the location of UE 105 (e.g., to enable services such as finding friends or relatives, or locating children or pets). Additionally or alternatively, external client 180 may obtain the location of UE 105 and provide it to emergency service providers, government agencies, etc.

[0032] As previously mentioned, the example positioning system 100 can be implemented using wireless communication networks, such as LTE-based or 5G NR-based networks. Figure 2A diagram of a 5G NR positioning system 200 is shown, illustrating an embodiment of a positioning system (e.g., positioning system 100) implementing 5G NR. The 5G NR positioning system 200 can be configured to use access nodes 210, 214, 216 (which may correspond to...) Figure 1 The 5G NR positioning system 200 implements one or more positioning methods to determine the location of UE 105, including base station 120 and access point 130, and (optionally) LMF 220 (which may correspond to location server 160). Here, the 5G NR positioning system 200 includes UE 105 and various components of the 5G NR network, including Next Generation (NG) Radio Access Network (RAN) (NG-RAN) 235 and 5G Core Network (5G CN) 240. The 5G network may also be referred to as the NR network; NG-RAN 235 may be referred to as 5G RAN or NRRAN; and 5G CN 240 may be referred to as the NG core network. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may further utilize information from GNSS satellites 110 from GNSS systems (such as Global Positioning System (GPS)) or similar systems (e.g., GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)). Additional components of the 5G NR positioning system 200 are described below. The 5G NR positioning system 200 may include additional or replacement components.

[0033] It should be noted that, Figure 2 Only a general illustration of the various components is provided. Any or all of these components can be used appropriately, and each component can be repeated or omitted as needed. Specifically, although only one UE 105 is shown, it should be understood that many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) can utilize the 5G NR positioning system 200. Similarly, the 5G NR positioning system 200 may include a larger (or smaller) number of GNSS satellites 110, gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, wireless local area network (WLAN) 216, access and mobility management functions (AMF) 215, external clients 230, and / or other components. The connections shown linking the various components in the 5G NR positioning system 200 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, depending on the desired functionality, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted.

[0034] UE 105 may include and / or be referred to as a device, mobile device, wireless device, mobile terminal, terminal, mobile station (MS), Secure User Plane Positioning (SUPL) Enabled Terminal (SET), or other names. Furthermore, UE 105 may correspond to a cellular phone, smartphone, laptop computer, tablet device, personal data assistant (PDA), tracking device, navigation device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, or some other portable or mobile device. Typically, although not required, UE 105 may use one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs) (such as GSM, CDMA, W-CDMA, LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11). Bluetooth and microwave access are globally interoperable (WiMAX) TM 5G NR (e.g., using NG-RAN 235 and 5G CN 240) etc.) can support wireless communication. UE 105 can also use WLAN 216 (similar to one or more RATs, and as previously referenced) that can connect to other networks (such as the Internet) to support wireless communication. Figure 1 (As mentioned) to support wireless communication. Using one or more of these RATs can allow UE 105 (e.g., via...) Figure 2 The 5G CN 240 (not shown) may communicate with the external client 230 via the Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 225 and / or allow the external client 230 (e.g., via GMLC 225) to receive location information about the UE 105. Figure 2 The external client 230 can correspond to Figure 1 External clients 180, such as those implemented in or coupled with 5G NR networks.

[0035] UE 105 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network, where the user may use audio, video, and / or data I / O 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 location, location estimation, location locking, lock, positioning, location estimation, or location locking, and may be geodetic, providing location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) about UE 105, which may or may not include an elevation component (e.g., altitude, height above or depth below ground level, floor level, or basement level). Optionally, the location of UE 105 may be expressed as a municipal 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 also be expressed as an area or volume (defined geodeticly or municipally) within which UE 105 is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of the UE 105 can also be a relative location, including, for example, distance and direction defined relative to an origin of a known location, or relative X, Y (and Z) coordinates, which can be geodetic, municipal, or defined by a point, area, or volume indicated on a reference map, plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, the use of the term location can include any of these variations unless otherwise stated. When calculating the location of the UE, local X, Y, and possibly Z coordinates are typically solved, and then (if necessary) the local coordinates are converted to absolute coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level).

[0036] Figure 2 The base station in the NG-RAN 235 shown can correspond to Figure 1 The base station 120 in the NG-RAN 235 may include NRB nodes (gNBs) 210-1 and 210-2 (collectively and generally referred to herein as gNB 210). Pairs of gNBs 210 in the NG-RAN 235 may be interconnected (e.g., as shown in the image). Figure 2 (As shown in the diagram, a direct connection or an indirect connection via another gNB 210). Access to the 5G network is provided to UE 105 via wireless communication between UE 105 and one or more gNBs 210, which can provide wireless communication access to the 5G CN 240 on behalf of UE 105 using 5G NR. 5G NR radio access can also be referred to as NR radio access or 5G radio access. Figure 2In this context, it is assumed that the serving gNB for UE 105 is gNB 210-1. However, if UE 105 moves to another location, other gNBs (e.g., gNB 210-2) can act as serving gNBs or as auxiliary gNBs to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105.

[0037] Figure 2 The base stations in the NG-RAN 235 shown may also, or alternatively, include a next-generation evolved B node 214, also referred to as an ng-eNB. The ng-eNB 214 may connect to one or more gNBs 210 in the NG-RAN 235—for example, directly or indirectly via other gNBs 210 and / or other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNB 214 may provide LTE radio access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) radio access to the UE 105. Figure 2 Some gNB 210s (e.g., gNB 210-2) and / or ng-eNB 214s can be configured as positioning-only beacons, which can transmit signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) and / or broadcast auxiliary data to assist in the positioning of UE 105, but may not receive signals from UE 105 or from other UEs. Note that although Figure 2 Only one ng-eNB 214 is shown, but some embodiments may include multiple ng-eNBs 214. Base stations 210 and 214 can communicate directly with each other via the Xn communication interface. Additionally or alternatively, base stations 210 and 214 can communicate directly or indirectly with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200, such as LMF 220 and AMF 215.

[0038] The 5G NR positioning system 200 may also include one or more WLANs 216 that can connect to the non-3GPP interoperability function (N3IWF) 250 in the 5GCN 240 (e.g., in the case of an untrusted WLAN 216). For example, the WLAN 216 may support IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi access for UE 105 and may include one or more Wi-Fi APs (e.g., Figure 1(AP130). Here, N3IWF 250 can connect to other components in 5G CN 240, such as AMF 215. In some embodiments, WLAN 216 can support another RAT, such as Bluetooth. N3IWF 250 can provide secure access for UE 105 to other components in 5G CN 240 and / or can support interoperability between one or more protocols used by WLAN 216 and UE 105 and one or more protocols used by other components of 5G CN 240 (such as AMF 215). For example, N3IWF 250 can support: establishing an IPSec tunnel with UE 105, terminating IKEv2 / IPSec protocol with UE 105, terminating the N2 and N3 interfaces to 5G CN 240 for control plane and user plane respectively, and relaying uplink (UL) and downlink (DL) control plane non-access layer (NAS) signaling across the N1 interface between UE 105 and AMF 215. In some other embodiments, WLAN 216 can be directly connected to components in 5G CN 240 (e.g., such as...). Figure 2 The AMF 215 (shown by the dashed line) is not via N3IWF 250. For example, a direct connection between WLAN 216 and 5GCN 240 can occur if WLAN 216 is a trusted WLAN to 5GCN 240, and a Trusted WLAN Interoperability (TWIF) function that can be used as an internal component of WLAN 216 can be employed. Figure 2 (Not shown in the image) to achieve this. Note that although in Figure 2 Only one WLAN 216 is shown, but some embodiments may include multiple WLANs 216.

[0039] The access node may include any of various network entities that enable communication between UE 105 and AMF 215. This may include gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, WLAN 216, and / or other types of cellular base stations. However, the access node providing the functionality described herein may additionally or alternatively include those capable of communicating with… Figure 2 The entity communicating with any of the various RATs not shown in the document may include non-cellular technologies. Therefore, as used in the embodiments described below, the term "access node" may include, but is not limited to, gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, or WLAN 216.

[0040] In some embodiments, access nodes such as gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, or WLAN 216 (alone or in combination with other components of the 5G NR positioning system 200) may be configured to: in response to receiving a request for location information from LMF 220, obtain location measurements of uplink (UL) signals received from UE 105 and / or obtain DL location measurements obtained by UE 105 for downlink (DL) signals received by UE 105 from one or more access nodes. As described above, although Figure 2 The description depicts access nodes 210, 214, and 216 configured to communicate according to 5G NR, LTE, and Wi-Fi communication protocols, respectively. However, access nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols can be used, such as, for example, a B node using the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) protocol for Universal Mobile Telecommunications Service (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), an eNB using the LTE protocol for Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), or a Bluetooth protocol for WLAN. Beacon. For example, in a 4G evolved packet system (EPS) providing LTE radio access to UE 105, the RAN may include an E-UTRAN, which may include base stations containing eNBs supporting LTE radio access. The core network for the EPS may include an evolved packet core (EPC). The EPS may then include the E-UTRAN plus the EPC, where... Figure 2 In this context, E-UTRAN corresponds to NG-RAN 235 and EPC corresponds to 5GCN 240. The methods and techniques described herein for obtaining the municipal location of UE 105 are applicable to other networks of this type.

[0041] The gNB 210 and ng-eNB 214 can communicate with the AMF 215, and for positioning functionality, the AMF 215 communicates with the LMF 220. The AMF 215 supports the mobility of UE 105, including cell changes and handovers from access nodes 210, 214, or 216 of the first RAT to access nodes 210, 214, or 216 of the second RAT. The AMF 215 can also participate in supporting signaling connections to UE 105 and may support data and voice bearers for UE 105. The LMF 220 supports the use of the CP positioning solution to locate UE 105 when it accesses NG-RAN 235 or WLAN 216. It supports various positioning procedures and methods, including UE-assisted / UE-based and / or network-based procedures / methods such as A-GNSS, Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (which may be referred to as TDOA or DL-TDOA in NR), Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cellular ID (ECID), Angle of Arrival (AoA), Angle of Departure (AoD), WLAN positioning, Round-Trip Propagation Delay (RTT), Multi-Cell RTT, and / or other positioning procedures and methods. The LMF 220 can also handle location service requests for UE 105 received, for example, from AMF 215 or GMLC 225. The LMF 220 can be connected to AMF 215 and / or GMLC 225. In some embodiments, networks such as 5GCN 240 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an evolved Serving Mobility Location Center (E-SMLC) or a SUPL Location Platform (SLP). It should be noted that in some embodiments, at least a portion of the location functionality (including the determination of the UE 105's location) may be performed at the UE 105 (e.g., by measuring downlink PRS (DL-PRS) signals transmitted by radio nodes such as gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, and / or WLAN 216 and / or using auxiliary data, for example, provided to the UE 105 by LMF 220).

[0042] Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 225 can support location requests for UE 105 received from external client 230 and can forward such location requests to AMF 215 for forwarding to LMF 220. A location response from LMF 220 (e.g., containing a location estimate for UE 105) can similarly be returned to GMLC 225 directly or via AMF 215, and GMLC 225 can then return the location response (e.g., containing the location estimate) to external client 230.

[0043] Network Open Function (NEF) 245 can be included in 5GCN 240. NEF 245 can support the secure opening of capabilities and events related to 5GCN 240 and UE 105 to external client 230. These capabilities and events can therefore be referred to as Access Functions (AF) and enable the secure provisioning of information from external client 230 to 5GCN 240. NEF 245 can be connected to AMF 215 and / or GMLC 225 for the purpose of obtaining the location of UE 105 (e.g., municipal location) and providing that location to external client 230.

[0044] like Figure 2 As further shown, the LMF 220 can communicate with the gNB 210 and / or the ng-eNB 214 using the NR Positioning Protocol Annex (NRPPa) as defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.445. NRPPa messages can be transmitted between the gNB 210 and the LMF 220 and / or between the ng-eNB 214 and the LMF 220 via the AMF 215. Figure 2 As further shown, LMF 220 and UE 105 can communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) as defined in 3GPP TS 37.355. Here, LPP messages can be passed between UE 105 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 and UE 105's serving gNB 210-1 or serving ng-eNB 214. For example, LPP messages can be passed between LMF 220 and AMF 215 using messages for service-based operations (e.g., based on Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)), and can be passed between AMF 215 and UE 105 using the 5G NAS protocol. The LPP protocol can be used to support positioning of UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based positioning methods (such as A-GNSS, RTK, OTDOA, multi-cell RTT, AoD, and / or ECID). The NRPPa protocol can be used to support the location of UE 105 using network-based location methods (such as ECID, AoA, uplink TDOA (UL-TDOA)) and / or can be used by LMF 220 to obtain location-related information from gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214, such as defining parameters of DL-PRS transmissions from gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214.

[0045] In the case where UE 105 accesses WLAN 216, LMF 220 can use NRPPa and / or LPP to obtain the location of UE 105 in a manner similar to that described just for UE 105 accessing gNB 210 or ng-eNB 214. Thus, NRPPa messages can be transmitted between WLAN 216 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 and N3IWF 250 to support network-based location of UE 105 and / or to transmit other location information from WLAN 216 to LMF 220. Alternatively, NRPPa messages can be transmitted between N3IWF 250 and LMF 220 via AMF 215 to support network-based location of UE 105 based on location-related information and / or location measurements known or accessible to N3IWF 250 and transmitted from N3IWF 250 to LMF 220 using NRPPa. Similarly, LPP and / or LPP messages can be transmitted between UE105 and LMF 220 via AMF 215, N3IWF 250, and UE 105’s serving WLAN 216 to support UE-assisted or UE-based positioning of UE 105 by LMF 220.

[0046] In the 5G NR positioning system 200, the positioning method can be classified as "UE-assisted" or "UE-based." This can depend on where the request to determine the location of UE 105 originates. For example, if the request originates from the UE (e.g., from an application or "app" executed by the UE), the positioning method can be classified as UE-based. On the other hand, if the request originates from an external client or other devices or services within the AF 230, LMF 220, or 5G network, the positioning method can be classified as UE-assisted (or "network-based").

[0047] Using a UE-assisted positioning method, UE 105 can obtain location measurements and send these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 220) for calculating a location estimate for UE 105. For RAT-dependent positioning methods, location measurements may include one or more of the following for one or more access points: Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Round-Trip Time (RTT), Reference Received Power (RSRP), Reference Received Quality (RSRQ), Reference Time Difference (RSTD), Time of Arrival (TOA), AoA, Receive Time-Transmit Time Difference (Rx-Tx), Differential AoA (DAoA), AoD, or Timing Advance (TA). Additionally or alternatively, similar measurements may be performed on sidelink signals transmitted by other UEs, whose locations are known, and these other UEs may be used as anchor points for locating UE 105. Location measurements may additionally or alternatively include measurements for RAT-independent positioning methods, such as GNSS (e.g., GNSS pseudorange, GNSS code phase, and / or GNSS carrier phase with respect to GNSS satellite 110), WLAN, etc.

[0048] Using a UE-based positioning method, UE 105 can obtain a location measurement (e.g., which may be the same as or similar to the location measurement of a UE-assisted positioning method), and can further calculate the location of UE 105 (e.g., with the aid of auxiliary data received from a location server (such as LMF 220, SLP) or broadcast by gNB 210, ng-eNB 214 or WLAN 216).

[0049] Using a network-based positioning method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214), one or more APs (e.g., in WLAN 216), or N3IWF 250 can obtain location measurements (e.g., RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, or TOA) of signals transmitted by UE 105, and / or can receive measurements obtained by UE 105 or by APs in WLAN 216 in the case of N3IWF 250, and can send these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 220) for calculating a location estimate for UE 105.

[0050] The positioning of UE 105 can also be classified as UL-based, DL-based, or DL-UL-based depending on the type of signal used for positioning. For example, if positioning is based solely on signals received by UE 105 (e.g., from a base station or other UE), the positioning can be classified as DL-based. On the other hand, if positioning is based solely on signals transmitted by UE 105 (which may be received by, for example, a base station or other UE), the positioning can be classified as UL-based. DL-UL-based positioning includes positioning based on signals transmitted and received by UE 105, such as RTT-based positioning.

[0051] Depending on the type of positioning (e.g., UL-based, DL-based, or DL-UL-based), the type of reference signal used can vary. For example, for DL-based positioning, these signals may include PRS (e.g., DL-PRS transmitted by the base station or SL-PRS transmitted by other UEs), which can be used for OTDOA, AOD, and RTT measurements. Other reference signals that can be used for positioning (UL, DL, or DL-UL) may include sounding reference signals (SRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), synchronization signals (e.g., synchronization signal block (SSB) synchronization signal (SS)), physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), etc. Furthermore, reference signals may be transmitted in Tx beams and / or received in Rx beams (e.g., using beamforming techniques), which may affect angle measurements such as AOD and / or AOA.

[0052] Figure 3 This is an illustration of how TDOA-based positioning can be performed according to some embodiments. In short, TDOA-based positioning is based on the known location of a TRP (e.g., TRPs 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3, collectively referred to herein as TRP 310), the known time at which the TRP transmits a corresponding reference signal (e.g., PRS), and the time difference between when the UE 105 receives the reference signal from each TRP. Similarly, the TRP can correspond to a base station, such as... Figure 1 Base station 120. (For example) Figure 2 As shown, in the 5G NR positioning system 200, the TRP may include gNB 210 and / or ng-eNB 214.

[0053] In TDOA-based positioning, the location server can provide the UE P105 with TDOA auxiliary data for a reference TRP (which may be referred to as a "reference cell" or "reference resource") and one or more neighboring TRPs relative to the reference TRP (which may be referred to as "neighboring cells" or "adjacent cells," and may be individually referred to as a "target cell" or "target resource"). For example, the auxiliary data may provide the center channel frequency for each TRP, various PRS configuration parameters (e.g., N...). PRS T PRS The data includes silent sequences, frequency hopping sequences, PRS IDs, PRS bandwidths, TRP (cell) global IDs, PRS signal characteristics associated with directional PRS, and / or other TRP-related parameters applicable to TDOA or some other positioning method. TDOA-based positioning by UE 105 can be facilitated by indicating the serving TRP for UE 105 (e.g., where a reference TRP is indicated as the serving TRP) in the TDOA auxiliary data. In some aspects, the TDOA auxiliary data may also include “expected reference signal time difference (RSTD)” parameters, which provide UE 105 with information about the expected RSTD values ​​that UE 105 will measure between the reference TRP and each neighboring TRP at its current location, as well as the uncertainty of the expected RSTD parameters. The expected RSTD, along with the associated uncertainty, can define a search window for UE 105 within which UE 105 is expected to measure RSTD values. TDOA auxiliary information may also include PRS configuration information parameters, which allow UE 105 to determine the PRS positioning timing relative to a reference base station, when the PRS positioning timing occurs on signals received from each neighboring TRP, and the PRS sequence transmitted from each TRP in order to measure the Time of Arrival (TOA) or RSTD. The TOA measurement may be an RSRP (Reference Signal Received Power) measurement of the average power of resource elements (REs) carrying the PRS (or other reference signals).

[0054] Using RSTD measurements, the known absolute or relative transmission timing of each TRP, and the known locations of the physical transmit antennas(s) of the reference and neighboring TRPs, the UE location can be calculated (e.g., by UE 105 or a location server). More specifically, the RSTD of the neighboring TRP "k" relative to the reference TRP "Ref" can be given as the difference in TOA measurements of the signals from each TRP (i.e., TOA). k –TOA Ref The TOA value can be measured modulo a subframe duration (1 ms) to remove the influence of measuring different subframes at different times. Figure 3For example, the first TRP 310-1 can be designated as the reference TRP, and the second and third TRPs (P110-2 and 310-3) are neighboring TRPs. If the UE 105 receives reference signals from the first TRP 310-1, the second TRP 310-2, and the third TRP 310-3 at times T1, T2, and T2 respectively, then the RSTD measurement for the second TRP 310-2 will be determined as T2-T1, and the RSTD measurement for the third TRP 310-3 will be determined as T3-T1. The RSTD measurements can be used by the UE 105 and / or sent to the location server to determine the location of the UE 105 using (i) the RSTD measurements, (ii) the known absolute or relative transmission timing of each TRP, (iii) the known location of TRP 310 with respect to the reference and neighboring TRPs(multiple), and / or (iv) directional PRS characteristics (such as transmission direction). Geometrically, information (i)-(iv) allows for determining the possible locations of UE 105 for each RSTD (where each RSTD results in a hyperbola, as shown in the image). Figure 3 (as shown in the figure), and the position of UE 105 is determined based on the intersection of the possible positions for all RSTDs.

[0055] Figure 4 This is an illustration of how RTT-based positioning (or multi-RTT) can be performed according to some embodiments. In short, RTT-based positioning includes a location of UE 105 based on a TRP (e.g., TRP 410, which may again correspond to...). Figure 2 The location method is determined by the known locations of the gNB210 and / or ng-eNB 214 and the known distance between the UE 105 and the TRP. RTT measurements between the UE 105 and each TRP are used to determine the distance between the UE 105 and the corresponding TRP, and multilateral positioning can be used to determine the location of the UE 105.

[0056] In RTT-based positioning, the location server can coordinate RTT measurements between UE 105 and each TRP. Information provided to UE 105 can be included in the RTT auxiliary data. This can include, for example, reference signal (e.g., PRS) timing and other signal characteristics, TRP (cell) ID, and / or other cell-related parameters applicable to multi-RTT or some other positioning method. Depending on the desired functionality, RTT measurements can be made (and initiated) by either UE 105 or TRP 410.

[0057] RTT measurement uses over-the-air (OTA) delay to measure distance. The initiating device (e.g., UE 105 or TRP 410) transmits a first reference signal at a first time T1, which propagates to the responding device. At a second time T2, the first reference signal arrives at the responding device. The OTA delay (i.e., the propagation time taken for the first reference signal to travel from the initiating device to the responding device) is the difference between T1 and T2. The responding device then transmits a second reference signal at a third time T3, and the second reference signal is received and measured by the initiating device at a fourth time T4. RSRP measurement can be used to determine the TOA for times T2 and T4. Therefore, the distance d between the initiating device and the responding device can be determined using the following equation:

[0058]

[0059] (As will be understood, distance d divided by the RF propagation speed c equals the OTA delay). Therefore, a precise determination of the distance between the initiating and responding devices can be made.

[0060] The RTT measurements between UE 105 and TRP 410 thus allow for the use of multilateral positioning to determine the location of UE 105. Specifically, the RTT measurements between UE 105 and the first TRP 410-1, the second TRP 410-2, and the third TRP 410-3 (RTT1, RTT2, and RTT3, respectively) result in the determination of the distance between UE 105 and each of the TRPs 410. These distances can be used to plot circles around the known locations of TRP 410 (where circle 1 corresponds to TRP 410-1, circle 2 corresponds to TRP 410-2, and circle 3 corresponds to TRP 410-3). The location of UE 105 can be determined as the intersection of these circles.

[0061] Figure 5 This is a simplified diagram illustrating how to use anchor UE 505 to locate target UE 503 in a 5G NR network according to an embodiment. Here, the arrows between the various components indicate communication links. Figure 2As shown, this can involve wireless and / or wired communication technologies and may include one or more intermediate components. TRPs 510-1, 510-2, 510-3, and 510-4 may be collectively or generally referred to as TRP 510. For simplicity, a single anchor UE 505 is shown. However, while only one anchor UE 505 may be used in some cases, two or more may be used in others. Furthermore, in some cases, the anchor UE 505 may include a unique type of anchor point for positioning, and / or the TRP 510 may not be used as an anchor point. (As used herein, the term "anchor point" refers to a device with a known location used to determine the location of the target UE 503.) Moreover, although the anchor UE 505 and the target UE 503 are shown as having separate serving TRPs (TRP 510-4 and TRP 510-1, respectively), the embodiments are not limited to this. For example, in some scenarios, the target UE 503 and the anchor UE 505 may share the public service TRP 510.

[0062] To determine the location of target UE 503 (e.g., using any of the previously described positioning techniques), target UE 503 can measure radio signals transmitted from different anchor points: TRPs 510-1 to 510-3 and anchor UE 505. Target UE 503 can communicate with TRPs 510-1 to 510-3 and / or obtain measurements from TRPs 510-1 to 510-3 using Uu (network) interface 530. Measurements can be made based on reference signals from TRP 510 (such as PRS (e.g., DL-PRS)). Regarding anchor UE 505, target UE 503 can communicate using SL interface 550. As previously described, SL interface 550 allows direct (D2D) communication between target UE 503 and anchor UE 505 and can be used in a manner similar to Uu interface 530, thereby allowing target UE 503 to obtain location-related measurements relevant to determining the location of target UE 503. Thus, anchor UE 505 can be configured to provide PRS (e.g., SL-PRS) and / or similar reference signals via SL interface 550, which can be transmitted in a manner similar to TRP. In itself, anchor UE 505 can also communicate with LMF 220 via TRP 510-4 using Uu interface 530. As mentioned, in this example, TRP 510-4 may include the serving TRP of anchor UE 505.

[0063] Using anchor UE 505 in the positioning of target UE 503 is similar to Figure 3 and Figure 5The base station is used for both TDOA-based and RTT-based positioning. Using the anchor UE 505 in this manner can be beneficial, providing additional accuracy for the location estimation of the target UE 503 and / or achieving a threshold number of anchor points (e.g., fewer than three) if the target UE 503 cannot communicate with a sufficient number of TRPs 510 for positioning. However, as mentioned, the anchor UE 505 may obey a timing advance (TA) command, which, if received and applied during the positioning session of the target UE 503, will affect the timing of SL-PRS transmissions via the SL interface 550. This, in turn, affects the reliability and accuracy of the location estimation of the target UE 503.

[0064] TA (Transmission Timing) is used to control the uplink transmission timing of the UE. This helps ensure that UE transmissions from multiple UEs are synchronized with the serving TRP when the serving TRP receives a transmission. To maintain this synchronization, the serving TRP can issue TA commands to the UEs to perform TA adjustments to stay synchronized. These TA commands can be issued by the TRP, for example, when the propagation delay between the UE and the TRP changes, which can be caused by the movement of the UE. Although it primarily applies to PUSCH, PUCCH, and SRS signals, it can affect the transmission time of the SL-PRS if received during an SL-PRS positioning session between UEs. Specifically, the SL-PRS sent by the anchor UE 505 may include a timestamp to allow the target UE 503 or the location server to accurately calculate RTT or TDOA measurements based on the SL-PRS. However, adjustments associated with TA may not be accurately reflected in the timestamp, potentially leading to inaccurate measurements and ultimately inaccurate positioning of the target UE 503. Figure 6 and 7 Two examples are shown.

[0065] Figure 6 This shows a timing diagram of an RTT exchange 600 between two UEs, which can be performed via the SL interface 550 during RTT-based SL-assisted positioning of the UEs. Figure 5 The RTT exchange 600 occurs. Here, UE 1 may correspond to target UE 503 and UE 2 may correspond to anchor UE 505, but the embodiment is not limited thereto. The transmit / receive times T1-T4 correspond to the times previously described with respect to RTT-based positioning (e.g., times T1-T4 in equation (1)). The RTT exchange 600 may occur during the SL-PRS positioning session between UE 1 and UE 2. The timing and other aspects of the RTT exchange 600 may be based on the SL-PRS configuration received by the UE from the TRP and / or location server (e.g., LMF 220).

[0066] In this example, UE1 sends a first SL-PRS 610 at time T1, which is received by UE2 at time T2. UE2 is configured to send a second SL-PRS 620-1 at time T3, which will be received by UE1 at time T4. However, UE2 receives a TA command 630 applied by UE2 between time T2 and T3. In this case, this results in a delay of Δ. Therefore, UE2 sends SL-PRS 620-2 at time T3+Δ instead of SL-PRS 620-1 at time T3. It can be noted that Δ does not necessarily result in the delay caused by the TA adjustment made by UE2 in response to TA command 630. Figure 6 The delay in transmission of the SL-PRS 620-2 is shown. For example, in other cases, Δ can be a negative value that results in an earlier transmission.

[0067] Without explanation, the value of Δ can lead to inaccurate RTT measurements (resulting in inaccurate determination of the distance between UE1 and UE2). Specifically, Δ may combine with clock drift between T1 and T2, which could result in inaccurate Rx-Tx measurements used by UE2 to determine the RTT. For example, this inaccurate Rx-Tx measurement could in turn lead to errors in the location determination of UE1.

[0068] Furthermore, interpreting Δ in the calculation of RTT measurements may not be straightforward. RTT measurements can be calculated at UE1 (e.g., using equation (1) above) or at the location server receiving the data from UE1 during time T1-T4. However, TA commands are UE-specific and are typically provided to the UE by the UE's serving TRP via a random access channel (RACH) response (e.g., during a handover from one cell to another) or via a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) (MAC-CE). Thus, UE1 and the location server are unaware of the TA commands received by UE2, and therefore cannot interpret TA adjustments during RTT switching.

[0069] Similar to Figure 6 , Figure 7 This is a timing diagram illustrating the use of two UEs for TDOA-based measurements 700. Similarly, this can be performed via the SL interface 550 during TDOA-based SL-assisted positioning of the UEs. Figure 5 This occurs. In this example, the TDOA-based measurement 700 is based on a series of SL-PRS sent by UE2 and received by UE1. However, UE2 receives TA command 730 after SL-PRS 710 is sent at time T1 and before SL-PRS 720-1 is sent at time T2. Similar to... Figure 6The RTT exchange 600 causes a delay Δ in UE2's transmission of SL-PRS 720-1. Therefore, instead of sending SL-PRS 720-1 at time T2, UE2 sends SL-PRS 720-2 at time T2+Δ, and UE1 receives SL-PRS 720-2 at time T2+Δ. (Similarly, in some cases, Δ might be a negative value leading to an earlier transmission.) More generally, for TDOA-based positioning, such as TDOA-based measurement 700, applying TA not only affects the transmission time of a single subsequent SL-PRS but also all subsequent timings / repetitions of the SL-PRS. Similar to RTT-based positioning, this can lead to inaccurate TDOA-based measurements and ultimately inaccurate UE location estimation.

[0070] The embodiments address these and other issues by allowing the TA command for the anchor UE to be delayed or omitted until after the anchor UE and target UE have established an SL-PRS positioning session. Alternatively, the embodiments may allow the anchor UE to report TA adjustments made during the SL-PRS positioning session to the target UE or location server, allowing the target UE or location server to interpret such TA adjustments when determining the target UE's location. See below for reference. Figure 8 A description of an embodiment is provided.

[0071] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of a method 800 for TA processing of SL-assisted positioning for a first UE according to an embodiment. It is used to perform... Figure 8 The components of the functions shown in one or more boxes can be provided by the UE (e.g., Figure 5 The anchor UE 505) or location server (e.g., Figure 1 Location server 160 or Figure 2 The hardware and / or software components of the LMF 220 are used to execute this. Figure 10 The example components of the UE are shown in the figure. Figure 12 The example components of a computer server are shown below, both of which will be described in more detail below.

[0072] Method 800 may begin with a function at block 810 that includes determining that a first UE is configured to send an SL-PRS to a second UE to perform SL-assisted positioning. This determination may be made, for example, by the first UE itself based on its SL-PRS configuration received from a location server or TRP to participate in an SL-PRS positioning session with the second UE (e.g., target UE 503). Alternatively, this determination may be made by the location server when configuring the first UE. As previously described, the SL-PRS can be used to perform RTT and / or TDOA measurements, which can be used to estimate the positioning of the second UE.

[0073] Components for performing functions at block 810 by the UE may include, for example, bus 1005, (multiple) processing units 1010, digital signal processor (DSP) 1020, wireless communication interface 1030, memory 1060, and / or such as Figure 10 Other components of the UE shown and described below. Components for the function at block 810 performed by the location server may include, for example, bus 1005, processing unit(s) 1210, internal memory 1235, wireless communication interface 1233, and / or, as shown below. Figure 12 Other components of the computer system shown and described below.

[0074] At box 820, this function includes determining the length of a protection period based on the configuration of the first UE for transmitting SL-PRS, wherein the protection period includes the time period during which the first UE transmits SL-PRS. More specifically, the protection period can be defined as a time period related to the SL-assisted positioning of the target UE (e.g., the second UE), during which the accuracy of any SL-PRS-based measurements may be reduced if TA adjustments are applied. It can include not only the time window for transmitting SL-PRS (which may include a series of repeating SL-PRS resources, such as those related to...) Figure 7 The TDOA-based measurement 700 described may also include additional time before and / or after to account for processing time, timer adjustment buffers, etc. According to some embodiments, the protection period can be selected from a table of enumerated values ​​(e.g., 1, 2, 5, 10 ms, etc.), where, for example, a minimum sufficient time is provided for the positioning session and any additional time before and / or after. Thus, for example, if the SL-PRS for the TDOA-based measurement is transmitted over a period of 20 ms and requires an additional 4 ms for processing, timer adjustment buffers, etc., then a protection period of 25 ms can be selected as the length of the protection period if it is among the enumerated values ​​for protection period length. Depending on the desired functionality, the protection period can be defined based on multiple slots, symbols, and / or subframes of an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication scheme (such as OFDM schemes implemented by LTE and 5G), and / or can be simply defined based on the time length.

[0075] Components for performing functions at block 820 by the UE may include, for example, bus 1005, (multiple) processing units 1010, digital signal processor (DSP) 1020, memory 1060 and / or such as Figure 10 Other components of the UE shown and described below. Components for the function at block 820 performed by the location server may include, for example, bus 1005, processing unit(s) 1210, internal memory 1235, and / or such as Figure 12 Other components of the computer system shown and described below.

[0076] The function at box 830 includes sending a message to the serving TRP of the first UE indicating the protection period and including TA-related requests. These TA-related requests include either a request to postpone the application of TA commands received by the first UE until after the protection period, or a request from the serving TRP not to send TA commands to the first UE during the protection period. These two different types of requests reflect two different scenarios.

[0077] In the first scenario, the first UE receives a TA command from its serving TRP before or during the SL-PRS positioning session, which will be applied during the SL-PRS positioning session. Therefore, according to some embodiments, the function of method 800 can respond to a TA command received by the first UE during the SL-PRS positioning session. Thus, any TA adjustments caused by the application of the TA command may interfere with the SL-PRS transmission timing. Therefore, in this case, the first UE may send a request to the serving TRP to postpone the application of the TA command until after the protection period. In this first scenario, the TA-related request can therefore include a request to postpone the application of the TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, and this message is sent by the first UE during the SL-PRS positioning session, during which the SL-PRS is sent from the first UE to the second UE. Because the SL-PRS positioning session may be partially completed, the determination of the protection period may be affected. Thus, the length of the protection period (the function at box 820) can be further based on the amount of time remaining in the SL-PRS positioning session.

[0078] Depending on the required functionality, the manner in which messages are sent in this first scenario can vary. According to some embodiments, sending messages may include including the message in a UCI (Uplink Control Information), a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE), or any combination thereof.

[0079] In this first scenario, if the delay is permitted, method 800 may include additional steps. For example, according to some embodiments, method 800 may further include receiving an indication at the first UE from the serving TRP to accept a TA-related request and postponing the application of the TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period. As described in more detail below, the serving TRP may permit or deny the delay based on applicable TA priority conditions. That is, if the serving TRP determines that a TA command should be applied to help ensure the smooth execution of a high-priority process, the serving TRP may deny the request. If the request is denied, the first UE may apply the TA command. As described in further detail below, according to some embodiments, the first UE may provide information about the TA adjustment to a network node (e.g., a second UE or a location server) to allow the network node to interpret the adjustment when determining the location of the second UE.

[0080] In the second scenario, the TA-related request includes a request for the serving TRP not to send a TA command to the first UE during the protection period. This message is sent by the location server or the first UE before the SL-PRS positioning session, during which the SL-PRS is sent by the first UE to the second UE. In this scenario, the request may include the start time and duration of the protection period. Again, the first UE can use UCI and RRC messages, MAC-CE messages, etc., to transmit this information to the serving TRP. The location server can transmit this information to the serving TRP via NRPPa or a similar communication link.

[0081] Components for performing functions at block 830 by the UE may include, for example, bus 1005, (multiple) processing units 1010, digital signal processor (DSP) 1020, wireless communication interface 1030, memory 1060, and / or such as Figure 10 Other components of the UE shown and described below. Components for the function at block 830 performed by the location server may include, for example, bus 1005, processing unit(s) 1210, internal memory 1235, wireless communication interface 1233, and / or, as shown below. Figure 12 Other components of the computer system shown and described below.

[0082] Depending on the required functionality, the way the serving TRP handles requests can vary. According to some embodiments, the serving TRP may provide an acknowledgment (or ACK) response to the message, confirming that the TA-related request is permitted. The first UE will not receive the TA command, or a previously received TA command may be postponed accordingly. Alternatively, the serving TRP may reject the request with a negative acknowledgment (or NACK) response to the message. In the case of rejecting the request to postpone a previously received TA command, the first UE will apply the TA command without postponement. In the case of rejecting the request not to receive the TA command during the protection period, the first UE or the location server will note that the TA command can be received during the protection period. That is, the serving TRP may or may not issue a TA command during the protection period; in any case, there may be no guarantee. Therefore, some embodiments of method 800 may also include receiving a response to a message from the serving TRP at the first UE, wherein the response indicates rejection of the TA-related request. These embodiments may also include receiving a TA command from the serving TRP at the first UE during the protection period, and applying the TA command during the protection period.

[0083] Depending on the desired functionality, embodiments can respond to the application of TA commands during an SL-PRS positioning session in a variety of ways. According to some embodiments, the first UE can simply cancel the SL-PRS positioning session. Alternatively, embodiments can interpret TA adjustments made from the application of TA commands. Specifically, in cases where the serving TRP rejects (e.g., sent using method 800) a TA-related request and / or as a feature that may be independent of the TA-related request, the first UE can track and record its own time adjustments (e.g., Figure 6 and / or Figure 7 (Δ value in the data). This information can be used to correct PRS measurements.

[0084] The type of information that the first UE can track and report can vary. For example, according to some embodiments, the first UE can determine which SL-PRS timings are affected by TA adjustments and (e.g., using PRS resource ID and timing time) send an indication of the affected timings and how they are affected (e.g., the value of Δ).

[0085] The embodiments can explain different types of TA adjustments. That is, a TA command may result in a single-step adjustment, where all subsequent SL-PRS events are affected by the same amount. In other words, the value of Δ is the same in all cases. Alternatively, some adjustments may gradually increase over time until a full adjustment is reached. In other words, the value of Δ gradually increases to the desired value, which may result in different Δ values ​​for different SL-PRS events. Thus, according to some embodiments, the first UE can indicate in its report how different events are affected differently.

[0086] The network node to which the first UE provides the report can vary depending on the circumstances. For example, in UE-based positioning, where the second UE (target UE) determines its own location based on SL-PRS measurements (e.g., SL-PRS measurements based on RTT or OTDOA), the first UE can provide a report to the second UE. This can be done using the SL interface (e.g., ...). Figure 5 The SL interface 550) is directly sent to the second UE. In these cases, the second UE can use the information in the report to interpret the TA adjustment when estimating its location. For example, the TA adjustment can be interpreted by correcting the PRS measurement using the adjusted value (Δ) or by determining the level of uncertainty in the PRS measurement based on the adjusted value.

[0087] Additionally or alternatively, for UE-assisted positioning, where the first and / or second UE provides information (e.g., as auxiliary data or PRS measurement reports) to the location server to determine the estimated location of the second UE, the first UE may provide a report to the location server. This can be achieved via LPP, for example, using the Uu interface (e.g., Figure 5 This can be accomplished via the Uu interface 530. Alternatively, this can be accomplished indirectly via a second UE, in which case the first UE provides a report to the second UE via the SL interface, and the second UE relays the report to the location server via the Uu interface. (In this case, the second UE can relay location-related information from other UEs that can be used to perform similar SL-PRS measurements.) In either case, when determining the estimated location of the second UE, the location server can use the information in the report to interpret TA adjustments.

[0088] Back Figure 8 Therefore, method 800 can provide this functionality in the event of a TA-related request being rejected at the serving TRP rejection box 830. Thus, alternative embodiments of method 800 may include: receiving a response to a message from the serving TRP at the first UE, wherein the response indicates rejection of the TA-related request; receiving a TA command from the serving TRP at the first UE during the protection period; and applying the TA command during the protection period. Embodiments may further include sending a report from the first UE to the network node, wherein the report includes a time adjustment of the SL-PRS transmission time based on the application of the TA command during the protection period, and the PRS resource identifier (ID) of the SL-PRS.

[0089] As described above, the serving TRP may use applicable TA priority conditions when determining whether to grant or deny a TA-related request from the location server or the first UE. (See reference) Figure 9 The process is described in more detail.

[0090] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of a method 900 for TA processing of SL-assisted positioning for a first UE according to an embodiment, which can be executed by the serving TRP of the first UE. Thus, for execution Figure 9 The components illustrating the functions shown in one or more boxes can be implemented by TRP's hardware and / or software components. Example components of TRP are shown in... Figure 11 As shown in the diagram, this will be described in more detail below.

[0091] Method 900 may begin with the function at block 910, which includes receiving a message from a network node at the serving TRP of the first UE. This message indicates a protection period and includes a TA-related request, wherein the protection period includes the time during which the first UE sends an SL-PRS to the second UE. The TA-related request includes either a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or a request from the serving TRP not to send a TA command to the first UE during the protection period. Here, the function at block 910 may include receiving a message from a network node at the first UE when a TA command is received. Figure 8 The information sent in box 830 is a function of the TRP service. Thus, the protection period, TA-related requests, and other aspects can correspond to those previously described. Furthermore, as mentioned above, depending on the specific circumstances, requests may originate from different sources. Therefore, according to some embodiments, the network node includes a first UE or a location server.

[0092] Components for the functions executed by the TRP execution block 910 may include, for example, a bus 1105, (multiple) processing units 1110, a digital signal processor (DSP) 1120, a wireless communication interface 1130, a memory 1160, a network interface 1180, and / or, as well as... Figure 11 Other components of the UE shown and described below.

[0093] At box 920, this function includes determining the response to the message based on applicable TA priority conditions. As previously described, the serving TRP can choose to allow or deny / reject the request based on whether the delay in the first UE applying the TA command affects other functions. In an implementation, considering TA priority conditions, priority rules for allowing or denying TA-related requests associated with the UE's SL-PRS location can be included in applicable communication standards, thereby allowing the serving TRP to enforce these priority rules upon receiving a TA-related request.

[0094] TA priority conditions include conditions that may affect the permission granted for TA-related requests. These may include, for example, high-priority conditions such as a first UE handover between cells (e.g., specifying a different serving TRP) or high-priority communication (e.g., mission-critical or ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) communication). Therefore, according to some embodiments, if the applicable TA priority conditions include any one (or both) of these conditions (the first UE is undergoing a handover process or the first UE is undergoing high-priority drug treatment), the serving TRP may reject the TA-related request. Otherwise, the serving TRP may accept the TA-related request.

[0095] Components for the functions executed by the TRP execution block 920 may include, for example, a bus 1105, a processing unit 1110, a digital signal processor (DSP) 1120, a memory 1160, and / or, as well as... Figure 11 Other components of the UE shown and described below.

[0096] At box 930, this function includes sending a response to the network node. As previously described, this response can indicate rejection of the TA-related request or acceptance of the TA-related request. Furthermore, the response can be in the form of an ACK or NACK response to the message received at box 910.

[0097] Components for the functions executed by the TRP execution block 930 may include, for example, a bus 1105, (multiple) processing units 1110, a digital signal processor (DSP) 1120, a wireless communication interface 1130, a memory 1160, a network interface 1180, and / or, as well as... Figure 11 Other components of the UE shown and described below.

[0098] Figure 10 An embodiment of UE 1000 is shown, which can be implemented as described above (e.g., with...). Figures 1-9 (In association) and can correspond to UE 105, target UE 503, anchor UE 505, UE1 and / or UE2. For example, UE 1000 can perform Figure 8 The method shown has one or more functions. It should be noted that... Figure 10 This is intended only to provide a general overview of the various components, any one or all of which may be used appropriately. It can be noted that in some cases, Figure 10 The components shown can be located in a single physical device and / or distributed across various networked devices, which may be located in different physical locations. Furthermore, as previously stated, the functionality of the UE discussed in the previously described embodiments can be provided by… Figure 10 It is performed by one or more hardware and / or software components as shown.

[0099] UE 1000 is shown to include hardware elements that can be electrically coupled via bus 1005 (or otherwise communicate, as applicable). The hardware elements may include processing units 1010, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as DSP chips, graphics accelerator processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), and / or other processing structures or components. Figure 10 As shown, depending on the desired functionality, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1020. Location determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communication can be provided in the processing unit(s) 1010 and / or the wireless communication interface 1030 (discussed below). The UE 1000 may also include one or more input devices 1070, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more keyboards, touchscreens, touchpads, microphones, buttons, dial pads, switches, etc.; and one or more output devices 1015, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more displays (e.g., touchscreens), light-emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, etc.

[0100] UE 1000 may also include a wireless communication interface 1030, which may include, but is not limited to, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset (such as...). Devices such as IEEE 802.11 devices, IEEE 802.15.4 devices, Wi-Fi devices, WiMAX devices, WAN devices, and / or various cellular devices enable the UE1000 to communicate with other devices as described in the above embodiments. As described herein, the wireless communication interface 1030 can allow data and signaling communication (e.g., sending and receiving) with the TRP of the network, for example via enb, GNB, ng-eNB, access point, various base stations and / or other access node types and / or other network components, computer systems, and / or any other electronic device coupled to the TRP. Communication can be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 1032 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 1034. According to some embodiments, the wireless communication antennas 1032 may include multiple discrete antennas, antenna arrays, or any combination thereof. The antennas 1032 are capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals using beams (e.g., Tx beams and Rx beams). Digital and / or analog beamforming techniques can be used, employing appropriate digital and / or analog circuitry to perform beamforming. The wireless communication interface 1030 may include such circuitry.

[0101] Depending on the desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 1030 may include separate receivers and transmitters, or any combination of transceivers, transmitters, and / or receivers, to communicate with base stations (e.g., ng-eNBs and GNBs) and other terrestrial transceivers (such as wireless devices and access points). The UE 1000 can communicate with various data networks, including a wide range of network types. For example, a wireless wide area network (WWAN) may be a CDMA network, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) network, a Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) network, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) network, a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, and so on. A CDMA network may implement one or more RATs, such as CDMA2000, WCDMA, etc. CDMA2000 includes the IS-95, IS-2000, and / or IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement GSM, Digital Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (D-AMPS), or some other RAT. OFDMA networks can employ LTE, LTE Advanced, 5G NR, and more. 5G NR, LTE, LTE Advanced, GSM, and WCDMA are described in 3GPP documents. Cdma2000 is described in documents from an alliance called the "3rd Generation Partnership Project X3" (3GPP2). Both 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) can also be IEEE 802.11x networks, and Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs) can be Bluetooth networks, IEEE 802.15x networks, or some other type of network. The technologies described herein can also be used for any combination of WWAN, WLAN, and / or WPAN.

[0102] UE 1000 may also include multiple sensors 1040. Sensors 1040 may include, but are not limited to, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., multiple accelerometers, multiple gyroscopes, multiple cameras, multiple magnetometers, multiple altimeters, multiple microphones, multiple proximity sensors, multiple light sensors, multiple barometers, etc.), some of which may be used to obtain position-related measurements and / or other information.

[0103] Embodiments of UE 1000 may also include a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver 1080, which is capable of receiving signals 1084 from one or more GNSS satellites using antenna 1082 (which may be the same as antenna 1032). Positioning based on GNSS signal measurements can be used to supplement and / or combine with the techniques described herein. GNSS receiver 1080 can use conventional techniques to extract the positioning of UE 1000 from GNSS satellites 110 of GNSS systems such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS, Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), India's IRNSS, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS), etc. In addition, the GNSS receiver 1080 can be used with various augmentation systems (e.g., satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS)) that can be associated with or used with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems, such as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), European Geostationary Navigation Overlap Service (EGNOS), Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), and Geo Augmentation Navigation System (GAGAN).

[0104] It can be noted that although the GNSS receiver 1080 is in Figure 10 The components are shown as different, but embodiments are not limited thereto. As used herein, the term "GNSS receiver" may include hardware and / or software components configured to acquire GNSS measurements (measurements from GNSS satellites). Thus, in some embodiments, a GNSS receiver may include a measurement engine executed (as software) by one or more processing units such as processing unit(s) 1010, DSP 1020, and / or a processing unit within wireless communication interface 1030 (e.g., in a modem). A GNSS receiver may also optionally include a positioning engine that can determine the location of the GNSS receiver using GNSS measurements from the measurement engine by employing an extended Kalman filter (EKF), weighted least squares (WLS), a hatch filter, a particle filter, etc. The positioning engine may also be executed by one or more processing units, such as processing unit(s) 1010 or DSP 1020.

[0105] UE 1000 may also include and / or communicate with memory 1060. Memory 1060 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network-accessible memory, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, and / or similar. Such storage devices can be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0106] The memory 1060 of the UE 1000 may also include software elements ( Figure 10 (Not shown in the text), including operating systems, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code, such as one or more applications, which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or may be designed to implement methods and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more processes described for the above methods may be implemented as code and / or instructions in memory 1060 executable by UE 1000 (and / or the plurality of processing units 1010 or DSP 1020 within UE 1000). In one aspect, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adjust a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0107] Figure 11 An embodiment of TRP 1100 is shown, which can be described as described above (e.g., with...). Figure 1-10 (In association) and may correspond to base station 120, gNB 210, ng-eNB 214, TRP 310, TRP 410 and / or TRP 510. TRP 1100 can be configured to perform Figure 9 One or more operations are shown in method 900. It should be noted that... Figure 11 This is intended only to provide a general overview of the various components, any one or all of which may be used appropriately.

[0108] TRP 1100 is shown as including hardware elements that can be electrically coupled via bus 1105 (or otherwise communicate, as applicable). The hardware elements may include (multiple) processing units 1110, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as DSP chips, graphics accelerator processors, ASICs, etc.), and / or other processing structures or components. Figure 11As shown, depending on the desired functionality, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1120. According to some embodiments, location determination and / or other determination based on wireless communication may be provided in the processing unit(s) 1110 and / or the wireless communication interface 1130 (discussed below). The TRP 1100 may also include one or more input devices, which may include, but are not limited to, a keyboard, a display, a mouse, a microphone, (multiple) buttons, (multiple) dial pads, (multiple) switches, etc.; and one or more output devices, which may include, but are not limited to, a display, a light-emitting diode (LED), a speaker, etc.

[0109] TRP 1100 may also include a wireless communication interface 1130, which may include, but is not limited to, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset (such as...). The device (such as IEEE 802.11 device, IEEE 802.15.4 device, Wi-Fi device, WiMAX device, cellular communication facility, etc.) enables the TRP 1100 to communicate as described herein. The wireless communication interface 1130 allows data and signaling to be transmitted (e.g., sent and received) to the UE, other base stations / TRPs (e.g., eNB, GNB, and ng-eNB), and / or other network components, computer systems, and / or any other electronic equipment described herein. Communication can be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 1132 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 1134.

[0110] TRP 1100 may also include a network interface 1180, which may include support for wired communication technologies. Network interface 1180 may include a modem, network interface card (NIC), chipset, etc. Network interface 1180 may include one or more input and / or output communication interfaces to allow data exchange with networks, communication network servers, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices described herein.

[0111] In many embodiments, TRP 1100 may further include memory 1160. Memory 1160 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network-accessible memory, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as RAM and / or ROM, which may be programmable, flash-updatable, and / or similar. Such storage devices can be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0112] The memory 1160 of the TRP 1100 may also include software elements ( Figure 11(Not shown in the text), including operating systems, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code, such as one or more applications, which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or may be designed to implement methods and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more processes described for the above methods may be implemented as code and / or instructions in memory 1160 executable by TRP 1100 (and / or the plurality of processing units 1110 or DSP 1120 within TRP 1100). In one aspect, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adjust a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0113] Figure 12 This is a block diagram of an embodiment of computer system 1200, which may be used in whole or in part to provide the information described herein. Figures 1-11 The functions of the described server or other network node may correspond to location server 160, external client 180, LMF 220, and / or other network connectivity devices described herein. It should be noted that... Figure 12 This is intended only to provide a general overview of the various components, any one or all of which may be used appropriately. Therefore, Figure 12 It broadly illustrates how individual system components can be implemented in a relatively separate or relatively more integrated manner. Furthermore, it can be noted that... Figure 12 The components shown can be limited to a single device and / or distributed across a variety of networked devices that may be located in different geographical locations.

[0114] Computer system 1200 is shown to include hardware elements that can be electrically coupled (or otherwise communicated, as appropriate) via bus 1205. The hardware elements may include (but are not limited to) processing units 1210, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as digital signal processing chips, graphics accelerators, etc.), and / or other processing architectures, which may be configured to perform one or more methods described herein. Computer system 1200 may also include one or more input devices 1215, which may include, but are not limited to, a mouse, keyboard, camera, microphone, etc.; and one or more output devices 1220, which may include, but are not limited to, display devices, printers, etc.

[0115] Computer system 1200 may also include (and / or communicate with therewith) one or more non-transitory storage devices 1225, which may include, but are not limited to, local and / or network-accessible storage, and / or may include, but are not limited to, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as RAM and / or ROM, which may be programmable, flash-updatable, etc. Such storage devices can be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc. As described herein, such data storage may include (multiple) databases and / or other data structures for storing and managing messages and / or other information to be sent via a hub to one or more devices.

[0116] Computer system 1200 may also include a communication subsystem 1230, which may include wireless communication technologies managed and controlled by wireless communication interface 1233, as well as wired technologies (such as Ethernet, coaxial communication, Universal Serial Bus (USB), etc.). Wireless communication interface 1233 may transmit and receive wireless signals 1255 (e.g., signals according to 5G NR or LTE) via wireless antennas(s) 1250. Therefore, communication subsystem 1230 may include modems, network interface cards (wireless or wired), infrared communication devices, wireless communication devices, and / or chipsets, enabling computer system 1200 to communicate with any device (including user equipment (UE), base station, and / or other TRP and / or any other electronic device described herein) on any or all communication networks described herein. Therefore, communication subsystem 1230 may be used to receive and transmit data as described in the embodiments herein.

[0117] In many embodiments, computer system 1200 will further include internal memory 1235, which may include RAM or ROM devices as described above. Software elements shown to be located within internal memory 1235 may include operating system 1240, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code, such as one or more application programs 1245, which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments and / or may be designed to implement methods and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more processes described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions executable by a computer (and / or processing units within a computer); then, in one aspect, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adjust a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0118] These sets of instructions and / or code may be stored on non-transitory computer-readable storage media, such as the aforementioned storage devices(s)1225. In some cases, the storage medium may be incorporated into a computer system, such as computer system 1200. In other embodiments, the storage medium may be separable from the computer system (e.g., a removable medium such as an optical disc), and / or provided in an installation package, such that the storage medium can be used to program, configure, and / or adapt a general-purpose computer on which instructions / code are stored. These instructions may take the form of executable code that can be executed by computer system 1200, and / or may take the form of source code and / or installable code (e.g., using any of a variety of generally available compilers, installers, compression / decompression utilities, etc.), or, when compiled and / or installed on computer system 1200, take the form of executable code.

[0119] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial modifications can be made to meet specific requirements. For example, custom hardware and / or specific components can be used to implement the technology in hardware, software (including portable software such as applets), or both. Furthermore, connections to other computing devices, such as network input / output devices, can be utilized.

[0120] Referring to the accompanying drawings, components that may include memory may include non-transitory machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable media" and "computer-readable media" refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that enables a machine to operate in a particular manner. In the embodiments provided above, various machine-readable media may involve providing instructions / code to a processing unit and / or other devices for execution. Additionally or alternatively, machine-readable media may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code. In many embodiments, computer-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile and volatile media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical media with a hole pattern, RAM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or code.

[0121] The methods, systems, and devices discussed herein are examples. Various processes or components may be appropriately omitted, substituted, or added in various embodiments. For example, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. The various components of the accompanying drawings provided herein can be implemented in hardware and / or software. Furthermore, technology is evolving, and therefore many elements are examples and the scope of this disclosure is not limited to those specific examples.

[0122] It has been shown that, sometimes, primarily for general reasons, it is convenient to refer to such signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, terms, numbers, numerical values, etc. However, it should be understood that all these or similar terms are associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless otherwise stated, it is clear from the foregoing discussion that throughout this specification, discussions using terms such as “processing,” “computing,” “calculating,” “determining,” “identifying,” “ascertaining,” “associating,” “measuring,” and “executing” refer to the actions or processes of a specific device such as a dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device. Therefore, in the context of this specification, a dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or converting signals, which are generally represented as physical electronic, electrical, or magnetic quantities within the memory, registers, or other information storage devices, transmission devices, or display devices of the dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device.

[0123] The terms “and” and “or” as used herein can have a variety of meanings, which depend at least in part on the context in which they are used. Generally, “or” when used to relate a list, such as A, B, or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C in the sense of inclusion, and A, B, or C in the sense of exclusion. Furthermore, the term “one or more” as used herein can be used in the singular to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic, or can be used to describe some combination of features, structures, or characteristics. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example, and the claimed subject matter is not limited to this example. Additionally, the term “at least one of…” when used to relate a list, such as A, B, or C, can be interpreted as meaning any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0124] Several embodiments have been described, and various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of this disclosure. For example, the above elements may simply be components of a larger system, where other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the various embodiments. Furthermore, multiple steps may be taken before, during, or after considering the foregoing elements. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0125] Based on this specification, embodiments may include different combinations of features. The following numbered clauses describe examples of implementation methods:

[0126] Clause 1. A method for timing advance (TA) processing of side-link (SL) assisted positioning for a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: determining that the first UE is configured to send an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to a second UE to perform SL assisted positioning; determining a protection period length based on the configuration of the first UE for sending the SL-PRS, wherein the protection period includes the time period during which the first UE sends the SL-PRS; and sending a message to the serving transmission and reception point (TRP) of the first UE indicating the protection period and including a TA-related request, wherein the TA-related request includes: a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or a request of the serving TRP not to send a TA command to the first UE during the protection period.

[0127] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein: the TA-related request includes a request to postpone the application of the TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period; and the message is sent by the first UE during the SL-PRS positioning session, during which the SL-PRS is sent by the first UE to the second UE.

[0128] Clause 3. The method described in Clause 1 or 2, wherein determining the length of the protection period includes selecting the length of the period from a predetermined list of enumerated values.

[0129] Clause 4. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-3, wherein the determination of the length of the protection period is also based on the amount of remaining time in the SL-PRS positioning session.

[0130] Clause 5. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-4, wherein sending a message includes including the message in the following: UCI (Uplink Control Information), Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE) or any combination thereof.

[0131] Clause 6. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-5 further includes: receiving an instruction from the serving TRP at the first UE to accept a TA-related request; and postponing the application of the TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period.

[0132] Clause 7. The method according to Clause 1, wherein: the TA-related request includes a request for the service TRP not to send a TA command to the first UE during the protection period; and the message is sent by the location server or the first UE before the SL-PRS positioning session, during which the SL-PRS is sent by the first UE to the second UE.

[0133] Clause 8, the method according to any one of Clauses 1-7, further includes: receiving a response to a message from the serving TRP at the first UE, wherein the response indicates rejection of the TA-related request; receiving a TA command from the serving TRP at the first UE during the protection period; and applying the TA command during the protection period.

[0134] Clause 9. The method described in Clause 8 further includes sending a report from the first UE to the network node, wherein the report includes: time adjustment of the transmission time of the SL-PRS based on the application of the TA command during the protection period, the PRS resource identifier (ID) of the SL-PRS, and an indication of one or more SL-PRS timings affected by the application of the TA command.

[0135] Clause 10. The method described in Clause 9, wherein the network node includes a location server or a second UE.

[0136] Clause 11. A method for timing advance (TA) processing of side-link (SL) assisted positioning for a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a message from a network node at a serving transmit and receive point (TRP) of the first UE, the message indicating a protection period and including a TA-related request, wherein: the protection period includes a time period during which the first UE transmits an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to a second UE; and the TA-related request includes: a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or a request from the serving TRP not to transmit a TA command to the first UE during the protection period; determining a response to the message based on applicable TA priority conditions; and sending a response to the network node.

[0137] Clause 12. The method described in Clause 11, wherein the network node includes the first UE or a location server.

[0138] Clause 13. The method described in Clause 11 or 12, wherein the response either indicates rejection of the TA-related request or indicates acceptance of the TA-related request.

[0139] Clause 14. The method according to any one of Clauses 11-13, wherein the applicable TA priority condition includes the participation of the first UE in the handover process.

[0140] Clause 15. An apparatus for providing timing advance (TA) processing for side-link (SL) assisted positioning of a first user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: a communication interface; a memory; and one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the communication interface and the memory, the one or more processing units being configured to: determine that the first UE is configured to send an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to a second UE to perform SL assisted positioning; determine the length of a protection period based on the configuration of the first UE for sending the SL-PRS, wherein the protection period includes the time period during which the first UE sends the SL-PRS; and send a message indicating the protection period and including a TA-related request to the serving transmission and reception point (TRP) of the first UE via the communication interface, wherein the TA-related request includes: a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or a request from the serving TRP not to send a TA command to the first UE during the protection period.

[0141] Clause 16. The device according to Clause 15, wherein the device includes a first UE, and wherein: the TA-related request includes a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period; and one or more processing units are configured to send a message during an SL-PRS positioning session, during which the SL-PRS is sent by the first UE to a second UE.

[0142] Clause 17. The device according to Clause 15 or 16, wherein, in order to determine the length of the protection period, one or more processing units are configured to select the length of the period from a predetermined list of enumerated values.

[0143] Clause 18. The device according to any one of Clauses 15-17, wherein one or more processing units are configured to also determine the length of the protection period based on the amount of remaining time in the SL-PRS positioning session.

[0144] Clause 19. The device according to any one of Clauses 15-18, wherein one or more processing units are configured to send messages in the following: UCI (Uplink Control Information), Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, or Media Access Control (MAC) control elements (CE) or any combination thereof.

[0145] Clause 20. The device pursuant to any one of Clauses 15-19, wherein one or more processing units are further configured to: receive an indication from the serving TRP to accept a TA-related request; and postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period.

[0146] Clause 21. The device according to Clause 15, wherein the device includes a location server or a first UE, and wherein: the TA-related request includes a request for the serving TRP not to send a TA command to the first UE during the protection period; and one or more processing units are configured to send a message prior to the SL-PRS location session, during which the SL-PRS is sent by the first UE to the second UE.

[0147] Clause 22. An apparatus according to any one of Clauses 15-21, wherein the apparatus includes a first UE, and wherein one or more processing units are further configured to: receive a response to a message from a serving TRP via a communication interface, wherein the response indicates rejection of a TA-related request; receive a TA command from the serving TRP via the communication interface during a protection period; and apply the TA command during the protection period.

[0148] Clause 23. The device as described in Clause 22, wherein the device includes a first UE, and wherein one or more processing units are further configured to send a report to a network node, the report including: time adjustment of the transmission time of the SL-PRS based on the application of a TA command during the protection period, the PRS resource identifier (ID) of the SL-PRS, and an indication of one or more SL-PRS timings affected by the application of the TA command.

[0149] Clause 24. The device as described in Clause 23, wherein the network node includes a location server or a second UE.

[0150] Clause 25. An apparatus for providing timing advance (TA) processing for side-link (SL) assisted positioning of a first user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: a communication interface; a memory; and one or more processing units communicatively coupled to the communication interface and the memory, the one or more processing units being configured to: receive a message from a network node via the communication interface, the message indicating a protection period and including a TA-related request, wherein: the protection period includes a time period during which the first UE sends an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to a second UE; and the TA-related request includes: a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or a request from the serving transmission and reception point (TRP) not to send a TA command to the first UE during the protection period; determine a response to the message based on applicable TA priority conditions; and send a response to the network node via the communication interface.

[0151] Clause 26. The device as described in Clause 25, wherein the network node includes a first UE or a location server.

[0152] Clause 27. The device as described in Clause 25 or 26, wherein the response either indicates rejection of the TA-related request or indicates acceptance of the TA-related request.

[0153] Clause 28. The device pursuant to any one of Clauses 25-27, wherein the applicable TA priority condition includes the participation of the first UE in the handover process.

[0154] Clause 29. An apparatus comprising: means for determining that a first user equipment (UE) is configured to transmit a side-link (SL) positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to a second UE to perform SL-assisted positioning of the first UE; means for determining the length of a protection period based on the configuration of the first UE for transmitting the SL-PRS, wherein the protection period includes a time period during which the first UE transmits the SL-PRS; and means for transmitting a message to a serving transmission receiving point (TRP) of the first UE indicating the protection period and including a timing advance (TA) related request, wherein the TA related request includes: a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or a request from the serving TRP not to transmit a TA command to the first UE during the protection period.

[0155] Clause 30. The device as described in Clause 29, wherein: the TA-related request includes a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period; and the message is sent by the first UE during an SL-PRS positioning session, during which the SL-PRS is sent by the first UE to the second UE.

[0156] Clause 31. The device according to Clause 29 or 30, wherein the component for determining the length of the protection period includes a component for selecting the length of the period from a predetermined list of enumerated values.

[0157] Clause 32. The device according to any one of Clauses 29-31, wherein the component for determining the length of the protection period also bases the length of the protection period on the amount of remaining time in the SL-PRS positioning session.

[0158] Clause 33. The device according to any one of Clauses 29-32, wherein the component for transmitting a message includes a component for including the message in: UCI (Uplink Control Information), Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, or Media Access Control (MAC) control element (CE) or any group thereof.

[0159] Clause 34. The device according to any one of Clauses 29-33 further includes: a component for receiving an indication from the Serving TRP to accept a TA-related request; and a component for postponing the application of a TA command received at the first UE until after the protection period.

[0160] Clause 35. The device as described in Clause 29, wherein: the TA-related request includes a request for the Serving TRP not to send a TA command to the first UE during the protection period; and the message is sent by the location server or the first UE before the SL-PRS positioning session, during which the SL-PRS is sent by the first UE to the second UE.

[0161] Clause 36. The apparatus according to any one of Clauses 29-35 further includes: components for receiving a response to a message from the serving TRP, wherein the response indicates rejection of a TA-related request; components for receiving a TA command from the serving TRP during a protection period; and components for applying the TA command at the first UE during the protection period.

[0162] Clause 37. The apparatus according to Clause 36 further includes: a component for sending a report from the first UE to the network node, wherein the report includes: a time adjustment of the transmission time of the SL-PRS based on the application of a TA command during the protection period, the PRS resource identifier (ID) of the SL-PRS, and an indication of one or more SL-PRS timings affected by the application of the TA command.

[0163] Clause 38. The device as described in Clause 37, wherein the network node includes a location server or a second UE.

[0164] Clause 39. An apparatus comprising: components for receiving a message from a network node, the message indicating a protection period and including a timing advance (TA) related request, wherein: the protection period includes a time period during which a first user equipment (UE) transmits a side-link (SL) positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to a second UE; and the TA related request includes: a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or a request from a serving transmission and reception point (TRP) not to transmit a TA command to the first UE during the protection period; components for determining a response to the message based on applicable TA priority conditions; and components for transmitting a response to the network node.

[0165] Clause 40. The device as described in Clause 39, wherein the network node includes a first UE or a location server.

[0166] Clause 41. The device as described in Clause 39 or 40, wherein the response either indicates rejection of the TA-related request or indicates acceptance of the TA-related request.

[0167] Clause 42. The device pursuant to any one of Clauses 39-41, wherein the applicable TA priority condition includes the participation of the first UE in the handover process.

[0168] Clause 43. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for timing advance (TA) processing of side-link (SL) assisted positioning for a first user equipment (UE), the instructions comprising code for: determining that the first UE is configured to send an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to a second UE to perform SL assisted positioning; determining the length of a protection period based on the configuration of the first UE for sending the SL-PRS, wherein the protection period includes the time period during which the first UE sends the SL-PRS; and sending a message to the serving transmission and reception point (TRP) of the first UE indicating the protection period and including TA-related requests, wherein the TA-related requests include: a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or a request by the serving TRP not to send a TA command to the first UE during the protection period.

[0169] Clause 44. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 43, wherein: the TA-related request includes a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period; and the message is sent by the first UE during an SL-PRS positioning session, during which the SL-PRS is sent by the first UE to the second UE.

[0170] Clause 45. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 43 or 44, wherein the code for determining the length of the protection period includes code for selecting the length of the period from a predetermined list of enumerated values.

[0171] Clause 46. A non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 43-45, wherein the code for determining the length of the protection period also bases the length of the protection period on the amount of remaining time in the SL-PRS location session.

[0172] Clause 47. A non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 43-46, wherein the code for transmitting a message includes code for including the message in: UCI (Uplink Control Information), Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, or Media Access Control (MAC) control elements (CE) or any group thereof.

[0173] Clause 48. A non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 43-47, wherein the instruction further comprises code for: receiving an instruction at the first UE from the serving TRP to accept a TA-related request; and postponing the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period.

[0174] Clause 49. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 43, wherein: the TA-related request includes a request for the Service TRP not to send a TA command to the first UE during the protection period; and the message is sent by the location server or the first UE before the SL-PRS positioning session, during which the SL-PRS is sent by the first UE to the second UE.

[0175] Clause 50. A non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 43-49, wherein the instruction further comprises code for: receiving a response to a message from the serving TRP at the first UE, wherein the response indicates rejection of a TA-related request; receiving a TA command from the serving TRP at the first UE during a protection period; and applying the TA command during the protection period.

[0176] Clause 51. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 50, wherein the instruction further includes code for sending a report from the first UE to the network node, wherein the report includes: time adjustment of the transmission time of the SL-PRS based on the application of the TA command during the protection period, the PRS resource identifier (ID) of the SL-PRS, and an indication of one or more SL-PRS timings affected by the application of the TA command.

[0177] Clause 52. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 51, wherein the network node includes a location server or a second UE.

[0178] Clause 53. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for timing advance (TA) processing of side-link (SL) assisted positioning for a first user equipment (UE), the code comprising code for: receiving a message from a network node at the serving transmit and receive point (TRP) of the first UE, the message indicating a protection period and including a TA-related request, wherein: the protection period includes a time period during which the first UE transmits an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to a second UE; and the TA-related request includes: a request to postpone the application of a TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or a request from the serving TRP not to transmit a TA command to the first UE during the protection period; determining a response to the message based on applicable TA priority conditions; and sending a response to the network node.

[0179] Clause 54. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 53, wherein the network node includes a first UE or a location server.

[0180] Clause 55. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in Clause 53 or 54, wherein the response either indicates rejection of the TA-related request or indicates acceptance of the TA-related request.

[0181] Clause 56. A non-transitory computer-readable medium pursuant to any one of Clauses 53-55, wherein the applicable TA priority condition includes the participation of a first UE in the handover process.

Claims

1. A method for timing advance (TA) processing in side-link (SL) assisted positioning for a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: It is determined that the first UE is configured to send an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to the second UE to perform SL-assisted positioning; The length of the protection period is determined based on the configuration of the first UE for transmitting the SL-PRS, wherein the protection period includes the time period during which the first UE transmits the SL-PRS; as well as Send a message to the first UE's Serving Transmitter Receiving Point (TRP) indicating the protection period and including a TA-related request, wherein the TA-related request includes: Delaying the application of the TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or The service TRP does not send a request for a TA command to the first UE during the protection period.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The TA-related requests include requests to postpone the application of the TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period; and The message is sent by the first UE during the SL-PRS positioning session, during which the SL-PRS is sent by the first UE to the second UE.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, Determining the length of the protection period includes selecting the length of the protection period from a predetermined list of enumerated values.

4. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The length of the protection period is also determined based on the amount of remaining time in the SL-PRS positioning session.

5. The method according to claim 2, wherein, Sending the message includes including the message in: UCI (Uplink Control Information) Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, or Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), Or any combination thereof.

6. The method according to claim 2, further comprising: At the first UE, an instruction to accept the TA-related request is received from the serving TRP; as well as The application of the TA command received by the first UE is postponed until after the protection period.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The TA-related request includes a request for the serving TRP not to send the TA command to the first UE during the protection period; and The message is sent by the location server or the first UE before the SL-PRS positioning session, during which the SL-PRS is sent by the first UE to the second UE.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: At the first UE, a response to the message is received from the serving TRP, wherein the response indicates rejection of the TA-related request; At the first UE, a TA command is received from the serving TRP during the protection period; as well as The TA command is applied during the protection period.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising sending a report from the first UE to the network node, wherein the report includes: Based on the time adjustment of the SL-PRS transmission time applied by the TA command during the protection period, The PRS resource identifier (ID) of the SL-PRS, and Indication of one or more SL-PRS timings affected by the application of the TA command.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The network node includes a location server or the second UE.

11. A method for timing advance (TA) processing in side-link (SL) assisted positioning for a first user equipment (UE), the method comprising: The first UE receives a message from a network node at its Serving Transmit and Receive Point (TRP), the message indicating a protection period and including a TA-related request, wherein: The protection period includes the time during which the first UE sends an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to the second UE; and The TA-related requests include: Delaying the application of the TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or The service TRP does not send a request for a TA command to the first UE during the protection period; The response to the message is determined based on applicable TA priority conditions; and Send the response to the network node.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The network node includes the first UE or a location server.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The response or Is it an instruction to reject TA's related request, or This indicates that you are accepting the TA-related request.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The applicable TA priority conditions include the first UE participating in the handover process.

15. An apparatus for providing timing advance (TA) processing for side-link (SL) assisted positioning of a first user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: Communication interface; Memory; as well as One or more processing units communicatively coupled to the communication interface and the memory, the one or more processing units being configured to: It is determined that the first UE is configured to send an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to the second UE to perform SL-assisted positioning; The length of the protection period is determined based on the configuration of the first UE for transmitting the SL-PRS, wherein the protection period includes the time period during which the first UE transmits the SL-PRS; as well as The communication interface is used to send a message to the first UE's Service Transmission Receiver (TRP) indicating the protection period and including a TA-related request, wherein the TA-related request includes: Delaying the application of the TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or The service TRP does not send a request for a TA command to the first UE during the protection period.

16. The device according to claim 15, wherein, The device includes the first UE, and wherein: The TA-related request includes: a request to postpone the application of the TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period; and The one or more processing units are configured to send the message during an SL-PRS positioning session, during which the SL-PRS is sent from the first UE to the second UE.

17. The device according to claim 16, wherein, To determine the duration of the protection period, the one or more processing units are configured to select the duration from a predetermined list of enumerated values.

18. The device according to claim 16, wherein, The one or more processing units are configured to also determine the duration of the protection period based on the amount of remaining time in the SL-PRS positioning session.

19. The device according to claim 16, wherein, The one or more processing units are configured to send the message in the following ways: UCI (Uplink Control Information) Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, or Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), Or any combination thereof.

20. The device according to claim 16, wherein, The one or more processing units are further configured to: Receive an indication from the service TRP to accept the TA-related request; and The application of the TA command received by the first UE is postponed until after the protection period.

21. The device according to claim 15, wherein, The device includes a location server or the first UE, and wherein: The TA-related request includes a request for the serving TRP not to send the TA command to the first UE during the protection period; and The one or more processing units are configured to send the message before the SL-PRS positioning session, during which the SL-PRS is sent from the first UE to the second UE.

22. The device according to claim 15, wherein, The device includes the first UE, and the one or more processing units are further configured to: Receive a response to the message from the service TRP via the communication interface, wherein the response indicates rejection of the TA-related request; During the protection period, the service TRP receives a TA command via the communication interface. as well as The TA command is applied during the protection period.

23. The device according to claim 22, wherein, The device includes the first UE, and wherein the one or more processing units are further configured to send a report to a network node, the report including: Based on the time adjustment of the SL-PRS transmission time applied by the TA command during the protection period, The PRS resource identifier (ID) of the SL-PRS, and Indication of one or more SL-PRS timings affected by the application of the TA command.

24. The device according to claim 23, wherein, The network node includes a location server or the second UE.

25. An apparatus for providing timing advance (TA) processing for side-link (SL) assisted positioning of a first user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: Communication interface; Memory; as well as One or more processing units communicatively coupled to the communication interface and the memory, the one or more processing units being configured to: Messages are received from network nodes via the communication interface, the messages indicating the protection period and including TA-related requests, wherein: The protection period includes the time during which the first UE sends an SL positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) to the second UE; and The TA-related requests include: Delaying the application of the TA command received by the first UE until after the protection period, or The Serving Transmitting and Receiving Point (TRP) does not send a request for a TA command to the first UE during the protection period; The response to the message is determined based on applicable TA priority conditions; and The response is sent to the network node via the communication interface.

26. The device according to claim 25, wherein, The network node includes the first UE or a location server.

27. The device according to claim 25, wherein, The response or Is it an instruction to reject TA's related request, or This indicates that you should accept the TA-related request.

28. The device according to claim 25, wherein, The applicable TA priority conditions include the first UE participating in the handover process.

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