Timing determination of signals in sidelink positioning

Abstract

A ranging session between multiple User Equipments (UEs) is initiated using a launch message, which includes the launching UE and an identifier (ID) for each of one or more responding UEs. Based on the UE ID in the launch message, each UE in the ranging session independently determines the timing instance of its signaling. Signaling information, such as the identifier of the ranging signal, can similarly be determined independently by each UE based on its UE ID. The order of the UE IDs provided in the launch message and the number of responding UEs can also be used to determine the signaling information and the timing instance of the signaling. For example, a UE can use a common multivariate deterministic function with the UE ID as input to derive the timing instance separately for itself and other UEs in the ranging session.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. nonprovisional application No. 17 / 160,135, filed January 27, 2021, entitled “TIMING DETERMINATION FOR SIGNALSIN SIDELINK POSITIONING,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to wireless communication systems, and more specifically to methods and apparatus for determining the distance of user equipment in distributed wireless communication systems. Background Technology

[0004] Obtaining accurate location information for user equipment, such as cellular phones or other wireless communication devices, is becoming increasingly common in the communications industry. For example, obtaining highly accurate locations of vehicles or pedestrians is crucial for autonomous vehicle driving and pedestrian safety applications.

[0005] A common method for determining the location of equipment is using a satellite positioning system (SPS), such as the well-known Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), which utilizes several satellites orbiting the Earth. However, in some scenarios, location determination signals from SPS may be unreliable or unavailable, such as in adverse weather conditions or in areas with poor satellite signal reception, such as tunnels or parking lots. Furthermore, positioning information generated using SPS is prone to inaccuracies. For example, existing GPS positioning devices have an accuracy of only a few meters, which is not ideal for ensuring safe autonomous driving and navigation.

[0006] Collaborative or autonomous driving requires communication between vehicles, which can be direct or indirect, such as via infrastructure components like roadside units (RSUs). For vehicle safety applications, both positioning and ranging are crucial. For example, vehicle user equipment (UEs) can perform positioning and ranging using sidelink signaling, such as broadcasting ranging signals to other vehicle UEs or pedestrian UEs, to determine the relative position of the transmitter. Accurate and timely knowledge of the relative position or distance to nearby vehicles enables autonomous vehicles to safely maneuver and respond to traffic conditions. For example, round-trip time (RTT) is a commonly used technique for determining the distance between transmitters. RTT is a two-way messaging technique where the time (minus processing delay) from when a first device sends a signal to when it receives an acknowledgment from a second device corresponds to the distance (range) between the two devices.

[0007] During a ranging session, multiple messages are exchanged between participating UEs. The timing of each message should be controlled, for example, to avoid interference. When multiple nearby UEs participate in the ranging session, the overhead of messages used to control the timing of message exchanges can become excessive. Summary of the Invention

[0008] A ranging session between multiple User Equipments (UEs) is initiated using a start message, which includes the initiating UE and the identifier (ID) of each of one or more responding UEs. Each UE in the ranging session independently determines the timing instance of its signaling based on the UE ID in the start message. Signaling information, such as the identifier of the ranging signal, can similarly be determined independently by each UE based on its UE ID. The order of the UE IDs provided in the start message and the number of responding UEs can also be used to determine the timing instances of the signaling and signaling information. For example, UEs can use a common multivariate deterministic function, taking the UE ID as input, to derive the timing instance separately for themselves and other UEs in the ranging session.

[0009] In one embodiment, a ranging method between user equipments (UEs) executed by an initiating UE includes sending an initiation message to one or more responding UEs to initiate a ranging session, the initiation message including an identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and an ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; determining timing instances of messages from the initiating UE and each of the one or more responding UEs in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; and using the determined timing instances of the messages in the ranging session to execute the ranging session with each of the one or more responding UEs.

[0010] In one embodiment, a user equipment (UE) is configured to perform a ranging session between UEs, the UE being the initiating UE in the ranging session, the UE including a radio transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with entities in a wireless network; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the radio transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: send an initiation message to one or more responding UEs to initiate the ranging session, the initiation message including an identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and an ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; determine a timing instance of a message in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; and perform the ranging session with each of the one or more responding UEs using the determined timing instance of the message in the ranging session.

[0011] In one implementation, a user equipment (UE) is configured to perform ranging between UEs, the UE being the initiating UE in a ranging session. The UE includes components for initiating the ranging session by sending an initiation message to one or more responding UEs, the initiation message including an identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and an ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; components for determining timing instances of messages from the initiating UE and each of the one or more responding UEs in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; and components for performing the ranging session with each of the one or more responding UEs using the determined timing instances of the messages in the ranging session.

[0012] In one embodiment, a non-transitory storage medium includes program code stored thereon that can be executed to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to perform ranging between UEs, the UE being the initiating UE in a ranging session. The non-transitory storage medium includes program code for sending an initiation message to one or more responding UEs to initiate the ranging session, the initiation message including an identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and an ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; program code for determining timing instances of messages from the initiating UE and each of the one or more responding UEs in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; and program code for executing the ranging session with each of the one or more responding UEs using the determined timing instances of the messages in the ranging session.

[0013] In one embodiment, a ranging method between user equipments (UEs) executed by a responding UE includes receiving a startup message from a startup UE to initiate a ranging session, the startup message including an identifier (ID) of the startup UE and an ID of each of one or more responding UEs; determining timing instances of messages from the startup UE and each of the one or more responding UEs in the ranging session based on the ID of the startup UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; and using the determined timing instances of the messages in the ranging session to execute the ranging session with the startup UE.

[0014] In one embodiment, a user equipment (UE) is configured to perform a ranging session between UEs, the UE being a responding UE in the ranging session, the UE including a radio transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with entities in a wireless network; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the radio transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive a startup message from a startup UE to initiate the ranging session, the startup message including an identifier (ID) of the startup UE and an ID of each of one or more responding UEs; determine timing instances of messages from the startup UE and each of one or more responding UEs in the ranging session based on the ID of the startup UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs; and perform the ranging session with the startup UE using the determined timing instances of the messages in the ranging session.

[0015] In one embodiment, a user equipment (UE) is configured to perform a ranging session between UEs, the UE being a responding UE in the ranging session. The UE includes components for receiving a startup message from a startup UE to initiate the ranging session, the startup message including an identifier (ID) of the startup UE and an ID of each of one or more responding UEs; components for determining timing instances of messages from the startup UE and each of the one or more responding UEs in the ranging session based on the ID of the startup UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; and components for performing the ranging session with the startup UE using the determined timing instances of the messages in the ranging session.

[0016] In one embodiment, a non-transitory storage medium includes program code stored thereon that can be executed to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to perform a ranging session between UEs, the UE being a responding UE in the ranging session. The non-transitory storage medium includes program code for initiating the ranging session by receiving an initiating UE initiating a startup message, the startup message including an identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and an ID of each of one or more responding UEs; program code for determining timing instances of messages from the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs; and program code for performing the ranging session with the initiating UE using the determined timing instances of the messages in the ranging session. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The following figures illustrate non-restrictive and non-exhaustive aspects, wherein, unless otherwise stated, the same reference numerals refer to the same parts in the various figures.

[0018] Figure 1A wireless communication system for distributed UE communication is shown, including ranging signaling.

[0019] Figure 2 The diagram shows the timing and frequency of various messages that can be sent or received by the initiating UE and three responding UEs for the purpose of ranging or positioning sessions.

[0020] Figure 3 An example of a multivariate deterministic function that can be used is shown.

[0021] Figure 4 An example of a ranging procedure signaling flow is shown that uses deterministic functions to determine the timing instances of signaling during a ranging and / or positioning session.

[0022] Figure 5 The illustration shows a schematic block diagram illustrating some exemplary features of a user equipment (UE) configured to use a deterministic function to determine timing instances of signaling during a ranging session.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a flowchart illustrating a ranging method between UEs performed by the initiating UE in a ranging session.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the ranging method between UEs performed by the responding UE in a ranging session. Detailed Implementation

[0025] Distributed approaches can be used for ranging and locating vehicles, roadside units (RSUs), and pedestrians, avoiding the need for centralized base stations to coordinate and relay communications. For example, this communication can be used in autonomous driving and vehicle safety applications. Communication used in distributed approaches can occur directly, such as between vehicles, or between vehicles and RSUs or pedestrians. These communications can include message and information elements (IEs) that vehicles can use to provide the information needed for autonomous driving.

[0026] For example, for the safe operation of an autonomous vehicle, it is necessary to determine its relative position or distance to other vehicles. Various methods can be used to derive the relative position between vehicles. For instance, the relative position of a vehicle can be derived using ranging signals. Ranging signals are sometimes referred to as physical ranging signals, positioning ranging signals, positioning reference signals, or physical reference signals, and can be uniformly referred to as PRS signals herein. For example, PRS signals can be broadcast by the user equipment (UE) in the vehicle (sometimes referred to as V-UE) and received by other V-UEs and / or infrastructure (such as RSUs) or pedestrian-held UEs, using direct communication systems (such as Dedicated Short Range Communication (DSRC)), cellular vehicle-to-everything (C-V2X) communication, and even 5G New Radio (NR) communication. PRS signals are used to determine the distance to the broadcasting vehicle, for example, using one-way ranging, round-trip time (RTT) positioning operations, or other standard positioning operations such as Time of Arrival (TOA), Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), or Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA).

[0027] In a distributed system, a single UE can use messages and location signals sent directly to other UEs to perform ranging relative to other nearby UEs. For example, in an RTT-based ranging session, multiple messages and signals are sent and received by each UE. For instance, a set of pre-PRS messages (initiating a ranging session) are sent and received to request and accept a ranging session, followed by a broadcast ranging signal (PRS signal) for measurement, and then a set of post-PRS messages (exchanging measurement payloads). For RTT-based ranging and location, for example, the time of arrival (TOA) and time of departure (TOD) measurements of the sent and received PRS signals can be provided in the post-PRS messages and used by each pair of UEs to determine the distance between them. The pre-PRS and post-PRS messages can be sent over licensed spectrum to ensure reliability, while the PRS signal can be broadcast over unlicensed spectrum (e.g., to enjoy greater available bandwidth in, for example, the UNI-III spectrum).

[0028] A ranging session may include a starting UE and one or more responding UEs. To initiate a ranging session without the assistance of a gNB or base station in the wireless network, the starting UE broadcasts pre-PRS messages to be received by one or more responding UEs. Typically, the pre-PRS messages broadcast by the starting UE include the necessary information for participating in the ranging session, including identification, signaling, and timing information for each message. As an example, pre-PRS messages broadcast by the starting UE typically include identification information, such as a Layer 2 (L2) identifier for the starting UE, sometimes referred to herein as the UE ID, and a set of UE IDs of other UEs selected by the starting UE for ranging. Pre-PRS messages also include signaling information, such as the order of PRS broadcasts for the UEs, the PRS bandwidth or channel, the PRS sequence ID (i.e., PRS ID) for the starting UE, and the PRS IDs for the other UEs. Pre-PRS messages also include timing indications for each message, which includes pre-PRS, PRS, and post-PRS for all responding UEs.

[0029] It can be seen that pre-PRS messages can have relatively high overhead. Furthermore, when the ranging session includes several responding UEs, the size of the pre-PRS message broadcast by the initiating UE can increase significantly. If multiple ranging or positioning sessions are initiated separately, there is a relatively high possibility of pre-PRS message conflicts. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the size of the pre-PRS message sent by the initiating UE to initiate the ranging session.

[0030] Accordingly, in one implementation, as discussed herein, the initiating UE may send an initiating pre-PRS message to one or more responding UEs, the message including the IDs of the initiating UE and(s) of the responding UE(s). Each UE may use the IDs of the initiating and responding UEs as input to determine the timing instances of the remaining messages in the ranging session, such as the timing instance of the pre-PRS message for each responding UE, the timing instance of the PRS broadcast (estimated if broadcast on unlicensed spectrum), and the timing instance of the post-PRS message. For example, each UE may use a multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instances of the remaining messages in the ranging session, the function taking a vector of the IDs of the initiating and responding UEs and the order of the IDs as input. Each UE uses the multivariate deterministic function and the ID input to uniquely derive the timing instance for itself and other UEs. The UE may use the multivariate deterministic function and the ID input to further determine signaling information, such as the PRS sequence ID. Therefore, the initiating pre-PRS message sent by the initiating UE need not include timing indications, and in some implementations, some signaling information for the various messages in the ranging session, thereby reducing the size of the pre-PRS message payload.

[0031] Figure 1 A wireless communication system 100 is illustrated, showing distributed communication including ranging signaling that uses deterministic functions, as described herein, to determine timing instances of message passing during ranging and / or positioning sessions. The wireless communication system 100 illustrates a first vehicle 102, such as V-UE 102, with a first wireless device, which wirelessly communicates with another V-UE 104, shown as a second vehicle. V-UE 102 and V-UE 104 may include, but are not limited to, on-board units (OBUs), vehicles or their subsystems, or various other communication devices. V-UE 102 and 104 operate on behalf of their associated vehicles and provide communication; therefore, they may sometimes be simply referred to herein as vehicles 102 and 104 or UE 102 and 104. For example, the first vehicle 102 and the second vehicle 104 may be two vehicles traveling on a road together with other vehicles (not shown).

[0032] Wireless communication system 100 can use, for example, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication standards, in which information is transferred between vehicles and other entities within the wireless communication network. V2X services include, for example, services for vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), and vehicle-to-network (V2N). V2X standards are designed to develop automated or semi-automated driving systems, such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which can assist drivers in making critical decisions, such as lane changes, speed changes, and overtaking speeds, and can be used to assist with parking, as described herein. Low-latency communication is used in V2X, making it suitable for precise relative positioning, for example, using ranging signals such as one-way ranging, RTT, TDOA, etc.

[0033] Generally, V2X services operate in two modes, as defined in 3GPP TS23.285. One mode uses direct wireless communication between V2X entities, which may sometimes be referred to as sidelink communication. The other mode uses network-based wireless communication between entities. These two modes can be combined, or other modes can be used if needed.

[0034] The wireless communication system 100 can operate using direct or indirect wireless communication between vehicles 102 and 104. For example, wireless communication can be via a near-field service (ProSe) direction-of-communication (PC5) reference point as defined in 3GPP TS23.303, and can utilize IEEE 1609, wireless access in the vehicle environment (WAVE), intelligent transportation systems (ITS), and wireless communication under IEEE 802.11p, or other direct wireless connections between entities, in the 5.9 GHz ITS band. Therefore, as shown, vehicles 102 and 104 can communicate directly using vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication link 103. Similarly, vehicles 102 and 104 can communicate directly with roadside units (RSUs) 110 via vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication links 107 and 109, respectively. For example, RSU 110 can be a fixed infrastructure entity that supports V2X applications and can exchange messages with other entities that support V2X applications. An RSU can be a logical entity that combines V2X application logic with the functionality of a base station in the RAN, such as an eNB, ng-eNB, or eLTE (referred to as an eNB-type RSU), gNB, or UE (referred to as a UE-type RSU). Vehicles 102, 104, and RSU 110 can communicate with other entities, such as other vehicles, RSUs, or UE 112 held by pedestrian 114, using direct communication links. For example, vehicle 102 can communicate with UE 112 via V2V communication link 113, vehicle 104 can communicate with UE 112 via V2V communication link 115, and RSU 110 can communicate with UE 112 via V2I communication link 117.

[0035] During direct communication with one or more entities in the V2X wireless communication system 100, each entity can provide V2X information, such as the identifier of the V2X entity, as well as other information in the message, such as the Common Awareness Message (CAM) and the Decentralized Notification Message (DENM) or the Basic Safety Message (BSM), which can be used for, for example, ADAS or safety use cases.

[0036] In other embodiments, vehicles 102 and 104 may communicate indirectly with each other, for example, via RSU 110 through V2I communication links 107 and 109 respectively, or through other network infrastructure (not shown), such as using cellular vehicle-to-everything (CV2X). For example, the vehicles may communicate via base stations in a radio access network (RAN), such as evolved Node B (eNB) in LTE radio access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) radio access, or next-generation evolved Node B (ng-eNB), or NR Node B (gNB) in fifth-generation (5G) radio access.

[0037] Vehicles 102 and 104, as well as RSU 110 and UE 112, can participate in ranging / location sessions, including sending and receiving pre-PRS messages, broadcasting PRS, and sending post-PRS messages on links 103, 107, 109, 113, 115, or 117, which can be used to determine the distance or relative location between entities. As an example, the PRS broadcast by vehicles 102 and 104 can be any signal suitable for ranging, such as a signal defined for DSRC or C-V2X. PRS can be broadcast on licensed or unlicensed spectrum. For example, in some implementations, PRS can be broadcast on one or more unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (UNII) radio bands, including, for example, one or more of the UNII-1, UNII-2A, UNII-2B, or UNII-3 radio bands. When broadcasting on unlicensed spectrum, a Listen-Before-Broadcast (LBT) protocol can be used.

[0038] When vehicles 102 and 104 broadcast a PRS on V2V link 103, the distance or relative position between vehicles 102 and 104 can be directly determined, for example, using one-way ranging. When vehicles 102 and 104 broadcast a PRS on V2I links 107 and 109 or via links 113 and 115, the distance or relative position between vehicle 102 and RSU 110 or UE 112, and the distance or relative position between vehicle 104 and RSU 110 or UE 112, can be directly determined using one-way ranging.

[0039] The direct wireless communication between vehicles 102 and 104, and between RSU 110 and UE 112, requires no network infrastructure and enables low-latency communication, which is advantageous for accurate ranging or positioning. Therefore, this direct wireless communication may be suitable for short-range ranging, such as ranging with nearby vehicles or infrastructure.

[0040] UE, for example, Figure 1Any of the V-UE 102, V-UE 104, RSU 110, and UE 112 shown in the figure can be configured to perform ranging and / or positioning operations, such as RTT-based ranging.

[0041] Figure 2 Signaling diagram 200 is illustrated by way of example. This signaling diagram indicates the timing and frequency of various messages sent and received by the initiating UE and three responding UEs for ranging or positioning sessions. For example, Figure 2 An RTT-based ranging session 204 is illustrated, during which multiple messages are sent between the initiating UE and the responding UE, including a pre-PRS message 206 to request and accept the ranging session, a PRS signal 208 for measurement, and a post-PRS message 210 to exchange measurement payloads. Figure 2 In the diagram, signaling from the initiating UE is represented by a white box, signaling from the first responding UE is represented by a gray box, signaling from the second responding UE is represented by a shaded box, and signaling from the third responding UE is represented by a black box.

[0042] As shown, both the initiating UE and the responding UE can broadcast capability message 202. The capability message is not part of the ranging session, but may include information that the initiating UE might use to initiate a ranging session with a selected UE. For example, the capability message may include the UE ID (e.g., L2 ID), the UE's ranging capabilities, the channels the UE is configured to use, etc. It should be understood that, although... Figure 2 Capability message 202 is shown as having the same order as the messages in ranging session 204, but the order may actually be different.

[0043] Pre-PRS message 206 (e.g., pre-ranging message) is used by the UE to request and accept a ranging session. As shown, pre-PRS message 206 can be transmitted on licensed spectrum to ensure reliability. Pre-PRS message 206 can be broadcast or unicast via Radio Resource Control (RRC) connection. The initiating UE broadcasts initiating pre-PRS message 206 (shown by a white box) to indicate a ranging session between the initiating UE and the responding UE, and it can provide information for the ranging session. For example, pre-PRS message 206 from the initiating UE may include the IDs of the participating UEs, such as the initiator and responder IDs. The pre-PRS message may include the PRS ID to be used by the initiating UE, and in some embodiments, the PRS ID to be used by the responding UE. If the PRS ID will be fixed over multiple PRS exchanges (e.g., for multiple units in ranging session 204), the initiating UE may include an ID associated with the current pre-PRS exchange, such as a session ID. The initiating UE can determine when to send PRS signal 208, for example, this can be configured from a higher layer within the initiating UE. The initiating UE can indicate the timing of the PRS by sending a time slot number close to the desired PRS transmission time. In some implementations, the time slot may be affected by local clock errors. In some implementations, the initiating UE can also provide the timing of the PRS sent by the responding UE. The initiating UE can also indicate the frequency of the PRS signal 208 to be used by the initiating UE for broadcasting. For example, the PRS frequency can be selected from the available total bandwidth set, or the PRS frequency can be selected by sensing interference and selecting one or more channels whose average interference reference received signal power (RSRP) is less than a threshold. The initiating UE can indicate the number of PRS cycles to run during ranging session 204. The number of PRS cycles can be configured from the upper layer. For example, the pre-PRS message for each PRS cycle can indicate the current pre-PRS cycle relative to the requested total number of PRS cycles, wherein the number of current cycles increments after each cycle is completed.

[0044] The initiating pre-PRS message from the initiating UE is received and decoded by the responding UEs, which are identified in the initiating pre-PRS message. The responding UEs may send a responding pre-PRS message 206 (shown in gray, shaded, and black boxes) acknowledging the initiating pre-PRS message, which may additionally provide information for the ranging session. For example, each responding UE may determine the timing of its PRS signal 208, such as based on the initiating UE's PRS timing plus a delay, which may be based on hardware limitations and interference levels, as well as the number and order of the responding UEs. For example, the delay may be relatively low when the PRS processing time is short and environmental interference is low, while the delay may be relatively high when the PRS processing time is long and environmental interference is high. The responding UE may indicate the determined time of its PRS by sending a time slot number close to the determined PRS transmission time. In some implementations, the time slot may be affected by local clock errors. Each responding UE may indicate the PRS ID it will use, or it may indicate that it will use the PRS ID indicated in the initiating pre-PRS message. If the PRS ID will be fixed across multiple PRS exchanges (e.g., multiple PRS cycles in ranging session 204), the responding UE may include an ID associated with the pre-PRS exchange, such as a session ID, which is received from the initiating UE in the pre-PRS initiation message. Each responding UE may also indicate the frequency that will be used to broadcast its PRS signal 208. The responding UE may broadcast a pre-PRS message 206, which can be received by the initiating UE (and other responding UEs). In some implementations, each responding UE may use unicast to send the pre-PRS message 206 via an RRC connection.

[0045] PRS signal 208 is exchanged by participating UEs. The initiating UE and the responding UE know the expected timing of the PRS signal, and know the PRS ID (and any session IDs used for the exchange) and the frequency used to broadcast PRS signal 208. PRS signal 208 may be broadcast on unlicensed spectrum, which may be subject to LBT restrictions. For example, the initiating UE broadcasts its PRS signal 208 at a predetermined time (illustrated with a white box), indicated in the initiating pre-PRS message 206. In some implementations, when the PRS signal is deployed in unlicensed spectrum, the initiating UE broadcasts its PRS signal at the predetermined time plus a random waiting time due to LBT restrictions. In some implementations, the LBT may be a Type 2 LBT with a fixed window free channel assessment (CCA) or a Type 4 LBT with a variable window CCA. The initiating UE uses the PRS signal corresponding to the PRS ID and uses the frequency resources indicated in its initiating pre-PRS message 206. The initiating UE saves a timing instance of the PRS signal being broadcast, and the responding UE saves a timing instance of the PRS signal being received. In some implementations, timing instances may be affected by local clock errors.

[0046] Similar to the initiating UE, each responding UE broadcasts its PRS signal 208 (illustrated with gray, shaded, and black boxes) at the determined time (or a determined time allocated by the initiating UE) indicated in the initiating pre-PRS message 206. In some embodiments, when the PRS signal is deployed in unlicensed spectrum, each responding UE may broadcast its PRS signal at the determined time plus a random waiting time due to LBT limitations. In some embodiments, the LBT may be a Type 2 LBT with a fixed window CCA or a Type 4 LBT with a variable window CCA. Each responding UE uses a PRS signal corresponding to a PRS ID and uses the frequency resources indicated in its pre-PRS message 206. Each responding UE maintains a timing instance of PRS signal broadcasting, while the initiating UE (and optionally other responding UEs) maintains a timing instance of PRS signal reception. In some embodiments, the timing instance may be affected by local clock errors.

[0047] Therefore, each UE records the time of departure (ToD) of its broadcast PRS signal and measures the time of arrival (ToA) of PRS signals received from other UEs. The PRS signal can be any signal suitable for ranging, such as those defined for DSRC or C-V2X. For example, the PRS signal is a pseudo-noise (PN) sequence. The resolution of the ToA and ToD of the PRS signal increases with increasing frequency bandwidth. In some implementations, the angle of departure (AoD) and angle of arrival (AoA) of the broadcast and received PRS signals can also be measured. Broadcasting on unlicensed spectrum is advantageous because a wider bandwidth is available. For example, in some implementations, the PRS can be broadcast on one or more UNII radio bands, including, for example, one or more of the UNII-1, UNII-2A, UNII-2B, or UNII-3 radio bands.

[0048] Post-PRS message 210 is sent by each UE to exchange measurement payloads. As shown, post-PRS message 210 can be sent on licensed spectrum to ensure reliability. In some implementations, post-PRS message 210 can be broadcast or unicast using an RRC connection. The initiating UE sends its post-PRS message 210 (illustrated with a white box) and indicates when it broadcasts PRS signal 208 (ToD) and when it receives a PRS signal (ToA) from the responding UE. In some implementations, ToA can be calculated as a relative time to the ToD of its broadcast PRS signal, and this relative time can be provided. In some implementations, the relative time can be approximated as the closest multiple of the time scale shared by the initiating UE and the responding UE. In some implementations, the initiating UE can provide an indication of its location in post-PRS message 210 if its location is known. For example, the location of the initiating UE can be its location within a specific time interval, such as the broadcast time of its PRS signal or the arrival time of the PRS signal from the responding UE.

[0049] Similar to the initiating UE, each responding UE sends its post-PRS signal 210 (illustrated with gray, shaded, and black boxes) to provide a measurement payload. Each responding UE may indicate whether it receives a PRS signal from the initiating UE, and may indicate when it broadcasts a PRS signal 208 (ToD), and when it receives a PRS signal (ToA) from the initiating UE (and optionally from other responding UEs). In some embodiments, ToD may be calculated as a relative time to the ToA of the PRS signal from the initiating UE (and optionally relative to the ToA of the PRS from other responding UEs). In some embodiments, the relative time may be approximated as the closest multiple of the timescale shared by the initiating UE and the responding UEs. In some embodiments, the responding UE may provide an indication of its location in the post-PRS message 210 if its location is known. For example, the location provided by the responding UE may be its location within a specific time interval, such as the arrival time of the PRS signal from the initiating UE or the departure time of its broadcast PRS signal.

[0050] After receiving the post-PRS message, the initiating UE can calculate its distance (and in some implementations, its location), for example, using a Kalman filter, and then send the pre-PRS message for the next cycle at a time indicated by the upper layer or at a time automatically determined by the initiating UE.

[0051] The time between the first pre-PRS message 206 and the last post-PRS message 210 can be the duration of the ranging session, and can be, for example, 100 milliseconds. In some implementations, multiple instances of pre-PRS message 206, PRS 208, and post-PRS message 210 can be used in a single ranging session 204 to provide higher accuracy.

[0052] Both the initiating UE and the responding UE can determine their own distance to every other UE in the ranging session based on the ToD and ToA of the broadcast PRS signal. For example, based on PRS... i ToD of the signal i and ToA i (where i=1 is the PRS broadcast from the first UE, and i=2 is the PRS broadcast by the second UE). The RTT between any pair of UEs (which can be any pair of initiating and responding UEs) can be determined as the difference between ToD1 and ToA2 minus the difference between ToA1 and ToD2, for example, as shown below.

[0053] RTT = (ToD1 - ToA2) - (ToA1 - ToD2) Equation 1

[0054] The RTT value is the round-trip time of a signal. Therefore, the distance (length) between UE1 and UE2 can be determined as RTT / 2c, where c is the speed of light.

[0055] If the locations of one or more UEs are known, the locations of the other UEs can be determined using the distance between the initiating UE and the receiving UE, along with the known location of one of the UEs. Therefore, the ranging session can be a location session. The UE's location can be provided to the other UEs via messaging, for example, in a pre-PRS message or a post-PRS message. If the locations of multiple UEs are known, the locations of the remaining UEs can be determined using polygon ranging. Angle measurements (e.g., AoD and AoA) can be used, for example, to assist in location. As an example, the relative locations of two UEs can be determined based on the distance between them and the measured AoA. If the relative locations of the UEs are determined, and the actual location of one UE is known (which can be provided, for example, in pre-PRS message 206 or post-PRS message 210), then the actual location of the other UE can be determined. If the locations of two UEs are known to a third UE, the distance between the third UE and each of the other two UEs will generate two possible locations for the third UE, which can be solved based on the AoD / AoA information. For example, if the AoA resolution is poor or incorrect, then AoD can be useful. AOD can be measured, for example, based on the UE's known orientation (e.g., determined by a magnetometer) and the orientation of the UE's transmitted signal (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the UE used for beamforming). AoA can be measured based on the phase difference of the received signals on different antenna elements of the antenna array and the UE's known orientation (e.g., determined by a magnetometer). Additionally, geographical constraints can be used to assist in positioning, for example, by limiting the possible location of a vehicle-based UE to vehicle-accessible locations, such as roads.

[0056] As discussed above, initiating a UE broadcast a pre-PRS message, which typically includes a relatively large payload size, encompassing identification, signaling, and timing information, is used for various messages within the ranging session. When the ranging session includes multiple responding UEs, the payload size of the pre-PRS message can significantly increase overhead and the likelihood of conflicts with messages from other concurrent ranging sessions.

[0057] To reduce the size of the pre-PRS message 206 sent by the initiating UE, each UE in the ranging session can determine the timing instance of signaling in the ranging session separately based on the vector of the UE IDs of the initiating UE and the responding UE provided in the pre-PRS message from the initiating UE. In some implementations, additional information, such as the PRS identifier or other signaling information, can be determined separately by each UE based on the vector of the UE ID provided in the pre-PRS message. If each UE determines the timing instance of the signaling (and signaling information) separately, the initiating pre-PRS message 206 does not explicitly include this information, thereby significantly reducing the size of the pre-PRS message 206 sent by the initiating UE.

[0058] For example, a multivariate deterministic function can be shared and used by each UE to reduce the payload size of the pre-PRS message from the initiating UE. For example, the multivariate deterministic function can use a vector of UE IDs provided by the initiating UE in pre-PRS message 206 to generate unique timing instances of signaling in the ranging session. For example, the initiating UE can obtain the UE ID from capability message 202 sent by each responding UE. Capability message 202 may also include an indication of the responding UE's timing determination capability (e.g., whether the UE is capable of using the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing of messages in the ranging session). In some implementations, the order of UE IDs in the vector of UE IDs may help generate unique timing instances. For example, the multivariate deterministic function could be a hash function or other type of function that maps the input data set (e.g., the vector of UE IDs) to timing information for all supporting messages in the ranging session. Any desired multivariate deterministic function can be used (which can be generated by a person skilled in the art, but should provide a one-to-one mapping (reversible) of the output for each input set). A multivariate deterministic function can be invertible, such that it uniquely produces an output set from an input set in a repeatable manner (e.g., (1,2,3) = f(4,5,6); (1,2,4) = f(4,5,8)), and the input values ​​can be uniquely inferred from the output values; for example, the mapping can be reversed. The input and output can be vectors, and the function f can be an invertible function in a vector space.

[0059] As an example, a multivariate deterministic function using a vector of UE IDs as input can be written as:

[0060] F(a,b,c,d,e,f,…)=(x,y,z,w,v,…) Equation 2

[0061] Where (a,b,c,d,e,f,…) are the inputs of the multivariate deterministic function F (such as the vector of UE IDs, including the initiating UE ID and responding UE ID provided in the pre-PRS message from the initiating UE), and (x,y,z,w,v,…) are the outputs of the multivariate deterministic function F (such as the timing instances and signaling information of the remaining signaling in the ranging session, such as the PRS ID).

[0062] Figure 3 An example of a multivariate deterministic function F that can be used is shown. For example, the input to the multivariate deterministic function F can be provided as a vector 302 of UE IDs, such as including the L2 ID (24 bits) of the initiating UE, the number M of responding UEs (implied in the vector of IDs), the L2 IDs (24*M bits, where M is the number of responding UEs) of the responding UEs R1-RM, and the specific order of the responding UEs (which is implicit in the vector of IDs).

[0063] As indicated by arrow 305, the multivariate deterministic function F maps the input to the output of the multivariate deterministic function F. For example, it may include a broadcast timing instance 304 of pre-PRS message 206, which includes the broadcast timing (an integer for the timeslot number) of each responding UE's pre-PRS message 206, the PRS ID 306 of PRS signal 208 (an integer for the PRS ID of both the initiating and responding UEs), the broadcast timing 308 of the initiating UE's PRS signal 208 (an integer for the timeslot number—which may be an approximation if unlicensed spectrum is used due to LBT restrictions), and a broadcast timing instance 310 of post-PRS message 210, which includes the broadcast timing (an integer for the timeslot number) of the initiating UE and each responding UE's post-PRS message 210. In some implementations, the broadcast timing 308 may include the PRS signal 208 from the responding UE, for example, if licensed spectrum is used, or if unlicensed spectrum is used due to LBT restrictions, which may be an approximation.

[0064] The use of a multivariate deterministic function shared by all UEs in a ranging session allows each UE to generate timing information separately for support messages in the ranging session with little or no risk of error. Therefore, the size of the pre-PRS message 206 broadcast by the initiating UE can be significantly reduced, thereby allowing for higher reliability and improved scalability, as conflicts with messages from other ranging sessions are reduced.

[0065] Figure 4An example of signaling flow 400 for a ranging procedure as described herein is shown, which uses deterministic functions to determine timing instances of signaling during a ranging and / or positioning session. This ranging procedure includes initiating UE1 402 and multiple responding UEs, UE2 404, UE3 406, and UE4 408. The initiation and response of UEs 402, 404, 406, and 408 can be similar to... Figure 1 The vehicle-based UEs (V-UEs) 102 and 104, RSU 110, or UE 112 described herein. It should be understood that... Figure 4 The signaling for multiple responding UEs is shown, but additional or fewer responding UEs can be included in the ranging session if needed, which will involve more than [the required signaling]. Figure 4 The additional (or fewer) signaling shown in the diagram. Figure 4 Communication between UEs 402, 404, 406, and 408 can be direct communication between entities and can be done without the involvement of infrastructure equipment, such as base stations, to forward messages between entities.

[0066] In Phase 1, each initiating UE 402 and responding UEs 404, 406, and 408 broadcasts capability messages, which are received by other nearby UEs. Capability messages may not be part of a ranging session, but may include information that the initiating UE can use to initiate a ranging session with a selected UE. For example, capability messages may include the UE ID (e.g., L2 ID), the UE's ranging capabilities, the channels the UE is configured to use, and indications of timing-determining capabilities (e.g., whether the UE can use a multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing of messages in a ranging session). If multiple multivariate deterministic functions are available, the capability message may indicate which multivariate deterministic function the UE is configured to execute. Capability messages in Phase 1 may be broadcast periodically by the UE.

[0067] In phase 2, UE1 402 is initiated to prepare and broadcast a pre-PRS message to request a ranging session with selected responding UEs 404, 406, and 408. The pre-PRS message may be broadcast via licensed spectrum. As discussed above, the pre-PRS message initiated and broadcast by UE1 402 may include information such as the UE ID (e.g., L2 ID) of UE1 402 and responding UEs 404, 406, and 408, as well as signaling information such as the PRS bandwidth or channel used to initiate UE1 402, and in some implementations, the PRS ID of UE1 402 and responding UEs 404, 406, and 408. The pre-PRS message from initiating UE1 402 may include an indication of which multivariate deterministic function will be used by the responding UE to determine the instance (e.g., if multiple multivariate deterministic functions are available), but may not include timing information for signaling in the ranging session, and may not include some signaling information such as the PRS ID. In some implementations, the pre-PRS message may also include initiating the current location of UE1 402, for example, if the current location is known.

[0068] In phase 3, including phases 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D, based on the UE IDs of initiating UE1 402 and responding UEs 404, 406, and 408 provided in the pre-PRS messages of phase 2, a timing instance of a message in the ranging session is determined for each UE 402, 404, 406, and 408. In some implementations, a vector of the UE ID can be used to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session, such as a timing instance from the pre-PRS message responding to UEs 404, 406, and 408 (and in some implementations, from initiating UE1 402), a timing instance or approximate timing instance of the PRS message from initiating UE1 402 (and in some implementations, from responding UEs 404, 406, and 408), and a timing instance from the post-PRS message from initiating UE1 402 and responding to UEs 404, 406, and 408. Additionally, signaling information, such as the PRSIDs used to initiate UE1 402 and respond to UEs 404, 406, and 408, can be determined based on the UEIDs of initiating UE1 402 and responding UEs 404, 406, and 408 provided in the pre-PRS message of Phase 2. In some implementations, the order of UE IDs and / or the number of responding UEs can be used to determine the timing instance of signaling in the ranging session. The unique timing instance (and optionally the PRS ID) can be determined separately by each UE using a shared multivariate deterministic function (such as a hash function or other similar function). It should be understood that although Phase 3A is shown as being executed after initiating UE1 402 broadcasts the pre-PRS initiation message in Phase 2, in some implementations, initiating UE1 402 can execute Phase 3A before Phase 2 and can broadcast a pre-PRS message from Phase 2 that corresponds to the unique timing instance determined by the multivariate deterministic function. Furthermore, if a pre-PRS message from phase 2 is broadcast at the uniquely determined timing instance, then responding UEs 404, 406, and 408 can similarly use a multivariate deterministic function and the reception time of the pre-PRS message to determine the unique timing instance for the pre-PRS message from initiating UE1 402 in order to align with the clocks of initiating UE1 402 and other responding UEs.

[0069] In phase 4, each responding UE 404, 406, and 408 broadcasts a pre-PRS message in response to initiating the pre-PRS message at a unique timing instance of each responding UE as determined in phases 3B, 3C, and 3D. For example, the responding pre-PRS message may acknowledge the initiating pre-PRS message from phase 2 and may provide signaling information such as the PRS bandwidth or channel to be used by the responding UE. The phase 4 pre-PRS message may be transmitted on licensed spectrum. In some implementations, any pre-PRS message broadcast by the responding UE may also include the responding UE's current location, if that current location is known.

[0070] In Phase 5, the PRS signal is broadcast by initiating UE1 402 and responding UEs 404, 406, and 408. The PRS signal can be broadcast on unlicensed spectrum to utilize wideband. The first PRS signal, such as the PRS signal from initiating UE1 402, can be broadcast at a timing instance uniquely determined in Phase 3. Subsequent PRS signals, such as those from responding UEs 404, 406, and 408, can be broadcast in a specified order, such as the order determined in Phase 3, such as the order determined based on the UE ID vector and LBT constraints. Alternatively, subsequent PRS signals, such as those from responding UEs 404, 406, and 408, can be broadcast at a timing instance uniquely determined in Phase 3, such as an approximate timing instance if the PRS signal is broadcast on unlicensed spectrum. Each broadcast UE records the ToD of the broadcast PRS signal and, in some embodiments, the AoD of the PRS signal, and each receiving UE records the ToA of each received PRS signal and, in some embodiments, the AoA of each received PRS signal.

[0071] In phase 6, post-PRS messages are broadcast by initiating UE1 402 and responding UEs 404, 406, and 408 at a unique timing instance for each UE identified in phases 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D. For example, post-PRS messages may be transmitted on licensed spectrum. The post-PRS message from each UE indicates the ToD of the PRS signal broadcast by the UE and, in some implementations, the AoD, and also indicates the ToA of each PRS signal received by the UE and, in some implementations, the AoA.

[0072] In phase 7, including phases 7A, 7B, 7C, and 7D, based on the ToD and ToA of the PRS signal broadcast in phase 5, UE1 402 and each responding UE 404, 406, and 408 determine their own distances to other UEs in the ranging session. For example, based on the PRS...i ToD of the signal i and ToA i (where i=1 represents the PRS broadcast from the first UE, and i=2 represents the PRS broadcast from the second UE), this distance can be determined as:

[0073]

[0074] If the location of one or more UEs is known, for example, provided in a pre-PRS message in phase 2 or 4, and / or angular information (such as the AoA or AoD of the PRS signal), and / or geographic information (such as street location being known), then the relative or actual location of the UE can be determined using, for example, polygon ranging, based on the constraints of the AoA or AoD of the PRS signal and the geographic information.

[0075] In some implementations, stages 2-7 can be repeated for multiple instances of pre-PRS, PRS, and post-PRS messages during the ranging session to provide higher accuracy.

[0076] Figure 5 The illustration shows a schematic block diagram illustrating some exemplary features of a user equipment (UE) 500, which may be as follows: Figure 1 The UE, RSU 110 in vehicle 102 or 104 shown, or UE 112 held by pedestrian 114 or Figure 4Any UE shown. UE 500 can be configured to act as an initiating UE or a responding UE in a ranging session, where deterministic functions are used to determine the timing instances of signaling during the ranging session, as discussed herein. If UE 500 is a V-UE, it can be configured to control autonomous driving of a vehicle, such as vehicle 102. For example, UE 500 may include a vehicle interface 505 through which commands for autonomous driving are provided to the vehicle, and sensor inputs, including speed and acceleration, can be provided from the vehicle to UE 500. For example, UE 500 may include one or more processors 502, memory 504, inertial measurement unit (IMU) 507 (which may include, for example, an accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, etc., and can be used to detect orientation relative to a global or local reference frame and the motion of a vehicle or one or more motion characteristics), satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 509 (for determining, for example, GPS positioning), and external interfaces, including, for example, wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver 510 and wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver 514, which may be operatively coupled to one or more connections 506 (e.g., bus, line, fiber optic, link, etc.) to non-transitory computer-readable medium 520 and memory 504. UE 500 may also include additional items not shown, such as a user interface, which may include, for example, a display, keyboard, or other input device, such as a virtual keyboard on a display, through which a user can interact with a user equipment. In some example embodiments, all or part of UE 500 may take the form of a chipset and / or similar.

[0077] Transceiver 510 can be, for example, a cellular transceiver configured to send and receive direct communication in a wireless network, such as... Figure 1 As shown in the diagram, transceiver 510 may include a transmitter 511 capable of transmitting one or more signals via one or more types of wireless communication networks and a receiver 512 capable of receiving one or more signals transmitted via one or more types of wireless communication networks. Transceiver 514 may be, for example, a short-range transceiver and may be configured to transmit and receive direct communication in a wireless network, such as... Figure 1 As shown in the diagram, transceiver 514 may include transmitter 515 capable of transmitting one or more signals, including PRS signals, pre-PRS and post-PRS messages, via one or more types of wireless communication networks, and receiver 516 capable of receiving one or more signals transmitted via one or more types of wireless communication networks, such as PRS, pre-PRS and post-PRS messages. Transceivers 510 and 514 enable UE 500 to communicate with transmission entities, such as DSRC, C-V2X, or 5G NR, using D2D communication links.

[0078] In some embodiments, the UE 500 may include an antenna 509, which may be internal or external. The antenna 509 may be used to transmit and / or receive signals processed by transceivers 510 and / or 514. In some embodiments, the antenna 509 may be coupled to transceivers 510 and / or 514. In some embodiments, the UE 500 may perform measurements of the received (transmitted) signals at the connection point between the antenna 509 and the transceivers 510 and / or 514. For example, a reference measurement point for measuring the received (transmitted) RF signals may be the input (output) terminals of receivers 512, 516 (transmitters 511, 515) and the output (input) terminal of the antenna 509. In a UE 500 having multiple antennas 509 or an antenna array, the antenna connector may be considered as a virtual point representing the total output (input) of the multiple antennas. The phase difference of signals received at multiple antennas or antenna arrays can be used to determine the AoA of the signal relative to the antenna array, which can be converted to a local or global reference frame based on the known orientation of the UE 500, for example, based on the orientation of the UE 500 relative to the global or local reference frame measured by the IMU 507.

[0079] One or more processors 502 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processors 502 may be configured to perform the functions discussed herein by implementing one or more instructions or program code 508 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as medium 520 and / or memory 504. In some embodiments, the one or more processors 502 may represent configuring one or more circuits that are configured to perform at least a portion of a data signal calculation program or process related to the operation of UE 500.

[0080] Medium 520 and / or memory 504 may store instructions or program code 508, which includes executable code or software instructions that, when executed by one or more processors 502, cause one or more processors 502 to operate as a dedicated computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. As shown in UE 500, medium 520 and / or memory 504 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by one or more processors 502 to perform the methods described herein. Although components or modules are shown in medium 520 as software executable by one or more processors 502, it should be understood that components or modules may be stored in memory 504 or may be dedicated hardware within or outside of one or more processors 502.

[0081] Multiple software modules and data tables may reside in medium 520 and / or memory 504 and be utilized by one or more processors 502 to manage both the communications and functions described herein. It should be understood that the organization of the contents of medium 520 and / or memory 504 shown in UE 500 is merely exemplary, and therefore the functionality of modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated, and / or structured in different ways depending on the implementation of UE 500.

[0082] Medium 520 and / or memory 504 may include a pre-PRS module 522, which, when implemented by one or more processors 502, configures the one or more processors 502 to generate and send or receive pre-PRS messages via transceiver 514, such as initiating or accepting a ranging session. The one or more processors 502 may be configured to broadcast pre-PRS messages via transceiver 514 at specific timing instances determined by timing determination module 524. The pre-PRS message may include the UE IDs of the initiating and responding UEs, for example, in a vector of UE IDs. For example, the UE ID may be an L2 ID obtained from capability messages periodically broadcast by the UE. The pre-PRS message sent by the initiating UE may include an indication that the timing instance of the message in the ranging session will be determined using a function of the IDs of the initiating and responding UEs. The pre-PRS message may include an indication of the channel for the ranging signal to be broadcast by the UE, but may not include any timing information for the ranging session. In some implementations, the pre-PRS message may include the location information of the UE 500, if the location is known.

[0083] The medium 520 and / or memory 504 may include a timing determination module 524, which, when implemented by one or more processors 502, configures the one or more processors 502 to determine timing instances of messages from each of the initiating UE and one or more responding UEs in a ranging session based on the UE ID of each of the initiating UE and one or more responding UEs. The one or more processors 502 may be configured to determine the timing instances of messages in the ranging session based on the UE ID, the order of the UE IDs provided in the pre-PRS message, and the number of responding UEs. The timing instances may be uniquely determined. For example, a multivariate deterministic function, such as a hash function, may be used to determine the timing instances of messages in the ranging session based on the UE ID, wherein the multivariate deterministic function is shared, i.e., commonly used by each UE in the ranging session. The multivariate deterministic function may use a vector of UE IDs, including taking the implicit order of UE IDs and the number of responding UEs as input, and may output timing instances of pre-messages and post-PRS messages. Timing instances of one or more PRS signals can also be output (or approximate timing instances if the PRS is transmitted on unlicensed spectrum). Signaling information, such as the PRS ID for each UE in the ranging session, can also be output.

[0084] Medium 520 and / or memory 504 may include a PRS module 526, which, when implemented by one or more processors 502, configures the one or more processors 502 to broadcast and receive ranging signals to other UEs via transceiver 514, such as on unlicensed spectrum. The one or more processors 502 may be configured to broadcast the ranging signal via transceiver 514 at a specific timing instance or an approximate timing instance, determined using timing determination module 524 and / or, if broadcasting the PRS signal on unlicensed spectrum, based on LBT considerations. For example, the ranging signal may be a PRS signal as discussed herein. For example, the one or more processors 502 may be configured to measure the ToD of the broadcast ranging signal and the ToA of the received ranging signal, and may be configured to measure the AoD of the broadcast ranging signal and the AoA of the received ranging signal.

[0085] The medium 520 and / or memory 504 may include a post-PRS module 528. When implemented by one or more processors 502, the post-PRS module 528 configures the one or more processors 502 to send and receive post-PRS messages to and from other UEs via transceiver 514. These post-PRS messages may include, for example, a ToD indicating broadcast ranging signals and, in some embodiments, an AoD indicating broadcast ranging signals, and a ToA indicating received ranging signals and, in some embodiments, an AoA indicating received ranging signals. The one or more processors 502 may be configured to broadcast the post-PRS messages via transceiver 514 at a specific timing instance determined by timing determination module 524.

[0086] Medium 520 and / or memory 504 may include a ranging module 530, which, when implemented by one or more processors 502, configures the processors 502 to determine the range to another UE based on both the ToD and ToA of the broadcast and received ranging signals received in a post-PRS message and measured by the UE 500. The processor 502 may also be configured to determine the location of the UE 500, for example, based on one or more distances to the broadcast UE and location information using multilateral ranging or other suitable techniques as discussed herein, such as using angle information and geographic information.

[0087] The medium 520 and / or memory 504 may include a capability module 532, which, when implemented by one or more processors 502, configures one or more processors 502 to broadcast and receive capability messages via transceiver 514. The capability messages include a UE ID, such as an L2 ID, the bandwidth or channel that the UE is configured to use, and an indication of a timing-determining capability, such as the UE's ability to use a deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in a ranging session, and in some implementations, which deterministic function the UE is configured to use.

[0088] The methodologies described herein can be implemented by various components depending on the application. For example, these methodologies can be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the one or more processors 502 can be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or combinations thereof.

[0089] For firmware and / or software implementations, the methodology can be implemented by modules (e.g., programs, functions, and others) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium that specifically embodies the instructions can be used to implement the methodology described herein. For example, software code can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium 520 or memory 504 that is connected to and operated by one or more processors 502. Memory can be implemented within one or more processors or external to one or more processors. As used herein, the term "memory" refers to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory, and is not limited to any particular type of memory or the amount of memory, or the type of medium storing the memory.

[0090] If implemented in firmware and / or software, functionality may be stored as one or more instructions or program code 508 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as medium 520 and / or memory 504. Examples include computer-readable media encoded with data structures and computer-readable media encoded with computer program 508. For example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium including program code 508 stored thereon may include program code 508 to support a ranging session, which uses deterministic functions to determine timing instances of signaling during the ranging session, consistent with the specific embodiments disclosed. Non-transitory computer-readable medium 520 includes physical computer storage media. The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the required program code 508 in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer; disks and optical discs as used herein include embossed discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks and Blu-ray discs, wherein disks typically copy data magnetically, while optical discs copy data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0091] In addition to being stored on the computer-readable medium 520, instructions and / or data may be provided as signals included on a transmitting medium in the communication apparatus. For example, the communication apparatus may include a transceiver 510 having signals indicating instructions and data. These instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to perform the functions outlined in the claims. That is, the communication apparatus includes a transmitting medium having signals indicating information to perform the disclosed functions.

[0092] Memory 504 can represent any data storage mechanism. Memory 504 may include, for example, main memory and / or secondary memory. Main memory may include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, etc. Although it is shown separately from one or more processors 502 in this example, it should be understood that all or part of the main memory may be provided within or otherwise co-located / coupled with one or more processors 502. For example, secondary memory may include memory of the same or similar type as main memory and / or one or more data storage devices or systems, such as disk drives, optical disk drives, tape drives, solid-state drives, etc.

[0093] In some implementations, secondary memory may be operatively received or otherwise configured to be coupled to non-transitory computer-readable medium 520. Thus, in some example implementations, the methods and / or apparatus described herein may take the form of all or part of computer-readable medium 520, which may include computer-implementable code 508 stored thereon, which, if executed by one or more processors 502, may be operatively enabled to perform all or part of the example operations described herein. Computer-readable medium 520 may be part of memory 504.

[0094] Figure 6 This is a flowchart 600 illustrating a ranging method between user equipments (UEs) performed by an initiating UE such as V-UE 102, V-UE 104, RSU 110, or UE 112 in a ranging session.

[0095] At box 602, a startup message is sent to one or more responding UEs to initiate a ranging session. This startup message includes an identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, for example, as shown in... Figure 4 This is discussed in Phase 2. For example, the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs can be a vector of IDs. This ID can be an L2 ID. In some implementations, the initiation message may also include an indication that a timing instance of the message in the ranging session is determined using a function that takes the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs as input, for example, as in Figure 4 As discussed in Phase 2. In some implementations, the initiation message may also include an indication of the channel of the ranging signal broadcast by the initiating UE, for example, as in Figure 4 This is discussed in Phase 2. The initiation message may not include any timing information used for the ranging session, such as... Figure 4The components used to initiate a ranging session by sending an initiation message to one or more responding UEs may be, for example, a transceiver 514 and one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or media 520, such as the pre-PRS module 522 in UE 500. The initiation message includes an identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs.

[0096] At box 604, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, determine the timing instance of the message from the initiating UE and each of the one or more responding UEs in the ranging session, for example, as in Figure 4 This is discussed in phase 3A. In some embodiments, block 604 may be executed prior to block 602. In some embodiments, the timing instance of a message in the ranging session may also be determined based on the order of the IDs of the initiating UE and one or more responding UEs. In some embodiments, the timing instance of a message in the ranging session may be uniquely determined. The component used to determine the timing instance of a message from the initiating UE and one or more responding UEs in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of one or more responding UEs may be, for example, one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or medium 520, such as the timing determination module 524 in UE 500.

[0097] At block 606, the determined timing instance of the messages in the ranging session can be used to execute the ranging session with each of one or more responding UEs, such as as discussed in stages 4, 5, 6, and 7A. The component used to execute the ranging session with each of one or more responding UEs using the determined timing instance of the messages in the ranging session can be, for example, a transceiver 514 and one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or media 520, such as the PRS module 526, post-PRS module 528, and ranging module 530 in UE 500.

[0098] In one implementation, a multivariate deterministic function can be used to determine the timing instance of a message in a ranging session. This multivariate deterministic function determines the timing instance of a message in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, wherein each of the one or more responding UEs uses the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session, for example, as discussed in phases 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D. The component used to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session using the multivariate deterministic function based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs can be, for example, one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or media 520, such as the timing determination module 524 in UE 500, wherein each of the one or more responding UEs uses the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session.

[0099] In some implementations, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, the UE may also determine a ranging signal identifier in the ranging session used for initiating the UE and each of one or more responding UEs, for example, as in Figure 4 The component used to determine the ranging signal identifier in the ranging session for each of the initiating UE and each of the one or more responding UEs, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, may be, for example, one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or media 520, such as the timing determination module 524 in UE 500.

[0100] In some implementations, the ranging session can be performed by receiving a start response message from each of one or more responding UEs based on a determined timing instance, as in Figure 4 Phase 4 is discussed; broadcasting ranging signals and receiving response ranging signals broadcast by each of one or more responding UEs, as in Figure 4 Phase 5, as discussed, involves sending a post-ranging signal message to each of one or more responding UEs based on a determined timing instance, and receiving a response post-ranging signal message from each of the one or more responding UEs based on the determined timing instance, as in... Figure 4 The phase 6 discussed; and determining the distance to each of one or more responding UEs, such as Figure 4The discussion is as described in stage 7A. As an example, the post-ranging signal message may include the departure time of the ranging signal and the arrival time of the response ranging signal received from each of the one or more responding UEs, and the response post-ranging signal message from each of the one or more responding UEs may include the arrival time of the ranging signal and the departure time of the response ranging signal broadcast by each of the one or more responding UEs, wherein the departure and arrival times of the ranging signal and the arrival and departure times of the response post-ranging signal message can be used to determine the distance to each of the one or more responding UEs. The component for receiving the initiation response message from each of the one or more responding UEs based on the determined timing instance may be, for example, a transceiver 514 and one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or media 520, such as the pre-PRS module 522 in UE 500. The components for broadcasting ranging signals and for receiving response ranging signals broadcast by each of one or more responding UEs may be, for example, a transceiver 514 and one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or medium 520, such as the PRS module 526 in UE 500. The components for sending a post-ranging signal message to each of one or more responding UEs based on a determined timing instance, and for receiving a response post-ranging signal message from each of one or more responding UEs based on a determined timing instance, may be, for example, a transceiver 514 and one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or medium 520, such as the post-PRS module 528 in UE 500. The components for determining the distance to each of one or more responding UEs may be, for example, one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or medium 520, such as the ranging module 530 in UE 500.

[0101] In some implementations, before sending the activation message, the UE may also receive a capability message from each of one or more responding UEs, wherein each capability message includes the ID of the responding UE, as shown in... Figure 4The phase 1 discussed herein. Each capability message may also include an indication that, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, the responding UE is able to determine the timing instance of the message in the ranging session. The component used to receive capability messages from each of the one or more responding UEs before sending an initiating message may be, for example, a transceiver 514 and one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or media 520, such as capability module 532 in UE 500, wherein each capability message includes the ID of the responding UE.

[0102] Figure 7 This is a flowchart 700 illustrating a ranging method between user equipments (UEs) performed by a responding UE such as V-UE 102, V-UE 104, RSU 110, or UE 112 in a ranging session.

[0103] At box 702, a startup message is received from the initiating UE to initiate the ranging session. This startup message includes the identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, for example, as shown in... Figure 4 This is discussed in Phase 2. The initiating UE's ID and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, for example, could be a vector of IDs. This ID could be an L2 ID. In some implementations, the initiating message may also include an indication that the timing instance of the message in the ranging session will be determined using a function that takes the initiating UE's ID and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs as input, for example, as in... Figure 4 As discussed in Phase 2. In some implementations, the initiation message may also include an indication of the channel of the ranging signal to be broadcast by the initiating UE, for example, as... Figure 4 This is discussed in Phase 2. The initiation message may not include any timing information used for the ranging session, such as... Figure 4 The components used to initiate a ranging session by receiving an initiation message from the initiating UE may be, for example, a transceiver 514 and one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or media 520, such as the pre-PRS module 522 in UE 500. The initiation message includes an identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and an ID of one or more responding UEs.

[0104] At box 704, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, determine the timing instance of the message from the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs in the ranging session, for example, as in Figure 4This is discussed in phase 3B. In some implementations, the timing instance of a message in the ranging session is also determined based on the order of the IDs of the initiating UE and each of the one or more responding UEs. In some implementations, the timing instance of a message in the ranging session is uniquely determined. The component used to determine the timing instance of a message from the initiating UE and each of the one or more responding UEs in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs may be, for example, one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or medium 520, such as the timing determination module 524 in UE 500.

[0105] At block 706, the determined timing instance of the messages in the ranging session can be used to initiate the ranging session for the UE, for example, as discussed in stages 4, 5, 6, and 7B. The components used to initiate the ranging session for the determined timing instance of the messages in the ranging session can be, for example, transceiver 514 and one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or media 520, such as PRS module 526, post-PRS module 528, and ranging module 530 in UE 500.

[0106] In one implementation, a multivariate deterministic function can be used to determine the timing instance of a message in a ranging session. This multivariate deterministic function determines the timing instance of a message in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, wherein the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs use the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session, for example, as discussed in phases 3A, 3B, 3C, and 3D. The component used to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs using the multivariate deterministic function can be, for example, one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or media 520, such as the timing determination module 524 in UE 500, wherein the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs use the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session.

[0107] In some implementations, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, the UE can also determine the ranging signal identifier in the ranging session for the initiating UE and each of the one or more responding UEs, for example, as in Figure 4The component used to determine the ranging signal identifier in the ranging session for each of the starting UE and each of the one or more responding UEs, based on the ID of the starting UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, may be, for example, one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or media 520, such as the timing determination module 524 in UE 500.

[0108] In some implementations, the ranging session can be performed by sending a startup response message to the startup UE based on a determined timing instance, such as in... Figure 4 Phase 4 discussed; receiving the ranging signal broadcast by the UE initiating the broadcast and broadcasting a response to the ranging signal broadcast, as in Figure 4 Phase 5, as discussed, involves receiving a post-ranging signal message from the initiated UE based on the determined timing instance, and sending a response post-ranging signal message to the initiated UE based on the determined timing instance, as in... Figure 4 The discussion in stage 6; and determining the distance to the UE activation, such as Figure 4This is discussed in phase 7B. As an example, a post-ranging signal message received from the initiating UE may include the departure time of the ranging signal and the arrival time of the response ranging signal, and a response post-ranging signal message sent to the initiating UE may include the arrival time of the ranging signal and the departure time of the response ranging signal broadcast by each of one or more responding UEs, wherein the distance to the initiating UE can be determined using the departure and arrival times of the ranging signal and the arrival and departure times of the response post-ranging signal message. The components used to send an initiation response message to the initiating UE based on the determined timing instance may be, for example, a transceiver 514 and one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or media 520, such as the pre-PRS module 522 in UE 500. The components for receiving ranging signals broadcast by the initiating UE and for broadcasting responses to the ranging signal broadcasts may be, for example, a transceiver 514 and one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or medium 520, such as the PRS module 526 in UE 500. The components for receiving post-ranging signal messages from the initiating UE based on a determined timing instance and for sending response post-ranging signal messages to the initiating UE based on a determined timing instance may be, for example, a transceiver 514 and one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or medium 520, such as the post-PRS module 528 in UE 500. The components for determining the distance to the initiating UE may be, for example, one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or medium 520, such as the ranging module 530 in UE 500.

[0109] In some implementations, the UE may also broadcast a capability message before receiving the activation message, wherein the capability message includes the UE's ID, such as in... Figure 4 The capability message may also include an indication that, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, the responding UE is able to determine the timing instance of the message in the ranging session. The component used to broadcast the capability message prior to receiving the initiating message may be, for example, a transceiver 514 and one or more processors 502 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 504 and / or media 520, such as capability module 532 in UE 500, wherein the capability message includes the ID of the responding UE.

[0110] The terms "an example," "example," "some examples," or "exemplary implementation" used in this specification refer to a particular feature, structure, or characteristic of the description associated with a feature and / or example that may be included in at least one feature and / or example of the subject matter of the claims. Therefore, the phrases "in one example," "an example," "some examples," or "some implementations," or other similar phrases appearing throughout this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same feature, example, and / or limitation. Furthermore, a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be combined in one or more examples and / or features.

[0111] Certain portions of the detailed description herein are presented as algorithms or symbolic representations of operations on binary digital signals stored in the memory of a specific device or dedicated computing device or platform. In this particular context of this specification, the term "specific device" or similar includes a general-purpose computer, once programmed to perform specific operations according to instructions from program software. Algorithm descriptions or symbolic representations are technical examples used by those skilled in the art of signal processing or related fields to convey the essence of their work to others skilled in the art. In this document, an algorithm is generally considered to be a series of self-consistent operations or similar signal processing to obtain a desired result. In the context of this document, operations or processing involve the physical manipulation of physical quantities. Typically, although not necessarily required, these quantities may take the form of electrical or magnetic signals that can be manipulated by storing, transmitting, combining, comparing, or otherwise. It has proven convenient, primarily for general reasons, to refer to such signals as bits, data, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, numerical values, or similar terms in such cases. However, it should be understood that all these terms or similar terms are associated with appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless otherwise specified, it will be apparent from the discussion herein that the use of terms such as “processing,” “operation,” “calculation,” “determining,” or similar terms in this specification refers to the action or process of a specific device, such as a dedicated computer, dedicated computing device, 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 referred to as physical electronic or magnetic quantities in the memory, registers, or other information storage devices, transmitting devices, or display devices of the dedicated computer or similar dedicated electronic computing device.

[0112] In the foregoing detailed description, numerous specific details have been set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the subject matter of the claims. However, those skilled in the art will understand that the subject matter of the claims can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods and apparatus known to those of ordinary skill in the art have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the subject matter of the claims.

[0113] The terms “and,” “or,” and “and / or” as used herein may have a variety of meanings, which are expected to 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, means A, B, and C (in an inclusive sense) and A, B, or C (in an exclusive sense). Furthermore, the term “one or more” as used herein can be used to describe any singular feature, structure, or characteristic, or a combination of multiple or other features, structures, or characteristics. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example, and the subject matter of the claims is not limited to this example.

[0114] While features considered exemplary have been shown and described, those skilled in the art will understand that various other modifications and equivalent substitutions may be made without departing from the subject matter of the claims. Furthermore, numerous modifications may be made to adapt specific cases to the teachings of the claims without departing from the central concepts set forth herein.

[0115] Examples of implementation methods are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0116] 1. A ranging method between user equipments (UEs) executed by a UE, the method comprising:

[0117] Send a start message to one or more responding UEs to initiate a ranging session, the start message including an identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and an ID of each of the one or more responding UEs;

[0118] Based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, determine the timing instance of the message from the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs in the ranging session; and

[0119] The determined timing instance of the message in the ranging session is used to execute the ranging session with each of one or more responding UEs.

[0120] 2. The method according to Clause 1, wherein determining the timing instance of a message in the ranging session comprises determining the timing instance of a message in the ranging session using a multivariate deterministic function based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, wherein each of the one or more responding UEs uses the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session.

[0121] 3. The method according to either clause 1 or 2, wherein determining the timing instance of a message in a ranging session is also based on the order of the IDs of the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs.

[0122] 4. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-3, wherein the timing instance of a message in the ranging session is uniquely determined.

[0123] 5. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-4 further includes determining a ranging signal identifier in the ranging session for initiating the UE and each of the one or more responding UEs, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs.

[0124] 6. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-5, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication that a timing instance of a message in the ranging session will be determined using a function that takes the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs as input.

[0125] 7. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-6, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication of the channel of the ranging signal to be broadcast by the initiating UE.

[0126] 8. The method according to any one of Clauses 1-7, wherein the initiation message does not include timing information for the ranging session.

[0127] 9. The method according to any one of clauses 1-8, wherein performing the ranging session includes:

[0128] Based on the determined timing instance, receive a start response message from each of one or more responding UEs;

[0129] Broadcast ranging signals;

[0130] Receive response ranging signals broadcast by each of one or more responding UEs;

[0131] Based on the determined timing instance, send a post-ranging signal message to each of one or more responding UEs;

[0132] Based on the determined timing instance, receive a post-response ranging signal message from each of one or more responding UEs; and

[0133] Determine the distance to each of one or more responding UEs.

[0134] 10. The method according to Clause 9, wherein the post-ranging signal message includes the departure time of the ranging signal and the arrival time of the response ranging signal received from each of the one or more responding UEs, and the response post-ranging signal message from each of the one or more responding UEs includes the arrival time of the ranging signal and the departure time of the response ranging signal broadcast by each of the one or more responding UEs, and wherein the departure time and arrival time of the ranging signal and the arrival time and departure time of the response post-ranging signal message are used to determine the distance to each of the one or more responding UEs.

[0135] 11. The method according to any one of clauses 1-10 further includes receiving a capability message from each of the one or more responding UEs before sending the initiation message, wherein each capability message includes the ID of the responding UE.

[0136] 12. The method according to Clause 11, wherein each capability message further includes an indication that the responding UE is able to determine the timing instance of the message in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs.

[0137] 13. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform a ranging session between UEs, the UE being the initiating UE in the ranging session, the UE comprising:

[0138] A wireless transceiver is configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in a wireless network.

[0139] At least one memory; and

[0140] At least one processor coupled to a wireless transceiver and at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

[0141] A starting message is sent to one or more responding UEs to initiate a ranging session, the starting message including an identifier (ID) of the starting UE and an ID of each of the one or more responding UEs;

[0142] Based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, determine the timing instance of the message from the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs in the ranging session; and

[0143] The determined timing instance of the message in the ranging session is used to execute the ranging session with each of one or more responding UEs.

[0144] 14. The UE according to Clause 13, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session by being configured to use a multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, wherein each of the one or more responding UEs uses the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session.

[0145] 15. A UE pursuant to any of Clauses 13 or 14, wherein at least one processor is configured to also determine the timing instance of a message in a ranging session based on the order of the IDs of the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs.

[0146] 16. A UE according to any of Clauses 13-15, wherein the timing instance of a message in a ranging session is uniquely determined.

[0147] 17. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 13-16, wherein at least one processor is further configured to determine a ranging signal identifier in a ranging session for initiating the UE and each of the one or more responding UEs, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs.

[0148] 18. A UE according to any one of clauses 13-17, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication that a function will be used to determine a timing instance of a message in a ranging session, the function taking the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs as input.

[0149] 19. A UE pursuant to any of Clauses 13-18, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication of the channel of the ranging signal to be broadcast by the initiating UE.

[0150] 20. A UE pursuant to any of Clauses 13-19, wherein the initiation message does not include timing information for the ranging session.

[0151] 21. A UE according to any one of clauses 13-20, wherein at least one processor is configured to perform a ranging session by being configured to:

[0152] Based on the determined timing instance, receive a start response message from each of one or more responding UEs;

[0153] Broadcast ranging signals;

[0154] Receive response ranging signals broadcast by each of one or more responding UEs;

[0155] Based on the determined timing instance, send a post-ranging signal message to each of one or more responding UEs;

[0156] Based on the determined timing instance, receive a post-response ranging signal message from each of one or more responding UEs; and

[0157] Determine the distance to each of one or more responding UEs.

[0158] 22. The UE according to Clause 21, wherein the post-ranging signal message includes the departure time of the ranging signal and the arrival time of the response ranging signal received from each of the one or more responding UEs, and the response post-ranging signal message from each of the one or more responding UEs includes the arrival time of the ranging signal and the departure time of the response ranging signal broadcast by each of the one or more responding UEs, wherein at least one processor is configured to determine the distance to each of the one or more responding UEs based on the departure time and arrival time of the ranging signal and the arrival time and departure time of the response post-ranging signal message.

[0159] 23. A UE pursuant to any one of Clauses 13-22, wherein at least one processor is further configured to receive a capability message from each of one or more responding UEs before sending an initiation message, wherein each capability message includes the ID of the responding UE.

[0160] 24. The UE as described in Clause 23, wherein each capability message further includes an indication that the responding UE is able to determine the timing instance of the message in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs.

[0161] 25. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform ranging between UEs, the UE being the initiating UE in a ranging session, the UE comprising:

[0162] A component for sending a start message to one or more responding UEs to initiate a ranging session, the start message including an identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and an ID of each of the one or more responding UEs;

[0163] A component for determining timing instances of messages from the initiating UE and each of the one or more responding UEs in a ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; and

[0164] The determined timing instance used to use messages in the ranging session to communicate with one or more components in the UE that execute the ranging session.

[0165] 26. The UE according to Clause 25, wherein the component for determining a timing instance of a message in a ranging session includes a component for determining a timing instance of a message in a ranging session using a multivariate deterministic function based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, wherein each of the one or more responding UEs uses the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in a ranging session.

[0166] 27. A UE pursuant to any of Clauses 25 or 26, wherein the component for determining the timing instance of a message in a ranging session also uses the order of the IDs of the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs.

[0167] 28. A non-transitory storage medium including program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to perform ranging between UEs, the UE being the initiating UE in a ranging session, the non-transitory storage medium comprising:

[0168] Program code that sends a start message to one or more responding UEs to initiate a ranging session, the start message including the identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs;

[0169] Based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, program code that determines the timing instances of messages from the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs in the ranging session; and

[0170] The determined timing instance of the message in the ranging session is used with one or more response UEs to execute the program code of the ranging session.

[0171] 29. The non-transitory storage medium pursuant to Clause 28, wherein the program code for determining a timing instance of a message in a ranging session includes program code that uses a multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in a ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, wherein each of the one or more responding UEs uses the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in a ranging session.

[0172] 30. The non-transitory storage medium pursuant to any of Clauses 28 or 29, wherein the program code for determining the timing instance of a message in a ranging session also uses the order of the IDs of the initiating UE and one or more responding UEs.

[0173] 31. A ranging method between user equipments (UEs) executed in response to a UE, the method comprising:

[0174] A ranging session is initiated by receiving an initiation message from the initiating UE, the initiation message including an identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and an ID of each of one or more responding UEs;

[0175] Based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, determine the timing instance of the message from the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs in the ranging session; and

[0176] The determined timing instance of the message in the ranging session is used to initiate the ranging session with the UE.

[0177] 32. The method according to Clause 31, wherein determining the timing instance of a message in a ranging session comprises determining the timing instance of a message in a ranging session using a multivariate deterministic function based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, wherein the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs use the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in a ranging session.

[0178] 33. The method according to any one of clauses 31 or 32, wherein determining the timing instance of a message in a ranging session is also based on the order of the IDs of the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs.

[0179] 34. The method according to any one of clauses 31-33, wherein the timing instance of a message in a ranging session is uniquely determined.

[0180] 35. The method according to any one of clauses 31-34 further includes determining a ranging signal identifier in the ranging session for initiating the UE and each of the one or more responding UEs based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs.

[0181] 36. The method according to any one of clauses 31-35, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication that a function will be used to determine the timing instance of the message in the ranging session, the function taking the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs as input.

[0182] 37. The method according to any one of clauses 31-36, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication of the channel of the ranging signal to be broadcast by the initiating UE.

[0183] 38. The method according to any one of clauses 31-37, wherein the initiation message does not include timing information for the ranging session.

[0184] 39. The method according to any one of clauses 31-38, wherein performing the ranging session includes:

[0185] A startup response message is sent to the startup UE based on the determined timing instance;

[0186] Receive the ranging signal broadcast by the UE that initiates the operation;

[0187] Broadcast response to ranging signal broadcast;

[0188] Receive post-ranging signal messages from the initiated UE based on the determined timing instance;

[0189] Based on the determined timing instance, a ranging signal message is sent to the initiating UE after a response is received; and the distance to the initiating UE is determined.

[0190] 40. The method according to Clause 39, wherein the post-ranging signal message received from the initiating UE includes the departure time of the ranging signal and the arrival time of the responding ranging signal, and the responding post-ranging signal message sent to the initiating UE includes the arrival time of the ranging signal and the departure time of the responding ranging signal broadcast by each of one or more responding UEs, and wherein the departure time and arrival time of the ranging signal and the arrival time and departure time of the responding post-ranging signal message are used to determine the distance to the initiating UE.

[0191] 41. The method according to any one of clauses 31-40 further includes broadcasting a capability message prior to receiving the activation message, wherein the capability message includes the ID of the responding UE.

[0192] 42. The method according to Clause 41, wherein the capability message further includes an indication that the responding UE is able to determine the timing instance of the message in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs.

[0193] 43. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform a ranging session between UEs, the UE being a responding UE in the ranging session, the UE comprising:

[0194] A wireless transceiver is configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in a wireless network.

[0195] At least one memory; and

[0196] At least one processor coupled to a wireless transceiver and at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

[0197] A ranging session is initiated by receiving an initiation message from the initiating UE, the initiation message including an identifier (ID) of the initiating UE and an ID of each of one or more responding UEs;

[0198] Based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, determine the timing instance of the message from the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs in the ranging session; and

[0199] The determined timing instance of the message in the ranging session is used to initiate the ranging session for the UE.

[0200] 44. The UE according to Clause 43, wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session by using a multivariate deterministic function configured to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, wherein each of the initiating UE and one or more responding UEs uses the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session.

[0201] 45. A UE pursuant to any of Clauses 43 or 44, wherein at least one processor is configured to also determine the timing instance of a message in a ranging session based on the order of the IDs of the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs.

[0202] 46. ​​A UE pursuant to any of Clauses 43-45, wherein the timing instance of a message in a ranging session is uniquely determined.

[0203] 47. A UE pursuant to any one of clauses 43-46, wherein at least one processor is further configured to determine a ranging signal identifier in a ranging session for initiating the UE and each of the one or more responding UEs, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs.

[0204] 48. A UE pursuant to any of clauses 43-47, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication that a timing instance of a message in the ranging session will be determined using a function that takes the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs as input.

[0205] 49. A UE pursuant to any of clauses 43-48, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication of the channel of the ranging signal to be broadcast by the initiating UE.

[0206] 50. A UE pursuant to any of Clauses 43-49, wherein the initiation message does not include timing information for the ranging session.

[0207] 51. A UE according to any one of clauses 43-50, wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform the ranging session by being configured to:

[0208] A startup response message is sent to the startup UE based on the determined timing instance;

[0209] Receive the ranging signal broadcast by the UE that initiates the operation;

[0210] Broadcast response to ranging signal broadcast;

[0211] Based on the determined timing instance, the ranging signal message is received from the initiated UE.

[0212] Based on the determined timing instance, a response ranging signal message is sent to the initiated UE; and

[0213] Determine the distance to the UE that will be started.

[0214] 52. The UE according to Clause 51, wherein the post-ranging signal message received from the initiating UE includes the departure time of the ranging signal and the arrival time of the response ranging signal, and the response post-ranging signal message sent to the initiating UE includes the arrival time of the ranging signal and the departure time of the response ranging signal broadcast by each of one or more responding UEs, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the distance to the initiating UE based on the departure time and arrival time of the ranging signal and the arrival time and departure time of the response post-ranging signal message.

[0215] 53. A UE pursuant to any one of clauses 43-52, wherein at least one processor is further configured to broadcast a capability message prior to receiving a startup message, wherein the capability message includes the ID of the responding UE.

[0216] 54. The UE according to Clause 53, wherein the capability message further includes an indication that the responding UE is able to determine the timing instance of the message in the ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs.

[0217] 55. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform a ranging session between UEs, the UE being a responding UE in the ranging session, the UE comprising:

[0218] A component for receiving a startup message from a startup UE to initiate a ranging session, the startup message including an identifier (ID) of the startup UE and an ID of each of one or more response UEs;

[0219] A component for determining timing instances of messages from the initiating UE and each of the one or more responding UEs in a ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; and

[0220] The determined timing instance used to use messages in the ranging session and the component that initiates the UE to perform the ranging session.

[0221] 56. The UE according to Clause 55, wherein the component for determining a timing instance of a message in a ranging session includes a component for determining a timing instance of a message in a ranging session using a multivariate deterministic function based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, wherein the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs use the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in a ranging session.

[0222] 57. A UE of any of Clauses 55 or 56, wherein the component for determining the timing instance of a message in a ranging session also uses the order of the IDs of the initiating UE and one or more responding UEs.

[0223] 58. A non-transitory storage medium including program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to perform a ranging session between UEs, the UE being a responsive UE in the ranging session, the non-transitory storage medium comprising:

[0224] Program code that receives a startup message from the startup UE to initiate a ranging session, the startup message including an identifier (ID) of the startup UE and an ID of one or more responding UEs;

[0225] Based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs, program code that determines the timing instances of messages from the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs in the ranging session; and

[0226] The determined timing instance of the message in the ranging session is used with the program code that initiates the UE to execute the ranging session.

[0227] 59. The non-transitory storage medium pursuant to Clause 58, wherein the program code for determining a timing instance of a message in a ranging session includes program code for determining a timing instance of a message in a ranging session based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs using a multivariate deterministic function, wherein the initiating UE and each of one or more responding UEs use the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of the message in the ranging session.

[0228] 60. The non-transitory storage medium pursuant to any of Clauses 58 or 59, wherein the program code for determining the timing instance of a message in a ranging session also uses the order of the IDs of the initiating UE and one or more responding UEs.

[0229] Therefore, it is intended that the claimed subject matter is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed, but such claimed subject matter may also include all aspects that fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A ranging method between user equipments (UEs) executed by a UE, the method comprising: A starting message is sent to one or more responding UEs to initiate a ranging session, the starting message including the identifier ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; Based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, determine the timing instance of the message from each of the initiating UE and the one or more responding UEs in the ranging session; as well as Using the determined timing instance of the message in the ranging session, the ranging session is executed with each of the one or more responding UEs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the timing instance of a message in the ranging session comprises determining the timing instance of a message in the ranging session using a multivariate deterministic function based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, wherein each of the one or more responding UEs uses the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session, and the timing instance of a message in the ranging session is uniquely determined.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the timing instance of a message in the ranging session is further based on the order of the IDs of the initiating UE and each of the one or more responding UEs.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining a ranging signal identifier in the ranging session for each of the initiating UE and the one or more responding UEs, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication that the timing instance of the message in the ranging session will be determined using a function that takes the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs as input.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication of the channel of the ranging signal to be broadcast by the initiating UE.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the start message does not include timing information for the ranging session.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the ranging session comprises: Based on the determined timing instance, a start response message is received from each of the one or more responding UEs; Broadcast ranging signals; Receive response ranging signals broadcast by each of the one or more responding UEs; Based on the determined timing instance, a post-ranging signal message is sent to each of the one or more responding UEs; Based on the determined timing instance, a response ranging signal message is received from each of the one or more responding UEs; as well as Determine the distance to each of the one or more responding UEs.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the post-ranging signal message includes the departure time of the ranging signal and the arrival time of the response ranging signal received from each of the one or more responding UEs, and the response post-ranging signal message from each of the one or more responding UEs includes the arrival time of the ranging signal and the departure time of the response ranging signal broadcast by each of the one or more responding UEs, and wherein the departure time and arrival time of the ranging signal and the arrival time and departure time of the response post-ranging signal message are used to determine the distance to each of the one or more responding UEs.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a capability message from each of the one or more responding UEs before sending the activation message, wherein each capability message includes the ID of the responding UE.

11. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform a ranging session between UEs, the UE being the initiating UE in the ranging session, the UE comprising: A wireless transceiver, configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in a wireless network; At least one memory; as well as At least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: A starting message is sent to one or more responding UEs to initiate a ranging session, the starting message including the identifier ID of the starting UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; Based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, determine the timing instance of the message from each of the initiating UE and the one or more responding UEs in the ranging session; as well as Using the determined timing instance of the message in the ranging session, the ranging session is executed with each of the one or more responding UEs.

12. The UE of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session by using a multivariate deterministic function based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, wherein each of the one or more responding UEs uses the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of the message in the ranging session, and the timing instance of the message in the ranging session is uniquely determined.

13. The UE of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to further determine the timing instance of the message in the ranging session based on the order of the IDs of each of the initiating UE and the one or more responding UEs.

14. The UE of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a ranging signal identifier in a ranging session for initiating the UE and each of the one or more responding UEs, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs.

15. The UE of claim 11, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication that a function will be used to determine the timing instance of the message in the ranging session, the function using the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs as input.

16. The UE of claim 11, wherein the startup message further includes an indication of the channel of the ranging signal to be broadcast by the startup UE.

17. The UE of claim 11, wherein the startup message does not include timing information for the ranging session.

18. The UE of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform the ranging session by being configured to: Based on the determined timing instance, a start response message is received from each of the one or more responding UEs; Broadcast ranging signals; Receive response ranging signals broadcast by each of the one or more responding UEs; Based on the determined timing instance, a post-ranging signal message is sent to each of the one or more responding UEs; Based on the determined timing instance, a response ranging signal message is received from each of the one or more responding UEs; as well as Determine the distance to each of the one or more responding UEs.

19. The UE of claim 18, wherein the post-ranging signal message includes the departure time of the ranging signal and the arrival time of the response ranging signal received from each of the one or more responding UEs, and the response post-ranging signal message from each of the one or more responding UEs includes the arrival time of the ranging signal and the departure time of the response ranging signal broadcast by each of the one or more responding UEs, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the distance to each of the one or more responding UEs based on the departure time and the arrival time of the ranging signal and the arrival time and the departure time of the response post-ranging signal message.

20. The UE of claim 11, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive a capability message from each of the one or more responding UEs before sending the activation message, wherein each capability message includes the ID of the responding UE.

21. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform ranging between UEs, the UE being the initiating UE in a ranging session, the UE comprising: A component for sending a start message to one or more responding UEs to initiate a ranging session, the start message including an identifier ID of the initiating UE and an ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; A component for determining, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, a timing instance of a message from each of the initiating UE and the one or more responding UEs in the ranging session; as well as A component used to execute the ranging session with each of the one or more responding UEs using a determined timing instance of a message in the ranging session.

22. A ranging method between UEs executed in response to a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: A ranging session is initiated by receiving an initiation message from the initiating UE, the initiation message including the identifier ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of one or more responding UEs; Based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, determine the timing instance of the message from each of the initiating UE and the one or more responding UEs in the ranging session; as well as The determined timing instance of the message in the ranging session is used to execute the ranging session with the starting UE.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein determining the timing instance of a message in the ranging session comprises determining the timing instance of a message in the ranging session using a multivariate deterministic function based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, wherein the initiating UE and each of the one or more responding UEs use the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session, and the timing instance of a message in the ranging session is uniquely determined.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein determining the timing instance of a message in the ranging session is further based on the order of the IDs of the activating UE and each of one or more responding UEs.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising determining a ranging signal identifier in the ranging session for each of the initiating UE and the one or more responding UEs based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication of using a function to determine the timing instance of the message in the ranging session, the function using the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs as input.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication of the channel of the ranging signal to be broadcast by the initiating UE.

28. The method of claim 22, wherein the start message does not include timing information for the ranging session.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein performing the ranging session comprises: Based on the determined timing instance, a startup response message is sent to the startup UE; Receive the ranging signal broadcast by the initiated UE; Broadcast response to ranging signal broadcast; Based on the determined timing instance, the ranging signal message is received from the initiated UE; Based on the determined timing instance, a response ranging signal message is sent to the initiated UE; as well as Determine the distance to the activated UE.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the post-ranging signal message received from the initiating UE includes the departure time of the ranging signal and the arrival time of the response ranging signal, and the response post-ranging signal message sent to the initiating UE includes the arrival time of the ranging signal and the departure time of the response ranging signal broadcast by each of the one or more response UEs, and wherein the departure time and arrival time of the ranging signal and the arrival time and departure time of the response post-ranging signal message are used to determine the distance to the initiating UE.

31. The method of claim 22, further comprising broadcasting a capability message prior to receiving the activation message, wherein the capability message includes an ID of the UE.

32. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform a ranging session between UEs, the UE being a responding UE in the ranging session, the UE comprising: A wireless transceiver is configured to communicate wirelessly with entities in a wireless network. At least one memory; as well as At least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: A ranging session is initiated by receiving an initiation message from the initiating UE, the initiation message including an identifier ID of the initiating UE and an ID of each of one or more responding UEs; Based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, determine the timing instance of the message from each of the initiating UE and the one or more responding UEs in the ranging session; as well as The determined timing instance of the message in the ranging session is used to execute the ranging session with the starting UE.

33. The UE of claim 32, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session by using a multivariate deterministic function based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, wherein, Each of the initiating UE and the one or more responding UEs uses the multivariate deterministic function to determine the timing instance of the message in the ranging session, and the timing instance of the message in the ranging session is uniquely determined.

34. The UE of claim 32, wherein the at least one processor is configured to further determine the timing instance of a message in the ranging session based on the order of the IDs of each of the initiating UE and the one or more responding UEs.

35. The UE of claim 32, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a ranging signal identifier in a ranging session for each of the initiating UE and the one or more responding UEs based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs.

36. The UE of claim 32, wherein the initiation message further includes an indication that the timing instance of the message in the ranging session will be determined using a function that takes the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs as input.

37. The UE of claim 32, wherein the startup message further includes an indication of the channel of the ranging signal to be broadcast by the startup UE.

38. The UE of claim 32, wherein the startup message does not include timing information for the ranging session.

39. The UE of claim 32, wherein the at least one processor is configured to perform the ranging session by being configured to: Based on the determined timing instance, a startup response message is sent to the startup UE; Receive the ranging signal broadcast by the initiated UE; Broadcast response to ranging signal broadcast; Based on the determined timing instance, the ranging signal message is received from the initiated UE; Based on the determined timing instance, a response ranging signal message is sent to the initiated UE; as well as Determine the distance to the activated UE.

40. The UE of claim 39, wherein the post-ranging signal message received from the initiating UE includes the departure time of the ranging signal and the arrival time of the response ranging signal, and the response post-ranging signal message sent to the initiating UE includes the arrival time of the ranging signal and the departure time of the response ranging signal broadcast by each of the one or more response UEs, and wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the distance to the initiating UE based on the departure time and the arrival time of the ranging signal and the arrival time and the departure time of the response post-ranging signal message.

41. The UE of claim 32, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to broadcast a capability message prior to receiving the activation message, wherein the capability message includes the ID of the responding UE.

42. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform a ranging session between UEs, the UE being a responding UE in the ranging session, the UE comprising: A component for initiating a ranging session by receiving an initiating UE initiating a startup message, the startup message including the identifier ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs; A component for determining, based on the ID of the initiating UE and the ID of each of the one or more responding UEs, a timing instance of a message from each of the initiating UE and the one or more responding UEs in the ranging session; as well as A component for using a determined timing instance of a message in the ranging session to execute the ranging session with the initiating UE.

43. A non-transitory storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the method according to any one of claims 1-10 and 22-31.

44. A program product comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor, implement the method of any one of claims 1-10 and 22-31.

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