Sidelink positioning reference signal configuration

Abstract

A first user equipment comprising: an interface configured to wirelessly transmit and receive signals; and a processor configured to: establish a sidelink connection with a second user equipment; exchange sidelink information with the second user equipment using the sidelink connection to perform at least one of: transmit, to the second user equipment via the interface, first SL PRS related data (sidelink positioning reference signal related data), the first SL PRS related data comprising at least one of first SL PRS assistance data or first SL PRS configuration data; or receive, from the second user equipment via the interface, second SL PRS related data, the second SL PRS related data comprising at least one of second SL PRS assistance data or second SL PRS configuration data; and exchange, with the second user equipment via the interface, one or more sidelink positioning reference signals in accordance with at least one of the first SL PRS related data or the second SL PRS related data using the sidelink connection.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 17 / 124,903, filed on December 17, 2020, entitled “SIDELINK POSITIONING REFERENCESIGNAL CONFIGURATION,” which has been assigned to the assignee of this application, and the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0003] background

[0004] Wireless communication systems have undergone several generations of development, including first-generation analog radiotelephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital radiotelephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data radio service with Internet capabilities, fourth-generation (4G) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax), and fifth-generation (5G) service. Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular and Personal Communication Services (PCS) systems. Known examples of cellular systems include cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), and GSM TDMA variants.

[0005] The fifth-generation (5G) mobile standard demands higher data transmission speeds, a greater number of connections, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance (NGC), the 5G standard is designed to provide tens of megabits per second (Mbps) of data rate to each of tens of thousands of users, and 1 gigabits per second (Gbps) to dozens of employees on an office floor. It should support hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections to support large-scale sensor deployments. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly improved compared to the current 4G standard. Furthermore, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency significantly reduced compared to the current standard.

[0006] Determining the location of a mobile device accessing a wireless network can be useful for many applications, including, for example, emergency calls, personal navigation, asset tracking, and locating friends or family members. Existing positioning methods include those based on measuring radio signals transmitted from various devices or entities, including satellite launchers (SVs) and terrestrial radio sources in the wireless network, such as base stations and access points. Standardization for 5G wireless networks is expected to include support for various positioning methods that can utilize reference signals transmitted by base stations for location determination in a manner similar to how LTE wireless networks currently utilize Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) and / or Cell-specific Reference Signals (CRS).

[0007] Overview

[0008] An example of a first user equipment includes: an interface configured to wirelessly transmit and receive signals; a memory; and a processor communicatively coupled to the interface and the memory and configured to: establish a sidelink connection with a second user equipment; use the sidelink connection to exchange sidelink information with the second user equipment to perform at least one of the following: transmitting first SL PRS related data (sidelink positioning reference signal related data) to the second user equipment via the interface, the first SL PRS related data including at least one of first SL PRS auxiliary data or first SL PRS configuration data; or receiving second SL PRS related data from the second user equipment via the interface, the second SL PRS related data including at least one of second SL PRS auxiliary data or second SL PRS configuration data; and using the sidelink connection to exchange one or more sidelink positioning reference signals with the second user equipment via the interface based on at least one of the first SL PRS related data or second SL PRS related data.

[0009] Implementations of such user equipment may include one or more of the following features. The processor is configured to: exchange the sidelink information to receive second SL PRS related data, and the processor is configured to transmit a request for the second SL PRS related data to the second user equipment via the interface. The request for the second SL PRS related data includes an indication of the sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter value.

[0010] Alternatively or concurrently, implementations of such user equipment may include one or more of the following features: The processor is configured to exchange sidelink information to receive second SL PRS related data, and the processor is configured to receive third SL PRS related data from at least one of a base station or a server via the interface. The processor is configured to apply a priority rule to select between the first and second values ​​in response to a first value of the second SL PRS related data and a second value of the third SL PRS related data being used as a single sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter. This priority rule is based on the operating mode of the first user equipment.

[0011] Alternatively or concurrently, implementations of such user equipment may include one or more of the following features. The processor is configured to: exchange the sidelink information to transmit first SL PRS related data, and the first SL PRS related data includes indications of reference signal sources for determining reference signal time differences by the second user equipment. The processor is configured to receive one or more indications of a plurality of reference signal sources from at least one of the base station or the second user equipment via the interface, and the processor is configured to select a specific reference signal source among the plurality of reference signal sources. The processor is configured to exchange the sidelink information to transmit first SL PRS related data, and the first SL PRS related data includes at least one of the following: one or more quasi-co-location parameter values; one or more indications of an expected reference signal time difference window; a location reference signal transmission mode; or a location reference signal silence mode.

[0012] Another example of a first user equipment includes: means for establishing a sidelink connection with a second user equipment; means for exchanging sidelink information with the second user equipment using the sidelink connection, comprising at least one of: means for transmitting first SL PRS related data (sidelink positioning reference signal related data) to the second user equipment, the first SL PRS related data including at least one of first SL PRS auxiliary data or first SL PRS configuration data; or means for receiving second SL PRS related data from the second user equipment, the second SL PRS related data including at least one of second SL PRS auxiliary data or second SL PRS configuration data; and means for exchanging one or more sidelink positioning reference signals with the second user equipment using the sidelink connection based on at least one of the first SL PRS related data or second SL PRS related data.

[0013] Implementations of such user equipment may include one or more of the following features. The means for exchanging the sidelink information includes means for receiving second SL PRS related data, and the first user equipment includes means for transmitting a request for the second SL PRS related data to the second user equipment. The request for the second SL PRS related data includes an indication of a sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter value.

[0014] Alternatively or concurrently, implementations of such user equipment may include one or more of the following features. The means for exchanging the sidelink information includes means for receiving second SL PRS related data, and the first user equipment includes means for receiving third SL PRS related data from at least one of a base station or a server. The first user equipment includes means for applying a priority rule to select between the first and second values ​​in response to a first value of the second SL PRS related data and a second value of the third SL PRS related data being used as a single sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter. This priority rule is based on the operating mode of the first user equipment.

[0015] Alternatively or concurrently, implementations of such user equipment may include one or more of the following features. The means for exchanging the sidelink information includes means for transmitting first SL PRS related data, and the first SL PRS related data includes indications of reference signal sources for determining reference signal time differences by the second user equipment. The first user equipment includes means for receiving one or more indications of a plurality of reference signal sources from at least one of the base station or the second user equipment, and means for selecting a specific reference signal source among the plurality of reference signal sources. The means for exchanging the sidelink information includes means for transmitting first SL PRS related data, and the first SL PRS related data includes at least one of the following: one or more quasi-co-location parameter values; one or more indications of an expected reference signal time difference window; a location reference signal transmission mode; or a location reference signal silence mode.

[0016] An example method for obtaining one or more positioning reference signals includes: establishing a sidelink connection between a first user equipment and a second user equipment; using the sidelink connection to exchange sidelink information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, the exchange of sidelink information including at least one of: transmitting first SL PRS related data (sidelink positioning reference signal related data) from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, the first SL PRS related data including at least one of first SL PRS auxiliary data or first SL PRS configuration data; or receiving second SL PRS related data from the second user equipment by the first user equipment, the second SL PRS related data including at least one of second SL PRS auxiliary data or second SL PRS configuration data; and using the sidelink connection to exchange one or more sidelink positioning reference signals between the first user equipment and the second user equipment based on at least one of the first SL PRS related data or second SL PRS related data.

[0017] Implementations of such methods may include one or more of the following features: exchanging the sidelink information includes receiving second SL PRS related data, and the method includes transmitting a request for the second SL PRS related data from a first user equipment to a second user equipment. The request for the second SL PRS related data includes an indication of a sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter value.

[0018] Alternatively or concurrently, implementations of such a method may include one or more of the following features: exchanging the sidelink information includes receiving second SL PRS related data, and the method includes receiving third SL PRS related data by a first user equipment from at least one of a base station or a server. The method includes applying a priority rule to select between the first and second values ​​in response to a first value of the second SL PRS related data and a second value of the third SL PRS related data being used as a single sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter. This priority rule is based on the operating mode of the first user equipment.

[0019] Alternatively or concurrently, implementations of such methods may include one or more of the following features: Exchanging the sidelink information includes transmitting first SL PRS related data, and the first SL PRS related data includes an indication of a reference signal source for which a second user equipment determines a reference signal time difference. The indication of the reference signal source designates a third user equipment as the reference signal source. The method includes: receiving one or more indications for a plurality of reference signal sources from at least one of a base station or a second user equipment by a first user equipment, and selecting a specific reference signal source from the plurality of reference signal sources by the first user equipment. Exchanging the sidelink information includes transmitting first SL PRS related data, and the first SL PRS related data includes at least one of the following: one or more quasi-co-location parameter values; one or more indications of an expected reference signal time difference window; locating a reference signal transmission mode; or locating a reference signal silence mode.

[0020] An example non-transient processor-readable storage medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of a first user equipment to perform the following operations in order to obtain one or more positioning reference signals: establish a sidelink connection with a second user equipment; use the sidelink connection to exchange sidelink information with the second user equipment to perform at least one of the following: transmit first SL PRS related data (sidelink positioning reference signal related data) to the second user equipment, the first SL PRS related data including at least one of first SL PRS auxiliary data or first SL PRS configuration data; or receive second SL PRS related data from the second user equipment, the second SL PRS related data including at least one of second SL PRS auxiliary data or second SL PRS configuration data; and use the sidelink connection to exchange one or more sidelink positioning reference signals with the second user equipment based on at least one of the first SL PRS related data or second SL PRS related data.

[0021] Implementations of such storage media may include one or more of the following features: processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to exchange sidelink information, including processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to receive second SL PRS related data, and the storage medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to transmit a request for the second SL PRS related data to the second user equipment. The request for the second SL PRS related data includes an indication of a sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter value.

[0022] Alternatively or concurrently, implementations of such storage media may include one or more of the following features: Processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to exchange sidelink information include processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to receive second SL PRS related data, and the storage medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to receive third SL PRS related data from at least one of a base station or a server. The storage medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to apply a priority rule to select between the first and second values ​​in response to a first value of the second SL PRS related data and a second value of the third SL PRS related data being used as a single sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter. This priority rule is based on the operating mode of the first user equipment.

[0023] Alternatively or concurrently, implementations of such storage media may include one or more of the following features: Processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to exchange the sidelink information include processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to transmit first SL PRS related data, and the first SL PRS related data includes indications of reference signal sources for determining reference signal time differences by the second user equipment. The storage medium includes processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to perform the following operations: receive one or more indications of a plurality of reference signal sources from at least one of the base station or the second user equipment, and select a specific reference signal source among the plurality of reference signal sources. Processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to exchange the sidelink information include processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to transmit first SL PRS related data, and the first SL PRS related data includes at least one of the following: one or more quasi-co-location parameter values; one or more indications of an expected reference signal time difference window; locating a reference signal transmission mode; or locating a reference signal silence mode. Brief description of the attached diagram

[0025] Figure 1 This is a simplified diagram of an example wireless communication system.

[0026] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a block diagram of the components of an example user equipment.

[0027] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a block diagram of the components of an example transmit / receive point.

[0028] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a block diagram of the components of the example server.

[0029] Figure 5 This is a simplified diagram of the positioning system.

[0030] Figure 6 This is a block diagram of an example user equipment.

[0031] Figure 7 It is used to determine the processing and signal flow of positioning information.

[0032] Figure 8 It is a flowchart of a method for obtaining one or more positioning reference signals.

[0033] Detailed description

[0034] This document discusses techniques for exchanging Side Link Positioning Reference Signals (SLPRS) configuration information between a target User Equipment (UE) and an anchor UE. The target UE can provide some or all of the SLPRS configuration information, or can request / trigger some or all of the SLPRS configuration information from the anchor UE, or from the anchor UE and one or more other entities (e.g., servers, base stations, etc.). Requests for SLPRS configuration information can be general requests for configuration information or requests for one or more specific SLPRS configuration parameters. If multiple entities provide multiple values ​​for the same SLPRS configuration information (e.g., one or more parameters) to the target UE, the target UE can apply one or more priority rules to determine which SLPRS configuration information to use. One or more priority rules may depend on the target UE's current SLPRS operating mode. Other example techniques are also available.

[0035] The items and / or techniques described herein can provide one or more of the following capabilities, as well as others not mentioned: Location of a target UE can be achieved when there are not enough base stations to locate the target UE. The location accuracy of the target UE can be improved. Improved sidelink location reference signal configuration can be achieved. The sidelink location reference signal configuration can be obtained in a shorter time compared to using configuration information from base stations and / or servers. Communication from the target UE can be improved, for example, by using an anchor UE as a communication relay. Other capabilities can be provided, and not every implementation according to this disclosure is required to provide any, let alone all, of the capabilities discussed.

[0036] This description may refer to a sequence of actions to be performed by elements such as a computing device. The various actions described herein can be performed by special-purpose circuitry (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. The sequence of actions described herein can be implemented in a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a corresponding set of computer instructions that, upon execution, will cause the associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the aspects described herein can be implemented in several different forms, all of which fall within the scope of this disclosure, including the claimed subject matter.

[0037] As used herein, the terms “User Equipment” (UE) and “Base Station” are not specific to or otherwise limited to any particular Radio Access Technology (RAT) unless otherwise stated. Generally, such a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset tracking device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. The UE can be mobile or can (e.g., at certain times) be stationary and can communicate with a Radio Access Network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” can be interchangeably referred to as “Access Terminal” or “AT”, “Client Equipment”, “Wireless Equipment”, “Subscriber Equipment”, “Subscriber Terminal”, “Subscriber Station”, “User Terminal” or “UT”, “Mobile Terminal”, “Mobile Station”, or variations thereof. Generally, a UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks (such as the Internet) and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as via a wired access network, a WiFi network (e.g., based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), etc.

[0038] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs when communicating with a UE, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be alternatively referred to as an Access Point (AP), Network Node, B-Node, Evolved B-Node (eNB), General B-Node (g B-Node, gNB), etc. Additionally, in some systems, the base station may provide pure edge node signaling functions, while in others, it may provide additional control and / or network management functions.

[0039] The UE can be implemented using any of several types of devices, including but not limited to printed circuit (PC) cards, dense flash memory devices, external or internal modems, wireless or wired telephones, smartphones, tablet devices, consumer asset tracking devices, asset tags, etc. The communication link through which the UE can send signals to the RAN is called an uplink channel (e.g., reverse traffic channel, reverse control channel, access channel, etc.). The communication link through which the RAN can send signals to the UE is called a downlink or forward link channel (e.g., paging channel, control channel, broadcast channel, forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0040] As used herein, depending on the context, the terms "cell" or "sector" may correspond to one of multiple cells of a base station or to the base station itself. The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., on a carrier) and may be associated with identifiers to distinguish adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers (e.g., Physical Cell Identifier (PCID), Virtual Cell Identifier (VCID)). In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells and may be configured with different protocol types that provide access to different types of devices (e.g., Machine-Type Communication (MTC), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types). In some examples, the term "cell" may refer to a portion of the geographic coverage area on which a logical entity operates (e.g., a sector).

[0041] Reference Figure 1Examples of communication system 100 include UE 105, UE 106, radio access network (RAN) 135 (here, fifth-generation (5G) next-generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN)), and 5G core network (5GC) 140. UE 105 and / or UE 106 can be, for example, IoT devices, location tracker devices, cellular phones, vehicles (e.g., cars, trucks, buses, ships, etc.) or other devices. 5G networks can also be referred to as new radio (NR) networks; NG-RAN 135 can be referred to as 5G RAN or NR RAN; and 5GC 140 can be referred to as NG core network (NGC). Standardization of NG-RAN and 5GC is underway within the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Accordingly, NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 can comply with current or future standards from 3GPP for 5G support. RAN 135 can be another type of RAN, such as 3G RAN, 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. UE 106 can be similarly configured and coupled to UE 105 to send and / or receive signals from similar other entities in system 100, but for simplicity of the figures, in Figure 1 Such signaling is not indicated in the document. Similarly, for simplicity, the discussion focuses on UE 105. Communication system 100 may utilize information from constellation 185 of satellite launchers (SVs) 190, 191, 192, 193 of a satellite positioning system (SPS) such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, or BeiDou, or some other local or regional SPS (such as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), the European Geostationary Navigation Coverage Service (EGNOS), or the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)). Additional components of communication system 100 are described below. Communication system 100 may include additional or replacement components.

[0042] like Figure 1As shown, NG-RAN 135 includes NR B-nodes (gNB) 110a, 110b and a next-generation evolved B-node (ng-eNB) 114, and 5GC 140 includes Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMF) 115, Session Management Functions (SMF) 117, Location Management Functions (LMF) 120 and Gateway Mobility Location Center (GMLC) 125. gNBs 110a, 110b and ng-eNB 114 are communicatively coupled to each other, each configured to conduct bidirectional wireless communication with UE 105, and each communicatively coupled to and configured to conduct bidirectional communication with AMF 115. gNBs 110a, 110b and ng-eNB 114 may be referred to as base stations (BS). AMF 115, SMF 117, LMF 120 and GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the GMLC is communicatively coupled to an external client 130. SMF 117 can be used as the initial contact point for Service Control Function (SCF) (not shown) to create, control, and delete media sessions. BS 110a, 110b, and 114 can be macrocells (e.g., high-power cellular base stations), small cells (e.g., low-power cellular base stations), or access points (e.g., short-range base stations configured to use short-range technologies such as WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D)). (Communication via Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, etc.). One or more of BS 110a, 110b, and 114 can be configured to communicate with UE 105 via multiple carriers. Each of BS 110a, 110b, and 114 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic area (e.g., a cell). Each cell can be divided into multiple sectors based on the base station antenna.

[0043] Figure 1 A general explanation of each component is provided, wherein any or all of the components may be used appropriately, and each component may be repeated or omitted as needed. Specifically, although only one UE 105 is explained, many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may be used in communication system 100. Similarly, communication system 100 may include a larger (or smaller) number of SVs (i.e., more or fewer than the four SVs 190-193 shown), gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, external client 130, and / or other components. The explained connections connecting the various components in communication system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

[0044] Although Figure 1 While 5G-based networks have been described, similar network implementations and configurations can be used for other communication technologies, such as 3G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc. The implementations described herein (for 5G technologies and / or for one or more other communication technologies and / or protocols) can be used to transmit (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals, receive and measure directional signals at a UE (e.g., UE 105), and / or provide location assistance to UE 105 (via GMLC 125 or other location servers), and / or calculate the location of UE 105 at a location-capable device (such as UE 105, gNB 110a, 110b, or LMF 120) based on measurement parameters of such directional transmissions received at UE 105. Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125, Location Management Function (LMF) 120, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 115, SMF 117, ng-eNB (eNodeB) 114, and gNB (gNodeB) 110a, 110b are examples and may be replaced by or include various other location server functions and / or base station functions in various embodiments.

[0045] System 100 is capable of wireless communication because its components can communicate directly or indirectly (at least sometimes using wireless connections), for example, via BS 110a, 110b, 114 and / or network 140 (and / or one or more other devices not shown, such as one or more other base transceiver stations). For indirect communication, the communication may be altered during transmission from one entity to another, for example, to change the header information of data packets, change the format, etc. UE 105 may include multiple UEs and may be mobile wireless communication devices, but can communicate wirelessly and via wired connections. UE 105 can be any of the various devices, such as a smartphone, tablet computer, vehicle-based device, etc., but these are merely examples, as UE 105 does not need to be any of these configurations, and other configurations of the UE can be used. Other UEs may include wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart jewelry, smart glasses, or head-mounted devices, etc.). Other UEs, whether currently existing or developed in the future, may also be used. In addition, other wireless devices (whether mobile or not) can be implemented within system 100 and can communicate with each other and / or with UE 105, BS 110a, 110b, 114, core network 140, and / or external client 130. For example, such other devices may include Internet of Things (IoT) devices, medical devices, home entertainment and / or automation devices, etc. Core network 140 can communicate with external client 130 (e.g., a computer system), for example, to allow external client 130 (e.g., via GMLC 125) to request and / or receive location information about UE 105.

[0046] UE 105 or other devices can be configured to operate in various networks and / or for various purposes and / or using various technologies (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi communication, multi-frequency Wi-Fi communication, satellite positioning, one or more types of communication (e.g., GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), V2X (e.g., V2P (vehicle-to-pedestrian), V2I (vehicle-to-infrastructure), V2V (vehicle-to-vehicle), etc.), IEEE Communication can be via 802.11p, etc. V2X communication can be cellular (Cellular-V2X (C-V2X)) and / or WiFi (e.g., DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Connectivity)). System 100 can support operation on multiple carriers (waveform signals of different frequencies). A multi-carrier transmitter can transmit modulated signals on multiple carriers simultaneously. Each modulated signal can be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) signal, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) signal, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) signal, a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) signal, etc. Each modulated signal can be transmitted on a different carrier and can carry pilot, overhead information, data, etc. UEs 105 and 106 can communicate with each other via UE-to-UE sidelink (SL) communication by transmitting on one or more sidelink channels (such as the Physical Sidelink Synchronization Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), or Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH)).

[0047] UE 105 may include and / or be referred to as a device, mobile device, wireless device, mobile terminal, terminal, mobile station (MS), Secure User Plane Positioning Enabled (SUPL) terminal (SET), or some other name. Furthermore, UE 105 may correspond to a cellular phone, smartphone, laptop device, tablet device, PDA, consumer asset tracking device, navigation device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, asset tracker, health monitor, security system, smart city sensor, smart meter, wearable tracker, or some other portable or mobile device. Typically, although not required, UE 105 may support one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs) such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 WiFi (also known as Wi-Fi). Wireless communication can be achieved using technologies such as Bit-Band (BT), WiMAX, and 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140). UE 105 can support wireless communication using a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), which can connect to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using, for example, digital subscriber line (DSL) or packet cable. Using one or more of these RATs allows UE 105 (e.g., via elements of 5GC 140) to... Figure 1 (not shown in the diagram) or possibly via GMLC 125, communicate with external client 130 and / or allow external client 130 (e.g., via GMLC 125) to receive location information about UE 105.

[0048] UE 105 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network, where the user may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O (input / output) devices, and / or body sensors, as well as separate wired or wireless modems. An estimate of the location of UE 105 may be referred to as location, location estimation, location locking, lock, positioning, location estimation, or location locking, and may be geographic, providing location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of UE 105, which may or may not include an elevation component (e.g., height above sea level; height above ground level, floor level, or basement level, or depth below). Alternatively, the location of UE 105 may be expressed as a municipal location (e.g., a postal address or designation of a point or smaller area within a building, such as a specific room or floor). The location of UE 105 may be expressed as an area or volume (geographically or municipally defined) within which UE 105 is expected to reside with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of UE 105 can be expressed as a relative location, which includes, for example, distance and direction from a known location. A relative location can be expressed as relative coordinates (e.g., X, Y (and Z) coordinates) defined relative to an origin at a known location, which can be, for example, geographically, municipally, or with reference to a point, area, or volume indicated, for example, on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, the term "location" may include any of these variations unless otherwise indicated. When calculating the location of the UE, local x, y, and possibly z coordinates are typically solved, and then (if necessary) the local coordinates are converted to absolute coordinates (e.g., with respect to latitude, longitude, and elevation above or below mean sea level).

[0049] UE 105 can be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of a variety of technologies. UE 105 can be configured to indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. D2D P2P links can use any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT) (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), etc.). Supported by (etc.). One or more UEs in a group of UEs using D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area of ​​a Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) (such as one or more of gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114). Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may be unable to receive transmissions from the base station for other reasons. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without involving the TRP. One or more UEs in a group of UEs using D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area of ​​a TRP. Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may be unable to receive transmissions from the base station for other reasons. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. TRP facilitates the scheduling of resources used for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication can be performed between UEs without involving TRP.

[0050] Figure 1 The base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN 135 shown include NRB nodes (referred to as gNBs 110a and 110b). Each pair of gNBs 110a and 110b in the NG-RAN 135 can be interconnected via one or more other gNBs. Access to the 5G network is provided to UE 105 via wireless communication between UE 105 and one or more of the gNBs 110a and 110b. gNBs 110a and 110b can use 5G to provide wireless communication access to the 5GC 140 on behalf of UE 105. Figure 1 In this context, it is assumed that the serving gNB of UE 105 is gNB 110a, but another gNB (e.g., gNB 110b) may act as the serving gNB or as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105 if UE 105 moves to another location.

[0051] Figure 1The base station (BS) in NG-RAN 135 shown may include ng-eNB 114 (also referred to as a next-generation evolved B node). ng-eNB 114 may connect to one or more of gNBs 110a and 110b in NG-RAN 135 (possibly via one or more other gNBs and / or one or more other ng-eNBs). ng-eNB 114 may provide LTE radio access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) radio access to UE 105. One or more of gNBs 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 may be configured as a location-only beacon, which may transmit signals to assist in determining the location of UE 105, but may not be able to receive signals from UE 105 or other UEs.

[0052] BS 110a, 110b, and 114 may each include one or more TRPs. For example, each sector within a BS cell may include a TRP, but multiple TRPs may share one or more components (e.g., share a processor but have separate antennas). System 100 may include only macro TRPs, or system 100 may have different types of TRPs, such as macro, pico, and / or femto TRPs. Macro TRPs may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscriptions. Pico TRPs may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a pico cell) and allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscriptions. Femto or home TRPs may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a femto cell) and allow restricted access by terminals associated with that femto cell (e.g., a user's terminal in a residence).

[0053] As mentioned, although Figure 1 The diagram depicts a node configured to communicate according to 5G communication protocols, but nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols (such as, for example, LTE or IEEE 802.11x protocols) can also be used. For example, in an evolved packet system (EPS) providing LTE radio access to UE 105, the RAN may include an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), which may include base stations containing evolved B-nodes (eNBs). The core network for the EPS may include an evolved packet core (EPC). The EPS may include the E-UTRAN plus the EPC, where the E-UTRAN corresponds to... Figure 1 NG-RAN 135 and EPC corresponds to Figure 1 5GC 140.

[0054] gNB 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 can communicate with AMF 115; for positioning functionality, AMF 115 communicates with LMF 120. AMF 115 supports the mobility of UE 105 (including cell changes and handover) and can participate in supporting signaling connections to UE 105 and potentially data and voice bearers for UE 105. LMF 120 can communicate directly with UE 105, for example, wirelessly, or directly with BS 110a, 110b, and 114. LMF 120 supports UE 105 positioning when UE 105 accesses NG-RAN 135, and supports various positioning protocols / methods, such as Auxiliary GNSS (A-GNSS), Observation Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (e.g., Downlink (DL) OTDOA or Uplink (UL) OTDOA), Round Trip Time (RTT), Multi-Cell RTT, Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cellular ID (E-CID), Angle of Arrival (AOA), Angle of Departure (AOD), and / or other positioning methods. LMF 120 can process location service requests for UE 105 received, for example, from AMF 115 or GMLC 125. LMF 120 can connect to AMF 115 and / or GMLC 125. LMF 120 may be referred to by other names, such as Location Manager (LM), Location Function (LF), Commercial LMF (CLMF), or Value-Added LMF (VLMF). The node / system implementing LMF 120 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an Enhanced Serving Mobility Location Center (E-SMLC) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP). At least some of the location functionality (including the derivation of the location of UE 105) can be performed at UE 105 (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by UE 105 for signals transmitted by radio nodes (such as gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114), and / or auxiliary data provided to UE 105, for example, by LMF 120). AMF 115 can be used as a control node to process signaling between UE 105 and core network 140, and can provide QoS (Quality of Service) streaming and session management. AMF 115 can support the mobility of UE 105 (including cell changes and handovers) and can participate in supporting signaling connections to UE 105.

[0055] GMLC 125 can support location requests for UE 105 received from external client 130, and can forward such requests to AMF 115 for forwarding to LMF 120, or can forward them directly to LMF 120. A location response from LMF 120 (e.g., containing a location estimate for UE 105) can be returned to GMLC 125 directly or via AMF 115, and GMLC 125 can then return the location response (e.g., containing the location estimate) to external client 130. GMLC 125 is shown connected to both AMF 115 and LMF 120, but in some implementations, 5GC 140 may support only one of these connections.

[0056] like Figure 1 Further explanation is provided: the LMF 120 can use the new Radio Positioning Protocol A (which may be referred to as NPPa or NRPPa) to communicate with gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. This new Radio Positioning Protocol A is defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa can be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa) defined in 3GPP TS 36.455, where NRPPa messages are transmitted via AMF 115 between gNB 110a (or gNB 110b) and the LMF 120, and / or between ng-eNB 114 and the LMF 120. Figure 1As further explained, LMF 120 and UE 105 can communicate using the LTE Location Protocol (LPP), which is defined in 3GPP TS 36.355. LMF 120 and UE 105 can also communicate using a new radio positioning protocol (which may be referred to as NPP or NRPP), which may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of LPP. Here, LPP and / or NPP messages can be transmitted between UE 105 and LMF 120 via AMF 115 and UE 105's serving gNB 110a, 110b, or serving ng-eNB 114. For example, LPP and / or NPP messages can be transmitted between LMF 120 and AMF 115 using the 5G Location Services Application Protocol (LCS AP), and between AMF 115 and UE 105 using the 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. The LPP and / or NPP protocols can be used to support the location of UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based location methods (such as A-GNSS, RTK, OTDOA, and / or E-CID). The NRPPa protocol can be used to support the location of UE 105 using network-based location methods (such as E-CID) (e.g., in conjunction with measurements obtained by gNB110a, 110b, or ng-eNB 114) and / or can be used by LMF 120 to obtain location-related information from gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114, such as defining parameters for directional SS transmissions from gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. LMF 120 can be co-located or integrated with gNB or TRP, or can be configured to communicate directly or indirectly with gNB and / or TRP, located away from gNB and / or TRP.

[0057] Using a UE-assisted positioning method, UE 105 can obtain location measurements and send these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for calculating a location estimate for UE 105. For example, location measurements may include one or more of the following: Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), Round-Trip Time (RTT), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), and / or Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) for gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, and / or WLAN AP. Location measurements may additionally or alternatively include measurements of GNSS pseudorange, code phase, and / or carrier phase for SV 190-193.

[0058] Using a UE-based positioning method, UE 105 can obtain a location measurement (e.g., which may be the same as or similar to a location measurement for a UE-assisted positioning method) and can calculate the location of UE 105 (e.g., by means of auxiliary data received from a location server (such as LMF 120) or broadcast by gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114 or other base stations or APs).

[0059] Using a network-based positioning method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) or APs can obtain location measurements (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, or Time of Arrival (ToA) of signals transmitted by UE 105) and / or can receive measurements obtained by UE 105. These base stations or APs can then send these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for calculating a location estimate for UE 105.

[0060] The information provided to the LMF 120 by the gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 using NRPPa may include timing and configuration information for directional SS transmissions, as well as location coordinates. The LMF 120 may provide some or all of this information as supplementary data to the UE 105 in LPP and / or NPP messages via NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140.

[0061] The LPP or NPP message sent from LMF 120 to UE 105 may instruct UE 105 to perform any of a variety of tasks, depending on the desired functionality. For example, the LPP or NPP message may contain instructions for UE 105 to obtain measurements for GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and / or OTDOA (or some other positioning method). In the case of E-CID, the LPP or NPP message may instruct UE 105 to obtain one or more measurement parameters (e.g., beam ID, beamwidth, average angle, RSRP, RSRQ measurements) of directional signals transmitted within a specific cell supported by one or more of gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 (or supported by some other type of base station (such as eNB or WiFi AP)). UE 105 can send these measurement parameters back to LMF 120 via service gNB110a (or service ng-eNB 114) and AMF 115 in an LPP or NPP message (e.g., within a 5G NAS message).

[0062] As mentioned, while a communication system 100 is described in relation to 5G technology, the communication system 100 can be implemented to support other communication technologies (such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc.) used to support and interact with mobile devices (such as UE 105) (e.g., to enable voice, data, location, and other functionalities). In some such embodiments, the 5GC 140 can be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, non-3GPP interoperability functions (N3IWF) in the 5GC 150 can be used. Figure 1 (Not shown) Connect 5GC 140 to a WLAN. For example, the WLAN may support IEEE 802.11 WiFi access for UE 105 and may include one or more WiFi APs. Here, N3IWF may connect to the WLAN and other components in 5GC 140, such as AMF 115. In some embodiments, both NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 may be replaced by one or more other RANs and one or more other core networks. For example, in EPS, NG-RAN 135 may be replaced by E-UTRAN containing eNBs, and 5GC 140 may be replaced by EPC containing a Mobility Management Entity (MME) instead of AMF 115, an E-SMLC instead of LMF 120, and a GMLC similar to GMLC 125. In such EPS, the E-SMLC may use LPPa instead of NRPPa to send location information to and receive location information from eNBs in the E-UTRAN, and may use LPP to support UE 105's positioning. In these other embodiments, the location of UE 105 using directional PRS can be supported in a manner similar to that described herein for 5G networks, the difference being that the functions and procedures described herein for gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115 and LMF120 can be applied alternatively to other network elements, such as eNB, WiFi AP, MME and E-SMLC, in some cases.

[0063] As mentioned, in some embodiments, positioning functionality can be achieved at least in part using directional SS beams transmitted by base stations (such as gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) to determine the location of the UE (e.g., Figure 1 Within the range of UE 105. In some instances, the UE can use directional SS beams from multiple base stations (such as gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, etc.) to calculate the UE's location.

[0064] Also refer to Figure 2UE 200 is an example of one of UEs 105 and 106, and includes a computing platform containing a processor 210, a memory 211 including software (SW) 212, one or more sensors 213, a transceiver interface 214 for a transceiver 215, a user interface 216, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 217, a camera 218, and a positioning device (PD) 219. The processor 210, memory 211, sensors 213, transceiver interface 214, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, and positioning device 219 can be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 220 (which can be configured for, for example, optical and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., camera 218, positioning device 219, and / or one or more sensors 213, etc.) can be omitted from UE 200. Processor 210 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), microcontroller, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.). Processor 210 may include multiple processors, including a general-purpose / application processor 230, a digital signal processor (DSP) 231, a modem processor 232, a video processor 233, and / or a sensor processor 234. One or more of processors 230-234 may include multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, sensor processor 234 may include processors for radar, ultrasonic, and / or lidar, etc. Modem processor 232 may support dual SIM / dual connectivity (or even more SIMs). For example, one SIM (subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module) may be used by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and another SIM may be used by an end user of UE 200 to obtain connectivity. Memory 211 is a non-transient storage medium, which may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 211 stores software 212, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions configured to cause processor 410 to perform the various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 212 may not be directly executable by processor 210, but may be configured (e.g., when compiled and executed) to cause processor 210 to perform various functions. This description may refer only to processor 210 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as implementations of processor 210 performing software and / or firmware. This description may refer to processor 210 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more of processors 230-234 performing such functions. This description may refer to UE 200 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of UE 200 performing such functions. Processor 210 may include memory with stored instructions as a supplement to and / or alternative to memory 211.The functionality of processor 210 will be discussed more comprehensively below.

[0065] Figure 2 The configuration of UE 200 shown is exemplary and not intended to limit the invention (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, an exemplary configuration of the UE includes one or more of processors 230-234 in processor 210, memory 211, and wireless transceiver 240. Other exemplary configurations include one or more of processors 230-234 in processor 210, memory 211, wireless transceiver 240, and one or more of the following: sensor 213, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, PD 219, and / or wired transceiver 250.

[0066] UE 200 may include a modem processor 232, which may be capable of performing baseband processing on signals received and downconverted by transceiver 215 and / or SPS receiver 217. Modem processor 232 may also perform baseband processing on signals to be upconverted for transmission by transceiver 215. Alternatively or alternatively, baseband processing may be performed by processor 230 and / or DSP 231. However, other configurations may be used to perform baseband processing.

[0067] UE 200 may include sensors 213, which may include one or more of various types of sensors, such as one or more inertial sensors, one or more magnetometers, one or more environmental sensors, one or more optical sensors, one or more weight sensors, and / or one or more radio frequency (RF) sensors. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) may include, for example, one or more accelerometers (e.g., collectively responding to acceleration of UE 200 in three dimensions) and / or one or more gyroscopes (e.g., three-dimensional gyroscopes). Sensors 213 may include one or more magnetometers (e.g., three-dimensional magnetometers) to determine orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and / or true north), which may be used for any of a variety of purposes (e.g., supporting one or more compass applications). Environmental sensors may include, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and / or one or more microphones. Sensors 213 can generate analog and / or digital signals, and indications of these signals can be stored in memory 211 and processed by DSP 231 and / or processor 230 to support one or more applications (such as, for example, applications involving positioning and / or navigation operations).

[0068] Sensors 213 can be used for relative position measurement, relative position determination, motion determination, etc. Information detected by sensors 213 can be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based position determination, and / or sensor-assisted position determination. Sensors 213 can be used to determine whether the UE 200 is stationary or moving and / or whether to report certain useful information related to the mobility of the UE 200 to the LMF 120. For example, based on information obtained / measured by the sensors, the UE 200 can notify / report to the LMF 120 that the UE 200 has detected movement or that the UE 200 has moved, and report relative displacement / distance (e.g., via dead reckoning implemented by sensors 213, or sensor-based position determination, or sensor-assisted position determination). In another example, for relative positioning information, sensors / IMUs can be used to determine the angle and / or orientation of another device relative to the UE 200, etc.

[0069] The IMU can be configured to provide measurements of the UE 200's direction of motion and / or velocity, which can be used for relative position determination. For example, one or more accelerometers and / or one or more gyroscopes of the IMU can detect the UE 200's linear acceleration and rotational velocity, respectively. The UE 200's linear acceleration and rotational velocity measurements can be integrated over time to determine the UE 200's instantaneous direction of motion and displacement. The instantaneous direction of motion and displacement can be integrated to track the UE 200's position. For example, an SPS receiver 217 (and / or some other means) can be used to determine the UE 200's reference position at a given moment, and measurements acquired from the accelerometers and gyroscopes after that moment can be used for dead reckoning to determine the UE 200's current position based on its movement (direction and distance) relative to that reference position.

[0070] (Various) magnetometers can determine the strength of magnetic fields in different directions, which can be used to determine the orientation of UE 200. For example, this orientation can be used to provide a digital compass for UE 200. The magnetometer can be a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of the magnetic field strength in two orthogonal dimensions. Alternatively, the magnetometer can be a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of the magnetic field strength in three orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer can provide means for sensing magnetic fields and, for example, providing an indication of the magnetic field to processor 210.

[0071] Transceiver 215 may include a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, wireless transceiver 240 may include a wireless transmitter 242 and a wireless receiver 244 coupled to one or more antennas 246 for transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals 248 (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and converting signals from wireless signals 248 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals 248. Thus, wireless transmitter 242 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or wireless receiver 244 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 240 can be configured to transmit signals according to various radio access technologies (RATs) (e.g., with TRP and / or one or more other devices), such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Telephone Systems), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, and WiFi Direct (WiFi-D). Zigbee, etc. New radios can use millimeter-wave frequencies and / or sub-6 GHz frequencies. Wired transceiver 250 may include a wired transmitter 252 and a wired receiver 254 configured for wired communication (e.g., with network 135). The wired transmitter 252 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 254 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. Wired transceiver 250 may be configured for, for example, optical and / or electrical communication. Transceiver 215 may be communicatively coupled to transceiver interface 214 (e.g., via optical and / or electrical connections). Transceiver interface 214 may be at least partially integrated with transceiver 215.

[0072] User interface 216 may include one or more of a number of devices, such as, for example, speakers, microphones, display devices, vibration devices, keyboards, touchscreens, etc. User interface 216 may include any device that includes more than one of these devices. User interface 216 may be configured to enable a user to interact with one or more applications stored in the main memory of UE 200. For example, user interface 216 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in memory 211 in response to actions from the user, for processing by DSP 231 and / or general-purpose processor 230. Similarly, applications in the main memory of UE 200 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in memory 211 to present output signals to the user. User interface 216 may include audio input / output (I / O) devices, including, for example, speakers, microphones, digital-to-analog circuitry systems, analog-to-digital circuitry systems, amplifiers, and / or gain control circuitry systems (any device including more than one of these devices). Other configurations of the audio I / O devices may be used. Alternatively or concurrently, the user interface 216 may include one or more touch sensors that respond to touch and / or pressure on, for example, the keyboard and / or touchscreen of the user interface 216.

[0073] SPS receiver 217 (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver) can receive and acquire SPS signal 260 via SPS antenna 262. Antenna 262 is configured to convert the wireless signal 260 into a wired signal (e.g., an electrical signal or an optical signal) and can be integrated with antenna 246. SPS receiver 217 can be configured to process the acquired SPS signal 260 fully or partially to estimate the location of UE 200. For example, SPS receiver 217 can be configured to determine the location of UE 200 by using trilateration with SPS signal 260. SPS receiver 217 can be combined with general-purpose processor 230, memory 211, DSP 231 and / or one or more dedicated processors (not shown) to process the acquired SPS signal fully or partially and / or calculate the estimated location of UE 200. Memory 211 may store indications (e.g., measurements) of SPS signal 260 and / or other signals (e.g., signals acquired from wireless transceiver 240) for use during positioning operations. General-purpose processor 230, DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors, and / or memory 211 may provide or support a position engine for processing measurements to estimate the position of UE 200.

[0074] UE 200 may include a camera 218 for capturing still or moving images. Camera 218 may include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge-coupled device or a CMOS imager), lenses, analog-to-digital circuitry, frame buffers, etc. Additional processing, conditioning, encoding, and / or compression of the signals representing the captured images may be performed by a general-purpose processor 230 and / or a DSP 231. Alternatively, a video processor 233 may perform conditioning, encoding, compression, and / or manipulation of the signals representing the captured images. The video processor 233 may decode / decompress stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown), such as (e.g., user interface 216).

[0075] Positioning device (PD) 219 may be configured to determine the location of UE 200, the motion of UE 200, and / or the relative location of UE 200, and / or time. For example, PD 219 may communicate with SPS receiver 217, and / or include some or all of SPS receiver 217. PD 219 may appropriately cooperate with processor 210 and memory 211 to perform at least a portion of one or more positioning methods, although the description herein may only refer to PD 219 being configured to perform or to be performed according to a positioning method. PD 219 may additionally or alternatively be configured to: perform trilateration using ground-based signals (e.g., at least some signals 248), assist in obtaining and using SPS signal 260, or both, to determine the location of UE 200. PD 219 can be configured to determine the location of UE 200 using one or more other technologies (e.g., relying on the UE's self-reported location (e.g., part of the UE's positioning beacon)), and can use a combination of technologies (e.g., SPS and terrestrial positioning signals) to determine the location of UE 200. PD 219 may include one or more sensors 213 (e.g., gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, etc.) that sense the orientation and / or motion of UE 200 and provide an indication of such orientation and / or motion. Processor 210 (e.g., processor 230 and / or DSP 231) can be configured to use this indication to determine the motion of UE 200 (e.g., velocity vector and / or acceleration vector). PD 219 can be configured to provide an indication of the uncertainty and / or error of the determined positioning and / or motion.

[0076] Also refer to Figure 3Examples of TRP 300 in BS 110a, 110b, and 114 include a computing platform containing a processor 310, a memory 311 including software (SW) 312, and a transceiver 315. The processor 310, memory 311, and transceiver 315 are communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 320 (which may be configured for, for example, optical and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., a wireless interface) may be omitted from the TRP 300. The processor 310 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.). The processor 310 may include multiple processors (e.g., including, for example, a multi-processor array). Figure 2 (The general-purpose / application processor, DSP, modem processor, video processor, and / or sensor processor shown). Memory 311 is a non-transient storage medium, which may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 311 stores software 312, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions configured to cause processor 310 to perform the various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 312 may not be directly executable by processor 310, but may be configured (e.g., when compiled and executed) to cause processor 310 to perform various functions. This description may refer only to processor 310 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as processor 310 performing software and / or firmware implementations. This description may refer to processor 310 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more processors included in processor 310 performing that function. This description may refer to the TRP300 execution function as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the TRP 300 (and thus one of BS 110a, 110b, 114) performing that function. The processor 310 may include memory with stored instructions as a supplement and / or replacement for memory 311. The functionality of the processor 310 is discussed more fully below.

[0077] Transceiver 315 may include a wireless transceiver 340 and / or a wired transceiver 350 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, wireless transceiver 340 may include a wireless transmitter 342 and a wireless receiver 344 coupled to one or more antennas 346 for transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals 348 (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more downlink channels) and converting signals from wireless signals 348 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals 348. Thus, wireless transmitter 342 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or wireless receiver 344 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 340 can be configured to support various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Telephone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, and WiFi Direct (WiFi-D). The transceiver 350 may include a wired transmitter 352 and a wired receiver 354 configured to conduct wired communication (e.g., with network 135) to send and receive communications, for example, to and from LMF 120. The wired transmitter 352 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 354 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 350 may be configured for, for example, optical and / or electrical communication.

[0078] The description herein may refer only to the processor 310 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as the processor 310 performing software and / or firmware implementations (stored in memory 311). The description herein may refer to the TRP 300 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the TRP 300 (e.g., processor 310 and memory 311) performing the functions. The processor 310 (possibly in conjunction with memory 311 and, where appropriate, transceiver 315) includes a UE-UE PRS unit 360. The UE-UE PRS unit 360 may be configured to coordinate with one or more UEs (e.g., UE 200) to provide the UEs with Side Link Positioning Reference Signal (SL PRS) related data (e.g., SL PRS auxiliary data and / or SL PRS configuration data). The configuration and functionality of the UE-UE PRS unit 360 are further discussed herein.

[0079] Figure 3 The configuration of TRP 300 shown is illustrative and not intended to limit the invention (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, the description herein discusses TRP 300 being configured to perform several functions or TRP 300 performing several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by LMF 120 and / or UE 200 (i.e., LMF 120 and / or UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0080] Also refer to Figure 4 Server 400 (an example of LMF 120) includes a computing platform containing processor 410, a memory 411 containing software (SW) 412, and a transceiver 415. Processor 410, memory 411, and transceiver 415 are communicatively coupled to each other via bus 420 (which may be configured for, for example, optical and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., a wireless interface) may be omitted from server 400. Processor 410 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.). Processor 410 may include multiple processors (e.g., including such...). Figure 2(The general-purpose / application processor, DSP, modem processor, video processor, and / or sensor processor shown). Memory 411 is a non-transient storage medium, which may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 411 stores software 412, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions configured to cause processor 410 to perform the various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 412 may not be directly executable by processor 410, but may be configured (e.g., when compiled and executed) to cause processor 410 to perform various functions. This description may refer only to processor 410 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as processor 410 performing software and / or firmware implementations. This description may refer to processor 410 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more processors included in processor 410 performing that function. This description may refer to server 400 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of server 400 performing that function. Processor 410 may include memory with stored instructions as a supplement to and / or replacement of memory 411. The functionality of processor 410 is discussed more fully below.

[0081] Transceiver 415 may include a wireless transceiver 440 and / or a wired transceiver 450 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, wireless transceiver 440 may include a wireless transmitter 442 and a wireless receiver 444 coupled to one or more antennas 446 for transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals 448 (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) and converting signals from wireless signals 448 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals 448. Thus, wireless transmitter 442 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or wireless receiver 444 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 440 can be configured to support various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Telephone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, and WiFi Direct (WiFi-D). The transceiver 450 may include a wired transmitter 452 and a wired receiver 454 configured to conduct wired communication (e.g., with network 135) to send and receive communications to, for example, TRP 300. The wired transmitter 452 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 454 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 450 may be configured for, for example, optical and / or electrical communication.

[0082] The description herein may refer only to the processor 410 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as the processor 410 performing software and / or firmware (stored in memory 411). The description herein may refer to the server 400 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of server 400 (e.g., processor 410 and memory 411) performing the function. The processor 410 (possibly in conjunction with memory 411 and, where appropriate, transceiver 415) includes a UE-UE PRS unit 460. The UE-UE PRS unit 460 may be configured to coordinate with one or more UEs (e.g., UE 200) to provide SL PRS related data to the UEs. The configuration and functionality of the UE-UE PRS unit 460 are further discussed herein.

[0083] Positioning technology

[0084] For terrestrial positioning of UEs in cellular networks, techniques such as Advanced Forward Link Trilateral Measurement (AFLT) and Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) typically operate in a “UE-assisted” mode, where measurements of reference signals transmitted by the base station (e.g., PRS, CRS, etc.) are acquired by the UE and subsequently provided to a location server. The location server then calculates the UE's location based on these measurements and the known location of the base station. Because these techniques use a location server (rather than the UE itself) to calculate the UE's location, they are not frequently used in applications such as car or cellular phone navigation, which typically rely on satellite-based positioning instead.

[0085] UEs can use Satellite Positioning System (SPS) (Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)) to achieve high-precision positioning using Precise Point Positioning (PPP) or Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) techniques. These techniques use auxiliary data, such as measurements from ground-based stations. LTE Release 15 allows data to be encrypted so that only UEs subscribed to the service can read it. This auxiliary data changes over time. Therefore, a UE with a subscribed service may not be able to easily "crack" the encryption for other UEs by passing the data to them without paying for the subscription. This transmission needs to be repeated every time the auxiliary data changes.

[0086] In UE-assisted positioning, the UE sends measurements (e.g., TDOA, Angle of Arrival (AoA), etc.) to a positioning server (e.g., LMF / eSMLC). The positioning server has a Base Station Almanac (BSA) containing multiple "entries" or "records," one record per cell, where each record contains the geographic cell location, but may also include other data. Identifiers of the "records" among the multiple "records" in the BSA can be referenced. The BSA and measurements from the UE are used to calculate the UE's positioning.

[0087] In conventional UE-based positioning, the UE calculates its own location, thus avoiding sending measurements to the network (e.g., a location server), which improves latency and scalability. The UE uses relevant BSA record information from the network (e.g., the location of the gNB (more broadly, the base station)). BSA information can be encrypted. However, since BSA information changes much less frequently than, for example, PPP or RTK auxiliary data described above, it may be easier (compared to PPP or RTK information) to make BSA information available to UEs that have not subscribed and are paying for decryption keys. The transmission of reference signals by the gNB makes BSA information potentially accessible to crowdsourcing or driving attacks, thus essentially enabling BSA information to be generated based on in-the-field and / or over-the-top observations.

[0088] Positioning technologies can be characterized and / or evaluated based on one or more criteria, such as positioning accuracy and / or latency. Latency is the time elapsed between the event that triggers the determination of positioning-related data and the availability of that data at the positioning system interface (e.g., the interface of the LMF120). The latency for the availability of positioning-related data during positioning system initialization is called the First Time Locked (TTFF) and is greater than the latency after the TTFF. The reciprocal of the time elapsed between two consecutive availability of positioning-related data is called the update rate, i.e., the rate at which positioning-related data is generated after the first lock. Latency can depend on (e.g., the UE's) processing capacity. For example, assuming an allocation of 272 PRBs (Physical Resource Blocks), the UE can report its processing capacity as the duration (in time units, e.g., milliseconds) of DL PRS symbols that it can process per T time units (e.g., T ms). Other examples of capabilities that may affect latency are the number of TRPs from which the UE can process PRS, the number of PRS the UE can process, and the UE's bandwidth.

[0089] One or more of many different positioning techniques (also known as positioning methods) can be used to determine the location of an entity (such as one of UE105, 106). Known positioning techniques include RTT, multiple RTT, OTDOA (also known as TDOA, and including UL-TDOA and DL-TDOA), Enhanced Cellular Identifier (E-CID), DL-AoD, UL-AoA, etc. RTT uses the time it takes for a signal to travel from one entity to another and back to determine the range between the two entities. This range, plus the known location of the first entity and the angle (e.g., azimuth) between the two entities, can be used to determine the location of the second entity. In multiple RTT (also known as multi-cell RTT), multiple ranges from one entity (e.g., UE) to other entities (e.g., TRP) and the known locations of those other entities can be used to determine the location of this one entity. In TDOA, the travel time difference between an entity and other entities can be used to determine the relative range with respect to those other entities, and those relative ranges, combined with the known locations of those other entities, can be used to determine the location of this one entity. Angle of arrival and / or angle of departure can be used to help determine the location of an entity. For example, the angle of arrival or angle of departure of a signal, combined with the range between devices (range determined using signals (e.g., signal travel time, signal received power, etc.)) and the known location of one of these devices, can be used to determine the location of the other device. The angle of arrival or angle of departure can be an azimuth angle relative to a reference direction (such as true north). The angle of arrival or angle of departure can be a zenith angle relative to directly upward from the entity (i.e., radially outward from the Earth's center). E-CID uses the identity of the serving cell, timing advance (i.e., the difference between the receive and transmit times at the UE), estimated timing and power of detected neighboring cell signals, and possible angles of arrival (e.g., the angle of arrival of signals from the base station at the UE, or vice versa) to determine the location of the UE. In TDOA, the time difference of arrival of signals from different sources at the receiving device, along with the known locations of these sources and the known offsets of the transmission times from these sources, are used to determine the location of the receiving device.

[0090] In network-centric RTT estimation, the serving base station instructs the UE to scan / receive RTT measurement signals (e.g., PRS) on serving cells of two or more adjacent base stations (and typically the serving base station, as at least three base stations are required). These one or more base stations transmit the RTT measurement signals on low-reuse resources (e.g., resources used by the base station to transmit system information) allocated by the network (e.g., a location server, such as an LMF 120). The UE records the arrival time (also referred to as reception time, time received, or time of arrival (ToA)) of each RTT measurement signal relative to the UE's current downlink timing (e.g., as derived by the UE from DL signals received from its serving base station), and (e.g., when instructed by its serving base station) transmits a shared or individual RTT response message (e.g., an SRS (probe reference signal) for positioning, i.e., UL-PRS) to these one or more base stations, and may transmit the time difference T between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response message. Rx→Tx (i.e., UE T) Rx-Tx or UE Rx-Tx The time to arrival (ToA) of the RTT response is included in the payload of each RTT response message. The RTT response message will include a reference signal from which the base station can infer the ToA of the RTT response. This is achieved by calculating the difference T between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal from the base station and the ToA of the RTT response at the base station. Tx→Rx Time difference T with UE report Rx→Tx By comparison, the base station can infer the propagation time between the base station and the UE. From the propagation time, the base station can determine the distance between the UE and the base station by assuming that the propagation time is the speed of light.

[0091] UE-centric RTT estimation is similar to network-based methods, except that the UE transmits uplink RTT measurement signals (e.g., when instructed by a serving base station), which are received by multiple base stations near the UE. Each involved base station responds with a downlink RTT response message, which may include in its payload the time difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal at the base station and the transmission time of the RTT response message from the base station.

[0092] For both network-centric and UE-centric procedures, the side performing RTT calculation (network or UE) typically (but not always) transmits first messages or signals (e.g., RTT measurement signals), while the other side responds with one or more RTT response messages or signals, which may include the difference between the ToA of the first messages or signals and the transmission time of the RTT response messages or signals.

[0093] Multiple RTT (Round-Trip Toll) techniques can be used to determine location. For example, a first entity (e.g., a UE) may emit one or more signals (e.g., unicast, multicast, or broadcast from a base station), and multiple second entities (e.g., other TSPs, such as base stations and / or UEs) may receive signals from the first entity and respond to those received signals. The first entity receives responses from the multiple second entities. The first entity (or another entity, such as an LMF) may use the responses from the second entities to determine the range to the second entities, and the location of the first entity may be determined by trilateration using the multiple ranges and the known locations of the second entities.

[0094] In some instances, additional information in the form of angle of arrival (AoA) or angle of departure (AoD) can be obtained, which defines a straight-line direction (e.g., it can be in a horizontal plane or in three dimensions) or a possible (e.g., the UE's direction as seen from the base station's location) range of directions. The intersection of the two directions can provide another estimate of the UE's location.

[0095] For positioning techniques that use PRS (Location Reference Signal) signals (e.g., TDOA and RTT), the PRS signals transmitted by multiple TRPs are measured, and the arrival time, known transmission time, and known location of the TRPs are used to determine the range from the UE to the TRPs. For example, RSTD (Reference Signal Time Difference) can be determined for PRS signals received from multiple TRPs, and these RSTDs are used in TDOA techniques to determine the UE's location. The Location Reference Signal may be referred to as the PRS or PRS signal. PRS signals are typically transmitted using the same power, and PRS signals with the same signal characteristics (e.g., the same frequency shift) may interfere with each other, such that a PRS signal from a more distant TRP may be overwhelmed by a PRS signal from a closer TRP, thus the signal from the more distant TRP may not be detected. PRS silencing can be used to help reduce interference by silencing some PRS signals (reducing the power of the PRS signal, e.g., reducing it to zero and thus not transmitting the PRS signal). In this way, the UE can more easily detect the weaker PRS signal (at the UE) without interference from a stronger PRS signal. The term RS and its variations (e.g., PRS, SRS) may refer to one or more reference signals.

[0096] Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) include Downlink PRS (DL PRS) and Uplink PRS (UL PRS) (which may be referred to as SRS (Detection Reference Signal) for positioning). PRS may include PRS resources or PRS resource sets of a frequency layer. A DL PRS positioning frequency layer (or simply frequency layer) is a collection of DL PRS resource sets from one or more TRPs, sharing common parameters configured by higher-layer parameters DL-PRS-PositioningFrequencyLayer, DL-PRS-ResourceSet, and DL-PRS-Resource. Each frequency layer has a DL PRS subcarrier spacing (SCS) for the DL PRS resource sets and DL PRS resources within that frequency layer. Each frequency layer also has a DL PRS cyclic prefix (CP) for the DL PRS resource sets and DL PRS resources within that frequency layer. In 5G, a resource block occupies 12 consecutive subcarriers and a specified number of symbols. Furthermore, the DL PRS point A parameter defines the frequency of the reference resource block (and the lowest subcarrier of the resource block), where DL PRS resources belonging to the same DL PRS resource set have the same point A, and all DL PRS resource sets belonging to the same frequency layer have the same point A. The frequency layers also have the same DL PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size value (i.e., the frequency of the PRS resource element per symbol, such that for comb N, every Nth resource element is a PRS resource element).

[0097] The TRP can be configured, for example, by instructions received from a server and / or by software within the TRP, to transmit DL PRS according to a schedule. Based on this schedule, the TRP can transmit DL PRS intermittently (e.g., periodically at consistent intervals from the initial transmission). The TRP can be configured to transmit one or more PRS resource sets. A resource set is a collection of PRS resources across a TRP, wherein these resources have the same periodicity, a shared silent mode configuration (if any), and the same cross-slot repetition factor. Each PRS resource set comprises multiple PRS resources, wherein each PRS resource comprises multiple resource elements (REs), which may reside in multiple resource blocks (RBs) within N (or more) consecutive symbols in a time slot. An RB is a set of REs spanning one or more consecutive symbols in the time domain and a number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain (12 for 5G). Each PRS resource is configured with an RE offset, a time slot offset, a symbol offset within a time slot, and the number of consecutive symbols that the PRS resource can occupy within a time slot. The RE offset defines the initial RE offset of the first symbol within a DL PRS resource in the frequency range. The relative RE offsets of the remaining symbols within a DL PRS resource are defined based on this initial offset. The slot offset is the starting slot of the DL PRS resource relative to the slot offset of the corresponding resource set. The symbol offset determines the starting symbol of the DL PRS resource within the starting slot. Transmitted REs can be repeated across slots, with each transmission referred to as a repetition, allowing for multiple repetitions within a PRS resource. DL PRS resources in a DL PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP, and each DL PRS resource has a DL PRS resource ID. The DL PRS resource ID in a DL PRS resource set is associated with a single beam transmitted from a single TRP (although a TRP can transmit one or more beams).

[0098] PRS resources can also be defined by quasi-co-location and starting PRB parameters. The quasi-co-location (QCL) parameter defines any quasi-co-location information of the DLPRS resource with other reference signals. The DL PRS can be configured to be QCL type D with DL PRS or SS / PBCH (Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel) blocks from serving or non-serving cells. The DL PRS can also be configured to be QCL type C with SS / PBCH blocks from serving or non-serving cells. The starting PRB parameter defines the starting PRB index of the DLPRS resource relative to reference point A. The granularity of the starting PRB index is one PRB, and the minimum value can be 0 and the maximum value is 2176 PRBs.

[0099] A PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources with the same periodicity, the same silent mode configuration (if any), and the same cross-slot repetition factor. Each time all repetitions of all PRS resources in a PRS resource set are configured for transmission is called an "instance". Therefore, an "instance" of a PRS resource set is a specified number of repetitions for each PRS resource and a specified number of PRS resources within the PRS resource set, such that the instance is completed once the specified number of repetitions have been transmitted for each of the specified number of PRS resources. An instance can also be referred to as an "opportunity". A DLPRS configuration, including DL PRS transmission scheduling, can be provided to the UE to facilitate DL PRS measurement (or even enable the UE to measure DL PRS).

[0100] Multiple frequency layers of a PRS can be aggregated to provide an effective bandwidth greater than the bandwidth of any single layer. Multiple frequency layers belonging to component carriers (which can be coherent and / or separate) and satisfying criteria such as Quasi-Co-location (QCL) and having the same antenna ports can be stitched together to provide a larger effective PRS bandwidth (for DL ​​PRS and UL-PRS), thereby improving the accuracy of time-of-arrival measurements. In the case of QCL, different frequency layers behave similarly, resulting in a larger effective bandwidth for PRS stitching. A larger effective bandwidth (which may be referred to as the bandwidth of the aggregated PRS or the frequency bandwidth of the aggregated PRS) provides better time-domain resolution (e.g., the resolution of TDOA). An aggregated PRS comprises a collection of PRS resources, and each PRS resource in the aggregated PRS may be referred to as a PRS component, and each PRS component may be transmitted on different component carriers, frequency bands, or frequency layers, or on different portions of the same frequency band.

[0101] RTT positioning is an active positioning technology because RTT uses positioning signals sent by the TRP to the UE and by the UE (participating in RTT positioning) to the TRP. The TRP can send a DL-PRS signal received by the UE, and the UE can send an SRS (Probe Reference Signal) signal received by multiple TRPs. The Probe Reference Signal may be referred to as SRS or SRS signal. In 5G multi-RTT, coordinated positioning can be used, where the UE sends a single UL-SRS for positioning received by multiple TRPs, instead of sending a separate UL-SRS for positioning for each TRP. A participating TRP will typically search for UEs currently residing on that TRP (the served UE, where the TRP is the serving TRP) and also search for UEs residing on neighboring TRPs (neighbor UEs). A neighboring TRP can be a TRP of a single BTS (e.g., gNB), or it can be a TRP of a single BTS and a TRP of a single BTS. For RTT positioning (including multi-RTT positioning), the DL-PRS and UL-SRS positioning signals in the PRS / SRS positioning signal pair used to determine the RTT (and thus the range between the UE and TRP) may occur close to each other in time, so that the errors caused by UE movement and / or UE clock drift and / or TRP clock drift are within acceptable limits. For example, the signals in the PRS / SRS positioning signal pair may be transmitted from the TRP and the UE within approximately 10 ms of each other. In cases where the SRS positioning signal is being transmitted by the UE and the PRS and SRS positioning signals are transmitted close to each other in time, it has been found that this may lead to radio frequency (RF) signal congestion (which may result in excessive noise, etc.) (especially if many UEs are concurrently attempting positioning), and / or computational congestion at the TRP where many UEs are concurrently attempting to measure.

[0102] RTT positioning can be UE-based or UE-assisted. In UE-based RTT, UE 200 determines the RTT and corresponding range to each of TRP 300, and determines the location of UE 200 based on the range to TRP 300 and the known location of TRP 300. In UE-assisted RTT, UE 200 measures the positioning signal and provides the measurement information to TRP 300, and TRP 300 determines the RTT and range. TRP 300 provides the range to a location server (e.g., server 400), and the server determines the location of UE 200, for example, based on the range to different TRP 300s. RTT and / or range may be determined by TRP 300, which receives signals from UE 200, by TRP 300 in conjunction with one or more other devices (e.g., one or more other TRP 300 and / or server 400), or by one or more devices other than TRP 300 that receive signals from UE 200.

[0103] 5G NR supports various positioning technologies. Native NR positioning methods supported in 5G NR include DL-only positioning, UL-only positioning, and DL+UL positioning. Downlink-based positioning methods include DL-TDOA and DL-AoD. Uplink-based positioning methods include UL-TDOA and UL-AoA. Combined DL+UL positioning methods include RTT with one base station and RTT with multiple base stations (multi-RTT).

[0104] UE to UE positioning

[0105] Reference Figure 5 and further refer to Figure 1-4The positioning system 500 includes a target UE 510, an anchor UE 520, TRPs 531, 532, 533, and 534 (e.g., gNB), a server 540, and other UEs 551, 552, and 553. Each of TRPs 531-534 can be an example of TRP 300, and the server 540 can be an example of server 400 (e.g., LMF). Each of UEs 510, 520, and 551-553 can be an example of UE 200 and can take any of various forms. For example, the target UE 510 is shown as a smartphone, but other forms of UEs can be used, such as being regarded as anchor UE 520 or others. Anchor UE 520 may be shown as a smartphone 521, or a vehicle 522, or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 523 (e.g., drone), although other forms of UEs can be used. Anchor UE 520 may, for example, have more processing power and / or faster processing speed than smartphones typically have. Anchor UE 520 may be the center of a star topology 560 including target UE 510, anchor UE 520, and other UEs 551-553. Anchor UE 520 may act as a controller for the star topology 560, for example, to coordinate the SL PRS configuration between UEs 510, 520, and 551-553. Target UE 510 may be configured to send and / or receive reference signals to TRPs 531-533 to help determine the location of target UE 510, for example, by measuring reference signals from one or more of TRPs 531-533 and / or providing reference signals (e.g., SRS for location, also known as UL-PRS) to TRPs 531-533 for measurement. The TRPs 531-533 within the communication range of UE 510 may provide anchor points that are insufficient to determine the location of UE 510, or insufficient to determine the location of the target UE 510 with the desired accuracy. Therefore, it may be desirable to be able to use one or more other UEs (e.g., anchor UE 520) as anchor points, exchanging one or more reference signals with those anchor points to determine the location of the target UE 510 or to assist in determining the location of the target UE 510 (e.g., as a supplement to other measurements used to determine the location of the target UE 510).

[0106] Reference Figure 6 And further refer to Figure 1-5 UE 600 includes a processor 610, an interface 620, and a memory 630, which are communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 640. UE 600 may include... Figure 6 Some or all of the components shown, and may include one or more other components, such as Figure 2Any of the components shown may be used such that UE 200 can be an example of UE 600. Alternatively or alternatively, UE 510, 520 may be examples of UE 600. Processor 610 may include one or more components of processor 210. Interface 620 may include one or more components of transceiver 215, such as wireless transmitter 242 and antenna 246, or wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246, or wireless transmitter 242, wireless receiver 244, and antenna 246. Alternatively or alternatively, interface 620 may include wired transmitter 252 and / or wired receiver 254. Interface 620 may include SPS receiver 217 and antenna 262. Memory 630 may be configured similarly to memory 211, for example, including software with processor-readable instructions configured to cause processor 610 to perform functions.

[0107] The description herein may refer only to the processor 610 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as the processor 610 performing software and / or firmware implementations (stored in memory 630). The description herein may refer to the UE 600 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the UE 600 (e.g., processor 610 and memory 630) performing the function. The processor 610 (possibly in conjunction with memory 630 and, where appropriate, with interface 620) includes a UE-UE PRS unit 650. The UE-UE PRS unit 650 may be configured to: provide SL PRS related data to another UE, request SL PRS related data, receive SL PRS related data, and / or use SL PRS related data to obtain and measure SLPRS from another UE (e.g., anchor UE 520) for use in determining the location of a target UE (e.g., UE 510, which may be an example of UE 600).

[0108] Refer again Figure 5 And further refer to Figure 1-4 and Figure 6UEs 510, 520 (and possibly one or more other UEs) are configured to exchange SL PRS-related data and SL PRS. SL PRS-related data can be used by one or more of UEs 510, 520 to transmit and / or receive, and to aid in the measurement of SL PRS. Auxiliary data may include data such as Quasi-Co-location (QCL) information (e.g., antenna port, beam, etc.), reference source (e.g., reference source ID), expected RSTD window (e.g., expected RSTD and RSTD uncertainty, or expected RSTD window start and expected RSTD window end), and configuration information (e.g., transmission mode (e.g., including offsets (e.g., time, frequency, symbol, etc.), comb number, repetition factor, etc.), silence mode, etc.). Auxiliary data can be transmitted from target UE 510 to anchor UE 520 and / or from anchor UE 520 to target UE 510. Auxiliary data may also be obtained from one or more other entities (e.g., one or more TRPs 531-533 (e.g., serving TRPs) and / or server 540). The sidelink PRS can be sent from the target UE 510 to the anchor UE 520 and / or from the anchor UE 520 to the target UE 510.

[0109] UEs 510 and 520 can operate in different SL operating modes. For example, in a mode typically referred to as Mode 1, the serving TRP (e.g., TRP 531 of the target UE 510 and TRP 534 of the anchor UE 520) schedules PRS resources or provides at least some PRS configuration parameters. In a mode typically referred to as Mode 2, the serving TRP assigns a resource pool, and UEs 510 and 520 determine how to use that resource pool, for example, for SL PRS switching.

[0110] UEs 510 and 520 may request SL PRS-related data (e.g., SL PRS auxiliary data and / or SL PRS configuration data). For example, target UE 510 (e.g., UE-UE PRS unit 650) may be configured to send a general request for SL PRS-related data to anchor UE 520 and / or one or more other entities (such as TRPs 531-533 and / or server 540). Alternatively, target UE 510 may be configured to request one or more specific items of SL PRS-related data, such as requesting one or more specific QCL values, one or more SL PRS configuration parameter values, etc. Target UE 510 may request SL PRS-related data to change the current SL PRS configuration and / or the current SL PRS auxiliary data, for example, to help improve SL PRS reception and / or measurement, for example, when target UE 510 cannot measure SL PRS with at least the expected accuracy and / or confidence level using the current SL PRS configuration.

[0111] UEs 510 and 520 (e.g., UE-UE PRS unit 650) can obtain SL PRS-related data from multiple sources, such as SL PRS configuration information. For example, target UE 510 can obtain QCL information solely from anchor UE 520 (e.g., particularly when target UE 510 and anchor UE 520 have an established SL communication link), while target UE 510 can obtain QCL information from the serving base station (e.g., TRP 531) or from both anchor UE 520 and TRP 531. As another example, target UE 510 can obtain transmission mode and / or silent mode from serving TRP 531.

[0112] UEs 510 and 520 (e.g., UE-UE PRS unit 650) can be configured to apply one or more priority rules to multiple values ​​of a single SL PRS-related data parameter in order to select one of these values ​​for the SL PRS-related data parameter. For example, the target UE 510 can be configured to give higher priority to QCL information provided by the anchor UE 520 than to QCL information provided by the TRP (e.g., the serving TRP 531 of the target UE 510) (especially when the target UE 510 and the anchor UE 520 have an established SL communication link). As another example, the target UE 510 can give higher priority to parameters (or parameters) stored by the target UE 510 than to parameters (or parameters) received by the target UE 510 (e.g., from another UE). As other examples, transmission modes (e.g., time offset, comb number, etc.), silent modes, and / or transmit power provided by the TRP 531 can be given higher priority than such information provided by the target UE 510 or the anchor UE 520 (and thus selected preferentially). The priority rules applied may depend on the UE's operating mode. For example, SL PRS-related data provided by TRP may be given higher priority in mode 1 and lower priority in mode 2.

[0113] Also refer to Figure 7 The processing and signaling flow 700 for determining location information includes the stages shown. Flow 700 is an example, and stages can be added, removed, and / or rearranged within flow 700.

[0114] In phase 710, a sidelink connection 712 can be established between the target UE 510 and the anchor UE 520. The target UE 510 and the anchor UE 520 can perform a handshake procedure to establish the SL connection 712. The SL connection 712 can be established at a different time than shown in process 700, for example, after phase 720 or after phase 730 (in the absence of using a sidelink connection (e.g., via uplink and / or downlink connection) to request and obtain SL PRS related data).

[0115] In phase 720, the provision of SL PRS-related data can be initiated. For example, the provision of SL PRS-related data can be triggered by the target UE 510 sending one or more requests for SL PRS-related data. As another example, another entity (such as anchor UE 520 or server 400) can initiate the procedure (e.g., as discussed below with respect to phase 730) by sending SL PRS-related data to the target UE 510 without having received the request and thus responding to receiving the request from the target UE 510. As shown, one or more requests for SL PRS-related data can be sent by the target UE 510 (e.g., by UE-UE PRS unit 650 via interface 620). For example, the target UE 510 can send an SL PRS-related data request 722 to TRP 531, which is the serving TRP of the target UE 510. TRP 531 can send an SL PRS request to TRP 534, which can respond to receiving request 723 by sending request 729. Alternatively, the target UE 510 may send an SL PRS related data request 724 to the server 400 (or directly as shown, or via TRP 531). Alternatively, the target UE 510 may send an SL PRS related data request 726 to the anchor UE 520, and the anchor UE 520 may send an SL PRS related data request 727 to TRP 534, which is the serving TRP of the anchor UE 520. Although request 726 is shown as being sent directly from the target 510 to the anchor 520 (e.g., via SL connection 712), the SL PRS related data request may be indirect, for example, including request 724, request 728 from the server 400 to the TRP 534 serving the anchor UE 520, and request 729 from the TRP 534 to the anchor UE 520. The content of request 729 may vary depending on whether request 729 is sent in response to receiving request 723 or request 728. Any of SL PRS related data requests 722, 724, and 726 may include a trigger for positioning of target UE 510 and therefore include an implicit request for SL PRS related data, or and / or may include an explicit request for SL PRS related data. An explicit request for SL PRS related data may be generic, explicitly requesting SL PRS related data for any other UE or anchor UE 520 without specifying any requested SL PRS related data value.Explicit requests for SL PRS-related data may include: one or more requested SL PRS auxiliary data values ​​(e.g., QCL values, such as antenna ports and / or (beams)), or anticipated RSTD and uncertainties, and / or one or more SL PRS configuration data values ​​(e.g., the number of further PRS instances to be transmitted, one or more transmission scheduling values ​​(e.g., frequency layer, comb number, time offset, frequency offset, etc.)). Requested SL PRS-related data may be requested to change a current PRS configuration that has never yielded sufficient results (e.g., signal acquisition, measurement accuracy, etc.). Explicit requests for SL PRS-related data may include general requests for SL PRS-related data, in addition to including one or more specifically requested SL PRS-related data values, such as when SL PRS-related data values ​​are not requested for all SL PRS-related data to be used. Requests 722, 724, and 726 can be triggered or self-organized because SL PRS may not be scheduled for periodic transmissions, and SL PRS-related data can be requested for SL Rx-based positioning (where the target UE 510 will receive SL PRS transmitted by the anchor UE 520), for SL Tx-based positioning (where the target UE 510 will transmit SL PRS to the anchor UE 520), or a combination of SL Rx-based and SL Tx-based positioning. The target UE 510 may not send SL PRS-related data requests, for example, when the target UE 510 provides (e.g., determines and provides) SL PRS configuration to the anchor UE 520 (and, where appropriate, any other UE 600). Phase 720 can be omitted, for example, when the target UE 510 determines the SL PRS-related data independently.

[0116] In phase 730, the target UE 510 may transmit and / or receive (e.g., in response to a request) SL PRS related data for use in SL PRS exchanges with the anchor UE 520 (transmitted to and / or received from the anchor UE 520). For example, the target UE 510 (e.g., UE-UE PRS unit 650) may send an SL PRS related data message 732 to the anchor UE 520 containing SL PRS related data. The SL PRS related data may include SL PRS auxiliary data (such as quasi-co-location (QCL) information (e.g., antenna port, beam, etc.), reference source (e.g., reference source ID), expected RSTD window (e.g., expected RSTD and RSTD uncertainty, or expected RSTD window start and expected RSTD window end)) and / or SL PRS configuration data (e.g., transmission mode (e.g., including offsets (e.g., time, frequency, symbol, etc.), comb number, repetition factor, etc.), silent mode, etc.). The silent mode indicates that the SL PRS is scheduled for one or more parts (e.g., instances, time slots, symbols, etc.) that are not to be transmitted. SL PRS related data may include data determined by the target UE 510 (e.g., UE-UE PRS unit 650) and / or obtained by the target UE 510 (e.g., from one or more other entities, such as anchor UE 520, TRP 531, server 400, etc.). For example, SL PRS related data message 737 from anchor UE 520 to target UE 510 and / or SL PRS related data message 738 from TRP 531 and / or SL PRS related data message 736 from server 400 (based on SL PRS related data message from TRP 534) may indicate a recommended reference signaling source for the target UE 510 to use when determining the RSTD value. The target UE 510 may be configured to select from multiple recommended reference signaling sources. Ancillary data may include one or more indications of the expected RSTD window (e.g., the expected RSTD and the uncertainty of the expected RSTD, or the start and end times of the expected RSTD window). TRP 534 may provide one or more SL PRS related data values ​​to server 400 in SL PRS related data request 724. Server 400, anchor UE 520, and / or TRP 531 may provide one or more SL PRS related data values ​​via one or more SL PRS related data messages 736, 737, and 738, respectively.Different entities may provide different values ​​for SL PRS-related data parameters. For example, the transmission mode and / or silent mode may be provided by one or more TRPs 300, while the QCL parameter values ​​may be provided by the target UE 510 and / or anchor UE 520 (especially when the target UE 510 and anchor UE 520 have an established SL connection). The target UE 510 may obtain different portions of the SL PRS-related data from multiple entities (e.g., the target UE 510, anchor UE 520, TRP 531, TRP 534, and / or server 400 and / or one or more other entities). Although messages 732 and 737 are shown as being sent directly between the anchor UE 520 and the target UE 510 (e.g., via SL connection 712), the contents of messages 732 and 737 may be exchanged indirectly (e.g., via TRPs 531, 534, and / or server 400). SL PRS related data (e.g., SL PRS configuration data) can establish anchor UE 520 as an SL Tx UE for SL Rx-based positioning, or an SL Rx UE for SL Tx-based positioning, or a combination thereof for SL Rx and Tx-based positioning. Anchor UE 520 can also obtain SL PRS related data from one or more entities other than anchor UE 520 and / or target UE 510 (e.g., TRP 534, TRP 531, server 400, etc.).

[0117] Anchor UE 520 can coordinate SL PRS configuration. For example, anchor UE 520 (e.g., UE-UE PRS unit 650 of anchor UE 520) can provide SL PRS related data to target UE 510 and one or more other UEs 551-553 to coordinate SL PRS configuration in the star topology 560 of the UE.

[0118] In phase 740, the target UE 510 selects an SL PRS-related data value from multiple values ​​obtained for the same parameter. For example, the UE-UE PRS unit 650 may be configured to apply one or more priority rules to select which of the multiple values ​​to use for a single SL PRS-related data parameter. The rules to be applied may depend on one or more factors, such as the current operating mode of the UE 600 (e.g., mode 1 or mode 2). For example, in mode 1, PRS configuration parameters obtained from TRP 531 may have higher priority, while in mode 2, PRS configuration parameters from a UE (e.g., anchor UE 520) may have higher priority. The priority rules may, for example, cause the UE-UE PRS unit 650 to select QCL values ​​(e.g., antenna port, beam) obtained from the target UE 510 or anchor UE 520 (e.g., determined by the target UE 510 or received from the anchor UE 520) rather than QCL values ​​obtained from another entity (such as TRP 531 or server 400). As another example, priority rules may enable the UE-UE PRS unit 650 to select transmission mode, silence mode, time offset, and / or transmit power obtained from TRP 531, rather than values ​​of such parameters obtained from one or more other entities. One or more priority rules may be statically configured, for example, pre-programmed / hard-coded during the manufacture of the target UE 510. One or more priority rules may be dynamically configured, for example, based on messages received from TRP 531 or server 400 (e.g., LMF) (e.g., RRC (Radio Resource Control) messages). The anchor UE 520 may be configured similarly to the target UE 510, for example, to enable the anchor UE 520 to provide and / or receive and use SL PRS, for example, to measure SL PRS and determine positioning information (e.g., PRS measurements, ranges, location estimates, etc.). For example, although not shown, anchor UE 520 may receive and / or determine part or all of the SL PRS related data from TRP 534, server 400 and / or one or more other entities (e.g., UE-UE PRS unit 650 of anchor UE 520), and may select SL PRS related data values ​​based on one or more priority rules where appropriate.

[0119] In phase 750, SL PRS are exchanged between target UE 510 and anchor UE 520. In addition to exchanging SL PRS between UEs 510 and 520, target UE 510 and / or anchor UE 520 may transmit and / or receive other PRS (e.g., receive DL PRS from one or more TRPs, and / or transmit UL PRS to one or more TRPs, and / or transmit / receive SL PRS between one or more other UEs). Target UE 510 may also send a trigger message 752 to trigger anchor UE 520 to transmit SL PRS 754 (and / or vice versa), for example, because SL PRS may not be scheduled for periodic transmission. Anchor UE 520 can send SL PRS 754 to target UE 510, and target UE 510 can measure the received SL PRS 754. Alternatively, target UE 510 can send SL PRS 756 to anchor UE 520, and anchor UE 520 can measure the received SL PRS 756. UEs 510 and 520 can send PRS 754 and 756 according to the SL PRS configuration of the SL PRS related data. Target UE 510 sends SL PRS 756 for Tx-based positioning, while anchor UE 520 sends SL PRS 754 for Rx-based positioning. UEs 510 and 520 also send SL PRS 754 and 756 for both Tx-based and Rx-based positioning.

[0120] At stage 760, the target UE 510 and / or anchor UE 520 may transmit one or more measurement reports as appropriate. For example, the target UE 510 may transmit a measurement report 762 to the anchor UE 520 in response to the target UE 510 receiving and measuring SL PRS 754, and if the anchor UE 520 wants to determine positioning information from the SL PRS measurements performed by the target UE 510 (e.g., to achieve or facilitate SL Rx-based positioning). As another example, the target UE 510 may transmit a measurement report 764 to the server 400 in response to the target UE 510 receiving and measuring SL PRS 754, and if the server 400 wants to determine positioning information from the SL PRS measurements performed by the target UE 510 (e.g., to facilitate SL-assisted positioning). As another example, anchor UE 520 may, in response to anchor UE 520 receiving and measuring SL PRS 756, transmit measurement report 766 to target UE 510 if target UE 510 needs to determine positioning information from (e.g., to facilitate SL Tx-based positioning) using SL PRS measurements performed by anchor UE 520. As another example, anchor UE 520 may, in response to anchor UE 520 receiving and measuring SL PRS 756, transmit measurement report 768 to server 400 if server 400 needs to determine positioning information from (e.g., to facilitate SL-assisted positioning) using SL PRS measurements performed by anchor UE 520. Any or all of measurement reports 762, 764, 766, and 768 may be omitted, for example, when target UE 510 determines positioning information (e.g., PRS measurements, ranges, locations, etc.) for use by applications native to target UE 510. As another example, measurement reports 764 and 768 can be omitted for pure SL-based localization.

[0121] In stages 770, 780, and 790, location information for the target UE 510 can be determined based on one or more PRS measurements, for example, using one or more positioning techniques (e.g., those discussed above). Stages 770, 780, and 790 can be performed at different times, and one or more of stages 770, 780, and 790 can be omitted from process 700. Stages 770 and 780 are used for SL-based positioning, while stage 790 is used for SL-assisted positioning. In stage 770, the anchor UE 520 can determine location information (e.g., one or more location estimates) for the target UE 510, for example, based on measurements of SL PRS 756 and / or measurement reports 762. In stage 780, the target UE 510 can determine location information for the target UE 510, for example, based on measurements of SL PRS 754 and / or measurement reports 766. At stage 790, server 400 can determine location information for target UE 510 based on measurement report 764 and / or measurement report 768.

[0122] Reference Figure 8 And further refer to Figure 1-7 The method 800 for obtaining one or more positioning reference signals includes the stages shown. However, method 800 is merely an example and not a limitation. Method 800 can be modified, for example, by having stages added, removed, rearranged, combined, executed concurrently, and / or by having a single stage split into multiple stages.

[0123] In phase 810, method 800 includes establishing a sidelink connection with a second user equipment by a first user equipment. For example, target UE 510 establishes a sidelink connection 712 with anchor UE 520. Target UE 510 and / or anchor UE 520 may also establish SL connections with one or more other UEs. Processor 610 (possibly in conjunction with memory 630 and interface 620 (e.g., wireless transmitter 242, wireless receiver 244, and antenna 246)) may include means for establishing sidelink connections.

[0124] In phase 820, method 800 includes using a sidelink connection to exchange sidelink information between a first user equipment and a second user equipment. This exchange includes at least one of the following: transmitting first SL PRS related data (sidelink positioning reference signal related data) from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, the first SL PRS related data including at least one of first SL PRS auxiliary data or first SL PRS configuration data; or receiving second SL PRS related data from the second user equipment by the first user equipment, the second SL PRS related data including at least one of second SL PRS auxiliary data or second SL PRS configuration data. For example, target UE 510 may send SL PRS related data message 732 (where anchor UE 520 receives message 732) and / or anchor UE 520 may send SL PRS related data message 737 (where target UE receives message 737). SL PRS related data may also be transmitted to and / or received from one or more other entities (e.g., one or more TRPs 300 and / or servers 400). The processor 610 (which may be combined with memory 630 and interface 620 (e.g., wireless transmitter 242 and antenna 246 and / or wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246)) may include means for exchanging one or more communications between the first UE and the second UE.

[0125] At stage 830, method 800 includes exchanging one or more sidelink positioning reference signals between a first user equipment and a second user equipment based on at least one of a first SL PRS related data or a second SL PRS related data. For example, target UE 510 may send SL PRS 756 to anchor UE 520 and / or anchor UE 520 may send SL PRS 754 to target UE 510. Processor 610 (possibly in conjunction with memory 630 and interface 620 (e.g., wireless transmitter 242 and antenna 246 and / or wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246)) may include means for exchanging one or more sidelink positioning reference signals.

[0126] Implementations of method 800 may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, exchanging the sidelink information includes receiving second SL PRS related data, and the method further includes transmitting a request for the second SL PRS related data from a first user equipment to a second user equipment. For example, the target UE 510 may directly send an SL PRS related data request 722 to the anchor UE 520, and / or may send one or more of SL PRS related data requests 722, 724, which may result in the target UE 510 indirectly sending a request for SL PRS related data to the anchor UE 520. Alternatively or concurrently, the anchor UE 520 may directly and / or indirectly send one or more requests for SL PRS related data to the target UE 510. Processor 610 (possibly in conjunction with memory 630 and interface 620 (e.g., wireless transmitter 242 and antenna 246)) may include means for transmitting the request for the second SL PRS related data. In another example implementation, the request for the second SL PRS related data includes an indication of a sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter value. For example, the request may include: an indication of the number of PRS instances and / or one or more transport mode parameters (e.g., time offset, frequency offset, symbol offset, comb number, frequency layer, etc.).

[0127] Additionally or alternatively, implementations of method 800 may include one or more of the following features. In one example implementation, exchanging the sidelink information includes receiving second SL PRS related data, and the method further includes receiving third SL PRS related data by a first user equipment from at least one of a base station or a server. For example, target UE 510 may receive SL PRS related data message 736 from server 400 and / or SL PRS related data message 738 from TRP 531. The third SL PRS related data may include third SL PRS auxiliary data and / or third SL PRS configuration data. Processor 610 (possibly in conjunction with memory 630 and interface 620 (e.g., radio receiver 244 and antenna 246)) may include means for receiving the third SL PRS related data. In another example implementation, the method may include applying a priority rule to select between the first and second values ​​in response to a first value of the second SL PRS related data and a second value of the third SL PRS related data being used for a single sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter. For example, the target UE 510 may use one or more priority rules (e.g., statically configured by being pre-programmed during manufacturing and stored in memory 630 and / or dynamically configured by one or more received communications) to select from multiple values ​​of the same parameter (e.g., configuration parameter or auxiliary data parameter), as discussed with respect to phase 740. The processor 610 (possibly in conjunction with memory 630) may include means for applying priority rules to select between a first value of second SL PRS-related data and a second value of third SL PRS-related data. In another example implementation, the priority rule is based on the operating mode of the first user equipment. For example, the priority rule applied by the target UE 510 may differ depending on whether the target UE 510 is operating in mode 1 or mode 2.

[0128] Alternatively or concurrently, implementations of method 800 may include one or more of the following features. In one example implementation, exchanging the sidelink information includes transmitting first SL PRS related data, and the first SL PRS related data includes an indication of a reference signal source for determining the reference signal time difference by the second user equipment. For example, for Tx-based positioning, the target UE 510 may indicate to the anchor UE 520 which entity (e.g., a base station or other UE) is to be used to determine the RSTD measurement. In another example implementation, the indication of the reference signal source designates a third user equipment as the reference signal source.

[0129] Additionally or alternatively, implementations of method 800 may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, the method includes: receiving, by a first user equipment, one or more indications to a plurality of reference signal sources from at least one of a base station or a second user equipment, and selecting a specific reference signal source from the plurality of reference signal sources by the first user equipment. For example, target UE 510 may receive, for example, one or more indications to a plurality of possible reference signal sources from one or more of anchor UE 520, TRP 531, server 400, another TRP 300 and / or another server 400, and may select one (or more) of these possible reference signal sources, for example, for one or more RSTD measurements. Processor 610 (possibly in conjunction with memory 630 and interface 620 (e.g., wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246)) may include means for receiving one or more indications to the plurality of reference signal sources, and processor 610 (possibly in conjunction with memory 630) may include means for selecting a specific reference signal source from the plurality of reference signal sources. In another example implementation, exchanging the sidelink information includes transmitting first SL PRS related data, and the first SL PRS related data includes at least one of the following: one or more quasi-common parameter values; one or more indications of the expected reference signal time difference window; positioning the reference signal transmission mode; or positioning the reference signal silent mode.

[0130] Other considerations

[0131] Other examples and implementations fall within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, the above-described functions can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwired, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functions can also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that different parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0132] As used herein, the singular forms of “a,” “some,” and “the” also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and / or “containing” indicate the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0133] As used herein, the term RS (reference signal) may refer to one or more reference signals and may be appropriately applied to any form of the term RS, such as PRS, SRS, CSI-RS, etc.

[0134] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, a description of a function or operation “based on” an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the described item or condition and may be based on one or more items and / or conditions other than the described item or condition.

[0135] Similarly, as used herein, the "or" used in an enumeration of items followed by "at least one of" or "one or more of" indicates a disjunctive enumeration, such that an enumeration of, for example, "at least one of A, B, or C" or "one or more of A, B, or C" represents A or B or C or AB (A and B) or AC (A and C) or BC (B and C) or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or a combination having more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.). Thus, a reference to an item (e.g., a processor) being configured to perform a function with respect to at least one of A or B indicates that the item can be configured to perform a function with respect to A, or can be configured to perform a function with respect to B, or can be configured to perform a function with respect to both A and B. For example, the phrase processor being configured to measure "at least one of A or B" indicates that the processor can be configured to measure A (and may or may not be configured to measure B), or can be configured to measure B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or can be configured to measure A and measure B (and can be configured to select which or both of A and B to measure). Similarly, a description of a device for measuring at least one of A or B includes: a device for measuring A (which may or may not measure B), or a device for measuring B (which may or may not be configured to measure A), or a device for measuring A and B (which may be able to select which or both of A and B to measure). As another example, a description of an item (e.g., a processor) being configured to perform at least one of function X or function Y indicates that the item can be configured to perform function X, or can be configured to perform function Y, or can be configured to perform both function X and function Y. For example, the phrase "a processor is configured to measure 'at least one of X or Y'" indicates that the processor can be configured to measure X (and may or may not be configured to measure Y), or can be configured to measure Y (and may or may not be configured to measure X), or can be configured to measure X and measure Y (and can be configured to select which or both of X and Y to measure).

[0136] Substantial modifications can be made to suit specific requirements. For example, custom hardware can be used, and / or specific elements can be implemented in the hardware, in processor-executed software (including portable software such as applets), or both. Furthermore, connections to other computing devices (such as network input / output devices) can be employed. Unless otherwise stated, the interconnected or communicating components (functionally or otherwise) shown in the figures and / or discussed herein are communicatively coupled. That is, they can be directly or indirectly connected to enable communication between them.

[0137] The systems and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations may appropriately omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components. For example, features described with reference to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of a configuration may be combined in a similar manner. Furthermore, technology evolves, and thus many elements are examples and do not limit the scope of this disclosure or the claims.

[0138] A wireless communication system is a system in which communication is transmitted wirelessly, that is, through the atmospheric space via electromagnetic waves and / or sound waves rather than through wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication network may not necessarily transmit all communications wirelessly, but may be configured to transmit at least some communications wirelessly. Furthermore, the term "wireless communication device" or similar terms do not require that the device be functionally exclusively or uniformly primarily used for communication, or that the device is a mobile device, but rather indicate that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (one-way or two-way), for example, including at least one radio (each radio being part of a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver) for wireless communication.

[0139] Specific details are provided in this description to offer a thorough understanding of the example configurations (including implementations). However, these configurations can be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring these configurations. This description provides only example configurations and does not limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. Rather, the preceding description of the configurations provides a description for implementing the techniques. Various changes can be made to the function and arrangement of the elements.

[0140] As used herein, the terms “processor-readable medium,” “machine-readable medium,” and “computer-readable medium” refer to any medium that participates in providing data that enables a machine to operate in a particular manner. Using a computing platform, various processor-readable media may involve providing instructions / code to (such as) processors for execution, and / or being used to store and / or carry such instructions / code (e.g., as signals). In many implementations, processor-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical discs and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, but are not limited to, dynamic memory.

[0141] After describing several example configurations, various modifications, substitutions, constructs, and equivalents can be used. For example, the above elements can be components of a larger system, where other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the invention. Furthermore, several operations may be performed before, during, or after considering the above elements. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of the claims.

[0142] A statement whose value exceeds (or is greater than or higher than) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement whose value meets or exceeds a second threshold slightly greater than the first threshold. For example, in the resolution of the computing system, the second threshold is one value higher than the first threshold. A statement whose value is less than the first threshold (or within or below the first threshold) is equivalent to a statement whose value is less than or equal to a second threshold slightly lower than the first threshold. For example, in the resolution of the computing system, the second threshold is one value lower than the first threshold.

Claims

1. A first user equipment, comprising: An interface configured to wirelessly send and receive signals; Memory; as well as The processor, communicatively coupled to the interface and the memory, is configured to: Establish a sidelink connection with the second user equipment; The sidelink connection is used to transmit sidelink information to the second user equipment to receive second SL PRS related data from the second user equipment via the interface, namely, second sidelink positioning reference signal related data, the second SL PRS related data including at least one of second SL PRS auxiliary data or second SL PRS configuration data. Using the sidelink connection via the interface, one or more sidelink positioning reference signals are transmitted to the second user equipment based on the second SL PRS related data; as well as The interface is used to transmit a request for the second SL PRS related data to the second user equipment to change the current SL PRS configuration and / or the current SL PRS auxiliary data, wherein the request for the second SL PRS related data includes an indication of the side link positioning reference signal configuration parameter value.

2. The first user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive third SL PRS related data from at least one of a base station or a server via the interface.

3. The first user equipment as claimed in claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to apply a priority rule to select between the first value and the second value in response to a first value of the second SLPRS related data and a second value of the third SLPRS related data being used as a single sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter.

4. The first user equipment as claimed in claim 3, wherein the priority rule is based on the operating mode of the first user equipment.

5. The first user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the sidelink information to transmit first SL PRS related data to the second user equipment via the interface, the first SL PRS related data including at least one of first SL PRS auxiliary data or first SL PRS configuration data.

6. The first user equipment as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first SL PRS related data includes an indication of a reference signal source for determining the reference signal time difference by the second user equipment.

7. The first user equipment as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first SL PRS related data includes at least one of the following: one or more quasi-co-location parameter values; one or more indications of the expected reference signal time difference window; location reference signal transmission mode; or location reference signal silent mode.

8. The first user equipment as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to receive one or more indications for a plurality of reference signal sources from at least one of the base station or the second user equipment via the interface, and wherein the processor is configured to select a specific reference signal source among the plurality of reference signal sources.

9. A first user equipment, comprising: Device for establishing a side link connection with the second user equipment; A means for transmitting sidelink information with the second user equipment using the sidelink connection, comprising: A means for receiving second SL PRS related data, i.e., second sidelink positioning reference signal related data, from the second user equipment, wherein the second SL PRS related data includes at least one of second SL PRS auxiliary data or second SL PRS configuration data; and A means for transmitting one or more sidelink positioning reference signals to the second user equipment using the sidelink connection based on the second SL PRS related data; and A means for transmitting a request for the second SL PRS related data to the second user equipment to change the current SL PRS configuration and / or the current SL PRS auxiliary data, wherein the request for the second SL PRS related data includes an indication of the side link positioning reference signal configuration parameter value.

10. The first user equipment as claimed in claim 9, further comprising means for receiving third SL PRS related data from at least one of a base station or a server.

11. The first user equipment of claim 10, further comprising means for applying a priority rule to select between the first value and the second value in response to a first value of the second SL PRS related data and a second value of the third SL PRS related data being used as a single sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter.

12. The first user equipment as claimed in claim 11, wherein the priority rule is based on the operating mode of the first user equipment.

13. The first user equipment as claimed in claim 9, further comprising: A means for receiving, from at least one of a base station or the second user equipment, one or more indications to a plurality of reference signal sources, and A means for selecting a specific reference signal source from the plurality of reference signal sources.

14. The first user equipment as claimed in claim 9, wherein the means for transmitting the sidelink information comprises: A means for transmitting first SL PRS related data to the second user equipment, the first SL PRS related data including at least one of first SL PRS auxiliary data or first SL PRS configuration data.

15. The first user equipment as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first SL PRS related data includes an indication of a reference signal source for determining the reference signal time difference by the second user equipment.

16. The first user equipment as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first SL PRS related data includes at least one of the following: one or more quasi-co-location parameter values; one or more indications of the expected reference signal time difference window; location reference signal transmission mode; or location reference signal silent mode.

17. A method for obtaining one or more positioning reference signals, the method comprising: A side link connection is established between the first user equipment and the second user equipment; The sidelink connection is used to transmit sidelink information between the first user equipment and the second user equipment, the transmission of the sidelink information including: The first user equipment receives second SL PRS related data from the second user equipment, namely, second side link positioning reference signal related data. The second SL PRS related data includes at least one of second SL PRS auxiliary data or second SL PRS configuration data. Using the sidelink connection, one or more sidelink positioning reference signals are transmitted between the first user equipment and the second user equipment based on the second SL PRS related data; as well as A request for the second SL PRS related data is transmitted from the first user equipment to the second user equipment to change the current SL PRS configuration and / or the current SL PRS auxiliary data, wherein the request for the second SL PRS related data includes an indication of the side link positioning reference signal configuration parameter value.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises receiving third SL PRS related data from at least one of a base station or a server by the first user equipment.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising applying a priority rule to select between the first value and the second value in response to the use of a first value of the second SL PRS related data and a second value of the third SL PRS related data as a single sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the priority rule is based on the operating mode of the first user equipment.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising: The first user equipment receives one or more indications for a plurality of reference signal sources from at least one of the base station or the second user equipment, and The first user equipment selects a specific reference signal source from the plurality of reference signal sources.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein transmitting the sidelink information comprises: First SL PRS related data is transmitted from the first user equipment to the second user equipment, the first SL PRS related data including at least one of first SL PRS auxiliary data or first SL PRS configuration data.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first SL PRS related data includes an indication of a reference signal source for determining the reference signal time difference by the second user equipment.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the indication of the reference signal source indicates a third user equipment as the reference signal source.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the first SL PRS related data includes at least one of the following: one or more quasi-common parameter values; one or more indications of the expected reference signal time difference window; positioning the reference signal transmission mode; or positioning the reference signal silent mode.

26. A non-transient processor-readable storage medium including processor-readable instructions configured to cause a processor of a first user-equipped system to perform the following operations in order to obtain one or more positioning reference signals: Establish a sidelink connection with the second user equipment; The sidelink connection is used to transmit sidelink information with the second user equipment to receive second SL PRS related data from the second user equipment, namely, second sidelink positioning reference signal related data, the second SL PRS related data including at least one of second SL PRS auxiliary data or second SL PRS configuration data. Using the sidelink connection, one or more sidelink positioning reference signals are transmitted to the second user equipment based on the second SL PRS related data; and The request for the second SL PRS related data is transmitted to the second user equipment to change the current SL PRS configuration and / or the current SL PRS auxiliary data, wherein the request for the second SL PRS related data includes an indication of the side link positioning reference signal configuration parameter value.

27. The storage medium of claim 26, further comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to receive third SL PRS related data from at least one of a base station or a server.

28. The storage medium of claim 27, further comprising a processor-readable instruction configured to cause the processor to apply a priority rule to select between the first value and the second value in response to a first value of the second SL PRS related data and a second value of the third SL PRS related data being used as a single sidelink positioning reference signal configuration parameter.

29. The storage medium of claim 28, wherein the priority rule is based on the operating mode of the first user equipment.

30. The storage medium of claim 26, further comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to perform the following operations: Receive one or more indications for a plurality of reference signal sources from at least one of the base station or the second user equipment, and Select a specific reference signal source from the plurality of reference signal sources.

31. The storage medium of claim 26, wherein processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor to transmit the sidelink information include: A processor-readable instruction configured to cause the processor to transmit first SL PRS related data to the second user equipment, the first SL PRS related data including at least one of first SL PRS auxiliary data or first SL PRS configuration data.

32. The storage medium of claim 31, wherein the first SL PRS related data includes an indication of a reference signal source for determining the reference signal time difference by the second user equipment.

33. The storage medium of claim 31, wherein the first SL PRS related data includes at least one of the following: one or more quasi-common parameter values; one or more indications of the expected reference signal time difference window; positioning the reference signal transmission mode; or positioning the reference signal silent mode.

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