Positioning reference information measurement for joint positioning

Abstract

Positioning of multiple user equipments (UEs) is jointly determined by a location server using positioning measurements from a common set of positioning reference signals (PRSs), which can include downlink (DL) PRSs, uplink (UL) PRSs, sidelink (SL) PRSs, or a combination thereof. The common set of PRSs can be selected by the location server, e.g., based on a coarse estimate of the positioning of the UEs determined by the location server, a recommendation from the UEs, or a positioning report from the UEs. Once selected by the location server, an indication of the common set of PRSs is sent to the UEs. Alternatively, the common set of PRSs can be selected by one or more UEs, e.g., by a controlling UE or consensus, and the one or more UEs provide an indication of the common set of PRSs to the location server.

Description

[0001] Priority requirements

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. nonprovisional application No. 17 / 165,771, filed February 2, 2021, entitled “POSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNALMEASUREMENT FOR JOINT POSITIONING”, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Technology

[0003] field

[0004] The subject matter disclosed in this article relates to wireless communication systems, and in particular to systems, methods and devices that support joint positioning.

[0005] Relevant background

[0006] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunications services such as telephone, video, data, messaging, location, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems employ multiple access technologies that enable communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems (such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A), or LTE-A Pro systems) and fifth-generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems.

[0007] In some examples, a radio multiple access communication system may include several base stations, each supporting communication with multiple communication devices (also referred to as user equipment (UE)) simultaneously. In LTE or LTE-A networks, a set of one or more base stations may define an evolved B-node (eNB). In other examples (e.g., in next-generation or 5G networks), a radio multiple access communication system may include several distributed units (DUs) (e.g., edge units (EUs), edge nodes (ENs), radio heads (RHs), smart radio heads (SRHs), transmit-receive points (TRPs), etc.) communicating with several central units (CUs) (e.g., central nodes (CNs), access node controllers (ANCs), etc.), and a set of one or more distributed units communicating with the central units may define access nodes (e.g., new radio base stations (NR BSs), new radio B-nodes (NR NBs), network nodes, 5GNBs, gNBs, etc.). Base stations or DUs may communicate with the set of UEs on downlink channels (e.g., for transmissions from the base station or to the UE) and uplink channels (e.g., for transmissions from the UE to the base station or distributed units). Additionally, UEs can use sidelink channels to communicate directly with each other.

[0008] The location of a UE can be useful or essential for several applications, including emergency calls, navigation, direction finding, asset tracking, and internet services. The UE's location can be estimated based on information collected from various systems. In cellular networks implemented according to, for example, LTE or 5G NR, the base station can transmit downlink reference signals through which the UE performs location measurements and / or the UE can transmit uplink reference signals through which the base station performs location measurements. Additionally, sidelink reference signals can be transmitted by the UE and location measurements can be performed by the UE. The UE can use location measurements in UE-assisted positioning to calculate an estimate of its own location or can send location measurements to a network entity (e.g., a location server) that can calculate the UE's location based on the location measurements in UE-assisted positioning.

[0009] Positioning improvements implemented in newer technologies, such as 5G NR, to help locate multiple UEs more efficiently may be desirable.

[0010] Overview

[0011] The location of multiple User Equipment (UEs) is jointly determined by a location server using location measurements from a shared set of Positioning Reference Signals (PRS). This shared PRS set may include downlink (DL) PRS, uplink (UL) PRS, sidelink (SL) PRS, or a combination thereof. The shared PRS set may be selected by the location server, for example, based on a coarse estimate of the UE's location determined by the location server, a recommendation from the UE, or a location report from the UE. Once selected by the location server, an indication of the shared PRS set is sent to the UE. Alternatively, the shared PRS set may be selected by one or more UEs (e.g., by a controlling UE or consensus), and one or more UEs provide an indication of the shared PRS set to the location server. These UEs use the shared PRS set to perform location measurements and provide reports to the location server, which jointly determines the location of these UEs.

[0012] In one implementation, a method for supporting joint positioning of multiple user equipment (UEs) performed by a location server includes: selecting a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; sending a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including an indication of the common positioning reference signal set; receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof generated based on the indication of the common positioning reference signal set; and using the received location information to jointly determine a positioning estimate for each UE.

[0013] In one implementation, a location server configured to support joint positioning of multiple user equipment (UEs) includes: a communication interface configured to communicate in the wireless network; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the communication interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: select a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, and other relevant information from each of the plurality of UEs. The method includes: measuring sidelink positioning reference signals or combinations thereof by other UEs among the plurality of UEs; sending a message to each of the plurality of UEs via a communication interface, the message including an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals; receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or combinations thereof, via a communication interface, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or combinations thereof generated based on the indication of the common set of positioning reference signals; and using the received location information to jointly determine a location estimate for each UE.

[0014] In one implementation, a location server configured to support joint positioning of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) includes: means for selecting a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs, or combinations thereof; means for sending a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including an indication of the common positioning reference signal set; means for receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or combinations thereof, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or combinations thereof generated based on the indication of the common positioning reference signal set; and means for using the received location information to jointly determine a positioning estimate for each UE.

[0015] In one implementation, a non-transient storage medium includes program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a location server to support joint positioning of a plurality of user equipments (UEs), the non-transient storage medium comprising: program code for selecting a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by the one or more base stations, and uplink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs. The measured sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof; program code for sending a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals; program code for receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof generated based on the indication of the common set of positioning reference signals; and program code for jointly determining a location estimate for each UE using the received location information.

[0016] In one implementation, a method for supporting joint positioning of a plurality of user equipment (UEs) performed by a first UE among a plurality of UEs includes: sending to a location server a recommendation for joint positioning of the plurality of UEs using downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from each of the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof, wherein the location server selects a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement based on the recommendation, the common set of positioning reference signals including the selected downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof; receiving from the location server a message including an indication of the common set of positioning reference signals for the first UE to perform measurement; and performing positioning measurements of the downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, and transmitting the uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, based on the indication of the common set of positioning reference signals.

[0017] In one implementation, a first UE among a plurality of user equipments (UEs) is configured to support joint positioning of the plurality of UEs. The first UE includes: a radio transceiver configured to communicate with entities in a wireless network; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the radio transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: transmit via the radio transceiver to a location server downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, and uplink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by the plurality of UEs. The location server recommends a set of common positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, measured by other UEs for joint positioning of the multiple UEs, wherein the location server selects a set of common positioning reference signals for measurement based on the recommendation, the set of common positioning reference signals including selected downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof; receives a message from the location server via a radio transceiver including an indication of the common positioning reference signal set for measurement by the first UE; and performs positioning measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, and transmits uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, based on the indication of the common positioning reference signal set.

[0018] In one implementation, a first UE configured to support joint positioning of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) includes: means for sending to a location server a recommendation for joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, including downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from each of the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof, for the joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, wherein the location server selects a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement based on the recommendation, the common set of positioning reference signals including the selected downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof; means for receiving from the location server a message including an indication of the common set of positioning reference signals for the first UE to perform measurement; and means for performing positioning measurements of the downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, transmitting uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof based on the indication of the common set of positioning reference signals.

[0019] In one implementation, a non-transient storage medium includes program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor of a first UE among a plurality of user equipments (UEs) to support joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, the non-transient storage medium comprising: recommendations for transmitting to a location server downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from each of the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof. The program code includes: program code for joint positioning of the multiple UEs, wherein the location server selects a common positioning reference signal set for measurement based on the recommendation, the common positioning reference signal set including selected downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof; program code for receiving from the location server a message including an indication of the common positioning reference signal set for a first UE to perform measurement; and program code for performing positioning measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, and transmitting uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, based on the indication of the common positioning reference signal set.

[0020] In one implementation, a method for supporting joint positioning of multiple user equipment (UEs) performed by a location server includes: receiving from one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs an indication of a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from each of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof generated from the common positioning reference signal set; and using the received location information to jointly determine a positioning estimate for each UE.

[0021] In one implementation, a location server configured to support joint positioning of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) includes: a communication interface configured to communicate in the wireless network; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the communication interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive, via the communication interface, an indication from one or more of the plurality of UEs of a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs, or combinations thereof; receive, via the communication interface, location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or combinations thereof, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or combinations thereof generated from the common positioning reference signal set; and use the received location information to jointly determine a positioning estimate for each UE.

[0022] In one implementation, a location server configured to support joint positioning of a plurality of user equipment (UEs) includes: means for receiving from one or more UEs an indication of a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from each of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; means for receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof generated from the common positioning reference signal set; and means for using the received location information to jointly determine a positioning estimate for each UE.

[0023] In one implementation, a non-transient storage medium including program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a location server to support joint positioning of a plurality of user equipments (UEs), the non-transient storage medium comprising: program code for receiving from one or more of the plurality of UEs an indication of a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from each of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; program code for receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof generated from the common positioning reference signal set; and program code for using the received location information to jointly determine a positioning estimate for each UE.

[0024] In one implementation, a method for supporting joint positioning of a plurality of user equipment (UEs) performed by a first UE, comprising: receiving from a location server identifiers of the plurality of UEs and an indication that the plurality of UEs are included in a joint positioning session; sending to the location server an indication of a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs of the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof; performing positioning measurements on the downlink positioning reference signals and sidelink positioning reference signals from the common positioning reference signal set, transmitting the uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, according to the common positioning reference signal set.

[0025] In one implementation, a first UE among a plurality of user equipments (UEs) is configured to support joint positioning of the plurality of UEs. The UE includes: a radio transceiver configured to communicate with entities in a wireless network; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the radio transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive, via the radio transceiver, from a location server an identifier of the plurality of UEs and an indication that the plurality of UEs are included in a joint positioning session; transmit via the radio transceiver to the location server an indication of a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs, or a combination thereof; perform positioning measurements on the downlink positioning reference signals and sidelink positioning reference signals from the common positioning reference signal set, transmit the uplink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof, according to the common positioning reference signal set.

[0026] In one implementation, a first UE among a plurality of user equipments (UEs) configured to support joint positioning of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) includes: means for receiving from a location server identifiers of the plurality of UEs and an indication that the plurality of UEs are included in a joint positioning session; means for sending to the location server an indication of a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs of the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof; and means for performing positioning measurements on the downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals from the common positioning reference signal set, transmitting uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, according to the common positioning reference signal set.

[0027] In one implementation, a non-transient storage medium including program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor of a first UE among a plurality of user equipments (UEs) to support joint positioning of the plurality of user equipments (UEs), the non-transient storage medium comprising: program code for receiving from a location server identifiers of the plurality of UEs and indications regarding the inclusion of the plurality of UEs in a joint positioning session; program code for sending to the location server an indication of a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs among the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof; and means for performing positioning measurements on the downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals from the common positioning reference signal set, transmitting the uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, according to the common positioning reference signal set. Brief description of the attached diagram

[0029] Figure 1 The architecture of a communication system including several UEs, a radio access network (RAN), and a 5G core network (5GC) is shown.

[0030] Figure 2A The explanation focused on using sidelink localization to enhance UE localization in wireless communication systems.

[0031] Figure 2B The joint positioning of UEs in a wireless communication system was explained, which used side-link positioning between UEs.

[0032] Figure 3 A simplified wireless network environment and exemplary techniques for jointly locating a UE using the range between the UE and the base station are explained.

[0033] Figure 4 The joint location session of the UE in a sparsely connected wireless network environment is explained.

[0034] Figure 5 The joint location session of the UE in a densely connected wireless network environment is explained.

[0035] Figure 6 It describes the signaling flow of various messages sent between components of a communication system during a joint positioning session using a shared set of PRS selected by the location server.

[0036] Figure 7 It describes the signaling flow of various messages sent between components of the communication system during a joint positioning session using a shared PRS set selected by the UE.

[0037] Figure 8 A schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of the hardware implementation of the UE is shown, which enables joint positioning of a group of UEs to be supported using a shared set of PRS measured and reported by each UE.

[0038] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of the hardware implementation of a location server, which enables joint positioning of a group of UEs to be supported using a shared set of PRS measured and reported by each UE.

[0039] Figure 10 A flowchart of an exemplary method for supporting joint positioning of multiple UEs in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation is shown.

[0040] Figure 11 A flowchart of an exemplary method for supporting joint positioning of multiple UEs in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation is shown.

[0041] Figure 12 A flowchart of an exemplary method for supporting joint positioning of multiple UEs in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation is shown.

[0042] Figure 13 A flowchart of an exemplary method for supporting joint positioning of multiple UEs in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation is shown.

[0043] Elements are indicated by numerical designations in the accompanying drawings, where elements with similar designations in different drawings represent the same or similar elements. Different instances of a common element are indicated by adding different numerical suffixes after the numerical label of the common element. In this case, the numerical designation is referred to without the suffix to indicate any instance of the common element.

[0044] Detailed description

[0045] This paper discusses techniques for enabling multiple User Equipment (UEs) to conduct joint positioning sessions using a shared Location Reference Signal (PRS) set measured by multiple UEs. The shared PRS set can be a downlink (DL) PRS to be measured by each of the multiple UEs, a sidelink (SL) PRS from each of the multiple UEs to be measured by the other UEs, or a combination thereof. The shared PRS set can be one or more of the following: PRS Resource Identifier (ID), PRS Resource Set ID, Transport Point (TRP) ID, Cell ID, SL-PRS ID, UE ID, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), or any combination thereof. The shared PRS set can be selected by a location server or by one or more of the multiple UEs. By using a shared PRS set, the connection density of the wireless network is increased, providing superior positioning performance compared to sparsely connected wireless networks (such as when UEs have no or very few shared PRS measurements).

[0046] 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. Therefore, 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.

[0047] 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, 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.

[0048] 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 (gNodeB, 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.

[0049] 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, tablets, 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.). The communication link through which the UE can send signals to other UEs is called a sidelink channel. As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) can refer to an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward or sidelink traffic channel.

[0050] 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 for 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).

[0051] Figure 1 Examples of communication system 100 shown 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, or other devices. The 5G network can also be referred to as a new radio (NR) network; 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 3rd 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 may be similarly configured and coupled to UE 105 to send and / or receive signals to / from similar other entities in system 100. Communication system 100 may utilize information from the constellation 185 of spacecraft (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), European Geostationary Navigation Coverage Service (EGNOS), or Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)). Additional components of communication system 100 are described below. Communication system 100 may include additional or replacement components.

[0052] like Figure 1 As shown, NG-RAN 135 includes NR B-nodes (gNBs) 110a and 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 Mobile 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 UEs 105 and 106, 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 (BSs). AMF 115, SMF 117, LMF 120, and GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and GMLC 125 is communicatively coupled to an external client 130. SMF 117 can be used as the initial contact point for a 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 communicate using short-range technologies such as WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, Bluetooth®-Low (BLE), Zigbee, etc.). One or more of BS 110a, 110b, and 114 can be configured to communicate with UE 105 and UE 106 via multiple carriers. Each of BS 110a, 110b, and 114 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic area (e.g., a cellular cell). Each cellular cell can be divided into multiple sectors based on the base station antennas.

[0053] 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 UE 105 and UE 106 are 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.

[0054] 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 UEs (e.g., UE 105, 106) or at BS 110a, 110b, 114, and / or provide location assistance to UEs 105, 106 (via GMLC 125 or other location servers), and / or calculate the location of UEs 105, 106 at location-capable devices (such as UEs 105, 106, BS 110a, 110b, or LMF 120) based on measurement parameters of such directional transmissions received at UEs 105, 106 or BS 110a, 110b, 114. Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125, Location Management Function (LMF) 120, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 115, SMF 117, ng-eNB (evolved B-node) 114, and gNB (g B-node) 110a, 110b are examples and may be replaced by or include various other location server functions and / or base station functions in various embodiments.

[0055] System 100 is capable of wireless communication because its components can communicate directly or indirectly (at least sometimes using wireless connections) via, for example, 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, such as changing the header information of data packets, changing the format, etc. UEs 105 and 106 may include multiple UEs and may be mobile wireless communication devices, but can communicate wirelessly and via wired connections. UEs 105 and 106 can be any of the various devices, such as smartphones, tablets, vehicle-based devices, etc., but these are merely examples, as UEs 105 and 106 need not be any of these configurations and other configurations of UEs can be used. Other UEs may include wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart jewelry, smart glasses, or head-mounted devices). 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 UEs 105, 106, BSs 110a, 110b, 114, core network 140, and / or external clients 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 clients 130 (e.g., computer systems), for example, to allow external clients 130 (e.g., via GMLC 125) to request and / or receive location information about UEs 105, 106.

[0056] UE 105, 106, 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 simultaneously transmit modulated signals on multiple carriers. Each modulated signal can be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) signal, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) signal, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) signal, Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) signal, etc. Each modulated signal can be transmitted on a different carrier and can carry pilot information, overhead information, data, etc. UE 105 and 106 can communicate with each other via UE-UE sidelink (SL) communication by transmitting on one or more sidelink channels (such as Physical Sidelink Synchronization Channel (PSSCH), Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH)), Sidelink Channel State Information Reference Signal (SL-CSIRS), Physical Sidelink Feedback Channel (PSFCH), or Sidelink Probe Reference Signal (SL-SRS)).

[0057] UEs 105 and 106 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, UEs 105 and 106 may correspond to a cellular phone, smartphone, laptop device, tablet device, PDA, 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 mandatory, UEs 105 and 106 may support wireless communication using one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs) such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 WiFi (also known as Wi-Fi), Bluetooth® (BT), Microwave Access Global Interoperability (WiMAX), 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140), etc. UEs 105 and 106 may 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 UEs 105 and 106 (e.g., via elements of 5GC 140) to communicate wirelessly. 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, 106.

[0058] Each of UEs 105 and 106 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 the UE (e.g., UE 105 or UE 106) may be referred to as location, location estimate, location fix, lock, positioning, location estimate, or location lock, and may be geographic, providing the UE's location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude), which may or may not include an elevation component (e.g., height above sea level, height above ground level, floor level, or depth below basement level). Alternatively, the UE's location may be expressed as a municipal location (e.g., expressed as a postal address or a designation of a point or smaller area within a building (such as a specific room or floor)). The UE's location may be expressed as an area or volume (geographically or municipally defined) within which the UE is expected to reside with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of the UE 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 use of the term "location" can include any of these variations unless otherwise indicated. When calculating the location of the UE, local x, y, and possibly z coordinates are typically solved, and then (if necessary) the local coordinates are converted to absolute coordinates (e.g., with respect to latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level).

[0059] UEs 105 and 106 can be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of various technologies. UEs 105 and 106 can be configured to indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. D2D P2P links can be supported using any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT) such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth®, etc. One or more UEs in a group utilizing D2D communication can 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 areas or may be unable to receive transmissions from the base station for other reasons. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication can utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE can transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other scenarios, D2D communication can be performed between UEs without involving a TRP. One or more UEs in a group utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographical coverage area of ​​the TRP. Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographical coverage areas or unable to receive transmissions from the base station for other reasons. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication can utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE can transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP facilitates the scheduling of resources used for D2D communication. In other scenarios, D2D communication can be performed between UEs without involving a TRP.

[0060] 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 the UE via wireless communication between the UE 105, 106 and one or more of the gNBs 110a and 110b. The gNBs 110a and 110b can use 5G to provide wireless communication access to the 5GC 140 on behalf of the UE. Figure 1 In this context, the serving gNB for UE is assumed to be gNB 110b, while the serving gNB for UE 106 is assumed to be gNB 110a. However, another gNB may act as the serving gNB if UE 105 and 106 are moved to another location, or it may act as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105 and 106, and UE 105 and 106 may share the same serving gNB.

[0061] 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 be connected 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 UEs 105 and 106. One or more of gNBs 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 may be configured to act as a location-only beacon, transmitting signals to assist in determining the location of UEs 105 and 106, but may not be able to receive signals from UEs 105 and 106 or from other UEs.

[0062] 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).

[0063] Communication system 100 supports NR and communication between one or more base stations 110a, 110b, 114 and supported UEs 105 and 106. The UEs can be distributed throughout the wireless communication system 100, and each UE can be stationary or mobile. As part of this communication, each of base stations 110a, 110b, 114 and UEs 105, 106 can support reference signal transmission for various operations, including channel estimation, beam management and scheduling, and wireless device location within the coverage area of ​​one or more base stations.

[0064] For example, base stations 110a, 110b, and 114 may transmit one or more downlink reference signals for NR communication, including Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) transmissions. Each CSI-RS transmission may be configured to allow specific UEs 105 and 106 to estimate the channel and report channel quality information. The reported channel quality information may be used for scheduling or link adaptation at base stations 110a, 110b, and 114, or as part of mobility or beam management procedures for directional transmissions associated with enhanced channel resources. Similarly, UEs 105 and 106 may be configured to transmit uplink signals to one or more base stations 110a, 110b, and 114, as well as sidelink transmissions between UEs 105 and 106.

[0065] Base stations 110a, 110b, and 114 may transmit one or more additional downlink reference signals, including Position Reference Signal (PRS) transmissions. PRS transmissions may be configured for specific UEs 105 and 106 to measure and report one or more reporting parameters (e.g., reporting quantities) associated with positioning and location information. PRS transmissions and reporting parameter feedback may support various location services (e.g., navigation systems and emergency communications). In some examples, the reporting parameters supplement one or more additional location systems (such as Global Positioning System (GPS) technology) supported by UEs 105 and 106.

[0066] Base stations 110a, 110b, and 114 can configure PRS transmission on one or more PRS resources of the channel. PRS resources may depend on resource elements of multiple Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) spanning one or more OFDM symbols within a time slot, configured with a number of ports. For example, a PRS resource may span one symbol of a time slot and contain one port for transmission. Within any OFDM symbol, a PRS resource may occupy a coherent PRB. In some examples, PRS transmission may be mapped to coherent OFDM symbols of that time slot. In other examples, PRS transmission may be mapped to interleaved OFDM symbols of that time slot. Additionally, PRS transmission may support frequency hopping within the PRB of the channel.

[0067] The one or more PRS resources may span several PRS resource sets depending on the PRS resource settings of base stations 110a, 110b, and 114. The structure of one or more PRS resources, PRS resource sets, and PRS resource settings within a PRS transmission may be referred to as a multi-level resource setting. For example, the multi-level PRS resource settings of base stations 110a, 110b, and 114 may include multiple PRS resource sets, and each PRS resource set may contain a collection of PRS resources (such as a collection of 4 PRS resources).

[0068] UEs 105 and 106 can receive PRS transmissions on one or more PRS resources of the time slot. UEs 105 and 106 can determine reporting parameters for at least some (if not all) PRS resources included in the transmission. The reporting parameters for each PRS resource, which may include a reporting quantity, may include one or more of the following: Time of Arrival (TOA), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), angle, PRS identification number, Receive to Transmit difference (UE Rx-Tx), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), or Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ).

[0069] Similarly, UEs 105 and 106 may be configured to transmit one or more additional uplink reference signals, which may be received by base stations 110a, 110b, and 114 and used for positioning. For example, UE 105 may transmit a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) for positioning. Base stations 110a, 110b, and 114 that receive uplink reference signals from UEs 105 and 106 may perform positioning measurements, such as one or more of Time of Arrival (TOA) and Receive to Transmit difference (UE Rx-Tx).

[0070] Aspects of the wireless communication system 100 may include UE position determination performed by base stations 110a, 110b, 114 using downlink PRS transmissions or by a UE (e.g., UE 105 or UE 106) using uplink PRS transmissions. For downlink-based UE position determination, a location server (e.g., LMF 120 in an NR network, or E-SMLC in LTE, sometimes referred to as location server 120) may be used to provide positioning assistance to the UE, such as PRS assistance data (AD). In UE-assisted positioning, the location server may receive from the UE a measurement report indicating positioning measurements for one or more base stations 110a, 110b, 114, based on which the location server may determine a position estimate for the UE, for example using TDOA or other desired techniques. The location server 120 Figure 1 is illustrated as being located in the core network 140, but may be located outside the core network 140, for example, in the NG-RAN.

[0071] Location estimation for the UE can be determined using reference signals (such as PRS signals or SRS or other reference signals used for location) from one or more base stations 110a, 110b, 114 or the UE. Location methods (such as Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA), DL Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA), DL Departure Angle (DL AoD), Enhanced Cell ID (ECID)) are location methods that can be used to estimate the UE's location using reference signals from base stations. For example, TDOA relies on measuring the Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD) between downlink (DL) signals received from a base station of a reference cell and one or more adjacent cell base stations. DL signals from which RTSD can be obtained include cell-specific reference signals (CRS) and location reference signals (PRS), such as those defined in 3GPP TS 36.211.

[0072] Other positioning methods may use reference signals transmitted by the UE, including uplink-based positioning methods and downlink-and-uplink-based positioning methods. For example, uplink-based positioning methods include, for instance, UL time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), UL angle of arrival (UL-AoA), and UL relative time of arrival (UL-RTOA), while downlink-and-uplink-based positioning methods include, for example, round-trip time (RTT) with one or more neighboring base stations. Additionally, sidelink-based positioning may be used, where the UE transmits and / or receives measured sidelink positioning reference signals used for positioning.

[0073] As mentioned, although Figure 1 The diagram depicts nodes configured to communicate according to 5G communication protocols, but nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols (such as, 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 UEs 105 and 106, 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.

[0074] 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 UEs 105 and 106 (including cell changes and handovers) and can participate in supporting signaling connections to UEs 105 and 106, as well as potentially data and voice bearers for UEs 105 and 106. LMF 120 can communicate directly with UEs 105 and 106, for example, wirelessly, or directly with BS 110a, 110b, and 114. LMF 120 supports positioning for UEs 105 and 106 when they access NG-RAN 135, and supports various positioning protocols / methods, such as Auxiliary GNSS (A-GNSS), Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (e.g., Downlink (DL) TDOA or Uplink (UL) TDOA), 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 UEs 105 and 106 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 a portion of the location functionality (including the derivation of the location of UEs 105 and 106) may be performed at the UE (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by the UE for signals transmitted by radio nodes (such as gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114), and / or auxiliary data provided to the UE, for example, by LMF 120). At least a portion of the location functionality (including the derivation of the UE's location) may alternatively be performed at LMF 120, for example, using signal measurements obtained by gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng eNB 114. AMF 115 may be used as a control node to process signaling between UEs 105 and 106 and the core network 140, and to provide QoS (Quality of Service) streaming and session management. AMF 115 can support the mobility of UEs 105 and 106 (including cell changes and handovers) and can participate in supporting signaling connections to UEs 105 and 106.

[0075] GMLC 125 can support location requests for UEs 105 and 106 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. Location responses from LMF 120 (e.g., containing location estimates for UEs 105 and 106) 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.

[0076] 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, which 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 UEs 105 and 106 can communicate using the LTE Location Protocol (LPP), which is defined in 3GPP TS 36.355. LMF 120 and UEs 105 and 106 can also communicate using a new radio location protocol (which may be referred to as NPP or NRPP), which may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of LPP. Here, LPP and / or NPP messages can be transmitted between UEs 105 and 106 and LMF 120 via AMF 115 and the serving gNB 110a, 110b or serving ng-eNB 114 of UEs 105 and 106. 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 UEs 105 and 106 using the 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. Communication between LMF 120 and UEs 105 and 106 using the LPP protocol can sometimes be referred to as direct communication because the messages are transparent to the serving gNB; that is, the serving gNB does not need to understand the message content but simply forwards the communication between LMF 120 and UEs 105 and 106. Conversely, during communication using NPP protocols (such as NRPPa), the serving gNB unpacks the message, selects the content, which is then packaged and sent to the UE via, for example, Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE), Downlink Control Information (DCI), etc., in the Uu air interface. The LPP and / or NPP protocols can be used to support the location of UE105 and 106 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based location methods (such as A-GNSS, RTK, TDOA, AOA, AOD, and / or E-CID). The NRPPa protocol can be used to support the location of UE105 and 106 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 of directional synchronization signal (SS) transmissions from gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. The LMF 120 can coexist with or be integrated with a gNB or TRP, or it can be set away from the gNB and / or TRP and configured to communicate directly or indirectly with the gNB and / or TRP.

[0077] Using a UE-assisted positioning method, a UE (e.g., UE 105 or UE 106) can obtain location measurements and send these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for calculating a location estimate for the UE. 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), AOA, and AOD 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.

[0078] Using a UE-based positioning method, a UE (e.g., UE 105 or UE 106) 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 the UE's location can be calculated (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).

[0079] Using a network-based positioning method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114), a sidelink UE, or an access point (AP) can obtain location measurements (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, or Time of Arrival (ToA) of signals transmitted by the UE (e.g., UE 105 or UE 106)) and / or can receive measurements obtained by the UE. The one or more base stations or APs can then send these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for calculating a location estimate for the UE.

[0080] 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 UEs 105 and 106 in LPP and / or NPP messages via NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140.

[0081] The LPP or NPP messages sent from LMF 120 to UEs 105 and 106 may instruct UEs 105 and 106 to perform any of a variety of tasks, depending on the desired functionality. For example, an LPP or NPP message may contain instructions for UEs 105 and 106 to obtain measurements for GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and / or TDOA (or some other positioning method). In the case of E-CID, the LPP or NPP message may instruct UEs 105 and 106 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 gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 (or supported by some other type of base station, such as eNB or WiFi AP). UEs 105 and 106 can send these measurement parameters back to LMF 120 via serving gNB 110a (or serving ng-eNB 114) and AMF 115 in LPP or NPP messages (e.g., within 5G NAS messages).

[0082] 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 UE105, 106) (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 UEs 105 and 106 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 the positioning of UEs 105 and 106. In these other embodiments, the location of UEs 105 and 106 using directional PRS can be supported in a manner similar to that described herein for 5G networks, except that the functions and procedures described herein for gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF115, and LMF 120 can be applied alternatively to other network elements, such as eNBs, WiFi APs, MMEs, and E-SMLCs, in some cases.

[0083] In radio networks (such as Figure 1 In the communication system 100 shown, UE positioning typically uses the Uu interface, i.e., the radio interface between the UE and the radio access network, for use with DL PRS and / or UL PRS. UE positioning can utilize a sidelink PRS (SL-PRS), which can be a specific sidelink-defined reference signal for positioning, or a reused Uu PRS, such as UL PRS, sometimes referred to as Positioning Probe Reference Signal (SRSPos), or other reference signals that can be transmitted in the sidelink channel. Sidelink positioning can enhance UE positioning by providing additional transmitting (or receiving) nodes.

[0084] Figure 2AFor example, it is explained that sidelink positioning is used in wireless communication system 200 to enhance the positioning of a UE, wherein the positioning of the target UE 106 can be determined using downlink PRS and / or uplink PRS from / to several base stations 110a, 110b, 110c (gNB1, gNB2, gNB3, respectively), wherein another UE 105 acts as an additional positioning (anchor) node via a sidelink channel with the target UE 106. As explained, the target UE 106 communicates with the location server (LMF 120) via serving base station 110a, while the anchor UE 105 communicates with the location server (LMF 120) via a separate serving base station 110d (gNB4), but if necessary, the anchor UE 105 can communicate with the LMF 120 via the serving base station 110a used for the target UE 106. Furthermore, although Figure 2A The single anchor UE 105 has been explained, but it should be understood that multiple anchor UEs can be used if needed.

[0085] During the positioning session of target UE 106, target UE 106 may receive downlink PRS from base stations 110a, 110b, and 110c and / or transmit uplink PRS to base stations 110a, 110b, and 110c. The receiving node (e.g., target UE 106 and / or each of base stations 110a, 110b, and 110c) may measure the received positioning reference signal, for example, using timing-based measurements (such as RSTD, ToA, RTT) or angle-based measurements (such as AoA or AoD), and report the positioning measurement to LMF 120. Additionally, anchor UE 105 and / or target UE 106 may transmit SL-PRS in the sidelink channel. SL-PRS may be measured using time-based or angle-based measurements and reported by UE 105 and / or 106 to LMF 120 via their respective serving base stations 110a and 110d.

[0086] LMF 120 can determine the location of target UE 106 based on location measurements of UuPRS (e.g., DL PRS and / or UL PRS) measured by target UE 106 and / or base stations 110a, 110b, and 110c, respectively, and location measurements of SL-PRS measured by target UE 106 and / or anchor UE 105. LMF 120 can further use the known locations of base stations 110a, 110b, and 110c and anchor UE 105 to determine the location of target UE 106. For example, LMF 120 can use TDOA, RTT, etc., to determine the range between target UE 106 and base stations 110a, 110b, and 110c and anchor UE 105, and can use the known absolute locations of base stations 110a, 110b, and 110c and anchor UE 105 (e.g., using multipoint positioning) to determine the location of target UE 106.

[0087] Figure 2B The joint positioning of the UEs in the wireless communication system 250 is explained, where sidelink positioning is used to enhance positioning. Joint positioning of UE 105 and UE 106 is achieved using downlink PRS and / or uplink PRS from several base stations 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d, as well as the SL-PRS between UE 105 and UE 106 (as explained in box 252). Figure 2B As explained, during a joint positioning session, UE 106 measures the DL PRS from base stations 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d, for example, using measurements based on timing, angle, or power. The DL PRS is reported to LMF 120 (not shown). UE 106 further transmits SL-PRS. UE 105 measures the DL PRS from base station 110d and (e.g., using measurements based on timing, angle, or power) measures the SL-PRS received from UE 106, which is reported to LMF 120.

[0088] During joint positioning, LMF 120 jointly determines the positioning of both UE 105 and UE 106 based on positioning measurements received from UE 105 and UE 106 for Uu PRS measurement (e.g., DL PRS measured by UE 106 from base stations 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d, DL PRS measured by UE 105 from base station 110d, and SL-PRS measured by UE 105 from UE 106). In the joint positioning of UE 105 and UE 106, both UE 105 and UE 106 are considered target UEs, and each UE can act as an anchor node for the other UE. For example, LMF 120 can use, for example, TDOA, RTT, etc., to determine the range between UE 106 and base stations 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d, the range between UE 105 and base station 110d, and the range between UE 105 and UE 106. LMF 120 can use the determined ranges of base stations 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d and known absolute positioning (e.g., using multipoint positioning) to simultaneously determine the location of UE 105 and UE 106.

[0089] Figure 3 A simplified wireless network environment 300 and exemplary techniques for jointly locating UE 105 and UE 106 using the range between the UE and the base station are explained (e.g., using multiple RTT or other types of PRS measurements to determine this). Joint location of UE 105 and UE 106 can be performed using, for example, multidimensional scaling, and can use RTT (such as...) Figure 3 (as explained in the text), TDOA, dual-differential RTT, or dual-differential TDOA (which can be performed in a manner similar to differential GPS), etc. The positioning of UE 105 and UE 106 to be jointly determined can be obtained from Cartesian coordinates (x... 105 , y 105 ) and (x 106 , y 106The distance is represented in two dimensions. Distance measurements for one or more anchor points or nodes (e.g., as explained by gNBs 110a, 110b, and 110c) can be obtained using DL and / or UL PRS measurements, with coordinates (xk, yk), where k = a, b, c. In some implementations, the range between UE 105 and UE 106 can also be obtained based on SL-PRS measurements between them. A location server (e.g., LMF 120) can determine the distances d1, d2, d3 from UE 106 to each of the three gNBs 110a, gNB 110b, and gNB 110c, the distance d4 from UE 105 to gNB 110c, and the distance d5 between UE 105 and UE 106. Based on RTT measurements, the distance d between two nodes is provided by the following formula: d = RTT c / 2 (Equation 1) Where RTT is the measured RTT of gNB 110 or sidelink UE, and c is the signal speed (e.g., the speed of light).

[0090] Once each distance d is determined, location server 120 can solve for the actual location (x) of UE 105 based on the known absolute locations of gNBs 110a, 110b, and 110c using various known geometric techniques (such as multipoint positioning). 105 ,y 105 ) and (x 106 , y 106 ).exist Figure 3 As can be seen, the ideal location of UE 105 is at the common intersection of all the circles, with its radius defined by the determined distances between the nodes, and its center defined by the location of each node. The centers of circles 302, 304, 306, and 308 are defined by the known actual locations of gNBs 110a, 110b, and 110c, while the center of circle 310 can be defined as the unknown location of UE 105, or equivalently, the unknown location of UE 106. In practice, due to noise and other errors in acquiring RTT measurements, the intersection of these circles may not be located at a single point. Figure 3 As explained herein, this method can be extended to a greater number of gNBs 110 and fewer additional UEs, and can be used to determine the three-dimensional positions of UEs 105, 106 when the gNBs 110 are at different heights (e.g., based on the common intersection of spheres centered on each gNB 110). Such extensions are well known to those skilled in the art.

[0091] Generally, joint localization can be modeled as a graph, where one subset of the nodes is the gNB and the other subset is the UE. Each edge in this graph represents a PRS measurement between two nodes, such as a one-way measurement (e.g., DL or UL) or a two-way measurement in a Uu or side link. By increasing the number of edges in the graph, it becomes more connected and denser.

[0092] Figure 4 The text describes the use of DL PRS 402, 404, 406, and 408 from base stations 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d, and SL-PRS 410 from UE 105 to UE 106 in a sparsely connected wireless network environment for a joint positioning session 400 between UE 105 and UE 106. As described, UE 106 receives DL PRS 402 and 404 from base stations 110a and 110b, while UE 105 receives DL PRS 406 and 408 from base stations 110c and 110d.

[0093] It can be seen that the PRS set measured by UE 105 is significantly different from that of UE 106. Therefore, in Figure 4 In this context, each UE 105 and UE 106 selects a unique subset of the PRS to measure, and there is no intersection between the PRS sets measured by UE 105 and UE 106. Therefore, the graph of the positioning session 400 can be considered sparsely connected (with a relatively small number of edges), and thus, the joint positioning session will have relatively poor positioning performance.

[0094] In positioning, if the number of shared PRS measurements between different node pairs including anchors (e.g., base stations or other UEs) increases, thereby increasing the number of edges in the graph, positioning accuracy can be improved through the added redundancy, and the uncertainty or ambiguity of the measurement can be reduced. Furthermore, positioning algorithms can be improved (e.g., due to compressed sensing, dimensionality reduction, etc.) to achieve better accuracy by increasing the density of the graph.

[0095] To increase the density of PRS measurements for joint positioning, a common PRS set for PRS measurements can be used. This common PRS set can be DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or a combination thereof, and can be identified based on one or more PRS resource IDs, PRS resource set IDs, TRP IDs, cell IDs, SL-PRS IDs, UE IDs, SIMs, or any combination thereof.

[0096] Figure 5The example illustrates a joint positioning session 500 for UE105 and 106 using DL PRS from base stations 110a, 110b, 110c, 110d to UE 105 and UE 106 and measured by UE 106, and SL-PRS from UE 105 to UE 106. Figure 5 and Figure 4 Similar, but with increased PRS density. Compared to the relatively sparse connections described earlier. Figure 4 different, Figure 5 The text explains how each UE 105 and UE 106 measures the PRS from each base station. For example, DL PRS 502, 506, 510, and 514 from base stations 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d are measured by UE 106, and DL PRS 504, 508, 512, and 516 from base stations 110a, 110b, 110c, and 110d are measured by UE 105.

[0097] like Figure 5 As can be seen, UE 105 and UE 106 measure essentially the same PRS set. Therefore, Figure 5 UE105 and UE106 share a common PRS set. A shared PRS set refers to a group of UEs (e.g., Figure 5 The set of PRS (UE 105 and UE 106) that are recommended, suggested or required to be measured in the same PRS session.

[0098] SL-PRS 518 may, but is not necessarily, be included in the anchor set of the PRS. For example, if UE 105 and UE 106 are very close to each other, which can be determined based on the UE's previous location or based on the UE's radio connectivity (such as sharing the same serving cell), then a sidelink channel can be established between UE 105 and UE 106, and sidelink-assisted positioning can be used in the positioning session.

[0099] When UE 105 and UE 106 are close to each other, they may have similar environments, indicating that they may both measure the same PRS within that environment and may find similar "good" PRS, i.e., PRS with good signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), good line-of-sight (LOS) conditions, etc. By defining a common PRS set for UE measurement in the joint positioning session, the UE can measure all PRS in the common PRS set and include these measurements in the location information report used by the location server, resulting in increased connection density and correspondingly improved positioning accuracy.

[0100] In some implementations, the location server (e.g., LMF 120) can choose to share a common PRS set and assign it to all UEs for measurement and inclusion in location information reports during a joint location session. In some implementations, one or more UEs in a joint location session can choose a common anchor set of PRS to be measured and included in location information reports.

[0101] Figure 6 This explains the joint positioning session between UE1 105 and UE2 106. Figure 1 The signaling flow 600 of various messages sent between the components of the communication system 100 depicted herein, the joint positioning session using a shared PRS set to be measured and reported by UE 105 and UE 106. Figure 6 The shared PRS set is selected and provided to the UE by the location server (e.g., LMF 120). UE 105 and UE 106 can be configured to perform network-based positioning, where UE 105 and UE 106 receive and measure DL PRS from shared base stations (e.g., serving gNB 110a, gNB 110b, and gNB 110c (sometimes collectively referred to as gNB 110 or base station 110)). In some implementations, UE 105 and UE 106 can be further configured to perform sidelink-assisted positioning by transmitting and / or receiving SL-PRS and reporting to location server 120. Figure 6 During the joint location session in signaling flow 600 shown, additional or fewer messages may be exchanged, or the order of messages may be changed. For example, in some implementations, UE 105 and UE 106 may additionally or alternatively transmit UL PRS received by base station 110 and reported to location server 120. Furthermore, some messages may be combined (e.g., broadcast to multiple nodes) or eliminated. Additional messages may be transmitted, such as requests for location information from location server 120 to UE 105 and UE 106, or requests to enable UL PRS transmissions of UE 105 and UE 106 to be measured by gNB 110. In signaling flow 600, it is assumed that UE 105 and UE 106 and location server 120 communicate using the aforementioned LPP location protocol, but the use of NPP or a combination of LPP and NPP, or other future protocols (such as NRPPa) is also possible.

[0102] In phases 1 and 2, UE 105 and UE 106 respectively perform capability transfer with location server 120, which can use LPP or NRPPa positioning protocols. For example, location server 120 can send a capability request message to UE 105 and UE 106, for example, to request capabilities from the UEs, and UE 105 and UE 106 return a capability provision message to location server 120, for example, where UE 105 and UE 106 can indicate the capability of sidelink-assisted positioning.

[0103] In phase 3, location server 120 can select a group of UEs for joint positioning. For example, location server 120 can select UEs for joint positioning based on the proximity of these UEs and receive requests for location information from these UEs approximately simultaneously. Location server 120 can determine the proximity of UEs 105 and 106, for example, based on previous location estimates of UEs 105 and 106 as determined by location server 120 or reported by one or more UEs 105 and 106, or based on whether UEs 105 and 106 already have a sidelink connection or whether UEs 105 and 106 are using the same serving base station 110a (which can be determined from previous messages). Location server 120 can further determine, for example, whether sidelink-assisted positioning can be used in the joint positioning session based on UE capabilities and proximity.

[0104] In phase 4, location server 120 selects a common PRS set S that each UE (UE 105 and UE 106) in the joint positioning session should measure and report. The common PRS set S may include DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof. Requesting each UE to measure the same PRS resource from the same TRP may be inappropriate, as UE 105 and UE 106 may have different locations and different LOS path conditions. Accordingly, the common PRS set S may include a list of one or more of the following: PRS resource ID, PRS resource set ID, TRP ID, cell ID, SL-PRS ID, UE ID, subscriber identity module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

[0105] Location server 120 can select a shared PRS set S based on various factors. For example, location server 120 can determine a coarse estimate of the group of UEs in a joint positioning session, for example, based on previously determined UE locations or cellular information about the UEs (e.g., all UEs are attached to the same serving base station), and can determine the shared PRS set S based on the estimated locations of that UE group. In another instance, one or more of UEs 105 and UE 106 can provide location server 120 with a recommendation for the shared PRS set S, for example, in a message such as a capability transfer or request for auxiliary data message (not shown), or in other types of messages to location server 120, and location server 120 determines DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof to be included in the shared PRS set S. In another example, location server 120 may receive location measurement reports from one or more UEs 105 and UE 106, the location measurement reports including a pre-estimate of the location of the one or more UEs 105 and UE 106, and location server 120 may determine a common PRS set S based on the pre-estimate of the UE location received from the UEs.

[0106] In optional phase 5A, location server 120 may schedule (or reschedule) PRS configurations for UE1 105, wherein each base station 110 is included in a common PRS set S, interpreted as gNB1 110a, gNB2 110b, and gNB3 110c. In some implementations, PRS may already be configured, and location server 120 may select a common PRS set based on the configured PRS, in which case phase 5A is not required. The PRS configuration includes at least the common PRS set S, but in some implementations may include additional PRS configurations that may not be in the common set S used for all UEs. For example, in addition to the common PRS set S, location server 120 may schedule PRS configurations for UE1 105 with one or more additional base stations (not shown) that will not be measured by UE2 106. If included in the common PRS set S, location server 120 may further schedule measurements of UL PRS transmitted from the UE.

[0107] In optional phase 5B, location server 120 can schedule (or reschedule) PRS configurations for UE2 106, where each base station 110 is included in a common PRS set S, interpreted as gNB1 110a, gNB2 110b, and gNB3 110c. In some implementations, phase 5B can be combined with phase 5A. Furthermore, in some implementations, PRS may already be configured, and location server 120 can select a common PRS set based on the configured PRS, in which case phase 5B is not required. The PRS configuration includes at least the common PRS set S, but in some implementations may include additional PRS configurations that may not be in the common set S used for all UEs. For example, in addition to the common PRS set S, location server 120 can schedule PRS configurations for UE2 106 with one or more additional base stations (not shown) that will not be measured by UE1 105. If included in the common PRS set S, location server 120 can further schedule measurements of UL PRS transmitted from the UE.

[0108] In phases 6A and 6B, location server 120 may send auxiliary data to UE1 105 and UE2 106, respectively. The auxiliary data may include configuration information for PRS that can be used for measurement, for example, it may include multiple DLPRS, UL PRS, SL PRS, or combinations thereof in a common PRS set S. In some implementations, additional PRS may be included in the auxiliary data. For example, configuration information DL PRS for the common PRS set S may be configured in the auxiliary data, as explained in Table 1, which illustrates the segments of Abstract Syntax Mark 1 (ASN.1) showing the NR-DL-PRS-Config (NR-DL-PRS-Configuration) information element (IE) that can be used to define the DL PRS configuration.

[0109]

[0110] Table 1

[0111] In phase 7, location server 120 sends a message such as a measurement request to UE1 105. This message may include a request for location measurement and may include an indication of at least a common PRS set S to be measured. In some implementations, this indication may be, for example, an identifier of a PRS in the common PRS set S. In some implementations, the indication may be a reference to an index that includes PRSs in the common PRS set. The common PRS set S may be indicated in other ways if desired. In some implementations, the indication or identifier of the common PRS set S may be provided in a message other than the measurement request message, such as in an auxiliary data message in phase 6A, or in a different type of message.

[0112] In phase 8 (similar to phase 7), location server 120 sends a message such as a measurement request to UE2 106. This message may include a request for location measurement and may include an indication of at least a common PRS set S to be measured. In some implementations, this indication may be, for example, an identifier of a PRS in the common PRS set S. In some implementations, the indication may be a reference to an index that includes PRSs in the common PRS set. The common PRS set S may be indicated in other ways if desired. In some implementations, the indication or identifier of the common PRS set S may be provided in a message other than the measurement request message, such as in an auxiliary data message in phase 6B, or in a different type of message.

[0113] In phase 9, PRS is transmitted. For example, gNB 110 may broadcast DL PRS as configured by location server 120, UE 1 105 and UE 2 106 may broadcast UL PRS as configured by location server 120, or both, for example for RTT.

[0114] In phase 10, as explained in phases 10A, 10B, and 10C, the received PRS from the shared PRS set S is measured. For example, as explained in phases 10A and 10B, UE1 105 and UE2 106 respectively measure the received DL PRS from the shared PRS set S (if present), and as explained in phase 10C, gNB 110 measures the received UL PRS from the shared PRS set (if present). For example, these measurements can be timing-based measurements (such as TOA, Rx-Tx, RTT, etc.), angle-based measurements (such as AoA), or power-based measurements (such as RSRP, etc.).

[0115] In phase 11, if sidelink-assisted positioning is used in the positioning session, one or both of UE 105 and UE 106 can transmit SL-PRS. For example... Figure 6 As explained in the document, UE1 105 transmits SL-PRS to UE2 106, and UE2 106 transmits SL-PRS to UE1 105. However, in some implementations, only one UE can transmit SL-PRS.

[0116] In phases 12A and 12B, UE1 105 and UE2 106 respectively measure the received SL-PRS transmitted in phase 11, if included in the common PRS set S. For example, these measurements can be timing-based measurements (such as TOA, Rx-Tx, etc.), angle-based measurements (such as AoA), or power-based measurements (such as RSRP, etc.). It should be understood that in some implementations, the SL-PRS can be transmitted and measured before the DL PRS is transmitted and measured; for example, phases 11, 12A, and 12B can be performed before phases 9, 10A, and 10B.

[0117] In phase 13, UE1 105 transmits a location information report to location server 120, which includes the location measurements obtained in phases 10A and 12A.

[0118] In phase 14, UE2 106 transmits a location information report to location server 120, which includes the location measurements obtained in phases 10B and 12B.

[0119] In phase 15, gNB 110 transmits a location information report to location server 120, including the location measurements (if any) obtained in phase 10C.

[0120] In phase 16, location server 120 jointly determines the locations of UE1 105 and UE2 106 based on the measurement responses received in phases 13, 14, and 15 and the known location of gNB 110 (e.g., using multiple RTT, TDOA, dual differential RTT, dual differential TDOA, and multipoint positioning, intersection of multiple AoA, etc.). Location server 120 may transmit these locations to UE 105 and UE 106 or to a requesting external client (not shown).

[0121] Figure 7 This explains the joint positioning session between UE1 105 and UE2 106. Figure 1 The signaling flow 700 of various messages sent between the components of the communication system 100 depicted herein, the joint positioning session using a shared PRS set to be measured and reported by UE 105 and UE 106, the shared PRS set being selected by one or more of UE 105 and UE 106. Similar to... Figure 6In the joint positioning session shown in signaling flow 600, UE 105 and UE 106 can be configured to perform network-based positioning, wherein UE 105 and UE 106 receive and measure DL PRS from a shared set of several base stations (e.g., serving gNB 110a, gNB 110b, and gNB 110c (sometimes collectively referred to as gNB 110 or base station 110)). In some implementations, UE 105 and UE 106 can be further configured to perform sidelink-assisted positioning by transmitting and / or receiving SL-PRS and reporting to location server 120. Figure 7 During the joint location session in signaling flow 700 shown, additional or fewer messages may be exchanged, or the order of messages may be changed. For example, in some implementations, UE 105 and UE 106 may additionally or alternatively transmit UL PRS received by base station 110 and reported to location server 120. Additionally, some messages may be combined (e.g., broadcast to multiple nodes) or may be omitted. Additional messages may be transmitted, such as requests for location information from location server 120 to UE 105 and UE 106, or requests to enable UL PRS transmissions of UE 105 and UE 106 to be measured by gNB 110. In signaling flow 700, it is assumed that UE 105 and UE 106 and location server 120 communicate using the aforementioned LPP location protocol, but the use of NPP or a combination of LPP and NPP, or other future protocols (such as NRPPa) is also possible.

[0122] In phases 1 and 2, UE 105 and UE 106 respectively perform capability transfer with location server 120, which can use LPP or NRPPa positioning protocols. For example, location server 120 can send a capability request message to UE 105 and UE 106, for example, to request capabilities from the UEs, and UE 105 and UE 106 return a capability provision message to location server 120, for example, where UE 105 and UE 106 can indicate the capability of sidelink-assisted positioning.

[0123] In phase 3, location server 120 can select a group of UEs for joint positioning. For example, location server 120 can select UEs for joint positioning based on the proximity of these UEs and receive requests for location information from these UEs approximately simultaneously. Location server 120 can determine the proximity of UEs 105 and 106, for example, based on previous location estimates of UEs 105 and 106 as determined by location server 120 or reported by one or more UEs 105 and 106, or based on whether UEs 105 and 106 already have a sidelink connection or whether UEs 105 and 106 are using the same serving base station 110a (which can be determined from previous messages). Location server 120 can further determine, for example, whether sidelink-assisted positioning can be used in the joint positioning session based on UE capabilities and proximity.

[0124] In optional phases 4A and 4B (which can be combined in a single phase), location server 120 can utilize a group of base stations 110 (e.g., gNB1 110a, gNB2 110b, and gNB3 110c) to schedule PRS configurations for UE1 105 and UE2 106 respectively. In some implementations, the PRS may remain unchanged; for example, if the PRS is periodic and broadcast, but if the PRS is on-demand or aperiodic, phases 4A and 4B can be executed.

[0125] In phases 5A and 5B, location server 120 may send auxiliary data to UE1 105 and UE2 106, respectively. The auxiliary data may include configuration information for PRS that can be used for measurement (e.g., for multiple DL PRS, UL PRS, SL PRS, or combinations thereof).

[0126] In phase 6, location server 120 sends a message such as a measurement request to UE1 105. This message may indicate that UE1 is included in the joint positioning session and may identify other UEs, such as UE2 106. The measurement request may instruct one or more UEs in the joint positioning session to determine a shared PRS set S. In some implementations, the message at phase 6 may indicate PRSs available for measurement by UE1 105 and that can be included in the shared PRS set. In some implementations, this indication may be, for example, an identifier of a PRS available for measurement. In some implementations, this indication may be a reference to an index that includes available PRSs. The shared PRS set S may be indicated in other ways if desired. In some implementations, location server 120 may indicate that a UE is included in the group positioning session and may provide an indication of available PRSs in a different message, such as in the auxiliary data message of phase 5A.

[0127] In phase 7, location server 120 sends a message such as a measurement request to UE2 106, which may indicate that UE2 is included in the joint positioning session and may identify other UEs, such as UE1 105. The measurement request may instruct one or more UEs in the joint positioning session to determine a shared PRS set S. In some implementations, the message at phase 6 may indicate PRSs available for measurement by UE2 106 and that can be included in the shared PRS set. In some implementations, this indication may be, for example, an identifier of a PRS available for measurement. In some implementations, this indication may be a reference to an index that includes available PRSs. The shared PRS set S may be indicated in other ways if desired. In some implementations, location server 120 may indicate that the UE is included in the group positioning session and may provide an indication of available PRSs in a different message, such as in the auxiliary data message of phase 5B.

[0128] In phase 8, UE 105 and UE 106 may determine a recommended shared PRS set S that each UE (UE 105 and UE 106) should measure and report in the joint positioning session. The shared PRS set S may include DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or a combination thereof. The shared PRS set S may include a list of one or more of the following: PRS resource ID, PRS resource set ID, TRP ID, cell ID, SL-PRS ID, UE ID, subscriber identity module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

[0129] UE 105 and UE 106 can determine a shared PRS set S, for example, via sidelink communication with other UEs in the group (via unicast, broadcast, or multicast). For example, once UE 105 and UE 106 determine that they are included in a group for joint positioning and the identities of other UEs in that group, one or more of UE 105 and UE 106 can initiate sidelink communication. UE 105 and UE 106 can select the shared PRS set S based on the PRS provided in the messages received in phases 6 and 7. In one implementation, one of the UEs (e.g., UE 105) can act as the controlling UE and collect a recommended PRS set from each of the other UEs included in the group (e.g., from UE 106). Based on the recommended PRS sets received from the other UEs, the controlling UE 105 can determine the shared PRS set S for these UEs to be used in joint positioning. The controlling UE 105 can send a shared PRS set S to the location server 120 (e.g., in phase 9) and distribute the shared PRS set S to other UEs in the group. In another implementation, UE 105 and UE 106 can, for example, send recommended PRS sets to each other in multiple iterations until consensus is reached on the shared PRS set S. For example, these UEs can distribute the recommended shared PRS set S in a round-robin procedure (e.g., from UE1 to UE2 to UE3 (not shown) and back to UE1, etc.) or in a distributed voting procedure (e.g., from UE2 and UE3 (not shown) to UE1), which can coordinate and determine the shared PRS set S. For example, all elements in the shared PRS set S can be selected individually by polling each UE in the group, or by each UE voting on each element of the PRS set and sharing the vote with other UEs until consensus is reached. Once an agreement is reached on the shared PRS set S, one or more UEs (e.g., UE 105) can send the shared PRS set S to the location server 120 (e.g., in phase 9) and distribute the shared PRS set S to other UEs in the group.

[0130] For example, in phase 9, UE 105 may send an indication to location server 120 of the common PRS set S determined in phase 8. The indication of the common PRS set S may, for example, be an identifier of the PRS included in the common PRS set S. In some implementations, another type of indication may be used, such as a reference to an index that includes available PRSs.

[0131] In optional phases 10 and 11 (which can be combined into a single phase), location server 120 can reschedule the PRS configurations for UE1 105 and UE2 106 respectively, based on a shared PRS set S received from one or more UEs at phase 9, using a group of base stations 110 (e.g., gNB1 110a, gNB2 110b, and gNB3 110c). Similar to phases 4A and 4B, in some implementations, the PRS may remain unchanged, for example, if the PRS is periodic and broadcast, but if the PRS is on-demand or aperiodic, phases 10 and 11 can be performed. If included in the shared PRS set S, location server 120 can further schedule measurements of the UL PRS transmitted from the UE.

[0132] In phase 12, PRS is transmitted. For example, gNB 110 broadcasts DL PRS as configured by location server 120, and UE 1105 and UE2 106 may broadcast UL PRS as configured by location server 120, or both, for example, for RTT.

[0133] In phase 13, as explained in phases 13A, 13B, and 10C, the received PRS from the shared PRS set S is measured. For example, as explained in phases 13A and 13B, UE1 105 and UE2 106 respectively measure the received DL PRS from the shared PRS set S (if present), and as explained in phase 13C, gNB 110 measures the received UL PRS from the shared PRS set (if present). For example, these measurements can be timing-based measurements (such as TOA, Rx-Tx, RTT, etc.), angle-based measurements (such as AoA), or power-based measurements (such as RSRP, etc.).

[0134] In phase 14, if sidelink-assisted positioning is used in the positioning session, one or both of UE 105 and UE 106 can transmit SL-PRS. For example... Figure 6 As explained in the document, UE1 105 transmits SL-PRS to UE2 106, and UE2 106 transmits SL-PRS to UE1 105. However, in some implementations, only one UE can transmit SL-PRS.

[0135] In phases 15A and 15B, UE1 105 and UE2 106 respectively measure the received SL-PRS transmitted in phase 14, if included in the common PRS set S. For example, these measurements can be timing-based measurements (such as TOA, Rx-Tx, etc.), angle-based measurements (such as AoA), or power-based measurements (such as RSRP, etc.). It should be understood that in some implementations, the SL-PRS can be transmitted and measured before the DL PRS is transmitted and measured; for example, phases 14, 15A, and 15B can be performed before phases 12, 13A, and 13B.

[0136] In phase 16, UE1 105 transmits a location information report to location server 120, which includes the location measurements obtained in phases 13A and 15A.

[0137] In phase 17, UE2 106 transmits a location information report to location server 120, which includes the location measurements obtained in phases 13B and 15B.

[0138] In phase 18, gNB 110 transmits a location information report to location server 120, including the location measurements (if any) obtained in phase 13C.

[0139] In phase 19, location server 120 jointly determines the locations of UE1 105 and UE2 106 based on the measurement responses received in phases 16, 17, and 18 and the known locations of gNB 110 (e.g., using multiple RTT, TDOA, dual differential RTT, dual differential TDOA, and multipoint positioning, intersection of multiple AoA, etc.). Location server 120 may transmit these locations to UE 105 and UE 106 or to external clients requesting the location (not shown).

[0140] Figure 8A schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of a hardware implementation of UE 800 (which may be UE 105 or UE 106) is shown, enabling it to support joint localization of the UE group (including itself) based on a selected common PRS set measured and reported by each UE in the UE group, and in some implementations using sidelink-assisted localization in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation. For example, the common PRS set may include DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof. UE 800 includes, for example, hardware components such as one or more processing units 802, memory 804, sensor units 816, and transceivers 810 (e.g., wireless network interfaces) that are operatively coupled to a non-transient computer-readable medium 820 and memory 804 via one or more connections 806 (e.g., bus, line, fiber, link, etc.). UE 800 may further include additional items not shown, such as a user interface by which a user can interface with the UE, which may include, for example, a display, keypad or other input device (such as a virtual keypad on a display), or a satellite positioning system receiver. In some example implementations, all or part of UE 800 may take the form of a chipset, etc.

[0141] Transceiver 810 may include, for example, a transmitter 812 implemented to transmit one or more signals over one or more types of wireless communication networks, and a receiver 814 for receiving one or more signals transmitted over such wireless communication networks. In some embodiments, UE 800 may include an antenna 811, which may be internal or external. UE antenna 811 may be used to transmit and / or receive signals processed by transceiver 810. In some embodiments, UE antenna 811 may be coupled to transceiver 810. In some embodiments, measurements of signals received (transmitted) by UE 800 may be performed at the connection point between UE antenna 811 and transceiver 810. For example, a measurement reference point for measuring the received (transmitted) RF signal may be an input (output) terminal of receiver 814 (transmitter 812) and an output (input) terminal of UE antenna 811. In a UE 800 having antenna 811 comprising multiple antennas or an antenna array, the antenna connector may be considered as a virtual point representing the aggregated output (input) of multiple UE antennas. The phase difference of signals received at multiple antennas or antenna arrays can be used for the AoA of the signal relative to the antenna array, which can be converted into a local or global reference frame based on the known orientation of the UE 800. In some embodiments, the UE 800 can measure the received signal (including timing measurements, angle measurements, or signal strength measurements), and the raw measurements can be processed by one or more processing units 802.

[0142] Sensor unit 816 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. For example, sensor unit 816 may include one or more accelerometers (e.g., jointly responding to the acceleration of UE 800 in three dimensions) and / or one or more gyroscopes (e.g., three-dimensional gyroscopes), one or more magnetometers (e.g., three-dimensional magnetometers) for determining orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and / or true north), 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, etc. Sensor unit 816 may generate analog and / or digital signals, indications of which may be stored in memory 804 and processed by processing unit 802 to support one or more applications (such as, for example, applications involving positioning and / or navigation operations). Sensor unit 816 may be used for relative position measurement, relative position determination, motion determination, etc. The information detected by sensor unit 816 can be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based position determination, and / or sensor-assisted position determination. Sensor unit 816 can, for example, be used to determine the orientation of anchor UE 800. The orientation of UE 800 can be used to convert the AoA of sidelink communication signals received from target UE 106 into a local or global reference frame.

[0143] The one or more processing units 802 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processing units 802 may be configured to perform the functions discussed herein by implementing one or more instructions or program code 808 on a non-transient computer-readable medium, such as medium 820 and / or memory 804. In some embodiments, the one or more processing units 802 may represent one or more circuits that may be configured to perform at least a portion of a data signal calculation procedure or process related to the operation of UE 800.

[0144] Medium 820 and / or memory 804 may store instruction or program code 808 containing executable code or software instructions that, when executed by one or more processing units 802, cause those processing units 802 to operate as a dedicated computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. As explained in UE 800, medium 820 and / or memory 804 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by the one or more processing units 802 to perform the methodologies described herein. Although each component or module is described as software in medium 820 executable by the one or more processing units 802, it should be understood that each component or module may be stored in memory 804 or may be dedicated hardware in or outside of the one or more processing units 802.

[0145] Several software modules and data tables may reside in medium 820 and / or memory 804 and be utilized by one or more processing units 802 to manage both the communication and functionality described herein. It should be understood that the organization of the contents of medium 820 and / or memory 804 as shown in UE 800 is merely exemplary, and thus, the functionality of the individual modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated, and / or constructed in different ways depending on the implementation of UE 800.

[0146] Medium 820 and / or memory 804 may include a shared PRS unit 822, configured, when implemented by one or more processing units 802, to determine a shared PRS set, including DL PRS to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, SL-PRS from the UEs, or combinations thereof for joint positioning of the plurality of UEs. For example, the shared PRS set may include one or more PRS IDs, PRS resource set IDs, TRP IDs, cell IDs, SL-PRS IDs, UE IDs, SIMs, or any combination thereof. One or more processing units 802 may be configured to transmit or receive an indication of the shared PRS set to a location server or another UE via a radio transceiver 810. For example, the indication may be an identifier of the PRS or a reference to one or more indices including the PRS. In one implementation, one or more processing units 802 may be configured to receive, via a radio transceiver 810, identifiers of the plurality of UEs and an indication that the plurality of UEs are included in a joint positioning session from a location server. One or more processing units 802 may be configured to receive configuration information, which can be used for measurement and can be included in a shared PRS set, of DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof from at least one other UE via a radio transceiver 810, and accordingly determine which DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof are included in the shared PRS set, and transmit an indication of the shared PRS set to each other UE via the radio transceiver 810. One or more processing units 802 may be configured to send a recommendation for DL ​​PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof to be included in the shared PRS set to at least one other UE via the radio transceiver 810, and receive recommendations for DL ​​PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof to be included in the shared PRS set from at least one other UE via the radio transceiver 810, wherein the shared PRS set is determined by consensus among the plurality of UEs. In another implementation, one or more processing units 802 may be configured to send recommendations for DL ​​PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof to a location server that selects a shared PRS set via a wireless transceiver 810, and to receive instructions for a shared PRS set from the location server via the wireless transceiver 810.

[0147] The medium 820 and / or memory 804 may include a message unit 824, which, when implemented by one or more processing units 802, configures the one or more processing units 802 to receive messages from a location server via a wireless transceiver 810, such as measurement requests and / or auxiliary data. In some implementations, the message may include an indication of a common PRS set to be measured, such as an identifier of the PRS or a reference to one or more indices identifying the PRS. In some implementations, the message may include configuration information for multiple DL PRSs, multiple SL-PRSs, or combinations thereof, from which one or more UEs may select a common PRS set. The message may further include identifiers of multiple UEs and indications regarding the inclusion of multiple UEs in a joint positioning session.

[0148] The medium 820 and / or memory 804 may include a positioning measurement unit 826, which, when implemented by one or more processing units 802, configures one or more processing units 802 to perform positioning measurements via a wireless transceiver 810 on DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof from a shared PRS set. Positioning measurements may be, for example, timing measurements (such as TOA, Rx-Tx, RTT, etc.), angle measurements (such as AoA), power measurements (such as RSRP), or combinations thereof.

[0149] The medium 820 and / or memory 804 may include a reporting unit 828, which, when implemented by one or more processing units 802, configures one or more processing units 802 to send a location information report to a location server via a wireless transceiver 810. The location information report includes positioning measurements of DL-PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof.

[0150] The medium 820 and / or memory 804 may include a positioning unit 830, which, when implemented by one or more processing units 802, configures one or more processing units 802 to receive a positioning estimate of the UE from a location server via a wireless transceiver 810, the positioning estimate being jointly determined by the location server and the positioning of other UEs.

[0151] The methodologies described herein can be implemented through various means depending on the application. For example, these methodologies can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the one or more processing units 802 can be implemented within one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or combinations thereof.

[0152] For firmware and / or software implementations, these methodologies can be implemented using modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium that tangibly embodies the instructions can be used to implement the methodologies described herein. For example, software code can be stored in memory and executed by one or more processor units, thereby enabling the processor units to operate as dedicated computers programmed to perform the algorithms disclosed herein. Memory can be implemented within or outside of the one or more processors. As used herein, the term "memory" means any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory, and is not limited to any particular type or number of memories, or the type of medium on which memory is stored.

[0153] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the functionality may be stored as one or more instructions or program code 808 on a non-transient computer-readable medium (such as medium 820 and / or memory 804). Examples include computer-readable media encoding data structures and computer-readable media encoding computer programs 808. For example, a non-transient computer-readable medium including program code 808 stored thereon may include program code 808 to support a joint positioning session using a selected common PRS set and some implementations of side-link assisted positioning in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments. The non-transient computer-readable medium 820 includes a physical computer storage medium. The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such non-transient computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code 808 in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer; as used herein, disk and disc include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital multi-purpose discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, wherein disks often magnetically reproduce data, while discs optically reproduce data using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0154] In addition to being stored on the computer-readable medium 820, instructions and / or data may also be provided as signals included on a transmission medium in a communication apparatus. For example, a communication apparatus may include a transceiver 810 having signals indicating instructions and data. These instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to perform the functions outlined in the claims. That is, the communication apparatus includes a transmission medium having signals indicating information for performing the disclosed functions.

[0155] Memory 804 can represent any data storage device. Memory 804 may include, for example, main memory and / or secondary memory. Main memory may include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, etc. Although described in this example as separate from one or more processing units 802, it should be understood that all or part of the main memory may be located within one or more processing units 802 or otherwise coexist / coupled with one or more processing units 802. Secondary memory may include, for example, memory of the same or similar type as the main memory and / or one or more data storage devices or systems (such as, for example, disk drives, optical disk drives, tape drives, solid-state memory drives, etc.).

[0156] In some implementations, a secondary memory may be operatively accommodated or otherwise configured to be coupled to a non-transient computer-readable medium 820. Thus, in some example implementations, the methods and / or apparatus presented herein may take the form of a computer-readable medium 820 which may include all or a portion of computer-readable code 808 stored thereon, which, when executed by at least one processing unit 802, may be operatively implemented to perform all or a portion of the example operations as described herein. The computer-readable medium 820 may be part of a memory 804.

[0157] Figure 9This is a schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of a hardware implementation of a location server 900 (such as LMF 120), which enables joint positioning of a group of UEs based on a selected common PRS set measured and reported by each UE in the group of UEs, and in some implementations, uses sidelink-assisted positioning in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation. For example, the common PRS set may include DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof. The location server 900 includes, for example, hardware components such as one or more processing units 902, memory 904, and a communication interface 910, which are operatively coupled to a non-transient computer-readable medium 920 and memory 904 via one or more connections 906 (e.g., bus, line, fiber, link, etc.). The communication interface 910 may be a wired and / or wireless interface capable of connecting to a transmit / receive point or base station (such as gNB 110) via one or more intermediate entities such as an AMF, and capable of communicating with UEs such as a target UE 106 and an anchor UE 105.

[0158] The one or more processing units 902 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processing units 902 may be configured to perform the functions discussed herein by implementing one or more instructions or program code 908 on a non-transient computer-readable medium, such as medium 920 and / or memory 904. In some embodiments, the one or more processing units 902 may represent one or more circuits that may be configured to perform at least a portion of a data signal calculation procedure or process related to the operation of the location server 900.

[0159] Medium 920 and / or memory 904 may store instruction or program code 908 containing executable code or software instructions that, when executed by one or more processing units 902, cause those processing units 902 to operate as a dedicated computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. As explained in location server 900, medium 920 and / or memory 904 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by one or more processing units 902 to perform the methodologies described herein. Although each component or module is described as software in medium 920 executable by the one or more processing units 902, it should be understood that each component or module may be stored in memory 904 or may be dedicated hardware in or outside of the one or more processing units 902.

[0160] Several software modules and data tables may reside in medium 920 and / or memory 904 and be utilized by one or more processing units 902 to manage both the communication and functionality described herein. It should be understood that the organization of the contents of medium 920 and / or memory 904 as shown in location server 900 is merely exemplary, and thus, the functionality of the individual modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated, and / or constructed in different ways depending on the implementation of location server 900.

[0161] The medium 920 and / or memory 904 may include a shared PRS unit 922, which, when implemented by one or more processing units 902, configures one or more processing units 902 to select a shared PRS set for measurement. The shared PRS set may include: DL PRS from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, UL PRS from the plurality of UEs to be measured by the one or more base stations, SL-PRS from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by the other UEs, or combinations thereof. For example, the shared PRS set may include one or more PRS IDs, PRS resource set IDs, TRP IDs, cell IDs, SL-PRS IDs, UE IDs, SIMs, or any combination thereof. For instance, one or more processing units 902 may be configured to determine location estimates for the plurality of UEs and accordingly determine the DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof of the shared PRS set. In another example, one or more processing units 902 may receive recommendations for DL ​​PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof from one or more UEs via communication interface 910, and may determine the DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof for a shared PRS set based on the recommendations. In another example, one or more processing units 902 may receive location measurement reports from one or more UEs, and determine the DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof for a shared PRS set based on the UE locations from the location measurement reports. In another implementation, one or more processing units 902 may receive a shared PRS set from one or more UEs via communication interface 910, for example, where the one or more UEs have selected the DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof to be used in the shared PRS set.

[0162] The medium 920 and / or memory 904 may include a message unit 924, which, when implemented by one or more processing units 902, configures the one or more processing units 902 to send messages, such as measurement requests or auxiliary data messages, to each of a plurality of UEs via the communication interface 910. In some implementations, the message may include an indication of a common PRS set selected by the location server 900, for example, a PRS-based identifier or a reference to an index from which the common PRS set can be determined. In some implementations, the message may include configuration information for multiple DL PRS, UL-PRS, RTT, SL-PRS, or combinations thereof, and / or an indication of PRSs available for measurement, from which the UE can select a common set of positioning reference signals. In some implementations, the message may include identifiers of the plurality of UEs and an indication that the plurality of UEs are included in a joint positioning session.

[0163] The medium 920 and / or memory 904 may include a location information reporting unit 926, which, when implemented by one or more processing units 902, configures one or more processing units 902 to receive location information from each UE and / or base station via communication interface 910 in a joint positioning session. Location information from each UE may include, for example, DL PRS measurements, UL PRS measurements, RTT measurements, SL-PRS measurements, or combinations thereof made by each UE. Positioning measurements may be, for example, timing measurements (such as TOA, Rx-Tx, RTT, etc.), angle measurements (such as AoA), power measurements (such as RSRP), or combinations thereof.

[0164] The medium 920 and / or memory 904 may include a joint positioning unit 928, which, when implemented by one or more processing units 902, configures the processing units 902 to jointly determine a positioning estimate for each UE using location information received from each UE. For example, positioning measurements from each UE and the known location of the base station may be used to determine the location of each UE using multipoint positioning, the intersection of multiple AoA, or other known positioning techniques. The one or more processing units 902 may be further configured to send a positioning estimate corresponding to each UE to each UE via the communication interface 910. The one or more processing units 902 may be further configured to select a group of UEs for the joint positioning session, for example, based on previously determined UE locations or shared server cell IDs.

[0165] The medium 920 and / or memory 904 may include a scheduling unit 930, which, when implemented by one or more processing units 902, configures one or more processing units 902 to schedule DL PRS included in a shared PRS set using one or more base stations.

[0166] The methodologies described herein can be implemented through various means depending on the application. For example, these methodologies can be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the one or more processing units can be implemented within one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or combinations thereof.

[0167] For implementations involving firmware and / or software, these methods can be implemented using modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the individual functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium that tangibly embodies the instructions can be used to implement the methods described herein. For example, software code can be stored in memory and executed by one or more processor units, thereby enabling the processor units to operate as dedicated computers programmed to perform the algorithms disclosed herein. Memory can be implemented within or outside of the one or more processors. As used herein, the term "memory" means any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory, and is not limited to any particular type or number of memories, or the type of medium on which memory is stored.

[0168] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the functionality may be stored as one or more instructions or program code 908 on a non-transient computer-readable medium (such as medium 920 and / or memory 904). Examples include computer-readable media encoding data structures and computer-readable media encoding computer programs 908. For example, a non-transient computer-readable medium including program code 908 stored thereon may include program code 908 to support joint positioning sessions using a selected shared PRS set, and in some implementations, side-link assisted positioning in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments. The non-transient computer-readable medium 920 includes a physical computer storage medium. The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such non-transient computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code 908 in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer; as used herein, disk and disc include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital multi-purpose discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, wherein disks often magnetically reproduce data, while discs optically reproduce data using lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0169] In addition to being stored on a computer-readable storage medium, instructions and / or data may also be provided as signals included on a transmission medium in a communication apparatus. For example, a communication apparatus may include a transceiver having signals indicating instructions and data. These instructions and data are stored on a non-transient computer-readable medium (e.g., memory 904) and configured to cause one or more processors to operate as a dedicated computer programmed to perform the procedures and techniques disclosed herein. That is, the communication apparatus includes a transmission medium having signals indicating information for performing the disclosed functions.

[0170] Figure 10 A flowchart is shown of an exemplary method 1000 for supporting joint localization of multiple user equipment (UEs) (such as UE 105 and UE 106), performed, for example, by a location server (such as LMF 120) in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation.

[0171] In box 1002, a common location reference signal set for measurement is selected. This common location reference signal set includes downlink location reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink location reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink location reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs among the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof, such as... Figure 6 As discussed in Phase 4. For example, the shared location reference signal set may include one or more of the following: Location Reference Signal (PRS) Resource Identifier (ID), PRS Resource Set ID, Transport Point (TRP) ID, Cell ID, Sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), or any combination thereof. A means for selecting a shared location reference signal set for measurement, comprising downlink location reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink location reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink location reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by the other UEs, or a combination thereof, may be, for example, one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as a shared PRS unit 922 of a location server 900.

[0172] In box 1004, a message is sent to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including an indication of a shared set of positioning reference signals, such as... Figure 6 The means for sending a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals, may be, for example, a communication interface 910 and one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as a message unit 924 of a location server 900.

[0173] In box 1006, location information is received from each of the plurality of UEs, one or more of the one or more base stations, or combinations thereof, including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or combinations thereof generated based on an indication of a shared set of positioning reference signals, such as... Figure 6 The means for receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, including downlink location reference signal measurements, uplink location reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink location reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof, generated based on an indication of a common set of location reference signals, may be, for example, a communication interface 910, and one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as a location information reporting unit 926 of a location server 900.

[0174] In box 1008, the location server uses the received location information to jointly determine a location estimate for each UE, for example, such as Figure 6 The method discussed in stage 16 is as follows. The means for jointly determining the location estimate for each UE using the received location information may be, for example, one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as the joint positioning unit 928 of location server 900.

[0175] In one implementation, the location server can select the multiple UEs for joint positioning before selecting a shared set of positioning reference signals, for example, Figure 6 The means for selecting the plurality of UEs for joint positioning before selecting a common set of positioning reference signals may be, for example, one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as the joint positioning unit 928 of location server 900.

[0176] In one implementation, the UE can select a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement by determining a location estimate of the plurality of UEs, and determine, based on the location estimate of the plurality of UEs and the UEs included among the plurality of UEs, a downlink positioning reference signal, an uplink positioning reference signal, a sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof, included in the common set of positioning reference signals, for example, such as Figure 6 The means for determining the location estimate of the plurality of UEs, and the means for determining the downlink location reference signal, uplink location reference signal, sidelink location reference signal or combination thereof included in the common location reference signal set based on the location estimate of the plurality of UEs and the UEs included in the plurality of UEs, may be, for example, a communication interface 910, and one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as the common PRS unit 922 of the location server 900.

[0177] In one implementation, the UE can select a common positioning reference signal set for measurement by receiving recommendations from one or more of the plurality of UEs for downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof included in a common positioning reference signal set; and determine the downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof included in the common positioning reference signal set based on the recommendations received from the one or more UEs, for example, such as Figure 6The means for receiving recommendations for downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof included in a common positioning reference signal set from one or more of the plurality of UEs; and the means for determining, based on the recommendations received from the one or more UEs, the downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof included in the common positioning reference signal set may be, for example, a communication interface 910, and one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as a common PRS unit 922 of a location server 900.

[0178] In one implementation, the UE can select a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement by receiving location measurement reports from one or more of the plurality of UEs; and determine, based on the location measurement reports received from the one or more UEs, a downlink positioning reference signal, an uplink positioning reference signal, a sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof included in the common set of positioning reference signals, for example, such as Figure 6 The means for receiving location measurement reports from one or more of the plurality of UEs, and for determining, based on the location measurement reports received from the one or more UEs, a downlink location reference signal, an uplink location reference signal, a sidelink location reference signal, or a combination thereof included in a common location reference signal set, may be, for example, a communication interface 910, and one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as a common PRS unit 922 of a location server 900.

[0179] In one implementation, the location server may further utilize one or more base stations to schedule downlink location reference signals included in a shared set of location reference signals, for example, such as Figure 6 The means for scheduling downlink positioning reference signals included in a common set of positioning reference signals using one or more base stations may be, for example, a communication interface 910, and one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as a scheduling unit 930 of a location server 900.

[0180] In one implementation, the location server can further send a corresponding location estimate to each of the multiple UEs, for example, Figure 6The means for sending a corresponding location estimate to each of the plurality of UEs may be, for example, one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as the joint positioning unit 928 of location server 900.

[0181] Figure 11 A flowchart is shown of an exemplary method 1100 for supporting joint positioning of multiple UEs (such as UE 105 and UE 106), performed, for example, by a user equipment (UE) (such as UE 105) in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation.

[0182] In block 1102, the UE sends to the location server a recommendation for joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, including downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from each of the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof. The location server selects a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement based on the recommendation. This common set of positioning reference signals includes the selected downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, for example, such as... Figure 6 This is discussed in Phase 4. For example, a location server may select multiple UEs for joint positioning. The shared location reference signal set may include one or more of the following: Location Reference Signal (PRS) Resource Identifier (ID), PRS Resource Set ID, Transport Point (TRP) ID, Cell ID, Sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), or any combination thereof. A means for sending to a location server a recommendation for joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, including downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from each of the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof, for joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, wherein the location server selects a set of common positioning reference signals for measurement based on the recommendation. The means may be, for example, a wireless transceiver 810 and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as a common PRS unit 822 of UE 800.

[0183] In box 1104, a message is received from the location server, which includes an indication of a shared set of location reference signals for the first UE to measure, for example, such as... Figure 6 The means for receiving from the location server a message including an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement by the first UE may be, for example, a wireless transceiver 810 and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as message unit 824 of UE 800.

[0184] In box 1106, the UE performs positioning measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, transmits uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, based on an indication of a shared set of positioning reference signals, such as... Figure 6 The apparatus discussed in stages 10A and 12A is for performing location measurements of downlink location reference signals, sidelink location reference signals, transmitting uplink location reference signals, or combinations thereof based on indications of a common set of location reference signals. This may be, for example, a wireless transceiver 810, and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as the location measurement unit 826 of UE 800.

[0185] In one implementation, the UE can send a location information report to a location server, which includes location measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof, for example, such as Figure 6 The process discussed in stage 13 is as follows. The means for sending a location information report to a location server, including location measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, can be, for example, a wireless transceiver 810, and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as a reporting unit 828 of UE 800. In one example, the location server can jointly determine a location estimate for each of the plurality of UEs based on the location information report and location information reports received from at least one other UE and one or more base stations, or combinations thereof. The UE can further receive a location estimate for that UE from the location server, for example, as... Figure 6 The device for receiving a location estimate of the UE from the location server may be, for example, a wireless transceiver 810 and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as the location unit 830 of the UE 800.

[0186] Figure 12A flowchart is shown of an exemplary method 1200 for supporting joint localization of multiple user equipment (UEs) such as UE 105 and UE 106, performed, for example, by a location server (such as LMF 120) in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation.

[0187] In box 1202, the location server receives from one or more of the plurality of UEs an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement. This common set of positioning reference signals includes downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by the other UEs, or combinations thereof, such as... Figure 7 As discussed in stages 8 and 9. For example, a shared location reference signal set may include one or more of the following: Location Reference Signal (PRS) Resource Identifier (ID), PRS Resource Set ID, Transport Point (TRP) ID, Cell ID, Sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), or any combination thereof. A means for receiving from one or more of the plurality of UEs an indication of a shared location reference signal set for measurement, the shared location reference signal set including downlink location reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink location reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink location reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by the other of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof, may be, for example, a communication interface 910 and one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as a shared PRS unit 922 of a location server 900.

[0188] In box 1204, the location server receives location information from each of the plurality of UEs, one or more base stations, or combinations thereof. This location information includes downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or combinations thereof, generated from a shared set of positioning reference signals. Figure 7The locations discussed in stages 16, 17, and 18 are as follows. A means for receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, one or more base stations, or combinations thereof, the location information including downlink location reference signal measurements, uplink location reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink location reference signal measurements, or combinations thereof generated from a common set of location reference signals, may be, for example, a communication interface 910 and one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as a location information reporting unit 926 of a location server 900.

[0189] In box 1206, the location server uses the received location information to jointly determine a location estimate for each UE, for example, such as Figure 7 The method discussed in stage 19 is as follows. The means for jointly determining the location estimate for each UE using the received location information may be, for example, one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as the joint positioning unit 928 of location server 900.

[0190] In one implementation, the location server may send a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including configuration information for a plurality of downlink positioning reference signals, a plurality of uplink positioning reference signals, a plurality of sidelink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof, from which the one or more UEs select a common set of positioning reference signals, for example, such as Figure 7 The methods discussed in stages 5A and 5B or 6 and 7 are as follows. A means for sending a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including configuration information for a plurality of downlink positioning reference signals, a plurality of uplink positioning reference signals, a plurality of sidelink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof, from which one or more UEs select a common set of positioning reference signals. This means may be, for example, a communication interface 910, and one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as a message unit 924 of a location server 900.

[0191] In one implementation, the location server may further utilize the one or more base stations to schedule the multiple downlink location reference signals before receiving the shared set of location reference signals, for example, such as Figure 7The methods discussed in stages 4A and 4B are as follows. The means for scheduling multiple downlink positioning reference signals using one or more base stations before receiving a common positioning reference signal set can be, for example, a communication interface 910 and one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as the scheduling unit 930 of a location server 900. The location server can further utilize one or more base stations to schedule downlink positioning reference signals after receiving the common positioning reference signal set, for example, as... Figure 7 The apparatus for scheduling downlink positioning reference signals using one or more base stations after receiving a common set of positioning reference signals may be, for example, a communication interface 910 and one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as a scheduling unit 930 of a location server 900.

[0192] In one implementation, the location server can further select the multiple UEs for joint positioning, for example, such as Figure 7 This is discussed in Phase 3. The location server may additionally send the identifiers of the plurality of UEs and indications regarding the inclusion of the plurality of UEs in the joint positioning session to each of the plurality of UEs, for example, as... Figure 7 The means for selecting multiple UEs for joint positioning, as discussed in stages 6 and 7, may be, for example, one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as the joint positioning unit 928 of location server 900. The means for sending the identifiers of the multiple UEs and indications regarding the inclusion of the multiple UEs in the joint positioning session to each of the multiple UEs may be, for example, a communication interface 910, and one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as the joint positioning unit 928 of location server 900 and message unit 924.

[0193] In one implementation, the location server can further send a corresponding location estimate to each of the multiple UEs, for example, Figure 7 The means for sending the corresponding location estimate to each of the plurality of UEs may be, for example, one or more processing units 902 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 904 and / or medium 920, such as the joint positioning unit 928 of location server 900.

[0194] Figure 13A flowchart is shown of an exemplary method 1300 for supporting joint positioning of multiple UEs (such as UE 105 and UE 106), performed, for example, by a user equipment (UE) (such as UE 105) in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementation.

[0195] In box 1302, the UE receives from the location server the identifiers of the plurality of UEs and an indication that the plurality of UEs are included in the joint location session, for example, such as Figure 7 The means for receiving the identifiers of the plurality of UEs and indications that the plurality of UEs are included in a joint location session, as discussed in stage 6, may be, for example, a wireless transceiver 810, and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as a shared PRS unit 822 of UE 800.

[0196] In box 1304, the UE sends an indication to the location server of a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement. This common set of positioning reference signals includes downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by the one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by the other UEs, or combinations thereof, such as... Figure 7 The shared location reference signal set discussed in stage 9. This set may include one or more of the following: Location Reference Signal (PRS) Resource Identifier (ID), PRS Resource Set ID, Transport Point (TRP) ID, Cell ID, Sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), or any combination thereof. A means for sending an indication to a location server of a shared location reference signal set for measurement, the shared location reference signal set including downlink location reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink location reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink location reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs, or a combination thereof, may be, for example, a radio transceiver 810, and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as the shared PRS unit 822 of UE 800.

[0197] In box 1306, the UE performs positioning measurements on downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals from the shared positioning reference signal set, transmits uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, for example, as in Figure 7 The apparatus discussed in stages 13A and 15A is for performing positioning measurements on downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals from the common positioning reference signal set, transmitting uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, based on the common positioning reference signal set. This may be, for example, a wireless transceiver 810, and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as the positioning measurement unit 826 of UE 800.

[0198] In one implementation, a UE can receive a message from a location server including configuration information for multiple downlink positioning reference signals, multiple uplink positioning reference signals, multiple sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof. One or more of the multiple UEs select a common set of positioning reference signals from these signals, for example, such as... Figure 7 As discussed in stages 5A or 6. For example, the identifiers of the plurality of UEs and indications regarding the inclusion of the plurality of UEs in a joint positioning session may be included in the message. A means for receiving a message from a location server, the message including configuration information for a plurality of downlink positioning reference signals, a plurality of uplink positioning reference signals, a plurality of sidelink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof, from which one or more of the plurality of UEs select a common set of positioning reference signals, may be, for example, a wireless transceiver 810, and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as message unit 824 of UE 800.

[0199] In one implementation, the UE may further receive recommendations from at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs for a downlink positioning reference signal, an uplink positioning reference signal, a sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof to be included in the shared positioning reference signal set, for example, such as Figure 7 This is discussed in stage 8. The UE can determine, based on recommendations received from at least one other UE, a downlink positioning reference signal, an uplink positioning reference signal, a sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof, included in the shared positioning reference signal set, for example, such as... Figure 7 This is discussed in stage 8. The UE can send a shared set of positioning reference signals to each other UE, for example, such as... Figure 7The means for receiving recommendations from at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs for a downlink positioning reference signal, uplink positioning reference signal, sidelink positioning reference signal, or combination thereof to be included in the shared positioning reference signal set may be, for example, a radio transceiver 810, and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as the shared PRS unit 822 of UE 800. The means for determining the downlink positioning reference signal, uplink positioning reference signal, sidelink positioning reference signal, or combination thereof to be included in the shared positioning reference signal set based on the recommendations received from at least one other UE may be, for example, one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as the shared PRS unit 822 of UE 800. The means for transmitting a common location reference signal set to each other UE may be, for example, a wireless transceiver 810, and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as the common PRS unit 822 of UE 800.

[0200] In one implementation, the UE may further send a first recommendation to at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs for a downlink positioning reference signal, an uplink positioning reference signal, a sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof to be included in the shared positioning reference signal set, for example, such as Figure 7 This is discussed in stage 8. The UE can receive a second recommendation from at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs for a downlink positioning reference signal, an uplink positioning reference signal, a sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof to be included in a shared positioning reference signal set, wherein the shared positioning reference signal set is determined by consensus among the plurality of UEs, for example, as... Figure 7The means for transmitting a first recommendation of a downlink positioning reference signal, uplink positioning reference signal, sidelink positioning reference signal, or combination thereof to be included in a shared positioning reference signal set, as discussed in stage 8, to at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs, may be, for example, a radio transceiver 810 and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as the shared PRS unit 822 of UE 800. The means for receiving a second recommendation of a downlink positioning reference signal, uplink positioning reference signal, sidelink positioning reference signal, or combination thereof to be included in a shared positioning reference signal set, wherein the shared positioning reference signal set is determined by consensus among the plurality of UEs, may be, for example, a radio transceiver 810 and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as the shared PRS unit 822 of UE 800.

[0201] In one implementation, the UE can send a location information report to a location server, which includes location measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof, for example, such as Figure 7 The process discussed in stage 16. The means for sending a location information report to a location server, including location measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, may be, for example, a wireless transceiver 810, and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as the reporting unit 828 of UE 800. In one example, the UE may further receive a location estimate of the UE from the location server, which is determined jointly based on the location information report and location information reports received from at least one other UE and one or more base stations, or combinations thereof, with location estimates of the other UEs among the plurality of UEs, for example, as... Figure 7 The device for receiving a location estimate of the UE from the location server may be, for example, a wireless transceiver 810, and one or more processing units 802 having dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 804 and / or medium 820, such as the location unit 830 of the UE 800.

[0202] Substantial modifications can be made to suit specific needs. For example, custom hardware can be used, and / or specific elements can be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software such as applets), or both. Furthermore, connectivity to other computing devices (such as network input / output devices) can be employed.

[0203] Each configuration may be described as a process depicted as a flowchart or block diagram. While each flowchart or block diagram may describe operations as a sequential process, many operations may be performed in parallel or simultaneously. Furthermore, the order of operations may be rearranged. The process may have additional steps not included in the accompanying drawings. Moreover, examples of these methods can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segments used to perform the necessary tasks may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a storage medium. The processor can execute the described tasks.

[0204] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly or conventionally understood. As used herein, the articles “a” and “some” refer to one or more (i.e., at least one) grammatical objects of that article. For example, “element” means one or more elements. As used herein, “about” and / or “approximately” when referring to measurable values ​​(such as quantities, durations of time, etc.) covers deviations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as such deviations are appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein. Similarly, as used herein, “substantially” when referring to measurable values ​​(such as quantities, durations of time, physical properties (such as frequencies), etc.) covers deviations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as such deviations are appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein.

[0205] As used herein (including in the claims), the "or" used in the enumeration of "at least one" or "one or more" in the following indicates a disjunctive enumeration, such that an enumeration of, for example, "at least one of A, B, or C" represents A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), and combinations having more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.). Furthermore, as used herein, unless otherwise stated, a statement that a function or operation is "based on" an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the stated item or condition, and may be based on one or more items and / or conditions other than the stated item or condition.

[0206] As used herein, mobile device, user equipment (UE), or mobile station (MS) means a device such as a cellular or other wireless communication device, smartphone, tablet computer, personal communication system (PCS) device, personal navigation device (PND), personal information manager (PIM), personal digital assistant (PDA), or a laptop or other suitable mobile device capable of receiving wireless communication and / or navigation signals (such as navigation positioning signals). The term "mobile station" (or "mobile device," "wireless device," or "user equipment") is also intended to include devices that communicate with a personal navigation device (PND) (such as via short-range wireless, infrared, wired, or other connections) regardless of whether satellite signal reception, auxiliary data reception, and / or positioning-related processing occur on the device or at the PND. Similarly, "mobile station" or "user equipment" is intended to include all devices (including wireless communication devices, computers, laptop devices, tablet devices, etc.) capable of communicating with a server and one or more types of nodes, such as via the Internet, WiFi, or other networks, regardless of whether satellite signal reception, auxiliary data reception, and / or positioning-related processing occur on the device, on a server, or at another device or a node associated with the network. Any of the above operational combinations are also considered "mobile station" or "user equipment". Mobile equipment or user equipment (UE) may also be referred to as mobile terminal, terminal, device, terminal with Secure User Plane Location Enabled (SET), target device, target, or some other name.

[0207] In one embodiment, the first example independent claim may include a method for supporting the location of user equipment (UE) at a first radio node, comprising: receiving a first request for broadcasting an increased quantity of location-related information based on a radio access type of the first radio node; and using the radio access type and based on the first request to broadcast the increased quantity of location-related information.

[0208] While some of the techniques, processes, and / or implementations described herein may conform to all or part of one or more standards, in some embodiments such techniques, processes, and / or implementations may not conform to part or all of the one or more standards.

[0209] Examples of implementations are described in the following numbered clauses: 1. A method for supporting joint localization of multiple user equipment (UEs) performed by a location server, comprising: Select a common location reference signal set for measurement, the common location reference signal set including downlink location reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink location reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink location reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs, or a combination thereof; Send a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals; Receive location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof, generated based on an indication of a shared positioning reference signal set; and The received location information is used to jointly determine the location estimate for each UE.

[0210] 2. The method of Clause 1 further includes selecting the plurality of UEs for joint positioning before selecting a common set of positioning reference signals.

[0211] 3. The method of either clause 1 or 2, wherein the set of common positioning reference signals selected for measurement includes: Determine the location estimate for these multiple UEs; and Based on the location estimation of the multiple UEs and the UEs included in the multiple UEs, the downlink positioning reference signal, uplink positioning reference signal, sidelink positioning reference signal or a combination thereof included in the common positioning reference signal set is determined.

[0212] 4. The method of any of Clauses 1-3, wherein the set of common positioning reference signals selected for measurement includes: Receive recommendations from one or more of the plurality of UEs for a downlink positioning reference signal, an uplink positioning reference signal, a sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof to be included in the common positioning reference signal set; and The downlink positioning reference signal, uplink positioning reference signal, sidelink positioning reference signal, or combination thereof, which are included in the common positioning reference signal set, are determined based on recommendations received from the one or more UEs.

[0213] 5. The method of any of Clauses 1-4, wherein the set of common positioning reference signals selected for measurement includes: Receive location measurement reports from one or more of the plurality of UEs; and The downlink positioning reference signal, uplink positioning reference signal, sidelink positioning reference signal, or combination thereof, included in the common positioning reference signal set, are determined based on location measurement reports received from one or more UEs.

[0214] 6. The method of any of Clauses 1-5 further includes using one or more base stations to schedule downlink positioning reference signals included in a common positioning reference signal set.

[0215] 7. The method of any of Clauses 1-6, wherein the common location reference signal set includes one or more of the following: location reference signal (PRS) resource identifier (ID), PRS resource set ID, transport point (TRP) ID, cell ID, sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, subscriber identity module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

[0216] 8. The method of any of the provisions 1-7 further includes sending a corresponding location estimate to each of the plurality of UEs.

[0217] 9. A location server configured to support joint positioning of multiple user equipment (UEs), comprising: A communication interface configured to communicate with entities in a wireless network; At least one memory; and At least one processor, coupled to a communication interface and at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: Select a common location reference signal set for measurement, the common location reference signal set including downlink location reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink location reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink location reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs, or a combination thereof; A message is sent to each of the plurality of UEs via a communication interface, the message including an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals; Location information received via a communication interface from each of the plurality of UEs, one or more of the base stations, or combinations thereof, including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or combinations thereof, generated based on an indication of a shared positioning reference signal set; and The received location information is used to jointly determine the location estimate for each UE.

[0218] 10. A location server as described in Clause 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to select the plurality of UEs for joint positioning prior to selecting a common set of positioning reference signals.

[0219] 11. A location server as described in any of Clauses 9 or 10, wherein the at least one processor is configured to select a common set of location reference signals for measurement by being configured to perform the following operations: Determine the location estimate for these multiple UEs; and Based on the location estimation of the multiple UEs and the UEs included in the multiple UEs, the downlink positioning reference signal, uplink positioning reference signal, sidelink positioning reference signal or a combination thereof included in the common positioning reference signal set is determined.

[0220] 12. A location server as described in any of clauses 9-11, wherein the at least one processor is configured to select a common set of location reference signals for measurement by being configured to perform the following operations: Receive, via a communication interface, recommendations from one or more of the plurality of UEs for downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof to be included in a common positioning reference signal set; and The downlink positioning reference signal, uplink positioning reference signal, sidelink positioning reference signal, or combination thereof, which are included in the common positioning reference signal set, are determined based on recommendations received from the one or more UEs.

[0221] 13. A location server as described in any of clauses 9-12, wherein the at least one processor is configured to select a common set of location reference signals for measurement by being configured to perform the following operations: Receive location measurement reports from one or more of the plurality of UEs via a communication interface; and The downlink positioning reference signal, uplink positioning reference signal, sidelink positioning reference signal, or combination thereof, included in the common positioning reference signal set, are determined based on location measurement reports received from one or more UEs.

[0222] 14. A location server as described in any of Clauses 9-13, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to utilize one or more base stations to schedule downlink location reference signals included in a common set of location reference signals.

[0223] 15. A location server of any of the terms 9-14, wherein the common location reference signal set includes one or more of the following: Location Reference Signal (PRS) Resource Identifier (ID), PRS Resource Set ID, Transport Point (TRP) ID, Cell ID, Sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

[0224] 16. A location server as described in any of Clauses 9-15, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to send a corresponding location estimate to each of the plurality of UEs via the communication interface.

[0225] 17. A location server configured to support joint positioning of multiple user equipment (UEs), comprising: A means for selecting a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement, the common set of positioning reference signals including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs, or a combination thereof. A means for sending a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals; Means for receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including downlink location reference signal measurements, uplink location reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink location reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof, generated based on an indication of a common location reference signal set; and A means for jointly determining a location estimate for each UE using received location information.

[0226] 18. A non-transient storage medium including program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a location server to support joint positioning of multiple user equipment (UEs), the non-transient storage medium comprising: Program code for selecting a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement, the common set of positioning reference signals including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs, or a combination thereof; Program code for sending a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals; Program code for receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including downlink location reference signal measurements, uplink location reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink location reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof, generated based on an indication of a shared location reference signal set; and Program code for jointly determining the location estimate for each UE using the received location information.

[0227] 19. A method for supporting joint localization of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) performed by a first UE, comprising: The location server sends a recommendation for joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, consisting of downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from each of the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof, to a location server. The location server selects a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement based on the recommendation. The common set of positioning reference signals includes the selected downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof. Receive a message from the location server that includes an indication of a common set of location reference signals for the first UE to measure; Positioning measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, transmission of uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof are performed based on indications of a common set of positioning reference signals.

[0228] 20. The method of Clause 19, wherein the plurality of UEs used for joint positioning are selected by a location server.

[0229] 21. The method of any of Clauses 19 or 20, wherein the common location reference signal set includes one or more of the following: Location Reference Signal (PRS) Resource Identifier (ID), PRS Resource Set ID, Transmission Point (TRP) ID, Cell ID, Sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

[0230] 22. The method of any of Clauses 19-21 further includes: Send a location information report to the location server, including location measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof.

[0231] 23. The method of Clause 22, wherein the location server jointly determines a location estimate for each of the plurality of UEs based on the location information report and location information reports received from at least one other UE and one or more base stations or a combination thereof.

[0232] 24. The method of Clause 23 further includes: receiving a location estimate of the first UE from the location server.

[0233] 25. A first UE of a plurality of user equipment (UEs) configured to support joint positioning of such UEs, comprising: A wireless transceiver, configured to communicate with entities in a wireless network; At least one memory; and At least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: The system transmits a recommendation to a location server via a wireless transceiver for joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, including downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from each of the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof. The location server selects a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement based on the recommendation, the common set of positioning reference signals including the selected downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof. Receives from a location server via a wireless transceiver a message including an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals for the first UE to perform measurements; and Positioning measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, transmission of uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof are performed based on indications of a common set of positioning reference signals.

[0234] 26. As in the first UE of Clause 25, wherein the multiple UEs used for joint positioning are selected by the location server.

[0235] 27. For any UE of any of Clauses 25 or 26, wherein the common location reference signal set includes one or more of the following: Location Reference Signal (PRS) Resource Identifier (ID), PRS Resource Set ID, Transport Point (TRP) ID, Cell ID, Sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

[0236] 28. The first UE as described in any of clauses 25-27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: A location information report, including location measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof, is sent to a location server via a wireless transceiver.

[0237] 29. The first UE as described in Clause 28, wherein the location server jointly determines a location estimate for each of the plurality of UEs based on the location information report and location information reports received from the other UEs.

[0238] 30. The first UE as described in Clause 29, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive a location estimate of the first UE from the location server via the wireless transceiver.

[0239] 31. A first UE among a plurality of user equipment (UEs) configured to support joint positioning of a plurality of UEs, comprising: A means for sending to a location server a recommendation for joint positioning of a plurality of UEs, including downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from each of the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof, for the purpose of joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, wherein the location server selects a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement based on the recommendation, the common set of positioning reference signals including the selected downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof; A means for receiving from a location server a message including an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals for a first UE to measure; A means for performing positioning measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, transmitting uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, based on an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals.

[0240] 32. A non-transient storage medium including program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor of a first UE among a plurality of user equipments (UEs) to support joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, the non-transient storage medium comprising: Program code for sending to a location server recommendations for joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, including downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from each of the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof, wherein the location server selects a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement based on the recommendations, the common set of positioning reference signals including the selected downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof; Program code for receiving from a location server a message including an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement by a first UE; Program code for performing positioning measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, transmitting uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, based on an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals.

[0241] 33. A method for supporting joint localization of multiple user equipment (UEs) performed by a location server, comprising: Receive from one or more of the plurality of UEs an indication of a common location reference signal set for measurement, the common location reference signal set including downlink location reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink location reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink location reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; Receive location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof generated from a shared positioning reference signal set; and The received location information is used to jointly determine the location estimate for each UE.

[0242] 34. The method of Clause 33 further includes: sending a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including configuration information for a plurality of downlink positioning reference signals, a plurality of uplink positioning reference signals, a plurality of sidelink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof, the one or more UEs selecting a common set of positioning reference signals from these signals.

[0243] 35. The method of Clause 34 further includes: scheduling multiple downlink positioning reference signals using one or more base stations before receiving a common positioning reference signal set.

[0244] 36. The method of Clause 34 further includes: after receiving a common positioning reference signal set, using one or more base stations to schedule downlink positioning reference signals.

[0245] 37. The method of any of Clauses 33-36 further includes: Selecting these multiple UEs for joint positioning; and Send the identifier of the multiple UEs and an indication that the multiple UEs are included in the joint positioning session to each of the multiple UEs.

[0246] 38. The method of any of Clauses 33-37, wherein the common location reference signal set includes one or more of the following: Location Reference Signal (PRS) Resource Identifier (ID), PRS Resource Set ID, Transmission Point (TRP) ID, Cell ID, Sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

[0247] 39. The method of any of Clauses 33-38 further includes: sending a corresponding location estimate to each of the plurality of UEs.

[0248] 40. A location server configured to support joint positioning of multiple user equipment (UEs), comprising: A communication interface configured to communicate with entities in a wireless network; At least one memory; and At least one processor, coupled to a communication interface and at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: The system receives, via a communication interface, an indication of a common location reference signal set for measurement from one or more of the plurality of UEs. The common location reference signal set includes downlink location reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink location reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink location reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs, or a combination thereof. The system receives location information via a communication interface from each of the plurality of UEs, one or more of the base stations, or combinations thereof, including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or combinations thereof, generated from a shared positioning reference signal set; and The received location information is used to jointly determine the location estimate for each UE.

[0249] 41. The location server of Clause 40, further comprising: sending a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including configuration information for a plurality of downlink positioning reference signals, a plurality of uplink positioning reference signals, a plurality of sidelink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof, the one or more UEs selecting a common set of positioning reference signals from these signals.

[0250] 42. The location server as described in Clause 41 further includes: scheduling multiple downlink location reference signals using one or more base stations before receiving a shared set of location reference signals.

[0251] 43. The location server as described in Clause 41 further includes: after receiving a common set of location reference signals, using one or more base stations to schedule downlink location reference signals.

[0252] 44. A location server as described in any of Clauses 40-43, further comprising: Selecting these multiple UEs for joint positioning; and Send the identifier of the multiple UEs and an indication that the multiple UEs are included in the joint positioning session to each of the multiple UEs.

[0253] 45. A location server of any of the terms 40-44, wherein the common location reference signal set includes one or more of the following: Location Reference Signal (PRS) Resource Identifier (ID), PRS Resource Set ID, Transport Point (TRP) ID, Cell ID, Sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

[0254] 46. ​​The location server as described in any of clauses 40-45, further comprising: sending a corresponding location estimate to each of the plurality of UEs.

[0255] 47. A location server configured to support joint positioning of multiple user equipment (UEs), comprising: A means for receiving from one or more of the plurality of UEs an indication of a common location reference signal set for measurement, the common location reference signal set including downlink location reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink location reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink location reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; For receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including means for downlink positioning reference signal measurement, uplink positioning reference signal measurement, round-trip time measurement, sidelink positioning reference signal measurement, or a combination thereof generated from a common positioning reference signal set; and A means for jointly determining a location estimate for each UE using received location information.

[0256] 48. A non-transient storage medium including program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a location server to support joint positioning of multiple user equipment (UEs), the non-transient storage medium comprising: Program code for receiving from one or more of the plurality of UEs an indication of a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement, the common set of positioning reference signals including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; Program code for receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof, generated from a common positioning reference signal set; and Program code for jointly determining the location estimate for each UE using the received location information.

[0257] 49. A method for supporting joint localization of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) performed by a first UE, comprising: Receive the identifiers of the multiple UEs and indications that the multiple UEs are included in the joint location session from the location server; Send an indication to the location server for a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement, the common set of positioning reference signals including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of a plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; Positioning measurements are performed on downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals from the shared positioning reference signal set, uplink positioning reference signals are transmitted, or combinations thereof are performed on them.

[0258] 50. The method of Clause 49 further includes: receiving a message from a location server, the message including configuration information for a plurality of downlink positioning reference signals, a plurality of uplink positioning reference signals, a plurality of sidelink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof, wherein one or more of the plurality of UEs select a common set of positioning reference signals from the signals.

[0259] 51. The method of Clause 50, wherein the identifiers of the plurality of UEs and an indication that the plurality of UEs are included in the joint positioning session are in the message.

[0260] 52. The method of any of clauses 49-51 further includes: Receive recommendations from at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs for a downlink positioning reference signal, an uplink positioning reference signal, a sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof to be included in the common positioning reference signal set; The downlink positioning reference signal, uplink positioning reference signal, sidelink positioning reference signal, or combination thereof, included in the shared positioning reference signal set, are determined based on recommendations received from at least one other UE; and Send a shared set of positioning reference signals to each other UE.

[0261] 53. The method of any of clauses 49-52 further includes: Send a recommendation to at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs for a downlink positioning reference signal, an uplink positioning reference signal, a sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof to be included in the common positioning reference signal set; Receives a second recommendation from at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs for a downlink positioning reference signal, an uplink positioning reference signal, a sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof to be included in the common positioning reference signal set; The shared positioning reference signal set is determined by the consensus of the multiple UEs.

[0262] 54. The method of any of Clauses 49-53, wherein the common location reference signal set includes one or more of the following: location reference signal (PRS) resource identifier (ID), PRS resource set ID, transport point (TRP) ID, cell ID, sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, subscriber identity module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

[0263] 55. The method of any of Clauses 49-54 further comprises: sending a location information report to a location server including location measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof.

[0264] 56. The method of Clause 55 further includes: receiving a location estimate for a first UE from a location server, the location estimate being determined jointly with location estimates for the other UEs among the plurality of UEs, based on the location information report and location information reports received from at least one other UE and one or more base stations or a combination thereof.

[0265] 57. A first user equipment (UE) of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) configured to support joint positioning of such UEs, comprising: A wireless transceiver, configured to communicate with entities in a wireless network; At least one memory; and At least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: Receive the identifiers of the multiple UEs and indications about the multiple UEs being included in the joint positioning session from the location server via a wireless transceiver; The system sends an instruction to a location server via a wireless transceiver for a common set of positioning reference signals used for measurement. The common set of positioning reference signals includes downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of a plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs, or a combination thereof. Positioning measurements are performed on downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals from the shared positioning reference signal set, uplink positioning reference signals are transmitted, or combinations thereof are performed on them.

[0266] 58. The first UE as described in Clause 57, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive a message from a location server via a radio transceiver, the message including configuration information for a plurality of downlink positioning reference signals, a plurality of uplink positioning reference signals, a plurality of sidelink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof, wherein one or more of the plurality of UEs select a common set of positioning reference signals from these signals.

[0267] 59. The first UE as in Clause 58, wherein the identifiers of the plurality of UEs and the indication that the plurality of UEs are included in the joint location session are in the message.

[0268] 60. The first UE as described in any of clauses 57-59, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Receive, via a radio transceiver, recommendations for downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof to be included in a common positioning reference signal set from at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs; The downlink positioning reference signal, uplink positioning reference signal, sidelink positioning reference signal, or combination thereof, included in the shared positioning reference signal set, are determined based on recommendations received from at least one other UE; and A set of shared positioning reference signals is transmitted to each other UE via a wireless transceiver.

[0269] 61. The first UE as described in any of clauses 57-60, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: A first recommendation for a downlink positioning reference signal, an uplink positioning reference signal, a sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof to be included in a common positioning reference signal set is transmitted to at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs via a wireless transceiver. Receive, via a wireless transceiver, a second recommendation for a downlink positioning reference signal, an uplink positioning reference signal, a sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof to be included in a common positioning reference signal set from at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs; The shared positioning reference signal set is determined by the consensus of the multiple UEs.

[0270] 62. The first UE of any of the provisions 57-61, wherein the common location reference signal set includes one or more of the following: location reference signal (PRS) resource identifier (ID), PRS resource set ID, transport point (TRP) ID, cell ID, sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, subscriber identity module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

[0271] 63. The first UE as described in any of clauses 57-62, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Send a location information report to the location server, including location measurements of downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or a combination thereof.

[0272] 64. The first UE as described in Clause 63, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive a location estimate of the first UE from a location server via a wireless transceiver, the location estimate being determined jointly with the location estimates of the other UEs among the plurality of UEs, based on the location information report and location information reports received from at least one other UE and one or more base stations or a combination thereof.

[0273] 65. A first user equipment (UE) of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) configured to support joint positioning of such UEs, comprising: A means for receiving from a location server the identifiers of the plurality of UEs and an indication that the plurality of UEs are included in a joint location session; A means for sending to a location server an indication of a common set of location reference signals for measurement, the common set of location reference signals including downlink location reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of a plurality of UEs, uplink location reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink location reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; A device for performing positioning measurements on downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals from a common positioning reference signal set, transmitting uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, based on a common positioning reference signal set.

[0274] 66. A non-transient storage medium including program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor of a first user equipment (UE) of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) to support joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, the non-transient storage medium comprising: Program code used to receive the identifiers of the multiple UEs and indications about the multiple UEs being included in a joint location session from the location server; Program code for sending an instruction to a location server for a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement, the common set of positioning reference signals including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of a plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from each of the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; A device for performing positioning measurements on downlink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals from a common positioning reference signal set, transmitting uplink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof, based on a common positioning reference signal set.

[0275] Although specific embodiments have been disclosed in detail herein, they are given by way of example for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims. In particular, various alternatives, changes, and modifications are contemplated without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Other aspects, advantages, and modifications are considered to be within the scope of the appended claims. The given claims represent the embodiments and features disclosed herein. Other unclaimed embodiments and features are also contemplated. Accordingly, other embodiments fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for supporting joint localization of multiple user equipment (UEs) performed by a location server, comprising: Select a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by the one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by the other of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; Send a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including an indication of the common positioning reference signal set; Receive location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof, generated based on the indication of the shared positioning reference signal set; as well as The received location information is used to jointly determine the location estimate for each UE.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting the plurality of UEs for joint positioning before selecting the shared positioning reference signal set.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the common positioning reference signal set for measurement comprises: Determine the location estimates for the plurality of UEs; as well as Based on the location estimation of the plurality of UEs and the UEs included among the plurality of UEs, the downlink positioning reference signal, the uplink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof included in the common positioning reference signal set are determined.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the common positioning reference signal set for measurement comprises: Receive recommendations from one or more of the plurality of UEs for the downlink positioning reference signal, the uplink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof to be included in the common positioning reference signal set; as well as The downlink positioning reference signal, the uplink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof, included in the common positioning reference signal set, are determined based on the recommendations received from the one or more UEs.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the common positioning reference signal set for measurement comprises: Receive a location measurement report from one or more of the plurality of UEs; as well as The downlink positioning reference signal, the uplink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof, included in the common positioning reference signal set, are determined based on location measurement reports received from the one or more UEs.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising using the one or more base stations to schedule the downlink positioning reference signals included in the shared positioning reference signal set.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the common location reference signal set includes one or more of the following: location reference signal (PRS) resource identifier (ID), PRS resource set ID, transport point (TRP) ID, cell ID, sidelink PRSID, UE ID, subscriber identity module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a corresponding location estimate to each of the plurality of UEs.

9. A location server configured to support joint positioning of multiple user equipment (UEs), comprising: A communication interface configured to communicate with entities in a wireless network; At least one memory; as well as At least one processor, coupled to the communication interface and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: Select a common positioning reference signal set for measurement, the common positioning reference signal set including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by the one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by the other of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; A message is sent to each of the plurality of UEs via the communication interface, the message including an indication of the common positioning reference signal set; The location information received via the communication interface includes downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or combinations thereof, generated based on the indication of the shared positioning reference signal set. as well as The received location information is used to jointly determine the location estimate for each UE.

10. The location server of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: select the plurality of UEs for joint positioning before selecting the shared location reference signal set.

11. The location server of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is configured to select the common location reference signal set for measurement by being configured to perform the following operations: Determine the location estimation for the plurality of UEs; and Based on the location estimation of the plurality of UEs and the UEs included among the plurality of UEs, the downlink positioning reference signal, the uplink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof included in the common positioning reference signal set are determined.

12. The location server of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is configured to select the common location reference signal set for measurement by being configured to perform the following operations: Receive, via the communication interface, recommendations from one or more of the plurality of UEs for the downlink positioning reference signal, the uplink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof to be included in the common positioning reference signal set; and The downlink positioning reference signal, the uplink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof, included in the common positioning reference signal set, are determined based on the recommendations received from the one or more UEs.

13. The location server of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is configured to select the common location reference signal set for measurement by being configured to perform the following operations: Receive location measurement reports from one or more of the plurality of UEs via the communication interface; and The downlink positioning reference signal, the uplink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof, included in the common positioning reference signal set, are determined based on the location measurement reports received from the one or more UEs.

14. The location server of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: utilize the one or more base stations to schedule the downlink location reference signals included in the shared location reference signal set.

15. The location server of claim 9, wherein the common location reference signal set includes one or more of the following: Location Reference Signal (PRS) Resource Identifier (ID), PRS Resource Set ID, Transmission Point (TRP) ID, Cell ID, Sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

16. The location server of claim 9, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: send a corresponding location estimate to each of the plurality of UEs via the communication interface.

17. A location server configured to support joint positioning of multiple user equipment (UEs), comprising: A means for selecting a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement, the common set of positioning reference signals including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by the one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by other UEs of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; A means for sending a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including an indication of the common positioning reference signal set; Means for receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof, generated based on an indication of the shared positioning reference signal set; as well as A means for jointly determining a location estimate for each UE using received location information.

18. A non-transient storage medium including program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a location server to support joint positioning of multiple user equipment (UEs), the non-transient storage medium comprising: Program code for selecting a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement, the common set of positioning reference signals including downlink positioning reference signals from one or more base stations to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs, uplink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by the one or more base stations, sidelink positioning reference signals from the plurality of UEs to be measured by the other of the plurality of UEs, or a combination thereof; Program code for sending a message to each of the plurality of UEs, the message including an indication of the common positioning reference signal set; Program code for receiving location information from each of the plurality of UEs, the one or more base stations, or a combination thereof, the location information including downlink positioning reference signal measurements, uplink positioning reference signal measurements, round-trip time measurements, sidelink positioning reference signal measurements, or a combination thereof, generated based on the indication of the shared positioning reference signal set; as well as Program code for jointly determining the location estimate for each UE using the received location information.

19. A method for supporting joint localization of said plurality of user equipment (UEs) performed by a first UE, comprising: The location server sends recommendations to a location server for joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, including downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by the one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof. Receive from the location server a message including an indication of the shared location reference signal set for the first UE to perform measurements; Positioning measurements of the downlink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, the transmission of the uplink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof, are performed based on the indication to the shared positioning reference signal set.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of UEs used for the joint positioning are selected by the location server.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein the common location reference signal set includes one or more of the following: location reference signal (PRS) resource identifier (ID), PRS resource set ID, transport point (TRP) ID, cell ID, sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, subscriber identity module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising: Send a location information report to the location server, including the location measurement of the downlink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the location server jointly determines a location estimate for each of the plurality of UEs based on the location information report and location information reports received from at least one other UE and the one or more base stations or a combination thereof.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising receiving a location estimate of the first UE from the location server.

25. A first UE of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) configured to support joint positioning of a plurality of UEs, comprising: A wireless transceiver configured to communicate with an entity in a wireless network; At least one memory; as well as At least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: The wireless transceiver transmits to a location server a recommendation for joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, including downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by the one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof, for the purpose of joint positioning of the plurality of UEs. The location server selects a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement based on the recommendation, the common set of positioning reference signals including the selected downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof. The first UE receives a message from the location server via the wireless transceiver, including an indication of the shared location reference signal set for measurement by the first UE. as well as Positioning measurements of the downlink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, the transmission of the uplink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof, are performed based on the indication to the shared positioning reference signal set.

26. The first UE as claimed in claim 25, wherein the plurality of UEs used for the joint positioning are selected by the location server.

27. The first UE as claimed in claim 25, wherein the common location reference signal set includes one or more of the following: location reference signal (PRS) resource identifier (ID), PRS resource set ID, transport point (TRP) ID, cell ID, sidelink PRS ID, UE ID, subscriber identity module (SIM), or any combination thereof.

28. The first UE of claim 25, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: The location information report, including the location measurement of the downlink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof, is sent to the location server via the wireless transceiver.

29. The first UE of claim 28, wherein the location server jointly determines a location estimate for each of the plurality of UEs based on the location information report and location information reports received from the other UEs.

30. The first UE of claim 29, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive a location estimate of the first UE from the location server via the wireless transceiver.

31. A first UE of a plurality of user equipments (UEs) configured to support joint positioning of a plurality of UEs, comprising: A means for sending to a location server a recommendation for joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, including downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by the one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof, for the purpose of joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, wherein the location server selects a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement based on the recommendation, the common set of positioning reference signals including the selected downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof; A means for receiving from the location server a message including an indication of the common location reference signal set for the first UE to perform measurements; A means for performing positioning measurements of the downlink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, transmitting the uplink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof, based on the indication to the common positioning reference signal set.

32. A non-transient storage medium including program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor of a first UE among a plurality of user equipments (UEs) to support joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, the non-transient storage medium comprising: Program code for sending to a location server recommendations for joint positioning of the plurality of UEs, including downlink positioning reference signals to be measured by each of the plurality of UEs from one or more base stations, uplink positioning reference signals to be measured by the one or more base stations from the plurality of UEs, sidelink positioning reference signals to be measured by other UEs from the plurality of UEs, or combinations thereof, wherein the location server selects a common set of positioning reference signals for measurement based on the recommendations, the common set of positioning reference signals including the selected downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, sidelink positioning reference signals, or combinations thereof; Program code for receiving from the location server a message including an indication of the common positioning reference signal set for the first UE to measure; Program code for performing positioning measurements of the downlink positioning reference signal, the sidelink positioning reference signal, transmitting the uplink positioning reference signal, or a combination thereof, based on the indication to the common positioning reference signal set.

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