On-demand positioning reference signal selection for a double-difference positioning scheme

Abstract

Techniques are provided for configuring on-demand positioning reference signal (PRS) resources in a double difference (DD) positioning method. An example method for providing an on-demand positioning reference signal request includes receiving a plurality of positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment and at least one reference node, determining one or more on-demand positioning reference signals based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements, and transmitting an indication of the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to any of the target user equipment, the at least one reference node, or both.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This patent application claims priority to Greek patent application No. 20210100171, filed on March 18, 2021, entitled “ON-DEMANDPOSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNAL SELECTION FOR DOUBLE DIFFERENCE POSITIONINGSCHEMES”, which is assigned to the assignee of this application and is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0003] background

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

[0005] It is generally desirable to know the location of a user equipment (UE) (e.g., a cellular phone), where the terms "location" and "positioning" are synonymous and used interchangeably herein. A Location Services (LCS) client may want to know the UE's location and may communicate with a location center to request the UE's location. The location center and the UE may exchange messages appropriately to obtain a location estimate for the UE. The location center may then return this location estimate to the LCS client, for example, for use in one or more applications.

[0006] Obtaining the location of a mobile device accessing a wireless network can be useful for many applications, including emergency calls, personal navigation, asset tracking, and locating friends or family members. In industrial applications, the location of mobile devices can be essential for asset tracking, robot control, and other kinematic operations that may require precise positioning of end effectors. Existing positioning methods include those based on measuring radio signals transmitted from various devices, including satellite carriers and terrestrial radio sources (such as base stations and access points) within the wireless network. Stations in the wireless network can be configured to transmit reference signals that enable mobile devices to perform positioning measurements.

[0007] Overview

[0008] An example method for providing an on-demand positioning reference signal request according to the present disclosure includes: receiving a plurality of positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment and at least one reference node; determining one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements; and sending an indication to the target user equipment, at least one reference node, or both of the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured.

[0009] Implementation of such a method may include one or more of the following features: At least one of a plurality of positioning measurements received from the target user equipment and at least one reference node may include a reference signal time difference associated with a pair of positioning reference signals. At least one of the plurality of positioning measurements received from the target user equipment and at least one reference node may include a receive-transmit time difference of at least one positioning reference signal. At least one positioning reference signal measurement based on one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured may be received from the target user equipment and at least one reference node. The method may include: determining at least one measurement based on at least one positioning reference signal measurement of one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured may be at least partially based on line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment, and line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the at least one reference node. A positioning reference signal silence mode may be transmitted to one or more anchor stations. Determining one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured may include constraining the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured based on a time window. Indications to the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured may include auxiliary data associated with one or more positioning reference signal resources.

[0010] An example method for on-demand positioning reference signal selection according to the present disclosure includes: receiving one or more positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment; selecting a reference node based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the one or more positioning reference signal measurements; determining one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured based at least in part on a coarse location of the target user equipment and the location of the reference node; transmitting an indication to either the target user equipment, the reference node, or both of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured; and receiving at least one positioning reference signal measurement based on the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured from the target user equipment and the reference node.

[0011] Implementation of such a method may include one or more of the following features: One or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment may include reference signal time difference values ​​associated with a pair of positioning reference signals. One or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment may include a receive-transmit time difference of at least one positioning reference signal. Determining one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured may include determining line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment. One or more positioning reference signal measurements may be received from a reference node, such that selecting the reference node may include determining the intersection of signal identification information associated with each of the positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment and the signal identification information associated with each of the positioning reference signal measurements received from the reference node. The method may include: receiving one or more positioning reference signal measurements from a plurality of reference nodes; determining a plurality of intersection values ​​based at least in part on the signal identification information associated with each of the positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment and the signal identification information associated with each of the positioning reference signal measurements received from the plurality of reference nodes; and selecting a reference node based at least in part on the plurality of intersection values, wherein the reference node is associated with the maximum value of the plurality of intersection values. The positioning reference signal silent mode may be transmitted to one or more base stations based at least in part on one or more overlapping positioning reference signals. A time window may be determined for measuring at least one of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured. The indication of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured may include auxiliary data associated with one or more positioning reference signal resources. At least one measurement based on at least one positioning reference signal measurement of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured may be based at least in part on the line-of-sight conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment, and the line-of-sight conditions between the anchor station and the reference node.

[0012] An example apparatus according to the present disclosure includes: a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: receive a plurality of positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment and at least one reference node; determine one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements; and transmit an instruction to the target user equipment, the at least one reference node, or both of the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured.

[0013] An example apparatus according to this disclosure includes: a memory, at least one transceiver, and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: receive one or more positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment; select a reference node based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the one or more positioning reference signal measurements; determine one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured based at least in part on a coarse location of the target user equipment and the location of the reference node; transmit an instruction to the target user equipment, the reference node, or both of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured; and receive at least one positioning reference signal measurement based on the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured from the target user equipment and the reference node.

[0014] The items and / or techniques described herein may provide one or more of the following capabilities, as well as others not mentioned. Base stations in a communication network may be configured to transmit positioning reference signals. Client stations in a communication network may report positioning reference signal measurements to a network server. Client stations may include target user equipment and reference nodes. The network server may determine overlapping positioning measurement signals between network client stations. On-demand positioning reference signal measurement requests may be sent to one or more client stations based on overlapping positioning measurement signals. On-demand positioning reference signal measurement requests may increase the number of line-of-sight positioning reference signals that a client station can receive. Line-of-sight-based measurements improve the quality of double-difference time-of-arrival measurements. The accuracy of positioning estimates for target user equipment may be improved. Other capabilities may be provided, and not every implementation according to this disclosure is required to provide any, let alone all, of the capabilities discussed. Brief description of the attached diagram

[0016] Figure 1 This is a simplified diagram of an example wireless communication system.

[0017] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a block diagram of the components of an example user equipment.

[0018] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a block diagram of the components of an example transmit / receive point.

[0019] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a block diagram of the components of the example server.

[0020] Figure 5A and 5B The example downlink positioning reference signal resource set was explained.

[0021] Figure 6 This is an explanation of the example subframe format used for positioning reference signal transmission.

[0022] Figure 7 This is a diagram of an example frequency layer.

[0023] Figure 8 This is a sample message stream used for location estimation based on arrival time.

[0024] Figure 9 This is an example round-trip time message stream between user equipment and base station.

[0025] Figure 10 This is an example message stream used for passively locating user equipment.

[0026] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the impact of group delay error in a wireless transceiver.

[0027] Figure 12 This is a diagram illustrating an example of the double-difference positioning method.

[0028] Figure 13 This is a diagram illustrating the selection of reference nodes in an example wireless network.

[0029] Figures 14A-14D It is a Venn diagram of positioning reference signal resources used for on-demand positioning reference signal selection.

[0030] Figures 15A-15C This is an example message flowchart for selecting reference signals for on-demand positioning.

[0031] Figure 16 This is the process flow of the first example method for selecting reference signals for on-demand positioning.

[0032] Figure 17 This is the process flow of a second example method for selecting reference signals for on-demand positioning.

[0033] Figure 18 This is a process flow for providing an example method for requesting on-demand positioning reference signals.

[0034] Detailed description

[0035] This paper discusses techniques for configuring on-demand positioning reference signal (PRS) resources in dual-difference (DD) positioning methods. For example, in DD positioning methods, a target user equipment (UE) and a reference node can each receive positioning reference signals (PRS) transmitted by multiple stations. The reference node can be a user equipment or another station, such as a base station (BS), configured to receive PRS and communicate with the wireless network. The reference node is located at a known position relative to the transmitting station, and therefore the flight time of the signal used to transmit between the station and the reference node via the line-of-sight (LOS) path is also known. The use of reference nodes allows the network to mitigate the effects of timing errors (e.g., synchronization errors, group delays) that can reduce the accuracy of positioning measurements obtained by the target UE. However, DD positioning methods can be affected by noise associated with non-line-of-sight (NLOS) signals received by the target UE and the reference node. The techniques presented herein utilize on-demand PRS measurement request messages to reduce errors associated with NLOS noise. For example, on-demand PRS measurement requests can be used to increase the overlap of shared LOS PRS measurements between the target UE and one or more reference nodes. The accuracy of localization estimation for a target UE can be improved with increasing overlap of shared PRS measurements. These techniques and configurations are examples, and other techniques and configurations can be used.

[0036] Reference Figure 1Examples of communication system 100 include UE 105, radio access network (RAN) 135 (here, fifth-generation (5G) next-generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN)), and 5G core network (5GC) 140. UE 105 can be, for example, an IoT device, a location tracker device, a cellular phone, or other device. The 5G network can also be referred to as a new radio (NR) network; NG-RAN 135 can be referred to as a 5G RAN or NR RAN; and 5GC 140 can be referred to as an NG core network (NGC). Standardization of NG-RAN and 5GC is underway within the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Accordingly, NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 can comply with current or future standards from 3GPP for 5G support. NG-RAN 135 can be another type of RAN, such as 3G RAN, 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. Communication system 100 may utilize information from constellation 185 of satellite launchers (SVs) 190, 191, 192, and 193 of a satellite positioning system (SPS) such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, or BeiDou, or some other local or regional SPS (such as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), the European Geostationary Navigation Coverage Service (EGNOS), or the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)). Additional components of communication system 100 are described below. Communication system 100 may include additional or replacement components.

[0037] like Figure 1 As shown, NG-RAN 135 includes NR B-nodes (gNB) 110a, 110b and a next-generation evolved B-node (ng-eNB) 114, and 5GC 140 includes Access and Mobility Management Functions (AMF) 115, Session Management Functions (SMF) 117, Location Management Functions (LMF) 120 and Gateway Mobility Location Center (GMLC) 125. gNBs 110a, 110b and ng-eNB 114 are communicatively coupled to each other, each configured to conduct bidirectional wireless communication with UE 105, and each communicatively coupled to and configured to conduct bidirectional communication with AMF 115. AMF 115, SMF 117, LMF 120 and GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the GMLC is communicatively coupled to an external client 130. SMF 117 can be used as the initial contact point for Service Control Functions (SCF) (not shown) to create, control and delete media sessions.

[0038] Figure 1A 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 one UE 105 is explained, many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may be used in communication system 100. Similarly, communication system 100 may include a larger (or smaller) number of SVs (i.e., more or fewer than the four SVs 190-193 shown), gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, external client 130, and / or other components. The explained connections connecting the various components in communication system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Furthermore, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality.

[0039] Although Figure 1 While 5G-based networks have been described, similar network implementations and configurations can be used for other communication technologies, such as 3G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc. The implementations described herein (for 5G technologies and / or for one or more other communication technologies and / or protocols) can be used to transmit (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals, receive and measure directional signals at a UE (e.g., UE 105), and / or provide location assistance to UE 105 (via GMLC 125 or other location servers), and / or calculate the location of UE 105 at a location-capable device (such as UE 105, gNB 110a, 110b, or LMF 120) based on measurement parameters of such directional transmissions received at UE 105. Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125, Location Management Function (LMF) 120, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 115, SMF 117, ng-eNB (eNodeB) 114, and gNB (gNodeB) 110a, 110b are examples and may be replaced by or include various other location server functions and / or base station functions in various embodiments.

[0040] UE 105 may include and / or may be referred to as a device, mobile device, wireless device, mobile terminal, terminal, mobile station (MS), Secure User Plane Positioning Enabled (SUPL) terminal (SET), or some other name. Furthermore, UE 105 may correspond to a cellular phone, smartphone, laptop device, tablet device, PDA, 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, UE 105 may support one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs) such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 WiFi (also known as Wi-Fi). Wireless communication can be achieved using technologies such as Bit-Band (BT), WiMAX, and 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140). UE 105 can support wireless communication using a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), which can connect to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using, for example, digital subscriber line (DSL) or packet cable. Using one or more of these RATs allows UE 105 (e.g., via elements of 5GC 140) to... Figure 1 (not shown in the diagram) or possibly via GMLC 125, communicate with external client 130 and / or allow external client 130 (e.g., via GMLC 125) to receive location information about UE 105.

[0041] UE 105 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network, where the user may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O (input / output) devices, and / or body sensors, as well as separate wired or wireless modems. An estimate of the location of UE 105 may be referred to as location, location estimation, location locking, lock, positioning, location estimation, or location locking, and may be geographic, providing location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of UE 105, which may or may not include an elevation component (e.g., height above sea level; height above ground level, floor level, or basement level, or depth below). Alternatively, the location of UE 105 may be expressed as a municipal location (e.g., 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 location of UE 105 may be expressed as an area or volume (geographically or municipally defined) within which UE 105 is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of UE 105 can be 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 elevation above or below mean sea level).

[0042] UE 105 can be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of a variety of technologies. UE 105 can be configured to indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. D2D P2P links can use any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT) (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), etc.). Supported by (etc.). One or more UEs in a group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area of ​​a Transmit / Receive Point (TRP) (such as one or more of gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114). Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographic coverage areas or may be unable to receive transmissions from the base station for other reasons. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without involving a TRP.

[0043] Figure 1 The base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN 135 shown include NRB nodes (referred to as gNBs 110a and 110b). Each pair of gNBs 110a and 110b in the NG-RAN 135 can be interconnected via one or more other gNBs. Access to the 5G network is provided to UE 105 via wireless communication between UE 105 and one or more of the gNBs 110a and 110b. gNBs 110a and 110b can use 5G to provide wireless communication access to the 5GC 140 on behalf of UE 105. Figure 1 In this context, it is assumed that the serving gNB of UE 105 is gNB 110a, but another gNB (e.g., gNB 110b) may act as the serving gNB or as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105 if UE 105 moves to another location.

[0044] Figure 1 The base station (BS) in the NG-RAN 135 shown may include ng-eNB 114, also known as a next-generation evolved Node B. ng-eNB 114 may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 110a and 110b in the NG-RAN 135 (possibly via one or more other gNBs and / or one or more other ng-eNBs). ng-eNB 114 may provide LTE radio access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) radio access to UE 105. One or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may be configured as a location-only beacon, which may transmit signals to assist in determining the orientation of UE 105, but may not be able to receive signals from UE 105 or other UEs.

[0045] A BS (e.g., gNB 110a, gNB 110b, and ng-eNB 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). Communication system 100 may include macro TRPs, or communication 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).

[0046] 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 UE 105, the RAN may include an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), which may include base stations containing evolved B-nodes (eNBs). The core network for the EPS may include an evolved packet core (EPC). The EPS may include the E-UTRAN plus the EPC, where the E-UTRAN corresponds to... Figure 1 NG-RAN 135 and EPC corresponds to Figure 1 5GC 140 in the middle.

[0047] gNB 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 can communicate with AMF 115; for positioning functionality, AMF 115 communicates with LMF 120. AMF 115 supports the mobility of UE 105 (including cell changes and handovers) and can participate in supporting signaling connections to UE 105 and potentially data and voice bearers for UE 105. LMF 120 can communicate directly with UE 105, for example, wirelessly. LMF 120 can support the positioning of UE 105 when UE 105 accesses NG-RAN 135 and supports various positioning protocols / methods, such as Auxiliary GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA), Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cellular ID (E-CID), Angle of Arrival (AOA), Angle of Departure (AOD), and / or other positioning methods. LMF 120 can process location service requests for UE 105, for example, received from AMF 115 or GMLC 125. LMF 120 can connect to AMF 115 and / or GMLC 125. LMF 120 may be referred to by other names, such as Location Manager (LM), Location Function (LF), Commercial LMF (CLMF), or Value-Added LMF (VLMF). Nodes / systems implementing LMF 120 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as Enhanced Serving Mobility Location Center (E-SMLC) or Secure User Plane Positioning (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP). At least some of the location functionality (including the derivation of the location of UE 105) can be performed at UE 105 (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by UE 105 against signals transmitted by radio nodes (such as gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114), and / or auxiliary data provided to UE 105, for example, by LMF 120).

[0048] GMLC 125 can support location requests for UE 105 received from external client 130 and can forward such requests to AMF 115 for forwarding to LMF 120, or can forward them directly to LMF 120. A location response from LMF 120 (e.g., containing a location estimate for UE 105) can be returned to GMLC 125 directly or via AMF 115, and GMLC 125 can then return the location response (e.g., containing the location estimate) to external client 130. GMLC 125 is shown connected to both AMF 115 and LMF 120, but in some implementations, 5GC 140 may support only one of these connections.

[0049] like Figure 1 Further explanation is provided: the LMF 120 can use the new Radio Positioning Protocol A (which may be referred to as NPPa or NRPPa) to communicate with gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. This new Radio Positioning Protocol A is defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa can be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa) defined in 3GPP TS 36.455, where NRPPa messages are transmitted via AMF 115 between gNB 110a (or gNB 110b) and the LMF 120, and / or between ng-eNB 114 and the LMF 120. Figure 1 As further explained, LMF 120 and UE 105 can communicate using the LTE Location Protocol (LPP), which is defined in 3GPP TS 36.355. LMF 120 and UE 105 can also communicate using a new radio positioning protocol (which may be referred to as NPP or NRPP), which may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of LPP. Here, LPP and / or NPP messages can be transmitted between UE 105 and LMF 120 via AMF 115 and UE 105's serving gNB 110a, 110b, or serving ng-eNB 114. For example, LPP and / or NPP messages can be transmitted between LMF 120 and AMF 115 using the 5G Location Services Application Protocol (LCS AP), and between AMF 115 and UE 105 using the 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. The LPP and / or NPP protocols can be used to support the location of UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based location methods (such as A-GNSS, RTK, OTDOA, and / or E-CID). The NRPPa protocol can be used to support the location of UE 105 using network-based location methods (such as E-CID) (e.g., in conjunction with measurements obtained by gNB110a, 110b, or ng-eNB 114) and / or can be used by LMF 120 to obtain location-related information from gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114, such as defining parameters for directional SS transmissions from gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114.

[0050] Using a UE-assisted positioning method, UE 105 can obtain location measurements and send these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for calculating the location estimate of UE 105. For example, location measurements may include one or more of the following: Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI), Round-Trip Time (RTT), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), and / or Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ) for gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, and / or WLAN AP. Location measurements may additionally or alternatively include measurements of GNSS pseudorange, code phase, and / or carrier phase for SV 190-193.

[0051] Using a UE-based positioning method, UE 105 can obtain a location measurement (e.g., which may be the same as or similar to a location measurement for a UE-assisted positioning method) and can calculate the location of UE 105 (e.g., by means of auxiliary data received from a location server (such as LMF 120) or broadcast by gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114 or other base stations or APs).

[0052] Using a network-based positioning method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) or APs can acquire location measurements (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, or Time of Arrival (TOA) of signals transmitted by UE 105) and / or can receive measurements acquired by UE 105. These base stations or APs can then transmit these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for calculating a location estimate for UE 105.

[0053] The information provided to the LMF 120 by the gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 using NRPPa may include timing and configuration information for directional SS transmissions, as well as location coordinates. The LMF 120 may provide some or all of this information as supplementary data to the UE 105 in LPP and / or NPP messages via NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140.

[0054] The LPP or NPP message sent from LMF 120 to UE 105 may instruct UE 105 to perform any of a variety of tasks, depending on the desired functionality. For example, the LPP or NPP message may contain instructions for UE 105 to obtain measurements for GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and / or OTDOA (or some other positioning method). In the case of E-CID, the LPP or NPP message may instruct UE 105 to obtain one or more measurement parameters (e.g., beam ID, beamwidth, average angle, RSRP, RSRQ measurements) of directional signals transmitted within a specific cell supported by one or more of gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 (or supported by some other type of base station (such as eNB or WiFi AP)). UE 105 can send these measurement parameters back to LMF 120 via service gNB110a (or service ng-eNB 114) and AMF 115 in an LPP or NPP message (e.g., within a 5G NAS message).

[0055] As mentioned, while a communication system 100 is described in relation to 5G technology, the communication system 100 can be implemented to support other communication technologies (such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc.) used to support and interact with mobile devices (such as UE 105) (e.g., to enable voice, data, location, and other functionalities). In some such embodiments, the 5GC 140 can be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, non-3GPP interoperability functions (N3IWF) in the 5GC 140 can be used. Figure 1(Not shown) Connect 5GC 150 to a WLAN. For example, the WLAN may support IEEE 802.11 WiFi access for UE 105 and may include one or more WiFi APs. Here, N3IWF may connect to the WLAN and other components in 5GC 140, such as AMF 115. In some embodiments, both NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 may be replaced by one or more other RANs and one or more other core networks. For example, in EPS, NG-RAN 135 may be replaced by E-UTRAN containing eNBs, and 5GC 140 may be replaced by EPC containing a Mobility Management Entity (MME) instead of AMF 115, an E-SMLC instead of LMF 120, and a GMLC similar to GMLC 125. In such EPS, the E-SMLC may use LPPa instead of NRPPa to send location information to and receive location information from eNBs in the E-UTRAN, and may use LPP to support UE 105's positioning. In these other embodiments, the location of UE 105 using directional PRS can be supported in a manner similar to that described herein for 5G networks, the difference being that the functions and procedures described herein for gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115 and LMF120 can be applied alternatively to other network elements, such as eNB, WiFi AP, MME and E-SMLC, in some cases.

[0056] As mentioned, in some embodiments, positioning functionality can be achieved at least in part using directional SS beams transmitted by base stations (such as gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) to determine the location of the UE (e.g., Figure 1 Within the range of UE 105. In some instances, the UE can use directional SS beams from multiple base stations (such as gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, etc.) to calculate the UE's location.

[0057] Also refer to Figure 2UE 200 is an example of UE 105 and includes a computing platform containing processor 210, a memory 211 containing software (SW) 212, one or more sensors 213, a transceiver interface 214 for transceiver 215, a user interface 216, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 217, a camera 218, and a positioning (motion) device 219. The processor 210, memory 211, sensors 213, transceiver interface 214, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, and positioning (motion) device 219 are communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 220 (which may be configured for, for example, optical and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., camera 218, positioning (motion) device 219, and / or one or more of the sensors 213, etc.) may be omitted from UE 200. Processor 210 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), microcontroller, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.). Processor 210 may include multiple processors, including a general-purpose / application processor 230, a digital signal processor (DSP) 231, a modem processor 232, a video processor 233, and / or a sensor processor 234. One or more of processors 230-234 may include multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, sensor processor 234 may include processors for radar, ultrasonic, and / or lidar, etc. Modem processor 232 may support dual SIM / dual connectivity (or even more SIMs). For example, one SIM (subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module) may be used by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and another SIM may be used by an end user of UE200 to obtain connectivity. Memory 211 is a non-transient storage medium, which may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 211 stores software 212, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions configured to cause processor 210 to perform the various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 212 may not be directly executable by processor 210, but may be configured (e.g., when compiled and executed) to cause processor 210 to perform various functions. This specification may refer to processor 210 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as processor 210 performing software and / or firmware implementations. This specification may refer to processor 210 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more of processors 230-234 performing such functions. This specification may refer to UE 200 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of UE 200 performing such functions. Processor 210 may include memory with stored instructions as a supplement to and / or alternative to memory 211.The functionality of processor 210 will be discussed more comprehensively below.

[0058] Figure 2 The configuration of UE 200 shown is exemplary and not intended to limit this disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, an exemplary configuration of the UE includes one or more of processors 230-234 in processor 210, memory 211, and wireless transceiver 240. Other exemplary configurations include one or more of processors 230-234 in processor 210, memory 211, wireless transceiver 240, and one or more of the following: (a) sensors 213, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, PMD 219, and / or wired transceiver 250.

[0059] UE 200 may include a modem processor 232, which may be capable of performing baseband processing on signals received and downconverted by transceiver 215 and / or SPS receiver 217. Modem processor 232 may also perform baseband processing on signals to be upconverted for transmission by transceiver 215. Alternatively or alternatively, baseband processing may be performed by general-purpose processor 230 and / or DSP 231. However, other configurations may be used to perform baseband processing.

[0060] UE 200 may include sensors 213, which may include, for example, an inertial measurement unit (IMU) 270, one or more magnetometers (M) 271, and / or one or more environmental sensors (E) 272. IMU 270 may include one or more inertial sensors, such as one or more accelerometers (A) 273 (e.g., those collectively responding to acceleration of UE 200 in three dimensions) and / or one or more gyroscopes (G) 274. The magnetometers may provide measurements to determine orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and / or true north) that can be used for any of a variety of purposes (e.g., to support one or more compass applications). The environmental sensors 272 may include, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and / or one or more microphones, etc. (Various) Sensors 213 may generate analog and / or digital signals, and indications of these signals may be stored in memory 211 and processed by DSP 231 and / or general-purpose processor 230 to support one or more applications (such as, for example, applications involving positioning and / or navigation operations).

[0061] Sensors 213 can be used for relative position measurement, relative position determination, motion determination, etc. Information detected by sensors 213 can be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based position determination, and / or sensor-assisted position determination. Sensors 213 can be used to determine whether the UE 200 is stationary or moving and / or whether to report certain useful information related to the mobility of the UE 200 to the LMF 120. For example, based on information obtained / measured by sensors 213, the UE 200 can notify / report to the LMF 120 that the UE 200 has detected movement or that the UE 200 has moved, and report relative displacement / distance (e.g., via dead reckoning implemented by sensors 213, or sensor-based position determination, or sensor-assisted position determination). In another example, for relative positioning information, sensors / IMUs can be used to determine the angle and / or orientation of another device relative to the UE 200, etc.

[0062] IMU 270 can be configured to provide measurements of the direction and / or velocity of motion of UE 200, which can be used for relative position determination. For example, one or more accelerometers 273 and / or one or more gyroscopes 274 of IMU 270 can detect the linear acceleration and rotational velocity of UE 200, respectively. The linear acceleration and rotational velocity measurements of UE 200 can be integrated over time to determine the instantaneous direction of motion and displacement of UE 200. The instantaneous direction of motion and displacement can be integrated to track the position of UE 200. For example, a reference position of UE 200 at a given moment can be determined, for example, using SPS receiver 217 (and / or by some other means), and measurements acquired from (the) accelerometers 273 and (the) gyroscopes 274 after that moment can be used for dead reckoning to determine the current position of UE 200 based on the movement (direction and distance) of UE 200 relative to that reference position.

[0063] Magnetometer 271 can determine the intensity of magnetic fields in different directions, which can be used to determine the orientation of UE 200. For example, this orientation can be used to provide a digital compass for UE 200. Magnetometer 271 may include a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of magnetic field intensity in two orthogonal dimensions. Alternatively or alternatively, magnetometer 271 may include a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of magnetic field intensity in three orthogonal dimensions. Magnetometer 271 may provide means for sensing magnetic fields and, for example, providing a magnetic field indication to processor 210.

[0064] Transceiver 215 may include a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, wireless transceiver 240 may include a transmitter 242 and a receiver 244 coupled to one or more antennas 246 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals 248 and converting signals from wireless signals 248 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals 248. Thus, transmitter 242 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or receiver 244 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 240 can be configured to support various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Telephone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), V2C (Uu), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, and WiFi Direct (WiFi-D). The NR system can be configured to operate on different frequency layers (such as FR1 (e.g., 410-7125MHz) and FR2 (e.g., 24.25-52.6GHz)) and can be extended to new frequency bands (such as sub-6GHz and / or 100GHz and higher frequency bands (e.g., FR2x, FR3, FR4)). The wired transceiver 250 may include a transmitter 252 and a receiver 254 configured for wired communication (e.g., with NG-RAN 135) to, for example, send and receive communications to and from gNB 110a. Transmitter 252 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or receiver 254 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 250 may be configured for, for example, optical and / or electrical communication. Transceiver 215 may be communicatively coupled to transceiver interface 214 (e.g., via optical and / or electrical connections). Transceiver interface 214 may be at least partially integrated with transceiver 215.

[0065] User interface 216 may include one or more of a number of devices, such as, for example, speakers, microphones, display devices, vibration devices, keyboards, touchscreens, etc. User interface 216 may include any device that includes more than one of these devices. User interface 216 may be configured to enable a user to interact with one or more applications stored in the main memory of UE 200. For example, user interface 216 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in memory 211 in response to actions from the user, for processing by DSP 231 and / or general-purpose processor 230. Similarly, applications in the main memory of UE 200 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in memory 211 to present output signals to the user. User interface 216 may include audio input / output (I / O) devices, including, for example, speakers, microphones, digital-to-analog circuitry systems, analog-to-digital circuitry systems, amplifiers, and / or gain control circuitry systems (any device including more than one of these devices). Other configurations of the audio I / O devices may be used. Alternatively or concurrently, the user interface 216 may include one or more touch sensors that respond to touch and / or pressure on, for example, the keyboard and / or touchscreen of the user interface 216.

[0066] SPS receiver 217 (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver) can receive and acquire SPS signal 260 via SPS antenna 262. Antenna 262 is configured to convert SPS signal 260 into a wired signal (e.g., an electrical signal or an optical signal) and can be integrated with antenna 246. SPS receiver 217 can be configured to process the acquired SPS signal 260 fully or partially to estimate the location of UE 200. For example, SPS receiver 217 can be configured to determine the location of UE 200 by performing trilateration using SPS signal 260. SPS receiver 217 can be combined with general-purpose processor 230, memory 211, DSP 231 and / or one or more dedicated processors (not shown) to process the acquired SPS signal fully or partially and / or calculate the estimated location of UE 200. Memory 211 may store indications (e.g., measurements) of SPS signal 260 and / or other signals (e.g., signals acquired from wireless transceiver 240) for use during positioning operations. General-purpose processor 230, DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors, and / or memory 211 may provide or support a position engine for processing measurements to estimate the position of UE 200.

[0067] UE 200 may include a camera 218 for capturing still or moving images. Camera 218 may include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge-coupled device or a CMOS imager), lenses, analog-to-digital circuitry, frame buffers, etc. Additional processing, conditioning, encoding, and / or compression of the signals representing the captured images may be performed by a general-purpose processor 230 and / or a DSP 231. Alternatively, video processor 233 may perform conditioning, encoding, compression, and / or manipulation of the signals representing the captured images. Video processor 233 may decode / decompress stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown), for example, a user interface 216.

[0068] A positioning (motion) device (PMD) 219 may be configured to determine the location and possible motion of the UE 200. For example, the PMD 219 may communicate with, and / or include some or all of, the SPS receiver 217. The PMD 219 may additionally or alternatively be configured to: use trilateration with ground-based signals (e.g., at least some signals 248), assist in obtaining and using the SPS signal 260, or both, to determine the location of the UE 200. The PMD 219 may be configured to: use one or more other techniques (e.g., those that rely on the UE's self-reported location (e.g., part of the UE's positioning beacon)) to determine the location of the UE 200, and may use a combination of techniques (e.g., SPS and ground positioning signals) to determine the location of the UE 200. PMD 219 may include one or more sensors 213 (e.g., gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, etc.) that sense the orientation and / or motion of UE 200 and provide an indication of such orientation and / or motion. Processor 210 (e.g., general-purpose processor 230 and / or DSP 231) may be configured to use the indication to determine the motion of UE 200 (e.g., velocity vector and / or acceleration vector). PMD 219 may be configured to provide an indication of uncertainty and / or error in the determined positioning and / or motion.

[0069] Also refer to Figure 3Examples of TRP 300 for BS (e.g., gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114) include: a computing platform containing processor 310, a memory 311 including software (SW) 312, a transceiver 315, and (optionally) an SPS receiver 317. The processor 310, memory 311, transceiver 315, and SPS receiver 317 are communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 320 (which may be configured for, for example, optical and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., a wireless interface and / or SPS receiver 317) may be omitted from the TRP 300. The SPS receiver 317 may be configured similarly to SPS receiver 217 to receive and acquire SPS signal 360 via SPS antenna 362. The processor 310 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.). Processor 310 may include multiple processors (e.g., including such processors) Figure 2 (The general-purpose / application processor, DSP, modem processor, video processor, and / or sensor processor shown). Memory 311 is a non-transient storage medium, which may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 311 stores software 312, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions configured to cause processor 310 to perform the various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 312 may not be directly executable by processor 310, but may be configured (e.g., when compiled and executed) to cause processor 310 to perform various functions. This specification may refer to processor 310 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as processor 310 performing software and / or firmware implementations. This specification may refer to processor 310 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more processors included in processor 310 performing that function. This specification may refer to the TRP 300 execution function as a shorthand for the TRP 300 (and thereby one or more appropriate components of gNB 110a, gNB110b, ng-eNB 114) performing this function. Processor 310 may include memory with stored instructions as a supplement and / or replacement for memory 311. The functionality of processor 310 is discussed more fully below.

[0070] Transceiver 315 may include a wireless transceiver 340 and a wired transceiver 350 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, wireless transceiver 340 may include a transmitter 342 and a receiver 344 coupled to one or more antennas 346 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) wireless signals 348 and converting signals from wireless signals 348 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals 348. Thus, transmitter 342 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or receiver 344 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 340 can be configured to support various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Telephone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, and WiFi Direct (WiFi-D). The wired transceiver 350 may include a transmitter 352 and a receiver 354 configured to conduct wired communication (e.g., with network 140) to send and receive communications, for example, to LMF 120 or another network server. The transmitter 352 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 354 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 350 may be configured for, for example, optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0071] Figure 3 The configuration of TRP 300 shown is exemplary and not intended to limit this disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, the description herein discusses TRP 300 being configured to perform several functions or TRP 300 performing several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by LMF 120 and / or UE 200 (i.e., LMF 120 and / or UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0072] Also refer to Figure 4Example servers (such as LMF 120) include a computing platform containing processor 410, a memory 411 containing software (SW) 412, and a transceiver 415. Processor 410, memory 411, and transceiver 415 are communicatively coupled to each other via bus 420 (which may be configured for, for example, optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., a wireless interface) may be omitted from server 400. Processor 410 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc.). Processor 410 may include multiple processors (e.g., including such...). Figure 2 (The general-purpose / application processor, DSP, modem processor, video processor, and / or sensor processor shown). Memory 411 is a non-transient storage medium, which may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk storage, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 411 stores software 412, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions configured to cause processor 410 to perform the various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 412 may not be directly executable by processor 410, but may be configured (e.g., when compiled and executed) to cause processor 410 to perform various functions. This specification may refer to processor 410 performing functions, but this includes other implementations, such as processor 410 performing software and / or firmware implementations. This specification may refer to processor 410 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more processors included in processor 410 performing that function. This specification may refer to server 400 (or LMF 200) performing functions as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of server 400 performing that function. Processor 410 may include memory with stored instructions as a supplement to and / or replacement of memory 411. The functionality of processor 410 is discussed more fully below.

[0073] Transceiver 415 may include a wireless transceiver 440 and a wired transceiver 450 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless and wired connections, respectively. For example, wireless transceiver 440 may include a transmitter 442 and a receiver 444 coupled to one or more antennas 446 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) wireless signals 448 and converting signals from wireless signals 448 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals 448. Thus, transmitter 442 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or receiver 444 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 440 can be configured to support various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Telephone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, and WiFi Direct (WiFi-D). The wired transceiver 450 may include a transmitter 452 and a receiver 454 configured for wired communication (e.g., with UE 200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices) to transmit signals. The wired transceiver 450 may include a transmitter 452 and a receiver 454 configured for wired communication (e.g., with NG-RAN 135) to send and receive communications to, for example, TRP 300. The transmitter 452 may include multiple transmitters, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receiver 454 may include multiple receivers, which may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 450 may be configured for, for example, optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0074] Figure 4 The configuration of server 400 shown is exemplary and not intended to limit this disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, wireless transceiver 440 may be omitted. Alternatively or additionally, the description herein discusses server 400 being configured to perform several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by TRP 300 and / or UE 200 (i.e., TRP 300 and / or UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0075] Reference Figure 5A and 5BThe diagram illustrates an example downlink PRS resource set. Generally, a PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources spanning a single base station (e.g., TRP 300) that share the same periodicity, a common silent mode configuration, and the same cross-slot repetition factor. A first PRS resource set 502 comprises 4 resources and a repetition factor of 4, with a time slot equal to 1 time slot. A second PRS resource set 504 comprises 4 resources and a repetition factor of 4, with a time slot equal to 4 time slots. The repetition factor indicates the number of times each PRS resource is repeated in each individual instance of the PRS resource set (e.g., values ​​1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32). The time slot represents the offset in time slots between two repeating instances of PRS resources corresponding to the same PRS resource ID within a single instance of the PRS resource set (e.g., values ​​1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32). The time duration spanned by a PRS resource set containing repeating PRS resources does not exceed the PRS periodicity. Repetition of PRS resources enables receiver beam sweeping across repetitions and combines RF gains to increase coverage. Repetition also allows for in-instance silence.

[0076] Reference Figure 6 This illustrates example subframes and time slot formats used for positioning reference signal transmission. The example subframes and time slot formats are included in... Figure 5A and 5B The PRS resource cluster described in the document. Figure 6 The subframe and time slot formats described are examples and not limitations, and include a comb-2 format 602 with 2 symbols, a comb-4 format 604 with 4 symbols, a comb-2 format 606 with 12 symbols, a comb-4 format 608 with 12 symbols, a comb-6 format 610 with 6 symbols, a comb-12 format 612 with 12 symbols, a comb-2 format 614 with 6 symbols, and a comb-6 format 616 with 12 symbols. Generally, a subframe may include 14 symbol periods with indices 0 to 13. The subframe and time slot formats can be used in the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). Typically, a base station can transmit PRS from antenna port 6 on one or more time slots in each subframe configured for PRS transmission. The base station may avoid transmitting PRS on resource elements allocated to the PBCH, Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), or Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), regardless of their antenna ports. Cellular units can generate reference symbols for PRS based on cell ID, symbol periodicity index, and time slot index. Generally, UEs can distinguish PRS from different cells.

[0077] A base station can transmit PRS on a specific PRS bandwidth, which can be configured by higher layers. The base station can also transmit PRS on subcarriers spaced across the PRS bandwidth. The base station can also transmit PRS based on parameters such as PRS periodicity (TPRS), subframe offset (PRS), and PRS duration (NPRS). PRS periodicity is the periodicity of PRS transmission. PRS periodicity can be, for example, 160, 320, 640, or 1280 ms. Subframe offset indicates the specific subframe in which PRS is transmitted. And PRS duration indicates the number of consecutive subframes in which PRS is transmitted within each PRS transmission cycle (PRS timing). PRS duration can be, for example, 1, 2, 4, or 6 ms.

[0078] The PRS periodicity (TPRS) and subframe offset (PRS) can be communicated via the PRS configuration index (IPRS). The PRS configuration index and PRS duration can be configured independently by higher layers. A set of consecutive NPRS subframes that transmit the PRS can be referred to as a PRS timing. Each PRS timing can be enabled or silenced; for example, a UE can apply a silence bit to each cell. A PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources across base stations that share the same periodicity, a common silence mode configuration, and the same cross-slot repetition factor (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32 slots).

[0079] Generally speaking, Figure 5A and 5B The PRS resource described herein can be a set of resource elements used for PRS transmission. This set of resource elements can span multiple Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) in the frequency domain and N (e.g., one or more) coherent symbols within a time slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol, the PRS resource occupies a coherent PRB. A PRS resource is described by at least the following parameters: PRS resource identifier (ID), sequence ID, comb size N, resource element offset in the frequency domain, start time slot and start symbol, number of symbols per PRS resource (i.e., duration of the PRS resource), and QCL information (e.g., QCL with other DL reference signals). Currently, one antenna port is supported. The comb size indicates the number of subcarriers carrying the PRS in each symbol. For example, a comb size of comb-4 means that every fourth subcarrier of a given symbol carries the PRS.

[0080] A PRS resource set is a group of PRS resources used for PRS signal transmission, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. Furthermore, PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same transmit / receive point (e.g., TRP 300). Each PRS resource in a PRS resource set has the same periodicity, a shared silence mode, and the same cross-slot repetition factor. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and can be associated with a specific TRP (identified by a cell ID) transmitted by the antenna panel of a base station. The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set can be associated with an omnidirectional signal and / or with a single beam (and / or beam ID) transmitted from a single base station (where a base station can transmit one or more beams). Each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and thus, a PRS resource (or simply a resource) can also be referred to as a beam. Note that this does not imply at all whether the UE is aware of the base station and beam transmitting the PRS.

[0081] Reference Figure 7 The diagram illustrates an example frequency layer 700. In one example, frequency layer 700 (also referred to as the positioning frequency layer) can be a collection of PRS resource sets across one or more TRPs. Positioning frequency layers can have the same subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix (CP) type, the same point A, the same DL PRS bandwidth value, the same starting PRB, and the same comb size value. The set of parameters supported by PDSCH can be supported by the PRS. Each PRS resource set in frequency layer 700 is a collection of PRS resources across a TRP that have the same periodicity, a shared silent mode configuration, and the same cross-slot repetition factor.

[0082] Note that the terms Positioning Reference Signal and PRS are reference signals that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to: PRS signals, Navigation Reference Signal (NRS) in 5G, Downlink Positioning Reference Signal (DL-PRS), Uplink Positioning Reference Signal (UL-PRS), Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), Cell-Specific Reference Signal (CRS), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS), Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), Probing Reference Signal (SRS), etc.

[0083] The ability of a UE to process PRS signals can vary based on its capabilities. However, in general, industry standards can be developed to establish shared PRS capabilities for all UEs in the network. For example, industry standards could require the duration of DL PRS symbols that a UE can process per T ms, in milliseconds (ms), assuming the UE supports and reports a maximum DL PRS bandwidth in MHz. As an example, and not a limitation, the maximum DL PRS bandwidth for the FR1 band could be 5, 10, 20, 40, 50, 80, or 100 MHz, while the maximum DL PRS bandwidth for the FR2 band could be 50, 100, 200, or 400 MHz. These standards can also indicate DL PRS buffering capabilities as Type 1 (i.e., sub-slot / symbol-level buffering) or Type 2 (i.e., slot-level buffering). Shared UE capabilities could indicate the duration of DL PRS symbols per T ms, in milliseconds (N), that a UE can process per T ms, assuming the UE supports and reports a maximum DL PRS bandwidth in MHz. Example T values ​​can include 8, 16, 20, 30, 40, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280 ms, and example N values ​​can include 0.125, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 25, 30, 32, 35, 40, 45, 50 ms. The UE can be configured to report a combination of (N, T) values ​​per frequency band, where N is the DL PRS symbol duration in ms per Tms for a given maximum bandwidth (B) supported by the UE in MHz. Generally, it may not be expected that the UE will support DL PRS bandwidth exceeding the reported DL PRS bandwidth value. UE DL PRS processing capability can be defined for a single positioning frequency layer 700. UE DL PRS processing capability depends on DL PRS comb factor configuration (such as in...). Figure 6 The number of DL PRS resources that a UE can process in a time slot at a given frequency level may be unknown. UE processing capability indicates the maximum number of DL PRS resources that a UE can process in a time slot at that frequency level. For example, for each SCS: 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, the maximum number for the FR1 band could be 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64, while for each SCS: 15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, 120kHz, the maximum number for the FR2 band could be 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, 48, 64.

[0084] Reference Figure 8Example message flow 800 for a time-of-arrival (ToA) based positioning flow between user equipment 805 and multiple base stations is shown. UE 805 is an example of UE 105, 200, and the first base station 810, the second base station 812, and the third base station 814 are examples of gNB 110a-b or ng-eNB 114. The number of base stations and message format in message flow 800 are examples and not limitations, as other numbers and formats may be used. The ToA-based positioning method utilizes precise measurements of the arrival time of signals transmitted from one or more base stations to the user equipment, and vice versa. For example, the first base station 810 may be configured to transmit a first DL PRS 802 at time T1, the second base station 812 may be configured to transmit a second DL PRS 804 at time T1, and the third base station 814 may be configured to transmit a third DL PRS 806 at time T1. The transmission times and signal formats are examples illustrating the concept of ToA positioning technology. The distance between UE 805 and the corresponding base stations 810, 812, and 814 is based on the propagation time of the corresponding PRS signals 802, 804, and 806. That is, the signals travel at a known speed (e.g., approximately the speed of light (c) or about 300 meters per microsecond), and the distance can be determined by the elapsed propagation time. ToA-based positioning requires precise knowledge of the transmission start time(s), and all stations must be accurately synchronized with a precise time source. Using the propagation speed and the measured time, the distance (D) between UE 805 and the corresponding base station can be expressed as:

[0085] D = c * (t) (1)

[0086] in:

[0087] D = distance (meters);

[0088] c = Propagation speed approximately 300 meters per microsecond;

[0089] t = time (microseconds).

[0090] For example, the distance between UE 805 and the first base station 810 is c*(T2-T1), the distance between UE 805 and the second base station 812 is c*(T3-T1), and the distance between UE 805 and the third base station 814 is c*(T4-T1). These stations can use other transmission times (i.e., not all stations must transmit at time T1). Using the corresponding distance as the radius, a circular representation of the area around the base station can be used to determine the positioning estimate for UE 805 (e.g., using trilateration). Additional stations can be used (e.g., using polygonal positioning techniques). The ToA positioning method can be used for both two-dimensional and three-dimensional positioning estimation. Three-dimensional resolution can be performed by constructing a spherical model instead of a circular one.

[0091] One drawback of ToA-based positioning methods is the requirement for precise time synchronization across all stations. Even small time synchronization issues can lead to very large errors in the resulting positioning estimates. For example, a time measurement error as small as 100 nanoseconds can result in a positioning error of 30 meters. ToA-based positioning solutions are particularly vulnerable to the interruption of station timing sources, which can cause base stations to lose time synchronization. Other positioning techniques, such as Round Trip Time (RTT) and Angle of Arrival (AoA), depend less on station time synchronization.

[0092] Reference Figure 9 This illustrates an example round-trip message flow 900 between user equipment 905 and base station 910. UE 905 is an example of UE 105, 200, and base station 910 can be gNB 110a-b or ng-eNB 114. Generally, RTT positioning methods utilize the time it takes for a signal to travel from one entity to another and back to determine the distance between the two entities. This distance, plus the known location of the first entity and the angle (e.g., azimuth) between the two entities, can be used to determine the location of the second entity. In multiple RTTs (also known as multi-cell RTTs), multiple distances from one entity (e.g., UE) to other entities (e.g., TRP) and the known locations of these other entities can be used to determine the location of this one entity. Example message flow 900 can be initiated by base station 910 using RTT session configuration message 902. The base station can configure the RTT session using LPP / NRPPa message reception. At time T1, base station 910 can transmit DL PRS 904, which is received by UE 905 at time T2. In response, UE 905 can transmit a Detection Reference Signal (SRS) location message 906 at time T3, which is received by base station 910 at time T4. The distance between UE 905 and base station 910 can be calculated as follows:

[0093]

[0094] Where c = speed of light.

[0095] Since UE 905 and base station 910 are exchanging messages that may include timing information, the impact of timing offset between stations can be minimized. That is, the RTT procedure can be used in an asynchronous network. However, a drawback of the RTT procedure is that in intensive operating environments where many UEs exchange RTT messages with base stations, the bandwidth required for the UL SRS messages used for positioning can increase message transmission overhead and utilize excess network bandwidth. In this use case, passive positioning techniques can reduce the bandwidth required for positioning by eliminating transmissions from the UE.

[0096] Reference Figure 10Example message flow 1000 for passive positioning of user equipment 1005 is shown. This message flow includes UE 1005, a first base station 1010, and a second base station 1012. UE 1005 is an example of UE 105, 200, and base stations 1010, 1012 are examples of gNB 110a-b or ng-eNB 114. Generally, TDOA positioning technology utilizes the time difference of travel between an entity and other entities to determine the relative distance to those other entities, and those relative distances, combined with the known locations of those other entities, can be used to determine the location of the first entity. Angle of arrival and / or angle of departure can be used to help determine the location of an entity. For example, the angle of arrival or angle of departure of a signal, combined with the distance between devices (distance determined using signals (e.g., signal travel time, signal received power, etc.)) and the known location of one of these devices, can be used to determine the location of the other device. The angle of arrival or angle of departure can be an azimuth angle relative to a reference direction (such as true north). The angle of arrival or departure angle can be the zenith angle relative to the direct upward direction from the entity (i.e., radially outward from the Earth's center). In operation, the first base station 1010 may provide a passive positioning start message 1002 to the UE 1005. The passive positioning start message 1002 may be a broadcast message or other signaling (such as RRC) to notify the UE of the PRS transmission schedule and may include transmission information (e.g., channel information, silence mode, PRS bandwidth, PRS identification information, etc.). At time T1, the first station may transmit a first DL PRS 1004, which may be received by the second base station 1012 at time T2 and by the UE 1005 at time T3. The second base station 1012 may be configured to transmit a second DL PRS 1006 at time T4, which may be received by the first base station 1010 at time T5 and by the UE 1005 at time T6. The time between T2 and T4 can be the turnaround time configured on the second base station 1012, and is therefore a known time period. The time between T1 and T2 (i.e., flight time) can also be known because the first and second base stations 1010 and 1012 are in fixed positions. This turnaround time (i.e., T4-T2) and flight time (i.e., T2-T1) can be broadcast or otherwise provided to the UE 1005 for use in positioning calculations. The UE 1005 can observe the difference between T6 and T3, and the distance can be calculated as follows:

[0097] D gNB1-UE = c*((T3 - T1)) (3)

[0098] D gNB2-UE= c*((T6 - T1)-(T4 - T2)-(T2 - T1))= c*(T6 - T4) (4)

[0099] D gNB2-UE - D gNB1-UE = c*((T6 - T3)-(T4 - T2)-(T2 - T1)) (5)

[0100] In operation, in one example, base stations 1010 and 1012 may use synchronized timing to calculate time-of-flight values. In one example, the first DL PRS 1004 and the second DL PRS 1006 may include timing information (such as in RTT message stream 900), and thus reduce the impact of timing offset between stations.

[0101] Reference Figure 11 Figure 1100 illustrates an example effect of group delay error within a wireless transceiver. Figure 1100 depicts an example RTT exchange, such as... Figure 9 As described in [the document]. UE 1105 (such as UE 200) and base station 1110 (such as gNB 110a) are exchanging positioning reference signals, such as downlink (DL) PRS 1104 and uplink (UL) PRS 1106 (which may also be UL SRS). UE 1105 may have one or more antennas 1105a and associated baseband processing components. Similarly, base station 1110 may have one or more antennas 1110a and baseband processing components. The respective internal configurations of UE 1105 and base station 1110 can result in delays associated with the transmission and reception of PRS signals. Generally, group delay is the time it takes for a signal to travel through a device relative to a frequency. For example, BSTX group delay 1102a represents the time difference between the time it takes for base station 1110 to record the transmission of DL PRS 1104 and the time it takes for the signal to leave antenna 1110a. BSRX group delay 1102b represents the time difference between the arrival time of UL PRS 1106 at antenna 1110a and the time difference between the time the processor in base station 1110 receives the indication for UL PRS 1106. UE 1105 has similar group delays, such as UERX group delay 1104a and UETX group delay 1104b. Group delay associated with a network station can create a bottleneck for terrestrial-based positioning because the resulting time difference leads to inaccurate positioning estimates. For example, a 10 nanosecond group delay error corresponds to an error of approximately 3 meters in positioning estimation. Different frequencies may have different group delay values ​​in the transceiver, and therefore different PRS resources may have different group delays. The dual-difference positioning method described herein can reduce the impact of group delay associated with a network station by using one or more reference nodes configured to determine the error associated with the PRS resources transmitted by the network station.

[0102] Reference Figure 12 Figure 1200 illustrates an example dual-difference positioning method. Figure 1200 includes a first base station 1202, a second base station 1204, a target UE 1205, and a reference node 1210. Base stations 1202 and 1204 can be considered examples of TRP 300, such as gNB 110a and 110b. Target UE 1205 may include at least some components of UE 200 and can be considered an example of UE 200. Reference node 1210 may include components of UE 200 and / or TRP 300, and can be an example of UE 200 or TRP 300 or another device configured to communicate in communication system 100. For example, target UE 1205 and reference node 1210 may be configured to communicate with network entities (such as LMF 120) via one or more communication protocols (e.g., via NRPPa, LPP, etc.). In one example, the target UE 1205 and reference node 1210 can be configured to communicate via a device-to-device (D2D) link 1212. The D2D link 1212 can be based on technologies such as NR sidelinks (e.g., via Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH) or Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSCCH)). In a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network, the reference node 1210 can be a roadside unit (RSU), and the sidelink can be based on the PC5 protocol. Other D2D technologies can also be used.

[0103] In operation, the first base station 1202 is configured to transmit PRS resources, such as a first PRS 1206 received by both the target UE 1205 and the reference node 1210. Preferably, the first PRS 1206 received by both UE 1205 and the reference node 1210 is the same instance, but different instances of the first PRS 1206 may be received by both UE 1205 and the reference node 1210. The second base station 1204 is configured to transmit PRS resources, such as one or more instances of a second PRS 1208 received by both the target UE 1205 and the reference node 1210. The first and second PRS 1206, 1208 may be in the same or different positioning frequency layers. Since the reference node 1210 is in a known location, the expected time of arrival (ToA) and reference signal timing difference (RSTD) for the first and second PRS 1206, 1208 are known based on the propagation time of the RF signal. Compared to the expected ToA, the actual measured delay can be used to determine the group delay associated with PRS1206 and 1208.

[0104] Reference Figure 13 And further refer to Figure 12The diagram 1300 illustrates reference node selection in an example wireless network. The network includes multiple base stations gNBi-m, each of which can be an example of a TRP 300, a first reference node 1310a, a second reference node 1310b, and a target UE 1305. The first reference node 1310a is located to receive PRS from a first set of the multiple base stations, which includes gNBi, gNBj, and gNBk, and the second reference node 1310b is located to receive PRS from a second set of the multiple base stations, which includes gNBl and gNBm. The target UE 1305 is currently located to receive PRS from a third set of base stations, which includes gNBj, gNBk, and gNBm. The number of stations, the locations of the reference nodes, and the received PRS are examples and not limitations, as other network stations and PRS can be used. For example, while multiple base stations are depicted as gNBs, other anchor stations can be configured to transmit PRS. Anchor stations can be configured as base stations or other UEs. Multiple base stations gNBi-m, reference nodes 1310a-b, and target UE 1305 can be configured to communicate with one or more location servers (such as LMF120). Reference nodes 1310a-b can be a combination of any radio nodes (such as base stations (e.g., gNBs), UEs, IAB relays, etc.), each configured to support... Figure 12 The double-difference positioning method described in the paper.

[0105] LMF 120 can be configured to use different criteria to determine the PRS resources that reference nodes 1310a-b and UE 1305 can receive. For example, the location of UE 1305 and the location of reference nodes 1310a-b can be used to determine whether they are within the corresponding area covered by PRS resources. Coverage can be interpreted as PRS resources, which can be measured, reported, or identified based on line-of-sight (LOS) measurements obtained from reference nodes 1310a-b. Filtering (e.g., outlier removal) and other channel estimation / path loss techniques can be used to determine the LOS measurements.

[0106] In one example, LMF 120 can be configured to select a reference node to obtain DD-TDOA measurements with the target UE based on the number of overlapping PRS measurements that the reference node and the target UE can receive (i.e., the number of PRS that both the reference node and the target UE can receive). For example, target UE 1305 and first reference node 1310a are positioned to receive PRS from gNBj and gNBk, and target UE 1305 and second reference node 1310b are configured to receive PRS from gNBl. In this example, first reference node 1310a can be selected because it has a greater number of overlapping PRS with UE 1305 than second reference node 1310b. Figure 13The selection of the first reference node 1310a is an example, not a limitation. Other factors, such as positional uncertainty associated with the location of the reference node, may be included in this determination. For example, these factors may be weighted against the selection of the first reference node 1310a if the location of the first reference node 1310a is an estimate that may have errors, if the position estimate based on measurements obtained from the first reference node 1310a contains errors, and / or if the first reference node 1310a is in motion (e.g., a change in mobility state). Other factors that may affect the accuracy of the ToA measurement through the reference node may also be considered.

[0107] In one example, the LMF 120 can assess the accuracy of a target UE positioning session. For instance, the LMF 120 can be configured to detect timing errors in DD-TDOA measurements obtained by a target UE-reference node pair, or to determine other quality or accuracy metrics for that DD-TDOA measurement. If the measurement includes timing errors, or fails to meet established quality and / or accuracy requirements, the LMF 120 can provide on-demand requests to the target UE and / or reference node and / or other reference nodes to increase the number of PRS resources that each station should attempt to measure. The increase in attempted PRS measurements increases the overlap of measurements between the target UE and the reference node, which in turn increases the number of overlapping LOS measurements. Greater overlap of LOS measurements increases the accuracy of the target UE positioning session.

[0108] Reference Figures 14A-14D And further refer to Figure 13 This shows a Venn diagram of the positioning reference signal resources used for on-demand positioning reference signal selection. (Refer to...) Figure 14A The first diagram 1400 shows a first PRS resource set 1402 received by the first reference node 1310a and a second PRS resource set 1404 received by the target UE 1305. The PRS resources received by both the first reference node and the target UE are indicated in a first overlap region 1406. In operation, the PRS resources in the first overlap region 1406 may not have a sufficient number of LOS PRS resources for both the first reference node and the target UE, and the DD-TDOA measurements obtained by the first reference node 1310a and the target UE 1305 may be insufficient to calculate the location estimate for the target UE.

[0109] Reference Figure 14BFigure 1410 shows PRS resources received by the first reference node 1310a and the target UE 1305 after an example first on-demand request provided by LMF 120. The first on-demand request may include an indication of additional PRS resources that the target UE 1305 may attempt to measure. The additional PRS resources in the first on-demand request may be based on a first PRS resource set 1402 that can be received by the first reference node 1310a. As a result of receiving the first on-demand request, the target UE 1305 may receive a third PRS resource set 1414, which includes more PRS resources than the second PRS resource set 1404. In particular, the number of PRS resources overlapping with the first reference node 1310a may increase from a first overlapping region 1406 to a second overlapping region 1416. The number of additional PRS resources in the second overlapping region 1416 may include an increase in the number of LOS PRS resources, and the accuracy of DD-TDOA may be sufficient to determine the location estimate for the target UE 1305.

[0110] Reference Figure 14C Figure 1420 shows PRS resources received by the first reference node 1310a and the target UE 1305 after an example second on-demand request is provided by LMF 120. The second on-demand request may include an indication of additional PRS resources that the first reference node 1310a may attempt to capture. The additional PRS resources in the second on-demand request may be based on a second PRS resource set 1404 that the target UE 1305 may receive. In one example, the first and second on-demand requests may be sent to the first reference node 1310a and the target UE 1305 simultaneously. As a result of receiving the second on-demand request, the first reference node 1310a may attempt to measure a fourth PRS resource set 1422 (as a supplement to the first PRS resource set 1402). Therefore, a third overlap region 1426 may be included together with the first overlap region 1406 to increase the potential number of LOS PRS resources received by both the first reference node 1310a and the target UE 1305.

[0111] Reference Figure 14DFigure 1440 illustrates PRS resources received by the first reference node 1310a, the second reference node 1310b, and the target UE 1305 after an example third on-demand request provided by LMF 120. The third on-demand request may include an indication of additional PRS resources 1442 that the second reference node 1310b may attempt to capture. The additional PRS resources in the third on-demand request may be based on a second PRS resource set 1404 that the target UE 1305 can receive. As a result of the third on-demand request, the overlap area between the target UE 1305 and the second reference node 1310b may include more LOS PRS resources than the overlap area between the target UE 1305 and the first reference node 1310a. As a result of the increased number of LOS measurements, LMF 120 may utilize DD-TDOA measurements between the target UE 1305 and the second reference node 1310b for location estimation. The first, second, and third on-demand requests may be sent sequentially, in parallel, or in various combinations in an attempt to increase the number of LOS PRS resources and improve the accuracy of the resulting location.

[0112] Reference Figures 15A-15CThis diagram illustrates an example message flow diagram for on-demand location of reference signal selection. The diagram includes elements in communication system 100, such as a target UE 1502, a first reference node 1504, and a second reference node 1506. The target UE 1502 may include at least some components of UE 200 and can be considered an example of UE 200. The first and second reference nodes 1504 and 1506 may include components of UE 200 and / or TRP 300, and can be examples of UE 200 or TRP 300 or other devices configured to communicate within communication system 100. The diagram includes example base stations, such as a first base station 1508 and a second base station 1510, and a network server 1512. Base stations 1508 and 1510 can be considered examples of TRP 300, such as gNB 110a and 110b, and network server 1512 can be considered an example of server 400, such as LMF 120. In operation, base stations 1508 and 1510 are configured to transmit and receive PRS resources 1514, which can be configured at a higher layer in the communication system 100. For example, PRS resources 1514 may be associated with a PRS resource set in frequency layer 700. Target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504 and 1506 may receive some PRS resources 1514 and provide a PRS measurement report 1516 to the LMF. The measurement report 1516 may include RSTD, TOA, TDOA, RTT, or other positioning measurements obtained at least in part based on one or more transmitted PRS resources 1514. The measurement report may also include signal identification information to associate the transmitted PRS resources 1514 with PRS measurement values ​​in the PRS measurement report 1516. For example, signal identification information may include various combinations of TRP identification information, PRS resource set identification information, and / or PRS resource identification information. Other values ​​may also be used to associate the transmitted PRS with measurement values. In one example, target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504, 1506 may utilize NAS (LPP / NPP) or other radio protocols to provide PRS measurement reports 1516. The timing and sequence of the transmitted PRS resources 1514 and PRS measurement reports 1516 are illustrative and not restrictive, as the timing and order of PRS transmissions may vary from different base stations, and the reporting messages from client stations may also differ. Other messages, such as measurement requests, PRS configuration messages, and ancillary data, may also be included in the message stream.

[0113] In phase 1518, network server 1512 is configured to determine whether additional (i.e., on-demand) PRS measurements are needed to determine the location of target UE 1502. For example, PRS measurement report 1516 may include fuzzy TDOA measurements due to NLOS signaling or a lack of overlapping PRS resources between target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504, 1506. In one example, network server 1512 may be configured to have one or more data structures that include coverage areas associated with PRS resources transmitted by base stations 1508, 1510. PRS resources may be associated with one or more reference nodes that are located and configured to receive PRS resources. Network server 1512 may also be configured to use the approximate location of target UE 1502 to determine the set of PRS resources that target UE 1502 may expect to receive. Network server 1512 may then determine overlap based on the PRS resources that reference nodes 1504, 1506 can receive and the PRS resources that target UE 1502 can receive. Overlapping can be based on other operational factors that may affect the station's ability to receive PRS resources. For example, silent mode, device capabilities (e.g., bandwidth, frequency), and measurement gap configuration can be used to identify and / or constrain PRS resources in the overlap. Network server 1512 can determine the set of PRS resources in the overlap and generate one or more on-demand requests to instruct one or more of the target UE 1502 and / or reference nodes 1504, 1506 to obtain measurements of additional PRS resources. In the first example message stream 1500, network server 1512 can provide the target UE 1502 with a first on-demand PRS measurement request message 1520a, which is configured to increase the number of PRS that UE 1502 should attempt to measure. For example, referring to Figure 14B The first on-demand PRS measurement request message 1520a may include auxiliary data associated with the PRS resources that the first reference node 1504 can receive to increase the overlap of PRS (e.g., to the second overlap region 1416). In one example, the network server 1512 may provide the first reference node 1504 with a second on-demand PRS measurement request message 1520b, which is configured to increase the number of PRS that the first reference node 1504 should attempt to measure. For example, referencing... Figure 14CThe second on-demand PRS measurement request message 1520b may include auxiliary data associated with PRS resources received (or located where they are to be received) by the target UE 1502 to increase the overlap of PRS between the first reference node 1504 and the target UE 1502 (e.g., to the third overlap region 1426). In one example, the first and second on-demand PRS measurement request messages 1520a-b may be sent simultaneously to the first reference node 1504 and the target UE 1502. In one example, the network server 1512 may provide a third on-demand PRS measurement request message 1520c to the second reference node 1506, the third on-demand PRS measurement request message 1520c being configured to indicate the PRS that the second reference node 1506 should attempt to measure. For example, referring to... Figure 14D The third on-demand PRS measurement request message 1520c may include auxiliary data associated with PRS resources receivable by the target UE 1502. The first, second, and third on-demand PRS measurement request messages 1520a-c may be sent sequentially, in parallel, or in various combinations to increase the number of LOS PRS resources and improve the resulting positioning accuracy. In one example, the on-demand PRS measurement request messages may utilize network transport layers such as NAS LPP / NPP and / or NRPPA. Other messaging protocols may also be used. In one example, overlapping PRS signals may be time-constrained to reduce the time gap between measurements made by the target UE and the reference node. For example, overlapping PRS may be selected at least in part based on time frames or time windows, where the target UE and / or the reference node can measure overlapping PRS.

[0114] Reference Figure 15BThe second example message flow 1540 can utilize sidelink communication to propagate on-demand PRS measurement requests. As previously described, network server 1512 can determine additional PRS at stage 1518 and subsequently provide a fourth on-demand PRS measurement request message 1542 to target UE 1502. The fourth on-demand PRS measurement request message 1542 may include auxiliary data associated with PRS resources that target UE 1502 can attempt to receive. The fourth on-demand PRS measurement request message 1542 may also include auxiliary data associated with PRS resources that other neighboring stations can attempt to receive. For example, first and second reference nodes 1504, 1506 may be adjacent to target UE 1502 and are configured to communicate via one or more D2D sidelinks. In one example, target UE 1502 may receive a fourth on-demand PRS measurement request message 1542 via a first radio access technology (e.g., LTE, 5G, Uu interface) and subsequently relay the content of the fourth on-demand PRS measurement request message 1542 using a second radio access technology (e.g., D2D sidelink, WiFi, BT, etc.). For example, target UE 1502 may transmit one or more sidelink messages, such as a first sidelink message 1544a and a second sidelink message 1544b, via a D2D interface (such as PC5). In one example, target UE 1502 may be configured to resolve the fourth on-demand PRS measurement request message 1542 into one or more subsets of PRS resources associated with neighboring stations. For example, the first sidelink message 1544a may include auxiliary data for a first subset of PRS resources that can be received by a first reference node 1504, and the second sidelink message 1544b may include auxiliary data for a second subset of PRS resources that can be received by a second reference node 1506. In one example, the fourth on-demand PRS measurement request message 1542 may include one or more information elements configured to enable the target UE 1502 to resolve auxiliary data based on neighboring stations. For example, neighboring reference stations may be configured to have different PRS resource sets and different PRS identification information. The information elements may include different PRS identification information corresponding to different PRS resource sets on the target UE and neighboring reference nodes.

[0115] Reference Figure 15CThe third example message stream 1550 may utilize sidelink communication to propagate an on-demand PRS measurement request to the target UE 1502. As previously described, network server 1512 may determine an additional PRS at stage 1518 and subsequently provide a fifth on-demand PRS measurement request message 1552a to a reference node (such as first reference node 1504). The fifth on-demand PRS measurement request message 1552a may include auxiliary data associated with PRS resources that the target UE 1502 and / or first reference node 1504 may attempt to receive. In one example, first reference node 1504 may receive the fifth on-demand PRS measurement request message 1552a via a first radio access technology (e.g., LTE, 5G, Uu interface) and subsequently relay some or all of the content of the fifth on-demand PRS measurement request message 1552a using a second radio access technology (e.g., D2D sidelink, WiFi, BT, etc.). For example, first reference node 1504 may send one or more sidelink messages 1552b. In one example, the first reference node 1504 may be configured to resolve the fifth on-demand PRS measurement request message 1552a into one or more subsets of PRS resources associated with the target UE 1502 or other neighboring stations. In the V2X example, the first reference node 1504 may be a roadside unit (RSU) and may receive the fifth on-demand PRS measurement request message 1552a via the Uu interface and transmit one or more sidelink messages 1552b via the PC5 interface. Other messaging protocols may also be used.

[0116] Reference Figure 16 And further refer to Figure 1-15C A first example method 1600 for on-demand location of reference signal selection includes the stages shown. However, method 1600 is an example and not a limitation. Method 1600 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, concurrently executing, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0117] In phase 1602, the method includes receiving one or more positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment. Server 400 (which includes transceiver 415 and processor 410) may be a means for receiving one or more PRS measurements. In one example, the reference... Figure 15ANetwork server 1512 (such as LMF 120) can receive PRS measurements from multiple stations (such as target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504, 1506). In one example, base stations 1508, 1510 are configured to transmit PRS resources 1514, which can be configured at a higher layer in the communication system 100. For example, PRS resources 1514 may be associated with a set of PRS resources in frequency layer 700. Target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504, 1506 can receive some of the PRS resources 1514 and provide a PRS measurement report 1516 to the LMF. The measurement report 1516 may include signal identification information and corresponding RSTD, TOA, TDOA, RTT, Rx-Tx time difference, or other positioning measurements obtained at least in part based on one or more of the transmitted PRS resources 1514. For example, signal identification information may include TRP identification information, PRS resource set identification information, and PRS resource identification, or various combinations thereof for identifying other values ​​of the measured PRS. In one example, target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504, 1506 may utilize NAS (LPP / NPP) or other radio protocols to provide PRS measurement reports 1516.

[0118] In stage 1604, the method includes selecting a reference node at least in part based on signal identification information associated with each of one or more positioning reference signal measurements. Server 400 (which includes processor 410) may be an apparatus for selecting the reference node. Network server 1512 may be configured to select a reference node to obtain a DD-TDOA measurement with the target UE based on the number of overlapping PRS measurements of the reference node and the target UE reported in stage 1602 (i.e., the number of PRS received by both the reference node and the target UE). In one example, network server 1512 may be configured to determine the intersection of the PRS received by each of the target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504, 1506. The reference node with the largest number of intersecting PRS may be selected. For example, referring to Figure 13 The first reference node 1310a can report PRS measurements based on PRS transmitted from gNBi, gNBj, and gNBk. The target UE 1305 can report PRS measurements based on PRS transmitted from gNBj, gNBk, and gNBl. The second reference node 1310b can report PRS measurements based on PRS transmitted from gNBl and gNBm. In this example, the first reference node 1310a is chosen because it reports a larger number of overlapping PRS to UE 1305 compared to the second reference node 1310b.

[0119] At stage 1606, the method includes determining one or more overlapping location reference signals to be measured. Server 400 (which includes processor 410) may be an apparatus for determining one or more overlapping PRS to be measured. In one example, network server 1512 may be configured to have one or more data structures including coverage areas associated with PRS resources transmitted by base stations 1508, 1510. PRS resources may be associated with one or more reference nodes that are in a position to receive a location and may (e.g., potentially) receive PRS resources. Network server 1512 may also be configured to determine a set of PRS resources that the target UE 1502 may potentially receive using a coarse location of the target UE 1502. Network server 1512 may then determine one or more overlapping PRS based on the intersection of PRS resources received by selected reference nodes and PRS resources that the target UE may potentially receive. For example, referring to Figure 14B The overlapping PRS resources to be measured may include PRS resources in the first overlapping region 1406 and the second overlapping region 1416. Network server 1512 may be configured to select overlapping PRSs based on other operational factors that may affect the station's ability to receive PRS resources. For example, silent mode, device capabilities (e.g., bandwidth, frequency), and measurement gap configuration may be used to identify and / or constrain PRS resources in the overlap. In one example, network server 1512 may be configured to determine the LOS path conditions of the PRS (e.g., based on the line-of-sight angle of the PRS resources) and the location of the transmitting base station (e.g., gNB). Overlapping PRS resources may include PRS resources with LOS path conditions between the anchor station (such as a base station or transmitting UE) and the target UE 1502.

[0120] At stage 1608, the method includes transmitting an indication to a target user equipment, a reference node, or both, of one or more overlapping location reference signals (PRS) to be measured. Server 400 (which includes transceiver 415 and processor 410) may be an apparatus for transmitting the indication of one or more overlapping PRS to be measured. In one example, network server 1512 may send one or more on-demand PRS measurement request messages to target UE 1502 and / or one or more reference nodes 1504, 1506. For example, network server 1512 may determine a set of overlapping PRS resources at stage 1606 and generate one or more on-demand requests to instruct one or more of target UE 1502 and / or reference nodes 1504, 1506 to obtain measurements of additional PRS resources. In one example, the on-demand request may include an indication of a time frame or time window in which target UE 1502 and / or reference nodes may measure PRS. This time window may help reduce the time gap between measurements made by the target UE and the reference nodes. Referring to the first example message flow 1500, network server 1512 can provide an indication of one or more overlapping PRSs as a first on-demand PRS measurement request message 1520a. The indication of one or more overlapping PRSs may be auxiliary data including PRS resource information configured to enable target UE 1502 to increase the number of PRSs that UE 1502 can attempt to measure. For example, referring to… Figure 14B Indications for one or more overlapping PRSs may include auxiliary data associated with some or all of the PRS resources 1402 receivable by the first reference node 1504. In one example, network server 1512 may be configured to silence PRS transmissions from one or more base stations 1508, 1510 to reduce interference with overlapping PRSs. For example, a PRS silencing mode may be configured to provide overlapping PRS priority over other PRS resources 1514 to reduce NLOS noise.

[0121] In phase 1610, the method includes receiving at least one positioning reference signal measurement value based on one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured from the target user equipment and a reference node. Server 400 (which includes transceiver 410 and processor 410) may be means for receiving at least one PRS measurement value. In one example, the target UE 1502 and a selected reference node (e.g., a first reference node 1504) may receive one or more of the PRS resources transmitted in phase 1608 and provide a PRS measurement report to network server 1512. The measurement value may include signal identification information and corresponding RSTD, TOA, TDOA, RTT, Rx-Tx time difference, or other positioning measurements to enable the network server to perform dual-differential measurements for the target UE and the selected reference node. In one example, the process may iterate back to phase 1602 to increase the number of LOS PRS measurements obtained by the target UE and the reference node or additional reference nodes.

[0122] Reference Figure 17 And further refer to Figure 1-15C A second example method 1700 for on-demand location of reference signal selection includes the stages shown. However, method 1700 is an example and not a limitation. Method 1700 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, concurrently executing, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0123] In phase 1702, the method includes: receiving one or more positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment. Server 400 (which includes a transceiver 415 and a processor 410) may be a means for receiving one or more PRS measurements. In one example, the reference... Figure 15ANetwork server 1512 (such as LMF 120) can receive PRS measurements from multiple stations (such as target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504, 1506). In one example, base stations 1508, 1510 are configured to transmit PRS resources 1514, which can be configured at a higher layer in the communication system 100. For example, PRS resources 1514 may be associated with a set of PRS resources in frequency layer 700. Target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504, 1506 can receive some of the PRS resources 1514 and provide a PRS measurement report 1516 to the LMF. The measurement report 1516 may include signal identification information and corresponding RSTD, TOA, TDOA, RTT, Rx-Tx time difference, or other positioning measurements obtained at least in part based on one or more of the transmitted PRS resources 1514. For example, signal identification information may include TRP identification information, PRS resource set identification information, and PRS resource identification, or various combinations thereof for identifying other values ​​of the measured PRS. In one example, target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504, 1506 may utilize NAS (LPP / NPP) or other radio protocols to provide PRS measurement reports 1516.

[0124] In phase 1704, the method includes selecting at least a first reference node and a second reference node based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of one or more positioning reference signal measurements. Server 400 (which includes processor 410) may be an apparatus for selecting at least the first and second reference nodes. Network server 1512 may be configured to select the first and second reference nodes based on the number of overlapping PRS measurements (i.e., the number of PRS received by both the corresponding reference node and the target UE) based on PRS signal measurements reported in phase 1702 to obtain DD-TDOA measurements with the target UE. For example, referring to... Figure 14D The first reference node and the second reference node can be selected based on the corresponding received PRS resources 1402 and 1442 compared with the PRS resource 1404 received by the target UE.

[0125] At stage 1706, the method includes determining one or more overlapping location reference signals to be measured, at least in part, based on a coarse location of a target user equipment and corresponding locations of a first reference node and a second reference node. Server 400 (which includes a processor 410) may be an apparatus for determining one or more overlapping PRS. In one example, network server 1512 may be configured to have one or more data structures including coverage areas associated with PRS resources transmitted by base stations 1508, 1510. PRS resources may be associated with one or more reference nodes that are in a receiving location and may (e.g., potentially) receive PRS resources. Network server 1512 may also be configured to determine a set of PRS resources that the target UE 1502 may potentially receive using a coarse location of the target UE 1502. Network server 1512 may then determine one or more overlapping PRS based on the intersection of the PRS resources received by the first and second reference nodes and the PRS resources received by the target UE. Network server 1512 can be configured to select overlapping PRS based on other operational factors that may affect the station's ability to receive PRS resources. For example, silent mode, device capabilities (e.g., bandwidth, frequency), and measurement gap configuration can be used to identify and / or constrain overlapping PRS resources.

[0126] At stage 1708, the method includes transmitting an indication to one or more of a target user equipment, a first reference node, and a second reference node of one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured. Server 400 (which includes a transceiver 415 and a processor 410) may be an apparatus for transmitting an indication of one or more overlapping PRS. In one example, network server 1512 may send one or more on-demand PRS measurement request messages to target UE 1502 and / or one or more reference nodes 1504, 1506. For example, network server 1512 may determine a set of overlapping PRS resources at stage 1706 and generate one or more on-demand requests to instruct target UE 1502 and / or one or more reference nodes 1504, 1506 to obtain measurements of additional PRS resources. Referring to the first example message flow 1500, network server 1512 may provide an indication of one or more overlapping PRS as one or more on-demand PRS measurement request messages 1520a-c. Indications for one or more overlapping PRSs may be supplementary data including PRS resource information configured to enable target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504, 1506 to increase the number of LOS PRS resources to be measured and reported. In one example, network server 1512 may be configured to silence PRS transmissions from one or more base stations 1508, 1510 to reduce interference with overlapping PRSs. For example, a PRS silencing mode may be configured to provide overlapping PRS priority over other PRS resources 1514 to reduce NLOS noise.

[0127] In phase 1710, the method includes receiving at least one positioning reference signal (PRS) measurement value based on one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured from a target user equipment (UE) and a first reference node, or from the target UE and a second reference node. Server 400 (which includes transceiver 415 and processor 410) may be means for receiving at least one PRS measurement value. In one example, target UE 1502 and the first and second reference nodes may receive one or more of the PRS resources transmitted in phase 1708 and provide a PRS measurement report to network server 1512. The measurement value may include signal identification information and corresponding RSTD, TOA, TDOA, RTT, Rx-Tx time difference, or other positioning measurements to enable the network server to perform dual differential measurements for the target UE and at least one of the first and second reference nodes.

[0128] Reference Figure 18 And further refer to Figure 1-15CThe example method 1800 for providing on-demand positioning reference signal measurement requests includes the stages shown. However, method 1800 is an example and not a limitation. Method 1800 can be modified, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, executing concurrently, and / or splitting a single stage into multiple stages.

[0129] In phase 1802, the method includes receiving multiple positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment and at least one reference node. Server 400 (which includes a transceiver 415 and a processor 410) can be an apparatus for receiving the multiple PRS measurements. In one example, the reference... Figure 15A Network server 1512 (such as LMF 120) can receive PRS measurements from multiple stations (such as target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504, 1506). In one example, base stations 1508, 1510 are configured to transmit PRS resources 1514, which can be configured at a higher layer in the communication system 100. For example, PRS resources 1514 may be associated with a PRS resource set in frequency layer 700. Target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504, 1506 can receive some PRS resources 1514 and provide PRS measurement reports 1516 to the LMF. Measurement reports 1516 may include signal identification information and corresponding RSTD, TOA, TDOA, RTT, Rx-Tx time difference, or other positioning measurements obtained at least in part based on one or more transmitted PRS resources 1514. For example, signal identification information may include TRP identification information, PRS resource set identification information, and PRS resource identification, or various combinations of other values ​​used to identify the measured PRS. In one example, target UE 1502 and reference nodes 1504, 1506 may use NAS (LPP / NPP) or other radio protocols to provide PRS measurement reports 1516.

[0130] In phase 1804, the method includes: determining one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of a plurality of positioning reference signal measurements. Server 400 (which includes processor 410) may be means for determining one or more on-demand overlapping PRSs to be measured. Network server 1512 may be configured to select at least one reference node based on the number of PRS measurements provided in phase 1802. For example, a reference node providing the maximum number of PRS measurements or a reference node having the most overlapping PRS with the target UE may be selected. For example, referring to Figure 14AA first reference node (e.g., at least one reference node) may report measurements based on a first PRS resource set 1402, and a target UE may report measurements based on a second PRS resource set 1404. The first reference node and the target UE may have overlapping PRS resource sets, as depicted by a first overlapping region 1406. In one example, the network server 1512 may utilize signal identification information associated with the first PRS resource set 1402 as on-demand PRS. That is, the network server 1512 may request the target UE to attempt to measure the PRS in the first PRS resource set 1402. In one example, the network server 1512 may utilize signal identification information associated with the second PRS resource set 1404 as on-demand PRS. That is, the network server 1512 may request the first reference node to attempt to measure the PRS in the second PRS resource set 1404. In one example, on-demand PRS may include PRS from the first PRS resource set and the second PRS resource sets 1402 and 1404.

[0131] At stage 1806, the method includes transmitting an indication to a target user equipment, at least one reference node, or both, of one or more on-demand location reference signals (PRS) to be measured. Server 400 (which includes transceiver 415 and processor 410) may be an apparatus for transmitting the indication of one or more on-demand PRS to be measured. In one example, network server 1512 may send one or more on-demand PRS measurement request messages to target UE 1502 and / or one or more reference nodes 1504, 1506. For example, network server 1512 may determine overlapping PRS resource sets at stage 1804 and generate one or more on-demand requests to instruct one or more of target UE 1502 and / or reference nodes 1504, 1506 to obtain measurements of additional PRS resources. In one example, the on-demand request may include an indication of a time frame or time window in which target UE 1502 and / or reference nodes may measure PRS. This time window may help reduce the time gap between measurements made by the target UE and the reference nodes. Referring to the first example message flow 1500, network server 1512 can provide an indication of one or more overlapping PRSs as a first on-demand PRS measurement request message 1520a. The indication of one or more overlapping PRSs may be auxiliary data including PRS resource information configured to enable target UE 1502 to increase the number of PRSs that UE 1502 can attempt to measure. For example, referring to... Figure 14BIndications for one or more overlapping PRSs may include auxiliary data associated with some or all of the PRS resources 1402 receivable by the first reference node 1504. In one example, network server 1512 may be configured to silence PRS transmissions from one or more base stations 1508, 1510 to reduce interference with overlapping PRSs. For example, a PRS silencing mode may be configured to prioritize overlapping PRSs over other PRS resources 1514 to reduce NLOS noise or other interference from other transmissions that may affect measurements.

[0132] Other examples and implementations fall within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, the above-described functions can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hardwired, or any combination thereof executed by a processor. Features implementing the functions can also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that different parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations. For example, one or more functions or one or more parts thereof that occur in the LMF 120 as discussed above can be executed outside the LMF 120 (such as by the TRP 300 or UE 200).

[0133] As used herein, the singular forms of “a,” “some,” and “the” also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. For example, “processor” can include one or more processors. As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “having,” “including,” and / or “containing” indicate the presence of the described features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0134] Similarly, as used herein, the "or" used in a list of items followed by "at least one of" or "one or more of" indicates a disjunctive list such that a list of, for example, "at least one of A, B or C" or "one or more of A, B or C" represents A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or a combination having more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.).

[0135] Substantial modifications can be made to suit specific requirements. For example, custom hardware can be used, and / or specific elements can be implemented in the hardware, in processor-executed software (including portable software such as applets), or both. Furthermore, connectivity to other computing devices (such as network input / output devices) can be employed.

[0136] The systems and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations may appropriately omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components. For example, features described with reference to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of a configuration may be combined in a similar manner. Furthermore, technology evolves, and thus many elements are examples and do not limit the scope of this disclosure or the claims.

[0137] A wireless communication system is a system in which communication is transmitted wirelessly, that is, through the atmospheric space via electromagnetic waves and / or sound waves rather than through wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication network may not necessarily transmit all communications wirelessly, but may be configured to transmit at least some communications wirelessly. Furthermore, the term "wireless communication device" or similar terms do not require that the device's functionality be exclusively or uniformly primarily used for communication, or that the device is a mobile device, but rather indicate that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (one-way or two-way), for example, including at least one radio (each radio being part of a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver) for wireless communication.

[0138] Specific details are provided in this specification to provide a thorough understanding of the example configurations (including implementations). However, these configurations can be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring these configurations. This specification provides example configurations without limiting the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. Rather, the preceding description of the configurations provides a description for implementing the techniques described. Various changes can be made to the function and arrangement of the elements without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0139] As used herein, the terms “processor-readable medium,” “machine-readable medium,” and “computer-readable medium” refer to any medium that participates in providing data that enables a machine to operate in a particular manner. Using a computing platform, various processor-readable media may involve providing instructions / code to (such as) processors for execution, and / or being used to store and / or carry such instructions / code (e.g., as signals). In many implementations, processor-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media can take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile and volatile media. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical discs and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, but are not limited to, dynamic memory.

[0140] A statement whose value exceeds (or is greater than or higher than) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement whose value meets or exceeds a second threshold slightly greater than the first threshold. For example, in the resolution of the computing system, the second threshold is one value higher than the first threshold. A statement whose value is less than the first threshold (or within or below the first threshold) is equivalent to a statement whose value is less than or equal to a second threshold slightly lower than the first threshold. For example, in the resolution of the computing system, the second threshold is one value lower than the first threshold.

[0141] Examples of implementations are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0142] Clause 1. A method for providing an on-demand positioning reference signal request, comprising: receiving a plurality of positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment and at least one reference node; determining one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements; and sending an instruction to the target user equipment, at least one reference node, or both of the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured.

[0143] Clause 2. The method of Clause 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of positioning measurements received from the target user equipment and at least one reference node includes a reference signal time difference associated with a pair of positioning reference signals.

[0144] Clause 3. The method of Clause 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of positioning measurements received from the target user equipment and at least one reference node includes the receive-transmit time difference of at least one positioning reference signal.

[0145] Clause 4. The method of Clause 1 further includes: receiving at least one positioning reference signal measurement value from the target user equipment and at least one reference node based on one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured.

[0146] Clause 5. The method of Clause 4 further includes: determining at least one measurement based on at least one positioning reference signal measurement of one or more on-demand positioning reference signals, based at least in part on the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment, and the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the at least one reference node.

[0147] Clause 6. The method of Clause 1 further includes: transmitting positioning reference signals to one or more anchor stations in silent mode.

[0148] Clause 7. The method of Clause 1, further wherein determining one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured includes constraining the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals based on a time window.

[0149] Clause 8. The method of Clause 1, wherein the indication of one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured includes auxiliary data associated with one or more positioning reference signal resources.

[0150] Clause 9. A method for selecting a positioning reference signal on demand, comprising: receiving one or more positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment; selecting a reference node based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the one or more positioning reference signal measurements; determining one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured based at least in part on a coarse location of the target user equipment and the location of the reference node; transmitting an indication to the target user equipment, the reference node, or both of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured; and receiving at least one positioning reference signal measurement based on the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured from the target user equipment and the reference node.

[0151] Clause 10. The method of Clause 9, wherein one or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment include reference signal time differences associated with a pair of positioning reference signals.

[0152] Clause 11. The method of Clause 9, wherein one or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment include the receive-transmit time difference of at least one positioning reference signal.

[0153] Clause 12. The method of Clause 9, wherein determining one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured includes: determining the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment.

[0154] Clause 13. The method of Clause 9 further includes: receiving one or more positioning reference signal measurements from a reference node, wherein selecting the reference node includes: determining the intersection of signal identification information associated with each of the positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment and the signal identification information associated with each of the positioning reference signal measurements received from the reference node.

[0155] Clause 14. The method of Clause 9 further includes: receiving one or more positioning reference signal measurements from a plurality of reference nodes; determining a plurality of intersection values ​​based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the positioning reference signal measurements received by the target user equipment and signal identification information associated with each of the positioning reference signal measurements received by the plurality of reference nodes; and selecting a reference node based at least in part on the plurality of intersection values, wherein the reference node is associated with the maximum value of the plurality of intersection values.

[0156] Clause 15. The method of Clause 9 further includes: transmitting a location reference signal silent mode to one or more wireless nodes based at least in part on one or more overlapping location reference signals.

[0157] Clause 16. The method of Clause 9 further includes: determining a time window for measuring at least one of one or more overlapping positioning reference signals.

[0158] Clause 17. The method of Clause 9, wherein the indication of one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured includes auxiliary data associated with one or more positioning reference signal resources.

[0159] Clause 18. The method of Clause 9 further includes: determining at least one measurement based on at least one positioning reference signal measurement of one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured, based at least in part on the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment, and the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the reference node.

[0160] Clause 19. An apparatus comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: receive a plurality of positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment and at least one reference node; determine one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements; and transmit an instruction to the target user equipment, the at least one reference node, or both of the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured.

[0161] Clause 20. The apparatus of Clause 19, wherein at least one of the plurality of positioning measurements received from the target user equipment and at least one reference node includes a reference signal time difference associated with a pair of positioning reference signals.

[0162] Clause 21. The apparatus of Clause 19, wherein at least one of the plurality of positioning measurements received from the target user equipment and at least one reference node includes a receive-transmit time difference of at least one positioning reference signal.

[0163] Clause 22. The apparatus of Clause 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive at least one positioning reference signal measurement based on one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured from the target user equipment and at least one reference node.

[0164] Clause 23. The apparatus of Clause 22, wherein at least one positioning reference signal measurement based on one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured includes at least one measurement based at least in part on the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment and the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and at least one reference node.

[0165] Clause 24. The apparatus of Clause 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: transmit a positioning reference signal silent mode to one or more anchor stations based at least in part on one or more on-demand positioning reference signals.

[0166] Clause 25. The apparatus of Clause 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine a time window for measuring at least one of one or more on-demand positioning reference signals.

[0167] Clause 26. The apparatus of Clause 19, wherein the indication of one or more on-demand positioning reference signals includes auxiliary data associated with one or more positioning reference signal resources.

[0168] Clause 27. An apparatus comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver and configured to: receive one or more positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment; select a reference node based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the one or more positioning reference signal measurements; determine one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured based at least in part on a coarse location of the target user equipment and the location of the reference node; transmit an instruction to the target user equipment, the reference node, or both of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured; and receive at least one positioning reference signal measurement based on the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured from the target user equipment and the reference node.

[0169] Clause 28. The apparatus of Clause 27, wherein one or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment include reference signal time differences associated with a pair of positioning reference signals.

[0170] Clause 29. The apparatus of Clause 27, wherein one or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment include a receive-transmit time difference of at least one positioning reference signal.

[0171] Clause 30. The apparatus of Clause 27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment.

[0172] Clause 31. The apparatus of Clause 27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive one or more positioning reference signal measurements from a reference node; and determine the intersection of signal identification information associated with each of the positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment and the signal identification information associated with each of the positioning reference signal measurements received from the reference node.

[0173] Clause 32. The apparatus of Clause 27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive one or more positioning reference signal measurements from a plurality of reference nodes; determine a plurality of intersection values ​​based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the positioning reference signal measurements received by the target user equipment and signal identification information associated with each of the positioning reference signal measurements received by the plurality of reference nodes; and select a reference node based at least in part on the plurality of intersection values, wherein the reference node is associated with the maximum value of the plurality of intersection values.

[0174] Clause 33. The apparatus of Clause 27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: transmit a positioning reference signal silent mode to one or more base stations based at least in part on one or more overlapping positioning reference signals.

[0175] Clause 34. The apparatus of Clause 27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine a time window for measuring at least one of one or more overlapping positioning reference signals.

[0176] Clause 35. The apparatus of Clause 27, wherein the indication of one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured includes auxiliary data associated with one or more positioning reference signal resources.

[0177] Clause 36. The apparatus of Clause 27, wherein at least one positioning reference signal measurement based on one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured includes at least one measurement based at least in part on the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment and the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the reference node.

[0178] Clause 37. An apparatus for providing an on-demand positioning reference signal request, comprising: means for receiving a plurality of positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment and at least one reference node; means for determining one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements; and means for transmitting an indication to the target user equipment, at least one of the reference nodes, or both of the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured.

[0179] Clause 38. An apparatus for on-demand selection of positioning reference signals, comprising: means for receiving one or more positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment; means for selecting a reference node based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the one or more positioning reference signal measurements; means for determining one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured based at least in part on a coarse location of the target user equipment and the location of the reference node; means for transmitting an indication to the target user equipment, the reference node, or both of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured; and means for receiving at least one positioning reference signal measurement based on the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured from the target user equipment and the reference node.

[0180] Clause 39. A non-transient processor-readable storage medium including processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to provide an on-demand positioning reference signal request, comprising: code for receiving a plurality of positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment and at least one reference node; code for determining one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements; and code for transmitting an indication to the target user equipment, at least one of the at least one reference node, or both of the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured.

[0181] Clause 40. A non-transient processor-readable storage medium including processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to select on-demand positioning reference signals, comprising: code for receiving one or more positioning reference signal measurements from a target user equipment; code for selecting a reference node based at least in part on signal identification information associated with each of the one or more positioning reference signal measurements; code for determining one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured based at least in part on a coarse location of the target user equipment and the location of the reference node; code for transmitting an instruction to the target user equipment, the reference node, or both of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured; and code for receiving at least one positioning reference signal measurement based on the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured from the target user equipment and the reference node.

Claims

1. A method for providing on-demand positioning reference signal measurement requests, comprising: Receive multiple positioning reference signal measurements from the target user equipment and at least one reference node; The one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured are determined at least in part based on signal identification information associated with each of the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements; as well as Instructions to send the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured to either the target user equipment, the at least one reference node, or both.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment and the at least one reference node includes a reference signal time difference associated with a pair of positioning reference signals.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment and the at least one reference node includes a receive-transmit time difference of at least one positioning reference signal.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Based on the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured, a first positioning reference signal measurement value is received from the target user equipment, and a second positioning reference signal measurement value is received from the at least one reference node.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: The first positioning reference signal measurement value and the second positioning reference signal measurement value are determined based on the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment, and the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the at least one reference node, respectively.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Silent mode for transmitting positioning reference signals to one or more anchor stations.

7. The method of claim 1, further wherein determining the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured comprises: The one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured are constrained based on a time window.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the indication of the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured includes auxiliary data associated with one or more positioning reference signal resources.

9. A method for selecting a positioning reference signal on demand, comprising: Receive one or more positioning reference signal measurements from the target user equipment; The reference node is selected at least in part based on signal identification information associated with each of the one or more positioning reference signal measurements; Identify one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured; Instructions to transmit the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured to either the target user equipment, the reference node, or both; and At least one positioning reference signal measurement value is received based on one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured from the target user equipment and the reference node.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment include reference signal time differences associated with a pair of positioning reference signals.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment include the receive-transmit time difference of at least one positioning reference signal.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein determining the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured comprises: Determine the approximate location of the target user equipment and the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising: Receiving one or more positioning reference signal measurements from the reference node, wherein selecting the reference node includes: determining the intersection of signal identification information associated with each of the one or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment and the signal identification information associated with each of the one or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the reference node.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising: Receive one or more positioning reference signal measurements from multiple reference nodes; Multiple intersection values ​​are determined at least in part based on signal identification information associated with each of one or more positioning reference signal measurements received by the target user equipment and signal identification information associated with each of one or more positioning reference signal measurements received by the plurality of reference nodes; and The reference node is selected at least in part based on the plurality of intersection values, wherein the reference node is associated with the maximum value among the plurality of intersection values.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising: The location reference signal silent mode is transmitted to one or more wireless nodes based at least in part on the one or more overlapping location reference signals to be measured.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising: Determine a time window for measuring at least one of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals.

17. The method of claim 9, wherein the indication of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured includes auxiliary data associated with one or more positioning reference signal resources.

18. The method of claim 9, further comprising: The determination of at least one measurement value based on at least one positioning reference signal measurement value of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured is based at least in part on the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment, and the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the reference node.

19. An apparatus for providing on-demand positioning reference signal measurement requests, comprising: Memory; At least one transceiver; At least one processor, communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, and configured to: Receive multiple positioning reference signal measurements from the target user equipment and at least one reference node; The one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured are determined at least in part based on signal identification information associated with each of the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements; as well as Instructions to send the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured to either the target user equipment, the at least one reference node, or both.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein at least one of the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment and the at least one reference node includes a reference signal time difference associated with a pair of positioning reference signals.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein at least one of the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment and the at least one reference node includes a receive-transmit time difference of at least one positioning reference signal.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: transmit a positioning reference signal silent mode to one or more anchor stations based at least in part on the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine the plurality of positioning reference signal measurements based on line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment and line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the at least one reference node, respectively.

24. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: transmit positioning reference signals to the one or more anchor stations in a silent mode.

25. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the at least one processor configured to determine the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured is further configured to constrain the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured based on a time window.

26. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the indication of the one or more on-demand positioning reference signals to be measured includes auxiliary data associated with one or more positioning reference signal resources.

27. An apparatus for selecting a positioning reference signal on demand, comprising: Memory; At least one transceiver; At least one processor, communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, and configured to: Receive one or more positioning reference signal measurements from the target user equipment; The reference node is selected at least in part based on signal identification information associated with each of the one or more positioning reference signal measurements; One or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured are determined at least in part based on the approximate location of the target user equipment and the location of the reference node; Instructions to transmit the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured to either the target user equipment, the reference node, or both; and At least one positioning reference signal measurement value is received based on one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured from the target user equipment and the reference node.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the one or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment include reference signal time differences associated with a pair of positioning reference signals.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the one or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment include a receive-transmit time difference of at least one positioning reference signal.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the at least one processor configured to determine the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured is further configured to: determine the approximate location of the target user equipment and the line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment.

31. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: Receive one or more positioning reference signal measurements from the reference node; and Determine the intersection of signal identification information associated with each of one or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the target user equipment and signal identification information associated with each of one or more positioning reference signal measurements received from the reference node.

32. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein, The at least one processor is further configured to: Receive one or more positioning reference signal measurements from multiple reference nodes; Multiple intersection values ​​are determined at least in part based on signal identification information associated with each of one or more positioning reference signal measurements received by the target user equipment and signal identification information associated with each of one or more positioning reference signal measurements received by the plurality of reference nodes; and The reference node is selected at least in part based on the plurality of intersection values, wherein the reference node is associated with the maximum value among the plurality of intersection values.

33. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: transmit a positioning reference signal silent mode to one or more base stations based at least in part on the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured.

34. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine a time window for measuring at least one of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured.

35. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the indication of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured includes auxiliary data associated with one or more positioning reference signal resources.

36. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine at least one measurement based on at least one positioning reference signal measurement of the one or more overlapping positioning reference signals to be measured, based at least in part on line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the target user equipment, and line-of-sight path conditions between the anchor station and the reference node.

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