Positioning reference unit activation

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to positioning reference unit activation. A method is disclosed, comprising: initiating, by an apparatus, an activation procedure to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the apparatus; wherein the activation procedure is initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of: a number of detected network nodes being above a first threshold, or a number of detected positioning reference units being above a second threshold; or wherein the activation procedure is initiated by sending an activation request to the one or more positioning reference units over a sidelink based on at least a number of detected positioning reference units comprising the one or more positioning reference units.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The following example embodiments relate to wireless communication and positioning. Background Technology

[0002] Positioning technology can be used to estimate the physical location of equipment. The goal is to improve positioning accuracy so as to estimate the location of equipment more precisely. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The scope of protection sought by the various example embodiments is defined by the independent claims. Example embodiments and features (if any) described in this specification that are not within the scope of the independent claims should be interpreted as examples helpful in understanding the various embodiments.

[0004] According to one aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, causing the apparatus to at least: initiate an activation process to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the apparatus; wherein the activation process is initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of: the number of detected network nodes being higher than a first threshold, or the number of detected positioning reference units being higher than a second threshold; or wherein the activation process is initiated by: sending an activation request to the one or more positioning reference units via a side link based on the number of detected positioning reference units, which includes at least the one or more positioning reference units.

[0005] According to another aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: means for initiating an activation process to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the apparatus; wherein the activation process is initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of the following: the number of detected network nodes is higher than a first threshold, or the number of detected positioning reference units is higher than a second threshold; or wherein the activation process is initiated by sending an activation request to the one or more positioning reference units via a side link based on the number of detected positioning reference units, which includes at least the one or more positioning reference units.

[0006] According to another aspect, a method is provided, comprising: initiating an activation process by a device to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the device; wherein the activation process is initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of the following: the number of detected network nodes is higher than a first threshold, or the number of detected positioning reference units is higher than a second threshold; or wherein the activation process is initiated by sending an activation request to the one or more positioning reference units via a side link based on the number of detected positioning reference units, which includes at least the one or more positioning reference units.

[0007] According to another aspect, a computer program is provided, the program including instructions, when executed by a device, to cause the device to perform at least the following: initiate an activation process to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the device; wherein the activation process is initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of the following: the number of detected network nodes is higher than a first threshold, or the number of detected positioning reference units is higher than a second threshold; or wherein the activation process is initiated by sending an activation request to the one or more positioning reference units via a side link based on the number of detected positioning reference units, which includes at least the one or more positioning reference units.

[0008] According to another aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, including program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the following: initiate an activation process to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the device; wherein the activation process is initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of the following: the number of detected network nodes is higher than a first threshold, or the number of detected positioning reference units is higher than a second threshold; or wherein the activation process is initiated by sending an activation request to the one or more positioning reference units via a side link based on the number of detected positioning reference units, which includes at least the one or more positioning reference units.

[0009] According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, the medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by a device thereof, cause the device to perform at least the following: initiate an activation process to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the device; wherein the activation process is initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of the following: the number of detected network nodes is higher than a first threshold, or the number of detected positioning reference units is higher than a second threshold; or wherein the activation process is initiated by sending an activation request to the one or more positioning reference units via a side link based on the number of detected positioning reference units, which includes at least the one or more positioning reference units.

[0010] According to another aspect, a system is provided, comprising at least a location management function and a user equipment. The user equipment is configured to: initiate an activation process to activate one or more location reference units for a location session of the user equipment; wherein the activation process is initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of the following: the number of detected network nodes is higher than a first threshold, or the number of detected location reference units is higher than a second threshold; or wherein the activation process is initiated by: sending an activation request to the one or more location reference units via a side link based on the number of detected location reference units, which includes at least the one or more location reference units. The location management function is configured to: acquire a first set of measurement information associated with reference signals transmitted from a set of location reference units, wherein the set of location reference units includes at least one or more location reference units activated for the location session of the user equipment; select a subset of location reference units from the set of location reference units, wherein the selection is based at least on determining that the reference signals transmitted by each location reference unit in the subset of location reference units are measured by the same set of network nodes that measure the reference signals transmitted from the user equipment; and refine the location estimation of the user equipment based at least on a subset of measurement information from the first set of measurement information, wherein the subset of measurement information is associated with the subset of location reference units.

[0011] According to another aspect, a system is provided, comprising at least location management functionality and a user equipment. The user equipment includes: means for initiating an activation process to activate one or more location reference units for a location session of the user equipment; wherein the activation process is initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of the following: the number of detected network nodes exceeds a first threshold, or the number of detected location reference units exceeds a second threshold; or wherein the activation process is initiated by sending an activation request to the one or more location reference units via a side link based on the number of detected location reference units, which includes at least the one or more location reference units. The location management function includes: means for acquiring a first set of measurement information associated with reference signals transmitted from a set of positioning reference units, wherein the set of positioning reference units includes at least one or more positioning reference units activated for the positioning session of the user equipment; means for selecting a subset of positioning reference units from the set of positioning reference units, wherein the selection is based at least on determining that the reference signals transmitted by each positioning reference unit in the subset of positioning reference units are measured by the same set of network nodes that measure the reference signals transmitted from the user equipment; and means for refining the location estimate of the user equipment based at least on a subset of measurement information from the first set of measurement information, wherein the subset of measurement information is associated with the subset of positioning reference units. Attached Figure Description

[0012] Various exemplary embodiments will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein

[0013] Figure 1 An example of a cellular communication network is shown;

[0014] Figure 2 The location context is shown;

[0015] Figure 3 A flowchart according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0016] Figure 4 A flowchart according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0017] Figure 5 A flowchart according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0018] Figure 6 A flowchart according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0019] Figure 7 A flowchart according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0020] Figure 8 A flowchart according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0021] Figure 9 A flowchart according to an example embodiment is shown;

[0022] Figure 10 The diagram illustrates a signaling diagram according to an example embodiment;

[0023] Figure 11 An example scenario is shown;

[0024] Figure 12 An example of the device is shown;

[0025] Figure 13 An example of the device is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The following embodiments are illustrative. Although the specification may refer to "an," "one," or "some" embodiments in several places in the text, this does not necessarily mean that every reference points to the same embodiment, or that a particular feature applies only to a single embodiment. Individual features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.

[0027] In the following example embodiments, different example embodiments will be described using radio access architectures based on Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE Advanced, LTE-a), New Radio (NR, 5G), Beyond 5G, or 6G (6G) as examples of access architectures to which the example embodiments can be applied; however, the example embodiments are not intended to limit them to such architectures. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the example embodiments can also be applied to other types of communication networks with suitable means by appropriately adjusting parameters and procedures. Some examples of other suitable system options may be Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Radio Access Network (UTRAN or E-UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE, essentially the same as E-UTRA), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN or Wi-Fi), and Global Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX). Personal Communication Services (PCS) Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), systems using Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, sensor networks, mobile ad hoc networks, and Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or any combination thereof. Figure 1 An example of a simplified system architecture is described, showing some components and functional entities, which are logical units whose implementations may differ from those shown. Figure 1 The connections shown are logical connections; the actual physical connections may differ. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the system may also include… Figure 1 Other functions and structures besides those shown in the text.

[0028] However, the example embodiments are not limited to the system given as an example, but those skilled in the art can apply this solution to other communication systems with the necessary properties.

[0029] Figure 1 The example illustrates a portion of an exemplary radio access network.

[0030] Figure 1 The illustration shows user equipments 100 and 102 configured to provide a radio cell to an access node (AN) 104, such as an evolved Node B (eNB or eNodeB) or a next-generation Node B (gNB or gNodeB), in a wireless connection over one or more communication channels. The physical link from the user equipment to the access node can be referred to as an uplink (UL) or reverse link, and the physical link from the access node to the user equipment can be referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link. The user equipment can also communicate directly with another user equipment via a sidelink (SL). It should be understood that an access node, or its functionality, can be implemented using any entity suitable for this use, such as a node, host, server, or access point.

[0031] A communication system may include more than one access node, which may also be configured to communicate with each other via wired or wireless links designed for this purpose. These links may be used for signaling purposes or to route data from one access node to another. An access node may be a computing device configured to control the radio resources of the communication system to which it is coupled. An access node may also be referred to as a base station, base transceiver station (BTS), access point, or any other type of interface device, including relay stations capable of operating in a wireless environment. An access node may include a transceiver or be coupled to a transceiver. From the transceiver of the access node, a connection may be provided to an antenna element that establishes a bidirectional radio link to a user equipment. This antenna element may include multiple antennas or antenna elements. The access node may also be connected to a core network 110 (CN or Next Generation Core NGC). Depending on the deployed technology, the access node can connect to the corresponding entity on the CN side, such as a Serving Gateway (S-GW, for routing and forwarding user data packets), a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW) for providing connections from user equipment to external packet data networks, a User Plane Function (UPF), a Mobility Management Entity (MME), or an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), etc.

[0032] Regarding location, the service-oriented architecture (core network) may include an AMF 111 and a Location Management Function (LMF) 112. The AMF can provide location information for call processing, policy, and charging to other network functions in the core network and other entities requesting location from terminal equipment. The AMF can receive and manage location requests from multiple sources: Mobile Initiated Location Requests (MO-LR) from user equipment and Mobile Termination Location Requests (MT-LR) from other functions in the core network or other network elements. The AMF can select an LMF for a given request and use its location service to trigger a location session. The LMF can then perform location when it receives such a request from the AMF. The LMF can manage the resources and timing of location activities. The LMF can request location from one or more access nodes using the Namf_Communication service on the NL1 interface, or the LMF can communicate with the user equipment via N1 for UE-based or UE-assisted location. Location may include location estimation; furthermore, the AMF can estimate the movement and accuracy of location information when requested. In terms of connectivity, the AMF can be between the access node and the LMF, and is therefore closer to the access node than the LMF.

[0033] A location session can be associated with signaling used to activate devices and / or signals, transmit auxiliary data, report measurement information, and estimate the UE's location. A location session can begin with a location request.

[0034] User equipment (UE) is a class of devices that can allocate and distribute resources on the air interface, and therefore any of the features of the UE described herein can be implemented using appropriate devices (e.g., relay nodes).

[0035] An example of such a relay node could be a Layer 3 relay (self-backhaul relay) leading to an access node. A self-backhaul relay node can also be called an Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) node. An IAB node can comprise two logical parts: a Mobile Terminal (MT) part responsible for the backhaul link (i.e., the link between the IAB node and the donor node, also known as the parent node) and a Distributed Unit (DU) part responsible for the access link (i.e., the sub-link between the IAB node and the user equipment, and / or the sub-link between the IAB node and other IAB nodes (in multi-hop scenarios)).

[0036] Another example of such a relay node could be a Layer 1 repeater, which can amplify signals received from an access node and forward them to a user equipment, and / or amplify signals received from a user equipment and forward them to an access node.

[0037] User equipment can also be referred to as a subscriber unit, mobile station, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, terminal equipment, or user equipment (UE), to name just a few. User equipment can refer to portable computing devices, including wireless mobile communication devices with or without a subscriber identification module (SIM), including but not limited to the following types of devices: mobile station (mobile phone), smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), handheld device, device using a wireless modem (alarm or measuring device, etc.), laptop and / or touchscreen computer, tablet computer, game console, notebook, multimedia device, redcap device, wireless sensor device, or any device integrated into a vehicle.

[0038] User equipment can also be a device capable of operating in an Internet of Things (IoT) network, a scenario where objects can be provided with the ability to transmit data over the network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. User equipment can also utilize the cloud. In some applications, user equipment may include small portable or wearable devices with radio components (such as watches, headphones, or glasses), and computation may be performed in the cloud or on another user equipment.

[0039] The various techniques described herein can also be applied to cyber-physical systems (CPS) (systems that control collaborative computing elements of physical entities). CPS can realize and utilize a large number of interconnected ICT devices (sensors, actuators, processors, microcontrollers, etc.) embedded in physical objects in different locations. Mobile cyber-physical systems, where the physical systems under discussion may have inherent mobility, are a subclass of cyber-physical systems. Examples of mobile physical systems include mobile robots and electronic devices transported by humans or animals.

[0040] Additionally, although the device is depicted as a single entity, different units, processors, and / or memory units can be implemented (not all shown). Figure 1 ).

[0041] 5G supports the use of multiple input-multiple output (MIMO) antennas, far more base stations or nodes than LTE (the so-called small cell concept), including macro sites that operate in cooperation with smaller sites, and various radio technologies depending on service requirements, use cases and / or available spectrum. 5G mobile communications can support a wide range of use cases and related applications, including video streaming, augmented reality, different data sharing methods, and various forms of machine-type applications (such as massive machine-type communications (mMTC), including vehicle safety, various sensors, and real-time control). 5G can have multiple radio interfaces, namely sub-6GHz, cmWave, and mmWave, and can also be integrated with existing legacy radio access technologies (such as LTE). At least in the early stages, integration with LTE can be implemented as a single system, where macro coverage can be provided by LTE, and 5G radio interface access can be aggregated to LTE from small cells. In other words, 5G can support inter-RAT interoperability (such as LTE-5G) and inter-RI interoperability (inter-radio interface interoperability, such as sub-6GHz-cmWave-mmWave). One concept considered for 5G networks is network slicing, where multiple independent and dedicated virtual subnetworks (network instances) can be created within essentially the same infrastructure to run services with different requirements for latency, reliability, throughput, and mobility.

[0042] The current architecture of LTE networks is likely to be fully distributed in the radio and fully centralized in the core network. Low-latency applications and services in 5G may require bringing content closer to the radio, leading to local bursts and multi-access edge computing (MEC). 5G may enable analytics and knowledge generation to occur at the source of the data. This approach may require leveraging resources that may not be continuously connected to the network, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and sensors. MEC can provide a distributed computing environment for hosting applications and services. It may also have the ability to store and process content near cellular users for faster response times. Edge computing can encompass a wide range of technologies such as wireless sensor networks, mobile data acquisition, mobile signature analytics, collaborative distributed peer-to-peer self-organizing networks and processing, and can also be categorized as local cloud / fog computing and grid / grid computing, dew computing, mobile edge computing, cloudlets, distributed data storage and retrieval, autonomous and self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, data caching, the Internet of Things (IoT) (massive connectivity and / or latency critical), and critical communications (autonomous vehicles, traffic safety, real-time analytics, time-critical control, healthcare applications).

[0043] The communication system may also be able to communicate with one or more other networks, such as the public switched telephone network or the Internet, or utilize the services they provide. The communication network may also be able to support the use of cloud services; for example, at least some core network operations can be performed as cloud services (this is in...). Figure 1 (As described in “Cloud” 114). The communication system may also include a central control entity, etc., to provide facilities for different operators’ networks so as to cooperate, for example, in spectrum sharing.

[0044] By leveraging Network Functions Virtualization (NFV) and Software-Defined Networking (SDN), edge cloud can be introduced into the Radio Access Network (RAN). Using edge cloud can mean performing access node operations, at least partially, in servers, hosts, or nodes operationally coupled to a Remote Radio Head (RRH) or Radio Unit (RU), or in access nodes that include the radio portion. Node operations can also be distributed across multiple servers, nodes, or hosts. The application of a cloud RAN architecture enables real-time RAN functions to be executed on the RAN side (in the distributed unit, DU 105), while non-real-time functions can be executed centrally (in the centralized unit, CU108).

[0045] It should also be understood that the functional allocation between core network operations and access node operations may differ from, or even not exist, in LTE. Some other technological advancements that may be used include big data and all-IP, which could change how networks are built and managed. 5G (or new radio, NR) networks can be designed to support multiple hierarchical structures, where MEC servers can be placed between the core and access nodes. It should be understood that MEC can also be applied to 4G networks.

[0046] 5G can also leverage non-terrestrial communications, such as satellite communications, to enhance or supplement the coverage of 5G services, for example by providing backhaul transmissions. Possible use cases include providing service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices or passengers in vehicles, or ensuring the service availability of critical communications, including future terrestrial / ocean / space communications. Satellite communications can utilize geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite systems or low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, particularly mega-constellations (systems deploying hundreds of (nano) satellites). A given satellite 106 in a mega-constellation can cover several satellite-enabled network entities that create terrestrial cells. Terrestrial cells can be created via ground relay nodes or by access nodes 104 located on the ground or in satellites.

[0047] 6G networks are expected to employ flexible, decentralized, and / or distributed computing systems and architectures, along with ubiquitous computing, based on mobile edge computing, artificial intelligence, short packet communication, and blockchain technologies, enabling local spectrum licensing, spectrum sharing, infrastructure sharing, and intelligent automated management. Key features of 6G may include intelligent connectivity management and control capabilities, programmability, integrated sensing and communication, reduced energy footprint, trusted infrastructure, scalability, and resilience. Furthermore, 6G targets new use cases encompassing the integration of localization and sensing capabilities into the system definition to unify the user experience in both the physical and digital worlds.

[0048] As will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, the system depicted is merely an example of a part of a radio access system, and in practice, the system may include multiple access nodes, user equipment may have access to multiple radio cells, and the system may also include other devices, such as physical layer relay nodes or other network elements, and at least one of the access nodes may be a home eNodeB or a home gNodeB.

[0049] Furthermore, access nodes can be divided into: Radio Units (RUs), including Radio Transceivers (TRXs), i.e., transmitters (Tx) and receivers (Rx); one or more Distributed Units (DUs) for so-called Layer 1 (L1) processing and real-time Layer 2 (L2) processing; and Central Units (CUs) (also called centralized units) for non-real-time Layer 3 (L2) processing. CUs can be connected to one or more DUs, for example, via an F1 interface. This division allows for the centralization of CUs relative to cell sites and DUs, while DUs can be more distributed, or even remain at the cell site. CUs and DUs together can also be referred to as baseband units (BBUs). CUs and DUs can also be included in a Radio Access Point (RAP).

[0050] A CU can be defined as a logical node carrying higher-layer protocols of the access node, such as Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and / or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP). A DU can be defined as a logical node carrying the Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Rights Modification (MAC), and / or Physical (PHY) layers of the access node. The operation of the DU can be at least partially controlled by the CU. A CU may include a control plane (CU-CP), which can be defined as a logical node carrying RRC and the control plane portion of the PDCP protocol used by the CU for the access node. A CU may also include a user plane (CU-UP), which can be defined as a logical node carrying the user plane portions of the PDCP and SDAP protocols used by the CU for the access node.

[0051] Cloud computing platforms can also be used to run CUs and / or DUs. CUs can run within a cloud computing platform, which can be referred to as virtualized CUs (vCUs). In addition to vCUs, there can also be virtualized DUs (vDUs) running within a cloud computing platform. Furthermore, there can be a combination where DUs can use so-called bare-metal solutions, such as application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or customer-specific standard product (CSSP) system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions. It should also be understood that the functional distribution between the aforementioned access node units, or between different core network operations and access node operations, may differ.

[0052] In addition, within the geographical area of ​​a radio communication system, multiple different types of radio cells and multiple radio cells can be provided. A radio cell can be a macrocell (or umbrella cell), which can be a region with a diameter of up to tens of kilometers, or a smaller cell, such as a microcell, femtocell, or picocell. Figure 1Access nodes can provide any type of these cells. Cellular radio systems can be implemented as multi-layered networks comprising several types of radio cells. In a multi-layered network, an access node can provide one or more types of radio cells, thus requiring multiple access nodes to provide such a network structure.

[0053] To meet the need for improved deployment and performance of communication systems, the concept of "plug-and-play" access nodes can be introduced. Networks that may be able to use "plug-and-play" access nodes, besides home eNodeBs or home gNodeBs, may also include home node B gateways or HNB-GWs. Figure 1 (Not shown in the image). HNB-GW, which can be installed in a carrier network, can aggregate traffic from a large number of home eNodeBs or home gNodeBs back to the core network.

[0054] Location technologies can be used to estimate the physical or geographic location of a user equipment. In this paper, the user equipment to be located is referred to as the target UE or target user equipment. For example, the following location technologies can be used in NR: downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDoA), uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDoA), downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA), and / or multi-cell round-trip time (multi-RTT).

[0055] In wireless positioning, multiple positioning anchors at known locations can send and / or receive one or more positioning reference signals (PRS) to and / or receive from a target UE. In the uplink, a sounding reference signal (SRS) can be used as a positioning reference signal. For example, multi-time techniques can then be used to locate (i.e., position) the target UE relative to the positioning anchors. Positioning anchors may also be referred to herein as anchors, anchor nodes, multi-time anchors, or reference points. Positioning anchors can be, for example, radio access nodes (e.g., gNBs) or transmit and receive points (TRPs) (in uplink / downlink positioning), or other UEs (in sidelink positioning).

[0056] Sidechain (SL) positioning refers to a positioning method in which a target UE uses a sidechain (i.e., a direct device-to-device link) to locate itself either in an absolute manner (in the case of absolute positioning, the target UE's coordinates are obtained in global or local Cartesian coordinates) or in a relative manner (in the case of relative positioning, the target UE's position is estimated relative to another entity, such as another non-static or anchored UE). For UE-assisted positioning, the target UE can use the sidechain to obtain positioning measurements and report these measurements to network entities, such as Location Management Functions (LMFs). Sidechain positioning can also be used to obtain ranging information. Ranging means determining the distance and / or direction between the target UE and another entity, such as an anchored UE.

[0057] Sidechain positioning involves using a supporting UE or a group of supporting UEs, called "anchor UEs," to assist the target UE in its positioning session. Anchor UE support can be achieved in several ways, including the anchor UE estimating the target UE's location, the target UE obtaining positioning assistance data from the anchor UE, and the target UE measuring reference signals from the anchor UE (or vice versa) for positioning purposes.

[0058] Furthermore, the Positioning Reference Unit (PRU) can perform positioning measurements, such as Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), and UE Receive-Transmit Time Difference measurements, and report these measurements to a location server, such as an LMF. Additionally, the PRU can send UL SRS for positioning, enabling the Transmit and Receive Points (TRPs) to measure and report UL positioning measurements (e.g., relative time of arrival, UL-AoA, gNB Receive-Transmit Time Difference, etc.) from the PRU at a known location. From the location server's perspective, the PRU functionality can be implemented using a UE with a known location.

[0059] The difference between a PRU and an anchor UE is that an anchor UE may not know its own location, while a PRU may know its own location. PRUs can also serve as positioning anchors for target UEs, or they can simply provide correction data (e.g., to the LMF) to help locate the target UE.

[0060] In other words, a PRU located at a known position can serve as a reference target UE, allowing their calculated position to be compared with their known position. Under the assumption that the same or similar accuracy determination effect applies to the positions of the PRU and other target UEs, the comparison between the known and estimated positions can generate correction data, which can be used to fine-tune the position estimate of the target UE, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

[0061] The UE's location can be calculated on the network, for example, at the LMF (LMF-based positioning), or at the UE itself (UE-based positioning).

[0062] Measurements used for positioning can be performed on the UE side (e.g., in the case of DL positioning) or on the network side (e.g., in the case of UL positioning).

[0063] Figure 2One embodiment is illustrated, in which one or more PRUs 202, 202A, 202B are used to locate a target UE 200. The PRUs can be configured to transmit reference signals measured for locating the target UE 200. The target UE 200 may further transmit reference signals for locating itself. One or more access nodes 204, 204A, 204B can measure reference signals received from PRUs 202, 202A, 202B and from the target UE 200. In the case of sidelink location, the target UE 200 can measure reference signals received from PRUs 202, 202A, 202B, and / or PRUs 202, 202A, 202B can measure reference signals received from the target UE and / or from other UEs or PRUs. Measurement parameters (measurement data) obtained from the received reference signals may include reference signal reception time, reference signal time difference (RSTD), reference signal angle of arrival, and / or RSRP, etc. Measurement data can be reported to a network element acting as a location management function (LMF) 212, which is configured to perform positioning based on the measurement data. LMF 212 can estimate the position of the target UE 200 based on the received measurement data and the known position of the PRU measured by the reporting access node. For example, a position estimation function used in Global Navigation Satellite System Real-Time Kinematic Positioning (RTK) applications can be employed. For instance, if measurements indicate a high correlation between signals received from the target UE 200 and one of the PRUs 202, the position of the target UE 200 can be estimated to be closer to that PRU 202 and farther from other PRUs 202A, 202B. Corrections from the positions of given PRUs 202A, 202B can be calculated based on the measurement data, for example, by using the difference between the measurement data associated with the target UE 200 and the measurement data associated with the nearest PRU 202. For example, multiple measurements (RSRP, RSTD and / or other parameters) may indicate that the target UE 200 is in a certain direction from the nearest PRU 202, and corrections can be made in that direction.

[0064] Activating a PRU can involve various procedures. Therefore, determining which procedure to follow to activate a PRU for a given location service request is a challenge. For example, similar to the target UE, a PRU can also follow an LTE Location Protocol (LPP) procedure. This means that whenever a PRU needs to be activated, the LMF can initiate a Location Service (LCS) request for that PRU. However, associating the appropriate PRU (or a set of PRUs) with the target UE is not a straightforward process, as the network may not know in advance which PRUs can actually be used as reference devices for applying location correction to the target UE. This relates to the issues described below.

[0065] Determining and activating the appropriate PRU for a location session within a short time (lativity constraint) and with minimal overhead—that is, finding the correct PRU to accurately locate a given target UE using its correction data in the sense of low geometric precision dilution (GDOP)—is challenging. For example, in low-latency location applications, it is necessary to estimate the (accurate) location of the UE within a short time. Some examples of such low-latency applications might include automotive use cases, where the UE itself can initiate the location process, for example, via a Mobile Initiated Location Request (MO-LR). In other words, MO-LR means that the request to locate the target UE originates from the target UE itself.

[0066] For example, the positioning latency requirement might be set to only a few milliseconds. Low latency becomes even more challenging if the additional time required to select and configure the appropriate PRU (i.e., the PRU used to provide auxiliary data for fine-tuning the target UE's location) is calculated.

[0067] Another challenging aspect is that, unlike Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning, in terrestrial positioning, techniques for improving positioning accuracy based on correction data may require the PRU and target UE to experience the same (or substantially the same) radio conditions. That is, in order to apply the same correction data to the target UE as to the PRU, the target UE and PRU may need to be measured by the same set of TRPs and have the same conditions (e.g., line-of-sight, bandwidth, measurement capabilities, etc.). This means that the PRU and target UE should have similar measurement capabilities and be physically as close to each other as possible.

[0068] The legacy LPP-based approach used to activate the PRU may require the LMF to initiate an LCS request to the PRU after receiving an LCS request for the target UE. Furthermore, the LMF may need to estimate the target UE's location as accurately as possible to identify the correct PRU. This results in high latency because, in principle, this means the LMF might need to run two location processes one after the other: one to estimate the target UE's location; then another, based on a stored database, to activate the PRU and estimate its location. Finally, based on the PRU's estimated location, the LMF can refine the target UE's location estimate.

[0069] Given that the activated PRU has its available measurements, some exemplary embodiments may enable the selection of measurements at one or more PRUs and / or the LMF side to be associated with the target UE measurements in order to improve the accuracy of the target UE's location estimation.

[0070] Some example implementations can be used for UL positioning because UL positioning may be suitable for correcting the target UE location using the PRU's calibration data. In DL positioning, there is an additional requirement that the PRU and the target UE should have the same (or very similar) measurement capabilities, which is not the case for UL positioning, where the measurements (by the target UE and the PRU) are performed by the same gNB or TRP.

[0071] However, some exemplary embodiments are not limited to UL positioning, and they can also be used for, for example, side link positioning.

[0072] To process reported measurements of PRUs activated at the LMF, PRUs are selected from a given list and associated with a set of positioning measurements to improve the location estimation of the target UE. Some exemplary embodiments may be based on the following principles:

[0073] 1) If the SRS of the PRU is measured by the same set of gNB / TRPs that measures the SRS of the target UE, then the PRU should be associated with the target UE. In other words, the PRU location session and the target UE location session should involve the same set of gNB / TRPs.

[0074] This is to ensure that the PRU is close enough to the target UE.

[0075] 2) In addition, the flight time of the SRS sent from the PRU should be similar to the flight time of the SRS of the target UE (i.e., within certain thresholds / limits). This is to ensure that the PRU and the target UE experience similar line-of-sight (LOS) conditions, so that if the target UE sees a set of gNBs with LOS, then the PRU will also see the same set of gNBs with LOS.

[0076] The following descriptions of some example implementations will use the principles and terminology of 5G technology; however, this is not intended to limit the example implementations to 5G communication systems.

[0077] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method according to an example embodiment is shown, which is performed by a network element such as a core network, or a device included in a network element of the core network. For example, the network element may be a Location Management Function (LMF). This network element may correspond to LMF 112 and / or... Figure 2 LMF 212.

[0078] Reference Figure 3 In block 301, a first set of measurement information is acquired, wherein the first set of measurement information is associated with a reference signal transmitted from a set of positioning reference units. For example, the first set of measurement information may be received from one or more network nodes (e.g., gNB or TRP) that have received the reference signal.

[0079] For example, the first set of measurement information may include at least one of the following measurements of a reference signal transmitted from a set of positioning reference cells of a given PRU: reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), time of arrival, receive-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference, relative time of arrival (RTOA), angle of arrival (azimuth and elevation), beam information, timestamp of the measurement, and / or the quality of the given measurement.

[0080] The reference signal sent from this set of positioning reference units can be any signal, such as an uplink detection reference signal (UL SRS) or a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL PRS).

[0081] In box 302, a subset of positioning reference units is selected from the set of positioning reference units, wherein the selection is based at least on the reference signal transmitted by each positioning reference unit that determines the subset of positioning reference units being measured by the same set of network nodes that measure the reference signal transmitted from the target user equipment.

[0082] The reference signal sent from the target user equipment can be any signal, such as an uplink probe reference signal (UL SRS) or a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL PRS).

[0083] A network node set may include one or more network nodes, such as (multiple) gNBs or (multiple) TRPs.

[0084] In block 303, the location estimate of the target user equipment is refined based at least on a subset of measurement information from the first set of measurement information, wherein the subset of measurement information is associated with a subset of positioning reference cells.

[0085] Refining the location estimate can mean using a subset of measurement information to provide correction data for fine-tuning previously acquired target user equipment (PRU) location estimates, thereby improving their accuracy. The subset of measurement information can be used to calculate the location of a subset of PRUs, which can then be compared to the known locations (true locations) of these PRUs to obtain correction data that can be applied to the target user equipment's location estimate. This correction data can be used to correct the target user equipment's location estimate, which may have similar channel conditions to the considered PRU subset.

[0086] The target user equipment may also be referred to as the target UE in this article.

[0087] Figure 4A flowchart of a method according to an example embodiment is shown, which is performed by a network element such as a core network, or a device included in a network element of the core network. For example, the network element may be a Location Management Function (LMF). This network element may correspond to LMF 112 and / or... Figure 2 LMF 212.

[0088] Figure 4 It shows how to target Figure 3 Box 302 selects an example of a subset of location reference units. In this example embodiment, the LMF can select downwards from the active PRUs to optimize the selection of PRU measurements to improve the location estimation of the target user equipment. This example embodiment on the network (e.g., LMF) side is based on comparing the set of network nodes measuring reference signals (e.g., UL SRS) from the target user equipment with the PRUs, such that if the reference signal of a PRU is measured by the same set of network nodes as the reference signal of the user target equipment, then the PRU is considered associated with the target user equipment.

[0089] Reference Figure 4 In box 401, the device (e.g., LMF) receives a PRU activation request message and activates the associated set of positioning reference units. Alternatively, the set of positioning reference units may be activated by the target user equipment or by one or more network nodes. The activated PRU and the target user equipment may transmit a reference signal such as a UL SRS. For example, one or more network nodes, such as gNBs or TRPs, that can measure an SRS of a given quality within a certain range of RSRPs can report the measurement values ​​to the device. The device collects the measurement reports.

[0090] In box 402, one or more first network nodes are labeled based on a second set of measurement information reported from one or more first network nodes within one or more constraints, wherein the second set of measurement information is associated with a reference signal transmitted from a target user equipment. One or more first network nodes may also be represented herein as set A. One or more first network nodes may include, for example, one or more gNBs or TRPs.

[0091] The second set of measurement information may refer to a measurement report associated with the target user equipment. For example, the second set of measurement information may include at least one of the following measurements of a reference signal transmitted from the target user equipment: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), Signal-to-Interference-Ratio (SINR), Time of Arrival, Receive-to-Transmit (Rx-Tx) Time Difference, UL Relative Time of Arrival (RTOA), UL Angle of Arrival (azimuth and elevation), beam information, timestamp of the measurement, and / or the quality of a given measurement.

[0092] The second set of measurement information, within one or more limitations, can, for example, mean that the RSRP values ​​of the reports included in the second set of measurement information are within a certain range, i.e., above the lower limit and / or below the upper limit. In other words, as an example, a device (e.g., LMF) can mark the gNB or TRP of the target user equipment's SRS with sufficient quality (e.g., receiving SRS RSRP within a certain range).

[0093] In block 403, the device marks one or more second network nodes within the one or more constraints based on a first set of measurement information reported from the one or more second network nodes, according to each positioning reference unit of the positioning reference unit set. The one or more second network nodes may also be represented herein as set B. The one or more second network nodes may include, for example, one or more gNBs or TRPs. The one or more second network nodes may be the same as or different from the one or more first network nodes.

[0094] The first set of measurement information may refer to a measurement report associated with a given PRU in the group of PRUs. For example, the first set of measurement information may include at least one of the following measurements of a reference signal transmitted from a positioning reference unit: Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP), Reference Signal Received Quality (RSRQ), Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), Signal-to-Interference-Ratio (SINR), Time of Arrival, Receive-to-Transmit (Rx-Tx) Time Difference, UL Relative Time of Arrival (RTOA), UL Angle of Arrival (azimuth and elevation), beam information, timestamp of the measurement, and / or the quality of the given measurement.

[0095] The first set of measurement information within one or more limits can be represented, for example, by including RSRP values ​​in the first set of measurement information within a certain range, i.e., above the lower limit and / or below the upper limit. In other words, as an example, for each candidate PRU, the device can mark (multiple) gNBs or (multiple) TRPs that report PRUSRS with sufficient quality (e.g., receiving SRS RSRP within a range similar to the SRS RSRP of the target user equipment).

[0096] In block 404, the device compares the identities of one or more first network nodes with those of one or more second network nodes based on each location reference cell in the set of location reference cells. In other words, the device can compare the identities of gNBs or TRPs belonging to sets A and B.

[0097] Based on identity comparison, the device can determine whether the reference signal transmitted by each positioning reference unit in the subset of positioning reference units is measured by the same group of network nodes that measure the reference signal transmitted from the target user equipment. In other words, if one or more first network nodes and one or more second network nodes have the same identity, the device can determine that they belong to the same group of network nodes.

[0098] If set A and set B are not identical (box 404: No), then this PRU is not associated with the target user device, and the process returns to box 403 to process the next PRU in the PRU set.

[0099] Alternatively, in box 405, if set A and set B have the same identity (box 404: Yes), then this PRU is associated with the target user equipment and selected to a subset of the positioning reference units.

[0100] After box 405, the process can return to box 403 to process the next PRU in the PRU set. In other words, boxes 403-405 can be executed iteratively until all PRUs in the PRU set have been processed.

[0101] In box 406, after all PRUs in the PRU set have been processed, the device acquires a subset of positioning reference units, which includes PRUs associated with the target user equipment.

[0102] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method according to an example embodiment is shown, which is performed by a network element such as a core network, or a device included in a network element of the core network. For example, the network element may be a Location Management Function (LMF). This network element may correspond to LMF 112 and / or... Figure 2 LMF 212.

[0103] Figure 5 Showing the target Figure 3 Another example of how box 302 can select a subset of the positioning reference cells. Figure 5 This demonstrates how to select a subset of PRUs associated with each target user device. Figure 5 The method can be found in Figure 4 It is executed outside of or as a substitute for the method.

[0104] In this example embodiment, as referenced above... Figure 4 In addition to the subset of PRUs acquired, the LMF can perform downselection on these PRUs, which correspond to the measured reference signal whose flight time is within a certain limit compared to the flight time of the reference signal of the target user equipment.

[0105] In other words, in this example embodiment, the subset of positioning reference units can be further selected based on a comparison of the time of flight of the reference signal transmitted by each positioning reference unit with the time of flight of the reference signal transmitted from the target user equipment. For each PRU associated with the target user equipment, the device (e.g., LMF) can perform another association process based on the time of flight and select down the PRUs associated with the target user equipment, as described below.

[0106] Reference Figure 5 In box 501, obtain, for example, the reference above. Figure 4 The subset of positioning reference units to be acquired may be referred to as the first positioning reference unit subset.

[0107] In box 502, the arrival and departure times of the positioning reference units are obtained for a first subset of the reference signals (e.g., UL SRS) transmitted by the target user equipment and each positioning reference unit.

[0108] For example, a device (e.g., LMF) can collect time-of-arrival (ToA) values ​​reported by one or more network nodes (e.g., gNB or TRP), which measure the time of arrival of reference signals sent by each PRU and the target user equipment.

[0109] The device (e.g., LMF) can obtain the predetermined departure time of the reference signal for each PRU and target user equipment from the serving gNB of the PRU and target user equipment, for example, via NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa). The PRU and target user equipment can be served by the same or different gNBs.

[0110] In block 503, the device (e.g., LMF) determines or calculates a time-of-flight value for the target user equipment, wherein the time-of-flight value for the target user equipment indicates the difference between the departure time of a reference signal transmitted from the target user equipment and the arrival time of a reference signal transmitted from the target user equipment. In other words, the time-of-flight of the target user equipment can be defined as the difference between a predetermined departure time and the reported arrival time of a reference signal transmitted from the target user equipment.

[0111] In block 504, the device (e.g., LMF) determines or calculates a time-of-flight value for each positioning reference unit in the first subset of positioning reference units, wherein the time-of-flight value for each positioning reference unit indicates the difference between the departure time and the arrival time of a reference signal transmitted from the positioning reference unit. In other words, the time of flight of a given PRU can be defined as the difference between a predetermined departure time and the reported arrival time of a reference signal transmitted by that PRU.

[0112] In box 505, the device (e.g., LMF) compares the time-of-flight value of the target user equipment with the time-of-flight value of each positioning reference unit.

[0113] If the difference between the time-of-flight values ​​is not greater than a threshold (box 505: Yes), the procedure can return to box 504 to process the next PRU in the first subset of PRUs. The threshold can be defined, for example, based on the positioning requirement.

[0114] Alternatively, in box 506, if the difference between the time-of-flight values ​​is greater than a threshold (box 504: No), then the PRU is removed from the list of PRUs associated with the target user equipment. In other words, the device (e.g., LMF) can remove one or more positioning reference units from the first subset of positioning reference units based on a comparison of the target user equipment's time-of-flight value with the time-of-flight values ​​of one or more positioning reference units that is greater than a threshold.

[0115] After box 506, the process can return to box 504 to process the next PRU in the first subset of PRUs. In other words, boxes 504-506 can be executed iteratively until all PRUs in the first location reference unit subset have been processed.

[0116] In box 507, the LMF obtains a second subset of PRUs associated with the target user equipment. The second subset of PRUs may be a subset of the first subset of PRUs. That is, as described above, the second subset of PRUs can be obtained by removing one or more PRUs from the first subset of PRUs based on the time of flight.

[0117] LMF can use a second subset of PRU to perform refinement (fine-tuning) of the target user equipment location estimate, such as Figure 3 As described in box 303. In other words, Figure 3 The PRU subset mentioned in box 302 can refer to a second subset of the PRUs obtained here. In this case, Figure 3 In box 303, a subset of measurement information may be associated with a reference signal sent from a second subset of positioning reference cells, wherein one or more positioning reference cells are removed from the second subset compared to the first subset of positioning reference cells.

[0118] Figure 6 A flowchart of a method according to an example embodiment is shown, which is performed by a network element such as a core network, or a device included in a network element of the core network. For example, the network element may be a Location Management Function (LMF). This network element may correspond to LMF 112 and / or... Figure 2 LMF 212.

[0119] Figure 6 Showing the target Figure 3Box 302 provides another example of how a subset of location reference units (PRUs) is selected. In this example embodiment, the selection of the subset of location reference units can be further based on a comparison of the timing advance of each location reference unit in the subset with the timing advance of the target user equipment. In other words, a device (e.g., an LMF) can associate one or more PRUs with the target user equipment based on the similarity of their timing advance (TA) with different network nodes (e.g., gNBs or TRPs). Figure 6 The method in Figure 4-5 It is executed outside of any other method or as an alternative.

[0120] Reference Figure 6 In box 601, the device (e.g., LMF) acquires timing advance values ​​assigned to the target user device by multiple network nodes.

[0121] In box 602, the device (e.g., LMF) acquires timing advance values ​​assigned to a set of positioning reference cells by a plurality of network nodes.

[0122] In box 603, for each of the multiple network nodes, the device (e.g., LMF) compares the timing advance value of the target user equipment with the timing advance value of the positioning reference cell set.

[0123] In block 604, for each of the plurality of network nodes, a device (e.g., LMF) marks one or more PRUs whose timing advance values ​​are within a predefined interval compared to the timing advance value of the target user equipment. This interval may be based on positioning accuracy requirements.

[0124] After block 604, processing can return to block 603 to process the next network node among multiple network nodes. In other words, blocks 603-604 can be executed iteratively until every network node among multiple network nodes has been processed. Therefore, for each network node, the LMF can tag PRUs with TAs within an interval around the TA of the target user equipment.

[0125] In box 605, after processing all network nodes of multiple network nodes, the device (e.g., LMF) determines which PRUs to associate with the target user equipment based on the number of network nodes for which PRUs have been labeled. For example, the LMF may determine to associate one or more PRUs that have been labeled with a larger number of network nodes than other PRUs (i.e., the more gNB / TRPs the better).

[0126] In box 606, the device (e.g., LMF) acquires a subset of positioning reference units, which includes PRUs associated with the target user equipment. In other words, the subset of positioning reference units can be selected based on the number of network nodes for which the timing advance value of the positioning reference unit subset is within a predefined interval compared to the timing advance value of the target user equipment. For example, the LMF can select one or more PRUs that are flagged for a higher number of network nodes compared to other PRUs.

[0127] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a method performed by means such as a user equipment, or by means included in a user equipment, according to an example embodiment, is shown. The user equipment may also be referred to as a user unit, mobile station, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), target UE, or target user equipment. The user equipment may correspond to user equipment 100 of the figure and / or target UE 200 of the figure.

[0128] This example embodiment relates to identifying how a target user equipment can trigger PRU activation based on the target user equipment's RRC status and / or based on the number of network nodes and PRUs detected through the Uu and SL interfaces, respectively.

[0129] Reference Figure 7 In block 701, an activation process is initiated to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the device, wherein the activation process is initiated based on at least one of the following: the radio resource control state of the device, the number of network nodes detected, or the number of positioning reference units detected.

[0130] The device's radio resource control (RRC) status can refer to, for example, RRC connected status (RRC_CONNECTED), RRC inactive status (RRC_INACTIVE), or RRC idle status (RRC_IDLE).

[0131] The activation process can be initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of the following: the number of detected network nodes exceeds a first threshold, or the number of detected location reference units exceeds a second threshold. The activation process via small data transmission can also be initiated based on the device being in a radio resource control idle or inactive state.

[0132] Alternatively, the activation process can be initiated by sending an activation request to one or more positioning reference units via a side link, based on the number of detected positioning reference units, which includes at least one or more positioning reference units.

[0133] For example, if the device (target user equipment) detects an SL reference signal from a PRU of sufficient quality, it can trigger SL-based activation of the PRU. If this is not the case, and the device is in a Radio Resource Control Connected state (RRC_CONNECTED state), it can trigger network node-based (e.g., gNB) PRU activation by sending a request to a network node (e.g., gNB) to activate one or more positioning reference units. If the device is in an RRC_IDLE or RRC_INACTIVE state, it can trigger a UL Small Data Transmission (SDT) to establish a timing advance (TA) with a network node (e.g., gNB) if a sufficiently large number of network nodes (e.g., gNBs) are detected.

[0134] If a signal metric such as RSRP measured from a signal received from a network node is higher than a threshold, the network node can be considered detected. Similarly, if a signal metric such as RSRP measured from a positioning reference unit is higher than a threshold, the positioning reference unit can be considered detected.

[0135] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating a method performed by means such as a user equipment, or by means included in a user equipment, according to an example embodiment, is shown. The user equipment may also be referred to as a user unit, mobile station, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), target UE, or target user equipment. The user equipment may correspond to user equipment 100 of the figure and / or target UE 200 of the figure.

[0136] Figure 8 This demonstrates how the target user equipment can determine the target Figure 7 Box 701 provides an example of which activation process to initiate. In this example embodiment, the target user equipment may determine which one or more processes to initiate for PRU activation / use. For example, the target user equipment may request its serving gNB to activate the PRU it is serving. As another example, PRU activation can be performed via Small Data Transmission (SDT) by establishing a timing advance with the residing and neighboring gNBs.

[0137] When a location request arrives at (or originates from) a target user device, it can determine which activation process is triggered to utilize the PRU to improve its location accuracy (unless one or more of them are explicitly requested by the network), which will be described below.

[0138] Reference Figure 8 In box 801, the target user equipment checks which RRC state it is in, i.e., whether it is in the RRC_CONNECTED, RRC_INACTIVE, or RRC_IDLE state.

[0139] In box 802, if the target user equipment is in the RRC_CONNECTED state (box 801: Yes), the activation process is initiated by sending a request to the network node to activate one or more positioning reference units, which may also be referred to herein as gNB-based PRU activation. In other words, in this case, the activation process can be initiated based on the device being in the Radio Resource Control (RRC) connected state.

[0140] Alternatively, in block 803, if the target user equipment is not in an RRC connected state (block 801: No), i.e., the target user equipment is in an RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state, the target user equipment can check whether it can detect signals from network nodes and determine the number of network nodes detected, such as gNBs or TRPs.

[0141] If the DL measurement value of the signal received from the network node is higher than the threshold, it can be assumed that the network node has detected RSRP or another DL measurement value, where the threshold can be (pre-)configured by the network device for the target user.

[0142] In box 804, the target user equipment (User Equipment) can determine a first threshold for the number of network nodes. When the target User Equipment is in the RRC_CONNECTED state, the first threshold can be calculated at the target User Equipment based on auxiliary data provided by network nodes (e.g., the serving gNB of the target User Equipment). The auxiliary data may include information about the PRS configuration, which the target User Equipment can use to determine the minimum number of network nodes (the first threshold) that should be detected to achieve a given desired positioning accuracy. For example, the auxiliary data may include information about at least one of the following: the bandwidth of the PRS, the periodicity and duration of the PRS, and / or the positioning time context.

[0143] Alternatively, a first threshold for the number of network nodes can be calculated and / or pre-configured on the network side and provided from the network to the target user equipment (e.g., from its serving gNB).

[0144] In block 805, if the target user equipment is not in an RRC connected state (block 801: No), the target user equipment can determine the number of PRUs detected on the SL. If the SL RSRP measured from the signal received from the PRU or another SL measurement is higher than a threshold, the PRU can be considered detected.

[0145] In block 806, the target user equipment (User Equipment) can determine a second threshold for the number of PRUs. When the User Equipment is in an RRC-connected state, the second threshold can be calculated at the User Equipment based on auxiliary data provided by the network. In this case, the auxiliary data may include information about the SL PRS configuration, which the User Equipment can use to determine the minimum number of positioning reference cells (the second threshold) that should be detected to achieve a specific desired positioning accuracy. For example, the auxiliary data may include information about at least one of the following: the bandwidth of the SL PRS, the periodicity and duration of the SL PRS, and / or the positioning time context.

[0146] Alternatively, a second threshold for the number of PRUs can be calculated and / or pre-configured on the network side and provided to the target user equipment from a network node (e.g., the serving gNB of the target user equipment). The second threshold may be the same as or different from the first threshold.

[0147] Boxes 805-806 can be executed outside of boxes 803-804 or as an alternative.

[0148] In box 807, the target user equipment checks whether the number of detected network nodes is higher than a first threshold, and / or whether the number of detected positioning reference units is higher than a second threshold.

[0149] In block 808, if the number of detected network nodes exceeds a first threshold, and / or the number of detected positioning reference units exceeds a second threshold (block 807: Yes), an activation process is initiated via Small Data Transmission (SDT) to establish timing advance with the network nodes. That is, if at least a certain number of network nodes and / or PRUs are detected, the target user equipment can initiate an activation process via UL SDT to establish timing advance with the network nodes.

[0150] In other words, the activation process can be initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of the following: the number of detected network nodes exceeds a first threshold, or the number of detected positioning reference units exceeds a second threshold. Furthermore, the activation process can be initiated via small data transmission based on the device being in a radio resource control idle or inactive state.

[0151] If the number of detected network nodes is not higher than the first threshold and the number of detected localization reference units is not higher than the second threshold, the activation process can be skipped.

[0152] SDT is a process that allows data transmission while maintaining the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_INACTIVE state (i.e., without transitioning to the RRC_CONNECTED state). Therefore, the SDT process avoids the signaling overhead and latency associated with transitioning from the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state to the RRC_CONNECTED state. If the amount of uplink data to be transmitted is less than a data volume threshold, an inactive or idle UE can initiate a small data transmission process.

[0153] Figure 9 A flowchart illustrating a method performed by means such as a user equipment, or by means included in a user equipment, according to an example embodiment, is shown. The user equipment may also be referred to as a user unit, mobile station, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), target UE, or target user equipment. The user equipment may correspond to user equipment 100 of the figure and / or target UE 200 of the figure.

[0154] In this example embodiment, the target user equipment can check whether it can detect SL signals from other UEs (e.g., PRUs) in its vicinity. If an SL UE (PRU) is detected, the target user equipment can trigger the activation of the SL-based PRU by broadcasting an activation request via a sidelink, thereby activating one or more PRUs in its vicinity. Figure 9 The method can be used as Figure 8 It is used as a supplement or alternative to other methods to perform the task.

[0155] Reference Figure 9 In block 901, one or more positioning reference units are detected. For example, the one or more positioning reference units can be detected if a signal metric such as RSRP, measured from signals received from one or more positioning reference units via a side link, is higher than a threshold.

[0156] In box 902, an activation process is initiated to activate one or more positioning reference units for the device's positioning session, wherein the activation process is initiated by sending an activation request to one or more positioning reference units via a side link. In this case, the activation process may be initiated based on the number of detected positioning reference units, i.e., based on the detection of one or more positioning reference units. In other words, the number of detected positioning reference units may include at least one or more positioning reference units.

[0157] exist Figure 9 In example embodiments, the device can be in any RRC state, such as RRC_CONNECTED, RRC_INACTIVE, or RRC_IDLE.

[0158] Figure 10 The diagram illustrates a signaling diagram according to an example embodiment.

[0159] See Figure 10 In box 1001, the target user equipment initiates an activation procedure to activate one or more positioning reference units for the target user equipment's positioning session, wherein the activation procedure is initiated based on at least one of the following: the target user equipment's radio resource control state, the number of detected network nodes, and / or the number of detected positioning reference units. For example, the activation procedure may be as described above. Figure 7-9 Initiated as described in any of them.

[0160] In box 1002, the target user equipment sends a reference signal, such as a UL SRS, to one or more first network nodes (e.g., gNB or TRP).

[0161] In block 1003, once activated, one or more positioning reference units send a reference signal, such as UL SRS, to one or more second network nodes (e.g., gNB or TRP), at least some of which may be the same as one or more first network nodes.

[0162] In block 1004, one or more first network nodes measure reference signals transmitted from the target user equipment, and one or more second network nodes measure reference signals transmitted from one or more positioning reference units.

[0163] In box 1005, one or more second network nodes report to the location management function a first set of measurement information associated with reference signals sent from a set of positioning reference units, wherein the set of positioning reference units includes at least one or more positioning reference units activated for a positioning session of the target user equipment.

[0164] In addition, one or more first network nodes report to the location management function a second set of measurement information associated with reference signals sent from the target user equipment.

[0165] In box 1006, the location management function selects a subset of positioning reference units from the set of positioning reference units, wherein this selection is based at least on the fact that the reference signal transmitted by each positioning reference unit determining the subset of positioning reference units is measured (or measured) by the same set of network nodes that measure the reference signal transmitted from the target user equipment. For example, the subset of positioning reference units may be as described above. Figure 3-6 Any one of them as described is selected.

[0166] In box 1007, the location management function refines the location estimate of the target user equipment based at least on a subset of measurement information from a first set of measurement information, wherein the subset of measurement information is associated with a selected subset of positioning reference cells.

[0167] The above-mentioned Figure 3-10 The described boxes, related functions, and information exchanges (messages) do not have an absolute temporal order; some of them may execute simultaneously or in a different order than described. Other functions may also execute between or within them, and may send additional information and / or apply additional rules. Some blocks or portions of blocks, or one or more messages, may also be omitted or replaced with the corresponding blocks or portions of blocks, or one or more messages.

[0168] In this document, “at least one of the following: a list of two or more elements” and “at least one of the following: a list of two or more elements” and similar wording, where a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, indicates at least any one element, or at least any two or more elements, or at least all elements.

[0169] Figure 11 An example scenario is shown, illustrating the gNB, PRU, and target user equipment. In a multi-PRU scenario, the LMF can also select multiple PRUs to correct measurements, where a given PRU can be associated with different positioning measurements belonging to different anchor nodes (e.g., gNB). Typically, for a given TRP, different PRUs can be selected if they are in better differential measurement conditions compared to other PRU candidates.

[0170] For example, in Figure 11 In the diagram, the distances between the target user equipment and PRU1 relative to gNB1 are approximately the same, as visualized on panel 1101. However, from the perspective of gNB2, PRU1 is not approximately the same as the target user equipment. As visualized on panel 1102, PRU2 is more suitable for association with the calibration of measurements involving gNB2. On the other hand, PRU3 is not co-located with the target user equipment at all, and the TA from gNB1 and gNB2 will be substantially different from the TA of the user target equipment and PRU3.

[0171] LMF can improve the quality of differential PRU measurements by associating measurements from PRU1 with measurements acquired using TRP with gNB1, and PRU2 with measurements acquired using TRP with gNB2.

[0172] It should be noted that the similarity of timing advances from a single gNB may not be a satisfactory condition for PRU selection. The PRU should also be located near the target user equipment itself, such as... Figure 11The diagram is visualized by circles 1103 indicating the maximum permissible range of the target user equipment, in order to avoid situations where the target user equipment and PRU share similar TAs (i.e., they are both located on disks 1101 or 1102 of the diagram) but are not located in the same location (e.g., they are located in opposite halves of the disk).

[0173] Figure 12 An example of device 1200 is shown, which includes a means for performing Figure 7-9 Any method or apparatus of any other example embodiment described above. For example, apparatus 1200 may be an apparatus such as, including, or contained in a user equipment. Apparatus 1200 may correspond to Figure 1 The device 1200 may also be referred to as a user unit, mobile station, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), target UE, or target user equipment.

[0174] The device 1200 includes at least one processor 1210. The at least one processor 1210 interprets computer program instructions and processes data. The at least one processor 1210 may include one or more programmable processors. The at least one processor 1210 may include programmable hardware with embedded firmware and may alternatively or additionally include one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0175] The at least one processor 1210 is coupled to at least one memory 1220. The at least one processor is configured to read data from and write data to the at least one memory 1220. The at least one memory 1220 may include one or more memory cells. The memory cells may be volatile or non-volatile. Note that one or more non-volatile memory cells and one or more volatile memory cells may be present, or alternatively, one or more non-volatile memory cells. Volatile memory may be, for example, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). Non-volatile memory may be, for example, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, optical storage, or magnetic storage. Generally, memory may be referred to as a non-transient computer-readable medium. As used herein, the term "non-transient" is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile), rather than a limitation of the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM and ROM). At least one memory 1220 stores computer-readable instructions executable by at least one processor 1210 to perform one or more of the above example embodiments. For example, non-volatile memory stores computer-readable instructions, and at least one processor 1210 uses volatile memory to execute instructions for temporarily storing data and / or instructions. Computer-readable instructions may refer to computer program code.

[0176] Computer-readable instructions may have been pre-stored in at least one memory 1220, or alternatively or additionally, they may be received by the device via an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or copied from a physical entity such as a computer program product. Execution of the computer-readable instructions by at least one processor 1210 causes the device 1200 to perform one or more of the methods and / or blocks described above. That is, at least one processor and at least one memory storing the instructions can provide means for providing or causing the performance of any of the methods and / or blocks described above.

[0177] In the context of this document, "memory" or "computer-readable medium" can be any non-transient medium or device that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transmit instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device such as a computer. The term "non-transient" as used herein is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile), not a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM and ROM).

[0178] Device 1200 may also include or be connected to input unit 1230. Input unit 1230 may include one or more interfaces for receiving input. These interfaces may include, for example, one or more temperature, motion, and / or orientation sensors, one or more cameras, one or more accelerometers, one or more microphones, one or more buttons, and / or one or more touch detection units. Furthermore, input unit 1230 may include interfaces to which external devices can be connected.

[0179] The device 1200 may also include an output unit 1240, which may include or be connected to one or more displays capable of displaying visual content, such as a light-emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and / or a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display. The output unit 1240 may also include one or more audio outputs, such as speakers.

[0180] The device 1200 also includes a connection unit 1250. The connection unit 1250 enables wireless connection to one or more external devices. The connection unit 1250 includes at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, which may be integrated into the device 1200 or connected to the device 1200. The at least one transmitter includes at least one transmitting antenna, and the at least one receiver includes at least one receiving antenna. The connection unit 1250 may include an integrated circuit or a set of integrated circuits providing wireless communication capabilities to the device 1200. Alternatively, the wireless connection may be a hard-wired application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The connection unit 1250 may include one or more components, such as a power amplifier, digital front-end (DFE), analog-to-digital converter (ADC), digital-to-analog converter (DAC), frequency converter, (de)modulator, and / or encoder / decoder circuitry, controlled by a corresponding control unit.

[0181] It should be noted that the device 1200 may also include Figure 12 Various components not shown, which may be hardware components and / or software components.

[0182] Figure 13 An example of device 1300 is shown, which includes a device for performing Figure 3-6 Any method or apparatus of any other example embodiment described above. For example, device 1300 may be a network element such as a core network, or a device included in a network element of a core network. For example, a network element may correspond to LMF 112, 212. A network element may also be referred to, for example, as a core network entity or a location server.

[0183] Device 1300 may include, for example, circuitry or a chipset adapted to implement one or more of the example embodiments described above. Device 1300 may be an electronic device including one or more electronic circuits. Device 1300 may include communication control circuitry 1310, such as at least one processor, and at least one memory 1320 storing instructions 1322, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause device 1300 to perform one or more of the example embodiments described above. These instructions 1322 may include computer program code (software), wherein at least one memory and the computer program code (software) are configured to cause device 1300 to perform one or more of the example embodiments described above. At least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions may provide means for providing or causing the performance of any of the methods and / or blocks described above.

[0184] Memory cells can be volatile or non-volatile. It should be noted that there can be one or more non-volatile memory cells and one or more volatile memory cells, or alternatively, one or more non-volatile memory cells, or alternatively, one or more volatile memory cells, or alternatively, one or more volatile memory cells. Volatile memory can be, for example, random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). Non-volatile memory can be, for example, read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electronically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, optical storage, or magnetic storage. Generally, memory can be referred to as a non-transient computer-readable medium. The term "non-transient" as used herein refers to a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not tactile), rather than a limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM and ROM). Memory 1320 stores computer-readable instructions that are executed by a processor. For example, non-volatile memory stores computer-readable instructions that the processor uses to execute instructions, for temporarily storing data and / or instructions.

[0185] The computer-readable instructions may have been pre-stored in memory 1320, or alternatively or additionally, they may be received by the device via an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or copied from a physical entity such as a computer program product. Execution of the computer-readable instructions causes device 1300 to perform one or more of the functions described above.

[0186] The memory 1320 can be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based storage devices, flash memory, magnetic storage devices and systems, optical storage devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. The memory may include a configuration database for storing configuration data. For example, the configuration database may store a list of current neighboring cells, and in some exemplary embodiments, it may store the structure of frames used by detected neighboring cells.

[0187] The device 1300 may further include a communication interface 1330, which includes hardware and / or software for achieving communication connectivity according to one or more communication protocols. The communication interface 1330 includes at least one transmitter (Tx) and at least one receiver (Rx), which may be integrated into the device 1300 or the device 1300 may be connected to the transmitter (Rx). The communication interface 1330 may include one or more components, such as a power amplifier, a digital front end (DFE), an analog-to-digital converter or analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a frequency converter, a (de)modulator, and / or encoder / decoder circuitry, controlled by a corresponding control unit.

[0188] Communication interface 1330 provides the device with radio communication capabilities for communication within a cellular communication system. The communication interface may, for example, provide a radio interface to one or more user equipment. Device 1300 may also include another interface toward core network entities such as network coordinator devices or AMFs and / or access nodes of the cellular communication system.

[0189] It should be noted that the device 1300 may also include Figure 13 Various components not shown, which may be hardware components and / or software components.

[0190] The term "circuit" as used in this application may refer to one or more of the following: a) a hardware circuit implementation (e.g., an implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only); and b) a combination of hardware circuits and software, such as (if applicable): i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware; ii) any part of a hardware processor with software (including digital signal processors, software, and memory, which work together to enable a device (e.g., a mobile phone) to perform various functions); and c) a hardware circuit and / or processor, such as a microprocessor or a part of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but may not exist when software is not required to operate.

[0191] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claim. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also covers only hardware circuitry or a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of hardware circuitry or a processor, and its (or) accompanying software and / or firmware implementation. The term "circuit" also covers, for example and if applicable to a particular claim element, baseband integrated circuits or processor integrated circuits for mobile devices, or similar integrated circuits in servers, cellular network devices, or other computing or network devices.

[0192] The techniques and methods described herein can be implemented in various ways. For example, these techniques can be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or a combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the apparatus of the exemplary embodiments can be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or combinations thereof. For firmware or software, it can be implemented by modules (e.g., programs, functions, etc.) of at least one chipset that perform the functions described herein. Memory units can be implemented inside or outside the processor.

[0193] In the latter case, it can be communicatively coupled to the processor by various means, as known in the art. Furthermore, the components of the system described herein can be rearranged and / or supplemented by additional components to facilitate the implementation of various aspects described herein, and they are not limited to the precise configuration illustrated in the given figures, as will be understood by those skilled in the art.

[0194] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the concepts of the present invention can be implemented in various ways as technology advances. The embodiments are not limited to the exemplary embodiments described above, but may vary within the scope of the claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly, and they are intended to be illustrative rather than limiting of the exemplary embodiments.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, the instructions, when executed by said at least one processor, causing the apparatus to at least: Initiate an activation process to activate one or more positioning reference units for the positioning session of the device; The activation process is initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of the following: the number of detected network nodes exceeds a first threshold, or the number of detected positioning reference units exceeds a second threshold; or The activation process is initiated as follows: based on the number of detected positioning reference units, including at least one or more positioning reference units, an activation request is sent to the one or more positioning reference units via a side link.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the activation process via the small data transmission is further initiated based on the apparatus being in a radio resource control idle or inactive state.

3. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims is further caused to: Receive information from the network node indicating at least one of the following: the first threshold or the second threshold.

4. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims is further caused to: The first threshold is determined based on auxiliary data received from network nodes, wherein the auxiliary data includes information about the configuration of the positioning reference signal. The first threshold indicates the minimum number of network nodes that should be detected to achieve the desired positioning accuracy.

5. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims is further caused to: The second threshold is determined based on auxiliary data received from network nodes, wherein the auxiliary data includes information about the configuration of sidelink positioning reference signals. The second threshold indicates the minimum number of positioning reference units that should be detected in order to achieve the desired positioning accuracy.

6. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims is further caused to: Send a request to a network node to activate the one or more positioning reference units, wherein the request is sent based on the device being in a radio resource control connection state.

7. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus comprises or is included in a user equipment.

8. A method comprising: The device initiates an activation process to activate one or more positioning reference units for the positioning session of the device; The activation process is initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of the following: the number of detected network nodes exceeds a first threshold, or the number of detected positioning reference units exceeds a second threshold; or The activation process is initiated as follows: based on the number of detected positioning reference units, including at least one or more positioning reference units, an activation request is sent to the one or more positioning reference units via a side link.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the activation process via the small data transmission is further initiated based on the device being in a radio resource control idle or inactive state.

10. The method according to any one of claims 8-9, further comprising: The device receives information from a network node indicating at least one of the following: the first threshold or the second threshold.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8-10, further comprising: The device determines the first threshold based on auxiliary data received from the network node, wherein the auxiliary data includes information about the configuration of the positioning reference signal. The first threshold indicates the minimum number of network nodes that should be detected to achieve the desired positioning accuracy.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8-11, further comprising: The device determines the second threshold based on auxiliary data received from the network node, wherein the auxiliary data includes information about the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal. The second threshold indicates the minimum number of positioning reference units that should be detected in order to achieve the desired positioning accuracy.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8-12, further comprising: The device sends a request to a network node to activate the one or more positioning reference units, wherein the request is sent based on the device being in a radio resource control connection state.

14. A non-transient computer-readable medium comprising program instructions that, when executed by a device, cause the device to perform at least the following: Initiate an activation process to activate one or more positioning reference units for the positioning session of the device; The activation process is initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of the following: the number of detected network nodes exceeds a first threshold, or the number of detected positioning reference units exceeds a second threshold; or The activation process is initiated as follows: based on the number of detected positioning reference units, including at least one or more positioning reference units, an activation request is sent to the one or more positioning reference units via a side link.

15. A system comprising at least location management functions and user equipment; The user equipment is configured as follows: Initiate an activation process to activate one or more positioning reference units for the positioning session of the user equipment; The activation process is initiated via small data transmission based on at least one of the following: the number of detected network nodes exceeds a first threshold, or the number of detected positioning reference units exceeds a second threshold; or The activation process is initiated as follows: based on the number of detected positioning reference units, including at least one or more positioning reference units, an activation request is sent to the one or more positioning reference units via a side link; The location management function is configured as follows: Acquire a first set of measurement information associated with reference signals transmitted from a set of positioning reference units, wherein the set of positioning reference units includes at least one or more positioning reference units activated for the positioning session of the user equipment; A subset of positioning reference units is selected from the set of positioning reference units, wherein the selection is based at least on: determining that the reference signal transmitted by each positioning reference unit in the subset of positioning reference units is measured by the same set of network nodes that measure the reference signal transmitted from the user equipment; as well as The location estimation of the user equipment is refined based at least on a subset of measurement information from the first set of measurement information, wherein the subset of measurement information is associated with the subset of positioning reference units.

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