Positioning reference unit selection

Abstract

According to one example embodiment, a client device (100) includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, together with the at least one processor, generate at least one memory. Causing the client device to: obtain a plurality of timing advances of the client device from a plurality of network node devices (300), wherein a timing advance of the plurality of timing advances is associated with a network node device of the plurality of network node devices, respectively; delivering the plurality of timing advances to the location management device; and receiving, from the location management device, a location reference unit (301) selection indicating at least one location reference unit of the client device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of wireless communications. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a client device, a location management device, related methods and computer programs. Background Art

[0002] A positioning reference unit (PRU) located at a known location can perform positioning measurements and report these measurements to a location server. In addition, the PRU can send a sounding reference signal (SRS) to enable a transmission reception point (TRP) to measure and report UL positioning measurements from the PRU at a known location. The location server can compare the PRU measurements with the expected measurements at the known PRU location to determine correction items for other nearby target devices. The DL location measurements and / or UL location measurements for other target devices can then be corrected based on the previously determined correction items. The PRU can be used to improve the positioning accuracy of the target client device. The PRU located at a known location acts as a reference target client device so that its calculated location can be compared with the ground truth. Comparison of the known location with the estimated location produces correction data that can be used in the location estimation process for other nearby target client devices. The correction data can then be used to fine-tune the location of the target client device. Summary of the invention

[0003] The scope of protection sought by various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure is defined by the independent claims. Exemplary embodiments and features described in this specification that do not fall within the scope of the independent claims, if any, are to be construed as examples that aid in understanding the various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0004] An example embodiment of a client device includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the client device to: obtain multiple timing advances of the client device from multiple network node devices, wherein the timing advances in the multiple timing advances are correspondingly associated with network node devices in the multiple network node devices; deliver the multiple timing advances to a location management device; and receive a positioning reference unit selection indicating at least one positioning reference unit of the client device from the location management device. For example, the client device can assist the location management device in selecting at least one positioning reference unit for the client device.

[0005] An example embodiment of a client device includes components for performing the following: obtaining multiple timing advances of a client device from multiple network node devices, wherein the timing advances in the multiple timing advances are correspondingly associated with network node devices in the multiple network node devices; delivering the multiple timing advances to a location management device; and receiving a positioning reference unit selection indicating at least one positioning reference unit of the client device from the location management device.

[0006] In an example embodiment, as an alternative or in addition to the above example embodiments, at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, together with at least one processor, enable a client device to obtain multiple timing advances from multiple network node devices using at least one small data transmission. For example, the client device can efficiently obtain multiple timing advances from multiple network node devices.

[0007] In another example embodiment, as an alternative or in addition to the above example embodiment, at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, together with at least one processor, cause the client device to send multiple timing advances in a location request to the location management device in response to the location request or before sending or receiving the location request. For example, the client device can efficiently send multiple timing advances to the location management device.

[0008] In another example embodiment, as an alternative or in addition to the above example embodiment, at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, together with at least one processor, enable the client device to receive the positioning reference unit selection in the assistance data. For example, the client device can efficiently receive the positioning reference unit selection.

[0009] In another example embodiment, as an alternative or in addition to the above example embodiment, at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, together with at least one processor, enable the client device to obtain multiple timing advances from multiple network node devices using at least one small data transmission by performing the following: sending at least one random access request message to multiple network node devices, wherein the at least one random access request message indicates that at least one small data transmission is used for timing advance acquisition; and receiving multiple random access response messages including multiple timing advances from the multiple network node devices. For example, the client device can efficiently obtain multiple timing advances using a random access procedure.

[0010] In another example embodiment, as an alternative or in addition to the above example embodiment, at least one random access request message further indicates that the plurality of network node devices will abandon or stop the random access channel process after sending at least one random access response message. For example, the client device can reduce the overhead in the random access process.

[0011] In another example embodiment, as an alternative or in addition to the above example embodiment, at least one memory and the computer program code are also configured to, together with at least one processor, enable the client device to send identifiers of multiple network node devices with multiple timing advances and / or beam indexes of multiple network node devices to the location management device. For example, the client device may enable the location management device to utilize identifiers and / or beam indexes of multiple network node devices with multiple timing advances in positioning reference unit selection.

[0012] In another example embodiment, as an alternative or in addition to the above example embodiment, one or more network node devices in the plurality of network node devices share the same small data transmission resource, and wherein at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, together with at least one processor, enable the client device to obtain the timing advance of one or more network node devices by performing a single small data transmission to the one or more network node devices. For example, the client device can efficiently obtain the timing advance from the one or more network node devices using a single small data transmission.

[0013] An example embodiment of a location management device includes at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code. The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the location management device to: obtain a first plurality of timing advances of a client device, wherein a timing advance in the first plurality of timing advances is associated with a positioning reference unit in a plurality of positioning reference units; receive a second plurality of timing advances of the client device from the client device, wherein a timing advance in the second plurality of timing advances is associated with a network node device in a plurality of network node devices; select at least one positioning reference unit for the client device from the plurality of positioning reference units based on the first plurality of timing advances and the second plurality of timing advances; and send the positioning reference unit to the client device. For example, the location management device can efficiently select at least one positioning reference unit for the client device.

[0014] An example embodiment of a location management device includes components for performing the following: obtaining a first plurality of timing advances for a client device, wherein a timing advance in the first plurality of timing advances is associated with a positioning reference unit in a plurality of positioning reference units; receiving a second plurality of timing advances for the client device from the client device, wherein a timing advance in the second plurality of timing advances is associated with a network node device in a plurality of network node devices; selecting at least one positioning reference unit for the client device from the plurality of positioning reference units based on the first plurality of timing advances and the second plurality of timing advances; and sending the positioning reference unit to the client device.

[0015] In an example embodiment, as an alternative or in addition to the above example embodiments, at least one memory and the computer program code are also configured to, together with at least one processor, enable the location management device to select at least one positioning reference unit for the client device from a plurality of positioning reference units by performing the following: determining the similarity of radio conditions associated with one or more network node devices in a plurality of network node devices between the client device and at least one positioning reference unit based on the first plurality of timing advances and the second plurality of timing advances, and / or the co-location of the client device and at least one positioning reference unit; and selecting at least one positioning reference unit for the client device based on the similarity and / or co-location between the radio conditions. For example, the location management device can efficiently select at least one positioning reference unit for the client device based on the similarity and / or co-location between the radio conditions.

[0016] In another example embodiment, as an alternative or in addition to the above example embodiment, at least one memory and the computer program code are also configured to, together with at least one processor, enable the location management device to obtain a first plurality of timing advances by receiving the first plurality of timing advances from a plurality of positioning reference units. For example, the location management device can efficiently obtain the first plurality of timing advances. An example embodiment of a method includes: obtaining a plurality of timing advances of a client device from a plurality of network node devices, wherein a timing advance in the plurality of timing advances is correspondingly associated with a network node device in a plurality of network node devices; delivering the plurality of timing advances to the location management device; and receiving a positioning reference unit selection indicating at least one positioning reference unit of the client device from the location management device.

[0017] An example embodiment of a method includes: obtaining a first plurality of timing advances for a client device, wherein a timing advance in the first plurality of timing advances is associated with a positioning reference unit in a plurality of positioning reference units; receiving a second plurality of timing advances for the client device from the client device, wherein a timing advance in the second plurality of timing advances is associated with a network node device in a plurality of network node devices; selecting at least one positioning reference unit for the client device from the plurality of positioning reference units based on the first plurality of timing advances and the second plurality of timing advances; and sending the positioning reference unit to the client device.

[0018] An example embodiment of a computer program product includes program code, which is configured to perform, when the computer program product is executed on a computer: obtaining multiple timing advances of a client device from multiple network node devices, wherein the timing advances in the multiple timing advances are correspondingly associated with network node devices in the multiple network node devices; delivering the multiple timing advances to a location management device; and receiving a positioning reference unit selection indicating at least one positioning reference unit of the client device from the location management device.

[0019] An example embodiment of a computer program product includes program code, which is configured to perform, when the computer program product is executed on a computer: obtaining a first plurality of timing advances for a client device, wherein a timing advance in the first plurality of timing advances is associated with a positioning reference unit in a plurality of positioning reference units; receiving a second plurality of timing advances for the client device from the client device, wherein a timing advance in the second plurality of timing advances is associated with a network node device in a plurality of network node devices; selecting at least one positioning reference unit for the client device from the plurality of positioning reference units based on the first plurality of timing advances and the second plurality of timing advances; and sending the positioning reference unit to the client device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of example embodiments and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate example embodiments and together with the description help explain the principles of example embodiments. In the drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 An example embodiment of the subject matter described herein is illustrated, which illustrates a client device;

[0022] Figure 2 An example embodiment of the subject matter described herein is illustrated, which illustrates a location management device;

[0023] Figure 3 An example embodiment of the subject matter described herein is illustrated, which illustrates positioning reference units and client device locations;

[0024] Figure 4 An example embodiment of the subject matter described herein is illustrated, which illustrates a signaling diagram;

[0025] Figure 5 illustrates an example embodiment of the subject matter described herein, which illustrates a flowchart representation of a method; and

[0026] Figure 6 An example embodiment of the subject matter described herein is illustrated, which illustrates a flowchart representation of another method.

[0027] In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to denote the same components. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] Reference will now be made in detail to example embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The detailed description provided below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of this example and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present disclosure may be constructed or used. The description sets forth the functions of the example and the sequence of steps for constructing and operating the example. However, the same or equivalent functions and sequences may be implemented by different example embodiments.

[0029] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a client device 100 configured in accordance with an example embodiment.

[0030] The client device 100 may include one or more processors 101 and one or more memories 102 storing computer program code. The client device 100 may also include at least one transceiver 103, and other elements such as an input / output module ( Figure 1 not shown) and / or communication interface ( Figure 1 not shown).

[0031] According to an example embodiment, at least one memory 102 and computer program code are configured to, together with at least one processor 101, enable the client device 100 to obtain multiple timing advances of the client device 100 from multiple network node devices, wherein the timing advances in the multiple timing advances are correspondingly associated with the network node devices in the multiple network node devices.

[0032] Herein, timing advance (TA) may also be referred to as TA value, etc.

[0033] The plurality of network node devices may include a network node device that serves the client device 100 , and a network node device that does not serve and has not yet served the client device 100 .

[0034] A plurality of network node devices may be embodied in, for example, a base station (BS). A base station may include, for example, a gNodeB (gNB), or any such device that provides an air interface for a client device to connect to a wireless network via wireless transmission.

[0035] The client device 100 may also be configured to deliver multiple timing advances to the location management device.

[0036] The client device 100 may also be configured to receive a positioning reference unit selection indicating at least one positioning reference unit of the client device from the location management device.

[0037] The location management device may be located in a core network (CN), and the client device 100 may be located in a radio access network (RAN). Therefore, the client device 100 may deliver the TA to the location management device via a serving network node device (such as a serving gNB). Similarly, the client device 100 may receive a positioning reference unit selection via a serving network node device.

[0038] According to an example embodiment, the client device 100 is configured to acquire a plurality of timing advances from a plurality of network node devices using at least one small data transmission (SDT).

[0039] The SDT mechanism may allow the client device 100 to interact with any reachable target network node device in a given RAN Notification Area (RNA), which may also include neighboring network node devices with which the client device 100 has not previously communicated. As part of any SDT communication, an accurate TA may be delivered from the target network node device.

[0040] According to an example embodiment, the client device 100 is configured to send a plurality of timing advances in a location request to a location management device in response to a location request or before sending or receiving a location request.

[0041] The location request may be a client-initiated request or a network-initiated request. For example, the client device 100 may send multiple timing advances in response to a location request or before any request, such as as part of an active signal. For example, the PRU may do so without any active positioning session.

[0042] For example, the location request may include a Mobile Originated Location Request (MO-LR).

[0043] According to an example embodiment, the client device 100 is further configured to receive a positioning reference unit selection in assistance data. Assistance data (AD) may refer to a specific type of data, such as defined in a standard. The network may deliver positioning related data in AD to the UE. For example, the selected PRU may be indicated as such.

[0044] Although the client device 100 may be depicted as including only one processor 101, the client device 100 may include more processors. In an example embodiment, the memory 102 can store instructions, such as an operating system and / or various applications.

[0045] In addition, the processor 101 may be capable of executing the stored instructions. In an example embodiment, the processor 101 may be embodied as a multi-core processor, a single-core processor, or a combination of one or more multi-core processors and one or more single-core processors. For example, the processor 101 may be embodied as one or more of various processing devices, such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing circuit system with or without an attached DSP, or various other processing devices including integrated circuits, such as, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a dedicated computer chip, etc. In an example embodiment, the processor 101 may be configured to perform hard-coded functions. In an example embodiment, the processor 101 is embodied as an executor of software instructions, wherein the instructions may specifically configure the processor 101 to perform the algorithms and / or operations described herein when the instructions are executed.

[0046] The memory 102 may be embodied as one or more volatile memory devices, one or more non-volatile memory devices, and / or a combination of one or more volatile memory devices and non-volatile memory devices. For example, the memory 102 may be embodied as a semiconductor memory (such as a mask ROM, a PROM (programmable ROM), an EPROM (erasable PROM), a flash ROM, a RAM (random access memory), etc.).

[0047] When the client device 100 is configured to implement a certain function, some components and / or multiple components of the client device 100 (such as at least one processor 101 and / or memory 102) may be configured to implement the function. In addition, when the at least one processor 101 is configured to implement a certain function, the function may be implemented using, for example, a program code included in the memory 102. For example, if the client device 100 is configured to perform an operation, the at least one memory 102 and the computer program code may be configured to, together with the at least one processor 101, enable the client device 100 to perform the operation.

[0048] For example, the client device 100 may include a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a smart watch, or any handheld or portable device or any other apparatus, such as a vehicle, a robot, or a repeater. The client device 100 may also be referred to as a user equipment (UE) or similar device.

[0049] Some of the terms used herein may follow the naming scheme of the current form of 4G or 5G technology. However, the terminology should not be considered restrictive, and the terminology may change over time. Therefore, the following discussion of any example embodiment may also apply to other technologies.

[0050] Figure 2 An example embodiment of the subject matter described herein is illustrated, which illustrates a location management device 200 .

[0051] The location management device 200 may include one or more processors 201 and one or more memories 202 including computer program code. The location management device 200 may also include at least one transceiver 203 and other elements, such as an input / output module ( Figure 2 not shown) and / or communication interface ( Figure 2 not shown).

[0052] For example, the location management device 200 may correspond to a location management function (LMF). Any disclosure herein regarding the location management device 200 may also be applied to the LMF.

[0053] According to an example embodiment, at least one memory 202 and computer program code are configured to, together with at least one processor 201, enable the location management device 200 to obtain a first plurality of timing advances of the client device 100, wherein a timing advance in the first plurality of timing advances is associated with a positioning reference unit in a plurality of positioning reference units.

[0054] The location management device 200 may also be configured to receive a second plurality of timing advances of the client device 100 from the client device 100 , wherein timing advances in the second plurality of timing advances are associated with network node devices of the plurality of network node devices.

[0055] The location management device 200 may also be configured to select at least one positioning reference unit for the client device 100 from the plurality of positioning reference units based on the first plurality of timing advances and the second plurality of timing advances.

[0056] The location management device 200 may also be configured to send the positioning reference unit selection to the client device.

[0057] The client device 100 and the location management device 200 enable efficient PRU selection based on the similarity of radio conditions with respect to the client device 100 to ensure representative measurements of differential correction. Since the PRU correction data should improve the positioning accuracy of the client device 100, the PRU and the client device 100 should experience the same radio conditions with respect to, for example, a given network node device. Similarly, in order to be able to apply the same correction data as the PRU for the client device 100, it should be ensured that the client device 100 and the PRU are measured by the same set of transmission / reception points (TRPs) under the same conditions (e.g., LoS, BW, measurement capabilities, etc.). This means that the PRU and the client device 100 should have similar measurement capabilities and experience the same or similar radio conditions.

[0058] The client device 100 and the location management device 200 can also implement fast PRU selection and its activation without additional delay or overhead. Considering the delay constraints and network efficiency goals of enhanced NR positioning, PRU selection should be completed in a short time with minimal overhead. This becomes important in mobile scenarios and low-latency positioning applications, where the (accurate) location of the client device 100 should be estimated in a short time. A typical example of such a low-latency application is an automotive automatic application.

[0059] According to an example embodiment, the location management device 200 is also configured to select at least one positioning reference unit for a client device from a plurality of positioning reference units by performing the following: determining, based on a first plurality of timing advances and a second plurality of timing advances, similarity of radio conditions associated with one or more network node devices among a plurality of network node devices between the client device 100 and at least one positioning reference unit, and / or co-location of the client device and at least one positioning reference unit, and selecting at least one positioning reference unit for the client device 100 based on the similarity between the radio conditions and / or co-location.

[0060] For example, the similarity of the radio conditions may be compared by comparing vectors of measured signal strengths and / or timing advances. For example, the maximum distance of the compared vectors may be used.

[0061] Comparison of TAs is a fast and efficient method to determine the similarity of radio conditions and UE-PRU co-location. The reason is that the basic unit for TA adjustment is usually the sampling period, and the shortest FR1 cyclic prefix is ​​32.55ns. Multiplying by the speed of light, a resolution of 10m can be obtained for PRU selection under line-of-sight conditions.

[0062] Although the location management device 200 may be depicted as including only one processor 201, the location management device 100 may include more processors. In an example embodiment, the memory 202 can store instructions, such as an operating system and / or various applications.

[0063] In addition, the processor 201 may be capable of executing the stored instructions. In an example embodiment, the processor 201 may be embodied as a multi-core processor, a single-core processor, or a combination of one or more multi-core processors and one or more single-core processors. For example, the processor 201 may be embodied as one or more of various processing devices, such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), a processing circuit system with or without an attached DSP, or various other processing devices including integrated circuits, such as, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a dedicated computer chip, etc. In an example embodiment, the processor 201 may be configured to perform hard-coded functions. In an example embodiment, the processor 201 is embodied as an executor of software instructions, wherein the instructions may specifically configure the processor 201 to perform the algorithms and / or operations described herein when the instructions are executed.

[0064] The memory 202 may be embodied as one or more volatile memory devices, one or more non-volatile memory devices, and / or a combination of one or more volatile memory devices and non-volatile memory devices. For example, the memory 202 may be embodied as a semiconductor memory (such as a mask ROM, a PROM (programmable ROM), an EPROM (erasable PROM), a flash ROM, a RAM (random access memory), etc.).

[0065] When the location management device 200 is configured to implement a certain function, some components and / or multiple components of the location management device (such as at least one processor 201 and / or memory 202) can be configured to implement the function. In addition, when at least one processor 201 is configured to implement a certain function, the function can be implemented using, for example, a program code included in the memory 202. For example, if the location management device 200 is configured to perform an operation, at least one memory 202 and a computer program code can be configured to, together with at least one processor 201, enable the location management device 100 to perform the operation.

[0066] Figure 3 An example embodiment of the subject matter described herein is illustrated, illustrating positioning reference units and client device locations.

[0067] The client device 100 may establish multiple timing advances (TAs) to several neighboring network node devices 300 (such as gNBs) by using a small data transmission mechanism. Details of handling both RRC_CONNECTED scenarios and RRC_INACTIVE scenarios are disclosed herein.

[0068] The SDT mechanism may allow the client device 100 to interact with any reachable target network node device 300 in a given RNA (a predefined group of cells for paging purposes), which RNA also includes neighboring network node devices 300 with which the client device 100 has not communicated before (so-called "SDT message 1 / A").

[0069] As part of any SDT communication, the exact TA may be delivered from the target network node device 300 (so called "SDT message 2 / B").

[0070] The client device 100 may transmit these TAs to the location management device 200, for example as part of a location request, such as MO-LR, for subsequent PRU selection and activation. For example, after a positioning session is established, the PRU identity is delivered as part of the assistance data.

[0071] like Figure 3 As shown in the example embodiment of , the similarity of TAs may allow for detection of co-location. Unlike the second PRU 301_2, the first PRU 301_1 exhibits TAs with neighboring gNBs 300, which are geometrically visualized as connection lines, similar to those of the target client device 100.

[0072] Therefore, the location management device 200 may utilize the acquired TA information to select appropriate PRU(s) to improve the accuracy of the location estimation of the client device 100. The selection may be based on, for example, the similarity of the TA information.

[0073] Figure 4 An example embodiment of the subject matter described herein is illustrated, which illustrates a signaling diagram.

[0074] Figure 4 The example embodiment illustrates a process in which the client device 100 can obtain a TA using an SDT. Figure 4 The contention-based random access (RA) process is illustrated in the example embodiment on the left side of FIG. Figure 4 The contention-free RA process is illustrated in the example embodiment on the right side of FIG.

[0075] According to an example embodiment, the client device 100 is also configured to acquire multiple timing advances from multiple network node devices 300 using at least one small data transmission by performing the following: sending at least one random access request message 401 to the multiple network node devices 300, wherein the at least one random access request message 401 indicates that at least one small data transmission is used for timing advance acquisition, and receiving multiple random access response messages 402 including multiple timing advances from the multiple network node devices 300.

[0076] According to an example embodiment, the at least one random access request message 401 further indicates that the plurality of network node devices 300 are to abandon or stop the random access channel procedure after sending the at least one random access response message 402 .

[0077] The client device 100 may send an initial random access request message 401 to the network node device 300. The initial random access request message 401 may include an indication that the purpose of the SDT transmission is only to obtain a valid TA. For example, an appropriate flag may be added to the message 401. As part of the random access response message 402, the network node device 300 may deliver a TA determined with sampling period accuracy. The client device 100 may not need to reach all neighboring network node devices 300 to allow multi-point positioning based on the TA, and only a few surrounding network node devices may be sufficient. In addition to the resident network node device 300 for triangulation purposes, even two neighboring network node devices 200 may be sufficient.

[0078] The initial message 401 may include an indication that the client device 100 is not interested in the subsequent steps 403, 404 of the RACH procedure, but only requires a TA, and that the network node device 300 should abandon the procedure after delivering its response message 402 without waiting for the expiration of a standardized timer setting a client device response time deadline.

[0079] In the contention-free RA process, the random access preamble 401 and the random access response 402 may be as described above. Figure 4 As shown in the example embodiment on the right side of FIG. , the contention-free RA process may be initiated by the network node device 300 sending a random access preamble allocation 410 .

[0080] According to an example embodiment, the client device 100 is further configured to send the identifications of the plurality of network node devices 300 and / or the beam indexes of the plurality of network node devices 300 with the plurality of timing advances to the location management device.

[0081] Each TA may be associated with an identifier and / or a beam index of a network node device.

[0082] The client device 100 may then deliver the measured TA to the location management device 200 along with the gNB ID, such as a physical cell identifier (PCI), for example as part of a positioning request, such as a mobile originated location request (MO-LR), or by using an extended / adapted enhanced cell ID (ECID) reporting mechanism. The gNB beam index may also be added for angle of arrival (AoA) enhancement of the TA information.

[0083] The location management device 200 may then compare the vector of the measured TA with a database of PRU TAs. The PRU may obtain and report its own TA in a similar manner as the client device 100.

[0084] According to an example embodiment, one or more network node devices among the multiple network node devices 300 share the same small data transmission resources, and at least one memory and computer program code are also configured to, together with at least one processor, enable the client device 100 to obtain the timing advance of one or more network node devices by performing a single small data transmission to the one or more network node devices.

[0085] In some example embodiments, one or more network node devices may be in the same RNA.

[0086] gNBs in the same RNA may share the same predefined SDT resources to allow a single SDT "broadcast" transmission from a client device 100 or PRU to all target gNBs simultaneously with low overhead. This option may require some coordination by the gNB SDT Random Access Response 402, such as random backoff, PCI-based ordering, or central pre-configuration to deliver the TA in a sequential, non-collision manner.

[0087] According to an example embodiment, the location management device 200 is configured to acquire the first plurality of timing advances by receiving the first plurality of timing advances from a plurality of positioning reference units.

[0088] If the PRU is in inactive mode, it may first measure its own TA by using an SDT similar to the target client device 100, and then report the TA to the location management device 200 using, for example, the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) or any other protocol such as Radio Resource Control (RRC) + NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa) with the help of a gNB as an intermediary.

[0089] In RRC connected mode, the PRU may obtain TA information directly from the serving gNB via the standardized media access control (MAC) control element (CE), and obtain TA with neighboring cells via SDT. Therefore, all PRUs / UEs may require SDT when interacting with neighboring cells. However, the PRU TA of the neighboring gNB may be replaced by equivalent information, such as the SRS delay measured during positioning. The location management device 200 may be able to fully access such information.

[0090] To ensure resource efficiency and reduce signaling overhead, gNBs in the same RNA may reserve a given RACH resource for all gNBs, so that the same random access request message 401 from a client device 100 may trigger multiple gNBs. To this end, the power may be adapted to ensure sufficient range. As described above, although only a few representative client devices 100 should be reached, exhaustive measurements of as many gNBs as possible are not required for power and latency reasons. The gNBs may have to answer with their random access responses 402 in a non-collision manner. For example, random backoff or a preconfigured order (e.g. based on PCI values) may be used to order the gNB transmissions in a timely manner.

[0091] The process can be similar in RRC_CONNECTED mode, except that the client device 100 may request a measurement gap from the serving network node device in order to perform SDT with the neighboring network node device. So-called autonomous gaps for positioning measurements can be used because they are long enough (10 / 20ms). Assuming that the target network node device responds within the duration of the measurement gap, standard radio resource measurement (RRM) measurement gaps can also be used for SDT exchanges. In a scenario where the TA can be reported to the serving network node device, the client device 100 can report the measured TA to the serving network node device, which can then forward the information to the location management device 200 via the extended / adapted NRPPa.

[0092] Figure 5 An example embodiment of the subject matter described herein is illustrated, which illustrates a flowchart representation of a method.

[0093] According to an example embodiment, the method 500 comprises acquiring 501 a plurality of timing advances of the client device 100 from the plurality of network node devices 300 , wherein a timing advance of the plurality of timing advances is respectively associated with a network node device of the plurality of network node devices 300 .

[0094] The method 500 may also include delivering 502 the plurality of timing advances to the location management device 200 .

[0095] The method 500 may further include receiving 503 a positioning reference unit selection indicating at least one positioning reference unit of the client device 100 from the location management device 200 .

[0096] For example, the method 500 may be performed by the client device 100 .

[0097] Figure 6 An example embodiment of the subject matter described herein is illustrated, which illustrates a flowchart representation of another method.

[0098] According to an example embodiment, the method 600 comprises obtaining 601 a first plurality of timing advances of the client device 100 , wherein a timing advance of the first plurality of timing advances is associated with a positioning reference unit of a plurality of positioning reference units.

[0099] The method 600 may further include receiving 602 a second plurality of timing advances of the client device 100 from the client device 100 , wherein timing advances of the second plurality of timing advances are associated with network node devices of the plurality of network node devices 300 .

[0100] The method 600 may further comprise selecting 603 at least one positioning reference unit for the client device 100 from the plurality of positioning reference units based on the first plurality of timing advances and the second plurality of timing advances.

[0101] The method 600 may also include sending 604 the positioning reference unit selection to the client device 100 .

[0102] For example, the method 600 may be performed by the location management device 200 .

[0103] An apparatus may include means for performing any aspect of the method(s) described herein. According to an example embodiment, the means include at least one processor and a memory including program code, the at least one processor and the program code being configured to cause the execution of any aspect of the method when executed by the at least one processor.

[0104] The functions described herein may be performed at least in part by one or more computer program product components (such as software components). According to an example embodiment, the network node device 100 includes a processor configured by a program code that performs an example embodiment of the described operations and functions when executed. Alternatively or additionally, the functions described herein may be performed at least in part by one or more hardware logic components. For example, but not limited to, exemplary types of hardware logic components that may be used include field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), application specific standard products (ASSPs), systems on chips (SOCs), complex programmable logic devices (CPLDs), and graphics processing units (GPUs).

[0105] Any range or device value given herein may be expanded or altered without losing the effect sought. In addition, any exemplary embodiment may be combined with another exemplary embodiment unless expressly prohibited.

[0106] Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and / or acts, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Instead, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims, and other equivalent features and acts are intended to fall within the scope of the claims.

[0107] It should be understood that the benefits and advantages described above may relate to one or more example embodiments. The example embodiments are not limited to embodiments that solve any or all of the problems described, nor are they limited to embodiments that have any or all of the benefits and advantages described. It should also be understood that reference to "an" item may refer to one or more of these items.

[0108] The steps of the methods described herein may be performed in any suitable order, or simultaneously where appropriate. In addition, individual blocks may be deleted from any method without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Aspects of any of the above-described example embodiments may be combined with aspects of any of the above-described other example embodiments to form additional example embodiments without losing the effects sought.

[0109] The term "comprising" is used herein to mean including the identified methods, blocks or elements, but such blocks or elements do not comprise an exclusive list and the method or apparatus may contain additional blocks or elements.

[0110] It should be understood that the above description is given only as an example, and various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art. The above description, examples and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of the example embodiments. Although various example embodiments have been described above with a certain degree of specificity or with reference to one or more individual example embodiments, those skilled in the art may make many modifications to the disclosed example embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this specification.

Claims

1. A client device (100), comprising: at least one processor (101); as well as at least one memory (102) comprising computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the client device (100): Acquire a plurality of timing advances of the client device (100) from a plurality of network node devices (300), wherein a timing advance in the plurality of timing advances is correspondingly associated with a network node device in the plurality of network node devices (300); delivering the plurality of timing advances to a location management device (200); as well as A positioning reference unit selection indicating at least one positioning reference unit (301_1, 301_2) of the client device (100) is received from the location management device (200).

2. The client device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are also configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the client device (100) to: obtain the multiple timing advances from the multiple network node devices (300) using at least one small data transmission.

3. A client device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are also configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the client device (100) to: send the multiple timing advances to the location management device (200) in a location request in response to a location request or before sending or receiving a location request.

4. The client device (100) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the client device (100) to: receive the positioning reference unit selection in auxiliary data.

5. The client device (100) of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the client device (100) to: obtain the plurality of timing advances from the plurality of network node devices (300) using the at least one small data transmission by performing the following: Sending at least one random access request message (401) to the plurality of network node devices (300), wherein the at least one random access request message (401) indicates that the at least one small data transmission is used for timing advance acquisition; and A plurality of random access response messages (402) including the plurality of timing advances are received from the plurality of network node devices (300).

6. The client device (100) according to claim 5, wherein the at least one random access request message (401) also indicates that the multiple network node devices (300) will abandon or stop the random access channel process after sending the at least one random access response message (402).

7. A client device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are also configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the client device (100) to: send to the location management device (200) the identifiers of the multiple network node devices and / or the beam indices of the multiple network node devices (300) having the multiple timing advances.

8. A client device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein one or more of the multiple network node devices (300) share the same small data transmission resources, and wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are also configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the client device (100) to: obtain the timing advance of the one or more network node devices by performing a single small data transmission to the one or more network node devices.

9. A location management device (200), comprising: at least one processor (201); as well as at least one memory (202) comprising computer program code; The at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, cause the location management device (200): Obtaining a first plurality of timing advances of a client device (100), wherein a timing advance in the first plurality of timing advances is associated with a positioning reference unit (301_1, 301_2) in a plurality of positioning reference units; receiving, from the client device (100), a second plurality of timing advances for the client device (100), wherein timing advances in the second plurality of timing advances are associated with network node devices in a plurality of network node devices (300); selecting at least one positioning reference unit for the client device (100) from the plurality of positioning reference units based on the first plurality of timing advances and the second plurality of timing advances; as well as The positioning reference unit selection is sent to the client device (100).

10. The location management device (200) according to claim 9, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are further configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the location management device (200) to: select the at least one positioning reference unit for the client device (100) from the plurality of positioning reference units by performing the following: Determining, based on the first plurality of timing advances and the second plurality of timing advances, similarity of radio conditions associated with one or more of the plurality of network node devices (300) between the client device (100) and the at least one positioning reference unit (301_1, 301_2), and / or co-location of the client device (100) and the at least one positioning reference unit (301_1, 301_2); and Based on the similarity between the radio conditions and / or the co-location, the at least one positioning reference unit is selected for the client device (100).

11. A location management device (200) according to claim 9 or 10, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are also configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the location management device (200) to: obtain the first multiple timing advances by receiving the first multiple timing advances from the multiple positioning reference units.

12. A method (500), comprising: Acquiring (501) a plurality of timing advances of a client device (100) from a plurality of network node devices (300), wherein a timing advance in the plurality of timing advances is correspondingly associated with a network node device in the plurality of network node devices (300); delivering (502) the plurality of timing advances to a location management device (200); as well as A positioning reference unit selection indicative of at least one positioning reference unit of the client device (100) is received (503) from the location management device (200).

13. A method (600), comprising: Obtaining (601) a first plurality of timing advances of a client device (100), wherein a timing advance of the first plurality of timing advances is associated with a positioning reference unit of a plurality of positioning reference units; receiving (602) from the client device (100) a second plurality of timing advances for the client device (100), wherein timing advances in the second plurality of timing advances are associated with network node devices in a plurality of network node devices (300); selecting (603) at least one positioning reference unit for the client device (100) from the plurality of positioning reference units based on the first plurality of timing advances and the second plurality of timing advances; as well as The positioning reference unit is sent (604) to the client device (100).

14. A computer program product, comprising program code, wherein when the computer program product is executed on a computer, the program code is configured to: Acquire a plurality of timing advances of the client device (100) from a plurality of network node devices (300), wherein a timing advance in the plurality of timing advances is correspondingly associated with a network node device in the plurality of network node devices (300); delivering the plurality of timing advances to a location management device (200); as well as A positioning reference unit selection is received from the location management device (200) indicating at least one positioning reference unit of the client device (100).

15. A computer program product, comprising program code, wherein when the computer program product is executed on a computer, the program code is configured to: Obtaining a first plurality of timing advances of a client device (100), wherein a timing advance in the first plurality of timing advances is associated with a positioning reference unit in a plurality of positioning reference units; receiving, from the client device (100), a second plurality of timing advances for the client device (100), wherein timing advances in the second plurality of timing advances are associated with network node devices in a plurality of network node devices (300); selecting at least one positioning reference unit for the client device (100) from the plurality of positioning reference units based on the first plurality of timing advances and the second plurality of timing advances; as well as The positioning reference unit selection is sent to the client device (100).

Images