Delivery position uncertainty in sidelink positioning

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to apparatuses, methods, and computer-readable storage media for intentional location uncertainty in sidelink (SL) positioning. In the method, the first device determines a desired position uncertainty based at least on a desired position uncertainty configuration. The first device then generates approximate position information by applying the intentional position uncertainty to an actual position of the first device. Further, the first device transmits location information to the second device. The position information includes at least approximate position information and information about intentional position uncertainty. In this manner, the proposed solution can advantageously allow for efficient anchor selection in SL positioning while protecting anchor location privacy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to methods, devices, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for intentional position uncertainty in sidelink (SL) positioning. Background Art

[0002] Location awareness is a fundamental aspect of wireless communication networks and will enable countless location-enabled services in different applications. Location information can be obtained through various positioning technologies.

[0003] SL positioning is one of the positioning techniques, which is based on the transmission of SL positioning reference signals (SL-PRS) between anchor points and target user equipment (UE) to achieve positioning of the target UE within the precise delay and accuracy requirements of the corresponding SL positioning session. In the SL positioning scenario, the target UE can perform the SL positioning process, for example, by exchanging SL-PRS with one or more anchor UEs to determine its position. In some cases, the target UE can perform self-positioning based on PRS signals from neighboring anchor UEs to locate itself. Summary of the invention

[0004] In a first aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor cause the first device to at least: determine intentional location uncertainty based on at least an intentional location uncertainty configuration; generate approximate location information by applying the intentional location uncertainty to an actual location of the first device; and transmit location information to a second device, the location information including at least the approximate location information and information about the intentional location uncertainty.

[0005] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: receive location information from a first device, the location information including at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty; and perform an anchor point selection process based on at least the location information.

[0006] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a third device is provided. The third device includes: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third device to at least: transmit an intentional location uncertainty configuration to a first device, so that the first device transmits location information to a second device, the location information including at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty based on the intentional location uncertainty configuration.

[0007] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method comprises: determining intentional position uncertainty based at least on an intentional position uncertainty configuration; generating approximate position information by applying the intentional position uncertainty to an actual position of a first device; and transmitting position information to a second device, the position information comprising at least the approximate position information and information about the intentional position uncertainty.

[0008] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving location information from a first device, the location information including at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty; and performing an anchor point selection process based at least on the location information.

[0009] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided, comprising: transmitting an intentional location uncertainty configuration to a first device, so that the first device transmits location information to a second device, the location information comprising at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty based on the intentional location uncertainty configuration.

[0010] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: a component for determining intentional position uncertainty based at least on an intentional position uncertainty configuration; a component for generating approximate position information by applying the intentional position uncertainty to an actual position of the first device; and a component for transmitting position information to a second device, the position information including at least the approximate position information and information about the intentional position uncertainty.

[0011] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: a component for receiving location information from a first device, the location information including at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty; and a component for performing an anchor point selection process based at least on the location information.

[0012] In a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a third device is provided. The third device includes: a component for transmitting an intentional location uncertainty configuration to a first device so that the first device transmits location information to a second device, the location information including at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty based on the intentional location uncertainty configuration.

[0013] In a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the fourth aspect.

[0014] In an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the fifth aspect.

[0015] In a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, wherein the computer-readable medium includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to cause a device to at least execute the method according to the sixth aspect.

[0016] It should be understood that the invention summary is not intended to identify the key features or essential features of the embodiments of the present disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0018] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0019] Figure 2 An example SL positioning scenario is shown;

[0020] Figure 3 shows a signaling diagram for transmitting location information according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 4 shows a signaling diagram for anchor point selection according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 5 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0023] Figure 6 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0024] Figure 7 A flowchart of a method implemented at a third device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0025] Figure 8 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0026] Fig. 9 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0027] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to some example embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration, and help those skilled in the art to understand and implement the present disclosure, without implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure. In addition to the embodiments described below, the embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways.

[0029] In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

[0030] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc. indicate that the described embodiment may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment necessarily includes the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in other embodiments, whether or not explicitly described.

[0031] It should be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. can be used before nouns in this article to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiment, the first element can be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element can be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more listed terms.

[0032] As used herein, “at least one of: ,” “at least one of ,” and similar descriptions (wherein a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) mean at least any one element, or at least any two or more elements, or at least all elements.

[0033] As used herein, unless explicitly stated, performing a step “in response to A” does not mean performing the step immediately after “A” occurs, but may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0034] The terms used herein are used only to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that when used herein, the terms "comprise", "comprising", "having", "having", "includes", and / or "including", when used herein, specify the presence of the described features, elements, and / or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0035] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuitry); and (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable): (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuits and software / firmware; and (ii) any portion of a hardware processor (including a digital signal processor) with software, software and memory that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions; and (c) Hardware circuits and / or processors, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, that require software (eg, firmware) to operate, but which may not be present when the software is not required for operation.

[0036] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit, or a processor (or multiple processors), or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers (e.g., if applicable to a particular claim element) a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0037] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, such as New Radio (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE (LTE-A), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), etc. In addition, the communication between the terminal device and the network device in the communication network can be carried out according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including but not limited to the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.75G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G) communication protocol and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various communication systems. In view of the rapid development of communication, there are of course communication technologies and systems of future types that can implement the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above-mentioned system.

[0038] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to the following node in a communication network, via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services from the node. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a NR NB (also referred to as a gNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio head (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a repeater, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a low-power node, such as a femto, a micro, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or a non-terrestrial network device, such as a satellite network device, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network device, etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied. In some example embodiments, a radio access network (RAN) split architecture includes a centralized unit (CU) and a distributed unit (DU) at an IAB donor node. The IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves like a user equipment (UE) to a parent node, and a distributed unit (DU) portion of the IAB node that behaves like a base station to a next-hop IAB node.

[0039] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, the terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS) or an access terminal (AT). The terminal device may include, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a voice over IP (VoIP) phone, a wireless local loop phone, a tablet computer, a wearable terminal device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable computer, a desktop computer, an image capture terminal device such as a digital camera, a game terminal device, a music storage and playback facility, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded equipment (LEE), a laptop mounted equipment (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless user terminal equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable device, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, medical equipment and applications (e.g., remote surgery), industrial equipment and applications (e.g., robots and / or other wireless devices operating in industrial and / or automatic processing chain environments), consumer electronic devices, equipment operating on commercial and / or industrial wireless networks, etc. The terminal device may also correspond to the mobile terminal (MT) part of an IAB node (eg, a relay node).In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user device", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0040] As used herein, the term "resource", "transmission resource", "resource block", "physical resource block" (PRB), "uplink resource" or "downlink resource" may refer to any resource used to perform communication (e.g., communication between a terminal device and a network device), such as a resource in the time domain, a resource in the frequency domain, a resource in the spatial domain, a resource in the code domain, or any other resource supporting communication. In the following, unless explicitly stated, resources in the frequency domain and the time domain will be used as examples of transmission resources for describing some example embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the example embodiments of the present disclosure are also applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0041] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented is shown. In the communication environment 100, there are multiple communication devices, for example, a first device 110, a second device 120, and a third device 130. Any two of these three devices may communicate with each other.

[0042] Sidelink (SL) positioning has been supported in New Radio (NR) systems. SL positioning is based on the transmission of Sidelink Positioning Reference Signals (SL PRS) by multiple anchor UEs. The SL-PRS will be received by the target UE, for example in the SL Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) method. Alternatively, SL positioning is based on the exchange of SL PRS between the anchor UE and the target UE, for example in the SL Round Trip Time (RTT) method or in the multi-RTT method, so that the target UE positioning and / or target UE ranging relative to a reference UE (e.g., anchor UE) can be within the precise delay and accuracy requirements of the corresponding SL positioning.

[0043] As used herein, the term "target UE" refers to a UE to be positioned (in the context, using SL, i.e., PC5 interface). The term "anchor" or "anchor UE" refers to a UE that supports the positioning of a target UE, for example, by transmitting and / or receiving reference signals for positioning via the SL interface, providing positioning-related information, etc. The term "server UE" refers to a SL positioning server UE, which is a UE that provides method determination, auxiliary data distribution and / or position calculation functions for services based on sidelink positioning and ranging. The term "sidelink positioning" refers to a positioning UE using a reference signal transmitted on the SL (i.e., PC5 interface) to obtain an absolute position, a relative position or ranging information. The term "ranging" refers to determining the distance and / or direction between a UE and another entity (e.g., an anchor UE). The term "sidelink positioning reference signal (SL PRS or SL-PRS)" refers to a reference signal transmitted on the SL for positioning purposes. In addition, the term "SL PRS (pre) configuration" refers to (pre) configuration parameters of the SL PRS, such as time-frequency resources including its bandwidth and period (other parameters are not excluded).

[0044] In the following, for the purpose of illustration, some example embodiments are described, in which the first device 110 operates as an anchor UE, the second device 120 operates as a target UE, and the third device 130 operates as a server UE or a location management function (LMF) device. However, it should be understood that the above examples are discussed only for the purpose of illustration and not limitation.

[0045] The communication in the communication environment 100 may be implemented according to any suitable communication protocol, including but not limited to cellular communication protocols of the first generation (1G), second generation (2G), third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc., wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, etc., and / or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. In addition, the communication may use any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division duplex (FDD), time division duplex (TDD), multiple input multiple output (MIMO), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) and / or any other technology currently known or developed in the future.

[0046] Figure 2 An example SL positioning scenario 200 is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the target UE (denoted as UE-T 210) performs SL positioning by receiving SL PRS from three anchor UEs (denoted as UE-A1 220-1, UE-A2 220-2 and UE-A3 220-3, respectively). In addition, the target UE determines its position by using the SL TDOA method. Here, the anchor UE provides SL PRS assistance (including SL PRS) to the target UE. In addition, in the in-coverage scenario, the LMF can coordinate the SL positioning. In such a case, the SLPRS transmission from the anchor UE can be configured by the LMF.

[0047] In order to provide auxiliary information for absolute SL positioning, the anchor UE location information can be provided to the LMF or other UE. In other words, the anchor UE position can be shared with the LMF or other UE. In some cases, the anchor UE role and the target UE role can be shown in the side link positioning process in stage 2. At least for out-of-coverage scenarios, the discovery process is included in the side link positioning process. Additionally or alternatively, at least for out-of-coverage scenarios, anchor UE selection can be included in the side link positioning process.

[0048] In some cases, the discovery message may be used to carry information for directional discovery and candidate selection for SL positioning UEs, which includes at least an indication of the anchor UE role, target UE role, and server UE role. The UE role information is indicated in the Discovery Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) meta field.

[0049] Anchor UE selection is a key step in absolute SL positioning as it directly affects the accurate performance of the positioning session. In some cases, anchor UE selection is supported by information about candidate anchor UEs. Anchor UE(s) may be selected based on UE role, supported positioning methods, coverage or no coverage, reference signal received power (RSRP), line of sight (LOS) or non-line of sight (NLOS), location, public land mobile network (PLMN), etc.

[0050] Selecting anchor UEs is not trivial, as the anchor UEs need to be geographically distributed (i.e., non-collinear) and have suitable relative positions to allow high-precision triangulation. The latter aspect is related to the fact that if the selected anchor is collinear with the target UE, the target UE experiences a high geometric dilution of precision (GDOP) and the position accuracy is diluted. For this purpose, the positions of the (candidate) anchor UEs can be used to select the best non-collinear anchor UE.

[0051] However, the location of the anchor UE is sensitive information in terms of UE privacy. Therefore, it may not be desirable to broadcast such information, for example in discovery messages, at the anchor UEs and the operators serving those UEs to assist in anchor selection. On the other hand, without the location information from the anchor UEs, the target UE may not be able to select a non-collinear anchor UE that brings low GDOP performance.

[0052] In one possible solution, the target UE must establish a unicast link with each potential anchor UE to obtain the actual location information of each potential anchor UE, which is costly in terms of signaling overhead and resource (eg, radio resources, power resources) usage.

[0053] Several solutions are proposed in this article to at least solve the above problems. The proposed solutions involve one or more of the following features:

[0054] 1) Instead of broadcasting actual location information, the anchor UE is configured to broadcast approximate location information by intentionally adding a location uncertainty component to its actual location information in the broadcast. The broadcasted location information then includes the approximate location information and information on the characteristics of the intentionally added location uncertainty.

[0055] 2) The amount of intentionally introduced location uncertainty is configured so that while protecting the UE's location privacy sensitivity, the location-based anchor selection at the target UE still results in low GDOP. For example, the amount of intentionally introduced location uncertainty is determined based on one or more of the UE's location privacy sensitivity, the target UE's quality of service (QoS) requirements, the number of neighboring anchor UEs, the distance to the nearest anchor UE, information about the intentional location uncertainty of other anchor UEs, the UE's location, the time interval, etc. The intentional location uncertainty configuration can be (pre-)configured by the network (e.g., LMF) or the server UE. Alternatively, the intentional location uncertainty configuration can be determined by the anchor UE itself, or pre-determined by a standard, device manufacturer, or network service provider.

[0056] By virtue of the above features, the proposed solution can advantageously eliminate the need to broadcast the privacy-sensitive actual location information of the anchor UE. In this way, the location privacy of the anchor UE can be protected while allowing the target UE to select a desired (e.g., non-collinear) anchor UE that brings low GDOP performance before the SL positioning session is established (e.g., during the discovery phase).

[0057] For ease of understanding, the behaviors of the anchor UE, server UE or LMF, and target UE are described here respectively.

[0058] The anchor UE is configured to perform at least some of the following operations:

[0059] 1) Request intentional location uncertainty configuration from the server UE or LMF;

[0060] 2) receiving intentional location uncertainty configuration from the server UE or LMF;

[0061] 3) Determine intentional location uncertainty based at least on the received configuration. Additionally, the intentional location uncertainty may also be determined based on a request for location information broadcast from the target UE. Exemplary criteria for determining intentional location uncertainty include location privacy sensitivity of the UE, QoS requirements of the target UE, the number of neighboring anchor UEs, the distance to the nearest anchor UE, information about intentional location uncertainty of other anchor UEs, the location of the UE, a time interval, etc.;

[0062] 4) applying the determined intentional location uncertainty to the actual location information of the anchor UE to generate approximate location information of the anchor UE;

[0063] 5) Broadcast approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty to the target UE, for example in a SL discovery message. The information about intentional location uncertainty may, for example, include information about characteristics of the location uncertainty (such as variance, mean, distribution, etc.).

[0064] The server UE or LMF is configured to perform at least part of the following operations:

[0065] 1) receiving a request for intentional location uncertainty configuration from an anchor UE;

[0066] 2) Transmitting intentional location uncertainty configuration to the anchor UE.

[0067] The target UE is configured to perform at least some of the following operations:

[0068] 1) Request the anchor UE to broadcast location information, for example, in a SL Discovery Request message;

[0069] 2) Receive location information from the anchor UE, for example in a SL discovery message. The location information may include approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty;

[0070] 3) Performing anchor point selection based at least on the received position information by taking into account intentional position uncertainty.

[0071] In other words, instead of providing actual location information, the anchor UE is configured to provide approximate location information by intentionally (i.e., deliberately) adding a location uncertainty component (e.g., variance or noise) to its actual location information so as to alleviate anchor UE location privacy issues regarding broadcasting location information to the target UE before establishing a SL positioning session. The amount of uncertainty introduced in the broadcast location information (e.g., in meters or less) is configured so that location-based anchor selection at the target UE still results in a low GDOP. In addition, the privacy sensitivity of the anchor location information is considered while determining the intentional location uncertainty component. As an example, the lower the privacy sensitivity, the lower the introduced uncertainty.

[0072] The approximate anchor position information and the quality of the actual position information (i.e., the quality of the actual position information after removing the intentional uncertainty) may then be provided to the target UE. Additionally, intentional position uncertainty information may be provided to the target UE, which may reflect an intentional position uncertainty range applied to the actual position, e.g., a position difference intentionally applied at the anchor UE.

[0073] In existing designs, the anchor UE transmits its known actual position to the target UE without deliberately or intentionally adding noise to the quality of the actual position. In the proposed solution, intentional uncertainty (ie, noise) is introduced to generate an approximate anchor position from the actual position.

[0074] The target UE may then perform anchor selection by considering the approximate anchor location and information about the uncertainty intentionally introduced in the location information (eg, range, variance, or level) in order to select those anchor UEs that can result in a low GDOP.

[0075] When establishing a SL positioning session, the anchor UE may transmit the actual location information of the anchor UE without an intentional location uncertainty component to the target UE to allow accurate positioning.

[0076] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0077] Figure 3 A signaling diagram 300 for transmitting location information according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Signaling diagram 300 is discussed, for example, by using first device 110, second device 120, and third device 130. In some example embodiments, first device 110 may include a terminal device that serves as an anchor point in a sidelink positioning procedure or session, second device 120 may include a terminal device that serves as a target device in a sidelink positioning procedure or session, and third device 130 may include a terminal device or a network device (e.g., an LMF device) that serves as a server in the sidelink positioning procedure or session.

[0078] In the signaling diagram 300, the third device 130 transmits 310 an intentional location uncertainty configuration to the first device 110. The first device 110 receives 315 the intentional location uncertainty configuration from the third device 130 and determines 320 an intentional location uncertainty based at least on the intentional location uncertainty configuration.

[0079] In some example embodiments, before the third device 130 transmits 310 the intentional location uncertainty configuration, the first device 110 may transmit a request for the intentional location uncertainty configuration to the third device 130. In response to receiving the request from the first device 110, the third device 130 transmits 310 the intentional location uncertainty configuration to the first device 110.

[0080] In some alternative example embodiments, the intentional location uncertainty configuration at the first device 110 may also be preconfigured directly by the network.

[0081] The first device 110 then generates 325 approximate location information by applying the intentional location uncertainty to the actual location of the first device 110. As an example and not limitation, the location uncertainty can be added to the actual location.

[0082] The first device 110 transmits 330 location information to the second device 120, the location information comprising at least the approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty. In some example embodiments, the information about intentional location uncertainty may include information about a characteristic of the location uncertainty. By way of example and not limitation, the characteristic of the location uncertainty may include a variance, a mean, a distribution, a bound, or a range of the intentional location uncertainty.

[0083] After receiving 335 the location information from the first device 110, the second device 120 performs 340 an anchor selection process based at least on the location information. With the intentionally introduced location uncertainty, the proposed solution enables the second device (e.g., target UE) to select a non-collinear anchor UE that brings low GDOP performance while not violating location privacy considerations for the first device (e.g., anchor UE).

[0084] In some example embodiments, the second device 120 may request the first device 110 to broadcast location information. The first device 110 may then determine the intentional location uncertainty based on the intentional location uncertainty configuration and the request for location information from the second device 120.

[0085] In some example embodiments, intentional location uncertainty is determined based on at least a location privacy sensitivity at the first device 110, a quality of service (QoS) requirement of the second device 120, a number of neighboring anchors, a distance to a nearest neighboring anchor, a received power of the second device 120, a received power of a neighboring anchor, information about intentional location uncertainty of a neighboring anchor, an actual location of the first device 110, a time interval during which the intentional location uncertainty is increased or decreased, a current anchor supporting the second device 120, and the like. Figure 4 Determination of intentional position uncertainty is described in detail.

[0086] In addition, the first device 110 may transmit an indication indicating whether the location information is actual location information to the second device 120. The second device 120 may receive the indication from the first device 110. As an example, the indication may be a field in an information element, and the field may include a predetermined number of bits, such as 1 bit, etc. In this way, the second device 120 may easily determine whether the received location information is actual information.

[0087] In some example embodiments, the first device 110 may transmit the location information in a sidelink discovery message to the second device 120. Accordingly, the second device 120 may receive the location in the sidelink discovery message.

[0088] In view of the above description, the location information provided by the first device 110 includes approximate location information containing intentional location uncertainty. In this way, the proposed solution can advantageously ensure efficient anchor selection at the second device 120 in SL positioning while avoiding broadcasting the actual location information of the first device 110 (e.g., anchor UE) to the second device 120 (e.g., target UE) before establishing a SL positioning session.

[0089] The following will refer to Figure 4 Described in more detail in Figure 3 The solution presented in Figure 4 A signaling diagram 400 for anchor point selection according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0090] In About Figure 4 In the example embodiment discussed, the first device 110, which may be an anchor UE, is represented by UE-A 402, the second device 120, which may be a target UE, is represented by UE-T 403, and the third device 130, which may be a server UE or LMF device, is represented by server UE 401. Figure 4 In the illustrated example scenario, UE-A 402 is configured by server UE 401 to broadcast anchor selection assistance information to UE-T 403. The anchor selection assistance information may, for example, contain at least location information associated with UE-A 402. UE-T 403 then performs anchor selection based on the anchor selection assistance information received from UE-A 402.

[0091] Given that the present disclosure mainly deals with the location information aspect of the anchor selection auxiliary information, only the location information is discussed in the following description. It should be understood that the server UE 401 is only an example and not a limitation. The functions of the server UE 401 may also be performed by a network element (e.g., LMF). In other words, the server UE 401 may be replaced by an LMF or the like.

[0092] exist Figure 4 , UE-A 402 may be Figure 1 In an example implementation of the first device 110, UE-T 403 may be Figure 1 An example implementation of the second device 120 in FIG. 1 , and the server UE 401 may be Figure 1 An example implementation of the third device 130 in .

[0093] At 410, UE-A 402 transmits a request for intentional location uncertainty configuration to server UE 401. Then, at 415, server UE 401 provides intentional location uncertainty configuration to UE-A 402. It should be understood that step 410 and even step 415 may be omitted. For example, during the reconfiguration phase of UE-A 402, when there is no request for intentional location uncertainty configuration, server UE 401 may also provide intentional location uncertainty configuration to UE-A 402. Alternatively, UE-A 402 may determine the intentional location uncertainty configuration by itself. In other words, both steps 410 and 415 may be omitted.

[0094] In some example embodiments, the intentional location uncertainty configuration may include intentional location uncertainty characteristics for generating intentional location uncertainty. These characteristics may include bounds, ranges, variances, distributions, averages, geographic planes over which the uncertainty extends, and the like of the intentional location uncertainty. As an example, the geographic plane over which the uncertainty extends may be a horizontal plane, a vertical plane, or any other inclined plane relative to the horizontal plane. In addition, the characteristics of the uncertainty may vary depending on criteria such as the location privacy sensitivity of the UE, the QoS requirements of the target UE, the number of neighboring anchor UEs, the distance to the nearest anchor UE, the location of the UE, a time interval, and the like.

[0095] Additionally, the intentional location uncertainty configuration may also include information on whether to add intentional location uncertainty to the actual location information of UE-A 402 .

[0096] In some example embodiments, the intentional location uncertainty configuration may include a mapping between characteristics of location uncertainty and location privacy sensitivity at UE-A 402. For example, the higher the UE location privacy sensitivity, the higher the location uncertainty added to the actual location information. Additionally or alternatively, the intentional location uncertainty configuration may include a mapping between characteristics of location uncertainty and QoS requirements of UE-T 403. For example, in the case of high QoS requirements at neighboring UE-T 403, a lower location uncertainty is applied. In some additional or alternative embodiments, the intentional location uncertainty configuration may include a mapping between characteristics of location uncertainty and the number of other neighboring anchor UEs. For example, in a dense anchor UE environment, the location uncertainty is reduced to avoid overlap with the approximate location of other anchor UEs. In this way, UE-T 403 is still able to identify geographically distributed (i.e., potentially non-collinear) anchor UEs.

[0097] Additionally or alternatively, the intentional location uncertainty configuration may include a mapping between characteristics of the location uncertainty and a reference signal received power (RSRP) of UE-T 403. The location uncertainty of UE-A 402 depends on the (estimated and approximate) distance from UE-A 402 to UE-T 403. If the distance is relatively large, the impact of the location uncertainty of UE-A 402 on GDOP is relatively small. During the discovery phase, the (approximate) distance between UE-A 402 and UE-T 403 is estimated by RSRP. As an example, the RSRP of UE-T 403 can be obtained from the discovery request message in model B discovery. For example, if the RSRP of UE-T 403 is above a certain threshold, the location uncertainty is reduced.

[0098] In some additional or alternative embodiments, the intentional location uncertainty configuration may include a mapping between characteristics of location uncertainty and the RSRP of neighboring anchor UEs. For example, if the RSRP of the nearest anchor UE is above a certain threshold, the location uncertainty is reduced. Additionally or alternatively, the intentional location uncertainty configuration may include a mapping between characteristics of location uncertainty and the location of UE-A 402. Static geographic areas may be configured by the network and each area may be associated with certain characteristics. For example, in the case where UE-A 402 is in a trusted area (e.g., a factory building), the location uncertainty is reduced or removed compared to an untrusted area.

[0099] Additionally or alternatively, the intentional location uncertainty configuration may include a mapping between characteristics of location uncertainty and time intervals. For example, during a first time interval (such as, peak road traffic hours, where, for example, more mobile anchor UEs are expected), the location uncertainty may be reduced. In another example, during a second time interval (such as, midnight, where, for example, fewer mobile anchor UEs are expected), the location uncertainty may be increased.

[0100] In some additional or alternative embodiments, the intentional location uncertainty configuration may include a mapping between characteristics of location uncertainty and current anchor UEs supporting UE-T 403. If the location of the current anchor UE of UE-T 403 (with or without location uncertainty) is indicated to UE-A 402 (e.g., in a discovery request message), the location uncertainty for UE-A 402 may be determined accordingly. For example, if one or more UEs close to UE-A 402 already exist among the current anchor UEs, the location uncertainty of UE-A 402 may be reduced.

[0101] By considering one or more of the above rules, the proposed solution can ensure that the location-based anchor point selection at UE-T 403 still results in low GDOP. It should be understood that the above description and / or examples are described for illustrative purposes only. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0102] At 420, UE-A 402 determines intentional location uncertainty based at least on the intentional location uncertainty configuration. As described above, the determination criteria may include one or more of the following: location privacy sensitivity of the UE, QoS requirements of UE-T 403, number of neighboring other anchor UEs, distance to the nearest other anchor UE, location of the UE, time interval, etc. In addition to the above criteria, UE-A 402 may also use information about location uncertainty of neighboring anchor UEs to determine intentional location uncertainty. For example, if UE-A 402 listens to a location information broadcast of a neighboring anchor UE (which may include intentional location uncertainty information), UE-A 402 may adjust its own location uncertainty so as to reduce the overlap of its possible location area with the location area of ​​the neighboring anchor UE.

[0103] At 425, UE-A 402 applies the determined location uncertainty to the actual location of UE-A 402 to generate approximate location information. As an example and not limitation, UE-A 402 may add the location uncertainty to the actual location in order to determine the approximate location information.

[0104] At 430, UE-A 402 broadcasts approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty to UE-T 403 (e.g., in a SL discovery message). In some example embodiments, UE-A 402 may explicitly indicate whether the shared location information is actual. As an example, information about whether the shared location information is actual may be indicated via a 1-bit field in an information element. Additionally or alternatively, UE-A 402 may indicate characteristics of the location uncertainty in the shared location information. These characteristics may include bounds, ranges, averages, offsets, variances, and the like of the location uncertainty.

[0105] At 435, UE-T 403 performs anchor point selection based at least on the received location information by taking into account the intentional location uncertainty. UE-T 403 can identify geographically distributed UE-A 402 based on the approximate location information and the intentional location uncertainty information. By explicitly indicating the intentional location uncertainty, UE-T 403 knows that the indicated location information is approximate location information with a given uncertainty.

[0106] In some example embodiments, UE-T 403 may select a plurality of UEs from the candidate anchor UEs based on the received location information, and directly use the plurality of UEs as anchor UEs for SL positioning.

[0107] Alternatively, UE-T 403 may select a reduced set of candidate anchor UEs that may be non-collinear from the candidate anchor UEs based on the received location information. Then, UE-T 403 may couple with each of the candidate anchor UEs included in the reduced set to obtain the actual location of the corresponding candidate anchor UE. UE-T 403 may select a plurality of non-collinear UEs to be used as anchor UEs for SL positioning from the reduced set of candidate anchor UEs based on the obtained actual locations.

[0108] At 440, UE-T 403 establishes a SL positioning session with the selected anchor UE (eg, UE-A 402). A secure link is established between UE-T 403 and UE-A 402 to share at least actual location information.

[0109] At 445, UE-A 402 transmits actual location information (without any intentional location uncertainty) to UE-T 403, for example, depending on whether absolute location information or relative location information needs to be estimated for UE-T 403. That is, UE-A 402 may not provide its actual location information if the information is not necessary for the positioning request. Therefore, the privacy of UE-A 402 may be further protected.

[0110] At 450, UE-A 402 transmits the SL PRS to UE-T 403. Then, at 455, UE-T 403 performs SL positioning based on at least the received actual location information of the anchor UE and the SL PRS, for example, by using the SL-TDOA method. Due to the non-collinear and low GDOP anchor point selection at step 435, the positioning accuracy of the resulting position estimate can be improved.

[0111] In view of the above, the proposed solution allows for efficient anchor selection in SL positioning while protecting the privacy of the anchor location. More specifically, the proposed solution is able to select a non-collinear anchor UE for the target UE without sharing the actual location information before the positioning session is established, and the selection of the non-collinear anchor UE ensures a low GDOP during SL positioning.

[0112] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 The perspective description method 500 of the first device 110 in FIG.

[0113] At block 510 , the first device 110 determines an intentional location uncertainty based at least on an intentional location uncertainty configuration.

[0114] At block 520 , the first device 110 generates approximate location information by applying intentional location uncertainty to the actual location of the first device.

[0115] At block 530 , the first device 110 transmits location information to the second device, the location information including at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further comprises: transmitting a request for an intentional location uncertainty configuration to a third device; and receiving the intentional location uncertainty configuration from the third device.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further comprises determining the intentional location uncertainty based on the intentional location uncertainty configuration and the request for location information from the second device.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the intentional location uncertainty is determined based on at least one of: location privacy sensitivity at the first device, quality of service (QoS) requirements of the second device, the number of neighboring anchor points, the distance to the nearest neighboring anchor point, the received power of the second device, the received power of the neighboring anchor points, information about the intentional location uncertainty of the neighboring anchor points, the actual location of the first device, the time interval, an increase or decrease in the intentional location uncertainty during the time interval, or a current anchor point supporting the second device.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the information regarding the intentional position uncertainty comprises information regarding characteristics of the position uncertainty.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the characteristic of the position uncertainty comprises at least one of a variance, a mean, a distribution, a bound, or a range of the intentional position uncertainty.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the location information is transmitted in a sidelink discovery message.

[0122] In some example embodiments, the method 500 further comprises: transmitting to the second device an indication indicating whether the location information is actual location information.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the indication is a field in the information element, the field comprising a predetermined number of bits.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device that serves as an anchor point in a side link positioning process, the second device includes a terminal device that serves as a target device in the side link positioning process, and the third device includes a terminal device or a network device that serves as a server in the side link positioning process.

[0125] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example method 600 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 The perspective description method 600 of the second device 120 in FIG.

[0126] At block 610 , the second device 120 receives location information from the first device, the location information including at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty.

[0127] In block 620 , the second device 120 performs an anchor point selection process based at least on the location information.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the method 600 further includes requesting the first device to broadcast the location information.

[0129] In some example embodiments, the method 600 further includes requesting the first device to broadcast the location information by using a sidelink discovery request message.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the location information is received in a sidelink discovery message.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the information regarding the intentional position uncertainty comprises information regarding characteristics of the position uncertainty.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the characteristic of the position uncertainty comprises at least one of a variance, a mean, a distribution, a bound, or a range of the intentional position uncertainty.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the method 600 further comprises: receiving, from the first device, an indication indicating whether the location information is actual location information.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the indication is a field in the information element, the field comprising a predetermined number of bits.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device that serves as an anchor point in a side link positioning process, the second device includes a terminal device that serves as a target device in the side link positioning process, and the third device includes a terminal device or a network device that serves as a server in the side link positioning process.

[0136] Figure 7FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example method 700 implemented at a third device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 Method 700 is described from the perspective of the third device 130.

[0137] At block 710 , the third device 130 transmits an intentional location uncertainty configuration to the first device, causing the first device to transmit location information to the second device, the location information including at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty based on the intentional location uncertainty configuration.

[0138] In some example embodiments, the intentional location uncertainty configuration includes at least a characteristic of the location uncertainty.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the characteristic of the position uncertainty comprises at least one of a variance, a mean, a distribution, a bound, or a range of the intentional position uncertainty.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the method 700 further comprises, in response to receiving a request for the intentional location uncertainty configuration from the first apparatus, transmitting the intentional location uncertainty configuration to the first apparatus.

[0141] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device that serves as an anchor point in a side link positioning process, the second device includes a terminal device that serves as a target device in the side link positioning process, and the third device includes a terminal device or a network device that serves as a server in the side link positioning process.

[0142] In some example embodiments, a first device (eg, Figure 1 The first device 110 in the method 500 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 500. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The first device may be implemented as Figure 1 The first device 110 or is included in Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0143] In some example embodiments, a first device includes: a component for determining intentional location uncertainty based at least on an intentional location uncertainty configuration; a component for generating approximate location information by applying the intentional location uncertainty to an actual location of the first device; and a component for transmitting location information to a second device, the location information including at least the approximate location information and information about the intentional location uncertainty.

[0144] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting a request for an intentional location uncertainty configuration to a third apparatus; and means for receiving the intentional location uncertainty configuration from the third apparatus.

[0145] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for determining the intentional location uncertainty based on the intentional location uncertainty configuration and the request for location information from the second apparatus.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the intentional location uncertainty is determined based on at least one of: location privacy sensitivity at the first device, quality of service (QoS) requirements of the second device, the number of neighboring anchor points, the distance to the nearest neighboring anchor point, the received power of the second device, the received power of the neighboring anchor points, information about the intentional location uncertainty of the neighboring anchor points, the actual location of the first device, the time interval, an increase or decrease in the intentional location uncertainty during the time interval, or a current anchor point supporting the second device.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the information regarding the intentional position uncertainty comprises information regarding characteristics of the position uncertainty.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the characteristic of the position uncertainty comprises at least one of a variance, a mean, a distribution, a bound, or a range of the intentional position uncertainty.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the location information is transmitted in a sidelink discovery message.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for transmitting to the second apparatus an indication indicating whether the location information is actual location information.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the indication is a field in the information element, the field comprising a predetermined number of bits.

[0152] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device that serves as an anchor point in a side link positioning process, the second device includes a terminal device that serves as a target device in the side link positioning process, and the third device includes a terminal device or a network device that serves as a server in the side link positioning process.

[0153] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means or the first apparatus 110 for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 500. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause execution of the first apparatus.

[0154] In some example embodiments, a second device (eg, Figure 1 The second device 120 in the method 600 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 600. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The second device may be implemented as Figure 1 The second device 120 in or included in Figure 1 In the second device 120.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the second device includes means for receiving location information from the first device, the location information including at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty; and means for performing an anchor point selection process based at least on the location information.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises means for requesting the first device to broadcast the location information.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for requesting the first apparatus to broadcast location information by using a sidelink discovery request message.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the location information is received in a sidelink discovery message.

[0159] In some example embodiments, the information regarding the intentional position uncertainty comprises information regarding characteristics of the position uncertainty.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the characteristic of the position uncertainty comprises at least one of a variance, a mean, a distribution, a bound, or a range of the intentional position uncertainty.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for receiving an indication from the first apparatus indicating whether the location information is actual location information.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the indication is a field in the information element, the field comprising a predetermined number of bits.

[0163] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device that serves as an anchor point in a side link positioning process, the second device includes a terminal device that serves as a target device in the side link positioning process, and the third device includes a terminal device or a network device that serves as a server in the side link positioning process.

[0164] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means or the second apparatus 120 for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 600. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause execution of the second apparatus.

[0165] In some example embodiments, a third device (eg, Figure 1 The third device 130 in the method 700 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 700. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit system or a software module. The third device may be implemented as Figure 1 The third device 130 or is included in Figure 1 In the third device 130.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the third device includes means for transmitting an intentional location uncertainty configuration to the first device such that the first device transmits location information to the second device, the location information including at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty based on the intentional location uncertainty configuration.

[0167] In some example embodiments, the intentional location uncertainty configuration includes at least a characteristic of the location uncertainty.

[0168] In some example embodiments, the characteristic of the position uncertainty comprises at least one of a variance, a mean, a distribution, a bound, or a range of the intentional position uncertainty.

[0169] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises means for transmitting the intentional location uncertainty configuration to the first apparatus in response to receiving a request for the intentional location uncertainty configuration from the first apparatus.

[0170] In some example embodiments, the first device includes a terminal device that serves as an anchor point in a side link positioning process, the second device includes a terminal device that serves as a target device in the side link positioning process, and the third device includes a terminal device or a network device that serves as a server in the side link positioning process.

[0171] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises means or the third apparatus 130 for performing other operations in some example embodiments of the method 700. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause execution of the third apparatus.

[0172] Figure 88 is a simplified block diagram of a device 800 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 800 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 The first device 110, the second device 120 or the third device 130 shown in FIG. As shown, the device 800 includes one or more processors 810, one or more memories 820 coupled to the processor 810, and one or more communication modules 840 coupled to the processor 810.

[0173] The communication module 840 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 840 has one or more communication interfaces to facilitate communication with one or more other modules or devices. The communication interface may represent any interface necessary for communication with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 840 may include at least one antenna.

[0174] Processor 810 may be of any type suitable for the local technology network and may include one or more of the following: a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples. Device 800 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips, which are time-slaved to a clock synchronized with a main processor.

[0175] The memory 820 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memories include, but are not limited to, read-only memory (ROM) 824, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk, and other magnetic storage and / or optical storage. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 822 and other volatile memories that will not persist during a power outage.

[0176] The computer program 830 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 810. The instructions of the program 830 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 830 may be stored in a memory, such as ROM 824. The processor 810 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 830 into the RAM 822.

[0177] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by a program 830 so that the device 800 may execute a reference Figures 2 to 7 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. Example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or by a combination of software and hardware.

[0178] In some example embodiments, the program 830 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in the device 800 (such as in the memory 820) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 800. The device 800 may load the program 830 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 822 for execution. In some example embodiments, the computer-readable medium may include any type of non-transitory storage medium, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, hard disk, CD, DVD, etc. The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0179] Fig. 9 An example of a computer readable medium 900 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 900 has a program 830 stored thereon.

[0180] In general, various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, and other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device. Although various aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or illustrated and described using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the boxes, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0181] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (such as, non-volatile computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those computer executable instructions executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor included in a program module, to perform any method as described above. Typically, a program module includes routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. In various embodiments, the functions of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed. Machine executable instructions for program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in both local storage media and remote storage media.

[0182] The program code for executing the method of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code can be provided to a processor or controller in a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device, so that the program code, when executed by the processor or controller, enables the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram to be realized. The program code can be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine and partially on a remote machine, or completely on a remote machine or server.

[0183] In the context of the present disclosure, computer program codes or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0184] The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. The computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or equipment, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of computer readable storage media will include an electrical connection with one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing.

[0185] In addition, although operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring such operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or performing all illustrated operations, to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be interpreted as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specified in a particular embodiment. Unless expressly stated, certain features described in the context of a separate embodiment may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. On the contrary, unless expressly stated, the various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable sub-combination.

[0186] Although the present disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it should be understood that the present disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Instead, the specific features and actions described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

[0187] In addition, various implementations of the present disclosure may be described with reference to the following clauses, and features thereof may be combined in any reasonable manner.

[0188] Item 1. A first device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: determine intentional location uncertainty based at least on an intentional location uncertainty configuration; generate approximate location information by applying the intentional location uncertainty to an actual location of the first device; and transmit location information to a second device, the location information comprising at least the approximate location information and information about the intentional location uncertainty.

[0189] Clause 2. The first device of clause 1, wherein the first device is caused to: transmit a request for the intentional location uncertainty configuration to a third device; and receive the intentional location uncertainty configuration from the third device.

[0190] Clause 3. A first device according to clause 1 or 2, wherein the first device is caused to: determine the intentional location uncertainty based on the intentional location uncertainty configuration and a request for location information from the second device.

[0191] Clause 4. A first device according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the intentional location uncertainty is determined based on at least one of: location privacy sensitivity at the first device, quality of service (QoS) requirements of the second device, the number of neighboring anchor points, the distance to the nearest neighboring anchor point, the receiving power of the second device, the receiving power of the neighboring anchor point, information about the intentional location uncertainty of the neighboring anchor point, the actual location of the first device, a time interval, an increase or decrease of the intentional location uncertainty during the time interval, or a current anchor point in favor of the second device.

[0192] Clause 5. The first apparatus of any one of clauses 1 to 4, wherein the information about the intentional position uncertainty comprises information about a characteristic of the position uncertainty.

[0193] Clause 6. The first apparatus of clause 5, wherein the characteristic of the position uncertainty comprises at least one of a variance, a mean, a distribution, a bound, or a range of the intentional position uncertainty.

[0194] Clause 7. A first apparatus as described in any of clauses 1 to 6, wherein the location information is transmitted in a sidelink discovery message.

[0195] Clause 8. A first device as described in any of Clauses 1 to 7, wherein the first device is caused to: transmit to the second device an indication indicating whether the location information is actual location information.

[0196] Clause 9. The first apparatus of clause 8, wherein the indication is a field in an information element, the field comprising a predetermined number of bits.

[0197] Clause 10. A first device according to any one of clauses 1 to 9, wherein the first device includes a terminal device serving as an anchor point in a side link positioning process, the second device includes a terminal device serving as a target device in the side link positioning process, and the third device includes a terminal device or a network device serving as a server in the side link positioning process.

[0198] Item 11. A second device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second device to at least: receive location information from a first device, the location information comprising at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty; and perform an anchor point selection process based at least on the location information.

[0199] Clause 12. The second device of Clause 11, wherein the second device is caused to: request the first device to broadcast the location information.

[0200] Clause 13. The second device of clause 12, wherein the second device is caused to: request the first device to broadcast the location information by using a sidelink discovery request message.

[0201] Clause 14. The second apparatus of any one of clauses 11 to 13, wherein the location information is received in a sidelink discovery message.

[0202] Clause 15. The second apparatus of any of Clauses 11 to 14, wherein the information about the intentional position uncertainty comprises information about a characteristic of the position uncertainty.

[0203] Clause 16. The second apparatus of clause 15, wherein the characteristic of the position uncertainty comprises at least one of a variance, a mean, a distribution, a bound, or a range of the intentional position uncertainty.

[0204] Clause 17. A second device as described in any of Clauses 11 to 16, wherein the second device is caused to: receive an indication from the first device indicating whether the location information is actual location information.

[0205] Clause 18. The second apparatus of clause 17, wherein the indication is a field in an information element, the field comprising a predetermined number of bits.

[0206] Clause 19. A second device according to any one of clauses 11 to 18, wherein the first device includes a terminal device serving as an anchor point in a side link positioning process, the second device includes a terminal device serving as a target device in the side link positioning process, and the third device includes a terminal device or a network device serving as a server in the side link positioning process.

[0207] Item 20. A third device, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the third device to at least: transmit an intentional location uncertainty configuration to a first device, so that the first device transmits location information to a second device, the location information comprising at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty based on the intentional location uncertainty configuration.

[0208] Clause 21. The third apparatus of clause 20, wherein the intentional location uncertainty configuration comprises at least a characteristic of location uncertainty.

[0209] Clause 22. The third apparatus of clause 21, wherein the characteristic of the position uncertainty comprises at least one of a variance, a mean, a distribution, a bound, or a range of the intentional position uncertainty.

[0210] Clause 23. A third device according to any one of clauses 20 to 22, wherein the third device is caused to: in response to receiving a request for the intentional location uncertainty configuration from the first device, transmit the intentional location uncertainty configuration to the first device.

[0211] Clause 24. A third device according to any one of clauses 20 to 23, wherein the first device includes a terminal device serving as an anchor point in a side link positioning process, the second device includes a terminal device serving as a target device in the side link positioning process, and the third device includes a terminal device or a network device serving as a server in the side link positioning process.

[0212] Clause 25. A method comprising: determining intentional position uncertainty based at least on an intentional position uncertainty configuration; generating approximate position information by applying the intentional position uncertainty to an actual position of a first device; and transmitting position information to a second device, the position information comprising at least the approximate position information and information about the intentional position uncertainty.

[0213] Clause 26. A method comprising: receiving location information from a first device, the location information comprising at least approximate location information and information regarding intentional location uncertainty; and performing an anchor point selection process based at least on the location information.

[0214] Clause 27. A method, comprising: transmitting an intentional location uncertainty configuration to a first device, causing the first device to transmit location information to a second device, the location information comprising at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty based on the intentional location uncertainty configuration.

[0215] Clause 28. A first device, comprising: a component for determining intentional position uncertainty based at least on an intentional position uncertainty configuration; a component for generating approximate position information by applying the intentional position uncertainty to an actual position of the first device; and a component for transmitting position information to a second device, the position information comprising at least the approximate position information and information about the intentional position uncertainty.

[0216] Clause 29. A second device, comprising: means for receiving location information from a first device, the location information comprising at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty; and means for performing an anchor point selection process based at least on the location information.

[0217] Clause 30. A third device, comprising: a component for transmitting an intentional location uncertainty configuration to a first device so that the first device transmits location information to a second device, the location information comprising at least approximate location information and information about intentional location uncertainty based on the intentional location uncertainty configuration.

[0218] Clause 31. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the method of any one of clauses 25 to 27.

Claims

1. A first device for communication, comprising: at least one processor; as well as at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to at least: determining an intentional position uncertainty based at least on an intentional position uncertainty configuration; generating approximate location information by applying the intentional location uncertainty to an actual location of the first device; as well as Position information is transmitted to a second device, the position information comprising at least the approximate position information and information about the intentional position uncertainty.

2. The first device according to claim 1, wherein the first device is configured to: transmitting a request for the intentional location uncertainty configuration to a third device; and The intentional position uncertainty configuration is received from the third device.

3. The first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first device is configured to: The intentional position uncertainty is determined based on the intentional position uncertainty configuration and a request for position information from the second device.

4. The first apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the intentional position uncertainty is determined based on at least one of the following: a location privacy sensitivity at the first device, The quality of service QoS requirement of the second device, The number of adjacent anchor points, The distance to the nearest neighboring anchor point, the received power of the second device, The received power of the adjacent anchor points, Information about the intentional position uncertainty of said neighboring anchor points, said actual position of said first device, a time interval during which the intentional position uncertainty increases or decreases, or A current anchor point for the second device is supported.

5. The first apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information about the intentional position uncertainty comprises information about a characteristic of the position uncertainty.

6. The first apparatus of claim 5, wherein the characteristic of the position uncertainty comprises at least one of a variance, a mean, a distribution, a bound, or a range of the intentional position uncertainty.

7. The first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the location information is transmitted in a sidelink discovery message.

8. The first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first device is configured to: An indication is transmitted to the second device indicating whether the location information is actual location information.

9. The first apparatus of claim 8, wherein the indication is a field in an information element, the field comprising a predetermined number of bits.

10. A first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first device includes a terminal device serving as an anchor point in a side link positioning process, the second device includes a terminal device serving as a target device in the side link positioning process, and the third device includes a terminal device or a network device serving as a server in the side link positioning process.

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