Synchronization reference alignment

Abstract

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to devices, methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for synchronized reference alignment. In the method, a server device acquires first information indicating at least one of the following items: a role of a device in at least one device during a period of positioning a target device at least based on a sidelink positioning reference signal, or a quality of a plurality of links between a device of the at least one device and a plurality of positioning anchor devices for positioning of the target device. The server device determines a common synchronization reference source for synchronization of at least one of the plurality of positioning anchor devices based at least on the first information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to devices, methods, apparatus, and computer-readable storage media for synchronization reference alignment for sidelink positioning. Background Art

[0002] Sidelink (SL) positioning was studied in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 18 to extend and improve New Radio (NR) positioning. The goal is to support use cases such as Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), public safety, commercial and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). SL positioning is based on the transmission of SL Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) by multiple anchor User Equipments (UEs). In SL positioning, the positioning accuracy may depend on the synchronization between the anchor UEs. If there is synchronization misalignment between the anchor UEs in a SL positioning session, the positioning accuracy of the target UE may be degraded. Summary of the invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present invention, a server device is provided. The server device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the server device at least: obtains first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of a device in at least one device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, or the quality of multiple links between a device in at least one device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device; and determines a common synchronization reference source for synchronization of at least one positioning anchor device in the multiple positioning anchor devices based at least on the first information.

[0004] In a second aspect of the present disclosure, a device is provided. The device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device at least: transmits first information to a server device, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of the device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, or the quality of multiple links between the device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning the target device.

[0005] In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a positioning anchor device is provided. The positioning anchor device includes at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the positioning anchor device at least: receives second information related to a common synchronization reference source from a server device or from a device serving as a common synchronization reference source, the common synchronization reference source being determined based on at least first information, the first information indicating at least one of the following: the role of the common synchronization reference source during the positioning of the target device, or the quality of multiple links between the common synchronization reference source and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning the target device; and determines a synchronization reference source for transmission and reception of a sidelink positioning reference signal based at least on the second information.

[0006] In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a method at a server device is provided. The method includes: obtaining first information, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of a device in at least one device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, or the quality of multiple links between the device in at least one device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device; and determining a common synchronization reference source for synchronization of at least one positioning anchor device in the multiple positioning anchor devices based at least on the first information.

[0007] In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a method at a device is provided. The method includes: transmitting first information to a server device, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of the device during positioning of a target device based on at least a sidelink positioning reference signal, or the quality of multiple links between the device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning the target device.

[0008] In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a method at a positioning anchor device is provided. The method includes: receiving second information related to a common synchronization reference source from a server device or from a device serving as a common synchronization reference source, the common synchronization reference source being determined based on at least first information, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of the common synchronization reference source during positioning of a target device, or the quality of multiple links between the common synchronization reference source and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device; and determining a synchronization reference source for transmission and reception of a sidelink positioning reference signal based at least on the second information.

[0009] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: a component for acquiring first information, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of a device in at least one device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, or the quality of multiple links between the device in at least one device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning the target device; and a component for determining a common synchronization reference source for synchronization of at least one positioning anchor device in the multiple positioning anchor devices based at least on the first information.

[0010] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes a component for transmitting first information to a server device, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of the device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, or the quality of multiple links between the device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning the target device.

[0011] In a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a third device is provided. The third device includes: a component for receiving second information related to a common synchronization reference source from a server device or from a device serving as a common synchronization reference source, the common synchronization reference source being determined based on at least first information, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of the common synchronization reference source during positioning of a target device, or the quality of multiple links between the common synchronization reference source and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device; and a component for determining a synchronization reference source for transmission and reception of a sidelink positioning reference signal based on at least the second information.

[0012] 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, fifth or sixth aspect.

[0013] 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 invention will become readily understood through the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0015] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0016] Figure 2 An example process of synchronous reference alignment based on first information according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0017] Figure 3An example process of synchronization reference alignment based on third information related to a candidate synchronization reference source according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 4 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 5 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 6 A flowchart of a method implemented at a third device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 7 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0022] Figure 8 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0023] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The principle of the present invention will now be described with reference to some exemplary 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 to the scope of the present disclosure. In addition to the embodiments described below, the embodiments described herein can be implemented in various ways.

[0025] 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.

[0026] References in this disclosure to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the described implementation may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every implementation may include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same implementation. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is considered to be within the knowledge of those skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in conjunction with other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described).

[0027] It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein 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 embodiments, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0028] As used herein, “at least one of: ,” “at least one of ,” and similar descriptions, a list of two or more elements connected by “and” or “or,” means at least any one element, or at least any two or more elements, or at least all the elements.

[0029] As used herein, unless explicitly stated, performing a step “in response to A” does not mean performing the step immediately after “A” occurs, and may include one or more intermediate steps.

[0030] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary 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 will be further understood that when used herein, the terms "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes", and / or "including" specify the presence of the features, elements, and / or parts, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, parts, and / or combinations thereof.

[0031] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) implemented only in hardware circuits (e.g. implemented only in analog and / or digital circuits) 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 and software (including a digital signal processor), software and memory that work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions; as well as (c) Hardware circuits and / or processors, such as a microprocessor or portion of a microprocessor, that require software (such as firmware) to operate, but the software may not be present when not required for operation.

[0032] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this 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 a processor and its (or its) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example and if applicable to the particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers 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.

[0033] As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that complies with any suitable communication standard, for example, 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 performed 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 future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement the present disclosure. It should not be considered that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to the above-mentioned system.

[0034] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses a network and receives services from it. 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 Node B (eNodeB or eNB), an NRNB (also known 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 (e.g., a femto), a micro-net, a non-terrestrial network (NTN) or non-terrestrial network equipment, such as satellite network equipment, a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a geosynchronous orbit (GEO) satellite, an aircraft network equipment, 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. An IAB node includes a mobile terminal (IAB-MT) portion that behaves like a UE toward a parent node, and a DU portion of an IAB node behaves like a base station toward a next-hop IAB node.

[0035] 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 device, a vehicle-mounted wireless terminal device, a wireless endpoint, a mobile station, a laptop embedded device (LEE), a laptop mounted device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable, a head mounted display (HMD), a vehicle, a drone, a medical device and an application (e.g., remote surgery), an industrial device and an application (e.g., a robot and / or other wireless devices operating in an industrial and / or automatic processing chain environment), a consumer electronic device, a device operating on a commercial and / or industrial wireless network, 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 equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0036] As used herein, the terms "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 combination of time, frequency, space and / or code domain resources to achieve 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.

[0037] As used herein, the term "sidelink positioning reference signal" or "SL PRS" refers to a reference signal for positioning purposes transmitted over a SL.

[0038] As used herein, the term "SL PRS (pre-)configuration" refers to the (pre-)configured parameters of the SL PRS, such as time-frequency resources (not excluding other parameters), including its bandwidth and periodicity.

[0039] As mentioned above, SL positioning was studied in 3GPP Release 18 to extend and improve NR positioning. The study on SL positioning follows a study in Release 17 on “Scenarios and requirements for NR positioning use cases in coverage, partial coverage, and out of coverage”, which focused on V2X and public safety use cases. In addition, requirements for “ranging-based services” were developed, and positioning accuracy requirements were developed for IIoT use cases in out of coverage scenarios.

[0040] Table 7.3.2.2-1 in 3GPP TS22.261 lists the performance requirements for different positioning service levels. It should be noted that in addition to the horizontal and vertical accuracy requirements, the requirements for positioning service availability and positioning service latency are particularly strict for positioning service levels 4 (99.9% availability and 15ms latency) and 6 (99.9% availability and 10ms latency). Examples of scenarios / use cases for positioning service levels 4 and 6 include the following.

[0041] SL positioning is based on the transmission of SL PRS by multiple anchor UEs, and the positioning accuracy may depend on the synchronization between anchor UEs. For SL synchronization, SL transmissions are organized in frames identified by direct frame numbers (DFNs). DFN enables the UE to synchronize its radio frame transmissions based on the SL timing reference. The UE performs SL synchronization by synchronizing with the reference so that SL communications between nearby UEs have the same SL timing reference. There are five sources of synchronization reference (SyncRef): Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), NR cell (or gNB), Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) cell (or eNB), SyncRef UE, or the UE's own internal clock.

[0042] The UE selects its SyncRef (summarized in Table 1) among the different priorities of the sources (where P0 to P6 correspond to the highest priority to the lowest priority, respectively) depending on whether it is GNSS-based synchronization (GNSS as the highest priority) or gNB / eNB-based synchronization (gNB / eNB has the highest priority). Table 1: Priority groups for synchronization reference sources

[0043] If there is no gNB / eNB or GNSS that can be used as a SyncRef source, the UE performs a full search (i.e., covering all subframes and all possible sidelink synchronization signal (SLSS) identities (IDs)) to detect candidate SLSSs to find the SyncRef UE. It should be noted that by detecting the SLSS transmitted by the SyncRef UE, the UE can synchronize to the SyncRef UE and estimate the start of the frame and the carrier frequency. After successfully detecting the SLSS, the UE continues to decode the physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH). If the UE does not select the SyncRef UE as the source, and multiple candidate SyncRef UEs (or SLSSIDs) are detected, whose PSBCH reference signal received power (RSRP) exceeds the minimum requirement, and the corresponding master information block side link (MIB-SL) is successfully received, then according to the priority given in Table 1, the UE selects the SyncRef UE with the highest PSBCH RSRP (PSBCH-RSRP) as the source. After the UE selects the SyncRef UE as the source, it synchronizes using the SL synchronization (sync) information carried in the sidelink synchronization signal block (S-SSB) transmitted by the SyncRef UE.

[0044] In SL, UE performs SL synchronization by synchronizing with a reference so that SL communications between nearby UEs have the same SL timing reference. If gNB / eNB or GNSS is not available as a synchronization reference source, as described above, UEs can perform SL synchronization by synchronizing with SyncRefUE. However, there may still be synchronization misalignment between UEs due to synchronization misalignment of the UEs' respective SyncRefs.

[0045] In the SL positioning approach based on time difference of arrival (TDOA), the positioning accuracy depends on the synchronization precession between anchor UEs, where a 1nsec timing misalignment may result in a positioning error of about 36cm. Therefore, highly synchronized anchor UEs are required to support the SL TDOA approach to meet the accuracy requirements of SL positioning. However, when the SL synchronization process is adopted for SL positioning, the anchor UEs may not always be well synchronized. As a result, if there is a synchronization misalignment between anchor UEs in a SL positioning session, the positioning accuracy of the target UE will be reduced. There is an unresolved issue in SL positioning in 5G NR, specifically how to minimize the impact of synchronization timing changes in timing measurement-based SL positioning (SL based on TDOA), which is a point of interest in Release 18.

[0046] An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure proposes a synchronization reference alignment scheme. In order to avoid synchronization misalignment between positioning anchor devices (e.g., anchor UEs) during SL positioning of a target device (e.g., a target UE), the scheme enables the positioning anchor device to synchronize with a common SyncRef source. Using this scheme, a server device for positioning (which may be a server UE, a location management function (LMF), a gNB or an eNB, or a GNSS) obtains information indicating the role of any device (e.g., the role of a server device, a target device, or a positioning anchor device) and / or the quality of the link between the device and the positioning anchor device. Based on the acquired information, the server device determines a common SyncRef source for synchronization of at least one positioning anchor device. The target device refers to a UE from which the LMF or server UE estimates the position, wherein the server UE may have some or all of the functions of the LMF. That is, the server UE may receive side link positioning measurements from the target device and one or more anchor devices, and it estimates the position of the target device based on the provided measurements.

[0047] In the example, the server device can trigger any device (which can be a target UE, a nearby UE, an anchor UE, a server UE, a gNB / eNB or a GNSS) to act as a common SyncRef source, for example, when the candidate SyncRef source identified by the positioning anchor device cannot identify the common SyncRef source. Based on the common SyncRef source, synchronization misalignment between positioning anchor devices can be avoided, thereby improving the accuracy performance of SL positioning.

[0048] Figure 1 An example communication environment 100 is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0049] The communication environment 100, which may be part of a communication network, includes a target device 110 to be located. The communication environment 100 also includes a plurality of positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N, which are also referred to as anchors. N represents any positive integer. For the purpose of discussion, the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N will be referred to individually or collectively as positioning anchor devices 120. The positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N may support the positioning of the target device 110 by, for example, transmitting and / or receiving reference signals for positioning, providing positioning related information, etc. For example, the positioning anchor device 120 may provide PRS assistance (including PRS) to the target device 110. In some example embodiments, in SL positioning, the target device 110 may be a target UE, and the positioning anchor device 120 may be an anchor UE.

[0050] In the communication environment 100, the server device 130 may provide management functions for locating the target device 110. For example, the server device 130 may configure the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N for PRS transmission. Any device may act as the server device 130, such as a server UE, LMF, gNB, eNB, GNSS, target UE, anchor UE, and any other device. The communication environment 100 also includes a device 140 and any other device that may communicate with one or more of the target device 110, the positioning anchor device 120, and the server device 130.

[0051] It should be understood that Figure 1 The number and type of devices shown in are for illustrative purposes and do not imply any limitation. The communication environment 100 may include any number of service devices, positioning anchor target devices, and target devices, and may also include any other devices. In some example embodiments, the communication environment 100 may include LMF, gNB, eNB, and / or GNSS.

[0052] In the following, for the purpose of illustration, some example embodiments are described in which these devices operate as terminal devices. However, in some example embodiments, the operations described in conjunction with the terminal devices may be implemented at network devices or other devices.

[0053] 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.

[0054] In the communication environment 100, SL positioning of the target device 110 is supported using SL via an SL interface (e.g., a PC5 interface between devices) or a dedicated protocol for sidelink positioning (e.g., SLPP (Sidelink Positioning Protocol)). The positioning anchor device 120 can support SL positioning of the target device, such as transmitting and / or receiving reference signals for positioning through the SL interface, providing positioning related information, etc. The target device 110 can use the reference signal transmitted via SL (i.e., PC5 interface) to obtain absolute position, relative position or ranging information. In this document, the term "ranging" refers to determining the distance and / or direction between the target device 110 and another entity (e.g., the positioning anchor device 120).

[0055] In the communication environment 100, positioning can be based on the transmission of PRS by multiple positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N, for example, received by the target device 110 in the SL TDOA method, or based on the exchange of PRS between (multiple) anchors and the target device 110, for example in the SL (multi) round-trip time (RTT) method, so that the positioning of the target device 110 and / or the ranging of the target device 110 relative to the positioning anchor device 120 is within specific delay and accuracy requirements for positioning.

[0056] In order to improve the accuracy performance of positioning, especially TDOA-based positioning, for a positioning session that uses a group of positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N to locate the target device 110, the server device 130 identifies a common SyncRef source for two or more of the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N, and configures those positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N to select the identified common SyncRef source to obtain SyncRef.

[0057] In some example embodiments, the selection of a public SyncRef source may be performed by server device 130 based on information (referred to as first information) related to any device (including device 140). The first information indicates the role of any device (e.g., the role of a server device, a target device, or a positioning anchor device) and / or the quality of a link between the device and the positioning anchor device. Server device 130 may trigger any device (e.g., target device 110 or device 140) to act as a public SyncRef source. In some embodiments, server device 130 may transmit information (referred to as second information) related to a public SyncRef source to the positioning anchor device.

[0058] In some exemplary embodiments, the selection of the common SyncRef source may be based on information (referred to as third information) related to the candidate SyncRef sources identified by the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N. In some exemplary embodiments, the selection of the common SyncRef source may be performed in parallel based on the first information and the third information.

[0059] Alternatively or additionally, the first and third information may be used sequentially. For example, if the common SyncRef source cannot be identified using the third information related to the candidate SyncRefUE identified by the positioning anchor device 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N, the first information related to other devices may be used. Devices having good (expected) radio links with the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N may be selected as the common SyncRef source.

[0060] In an example, in the case where there are more than one potential public SyncRef source, the server device 130 may select a public SyncRef source with the highest average PSBCH-RSRP for all positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N. The average PSBCH RSRP may be a ratio of the sum of the PSBCH-RSRP of each positioning anchor device 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N and the number of positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N. Alternatively or additionally, the server device 130 may select a public SyncRef source with the highest sync priority or randomly select a public SyncRef source.

[0061] In some example embodiments, at the side of server device 130, server device 130 may obtain first information indicating a radio link condition of any device to positioning anchor device 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N. The radio link condition may be indicated by a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) RSRP relative to positioning anchor device 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N. The PSCCH RSRP may be based on sidelink control information (SCI), RSRP of SL PRS, and / or RSRP of an anchor discovery message.

[0062] The first information also indicates the role of the device involved in the positioning of the target device 110. The role of the device in positioning may affect the selection of a common SyncRef source. In an example, if the device has a 'target UE' role in a sidelink positioning session, it may have a good link with all anchor UEs (because the target UE must receive SL PRS from the anchor). Therefore, the device may be selected as a common SyncRef source. In another example, if the device has a 'server UE' role in a sidelink positioning session, it may have a good link with all anchor UEs (because the server UE may configure the anchor UE for SLPRS transmission). Therefore, the device may be selected as a common SyncRef source. In some example embodiments, the server device 130 may regard itself as a candidate SyncRef source and use its own radio link conditions and role to select a common SyncRef source. The server device 130 may indicate a common SyncRef source to the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N.

[0063] In some example embodiments, the server device 130 may receive third information related to candidate SyncRef sources from the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N that may locate at least the target device 110 in the positioning session. In some example embodiments, the server device 130 may select a common SyncRef source for the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N based at least on first information from other devices and / or third information related to candidate SyncRef sources from the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N, the first information indicating radio link conditions to the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N and roles of devices involved in positioning of the target device 110.

[0064] In some example embodiments, on the side of the positioning anchor device 120, the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N may transmit third information related to the candidate SyncRef source to the server device 130. The positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N may receive second information related to the common SyncRef source from the server device 130. In some example embodiments, if any other device (e.g., the target device 110) is selected as the common SyncRef source based on the first information, the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N may receive the second information from the selected device. The positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N may synchronize with the common SyncRef source indicated in the second information.

[0065] In some example embodiments, on the side of device 140 or any other device, device 140 may indicate its role in the positioning session (if participating) to server device 130. Device 140 may transmit radio link quality information (e.g., PSCCH RSRP) about positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N to server device 130. In some example embodiments, device 140 may transmit first information to server device 130 based on a request from server device 130 to report radio link quality about two or more positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N.

[0066] In some example embodiments, if device 140 is selected as a common SyncRef source, device 140 may receive a trigger to act as a common SyncRef source. Device 140 may transmit a synchronization reference signal to at least one positioning anchor device 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N. In some example embodiments, device 140 may provide its identification (ID), such as a SyncRef ID (e.g., SLSSID), to server device 130 and / or one or more positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N. In the case where the ID of device 140 is transmitted to server device 130, server device 130 may transmit the ID to positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N. In some example embodiments, the ID may be transmitted to server device 130 as part of the first information.

[0067] In this way, all positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N can be synchronized with a common SyncRef source. Therefore, synchronization misalignment between positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N can be avoided, and positioning accuracy can be improved.

[0068] The selection of a common SyncRef source is required so that each positioning anchor device 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N can successfully receive a SyncRef signal from the source. In some exemplary embodiments, a device that already has (or is expected to have) a good radio link to the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N can be promoted to a common SyncRef source for the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N, so that all positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N have the same SyncRef. This prediction can be done based on the role of the device. For example, it can be expected that the target device 110 has a good radio link quality with the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N. This is because during the anchor selection phase, only those anchors that have a good radio link with the target device 110 (for successfully receiving the SL PRS at the target device 110) may be selected as anchors for locating the target device 110.

[0069] In some example embodiments, the candidate SyncRef sources identified by the positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N during the SyncRef search may be used to find a common SyncRef source acceptable at all positioning anchor devices 120-1, 120-2, ..., 120-N.

[0070] The following will refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 Some example embodiments are described for selecting a common SyncRef source based on first information from any other device and based on second information related to candidate SyncRef sources identified by a positioning anchor device. Example Embodiment A

[0071] Figure 2 An example process 200 of synchronization reference alignment based on first information according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. In this example, a target UE 202 (represented by UE-T) may operate as a target device 110. A server UE 204 may operate as a server device 130. Two anchor UEs 206 and 208 (represented by UE-A1 and UE-A2, respectively) may operate as positioning anchor devices 120.

[0072] At 210, the target UE 202 is in a SL-TDOA-based SL positioning session similar to DL-TDOA with the anchor UEs 206 and 208. In this example, a UE (e.g., the target UE 202) that may not currently serve as a SyncRef source is selected as a common SyncRef source for the anchor UEs 206 and 208. In order to determine which UE can trigger the SyncRef, the target UE 202 may report (214) its radio link quality (e.g., RSRP associated with the SL discovery message or SL PRS) to all anchor UEs 206 and 208. In addition, the server UE 204 may request (212) and obtain the UE's role information (e.g., target UE, server UE, not in a positioning session) from the target UE 202 and the UE. In addition, in the case where the target UE 202 is selected as the common SyncRef source, the target UE 202 may recommend its SLSSID.

[0073] Then, based on the role of the UE and / or the radio link quality, a common SyncRef UE is determined (216). For example, since the target UE 202 is expected to have a higher link quality with the anchor UEs 206 and 208 (the anchor selection process has ensured this), the target UE 202 acting as the target may be selected as the common SyncRef source. Subsequently, the target UE 202 may be assigned an SLSSID, which may be determined based on the SLSSID recommendation from the target UE 202.

[0074] At 218, the selected UE (i.e., the target UE 202) is triggered to transmit the SyncRef. Upon receiving the trigger, at 220, the selected UE (i.e., the target UE 202) begins transmitting the S-SSB with the indicated SLSSID. At 222, the server UE 204 indicates the common SyncRef to the anchor UEs 206 and 208. The common SyncRef is identified by the SLSSID. In an embodiment, the selected UE (i.e., the target UE 202), rather than the server UE 204, may be configured to transmit third information related to the common SyncRef source to the anchor UEs 206 and 208 via a side link.

[0075] At 224 and 226, the anchor UEs 206 and 208 monitor and synchronize with the indicated common SyncRef. At 228 and 230, the anchor UEs 206 and 208 transmit the SL PRS. The target UE 202 then receives the SL PRS and performs SL positioning measurements (e.g., SL reference signal time difference (RSTD)). At 232, the target UE 202 estimates its position. Example Embodiment B

[0076] Figure 3An example process 300 of synchronization reference alignment based on third information related to candidate SyncRef sources reported by anchor UEs 206 and 208 is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0077] At 302, the target UE 202 is in a SL-TDOA-based SL positioning session similar to DL-TDOA with the anchor UEs 206 and 208. At 304, the server UE 204 (or LMF) requests the anchor UEs 206 and 208 to perform synchronization search and report information about synchronization candidates. That is, the report can be based on a request from the server UE (or LMF) for third information related to the candidate SyncRef source. At 306 and 308, the anchor UEs 206 and 208 report the candidate SyncRefUEs to the server UE 204 (or LMF).

[0078] For example, outside of coverage conditions (i.e., when there is no gNB / eNB or GNSS that can be used as a SyncRef source), the anchor UEs 206 and 208 perform a full search (i.e., covering all subframes and all possible SLSSIDs) to detect candidate SLSSs to find SyncRef UEs. After successfully detecting the SLSS, the anchor UEs 206 and 208 continue to decode the PSBCH. Here, the anchor UEs 206 and 208 may detect multiple candidate SyncRef UEs (or SL SSIDs) whose PSBCH-RSRP exceeds the minimum requirement set by sl-SyncRefMinHyst, and the corresponding MIB-SL is successfully received. The anchor UEs 206 and 208 then report all candidate SyncRef UEs to the server UE 204. It should be understood that the proposed scheme can also be applied to in-coverage scenarios. The candidate SyncRef UE information contains a list of candidate SyncRef UEs (e.g., SLSSIDs and / or UE IDs), the RSRP of each candidate SyncRef UE, and the priority group of each SyncRef UE.

[0079] At 310, the server UE 204 selects a common SyncRef for the anchor UEs 206 and 208 based at least on the third information related to the candidate SyncRef sources received from the anchor UEs 206 and 208 at 306 and 308. The common SyncRef selection may also be based on the first information indicating the radio link conditions of the UEs with the anchor UEs 206 and 208 and / or the roles of the UEs involved in the sidelink positioning session (e.g., the target UE 202). This is described in Embodiment A.

[0080] In the case where there is more than one potential common SyncRef UE, the server UE 204 may select the SyncRef with the highest average PSBCH-RSRP for all anchor UEs 206 and 208, where the average PSBCH RSRP is equal to the ratio of the sum of the PSBCH-RSRP of each anchor UE to the number of anchor UEs. Alternatively, the server UE 204 may select the SyncRef with the highest sync priority. In an embodiment, if the SyncRef UE is listed as a candidate SyncRef UE by all anchor UEs 206 and 208, the server UE 204 selects one SyncRef from the SyncRef UEs as the common SyncRef.

[0081] At 312, the server UE indicates a common SyncRef to the anchor UEs 206 and 208. In an embodiment, the common SyncRef is identified by a SLSSID. At 314 and 316, the anchor UEs 206 and 208 monitor and synchronize with the indicated common SyncRef. At 318 and 320, the anchor UEs 206 and 208 transmit a SL PRS. The target UE 202 then receives the SL PRS and performs SL positioning measurements (e.g., SLRSTD). At 322, the target UE 202 estimates its position.

[0082] Because the anchor UEs 206 and 208 use the same common SyncRef source, the anchor UEs 206 and 208 are well synchronized and therefore there is no time misalignment between the anchors. This allows accurate SL RSTD measurements at the target UE 202. Example Method

[0083] Figure 4 A flowchart of an example method 400 implemented at a server device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 Method 400 is described from the perspective of server device 130 in FIG.

[0084] At block 410, the server device 130 acquires first information, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of a device in at least one device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, quality of multiple links between the device in at least one device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device. At block 420, the server device 130 determines a common synchronization reference source for synchronization of at least one positioning anchor device in the multiple positioning anchor devices based at least on the first information.

[0085] In some example embodiments, server device 130 may receive first information from at least one device.

[0086] In some example embodiments, server device 130 may, in response to selecting a device of the at least one device as a common synchronization reference source, transmit a trigger for transmitting a synchronization reference signal to the selected device.

[0087] In some example embodiments, the server device 130 may transmit second information related to the common synchronization reference source to at least one positioning anchor device among the plurality of positioning anchor devices.

[0088] In some example embodiments, the server device 130 may receive an identification of the selected device from the selected device. The second information includes an identification of the selected device of the plurality of location anchor devices.

[0089] In some example embodiments, the first information from the selected device may include an identification of the selected device.

[0090] In some example embodiments, server device 130 may transmit a request to at least one device to provide the first information.

[0091] In some example embodiments, server device 130 may receive third information related to at least one candidate synchronization reference source from a plurality of positioning anchor devices. A common synchronization reference source is determined from at least one device and at least one candidate synchronization reference source based on the first information and the third information.

[0092] In some example embodiments, the third information may include at least one of the following: a further identification of a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source, a signal strength associated with a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source, and a priority of a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source.

[0093] In some example embodiments, the server device 130 may transmit second information related to the common synchronization reference source to at least one positioning anchor device among the plurality of positioning anchor devices in response to selecting a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source as the common synchronization reference source.

[0094] In some example embodiments, the server device 130 may transmit a request to provide the third information to the plurality of positioning anchor devices.

[0095] In some example embodiments, the role of the device may include at least one of the following: a role of a positioning anchor device during positioning of the target device, a role of the target device, and a role of a server device.

[0096] Figure 5 A flowchart of an example method 500 implemented at a device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1The perspective description method 500 of the device 140 in FIG.

[0097] In block 510 , the device 140 transmits first information to a server device, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of the device during positioning of a target based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, and qualities of multiple links between the device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device.

[0098] In some example embodiments, device 140 may receive a trigger for transmitting a synchronization reference signal from a server device; and transmit the synchronization reference signal.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the device 140 may transmit the device identification to at least one of: a server device or at least one of the plurality of location anchor devices.

[0100] In some example embodiments, device 140 may receive a request from a server device to provide the first information.

[0101] In some example embodiments, the role of the device may include the role of a positioning anchor device during positioning of the target device, the role of the target device, or the role of a server device.

[0102] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example method 600 implemented at a positioning anchor device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. For discussion purposes, the method 600 will be described in detail in FIG. Figure 1 The angle of the positioning anchor device 120 is described.

[0103] At block 610, the positioning anchor device 120 receives second information related to a common synchronization reference source from a server device or from a device serving as a common synchronization reference source, the common synchronization reference source being determined based on at least the first information, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of the common synchronization reference source during positioning of the target device, the quality of multiple links between the common synchronization reference source and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device. At block 630, the positioning anchor device 120 determines a synchronization reference source for transmission and reception of a sidelink positioning reference signal based on at least the second information.

[0104] In some example embodiments, the positioning anchor device 120 may transmit third information related to at least one candidate synchronization reference source to the server device. The common synchronization reference source is determined based on the first information and the third information.

[0105] In some example embodiments, the third information may include at least one of the following: an identification of a candidate synchronization reference source among at least one candidate synchronization reference source, a signal strength associated with a candidate synchronization reference source among at least one candidate synchronization reference source, and a priority of a candidate synchronization reference source among at least one candidate synchronization reference source.

[0106] In some example embodiments, the positioning anchor device 120 receives a request from a server device to provide the third information.

[0107] In some example embodiments, the role of the common synchronization reference source may include at least one of the following: a role of a positioning anchor device during positioning of the target device, a role of the target device, and a role of a server device. Example devices, equipment, and media

[0108] In some example embodiments, a first device (eg, Figure 1 The server device 130 in the method 400 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 400. The component may be implemented in any suitable form. For example, the component may be implemented in a circuit or a software module. The first device may be implemented as Figure 1 The server device 130 in or included in Figure 1 In the server device 130 in.

[0109] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: a component for obtaining first information, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of a device in at least one device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, the quality of multiple links between the device in at least one device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning the target device; and a component for determining a common synchronization reference source for synchronization of at least one positioning anchor device among the multiple positioning anchor devices based at least on the first information.

[0110] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for receiving the first information from at least one device.

[0111] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for, in response to selecting a device of the at least one device as a common synchronization reference source, transmitting a trigger for transmitting a synchronization reference signal to the selected device.

[0112] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting second information related to the common synchronization reference source to the plurality of positioning anchor devices.

[0113] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for receiving an identification of the selected device from the selected device. The second information comprises an identification of the selected device of the plurality of location anchor devices.

[0114] In some example embodiments, the first information from the selected device includes an identification of the selected device.

[0115] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for transmitting a request to provide the first information to at least one device.

[0116] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: a component for receiving third information related to at least one candidate synchronization reference source from a plurality of positioning anchor devices. The common synchronization reference source is determined from at least one device and at least one candidate synchronization reference source based on the first information and the third information.

[0117] In some example embodiments, the third information includes at least one of the following: a further identification of a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source, a signal strength associated with a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source, and a priority of a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source.

[0118] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting second information related to the common synchronization reference source to the plurality of positioning anchor devices in response to selecting a candidate synchronization reference source of the at least one candidate synchronization reference source as the common synchronization reference source.

[0119] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for transmitting a request to provide the third information to the plurality of positioning anchor devices.

[0120] In some example embodiments, the role of the device comprises at least one of the following: a role of a positioning anchor device during positioning of the target device, a role of the target device, and a role of a server device.

[0121] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of method 400 or server device 130. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to perform the operations.

[0122] In some example embodiments, a second device (eg, Figure 1The device 140 in the second apparatus 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 or a software module. The second device may be implemented as Figure 1 The device 140 or included in Figure 1 In the device 140.

[0123] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus includes means for transmitting first information to a server device, the first information indicating at least one of: a role of the device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, or qualities of multiple links between the device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device.

[0124] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for receiving a trigger for transmitting a synchronization reference signal from the server device; and means for transmitting the synchronization reference signal.

[0125] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting the device identification to at least one of: a server device or at least one positioning anchor device among the plurality of positioning anchor devices.

[0126] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for receiving a request from a server device to provide the first information.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the role of the device comprises a role of a positioning anchor device during positioning of the target device, a role of the target device, or a role of a server device.

[0128] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of method 500 or apparatus 140. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to perform the operations.

[0129] In some exemplary embodiments, a third device (eg, Figure 1 The positioning anchor 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 or a software module. The third device may be implemented as Figure 1 The positioning anchor device 120 or is included in Figure 1 In the positioning anchor device 120.

[0130] In some example embodiments, the third device includes: a component for receiving second information related to a common synchronization reference source from a server device or from a device serving as a common synchronization reference source, the common synchronization reference source being determined based on at least first information, the first information indicating at least one of: a role of the common synchronization reference source during positioning of the target device, the quality of multiple links between the common synchronization reference source and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device; and a component for determining a synchronization reference source for transmission and reception of a side link positioning reference signal based at least on the second information.

[0131] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting third information related to at least one candidate synchronization reference source to the server device. The common synchronization reference source is determined based on the first information and the third information.

[0132] In some example embodiments, the third information includes at least one of the following: an identification of a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source, a signal strength associated with a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source, and a priority of a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source.

[0133] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises means for receiving a request from a server device to provide the third information.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the role of the common synchronization reference source may include at least one of the following: a role of a positioning anchor device during positioning of the target device, a role of the target device, and a role of a server device.

[0135] In some exemplary embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises a component for performing other operations in some exemplary embodiments of the method 600 or the positioning anchor device 120. In some exemplary embodiments, the component comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to cause the third apparatus to perform operations.

[0136] Figure 7 700 is a simplified block diagram of a device 700 suitable for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 700 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as a server device 130, or a device 140 or a positioning anchor device 120, such as Figure 1 As shown in the figure, the device 700 includes one or more processors 710, one or more memories 720 coupled to the processor 710, and one or more communication modules 740 coupled to the processor 710.

[0137] The communication module 740 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 740 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 to communicate with other network elements. In some example embodiments, the communication module 740 may include at least one antenna.

[0138] Processor 710 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 700 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock that synchronizes a main processor.

[0139] The memory 720 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) 724, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, laser disk, and other magnetic and / or optical memories. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 722 and other volatile memories that will not last for the duration of a power outage.

[0140] The computer program 730 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 710. The instructions of the program 730 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 730 may be stored in a memory (e.g., ROM 724). The processor 710 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 730 into the RAM 722.

[0141] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by the program 730 so that the device 700 may execute the Figures 1 to 6 Any process of the present disclosure discussed. Example embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the program 730 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 700 (e.g., in the memory 720) or in other storage devices accessible by the device 700. The device 700 may load the program 730 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 722 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 refers to the limitation of the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), as opposed to the limitation on the persistence of data storage (e.g., RAM vs. .ROM).

[0143] Figure 8 An example of a computer readable medium 800 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 800 has a program 730 stored thereon.

[0144] 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 using some other graphical representations, it should be understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, 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.

[0145] Some example embodiments of the present disclosure also provide at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-volatile computer-readable medium). The computer program product includes computer executable instructions, such as those included in a program module that are executed in a device on a target physical or virtual processor 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. The functionality of the program modules can be combined or split between program modules as needed in different embodiments. The machine executable instructions for the program modules can be executed in local or distributed devices. In distributed devices, program modules can be located in local and remote storage media.

[0146] The program code for performing the method of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. The program code may be provided to a processor or controller of 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, causes the implementation of the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram. The program code may be executed entirely on the machine, partially on the machine, as an independent software package, partially on the machine, partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0147] 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 the various processes and operations described above. Examples of carriers include signals, computer readable media, etc.

[0148] 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 devices, 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.

[0149] Further, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring the execution of such operations in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or the execution of all described operations, to achieve the desired result. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to a particular embodiment. Unless explicitly 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 explicitly stated, the different features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments individually or in any suitable subcombination.

[0150] Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and / or methodological actions, it is to be understood that the 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.

[0151] In some aspects, a server device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and At least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the server device to at least: Obtaining first information, where the first information indicates at least one of the following: a role of the device in the at least one device during positioning of the target device based at least on the sidelink positioning reference signal, qualities of a plurality of links between the device in the at least one device and a plurality of positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device; and Based at least on the first information, a common synchronization reference source for synchronization of at least one positioning anchor device among the plurality of positioning anchor devices is determined.

[0152] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the server device to: receive first information from at least one device.

[0153] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the server device to: in response to selecting a device among the at least one device as the common synchronization reference source, transmit a trigger for transmitting a synchronization reference signal to the selected device.

[0154] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the server device to: transmit second information related to the common synchronization reference source to at least one positioning anchor device among the plurality of positioning anchor devices.

[0155] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the server device to: receive an identification of the selected device from the selected device, wherein the second information includes the identification of the selected device of the plurality of location anchor devices.

[0156] In some embodiments, the first information from the selected device includes an identification of the selected device.

[0157] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the server device to: transmit a request to provide the first information to the at least one device.

[0158] In some embodiments, at least one memory and at least one processor further enable the server device to: receive third information related to at least one candidate synchronization reference source from at least one positioning anchor device among a plurality of positioning anchor devices, wherein a common synchronization reference source is determined from at least one device and at least one candidate synchronization reference source based on the first information and the third information.

[0159] In some embodiments, the third information includes at least one of the following: a further identification of a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source, a signal strength associated with a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source, and a priority of a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source.

[0160] In some embodiments, the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the server device to: in response to selecting a candidate synchronization reference source among at least one candidate synchronization reference source as the common synchronization reference source, transmit second information related to the common synchronization reference source to multiple positioning anchor devices.

[0161] In some embodiments, the role of the device includes at least one of the following: a role of a positioning anchor device during positioning of the target device, a role of the target device, and a role of a server device.

[0162] In some aspects, an apparatus is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and At least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the device to at least: transmit first information to a server device, where the first information indicates at least one of the following: a role of the device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, and qualities of multiple links between the device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device.

[0163] In some aspects, a positioning anchor device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and At least one memory stores instructions, which, when executed by at least one processor, cause the positioning anchor device to at least: receiving, from the server device or from a device serving as a common synchronization reference source, second information related to a common synchronization reference source, the common synchronization reference source being determined based on at least the first information, the first information indicating at least one of: a role of the common synchronization reference source during positioning of the target device, qualities of a plurality of links between the common synchronization reference source and a plurality of positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device; and A synchronization reference source for transmission and reception of a sidelink positioning reference signal is determined based at least on the second information.

[0164] In some aspects, a method is provided, comprising: Obtaining first information, where the first information indicates at least one of the following: a role of the device in at least one device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, qualities of a plurality of links between a device of the at least one device and a plurality of positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device; and A common synchronization reference source for synchronization of at least one positioning anchor device among the plurality of positioning anchor devices is determined based at least on the first information.

[0165] In some aspects, a method is provided, comprising: Transmitting first information to a server device, wherein the first information indicates at least one of the following: a role of the device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, and qualities of multiple links between the device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device.

[0166] In some aspects, a method is provided, comprising: receiving, from the server device or from a device serving as a common synchronization reference source, second information related to a common synchronization reference source, the common synchronization reference source being determined based on at least the first information, the first information indicating at least one of: a role of the common synchronization reference source during positioning of the target device, qualities of a plurality of links between the common synchronization reference source and a plurality of positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device; and A synchronization reference source for transmission and reception of a sidelink positioning reference signal is determined based at least on the second information.

[0167] In some aspects, a server device is provided, comprising: A component for obtaining first information, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of a device in at least one device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, the quality of multiple links between the device in at least one device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning the target device; and a component for determining a common synchronization reference source for synchronization of at least one positioning anchor device among the multiple positioning anchor devices based at least on the first information.

[0168] In some aspects, an apparatus is provided, comprising: A component for transmitting first information to a server device, the first information indicating at least one of the following: a role of the device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, and qualities of multiple links between the device and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device.

[0169] In some aspects, a positioning anchor device is provided, comprising: A component for receiving second information related to a common synchronization reference source from a server device or from a device serving as a common synchronization reference source, the common synchronization reference source being determined based on at least first information, the first information indicating at least one of: a role of the common synchronization reference source during positioning of a target device, qualities of multiple links between the common synchronization reference source and multiple positioning anchor devices used for positioning of the target device; and a component for determining a synchronization reference source for transmission and reception of a sidelink positioning reference signal based on at least the second information.

[0170] In some aspects, a computer-readable medium is provided, including instructions stored thereon, the instructions being used to cause an apparatus to at least perform a method according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A server device, comprising: at least one processor; as well as At least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the server device to at least: Acquire first information, where the first information indicates at least one of the following: a role of the device in at least one device during positioning of a target device based at least on a sidelink positioning reference signal, qualities of a plurality of links between the device of the at least one device and a plurality of location anchor devices used for the location of the target device; as well as Based at least on the first information, a common synchronization reference source for synchronization of at least one positioning anchor device among the plurality of positioning anchor devices is determined.

2. The server device of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the server device to: The first information is received from the at least one device.

3. The server device of claim 1 , wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the server device to: In response to selecting the device of the at least one device as the common synchronization reference source, a trigger for transmitting a synchronization reference signal is transmitted to the selected device.

4. The server device of claim 3, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the server device to: The second information related to the common synchronization reference source is transmitted to at least one positioning anchor device among the plurality of positioning anchor devices.

5. The server device of claim 4, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the server device to: receiving an identification of the selected device from the selected device, The second information includes an identification of the selected device from among the multiple positioning anchor devices.

6. The server device of claim 5, wherein the first information from the selected device includes the identification of the selected device.

7. The server device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further enable the server device to: A request to provide the first information is transmitted to the at least one device.

8. The server device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the server device to: receiving third information related to at least one candidate synchronization reference source from at least one positioning anchor device among the plurality of positioning anchor devices, The common synchronization reference source is determined from the at least one device and the at least one candidate synchronization reference source based on the first information and the third information.

9. The server device according to claim 8, wherein the third information includes at least one of the following: a further identification of a candidate synchronization reference source of the at least one candidate synchronization reference source, a signal strength associated with a candidate synchronization reference source of the at least one candidate synchronization reference source, A priority of a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source.

10. The server device of claim 8, wherein the at least one memory and the at least one processor further cause the server device to: In response to selecting a candidate synchronization reference source among the at least one candidate synchronization reference source as the common synchronization reference source, second information related to the common synchronization reference source is transmitted to the multiple positioning anchor devices.

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