Delivery of sidelink positioning protocol messages

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to delivery of sidelink positioning protocol messages, and to apparatuses, methods, and computer readable storage media for isolated implementation of delivering sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP) messages. In the method, a first device receives, from a second device, a request including a first indication to be indicated to a third device. The first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning procedure. The first device then transmits a first indication to a third device. Further, the first device transmits, to the second device, information indicating at least reachability between the first device and the third device based on monitoring of feedback information associated with the first indication from the third device. Thereby, the proposed method may advantageously support delivery of SLPP messages to an unreachable device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various example embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of telecommunications, and more particularly, to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for delivery of Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) messages. 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] Sidelink (SL) positioning is one of the positioning techniques that enables positioning of a target UE within the precise delay and accuracy requirements of a corresponding SL positioning session based on the transmission of SL positioning reference signals (SL-PRS) between an anchor user equipment (UE) and a target UE. In a SL positioning scenario, a target UE may perform a SL positioning procedure, for example, by exchanging SL-PRS with one or more anchor UEs to determine its position. In some cases, a target UE may perform self-positioning based on (multiple) 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. The at least one memory stores instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the first device at least: receives a request including a first indication to be indicated to a third device from a second device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning process; transmits the first indication to the third device; and based on monitoring feedback information associated with the first indication from the third device, transmits to the second device information indicating at least reachability between the first device and the third device.

[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. The at least one memory stores instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the second device at least: transmits a request including a first indication to be indicated to a third device to a first device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning process; and receives from the first device information at least indicating reachability between the first device and the third device, the information being determined based on monitoring feedback information associated with the first indication from the third device.

[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. The at least one memory stores instructions. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the third device at least: receives a first indication from a first device, the first indication is obtained by the first device from a request from a second device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning process; and transmits feedback information associated with the first indication to the first device, the feedback information indicating reachability between the first device and the third device.

[0007] In a fourth 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. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the first device at least: receives a request from a second device, the request indicating that auxiliary data of a sidelink positioning process involving the first device and the second device is to be transmitted to a third device via a fourth device participating in the sidelink positioning process; and transmits the auxiliary data to the fourth device, so that the auxiliary data is transmitted from the fourth device to the third device.

[0008] In a fifth 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. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the second device at least: transmits a request to a first device, wherein the request indicates that auxiliary data of a sidelink positioning process involving the first device and the second device is to be transmitted to a third device via a fourth device participating in the sidelink positioning process.

[0009] In a sixth 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. When the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the third device at least: receives auxiliary data of the side link positioning process from a fourth device participating in the side link positioning process, wherein the auxiliary data is transmitted from the first device to the fourth device, and wherein the first device and the second device participate in the side link positioning process; and stores information of a path to the first device via the fourth device.

[0010] In a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving a request including a first indication to be indicated to a third device from a second device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning procedure; transmitting the first indication to the third device; and based on monitoring feedback information associated with the first indication from the third device, transmitting to the second device information indicating at least reachability between the first device and the third device.

[0011] In an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: transmitting a request including a first indication to be indicated to a third device to a first device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning procedure; and receiving from the first device information indicating at least reachability between the first device and the third device, the information being determined based on monitoring feedback information associated with the first indication from the third device.

[0012] In a ninth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving a first indication from a first device, the first indication being obtained by the first device from a request from a second device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning procedure; and transmitting feedback information associated with the first indication to the first device, the feedback information indicating reachability between the first device and the third device.

[0013] In a tenth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving a request from a second device, the request indicating that auxiliary data of a sidelink positioning process involving the first device and the second device is to be transmitted to a third device via a fourth device participating in the sidelink positioning process; and transmitting the auxiliary data to the fourth device, so that the auxiliary data is transmitted from the fourth device to the third device.

[0014] In an eleventh aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided, comprising: transmitting a request to a first device, the request indicating that assistance data of a sidelink positioning process involving the first device and the second device is transmitted to a third device via a fourth device participating in the sidelink positioning process.

[0015] In a twelfth aspect of the present disclosure, a method is provided. The method includes: receiving auxiliary data of a sidelink positioning process from a fourth device participating in the sidelink positioning process, wherein the auxiliary data is transmitted from the first device to the fourth device, and wherein the first device and the second device participate in the sidelink positioning process; and storing information of a path to the first device via the fourth device.

[0016] In a thirteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: a component for receiving a request including a first indication to be indicated to a third device from a second device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning procedure; a component for transmitting the first indication to the third device; and a component for transmitting information indicating at least reachability between the first device and the third device to the second device based on monitoring feedback information associated with the first indication from the third device.

[0017] In a fourteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: a component for transmitting a request including a first indication to be indicated to a third device to a first device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning procedure; and a component for receiving from the first device information at least indicating reachability between the first device and the third device, the information being determined based on monitoring feedback information associated with the first indication from the third device.

[0018] In a fifteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a third device is provided. The third device includes: a component for receiving a first indication from a first device, the first indication being obtained by the first device from a request from a second device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning procedure; and a component for transmitting feedback information associated with the first indication to the first device, the feedback information indicating reachability between the first device and the third device.

[0019] In a sixteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a first device is provided. The first device includes: a component for receiving a request from a second device, the request indicating that auxiliary data of a sidelink positioning process involving the first device and the second device is to be transmitted to a third device via a fourth device participating in the sidelink positioning process; and a component for transmitting the auxiliary data to the fourth device, so that the auxiliary data is transmitted from the fourth device to the third device.

[0020] In a seventeenth aspect of the present disclosure, a second device is provided. The second device includes: a component for transmitting a request to a first device, wherein the request indicates that auxiliary data of a sidelink positioning process involving the first device and the second device is to be transmitted to a third device via a fourth device participating in the sidelink positioning process.

[0021] In an eighteenth aspect of the present disclosure, a third device is provided. The third device includes: a component for receiving auxiliary data of a side link positioning process from a fourth device participating in the side link positioning process, wherein the auxiliary data is transmitted from a first device to the fourth device, and wherein the first device and the second device participate in the side link positioning process; and a component for storing information of a path to the first device via the fourth device.

[0022] In a nineteenth 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 seventh aspect.

[0023] In a twentieth 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 eighth aspect.

[0024] In a twenty-first 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 ninth aspect.

[0025] In a twenty-second 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 tenth aspect.

[0026] In a twenty-third 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 eleventh aspect.

[0027] In a twenty-fourth 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 twelfth aspect.

[0028] 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

[0029] Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0030] Figure 1 An example communication environment is shown in which example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0031] Figure 2 An example SL positioning scenario is shown;

[0032] Figure 3 A signaling diagram showing a Side Link Mobile Originated Location Request (SL MO-LR) procedure;

[0033] Figure 4 shows a signaling diagram for delivering SLPP messages according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] Figure 5 shows a signaling diagram for delivering SLPP messages in an example scenario according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0035] Figure 6 shows another signaling diagram for delivering SLPP messages according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 7 shows a signaling diagram for delivering SLPP messages in another example scenario according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 8 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0038] Fig. 9 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0039] Fig.10 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a third device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0040] Fig.11 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0041] Fig.12 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0042] Fig.13 A flowchart showing a method implemented at a third device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown;

[0043] Fig.14 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0044] Fig.15 A block diagram of an example computer-readable medium is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0045] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0046] 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 suggesting 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.

[0047] 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.

[0048] 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, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in conjunction with an embodiment, it is considered within the knowledge of those skilled in the art that other embodiments (whether or not explicitly described) may be combined to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic.

[0049] It should be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used to describe various elements in this article, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element, and they do not limit the order of nouns. For example, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiment, the first element may be referred to as the second element, and similarly, the second element may be referred to as the first element. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0050] As used herein, “at least one of: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions, where a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”, mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all of the elements.

[0051] 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.

[0052] 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 "include", "comprise", "have", "have", "include" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the 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.

[0053] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one, more, or all of the following: (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation only in analog and / or digital circuitry), as well as (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 part having hardware processor(s) (including digital signal processor(s), software and memory(s) which work together to enable a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions), and (c) Hardware circuits and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portions of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but which may not be present when the software is not required to operate.

[0054] The definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As yet another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. For example and if applicable to a 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.

[0055] 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 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 will certainly be future types of communication technologies and systems that can implement the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above-mentioned system.

[0056] 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), 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. 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.

[0057] The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. As an example and not limitation, a 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 device (LME), a USB dongle, a smart device, a wireless client device (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a watch or other wearable, 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 the context of an industrial and / or automated processing chain), consumer electronic devices, devices 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 equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

[0058] 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 equally applicable to other resources in other domains.

[0059] 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, a third device 130, and a fourth device 140. Any two of the four devices may communicate with each other.

[0060] Sidelink (SL) positioning has been supported in New Radio (NR) systems. SL positioning is based on the transmission of a Sidelink Positioning Reference Signal (SL-PRS) between an anchor UE and a target UE to enable the target UE to be positioned within the precise delay and accuracy requirements of the corresponding SL positioning session.

[0061] Figure 2 An exemplary SL positioning scenario 200 is shown. Figure 2 As shown, the target UE 210 is performing a SL positioning session with two anchor UEs (i.e., anchor UE 220-1 and anchor UE 220-2) to determine its position. For example, the target UE may exchange SL-PRS with the two anchor UEs. Before and after the transmission and measurement of the SL PRS, a series of steps are performed to achieve SL positioning. Figure 3 Describe this.

[0062] 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 an 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 (not excluding other parameters).

[0063] Hereinafter, for the purpose of illustration, some example embodiments are described as the first device 110 operating as an anchor UE, the second device 120 operating as a server UE or a location management function (LMF) device, the third device 130 operating as another anchor UE different from the first device 110, and the fourth device 140 operating as a target UE. However, it should be understood that the above examples are discussed only for the purpose of illustration and not limitation.

[0064] 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.

[0065] Figure 3 A signaling diagram 300 for a Sidelink Mobile Originated Location Request (SL MO-LR) procedure is shown. Figure 3 As shown, the SL MO-LR procedure involves at least a group of UEs, an access and mobility management function (AMF) device 302, an LMF device 303, a policy control function (PCF) device 304, a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 305, and a location service (LCS) client 306.

[0066] A group of UEs may include N UEs, where N may be any suitable integer, such as 2, 3, 5, etc. For ease of illustration and not limitation, Figure 3 301-1, UE2 301-2 and UEN 301-N are clearly shown in FIG. 301-1. UE1 301-1, UE2 301-2 and UEN 301-N may be individually or collectively referred to as UE 301 in the following. It should be understood that in FIG. Figure 3 In the illustrated example process, the LCS client 306 is only an example and not a limitation. The LCS client 306 can be replaced with a network open function (NEF) device or an application function (AF) device.

[0067] In some cases, UE1 301-1 is in coverage and registered with a serving public land mobile network (PLMN). Other UEs (i.e., UE2 301-2 to UEN 301-N) may or may not be in coverage, and if in coverage, may or may not be registered with the same serving PLMN as UE1 301-1.

[0068] At 310, a group of UEs 301, AMF 302, LMF 303 and PCF 304 may perform ranging or SL positioning service authorization and policy or parameter provisioning. If an indication of UE-only operation is received, the process of ranging / sidelink positioning control may be performed.

[0069] At 312, based on the trigger of the service request (e.g., received from the application layer), UE discovery is performed for ranging / SL positioning. If UE1 301-1 is the target UE, UE1 301-1 discovers UE2 301-2 to the UEN 301-N. If UE1 301-1 is an anchor UE (a positioned UE), the target UE (i.e., one of UE2 301-2 to the UEN 301-N) discovers UE1 301-1 (and other anchor UEs (positioned UEs) in UE2 301-2 to the UEN 301-N).

[0070] Then, at 314, a secure multicast and / or unicast link is established between a group of UEs 301. At 316, a group of UEs 301 may notify and verify ranging or SL positioning. At 318, a group of UEs 301 may exchange capabilities. For example, UE1 301-1 may obtain a sidelink positioning capability of UE2 301-2 to UEN 301-N by using the multicast and / or unicast link established at 314.

[0071] Thereafter, at 320, the target UE determines to perform SL-MO-LR based on the sidelink positioning capabilities of a group of UEs 301. At 322, if UE1 301-1 is in the Connection Management (CM)-Idle state, UE1 301-1 initiates a UE-triggered service request to establish a signaling connection with the serving AMF 302 of UE1 301-1. At 324, UE1 301-1 sends a supplementary service SL-MO-LR request to the serving AMF 302 in a UL NASTRANSPORT message.

[0072] At 326, the serving AMF 302 selects the LMF 303 that serves UE1 301-1 (e.g., an LMF 303 that supports sidelink positioning / ranging), and sends the NLMF 303_Location_DetermineLocation service operation from the SL-MO-LR request to the LMF 303. The service operation includes the LCS correlation identifier. Then, at 328, the LMF 303 transmits a request for a set of capabilities of the UE 301 to UE1 301-1. At 330, UE1 301-1 returns its capabilities to the LMF 303. UE1 301-1 may additionally return the capabilities of the UE obtained at 318, if requested by the LMF 303 at 328.

[0073] At 332, UE1 301-1 may send a request for specific assistance data to LMF 303, and LMF 303 may send the requested assistance data to UE1 301-1. In addition, UE1 301-1 forwards the assistance data received from LMF 303 to UE2 301-2, ..., UEN 301-N. The assistance data may help a group of UEs 301 to obtain sidelink location measurements at 336 and / or may help UE1 301-1 to calculate sidelink positioning / ranging position results at 338. At 334, if UE2 301-2, ..., UEN 301-N and LMF 303 belong to the same PLMN, LMF 303 sends a location information request to UE1 301-1, and may also send a location information request to UE2 301-2, ..., UEN 301-N.

[0074] At 336, a sidelink positioning / ranging process occurs between a group of UEs 301. At 338, if the absolute position information of the target UE is required at 324 and if the absolute position of the anchor UE (the positioned UE) is not available, the target UE sends a request to the anchor UE (the positioned UE) to trigger the 5GC-MO-LR process to let the anchor UE (the positioned UE) obtain its own absolute position. At 340, if the LMF 303 determines to use UE-based calculation, at least one of the group of UEs 301 calculates a sidelink positioning / ranging position result based on the sidelink position measurement obtained at 336 and possibly using the assistance data received at 332.

[0075] At 342, if UE1 301-1 receives a request for location information at 334, UE1 301-1 sends a response to LMF303 and includes the side link location measurement obtained at 336, the side link positioning / ranging location result obtained at 340 (if it is performed), or the anchor UE (positioned UE) absolute position obtained at 338.

[0076] At 344, if the absolute location information of the target UE is required at 324, and if the absolute location of the anchor UE (located UE) is not received at 342, the LMF 303 can retrieve the location of the anchor UE (located UE) locally, or trigger a 5GC-MT-LR process to the GMLC 305 to obtain the absolute location of the anchor UE (located UE) using the application layer ID or GPSI of the anchor UE (located UE). The LMF 303 includes the QoS requirements received at 324 in the request, which is used to derive the QoS of the anchor UE (located UE) positioning. If a scheduled positioning time is used, the LMF 303 includes the scheduled positioning time in the request to the GMLC 305.

[0077] At 346, LMF 303 calculates a sidelink positioning / ranging position result for a group of UEs 301 based on the sidelink position measurement received at 342 and the absolute position of the anchor UE (located UE) at 344. At 348, LMF 303 returns a NLMF 303_Location_DetermineLocation service operation response to AMF 302 and includes the sidelink positioning / ranging position result received at 342 or calculated at 346.

[0078] At 350, if the sidelink positioning / ranging position result is received at 348, the AMF 302 sends the sidelink positioning / ranging position result to the GMLC 305 and to the AF or LCS client 306 if this is requested at 324. The sidelink positioning / ranging position result includes the identifier of the corresponding UE(s) received at 324.

[0079] At 352, LMF 303 returns a supplementary service SL-MO-LR response to UE1 301-1 in a DL NAS TRANSPORT message and, if 346 is performed, includes any sidelink positioning / ranging position results calculated at 346. If UE1 301-1 is an anchor UE (a positioned UE) and the target UE is one of UE2 301-2 to UEN 301-N and does not have a NAS connection, UE1 301-1 may transmit the sidelink positioning / ranging position results to the target UE.

[0080] As can be seen, LMF 303 can provide assistance data to UEx (e.g., one of UE2 301-2 to UEN 301-N) via UE1 301-1. That is, one UE can forward assistance data from LMF 303 to another UE. The UE forwarding the assistance data can be one of the target UE or anchor (located) UE.

[0081] Referring to the above procedure for SL MO-LR, where UE1 301-1 forwards assistance data from LMF 303 to another UEx, where UEx may be any other UE from a group of UE2, ..., UEN as described in the above paragraph, UEx may not necessarily be within reach of UE1 301-1. This is especially the case where UE1 301-1 is one of the anchor (located) UEs. In that case, UEx may not be able to receive assistance data (necessary for SL positioning) because the only specified method involves UE1 301-1, which is unreachable or unreachable from UEx. There are situations where two UEs may not be within reach of each other (e.g., due to time congestion between them, as is common in urban environments), where LMF 303 is not aware of this time situation. However, this situation will lead to implementation defects because UEx will not receive assistance data and cannot actually participate in the positioning session of the target UE.

[0082] Several solutions are proposed to at least solve the above problems. The proposed solutions involve one or more of the following features:

[0083] 1) Auxiliary data flow between a group of UEs involves a feedback mechanism, such as an ACK or NACK mechanism. In some example embodiments, the LMF or server UE includes an additional flag immediately after providing auxiliary data to UE1 to indicate that UE1 requests ACK / NACK information from other anchor UEs. It should be understood that UE1 may not require an ACK / NACK flag for communication to the target UE.

[0084] 2) The LMF or server UE requests from UE1 that the source node providing the assistance data (ie, the ID of the server UE or LMF) be included in the message forwarding the assistance data to other UEs.

[0085] 3) If UE1 is configured by LMF to include an explicit or implicit ACK / NACK flag, then UE1 includes an ACK / NACK request when forwarding auxiliary data to UE2,...,UEN. In addition, UE1 can embed or include the source ID of the node that manages SL PRS (for example, the ID / address of the server UE or LMF) in the message forwarding the auxiliary data to UE2,...,UEN. The explicit ACK / NACK flag refers to a flag introduced by UE1 to request confirmation or negative confirmation of the safe reception of the auxiliary data message from other UEs. The implicit ACK / NACK flag refers to a request for confirmation within a specified timer, so that if the confirmation message is not received, the transmission entity (UE1) implicitly assumes a negative confirmation of the auxiliary data message.

[0086] 4) In the event that another UE (e.g., UEx) initiates a NACK to UE1, or equivalently, the ACK timer set by UE1 expires, or no PC5 connection is successfully established, UE1 considers an alternative route to reach UEx. In some example embodiments, the alternative route may be a route from UE1 to target UE to UEx. UE1 may include a flag to UEx in the auxiliary data (forwarded by the LMF). The flag indicates that the communication between UE1 and UEx flows via the target UE. Alternatively or additionally, UE1 may indicate to the LMF a list of anchor UEs that directly receive the auxiliary data by UE1 and those anchor UEs that indirectly receive the auxiliary data via the target UE. The LMF may update a set of destination IDs in the message delivering the auxiliary data for future transmission of the auxiliary data to the anchor UE. In this manner, the target UE is reached from the LMF via UE1 to any anchor UE that is designated as not having a direct link with UE1.

[0087] 5) UEx stores the alternative path from which assistance data is received from UE1 via the target UE. For any further communication from UEx to UE1 (and equivalently from UEx to LMF via UE1) during the positioning session, UEx may take the path from UEx to target UE to UE1 (to LMF). For example, UEx as an anchor UE may request modification of SL PRS resources by LMF. In that case, UEx knows that the direct link to UE1 is unreliable or broken, so it avoids using the problematic link and instead uses the link UEx uses to target UE to UE1 (to LMF), which has been proven to work adequately.

[0088] Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0089] Figure 4 A signaling diagram 400 for communicating SLPP messages according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0090] For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Signaling diagram 400 is discussed, for example, by using first device 110, second device 120, third device 130, and fourth device 140. In some example embodiments, first device 110 may include an anchor terminal device, second device 120 may include an LMF device or a server terminal device, third device 130 may include another anchor terminal device, and fourth device 140 may include a target terminal device. It is assumed that at least first device 110, second device 120, and fourth device 140 are involved in a sidelink positioning process or session.

[0091] In signaling diagram 400, second device 120 transmits (410) to first device 110 a request including a first indication to be indicated to third device 130. By way of example and not limitation, the first indication may be an ACK flag. In response to receiving (415) the request, first device 110 transmits (420) the first indication to third device 130.

[0092] In some example embodiments, the request may indicate that the first indication is to be transmitted together with assistance data for a sidelink positioning procedure. In this case, the first device 110 may transmit assistance data including the first indication to the third device 130. Accordingly, the third device 130 receives assistance data including the first indication from the first device 110. As used herein, the term "assistance data" refers to data containing information provided to an anchor UE about a SL PRS configuration, which is a configuration of a SL PRS transmitted by the anchor UE.

[0093] Alternatively or additionally, the request may further include a second indication indicating an identification of the second device 120, such as an ID of the second device 120. In this case, the first device 110 may transmit the second indication to the third device 130. Accordingly, the third device 130 receives the second indication indicating the identification of the second device 120 from the first device 110.

[0094] In addition, the request may indicate that the second indication is to be transmitted together with the assistance data of the sidelink positioning process, and the first device 110 therefore transmits the assistance data including the second indication to the third device 130. Accordingly, the third device 130 receives the assistance data including the second indication from the first device 110.

[0095] The third device 130 receives (425) the first indication from the first device 110, and transmits (430) feedback information associated with the first indication to the first device 110. The feedback information indicates reachability between the first device 110 and the third device 130. As used herein, if communication can be established between the first device 110 and the third device 130 with sufficient quality or the received power of the corresponding signals transmitted between the first device 110 and the third device 130 is above a certain threshold, then the third device 130 can be described as being reachable from the perspective of the first device 110. Otherwise, the third device 130 is considered to be unreachable, that is, unreachable from the perspective of the first device 110.

[0096] The first device 110 transmits (440) information indicating at least reachability between the first device 110 and the third device 130 to the second device 120 based on monitoring (435) of feedback information associated with the first indication from the third device 130. The second device 120 receives (445) information indicating at least reachability between the first device 110 and the third device 130 from the first device 110. Therefore, the proposed method can advantageously support the delivery of SLPP messages to unreachable devices, which will be described in detail below.

[0097] In some example embodiments, the feedback information may include a first indication (e.g., an ACK flag, etc.) and indicate that the third device 130 is reachable. In response to receiving the feedback information including the first indication from the third device 130, the first device 110 may transmit information indicating that the third device 130 is reachable to the second device 120.

[0098] Alternatively, the feedback information may include another indication different from the first indication, and the feedback information indicates that the third device 130 cannot be reached. As an example and not limitation, the other indication may be a NACK flag, etc. In response to receiving feedback information including another indication from the third device 130, the first device 110 may transmit information indicating that the third device 130 cannot be reached to the second device 120.

[0099] In some example embodiments, the NACK may also be an implicit indication instead of the explicit indication described above. For example, the first device 110 may start a timer when transmitting the first indication to the third device 130. The timer may be preconfigured or predetermined in several ways. For example, the timer may be (pre)configured by the network (e.g., LMF, gNB, or server UE). Alternatively, the timer may be predetermined, for example, by an anchor UE or a server UE. In another example, the timer may be pre-specified according to a standard.

[0100] Based on determining that the feedback information is not received before the timer expires, the first device 110 can determine that the third device 130 is unreachable. Thus, the first device 110 can transmit information indicating that the third device 130 is unreachable to the second device 120.

[0101] In the case where the information indicates that the third device 130 cannot be reached, the second device 120 transmits a third indication indicating that the third device 130 can be reached to the first device 110 via the fourth device 140 involved in the sidelink positioning process. In response to receiving the third indication, the first device 110 may transmit auxiliary data of the sidelink positioning process to the fourth device 140, so that the auxiliary data is transmitted from the fourth device 140 to the third device 130. In other words, the fourth device 140 may receive the auxiliary data from the first device 110 and forward the auxiliary data to the third device 130. For example, the fourth device 140 may forward the auxiliary data without modifying the auxiliary data.

[0102] Then, the third device 130 may receive the assistance data from the fourth device 140 and store information of the path to the first device 110 via the fourth device 140, which may be considered as an indirect path here. The third device 130 may also transmit a configuration modification request for the sidelink positioning reference signal to the fourth device 140, so that the configuration modification request is transmitted from the fourth device 140 to the second device 120 via the first device 110. For example, the fourth device 140 may receive the configuration modification request from the third device 130 and forward it to the first device 110. Similarly, the first device 110 may receive the configuration modification request from the fourth device 140 and forward it to the second device 120.

[0103] In response to receiving a configuration modification request from the first device 110 , the second device 120 may transmit the configuration of the side link positioning reference signal for the third device 130 to the first device 110 , so that the configuration of the side link positioning reference signal is transmitted from the first device 110 to the third device 130 via the fourth device 140 .

[0104] After receiving the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal from the second device 120, the first device 110 may transmit the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal to the fourth device 140. The fourth device 140 may receive the configuration from the first device 110 and forward the configuration to the third device 130. Accordingly, the third device 130 may receive the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal from the fourth device 140.

[0105] In view of the above, the proposed solution can advantageously ensure the delivery of SLPP messages to a third device (e.g., (multiple) other anchor UEs) or from a third device 130, which is outside the range of the first device 110 (anchor UE) and / or the second device 120 (e.g., LMF or server UE).

[0106] The following will refer to Figure 5 Describe in more detail Figure 4 The solution presented in Figure 5 A signaling diagram 500 for delivering SLPP messages in an exemplary scenario is shown according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0107] exist Figure 5 In FIG. 5 , the target UE is represented by T-UE 502, the anchor UE (e.g., anchor UE1) is represented by A-UE1 503, and any other anchor UE is represented by A-UEx 501, where x may be an integer different from 1. That is, A-UEx may be the above-mentioned “UEx”. LMF 504 may be placed at the core network or the radio access network. It should be understood that in Figure 5 In the example process shown in FIG. 5 , LMF 504 is only an example and not a limitation. LMF 504 can be replaced by a server UE or the like.

[0108] exist Figure 5 In the example, A-UE1 503 may be Figure 1 In the example embodiment of the first device 110, the LMF 504 may be Figure 1 In the example embodiment of the second device 120, A-UEx 501 may be Figure 1 , and the T-UE 502 may be Figure 1 An example embodiment of the fourth device 140 in.

[0109] At 510, LMF 504 transmits the assistance data to A-UE1 503. At 515, LMF 504 requests from A-UE1 503 to include an ACK / NACK flag when forwarding the assistance data to other anchor UEs. At 520, LMF 504 may also request A-UE1 503 to include the source node providing the assistance data in the message forwarding the assistance data. Figure 5 In the exemplary scenario shown in , the source node is LMF 504. In this way, the final destination of the assistance data (e.g., A-UEx 501) is able to know what destination ID it will put for messages arriving at the node managing the SL PRS resources (e.g., the ID of LMF 504). It should be understood that although steps 510, 515 and 520 are not described in detail in detail, Figure 5510, 515, and 520 are depicted as three separate steps, but steps 510, 515, and 520 may also be combined in any suitable manner. For example, the three steps 510, 515, and 520 may be combined into a single step.

[0110] At 525, A-UE1 503 shares the assistance data with other A-UEs. In other words, A-UE1 503 transmits the assistance data to other A-UEs, such as A-UEx 501. In addition, A-UE1 503 may include a source ID of the assistance data (e.g., an ID of the LMF 504) in the assistance data. As configured by the LMF 504, at 530, A-UE1 503 includes an ACK flag when forwarding the assistance data to other anchor UEs.

[0111] In the case where A-UEx 501 receives assistance data from A-UE1 503, A-UEx 501 may inform A-UE1 503 whether the assistance data has been received with sufficient quality at 535. For example, if the assistance data has been received with sufficient quality, A-UEx 501 may transmit an ACK flag to A-UE1 503. Otherwise, A-UEx 501 may transmit a NACK flag to A-UE1 503.

[0112] Alternatively, the NACK may be an implicit indication. For example, A-UE1 503 may set a timer to wait for an ACK from A-UEx 501. If no ACK response is received within a period of time, an implicit NACK may be inferred. For example, the timer may be (pre)configured by the network (e.g., LMF 504). Alternatively, this timer may be predetermined, for example, by A-UE1 503. In another example, the timer may be pre-specified according to a standard.

[0113] At 540, A-UE1 503 indicates to LMF 504 which other anchor UEs have safely received the assistance data and / or which other anchor UEs are unreachable. In other words, A-UE1 503 informs LMF 504 which of the other anchor UEs have a direct reliable connection to A-UE1 503.

[0114] For those A-UEs (e.g., A-UEx 501) that cannot be reached directly from / to A-UE1 503, A-UE1 503 may forward the assistance data to them via T-UE 502. To this end, at 545, LMF 504 includes a flag in the destination ID portion of the assistance data flowing to the specified A-UEx 501. This flag indicates that A-UEx 501 is only reachable via T-UE 502, and not directly from A-UE1 503 (i.e., A-UEx 501 cannot be reached using a direct PC5 connection between A-UE1 503 and A-UEx 501). In this event, at 550, A-UE1 503 forwards the assistance data of A-UEx 501 to T-UE 502. Then, at 555, T-UE 502 forwards the assistance data to A-UEx 501.

[0115] At 560, A-UEx 501 stores information that it cannot reach A-UE1 503 directly but only via T-UE 502. For any further communication with other nodes in the network, A-UEx 501 may use this path, i.e., the path from A-UEx 501 to T-UE 502 to A-UE1 503 (to LMF 504), in order to reach A-UE1 503 and / or LMF 504.

[0116] By way of example, if A-UEx 501 needs to initiate communication to the LMF, for example to request SLPRS configuration modification of the LMF 504, then A-UEx 501 may use the indirect path (i.e., A-UEx 501 to T-UE 502 to A-UE1 503) to reach the desired destination node. Figure 5 As shown, at 565, A-UEx 501 transmits a SL-PRS configuration modification request to T-UE 502. Then, at 570, T-UE 502 forwards the request to A-UE1 503, and in turn, at 575, A-UE1 503 forwards the request to LMF 504. Similarly, after receiving the SL-PRS configuration modification, at 580, LMF 504 may transmit the SL-PRS configuration to A-UE1 503. Then, at 585, A-UE1 503 forwards the SL-PRS configuration to T-UE 502, and in turn, at 590, T-UE 502 forwards the SL-PRS configuration to A-UEx 501.

[0117] Figure 6 Another signaling diagram 600 for delivering SLPP messages according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0118] For the purpose of discussion, reference will be made to Figure 1 Signaling diagram 600 is discussed, for example, by using first device 110, second device 120, third device 130, and fourth device 140. In some example embodiments, first device 110 may include an anchor terminal device, second device 120 may include an LMF device or a server terminal device, third device 130 may include another anchor terminal device, and fourth device 140 may include a target terminal device. It is assumed that at least first device 110, second device 120, and fourth device 140 are involved in the sidelink positioning process.

[0119] In signaling diagram 600, the second device 120 transmits (610) a request to the first device 110. The request indicates that assistance data for a sidelink positioning process is transmitted to the third device 130 via the fourth device 140. In response to receiving (615) the request, the first device 110 transmits (620) the assistance data to the fourth device 140. The fourth device 140 then receives (625) the assistance data and transmits (630) the assistance data to the third device 130.

[0120] The third device 130 receives (635) the assistance data from the fourth device 140 and stores (640) information of the path to the first device 110 via the fourth device 140. The third device 130 may also transmit a configuration modification request for the sidelink positioning reference signal to the fourth device 140, so that the configuration modification request is transmitted from the fourth device 140 to the second device 120 via the first device 110. For example, the fourth device 140 may receive the configuration modification request from the third device 130 and forward it to the first device 110. Similarly, the first device 110 may receive the configuration modification request from the fourth device 140 and transmit it to the second device 120.

[0121] In response to receiving a configuration modification request from the first device 110 , the second device 120 may transmit the configuration of the side link positioning reference signal for the third device 130 to the first device 110 , so that the configuration of the side link positioning reference signal is transmitted from the first device 110 to the third device 130 via the fourth device 140 .

[0122] After receiving the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal from the second device 120, the first device 110 may transmit the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal to the fourth device 140. The fourth device 140 may receive the configuration from the first device 110 and forward the configuration to the third device 130. Accordingly, the third device 130 may receive the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal from the fourth device 140.

[0123] In view of the above, the proposed solution may advantageously ensure delivery of SLPP messages to or from other anchor UEs that are not within range of the first device (eg, anchor UE) and / or the LMF or server UE.

[0124] The following will refer to Figure 7 Describe in more detail Figure 6 The solution presented in Figure 7 A signaling diagram 700 for delivering SLPP messages in another exemplary scenario according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7 In FIG. 7 , the target UE is represented by T-UE 702, the anchor UE (eg, anchor UE1) is represented by A-UE1 703, and any other anchor UE is represented by A-UEx 701, where x may be an integer different from 1. LMF 704 may be placed at the core network or the radio access network. It should be understood that in FIG. Figure 7 In the example process shown, LMF 704 is only an example and not a limitation. LMF 704 can be replaced by a server UE or the like.

[0125] exist Figure 7 In the example, A-UE1 703 may be Figure 1 In the example embodiment of the first device 110, the LMF 704 may be Figure 1 In the example embodiment of the second device 120, A-UEx 701 may be Figure 1 , and the T-UE 702 may be Figure 1 An example embodiment of the fourth device 140 in.

[0126] At 710, LMF 704 transmits the assistance data to A-UE1 703. At 715, LMF 704 requests A-UE1 703 to forward the assistance data to other anchor UEs via T-UE. This may be the case, for example, when LMF 704 has a previous indication that the direct link between anchor UEs is not reliable enough. By way of example and not limitation, in the initial stage, A-UE1 703 may request A-UE1 703 to forward the assistance data to the other anchor UEs via T-UE. Figure 3 314 in step 315 of the present invention) determines which anchor UEs are directly reachable or unreachable. A-UE1 703 may indicate to LMF 704 which of the other anchor UEs are directly reachable and / or which of the other anchor UEs are unreachable. In other words, A-UE1 703 informs LMF 704 which of the other anchor UEs have a direct reliable connection to A-UE1 703.

[0127] In case LMF 704 knows that A-UEx 701 is unreachable for A-UE1 703, LMF 704 may force communication between A-UEx 701 and A-UE1 703 via T-UE 702. This approach is more reliable in the sense that T-UE 702 is expected to have a connection with the anchor UE in order to achieve the required positioning performance.

[0128] At 720, A-UE1 703 forwards the assistance data of A-UEx 701 to T-UE 702. Then, at 725, T-UE 702 forwards the assistance data to A-UEx 701. At 730, A-UEx 701 stores the information that it cannot reach A-UE1 703 directly but only via T-UE 702. For any further communication with other nodes in the network, A-UEx 701 may use this path, i.e., the path from A-UEx 701 to T-UE 702 to A-UE1 703 (to LMF 704), in order to reach A-UE1 703 and / or LMF 704.

[0129] For example, if A-UEx 701 needs to request SL PRS configuration modification through LMF 704, A-UEx 701 can use the indirect path to reach the desired destination node. Figure 5 As shown, at 735, A-UEx 701 transmits a SL-PRS configuration modification request to T-UE 702. Then, at 740, T-UE 702 forwards the request to A-UE1 703, and in turn, at 745, A-UE1 703 forwards the request to LMF 704. Similarly, after receiving the SL-PRS configuration modification, at 770, LMF 704 may transmit the SL-PRS configuration to A-UE1 703. Then, at 755, A-UE1 703 forwards the SL-PRS configuration to T-UE 702, and in turn, at 760, T-UE 702 forwards the SL-PRS configuration to A-UEx 701.

[0130] Figure 8 A flowchart of an example method 800 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 800 of the first device 110 in FIG.

[0131] In block 810 , the first device 110 receives a request from a second device including a first indication to be indicated to a third device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning procedure.

[0132] At block 820 , the first device 110 transmits the first indication to the third device.

[0133] At block 830 , the first device 110 transmits, to the second device, information indicating at least reachability between the first device and the third device based on monitoring feedback information associated with the first indication from the third device.

[0134] In some example embodiments, the request indicates that the first indication is to be transmitted together with assistance data for the sidelink positioning procedure.The method 800 further comprises: transmitting the assistance data including the first indication to a third apparatus.

[0135] In some example embodiments, the request further includes a second indication indicating an identity of the second device. The method 800 further includes transmitting the second indication to the third device.

[0136] In some example embodiments, the request indicates that the second indication is to be transmitted together with assistance data for the sidelink positioning procedure.The method 800 further comprises transmitting the assistance data including the second indication to the third apparatus.

[0137] In some exemplary embodiments, method 800 also includes: in response to receiving feedback information including a first indication from a third device, transmitting to the second device information indicating that the third device is reachable; and in response to receiving feedback information including an indication different from the first indication from the third device, transmitting to the second device information indicating that the third device is unreachable.

[0138] In some example embodiments, method 800 further includes starting a timer at the time when the first indication is transmitted to the third device; and transmitting information to the second device indicating that the third device is unreachable based on determining that no feedback information is received before the timer expires.

[0139] In some example embodiments, the information indicates that the third device is unreachable. The method 800 also includes: receiving a third indication from the second device, the third indication indicating that the third device is reachable via a fourth device participating in the sidelink positioning procedure; and transmitting auxiliary data of the sidelink positioning procedure to the fourth device, such that the auxiliary data is transmitted from the fourth device to the third device.

[0140] In some example embodiments, the method 800 further includes: receiving a configuration modification request for the sidelink positioning reference signal from the fourth device, wherein the configuration modification request is transmitted from the third device to the fourth device; and transmitting the configuration modification request to the second device.

[0141] In some example embodiments, method 800 further includes: receiving a configuration of a sidelink positioning reference signal for a third device from a second device; and transmitting the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal to a fourth device, such that the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted from the fourth device to the third device.

[0142] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises an anchor terminal device, the second apparatus comprises a location management function LMF device or a server terminal device, and the third apparatus comprises another anchor terminal device.

[0143] Fig. 9 A flowchart of an example method 900 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 The perspective description method 900 of the second device 120 in FIG.

[0144] At block 910 , the second device 120 transmits a request to the first device including a first indication to be indicated to a third device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning procedure.

[0145] At block 920 , the second device 120 receives, from the first device, information indicating at least reachability between the first device and a third device, the information being determined based on monitoring feedback information associated with the first indication from the third device.

[0146] In some example embodiments, the request indicates that the first indication is to be transmitted together with assistance data for the sidelink positioning procedure.

[0147] In some example embodiments, the request further comprises a second indication indicating an identity of the second apparatus.Alternatively or additionally, the request indicates that the second indication is to be transmitted together with the assistance data for the sidelink positioning procedure.

[0148] In some example embodiments, the information indicates that the third apparatus is unreachable.The method 900 further includes transmitting a third indication to the first apparatus, the third indication indicating that the third apparatus is reachable via a fourth apparatus participating in a sidelink positioning procedure.

[0149] In some example embodiments, the method 900 further includes receiving a configuration modification request for the sidelink positioning reference signal from the first device, wherein the configuration modification request is transmitted from the third device to the first device via the fourth device.

[0150] In some example embodiments, the method 900 further includes transmitting, to the first device, a configuration of a sidelink positioning reference signal for the third device, such that the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted from the first device to the third device via the fourth device.

[0151] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises an anchor terminal device, the second apparatus comprises a location management function LMF device or a server terminal device, and the third apparatus comprises another anchor terminal device.

[0152] Fig.10FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an example method 1000 implemented at a third device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 Method 1000 is described from the perspective of the third device 130.

[0153] At block 1010, the third device 130 receives a first indication from a first device. The first indication is obtained by the first device from a request from a second device. The first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning procedure.

[0154] At block 1020, the third device 130 transmits feedback information associated with the first indication to the first device. The feedback information indicates reachability between the first device and the third device.

[0155] In some example embodiments, the request indicates that the first indication is to be transmitted with assistance data for the sidelink positioning procedure.The method 1000 also includes receiving assistance data including the first indication from the first apparatus.

[0156] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further includes receiving, from the first device, a second indication indicating an identification of the second device.

[0157] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further comprises: receiving assistance data for a sidelink positioning procedure from the first apparatus, the assistance data comprising the second indication.

[0158] In some example embodiments, the feedback information includes the first indication and indicates that the third device is reachable. Optionally, the feedback information includes an indication different from the first indication, and the feedback information indicates that the third device is unreachable.

[0159] In some example embodiments, method 1000 further includes: receiving auxiliary data of the side link positioning process from a fourth device participating in the side link positioning process, the auxiliary data being transmitted from the first device to the fourth device; and storing information of a path to the first device via the fourth device.

[0160] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further includes transmitting a configuration modification request for the sidelink positioning reference signal to the fourth device, such that the configuration modification request is transmitted from the fourth device to the second device via the first device.

[0161] In some example embodiments, the method 1000 further includes receiving, from a fourth device, a configuration of a sidelink positioning reference signal for the third device, wherein the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted from the second device to the fourth device via the first device.

[0162] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises an anchor terminal device, the second apparatus comprises a location management function LMF device or a server terminal device, and the third apparatus comprises another anchor terminal device.

[0163] Fig.11 A flowchart of an example method 1100 implemented at a first device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 A method 1100 is provided for describing a perspective of a first device 110 in FIG.

[0164] In block 1110 , the first device 110 receives a request from a second device indicating that assistance data involving a sidelink positioning process between the first device and the second device is to be transmitted to a third device via a fourth device participating in the sidelink positioning process.

[0165] At block 1120 , the first device 110 transmits the auxiliary data to the fourth device, such that the auxiliary data is transmitted from the fourth device to the third device.

[0166] In some example embodiments, the method 1100 further includes: receiving a configuration modification request for the sidelink positioning reference signal from a fourth device, wherein the configuration modification request is transmitted from the third device to the fourth device; and transmitting the configuration modification request to the second device.

[0167] In some example embodiments, method 1100 further includes: receiving a configuration of a sidelink positioning reference signal for a third device from a second device; and transmitting the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal to a fourth device, such that the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted from the fourth device to the third device.

[0168] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises an anchor terminal device, the second apparatus comprises a location management function LMF device or a server terminal device, and the third apparatus comprises another anchor terminal device.

[0169] Fig.12 A flowchart of an example method 1200 implemented at a second device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For the purpose of discussion, Figure 1 A method 1200 is provided for describing a perspective of a second device 120 in FIG.

[0170] At block 1210 , a request is transmitted to a first device, the request indicating that assistance data for a sidelink positioning procedure involving the first device and a second device is to be transmitted to a third device via a fourth device participating in the sidelink positioning procedure.

[0171] In some example embodiments, the method 1200 further includes: receiving a configuration modification request for the sidelink positioning reference signal from the first device. The configuration modification request is transmitted from the third device to the first device via the fourth device.

[0172] In some example embodiments, the method 1200 further includes transmitting, to the first device, a configuration of a sidelink positioning reference signal for the third device, such that the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted from the first device to the third device via the fourth device.

[0173] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises an anchor terminal device, the second apparatus comprises a location management function LMF device or a server terminal device, and the third apparatus comprises another anchor terminal device.

[0174] Fig.13 FIG. 1 is a flowchart of an example method 1300 implemented at a third device according to some example embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1 A perspective description method 1300 of a third device 130 is provided.

[0175] At block 1310, the third device 130 receives assistance data for a sidelink positioning process from a fourth device participating in the sidelink positioning process. The assistance data is transmitted from the first device to the fourth device, and wherein the first device and the second device participate in the sidelink positioning process.

[0176] In block 1320 , the third device 130 stores information of a path to the first device via the fourth device.

[0177] In some example embodiments, the method 1300 further includes transmitting a configuration modification request for the sidelink positioning reference signal to the fourth apparatus, such that the configuration modification request is transmitted from the fourth apparatus to the second apparatus via the first apparatus.

[0178] In some example embodiments, the method 1300 further includes receiving, from a fourth device, a configuration of a sidelink positioning reference signal for the third device, wherein the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted from the second device to the fourth device via the first device.

[0179] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises an anchor terminal device, the second apparatus comprises a location management function LMF device or a server terminal device, and the third apparatus comprises another anchor terminal device.

[0180] In some example embodiments, a first device (eg, Figure 1The first device 110 in the method 800 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 800. 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 or included in Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0181] In some example embodiments, a first device includes: a component for receiving a request including a first indication to be indicated to a third device from a second device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a side link positioning procedure; a component for transmitting the first indication to the third device; and a component for transmitting to the second device information indicating at least reachability between the first device and the third device based on monitoring feedback information associated with the first indication from the third device.

[0182] In some example embodiments, the request indicates that the first indication is to be transmitted together with assistance data for a sidelink positioning procedure, and the first apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting the assistance data including the first indication to the third apparatus.

[0183] In some example embodiments, the request further includes a second indication indicating an identity of the second apparatus, and the first apparatus further includes means for transmitting the second indication to the third apparatus.

[0184] In some example embodiments, the request indicates that the second indication is to be transmitted together with assistance data for the sidelink positioning procedure, and the first apparatus further comprises: means for transmitting the assistance data including the second indication to the third apparatus.

[0185] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for transmitting to the second device information indicating that the third device is reachable in response to receiving feedback information including the first indication from the third device; and a component for transmitting to the second device information indicating that the third device is unreachable in response to receiving feedback information including an indication different from the first indication from the third device.

[0186] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for starting a timer at the time when the first indication is transmitted to the third device; and a component for transmitting information indicating that the third device cannot be reached to the second device based on determining that no feedback information is received before the timer expires.

[0187] In some example embodiments, the information indicates that the third device cannot be reached, and the first device also includes: a component for receiving a third indication from the second device, the third indication indicating that the third device is reachable via a fourth device participating in the side link positioning process; and a component for transmitting auxiliary data of the side link positioning process to the fourth device, so that the auxiliary data is transmitted from the fourth device to the third device.

[0188] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for receiving a configuration modification request for a sidelink positioning reference signal from a fourth device, wherein the configuration modification request is transmitted from the third device to the fourth device; and a component for transmitting the configuration modification request to the second device.

[0189] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for receiving a configuration of a sidelink positioning reference signal for a third device from the second device; and a component for transmitting the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal to a fourth device, so that the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted from the fourth device to the third device.

[0190] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises an anchor terminal device, the second apparatus comprises a location management function LMF device or a server terminal device, and the third apparatus comprises another anchor terminal device.

[0191] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus further comprises means for performing the method 800 or other operations in some example embodiments of the first apparatus 110. 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 performance of the first apparatus.

[0192] In some example embodiments, a second device (eg, Figure 1 The second device 120 in the method 900 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 900. 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 or included in Figure 1 In the second device 120.

[0193] In some example embodiments, the second device includes: a component for transmitting a request to the first device including a first indication to be indicated to a third device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a side link positioning procedure; and a component for receiving from the first device information indicating at least reachability between the first device and the third device, the information being determined based on monitoring feedback information associated with the first indication from the third device.

[0194] In some example embodiments, the request indicates that the first indication is to be transmitted together with assistance data for the sidelink positioning procedure.

[0195] In some example embodiments, the request further comprises a second indication indicating an identity of the second apparatus.Alternatively, the request indicates that the second indication is to be transmitted together with assistance data for the sidelink positioning procedure.

[0196] In some example embodiments, the information indicates that the third device is unreachable, and the second device further comprises: means for transmitting a third indication to the first device, the third indication indicating that the third device is reachable via a fourth device participating in the sidelink positioning procedure.

[0197] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for receiving a configuration modification request for the sidelink positioning reference signal from the first apparatus, wherein the configuration modification request is transmitted from the third apparatus to the first apparatus via the fourth apparatus.

[0198] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises means for transmitting to the first device a configuration of a sidelink positioning reference signal for the third device, such that the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted from the first device to the third device via the fourth device.

[0199] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises an anchor terminal device, the second apparatus comprises a location management function LMF device or a server terminal device, and the third apparatus comprises another anchor terminal device.

[0200] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises means for performing the method 900 or other operations in some example embodiments of the second device 120. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the performance of the second device.

[0201] In some example embodiments, a third device (eg, Figure 1 The third device 130 in the method 1000 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 1000. 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 or included in Figure 1 In the third device 130.

[0202] In some example embodiments, the third device includes: a component for receiving a first indication from the first device, the first indication being obtained by the first device from a request from the second device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a side link positioning process; and a component for transmitting feedback information associated with the first indication to the first device, the feedback information indicating reachability between the first device and the third device.

[0203] In some example embodiments, the request indicates that the first indication is to be transmitted together with assistance data for the sidelink positioning procedure, and the third apparatus further comprises: means for receiving assistance data including the first indication from the first apparatus.

[0204] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises means for receiving, from the first apparatus, a second indication indicating an identity of the second apparatus.

[0205] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises means for receiving assistance data for a sidelink positioning procedure from the first apparatus, the assistance data comprising the second indication.

[0206] In some example embodiments, the feedback information includes the first indication and indicates that the third device is reachable. Optionally, the feedback information includes an indication different from the first indication, and the feedback information indicates that the third device is unreachable.

[0207] In some example embodiments, the third device cannot be reached, and the third device further includes: a component for receiving auxiliary data of the side link positioning process from a fourth device participating in the side link positioning process, wherein the auxiliary data is transmitted from the first device to the fourth device; and a component for storing information of a path to the first device via the fourth device.

[0208] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises means for transmitting a configuration modification request for the sidelink positioning reference signal to the fourth apparatus, such that the configuration modification request is transmitted from the fourth apparatus to the second apparatus via the first apparatus.

[0209] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the fourth apparatus, a configuration of a sidelink positioning reference signal for the third apparatus. The configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted from the second apparatus to the fourth apparatus via the first apparatus.

[0210] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises an anchor terminal device, the second apparatus comprises a location management function LMF device or a server terminal device, and the third apparatus comprises another anchor terminal device.

[0211] In some example embodiments, the third device further comprises means for performing other operations in some example embodiments of method 1000 or third device 130. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the performance of the third device.

[0212] In some example embodiments, a first device (eg, Figure 1 The first device 110 in the method 1100 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 1100. 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 or included in Figure 1 In the first device 110.

[0213] In some example embodiments, the first device includes: a component for receiving a request from the second device, the request indicating that auxiliary data involving a side link positioning process between the first device and the second device is to be transmitted to a third device via a fourth device participating in the side link positioning process; and a component for transmitting the auxiliary data to the fourth device, so that the auxiliary data is transmitted from the fourth device to the third device.

[0214] In some example embodiments, the first device further comprises: a component for receiving a configuration modification request for a sidelink positioning reference signal from a fourth device, the configuration modification request being transmitted from the third device to the fourth device; and a component for transmitting the configuration modification request to the second device.

[0215] In some example embodiments, the first device further includes: a component for receiving a configuration of a sidelink positioning reference signal for a third device from the second device; and a component for transmitting the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal to a fourth device, so that the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted from the fourth device to the third device.

[0216] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises an anchor terminal device, the second apparatus comprises a location management function LMF device or a server terminal device, and the third apparatus comprises another anchor terminal device.

[0217] In some example embodiments, the first device further comprises means for performing the method 1100 or other operations in some example embodiments of the first device 110. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the performance of the first device.

[0218] In some exemplary embodiments, a second device (eg, Figure 1 The second device 120 in the method 1200 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 1200. 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 or included in Figure 1 In the second device 120.

[0219] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus comprises means for transmitting a request to the first apparatus. The request indicates that assistance data related to a sidelink positioning procedure of the first apparatus and the second apparatus is to be transmitted to the third apparatus via a fourth apparatus participating in the sidelink positioning procedure.

[0220] In some example embodiments, the second apparatus further comprises: means for receiving a configuration modification request for the sidelink positioning reference signal from the first apparatus, wherein the configuration modification request is transmitted from the third apparatus to the first apparatus via the fourth apparatus.

[0221] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises means for transmitting to the first device a configuration of a sidelink positioning reference signal for the third device, such that the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted from the first device to the third device via the fourth device.

[0222] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises an anchor terminal device, the second apparatus comprises a location management function LMF device or a server terminal device, and the third apparatus comprises another anchor terminal device.

[0223] In some example embodiments, the second device further comprises means for performing the method 1200 or other operations in some example embodiments of the second device 120. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the performance of the second device.

[0224] In some exemplary embodiments, a third device (eg, Figure 1 The third device 130 in the method 1300 may include a component for performing the corresponding operation of the method 1300. 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 or included in Figure 1 In the third device 130.

[0225] In some example embodiments, the third device includes: a component for receiving auxiliary data for a side link positioning process from a fourth device participating in the side link positioning process, wherein the auxiliary data is transmitted from the first device to the fourth device, and wherein the first device and the second device participate in the side link positioning process; and a component for storing information of a path to the first device via the fourth device.

[0226] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises means for transmitting a configuration modification request for the sidelink positioning reference signal to the fourth apparatus, such that the configuration modification request is transmitted from the fourth apparatus to the second apparatus via the first apparatus.

[0227] In some example embodiments, the third apparatus further comprises: means for receiving, from the fourth apparatus, a configuration of a sidelink positioning reference signal for the third apparatus. The configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted from the second apparatus to the fourth apparatus via the first apparatus.

[0228] In some example embodiments, the first apparatus comprises an anchor terminal device, the second apparatus comprises a location management function LMF device or a server terminal device, and the third apparatus comprises another anchor terminal device.

[0229] In some example embodiments, the third device further comprises means for performing the method 1300 or other operations in some example embodiments of the third device 130. In some example embodiments, the means comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the performance of the third device.

[0230] Fig.14 1 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1400 suitable for implementing an example embodiment of the present disclosure. The device 1400 may be provided to implement a communication device, such as Figure 1 1400. As shown in the figure, the device 1400 includes one or more processors 1410, one or more memories 1420 coupled to the processor 1410, and one or more communication modules 1440 coupled to the processor 1410.

[0231] The communication module 1440 is used for two-way communication. The communication module 1440 has one or more communication interfaces to support 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 1440 may include at least one antenna.

[0232] Processor 1410 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 1400 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time slaved to a clock that synchronizes a main processor.

[0233] The memory 1420 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) 1424, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk (CD), digital video disk (DVD), optical disk, optical disk, and other magnetic and / or optical memories. Examples of volatile memories include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) 1422 and other volatile memories that do not persist over the duration of a power outage.

[0234] The computer program 1430 includes computer executable instructions executed by the associated processor 1410. The instructions of the program 1430 may include instructions for performing the operations / actions of some example embodiments of the present disclosure. The program 1430 may be stored in a memory (e.g., ROM 1424). The processor 1410 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading the program 1430 into the RAM 1422.

[0235] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by the program 1430 so that the device 1400 may execute the Figures 2 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.

[0236] In some example embodiments, the program 1430 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium that may be included in the device 1400 (such as in the memory 1420) or in other storage accessible by the device 1400. The device 1400 may load the program 1430 from the computer-readable medium to the RAM 1422 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), versus a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM versus ROM).

[0237] Fig.15 An example of a computer readable medium 1500 is shown, which may be in the form of a CD, DVD, or other optical storage disk. The computer readable medium 1500 has a program 1430 stored thereon.

[0238] 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 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.

[0239] 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-transient 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. The functionality of a program module can be combined or split between program modules as needed in different embodiments. 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 and remote storage media.

[0240] 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 supports the implementation of the functions / operations specified in the flow chart and / or block diagram when executed by the processor or controller. 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.

[0241] 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.

[0242] 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.

[0243] In addition, although the operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring the operations to be performed in the particular order shown or in a sequential order, or performing all the operations shown, 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 should be interpreted 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 sub-combination.

[0244] 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.

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: receiving, from a second device, a request including a first indication to be indicated to a third device, wherein the first device and the second device participate in a sidelink positioning procedure; transmitting the first indication to the third device; and Based on monitoring feedback information associated with the first indication from the third device, information indicating at least reachability between the first device and the third device is transmitted to the second device.

2. The first apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the request indicates that the first indication is to be transmitted together with assistance data for the sidelink positioning procedure, and causes the first apparatus to: The assistance data including the first indication is transmitted to the third device.

3. The first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the request further comprises a second indication indicating an identity of the second device, and causes the first device to: The second indication is transmitted to the third device.

4. The first apparatus of claim 3, wherein the request indicates that the second indication is to be transmitted together with assistance data for the sidelink positioning procedure, and causes the first apparatus to: The assistance data including the second indication is transmitted to the third device.

5. The first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first device: In response to receiving the feedback information including the first indication from the third device, transmitting to the second device the information indicating that the third device is reachable; and In response to receiving the feedback information from the third device including an indication different from the first indication, transmitting to the second device the information indicating that the third device is unreachable.

6. The first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first device: At the time when the first indication is transmitted to the third device, starting a timer; and Based on determining that the feedback information is not received before the timer expires, the information indicating that the third device is unreachable is transmitted to the second device.

7. The first device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the information indicates that the third device is unreachable and causes the first device to: receiving a third indication from the second device, the third indication indicating that the third device is reachable via a fourth device participating in the sidelink positioning procedure; and Transmitting assistance data for the sidelink positioning process to the fourth device such that the assistance data is transmitted from the fourth device to the third device.

8. The first device according to claim 7, wherein the first device: receiving a configuration modification request for a sidelink positioning reference signal from the fourth device, wherein the configuration modification request is transmitted from the third device to the fourth device; and The configuration modification request is transmitted to the second device.

9. The first device according to claim 8, wherein the first device: receiving, from the second device, a configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal for the third device; and The configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted to the fourth device, so that the configuration of the sidelink positioning reference signal is transmitted from the fourth device to the third device.

10. The first apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the first apparatus comprises an anchor terminal device, the second apparatus comprises a location management function (LMF) device or a server terminal device, and the third apparatus comprises another anchor terminal device.

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