Identification of sidelink positioning reference signals

Abstract

Sidelink (SL) positioning of a user equipment (UE) is supported by providing an indication of an identification of an SL positioning session and an SL PRS source identifier to an SL positioning reference signal (PRS). The UE may send a payload-based indication or a sequence-based indication of the identification of the SL positioning session and a source identifier. The payload-based indication is included, for example, in Layer 1 (L1) and / or Layer 2 (L2) control messages associated with the SL PRS. A sequence-based indication may be generated using an indication of identification of the SL positioning session and a source identifier initialization or seeding generation PRS sequence, scrambling the PRS sequence, or generating a cover code applied to the PRS sequence.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. application serial number 17 / 874,151, filed on July 26, 2022, entitled “IDENTIFICATION OF SIDELINK POSITIONING REFERENCE SIGNALS,” which is assigned to the assignee of this application and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to systems, methods, and devices that support positioning. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services, such as telephony, video, data, messaging, positioning, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth, transmit power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems (such as long term evolution (LTE) systems, advanced LTE (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems) and fifth generation (5G) systems (which may be referred to as new radio (NR) systems).

[0005] In some examples, a wireless multiple access communication system may include multiple base stations, each base station supporting communication of multiple communication devices (also referred to as user equipment (UE)) simultaneously. In an LTE or LTE-A network, a collection of one or more base stations may define a NodeB (eNB). In other examples (e.g., in a next generation or 5G network), a wireless multiple access communication system may include multiple distributed units (DU) (e.g., edge units (EU), edge nodes (EN), radio heads (RH), smart radio heads (SRH), transmit receive points (TRP), etc.) communicating with multiple central units (CU) (e.g., central nodes (CN), access node controllers (ANC), etc.), wherein a collection of one or more distributed units communicating with a central unit may define an access node (e.g., new radio base station (NR BS), new radio node B (NR NB), network node, 5G NB, gNB, etc.). A base station or DU may communicate with a collection of UEs on a downlink channel (e.g., for transmission from a base station or to a UE) and an uplink channel (e.g., for transmission from a UE to a base station or distributed unit). In addition, UEs may communicate directly with each other using sidelink channels.

[0006] The location of the UE may be useful or necessary for a number of applications including emergency calls, navigation, direction finding, asset tracking, and Internet services. The location of the UE may be estimated based on information collected from various systems. In a cellular network implemented according to LTE or 5G NR, for example, a base station may send a downlink reference signal with which the UE performs positioning measurements, and / or the UE may send an uplink reference signal with which the base station performs positioning measurements. The UE may calculate an estimate of its own position using positioning measurements in UE-based positioning, or may send positioning measurements to a network entity (e.g., a location server), which may calculate the UE position based on positioning measurements in UE-assisted positioning. It is desirable to support sidelink positioning. Summary of the invention

[0007] Sidelink (SL) positioning of a user equipment (UE) is supported by providing an indication of an identification of a SL positioning session and a SL PRS source identifier to a SL positioning reference signal (PRS). The UE may send a payload-based indication or a sequence-based indication of an identification of the SL positioning session and a source identifier. The payload-based indication is included, for example, in a layer 1 (L1) and / or layer 2 (L2) control message associated with the SL PRS. The sequence-based indication may be generated using the indication of the identification of the SL positioning session and the source identifier to initialize or seed a PRS sequence, scramble the PRS sequence, or generate a cover code applied to the PRS sequence.

[0008] In one implementation, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning includes: sending a message associated with a SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including an identification of the UE as a source of transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; and sending the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0009] In one implementation, a user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning includes: a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with a network entity; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, the at least one processor configured to: send in a message associated with a SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including an identification of the UE as a source of transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of an SL positioning session identifier; and send the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0010] In one implementation, a user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning includes: a component for sending in a message associated with a SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including an identification of the UE as a source of transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; and a component for sending an SLPRS associated with the message.

[0011] In one implementation, a non-transitory storage medium includes program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support sidelink (SL) positioning, the program code including instructions for: sending in a message associated with a SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including an identification of a UE that is a source of transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; and sending the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0012] In one implementation, a method performed by a user equipment (UE) for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning includes: obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; generating a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identifier of the UE; and sending the SL PRS.

[0013] In one implementation, a user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning includes: a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with a network entity; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, the at least one processor configured to: obtain SL positioning session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; generate a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE; and send the SL PRS.

[0014] In one implementation, a user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning includes: a component for obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; a component for generating a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE; and a component for sending the SL PRS.

[0015] In one implementation, a non-transitory storage medium includes program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support sidelink (SL) positioning, the program code including instructions for: obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; generating a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE; and sending an SLPRS. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG1 shows the architecture of a communication system including a plurality of UEs, a radio access network (RAN), and a 5G core network (5GC).

[0017] Figure 2 The signal flow of signaling between UEs for paired sidelink positioning is shown.

[0018] Figures 3A-3D Each shows a slot-based sidelink transmission with multiple sidelink symbols and shows various options for the structure of the sidelink positioning signal transmission.

[0019] Figure 4 A signal flow of procedures and signaling between UEs for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning is shown, where a payload-based indication of the identity of a SL positioning session is provided along with a transmitted SL PRS.

[0020] Figure 5 A signal flow of procedures and signaling between UEs for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning is shown, where a sequence-based indication of the identity of a SL positioning session is provided together with the transmitted SL PRS.

[0021] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of a UE configured to support sidelink positioning operations using payload-based indication or sequence-based indication and source ID of an identification of a SL positioning session is shown.

[0022] Figure 7 A flow chart of an exemplary method for supporting SL positioning using payload-based indication of an identification of a SL positioning session is shown.

[0023] Figure 8 A flow chart of an exemplary method for supporting SL positioning using payload-based indication of an identification of a SL positioning session is shown.

[0024] Elements are indicated in the drawings by numerical labels, where the same numbered elements in different drawings represent the same element or similar elements. Different instances of a common element are indicated by following the numerical label of the common element with different numerical suffixes. In this case, reference to the numerical label without the suffix indicates any instance of the common element. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Various aspects of the present invention are provided in the following description and related drawings for various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be designed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted to avoid blurring the relevant details of the present disclosure.

[0026] The description may refer to a sequence of actions performed, for example, by elements of a computing device. The various actions described herein may be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. The sequence of actions described herein may be embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium having a corresponding set of computer instructions stored thereon, which, when executed, will cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects described herein may be embodied in a variety of different forms, all of which are within the scope of the present disclosure (including the claimed subject matter).

[0027] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not specific to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT). In general, such UEs may be any wireless communication devices (e.g., mobile phones, routers, tablet computers, laptop computers, tracking devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, Industrial IoT (IIoT), etc.) for communicating on a wireless communication network. UEs may be mobile or may be stationary (e.g., at certain times) and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). For example, as used herein, a UE may be an infrastructure node such as a roadside unit (RSU), a positioning reference unit (PRU), etc. As used herein, the term "UE" may be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT", "client device", "wireless device", "subscriber equipment", "subscriber terminal", "subscriber station", "user terminal" or UT, "mobile terminal", "mobile station", RSU, PRU, or variations thereof. Typically, a UE may communicate with a core network via a RAN, and through the core network, the UE may be connected to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a WiFi network (eg, based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), and the like.

[0028] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs to communicate with UEs, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may be alternatively referred to as an access point (AP), a network node, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB (eNB), a general NodeB (gNodeB, gNB), etc. In addition, in some systems, a base station may provide pure edge node signaling functions, while in other systems it may provide additional control and / or network management functions.

[0029] A UE may be embodied by any of a variety of types of devices, including but not limited to a printed circuit (PC) card, a compact flash device, an external or internal modem, a wireless or wired phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a tracking device, an asset tag, etc. The communication link through which a UE may send a signal to a RAN is referred to as an uplink channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link through which a RAN may send a signal to a UE is referred to as a downlink or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). The communication link through which a UE may send a signal to other UEs is referred to as a sidelink channel. As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) may refer to an uplink / reverse or downlink / forward or sidelink traffic channel.

[0030] As used herein, depending on the context, the term "cell" or "sector" may correspond to one of the multiple cells of a base station, or to the base station itself. The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., via a carrier), and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)) for distinguishing adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types) that can provide access to different types of devices. In some examples, the term "cell" may refer to a portion of a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) on which a logical entity operates.

[0031] Standardization of cellular systems, such as fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) network systems, is ongoing in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). For example, 3GPP Release 16 and Release 17 have introduced standardization and support for several technologies that enable and enhance positioning in cellular systems. For example, RAT-dependent positioning systems that have undergone standardization include enhanced cell ID (E-CID) (using received signal strength (RSS) and round trip time (RTT) and optionally angle of arrival (AoA)), downlink (DL) positioning (e.g., observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA)), uplink (UL) positioning (e.g., uplink time difference of arrival (UTDOA)). RAT-independent positioning systems that have undergone standardization include enhanced global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) and other technologies, such as wireless local area networks (WLAN), Terrestrial Beason System (TBS) and sensor-based positioning (including air pressure sensors and motion sensors). In addition, hybrid positioning has undergone standardization, which includes the use of multiple positioning methods, such as A-GNSS+OTDOA hybrid positioning.

[0032] Standardization of sidelink (SL) positioning may be performed in the future, for example, in 3GPP Release 18. For example, SL positioning may use reference signals, such as a positioning reference signal (PRS) sent and received by a UE through a sidelink channel, and the reference signals may be measured to determine the range between UEs, the angle of arrival of the signal, the relative position of the UE, etc. If necessary, the reference signals may be used to further determine the absolute position of the UE based on the known position of one or more UEs.

[0033] 1 shows an example of a communication system 100, which includes a first UE 105A, a second UE 105B, a radio access network (RAN) 135 (here a fifth generation (5G) next generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN)), and a 5G core network (5GC) 140. For example, the 5GC 140 can be a public land mobile network (PLMN). UE 105A and UE 105B may sometimes be referred to as UE 105 individually or collectively herein. UE 105 may be, for example, an IoT device, a location tracker device, a cellular phone, a vehicle, an on-board unit (OBU), or other similar type of device. UE 105 may be additionally considered to be an RSU or PRU. A 5G network may also be referred to as a new radio (NR) network; NG-RAN 135 may be referred to as a 5G RAN or NRRAN; and 5GC 140 may be referred to as an NG core network (NGC). Standardization of NG-RAN and 5GC is being conducted in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Thus, the NG-RAN 135 and the 5GC 140 may conform to current or future standards for 5G support from the 3GPP. The RAN 135 may be another type of RAN, such as a 3G RAN, a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. The UE 105B may be similarly configured and coupled to the UE 105A to send and / or receive signals to / from similar other entities in the system 100. The communication system 100 may use information from an artificial satellite (SV) constellation 190 for a satellite positioning system (SPS) (e.g., a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)) (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS), a global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), Galileo, or BeiDou) or some other local or regional SPS (e.g., an Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), a European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), or a Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)). Additional components of the communication system 100 are described below. The communication system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

[0034] As shown in FIG1 , the NG-RAN 135 includes NR nodeBs (gNBs) 110a, 110b and a next generation eNodeB (ng-eNB) 114, and the 5GC 140 includes an access and mobility management function (AMF) 115, a session management function (SMF) 117, a location management function (LMF) 120, and a gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 125, a user plane function (UPF) 118, and a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SUPL SLP) 119. The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 are communicatively coupled to each other, each configured to perform bidirectional wireless communication with the UE 105, and each communicatively coupled to the AMF 115 and the UPF 118, and configured to perform bidirectional communication with the AMF 115 and the UPF 118. The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may be referred to as base stations (BSs). The AMF 115, SMF 117, LMF 120, and GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the GMLC 125 is communicatively coupled to the external client 130. The AMF 115, SMF 117, UPF 118, and SUPL SLP 119 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the SUPLSLP 119 is communicatively coupled to the external client 130. The SMF 117 may also serve as an initial contact point for a service control function (SCF) (not shown) to create, control, and delete media sessions. The base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may be macro cells (e.g., high power cellular base stations), or small cells (e.g., low power cellular base stations), or access points (e.g., short range base stations configured to communicate using short range technologies such as WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, etc.). One or more of the base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may be configured to communicate with the UE 105 via multiple carriers. Each of the base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic area (e.g., a cell). Each cell may be divided into a plurality of sectors according to the base station antenna.

[0035] FIG. 1 provides a generalized illustration of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each of which may be duplicated or omitted as desired. Specifically, although only UE 105 is shown, many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may be utilized in the communication system 100. Similarly, the communication system 100 may include a greater (or smaller) number of SVs (i.e., more or less than the four SVs 190 shown), gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNBs 114, AMFs 115, external clients 130, and / or other components. The illustrated connections connecting the various components in the communication system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. In addition, components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted, depending on the desired functionality.

[0036] Although FIG1 illustrates a 5G-based network, similar network implementations and configurations may be used for other communication technologies, such as 3G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), etc. Implementations described herein (whether for 5G technology and / or for one or more other communication technologies and / or protocols) may be used to send (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals, receive and measure directional signals at a UE (e.g., UE 105) or at a base station 110a, 110b, 114 and / or provide position assistance to the UE 105 (via the LMF 120 or SUPL SLP 119 or other location server) and / or calculate the position of one or both of the UEs 105 at a locatable device (e.g., UE 105, base station 110a, 110b, LMF 120 or SUPL SLP 119) based on measurements of such directional signal reception at the UE 105 or base station 110a, 110b, 114. GMLC 125, LMF 120, AMF 115, SMF 117, UPF 118, SUPL SLP 119, ng-eNB (eNodeB) 114 and gNB (gNodeB) 110a, 110b are examples and, in various embodiments, may be replaced by or include various other entities, including location server functionality and / or base station functionality.

[0037] The system 100 is capable of wireless communication because the components of the system 100 can communicate with each other (at least sometimes using wireless connections), for example, directly or indirectly, via base stations 110a, 110b, 114 and / or network 140 (and / or one or more other devices not shown, such as one or more other base transceiver stations). For indirect communication, the communication can be changed during transmission from one entity to another, for example, to change the header information of the data packet, change the format, etc. The UE 105 can include multiple UEs and can be a mobile wireless communication device, but can communicate wirelessly and via a wired connection. The UE 105 can be any of a variety of devices, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a vehicle-based device, etc., but these are merely examples, because the UE 105 is not required to be any of these configurations, and other configurations of the UE can be used. Other UEs may include wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart jewelry, smart glasses, or headphones, etc.). Other UEs may also be used, whether currently existing or developed in the future. In addition, other wireless devices (whether mobile or not) can be implemented within the system 100 and can communicate with each other and / or with the UE 105, the base stations 110a, 110b, 114, the core network 140, and / or the external clients 130. For example, such other devices may include IoT or IIoT devices, medical devices, home entertainment and / or automation devices, etc. The core network 140 can communicate with the external client 130 (e.g., a computer system), for example, to allow the external client 130 to request and / or receive location information about the UE 105 (e.g., via the GMLC 125 or the SUPL SLP 119).

[0038] The UE 105 or other device may be configured to communicate in various networks and / or for various purposes and / or using various technologies (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi communication, Wi-Fi communication at multiple frequencies, satellite positioning, one or more types of communication (e.g., GSM (Global System for Mobile), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), V2X (e.g., V2P (Vehicle to Pedestrian), V2I (Vehicle to Infrastructure), V2V (Vehicle to Vehicle), etc.), IEEE 802.11p, etc.) for communication. V2X communications can be cellular (Cellular-V2X (C-V2X)) and / or WiFi (e.g., DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Connection)). The system 100 can support operations on multiple carriers (waveform signals of different frequencies). A multi-carrier transmitter can send modulated signals on multiple carriers simultaneously. Each modulated signal can be a code division multiple access (CDMA) signal, a time division multiple access (TDMA) signal, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) signal, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) signal, etc. Each modulated signal can be sent on a different carrier and can carry pilots, overhead information, data, etc. UE 105 can communicate with each other through UE-to-UE sidelink (SL) communication by transmitting on one or more sidelink channels (such as a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a synchronization signal block (SSB), a sidelink channel state information reference signal (SL-CSIRS), a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), or a sidelink sounding reference signal (SL-SRS)).

[0039] UE 105 may include and / or may be referred to as a device, a mobile device, a wireless device, a mobile terminal, a terminal, a mobile station (MS), a terminal (SET) supporting secure user plane location (SUPL), or some other name. In addition, UE 105 may correspond to a cellular phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a PDA, a tracking device, a navigation device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an asset tracker, a health monitor, a security system, a smart city sensor, a smart meter, a wearable tracker, or some other portable or removable device. Typically, although not necessarily, UE 105 may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE802.11WiFi (also known as Wi-Fi), Bluetooth (BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140), etc. to support wireless communications. UE 105 may support wireless communications using a wireless local area network (WLAN), which may be connected to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using, for example, a digital subscriber line (DSL) or packet cable. Using one or more of these RATs may allow UE 105 to communicate with external clients 130 (e.g., via elements of 5GC 140 not shown in FIG. 1 , or possibly via GMLC 125) and / or allow external clients 130 to receive location information about UE 105 (e.g., via GMLC 125 or SUPL SLP 119).

[0040] Each of the UEs 105 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network where a user may employ audio, video and / or data I / O (input / output) devices and / or body sensors and separate wired or wireless modems. An estimate of the location of a UE (e.g., UE 105) may be referred to as a location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position, position estimate, or position fix, and may be geographic, thus providing the location coordinates of the UE (e.g., latitude and longitude), which may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level, height above ground level, or depth below ground level, floor level, or basement level). Alternatively, the location of the UE may be expressed as an urban location (e.g., expressed as a postal address or a designation of a certain point or small area in a building (such as a specific room or floor)). The location of the UE may be expressed as an area or volume (defined geographically or in urban form) in which the UE is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of the UE may be expressed as a relative location, including, for example, a distance and direction from a known location. A relative position may be expressed as relative coordinates (e.g., X, Y (and Z) coordinates) defined relative to some origin at a known location, which may be defined, for example, geographically in city terms, or by reference to a point, area, or volume indicated, for example, on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, use of the term location may include any of these variations unless otherwise stated. When calculating the position of a UE, local x, y, and possibly z coordinates are typically solved, and then, if necessary, the local coordinates are converted to absolute coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level).

[0041] UE 105 may be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of a variety of technologies. UE 105 may be configured to be indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. D2D P2P links may be supported by any appropriate D2D radio access technology (RAT) such as LTE direct (LTE-D), WiFi direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth, etc. One or more UEs in a UE group utilizing D2D communication may be within a geographic coverage area of ​​a transmit / receive point (TRP) such as one or more of gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114. Other UEs in such a group may be outside such a geographic coverage area or may otherwise be unable to receive transmissions from a base station. A UE group communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. TRPs may facilitate scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without involving TRPs. One or more UEs in a group of UEs utilizing D2D communications may be within the geographic coverage area of ​​a TRP. Other UEs in such a group may be outside such geographic coverage area or otherwise unable to receive transmissions from a base station. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communications may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. A TRP may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In other cases, D2D communications may be performed between UEs without involving a TRP.

[0042] The base stations (BS) in the NG-RAN 135 shown in FIG1 include NR Node Bs, referred to as gNBs 110a and 110b. Paired gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135 may be connected to each other via one or more other gNBs. Access to the 5G network is provided to the UE 105 via wireless communication between the UE and one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b may provide wireless communication access to the 5GC 140 on behalf of the UE using 5G. In FIG1 , the serving gNB for UE 105A is assumed to be gNB 110b, and the serving gNB for UE 105B is assumed to be gNB 110a, although if the UE 105 moves to another location, another gNB may serve as a serving gNB, or may serve as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to the UE 105, and the UE 105 may share the same serving gNB.

[0043] The base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN 135 shown in FIG. 1 may include an ng-eNB 114, also referred to as a next generation evolved Node B. The ng-eNB 114 may be connected to one or more gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135, possibly via one or more other gNBs and / or one or more other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNB 114 may provide LTE radio access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) radio access to the UE 105. One or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 may be configured to function as a positioning-only beacon, which may transmit signals to help determine the location of the UE 105, but may not receive signals from the UE 105 or from other UEs.

[0044] Base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may each include one or more TRPs. For example, each sector within a cell of a base station may include a TRP, although multiple TRPs may share one or more components (e.g., a shared processor but with separate antennas). System 100 may include only macro TRPs, or system 100 may have different types of TRPs, such as macro TRPs, pico TRPs, and / or femto TRPs. A macro TRP may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access to terminals with service subscriptions. A pico TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a pico cell) and may allow unrestricted access to terminals with service subscriptions. A femto or home TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a femto cell) and may allow restricted access by terminals associated with a femto cell (e.g., terminals of users in a home).

[0045] The communication system 100 may support NR and support communication between one or more base stations 110a, 110b, 114 and supported UEs 105. The UEs may be dispersed throughout the wireless communication system 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. As part of the communication, each of the base stations 110a, 110b, 114 and the UE 105 may support reference signal transmission for operations including channel estimation, beam management and scheduling, and wireless device positioning within the coverage area of ​​one or more base stations.

[0046] For example, base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may transmit one or more downlink reference signals for NR communications, including channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) transmissions. Each CSI-RS transmission may be configured for a specific UE 105 to estimate the channel and report channel quality information. The reported channel quality information may be used for scheduling or link adaptation at base stations 110a, 110b, 114, or as part of a mobility or beam management process for directional transmissions associated with enhanced channel resources. Similarly, UE 105 may be configured to send uplink signals to one or more base stations 110a, 110b, 114 and to send sidelink transmissions between UEs 105.

[0047] Base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may transmit one or more additional downlink reference signals, including positioning reference signal (PRS) transmissions. PRS transmissions may be configured for a particular UE 105 to measure and report one or more reporting parameters (e.g., reporting quantities) associated with positioning and location information. PRS transmissions and reporting parameter feedback may support various location services (e.g., navigation systems and emergency communications). In some examples, the reporting parameters supplement one or more additional location systems (such as global positioning system (GPS) technology) supported by UE 105.

[0048] Base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may configure PRS transmission on one or more PRS resources of a channel. Depending on the number of configured ports, PRS resources may span resource elements of multiple physical resource blocks (PRBs) within one or more OFDM symbols of a time slot. For example, a PRS resource may span a symbol of a time slot and include a port for transmission. In any OFDM symbol, a PRS resource may occupy consecutive PRBs. In some examples, PRS transmission may be mapped to consecutive OFDM symbols of a time slot. In other examples, PRS transmission may be mapped to scattered OFDM symbols of a time slot. In addition, PRS transmission may support frequency hopping within a PRB of a channel.

[0049] According to the PRS resource settings of the base stations 110a, 110b, 114, one or more PRS resources may span multiple PRS resource sets. The structure of one or more PRS resources, PRS resource sets, and PRS resource settings within a PRS transmission may be referred to as a multi-level resource setting. For example, the multi-level PRS resource settings of the base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may include multiple PRS resource sets, and each PRS resource set may include a PRS resource set (e.g., a set of 4 PRS resources).

[0050] The UE 105 may receive a PRS transmission on one or more PRS resources of a time slot. The UE 105 may determine reporting parameters for at least some of the PRS resources included in the transmission (if not each PRS resource). The reporting parameters for each PRS resource (which may include a reporting quantity) may include one or more of the following: time of arrival (TOA), reference signal time difference (RSTD), reference signal received power (RSRP), angle, PRS identification number, received to transmitted difference (UE Rx-Tx), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or reference signal received quality (RSRQ).

[0051] Similarly, the UE 105 may be configured to transmit one or more additional uplink reference signals that may be received by the base stations 110a, 110b, 114 and used for positioning. For example, the UE 105 may transmit a sounding reference signal (SRS) for positioning. The base stations 110a, 110b, 114 receiving the uplink reference signal from the UE 105 may perform positioning measurements, such as one or more of time of arrival (TOA), received to transmitted difference (UE Rx-Tx).

[0052] Aspects of the wireless communication system 100 may include UE position determination using downlink PRS transmissions by base stations 110a, 110b, 114 or uplink SRS transmissions by a UE (e.g., UE 105A or UE 105B). For downlink-based UE position determination, a location server (e.g., LMF 120 in an NR network or E-SMLC in LTE (sometimes referred to as location server 120)) may be used to provide positioning assistance, such as PRS assistance data (AD) to the UE. For uplink-based UE position determination, the location server 120 and / or a serving base station (e.g., gNB 110a) may be used to provide positioning assistance (e.g., SRS assistance data) to a receiving entity (e.g., a base station (e.g., gNB 110a, 110b and other UEs)). For example, the SRS assistance data may include SRS transmission timing and other parameters, such as reference signal mode, power (if different from nominal), number of repetitions, etc.

[0053] A position estimate of the UE may be determined using reference signals (e.g., PRS signals or SRS for positioning signals) or other reference signals from one or more base stations 110a, 110b, 114 or the UE. Positioning methods such as time difference of arrival (TDOA), DL time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), DL angle of departure (DL AoD), enhanced cell ID (ECID) are location methods that may be used to estimate the position of the UE using reference signals from base stations. For example, TDOA relies on measuring the reference signal time difference (RSTD) between downlink (DL) signals received from a base station of a reference cell and base stations of one or more neighboring cells. DL signals from which RTSD may be obtained include cell-specific reference signals (CRS) and positioning reference signals (PRS) - for example, as defined in 3GPP TS 36.211.

[0054] Other positioning methods may use reference signals sent by the UE, including uplink-based positioning methods and downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods. For example, uplink-based positioning methods include, for example, UL time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), UL angle of arrival (UL AoA), UL relative time of arrival (UL-RTOA), and downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods, such as round-trip time (RTT) with one or more neighboring base stations. In addition, sidelink-based positioning may be used, in which the UE sends and / or receives sidelink positioning reference signals that are measured and used for positioning.

[0055] As described above, although FIG. 1 depicts nodes configured to communicate according to a 5G communication protocol, nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols (such as, for example, an LTE protocol or an IEEE 802.11x protocol) may be used. For example, in an evolved packet system (EPS) that provides LTE wireless access to a UE 105, the RAN may include an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), the E-UTRAN may include a base station, and the base station may include an evolved node B (eNB). The core network for the EPS may include an evolved packet core (EPC). The EPS may include an E-UTRAN plus an EPC, where the E-UTRAN corresponds to the NG-RAN 135 in FIG. 1 and the EPC corresponds to the 5GC 140 in FIG. 1.

[0056] The gNB 110a, 110b and ng-eNB 114 may communicate with the AMF 115, which, for positioning functions, communicates with the LMF 120. The AMF 115 may support mobility of the UE 105, including cell changes and handovers, and may participate in supporting signaling connections to the UE 105 and possible data and voice bearers for the UE 105. The LMF 120 may communicate directly or indirectly with the UE 105, or directly or indirectly with the base stations 110a, 110b, 114, for example, via wireless communications. The LMF 120 may support positioning of the UE 105 when the UE 105 accesses the NG-RAN 135, and may support positioning procedures / methods such as Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) (e.g., Downlink (DL) TDOA or Uplink (UL) TDOA), Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), Angle of Arrival (AOA), Angle of Departure (AOD), and / or other positioning methods. The LMF 120 may process a location service request of the UE 105 received, for example, from the AMF 115 or from the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be connected to the AMF 115 and / or the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be referred to by other names such as a Location Manager (LM), a Location Function (LF), a Commercial LMF (CLMF), or a Value-Added LMF (VLMF). A node / system implementing LMF 120 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an enhanced serving mobile location center (E-SMLC) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SUPL SLP). At least a portion of the positioning functions (including the derivation of the UE's location) may be performed at the UE (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by the UE for signals sent by wireless nodes (such as gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114), and / or assistance data provided to the UE by LMF 120, for example). Alternatively, at least a portion of the positioning functions (including the derivation of the UE's location) may be performed at LMF 120 (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114). AMF 115 may serve as a control node that handles signaling between UE 105 and core network 140, and provides QoS (Quality of Service) flow and session management. AMF 115 may support mobility of UE 105 (including cell change and handover) and may participate in supporting signaling connections to UE 105.

[0057] The GMLC 125 may support location requests for the UE 105 received from the external client 130, and may forward such location requests to the AMF 115 for forwarding by the AMF 115 to the LMF 120, or may forward the location requests directly to the LMF 120. A location response (e.g., containing a location estimate for the UE 105) from the LMF 120 may be returned to the GMLC 125 directly or via the AMF 115, and the GMLC 125 may then return the location response (e.g., containing a location estimate) to the external client 130. The GMLC 125 is shown as being connected to both the AMF 115 and the LMF 120, but in some implementations, the 5GC 140 may support only one of these connections.

[0058] A user plane function (UPF) 118 may support voice and data bearers for UE 105 and may enable voice and data access for UE 105 to other networks such as the Internet. UPF 118 may be connected to gNB 110 and ng-eNB 114. UPF 118 functions may include: external protocol data unit (PDU) session points for interconnection to data networks, packet (e.g., Internet Protocol (IP)) routing and forwarding, packet inspection and user plane portion of policy rule enforcement, quality of service (QoS) processing for the user plane, downlink packet buffering, and downlink data notification triggering. UPF 118 may be connected to SUPL SLP 119 to enable support for positioning of UE 105 using SUPL. SUPL SLP 119 may also be connected to or accessible from external client 130.

[0059] As shown, a session management function (SMF) 117 is connected to the AMF 115 and the UPF 118. The SMF 117 may have the ability to control both local and central UPFs within a PDU session. The SMF 117 may manage the establishment, modification, and release of PDU sessions for the UE 105, perform IP address allocation and management for the UE 105, act as a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) server for the UE 105, and select and control the UPF 118 on behalf of the UE 105.

[0060] As further shown in FIG1 , the LMF 120 may communicate with the gNB 110a, 110b, and / or the ng-eNB 114 using a new radio position protocol A (which may be referred to as NPPa or NRPPa) that may be defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa) defined in 3GPP TS 36.455, where NRPPa messages are transmitted between the gNB 110a (or gNB 110b) and the LMF 120 and / or between the ng-eNB 114 and the LMF 120 via the AMF 115. As further shown in FIG1 , the LMF 120 and the UE 105 may communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), which may be defined in 3GPP TS 36.355. Here, LPP messages may be transmitted between the UE 105 and the LMF 120 via the AMF 115 and the serving gNB 110a, 110b or the serving ng-eNB 114 for the UE 105. For example, the LPP messages may be transmitted between the LMF 120 and the AMF 115 using the 5G Location Service Application Protocol (LCSAP), and may be transmitted between the AMF 115 and the UE 105 using the 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. Communication between the LMF 120 and the UE 105 using the LPP protocol may sometimes be referred to herein as direct communication because the message is transparent to the serving gNB, i.e., the serving gNB does not need to understand the content of the message, but simply forwards the communication between the LMF 120 and the UE 105. In contrast, during communications using an NPP protocol such as NRPPa, the serving gNB unpacks the message, picks out the content, which is packaged and sent to the UE, for example, in a Uu air interface via radio resource control (RRC), medium access control-control element (MAC-CE), downlink control information (DCI), etc. The LPP protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based location methods such as A-GNSS, RTK, TDOA, AOA, AOD, and / or E-CID. The NRPPa protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using a network-based location method such as E-CID (e.g., when used with measurements obtained by the gNB 110a, 110b, or ng-eNB 114) and / or may be used by the LMF 120 to obtain location-related information from the gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114, such as parameters defining directional synchronization signal (SS) transmissions from the gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. The LMF 120 is shown in FIG. 1 as being located in the core network 140, but may be external to the core network 140, for example, in a NG-RAN.For example, the LMF 120 may be co-located or integrated with the gNB or TRP, or may be located remote from the gNB and / or TRP and configured to communicate directly or indirectly with the gNB and / or TRP.

[0061] In the case of a UE-assisted location method, a UE (e.g., UE 105A or UE 105B) may obtain location measurements and send the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for use in calculating a location estimate for the UE. For example, the location measurements may include one or more of received signal strength indication (RSSI), round trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal time difference (RSTD), reference signal received power (RSRP) and / or reference signal received quality (RSRQ), AOA, AOD of gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, and / or WLAN AP. The location measurements may also or alternatively include measurements of GNSS pseudoranges, code phases, and / or carrier phases of SVs 190 to 193.

[0062] In the case of a UE-based location method, a UE (e.g., UE 105A or UE 105B) may obtain a location measurement (e.g., which may be the same or similar to a location measurement used for a UE-assisted location method) and may calculate the UE's location (e.g., with the aid of assistance data received from a location server such as LMF 120 or broadcast by gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114 or other base station or AP).

[0063] In the case of a network-based location method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114), sidelink UEs, or APs may obtain location measurements (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, or time of arrival (ToA) of a signal sent by a UE (e.g., UE 105A or UE 105B)) and / or may receive measurements obtained by a UE. One or more base stations or APs may send the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for use in calculating a location estimate for the UE.

[0064] The information provided to LMF 120 by gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 using NRPPa may include timing and configuration information for directional SS transmissions and location coordinates. LMF 120 may provide some or all of this information as assistance data to UE 105 in LPP and / or NPP messages via NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140.

[0065] The LPP or NPP message sent from LMF 120 to UE 105 may instruct UE 105 to do any of a variety of things depending on the desired functionality. For example, the LPP or NPP message may contain instructions for UE 105 to obtain measurements of GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and / or TDOA (or some other location method). In the case of E-CID, the LPP or NPP message may instruct UE 105 to obtain one or more measurements (e.g., beam ID, beam width, average angle, RSRP, RSRQ measurements) of directional signals transmitted within a particular cell supported by one or more of gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNBs 114 (or supported by some other type of base station, such as an eNB or WiFi AP). The UE 105 may send the measurement quantities back to the LMF 120 in an LPP or NPP message (e.g., within a 5G NAS message) via the serving gNB 110a (or serving ng-eNB 114) and the AMF 115.

[0066] As described above, although the communication system 100 is described with respect to 5G technology, the communication system 100 can be implemented to support other communication technologies such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc. for supporting mobile devices such as UE 105 and interacting with mobile devices such as UE 105 (e.g., to implement voice, data, positioning, and other functions). In some such embodiments, 5GC 140 can be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, 5GC 140 can connect to a WLAN using a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF, not shown in FIG. 1) in 5GC 150. For example, a WLAN can support IEEE 802.11 WiFi access for UE 105 and can include one or more WiFi APs. Here, N3IWF can be connected to other elements in WLAN and 5GC 140, such as AMF 115. In some embodiments, both NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 can be replaced by one or more other RANs and one or more other core networks. For example, in the EPS, the NG-RAN 135 may be replaced by an E-UTRAN including eNBs, and the 5GC 140 may be replaced by an EPC including a mobility management entity (MME) instead of the AMF 115, an E-SMLC instead of the LMF 120, and a GMLC that may be similar to the GMLC 125. In this EPS, the E-SMLC may use LPPa instead of NRPPa to send and receive location information to and from the eNBs in the E-UTRAN, and may use LPP to support positioning of the UE 105. In these other embodiments, positioning of the UE 105 using directional PRS may be supported in a manner similar to that described herein for the 5G network, except that the functions and processes described herein for the gNBs 110a, 110b, the ng-eNBs 114, the AMF 115, and the LMF 120 may be applied to other network elements, such as the eNBs, WiFi APs, the MMEs, and the E-SMLCs in some cases instead.

[0067] Positioning for UEs in a radio network (such as the communication system 100 shown in FIG. 1 ) typically uses a Uu interface (i.e., a radio interface between a UE and a radio access network) to support uplink-based positioning and downlink-based positioning. In uplink-based positioning, the UE 105 sends an SRS, and the base station (e.g., gNB) 110 receives the SRS and performs measurements. The SRS is sent by the UE 105 without other signals in the same OFDM symbol. For downlink-based positioning, the base station (e.g., gNB) 110 sends a PRS, and the UE 105 receives the PRS and performs measurements. The PRS is sent by the base station 110 without other signals in the same OFDM symbol. For uplink or downlink-based positioning, the network (e.g., gNB 110 (or location server)) schedules or configures the transmission time of the SRS and / or PRS, and both the sending entity and the receiving entity are aware of the scheduled or configured transmission time.

[0068] The positioning of the UE may use a sidelink PRS (sometimes referred to as an SL PRS), which may be a reference signal defined for a specific sidelink for positioning or may reuse a Uu PRS, such as an UL PRS, sometimes referred to as a sounding reference signal for positioning (SRSPos), or other reference signals may be sent in a sidelink channel. Sidelink positioning may enhance UE positioning by providing additional transmitting (or receiving) nodes. A sidelink UE with a known position (such as UE 105B) may be used to support position determination of a target UE (such as UE 105), where the sidelink UE is sometimes referred to as an anchor node.

[0069] The SL PRS may potentially be sent in the same carrier as the side link communication used to initiate or configure the side link positioning or ranging session. Alternatively, the SL PRS may potentially be sent in a different carrier than the side link communication used to initiate or configure the side link positioning or ranging session. For example, different carriers may be in the same frequency band or may be in different frequency bands. In addition to licensed bands and dedicated bands, the frequency bands used in SL positioning may be unlicensed. For example, the frequency band used to send the SL PRS may be unlicensed, while a licensed band or a dedicated band may be used to initiate or configure a side link positioning or ranging session.

[0070] Using the sidelink positioning method, UE 105A can, for example, send a sidelink PRS or sidelink SRS signal received and measured by UE 105B. In addition or alternatively, UE 105B can, for example, send a sidelink PRS or sidelink SRS signal received and measured by UE 105A. Measurements of SL PRS or SL SRS signals may include Rx-Tx, TOA, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA. SL position methods may include SL RTT (also known as ranging), SL AOA, and SL AOD. In some scenarios, a UE group (not shown in Figure 1) may support SL positioning. In this case, one UE in the group may send a SL PRS or SL SRS signal, which may be measured by some or all other UEs in the group. Some or all other UEs in the group may also send SL PRS or SLSRS signals (for example, each UE sends SL SRS or SL PRS at one or more times different from the time when other UEs in the group send SL PRS or SL SRS), which may be measured by some or all other UEs in a group different from the UEs sending UL PRS or ULS SRS. Measurements made by the UE applicable to UE group transmission of SL PRS or SL SRS may include Rx-Tx, TOA, RSTD, AOA, RSRP, RSRQ. The location methods supported by these measurements may include sidelink RTT (e.g., ranging), sidelink AOA, sidelink AOD, sidelink TDOA (SL-TDOA). Based on the measurements and location methods, each UE may determine the relative or absolute position of itself and / or other UEs. For example, the relative position of a UE may include the position of the UE relative to one or more other UEs in the group.

[0071] Sidelink positioning can be used to locate UEs independently of the core network. An example implementation of sidelink positioning can be found in vehicle communication systems (such as V2X), which can be used for safety-related applications such as safety warnings, traffic congestion (e.g., automatic traffic control), and coordinated or automatic vehicle manipulation. For example, sidelink positioning can be used between UEs (including between UEs, RSUs, and PRUs with network access independence). Sidelink positioning can be used with a pair of UEs (e.g., ranging), UE groups (V2X), and UE membership in multiple groups. For example, sidelink positioning can provide support for various currently standardized location technologies (e.g., in Release 18, such as PRS RTT, AoA, DAoA, AoD, DAoD), but other PRS capabilities and non-PRS methods can also be added in later releases. Standardization of sidelink positioning may be performed in the future.

[0072] As an example, Figure 21 is a signal flow 200 illustrating signaling between UE 105A and UE 105b for paired sidelink positioning. For example, UE 105A and 105B may be, for example, UEs shown in FIG. Figure 2 The sidelink positioning shown in is independent of the network.

[0073] exist Figure 2 In Phase 0, discovery of UEs and establishment of a sidelink communication session are performed. The discovery process may be request-response or announcement based. For example, the discovery phase may be implemented by one or both of UEs 105A and 105B to detect other UEs that may be used for sidelink positioning. For example, discovery messages may be exchanged between UEs 105A and / or 105B to determine nearby UEs that may be used to participate in sidelink positioning. Additional messages may be exchanged to establish a sidelink positioning session between UEs 105A and 105B. For example, the UEs may exchange one or more group standard parameters for group formation, such as the relative distance between UEs, the time period during which the UEs will communicate with other UEs, the direction of travel and / or speed of the UEs. Based on the group standard parameters, the UE may determine whether to form a group, for example, determine a group status indication for another UE, which indicates inclusion in the group with the UE or exclusion of the other UE from the group with the UE. In Figure 2 For example, assume that UEs 105A and 105B meet one or more group criteria and are included in the group (e.g., a group of two UEs).

[0074] In phase 1, UE 105A and 105B may exchange SLP capabilities, resources, service requirements, which may include QoS, for example, using request capabilities and resources and provide capabilities and resources messages, as described above. The capabilities exchanged may define what each of UE 105A and 105B is enabled to support. The resources exchanged define what capabilities each of UE 105A and 105B is allowed to support, what capabilities each of UE 105A and 105B is not allowed to support, or both. The sidelink positioning capabilities that the UE is allowed to support or not allowed to support may include permissions or restrictions on one or more of a sidelink PRS transmission time, a sidelink PRS measurement time, a sidelink PRS transmission duration, a sidelink PRS measurement duration, a bandwidth of a sidelink PRS transmission, a bandwidth of a measured sidelink PRS, an RF frequency of a sidelink PRS transmission, an RF frequency of a measured sidelink PRS, a signal coding of a sidelink PRS transmission, a signal coding of a measured sidelink PRS, a periodicity of a sidelink PRS transmission, a periodicity of a measured sidelink PRS, a transmission power of a sidelink PRS transmission, a transmission power of a measured sidelink PRS, or any combination thereof. The service requirements include an indication of at least one of an immediate position, a delayed position, a periodic position, a triggered position, a relative position, a global position, a position accuracy, a position delay, a position periodicity, a position reliability, or some combination of these. The quality of service (QoS) exchanged defines the type of position (e.g., single or periodic), accuracy, delay, periodicity, reliability required or expected by each UE in a sidelink positioning session.

[0075] At stage 2, UE 105A transmits positioning signal PRS1. For example, the configuration of PRS1 may be defined based on capabilities, resources, and service requirements that may include QoS of UEs 105A and 105B. For example, the PRS1 configuration may be the same or similar to the PRS configuration defined for LPP in 3GPP TS 37.355, except that they may refer to PRS transmission on a sidelink communication channel between two UEs or between a group of UEs.

[0076] At stage 3, UE 105B measures positioning signal PRS1. For example, UE 105B may measure RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, TOA of PRS1 sent by UE 105A.

[0077] At stage 4, UE 105B transmits positioning signal PRS2. Similar to PRS1 discussed in stage 2, the configuration of PRS2 may be defined based on capabilities, resources, and service requirements that may include QoS of UEs 105A and 105B, for example. For example, the PRS2 configuration may be the same or similar to the PRS configuration defined in 3GPP TS 37.355 for LPP, except that they may refer to PRS transmissions on a sidelink communication channel between two UEs or between a group of UEs.

[0078] At stage 5, UE 105A measures positioning signal PRS2. For example, UE 105A may measure RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, TOA of PRS2 sent by UE 105B.

[0079] At stage 6, UE 105A and UE 105B exchange measurements. For example, the exchange of measurements may indicate time of departure (TOD), AOD, signal strength, etc. of the transmitted signal, and in some implementations may provide measurements generated in stages 3 and 5.

[0080] At stage 7, UE 105A and UE 105B may determine relative position (e.g., range between UE 105A and 105B) and speed based on the measurements generated in stages 3 and 5 and received in stage 6. For example, the UE may determine the distance based on the TOD and TOA of the PRS signal. For example, the distance may be determined based on TODi and TOAi for the PRSi signal (where i=1 for the PRS sent by UE 105A in stage 2, and i=2 for the PRS sent by UE 105B in stage 4, and c represents the transmission speed of electromagnetic waves, e.g., the speed of light), as follows:

[0081]

[0082] As shown in stage 8, stages 2-7 may be repeated as needed.

[0083] Figures 3A-3DEach shows a slot-based sidelink transmission with multiple sidelink symbols, and shows various options for the structure of the sidelink positioning signal transmission. As discussed above in stages 2 and 4, the configuration of the positioning signals (PRS1 and PRS2) used in the sidelink positioning is similar to the PRS configuration defined for LPP in 3GPP TS 37.355. For example, the radio resources in NR are defined in the time and frequency domains, and the sidelink can have the same or similar radio frames, subframes, and time slots as the NR uplink / downlink, as defined in 3GPP TS 38.211. The sidelink communication can also support different parameter sets with shorter slot times, for example, for low latency requirements.

[0084] For example, Figure 3A A sidelink transmission structure 300 with a PRS 301 from a single UE (e.g., UE0) is shown. The sidelink transmission structure 300 is an example of a slot format for sidelink transmission and may be the same or similar to the NR slot format for downlink and uplink transmission. As shown, each slot in the sidelink transmission structure 300 may include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) 304, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) 306, an automatic gain control (AGC) 308, and a guard (gap (GAP)) symbol 310. In some implementations, the sidelink transmission structure 300 may include additional or other channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), etc. Each PSSCH 304 contains, for example, user data traffic and is associated with a PSCCH 306. The PSCCH 306 may be transmitted on the same time slot as the PSSCH 306 and contains control information divided into two stages, i.e., sidelink control information (SCI). The first stage (SCI-1) is transmitted on the PSCCH 306 associated with the PSSCH 304, and the second stage (SCI-2) is transmitted on the corresponding PSSCH 304. For example, the second stage (SCI-2) may be mapped to consecutive resource blocks (RBs) in the PSSCH starting from the first symbol with the PSSCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS). For example, the SCI in the first stage may include control information for resource allocation (such as priority, frequency and time resource allocation, and resource reservation period) and decoding of the second stage control, etc. The SCI in the second stage may include control information for a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) process ID, a new data indicator, a redundancy version, a source ID, and a destination ID, etc.

[0085] like Figure 3AAs shown, for positioning operations, PRS 301 from a single UE may be included in one or more time slots of the sidelink transmission structure 300, for example, PRS 301 is transmitted at least with PSCCH 306 and possibly with PSSCH 304.

[0086] Figure 3B Another side link transmission structure 320 with independent PRS from multiple UEs is shown. For example, independent PRS from each UE (e.g., PRS0 321 from UE0, PRS1 323 from UE1, and PRS2 325 from UE2) can be sent in multiple time slots without other signals.

[0087] Figure 3C Another sidelink transmission structure 340 is shown, which is similar to Figure 3A 344, PSCCH 346, AGC 348, and guard (GAP) symbols 350 are transmitted in multiple time slots.

[0088] Figure 3D Another sidelink transmission structure 360 ​​is shown, which is similar to Figure 3C , where PRSs are transmitted from multiple UEs. For example, PRSs from each UE (e.g., PRS0 361 from UE0, PRS1 363 from UE1, PRS2 365 from UE2, and PRS3 367 from UE3) are transmitted in multiple time slots along with PSCCH 366, AGC 368, and guard (GAP) symbols 370.

[0089] One aspect of sidelink positioning that would require a solution is how to identify the source of a PRS transmission or the positioning or ranging session associated with a PRS transmission.

[0090] In one implementation, a payload-based indication sent in L1 or L2 control signaling or higher layer signaling (such as in SCI-2 or MAC-CE) may be used to identify a SL positioning session. For example, when the SL PRS is sent with the PSCCH and the PRS from a single UE is sent in a timeslot, e.g. Figure 3AAs shown, a source ID provided in L1 or L2 control signaling or higher layer signaling (such as SCI stage 2 (SCI-2) or MAC-CE) can be used to identify the transmitter of the SL PRS. In addition, an indication of a positioning / ranging session identifier associated with the SL PRS can also be sent in the L1 or L2 control signaling or higher layer signaling, such as in SCI-2 or MAC-CE.

[0091] As an example, Figure 4 4 is a signal flow 400 illustrating procedures and signaling between UEs 105A and 105B for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning, wherein a payload-based indication of an identity of a SL positioning session is provided along with a transmitted SL PRS. For example, UEs 105A and 105B may be, for example, FIG. 1 and FIG. Figure 2 UE shown in FIG. 1 , and Figure 4 Can be Figure 2 Furthermore, in some implementations, additional signaling and / or additional UEs may be included in the signal flow 400.

[0092] like Figure 4 As shown, in phase 1, UE 105A may send a message including session information, which may be received by UE 105B. Figure 4 Phase 1 in can be similar to Figure 2 Phase 1 of the SL positioning session and may include an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and identifiers of one or more UEs participating in the SL positioning session. The indication of the SL positioning session identifier may include, for example, the SL positioning session ID, the expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE, a time indicator of when the ranging / positioning session is initiated (e.g., a time slot index, a direct frame number (DFN) or a system frame number (SFN) index or both), an indicator of the carrier in which the positioning / ranging session is initiated, or any combination thereof. The message may also include the number of UEs participating in the positioning / ranging session, which may be an indication of the SL positioning session identifier. It should be understood that multiple messages may be sent to provide one or more indications of the SL positioning session identifier. In some implementations, additional UEs may send and / or receive session information in Phase 1. For example, UE 105B may send session information received by UE 105A.

[0093] In phase 2, UE 105A transmits a positioning signal (e.g., SL PRS) and a message associated with the SL PRS, the message including a payload with an indication of the SL positioning session identifier associated with the SL PRS, which is received by UE 105B. The payload also includes an identification of UE 105A as the source of the transmission of the SL PRS in phase 2. Similar to Figure 2The configuration of SL PRS for Phase 2 may be the same or similar to the PRS configuration defined for LPP in 3GPP TS 37.355, except that they may refer to PRS transmission on a sidelink communication channel between two UEs or between a group of UEs. The message with the payload may be provided in L1 or L2 control signaling or in higher layer signaling such as SCI Phase 2 (SCI-2) or MAC-CE.

[0094] The payload in Phase 2 may include any indication of the SL positioning session identifier. For example, in some implementations, the SL positioning session identifier may be provided in the payload. Additionally or alternatively, other indications of the SL positioning session identifier may be provided. For example, the number of UEs participating in the positioning / ranging session may be sent in the payload and used as an indication of the SL positioning session identifier. In an implementation, the expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE may be sent in the payload and used as an indication of the SL positioning session identifier. In one implementation, a time indicator of when the ranging / positioning session was initiated (e.g., a timeslot index, a DFN / SFN index, or both) may be sent in the payload and used as an indication of the SL positioning session identifier. In one implementation, an indicator of the carrier in which the positioning / ranging session was initiated may be sent and used as an indication of the SL positioning session identifier.

[0095] At stage 3, UE 105B measures the positioning signal PRS received in stage 2. Figure 2 As discussed in , UE 105B, for example, can measure RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, TOA of the PRS sent by UE 105A.

[0096] In stage 4, similar to stage 2, UE 105B may send a positioning signal (e.g., SL PRS) and a message associated with the SLPRS, and the message includes a payload having an indication of a SL positioning session identifier associated with the SL PRS and an identification of UE 105B as the source of the transmission of the SL PRS in stage 4, and the payload is received by UE 105A.

[0097] At stage 5, UE 105A measures the positioning signal PRS received in stage 4. For example, UE 105A may measure RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, TOA of the PRS sent by UE 105B.

[0098] At stage 6, UE 105A and UE 105B may exchange measurements. For example, the exchange of measurements may indicate time of departure (TOD), AOD, signal strength, etc. of the transmitted signal, and in some implementations may provide the measurements generated in stages 3 and 5. UE 105A and 105B may determine the distance based on the measurements, for example, as Figure 2 Additionally or alternatively, UE 105A and 105B may determine relative or absolute position based on the measurements. Furthermore, UE 105A and 105B may repeat stages 2-6 as needed.

[0099] In one implementation, a sequence-based indication may be used to identify a SL positioning session. The sequence-based indication in the SL PRS may be generated, for example, based on a SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE, which may be decoded by a receiving UE. For example, a PRS sequence generator may be used to generate the SL PRS, and the PRS sequence generator may be initialized or seeded based on the SL positioning session identifier and the transmitting UE identifier. In another example, the PRS sequence may be scrambled based on the SL positioning session identifier and the transmitting UE identifier. In another example, a cover code may be used with the PRS sequence, wherein the cover code is based on the SL positioning session identifier and the transmitting UE identifier.

[0100] As an example, Figure 5 1 is a signal flow 500 illustrating procedures and signaling between UEs 105A and 105B for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning, wherein a sequence-based indication of an identity of a SL positioning session is provided along with a transmitted SL PRS. UEs 105A and 105B may be, for example, Figure 2 UE shown in FIG. 1 , and Figure 5 Can be Figure 2 Furthermore, in some implementations, additional signaling and / or additional UEs may be included in the signal flow 500.

[0101] like Figure 5 As shown, in phase 1, UE 105A may send a message including session information, which may be received by UE 105B. Figure 4 Phase 1 in can be similar to Figure 2Phase 1 of the SL positioning session and may include an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and identifiers of one or more UEs participating in the SL positioning session. The indication of the SL positioning session identifier may include, for example, the SL positioning session ID, the expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE, a time indicator of when the ranging / positioning session is initiated (e.g., a timeslot index, a DFN / SFN index, or both), an indicator of the carrier in which the positioning / ranging session is initiated, or any combination thereof. It should be understood that multiple messages may be sent to provide one or more indications of the SL positioning session identifier. In some implementations, additional UEs may send and / or receive session information in Phase 1. For example, UE 105B may send session information received by UE 105A.

[0102] In phase 2, UE 105A generates a PRS based on session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier and a source ID (e.g., an identification of UE 105A). For example, UE 105A may generate the PRS using a PRS sequence generator that is initialized or seeded based on at least one of the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the source ID. In another example, the PRS sequence may be scrambled based on at least one of the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the source ID. In another example, a cover code based on at least one of the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the source ID may be applied to the PRS. The indication of the SL positioning session identifier may, for example, include one or more of: an ID of the positioning session initiator UE, an expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE, a positioning / ranging session identifier, a time indicator of when the ranging / positioning session is initiated (e.g., a time slot index, a DFN / SFN index, or both), an indicator of the carrier frequency in which the positioning session is initiated, or any combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, a (pre-)configured or separately indicated value may be used.

[0103] In stage 3, UE 105A sends a positioning signal (e.g., SL PRS) generated based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier in stage 2 and at least one of the source ID.

[0104] At stage 4, UE 105B decodes the PRS and measures the positioning signal PRS received in stage 3. UE 105B can decode the PRS based on the session information received in stage 1, and thus can determine the SL positioning session identifier and the PRS sending UE ID. Figure 2 As discussed in , UE 105B, for example, can measure RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, TOA of the PRS sent by UE 105A.

[0105] At stage 5, UE 105B generates a PRS based on the session information including an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and a source ID (eg, an identity of UE 105B). The generation of the PRS by UE 105B in stage 5 may be the same or similar as discussed with reference to stage 2.

[0106] In stage 6, UE 105B sends a positioning signal, such as a SL PRS, generated based on at least one of the indication of the SL positioning session identifier in stage 5 and the source ID.

[0107] At stage 7, UE 105A decodes the PRS and measures the positioning signal PRS received in stage 6. UE 105A can decode the PRS based on the session information received in stage 1, and thus can determine the SL positioning session identifier and the PRS sending UE ID. Figure 2 As discussed in , UE 105A, for example, can measure RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, TOA of the PRS sent by UE 105B.

[0108] In stage 8, UE 105A and UE 105B may exchange measurements. For example, the exchange of measurements may indicate time of departure (TOD), AOD, signal strength, etc. of the transmitted signal, and in some implementations may provide measurements generated in stages 3 and 5. UE 105A and 105B may determine the distance based on the measurements, for example, Figure 2 Additionally or alternatively, UE 105A and 105B may determine relative or absolute position based on the measurements. Furthermore, UE 105A and 105B may repeat stages 2-6 as needed.

[0109] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of a UE 600 (e.g., which may be the UE 105 shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 , and 4 ) configured to support sidelink positioning operations using a payload-based indication or a sequence-based indication and a source ID for an identification of a SL positioning session, as described herein. For example, the UE 600 may perform Figure 4 and 5 The signal flows 400 and 500 shown in FIG. Figure 6 and 71 , and accompanying techniques as discussed herein. UE 600 may include, for example, one or more processors 602, memory 604, external interfaces (e.g., at least one wireless transceiver (e.g., wireless network interface) shown as WWAN transceiver 610, WLAN transceiver 611, ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver 612, and Bluetooth (BT) transceiver 613), SPS receiver 614, and one or more sensors 615, which may be operably coupled to non-transitory computer-readable medium 620 and memory 604 using one or more connections 606 (e.g., buses, wires, optical fibers, links, etc.). For example, SPS receiver 614 may receive and process SPS signals from satellites 190 shown in FIG. 1 . For example, one or more sensors 615 may be an inertial measurement unit (IMU), which may include one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, magnetometers, etc. UE 600 may also include additional items not shown, such as a user interface, which may include, for example, a display, a keypad or other input device, such as a virtual keypad on the display, through which a user may interface with the UE. In some example implementations, all or part of UE 600 may take the form of a chipset and / or the like.

[0110] The UE 600 may include at least one wireless transceiver, such as a wireless transceiver 610 for a WWAN communication system and a wireless transceiver 611 for a WLAN communication system, a UWB transceiver 612 for a UWB communication system, a BT transceiver 613 for a Bluetooth communication system, or a combined transceiver for any one of WWAN, WLAN, UWB, and BT. The WWAN transceiver 610 may include a transmitter 610t and a receiver 610r coupled to one or more antennas 609 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals, and converting signals from wireless signals to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and converting signals from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals. The WLAN transceiver 611 may include a transmitter 611t and a receiver 611r coupled to one or more antennas 609 or separate antennas for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals and converting signals from wireless signals to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and converting signals from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals. The UWB transceiver 612 may include a transmitter 612t and a receiver 612r coupled to one or more antennas 609 or separate antennas for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals and converting signals from wireless signals to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and converting signals from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals. The BT transceiver 613 may include a transmitter 613t and a receiver 613r coupled to one or more antennas 609 or separate antennas for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) wireless signals, and converting signals from wireless signals to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and converting signals from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals. The transmitters 610t, 611t, 612t, and 613t may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receivers 610r, 611r, 612r, and 613r may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components.The WWAN transceiver 610 can be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with a base station and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs) (e.g., 6G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global Mobile System), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), etc.). The new radio can use millimeter wave frequencies and / or frequencies below 6 GHz (sub-6 GHz). The WLAN transceiver 611 can be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with an access point and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 1102.11 (including IEEE1102.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc. The UWB transceiver 612 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with an access point and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs) such as personal area networks (PANs) including IEEE 802.15.3, IEEE 802.15.4, etc. The BT transceiver 613 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with an access point and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs) such as Bluetooth networks. The transceivers 610, 611, 612, and 613 may be communicatively coupled to a transceiver interface, for example, via an optical and / or electrical connection, and the transceiver interface may be at least partially integrated with the transceivers 610, 611, 612, 613.

[0111] In some embodiments, the UE 600 may include an antenna 609, which may be internal or external. The UE antenna 609 may be used to transmit and / or receive signals processed by the wireless transceivers 610, 611, 612, 613. In some embodiments, the UE antenna 609 may be coupled to the wireless transceivers 610, 611, 612, 613. In some embodiments, the measurement of the signal received (transmitted) by the UE 600 may be performed at the connection point between the UE antenna 609 and the wireless transceivers 610, 611, 612, 613. For example, the measurement reference point for the received (transmitted) RF signal measurement may be the input (output) UE of the receiver 610r (transmitter 610t) and the output (input) UE of the UE antenna 609. In a UE 600 having multiple UE antennas 609 or an antenna array, the antenna connector may be regarded as a virtual point representing the aggregated output (input) of the multiple UE antennas.

[0112] The one or more processors 602 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. The one or more processors 602 may be configured to perform the functions discussed herein by implementing one or more instructions or program codes 608 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., the medium 620 and / or the memory 604). In some embodiments, the one or more processors 602 may represent one or more circuits that may be configured to perform at least a portion of a data signal computing process or processing associated with the operation of the UE 600.

[0113] The medium 620 and / or memory 604 may store instructions or program code 608 containing executable code or software instructions that, when executed by one or more processors 602, cause the one or more processors 602 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. As shown in UE 600, the medium 620 and / or memory 604 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by one or more processors 602 to perform the methods described herein. Although the components or modules are shown as software in the medium 620 that may be executed by one or more processors 602, it should be understood that the components or modules may be stored in the memory 604, or may be dedicated hardware in or outside of the one or more processors 602.

[0114] A number of software modules and data tables may reside in the media 620 and / or memory 604 and be used by the one or more processors 602 to manage both the communications and functions described herein. It should be understood that the organization of the contents of the media 620 and / or memory 604 as shown in the UE 600 is merely exemplary, and therefore, the functionality of the modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated and / or configured in different ways depending on the implementation of the UE 600.

[0115] The medium 620 and / or the memory 604 may include a session information module 621, which when implemented by the one or more processors 602 configures the one or more processors 602 to send or receive session information via the transceivers 610-613, which session information may include, for example, an indication of a SL positioning session identifier. The indication of the SL positioning session identifier may include, for example, a SL positioning session ID, the number of UEs participating in the positioning / ranging session, the expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE, a time indicator when the ranging / positioning session is initiated (e.g., a time slot index, a DFN / SFN index, or both), an indicator of the carrier in which the positioning / ranging session is initiated, or any combination thereof.

[0116] The medium 620 and / or the memory 604 may include a payload module 622, which when implemented by the one or more processors 602 configures the one or more processors 602 to generate a payload associated with the SL PRS, the payload including, for example, an identification of a UE that is the source of the transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier. The one or more processors 602 may be configured to send the payload, for example, via the transceivers 610-613, using L1 or L2 control signaling (such as an SCI-second stage message or a MAC-CE message), or receive the payload from another UE. The indication of the SL positioning session identifier may include, for example, the SL positioning session ID, the number of UEs participating in the positioning / ranging session, the expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE, a time indicator when the ranging / positioning session is initiated (e.g., a time slot index, a DFN / SFN index, or both), an indicator of the carrier in which the positioning / ranging session is initiated, or any combination thereof.

[0117] The medium 620 and / or the memory 604 may include a PRS sequence module 624, which when implemented by the one or more processors 602 configures the one or more processors 602 to generate a PRS. In some implementations, the one or more processors 602 may be configured to generate a SL PRS based on an indication of a SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE. For example, the indication of the SL positioning session identifier may include, for example, a SL positioning session ID, a number of UEs participating in the positioning / ranging session, an expected PRS transmission time of the initiator UE, a time indicator when the ranging / positioning session was initiated (e.g., a time slot index, a DFN / SFN index, or both), an indicator of the carrier in which the positioning / ranging session was initiated, or any combination thereof. For example, the one or more processors 602 may be configured to generate a SL PRS by initializing or seeding a SL PRS sequence based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE, or scrambling the SL PRS sequence based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE, or generating a cover code (the cover code is applied to the SL PRS sequence) based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE. For example, the one or more processors 602 may also be configured to determine the SL positioning session identifier and the PRS source identifier from a received SL PRS, the received SL PRS being encoded with an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the sending UE.

[0118] The medium 620 and / or the memory 604 may include a PRS module 626 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 to transmit or receive the SL PRS, for example, via the transceivers 610-613.

[0119] The medium 620 and / or the memory 604 may include a measurement module 628 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 to generate measurements for the received SL PRS. For example, the measurements may include RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, TOA, etc.

[0120] The medium 620 and / or the memory 604 may include a measurement exchange module 630, which, when implemented by the one or more processors 602, configures the one or more processors 602 to send an indication of measurement of the SLPRS, for example, via the transceivers 610-613. The one or more processors 602 may also be configured to receive an indication of measurement of the SL PRS from another UE, for example, via the transceivers 610-613.

[0121] The methods described herein may be implemented by various components depending on the application. For example, the methods may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For hardware implementations, the one or more processors 602 may be implemented in one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, electronic devices, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or combinations thereof.

[0122] For firmware and / or software implementations, the methods may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium that tangibly embodies instructions may be used to implement the methods described herein. For example, software code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium 620 or memory 604 connected to and executed by one or more processors 602. The memory may be implemented within one or more processors or external to one or more processors. As used herein, the term "memory" refers to any type of long-term, short-term, volatile, non-volatile, or other memory, and is not limited to any particular type of memory or any particular amount of memory, or the type of medium storing the memory.

[0123] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the functionality may be stored as one or more instructions or program code 608 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., medium 620 and / or memory 604). Examples include computer-readable media encoded with data structures and computer-readable media encoded with computer program code 608. For example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium including program code 608 stored thereon may include program code 608 to support sidelink positioning using an indication of an identification of a SL positioning session and a source ID in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments. The non-transitory computer-readable medium 620 includes physical computer storage media. The storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code 608 in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer; as used herein, magnetic disks and optical disks include compact disks (CDs), laser disks, optical disks, digital versatile disks (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray disks, where magnetic disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical disks reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0124] In addition to being stored on the computer-readable medium 620, instructions and / or data may also be provided as signals on a transmission medium included in the communication device. For example, the communication device may include an external interface including one or more of the wireless transceivers 610, 611, 612, and 613 with signals indicating instructions and data. The instructions and data are configured to cause one or more processors to implement the functions outlined in the claims. That is, the communication device includes a transmission medium with signals indicating information for performing the disclosed functions.

[0125] The memory 604 may represent any data storage mechanism. The memory 604 may include, for example, a main memory and / or a secondary memory. The main memory may include, for example, a random access memory, a read-only memory, etc. Although shown in this example as being separate from the one or more processors 602, it should be understood that all or part of the main memory may be provided within the one or more processors 602 or otherwise co-located / coupled with the one or more processors 602. The secondary memory may include, for example, a memory of the same or similar type as the main memory and / or one or more data storage devices or systems, such as a disk drive, an optical drive, a tape drive, a solid-state memory drive, etc.

[0126] In some implementations, the secondary storage is operable to accept or otherwise configurable to couple to a non-transitory computer-readable medium 620. Thus, in some example implementations, the methods and / or apparatus presented herein may take the form of all or part of a computer-readable medium 620, which may include computer-implemented program code 608 stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors 602, may be operably enabled to perform all or part of the example operations as described herein. The computer-readable medium 620 may be part of the memory 604.

[0127] Figure 7 A flowchart of an exemplary method 700 is shown for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning, e.g., using a payload-based indication of an identification of a SL positioning session, in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementations, e.g., performed by a UE such as UE 105 or UE 600 in Figures 1, 4, and 6.

[0128] At block 702, the UE transmits in a message associated with a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) that includes an identification of the UE that is the source of the transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier, such as Figure 4 As discussed in Phase 2 of . In one implementation, the message may be sent using Layer 1 (L1) or Layer 2 (L2) control signaling or higher layer signaling. The L1 or L2 control signaling may, for example, be a Side Link Control Information (SCI) Phase 2 message or a Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) message. The components for sending in a message associated with a SL Positioning Reference Signal (PRS) (the message including an identification of the UE that is the source of the transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of the SL positioning session identifier) ​​may include, for example, one of the one or more processors 602 and transceivers 610-613 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in a memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a payload module 622 of the UE 600.

[0129] At block 704, the UE sends a SL PRS associated with the message, such as Figure 4 The means for sending the SL PRS associated with the message may include, for example, one or more processors 602 and one of the transceivers 510-513 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a PRS module 626 of the UE 600.

[0130] In one implementation, the indication of the SL positioning session identifier may be an identifier associated with the SL positioning session, such as Figure 4 In one implementation, the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes the expected PRS transmission time of the second UE initiating the SL positioning session, such as Figure 4 In one implementation, the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes a time indicator of when the SL positioning session was initiated, such as Figure 4 In one implementation, the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an indicator of the carrier frequency at which the SL positioning session is initiated, such as Figure 4 As discussed in Phase 2 of . In one implementation, the message may also include the number of UEs participating in the SL positioning session.

[0131] In one implementation, the UE may receive a second message associated with a second SL PRS, the second message may include an identification of a second UE as a source of transmission of the second SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier, for example, Figure 4 The UE may also receive a second SLPRS associated with the message, such as Figure 4 The UE may generate a measurement of the second SL PRS, for example, as Figure 4 The UE may send an indication of the measurement of the second SL PRS, for example, Figure 4As discussed in Stage 6 of . In some implementations, the UE may include an indication of the session ID with the measurement of the second SL PRs. The means for receiving a second message associated with the second SL PRS may include, for example, one or more processors 602 and one of the transceivers 510-513 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or the medium 620, such as the payload module 622 of the UE 600, the second message including an identification of the second UE as the source of the transmission of the second SL PRS and an indication of the SL positioning session identifier. The means for receiving a second SL PRS associated with the message may include, for example, one or more processors 602 and one of the transceivers 510-513 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or the medium 620, such as the PRS module 626 of the UE 600. The means for generating the measurement of the second SL PRS may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or the medium 620, such as the measurement module 628 of the UE 600. The means for sending the indication of the measurement of the second SL PRS may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or the medium 620 and one of the transceivers 510-513, such as the measurement exchange module 630 of the UE 600.

[0132] Figure 8 A flowchart of an exemplary method 800 is shown for example by a UE (such as UE 105 or UE 600 in Figures 1, 5, and 6) for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning (e.g., using sequence-based indication of an identification of a SL positioning session) in a manner consistent with the disclosed implementations.

[0133] At block 802, the UE obtains SL positioning session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier, such as Figure 5 The means for obtaining the SL positioning session information including an indication of the SL positioning session identifier may include, for example, one or more processors 602 and one of the transceivers 510-513 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or the medium 620, such as the session information module 621 of the UE 600.

[0134] At block 804, the UE generates a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE, such as Figure 5In one implementation, the indication of the SL positioning session identifier may be any one of an identifier associated with the SL positioning session, an expected PRS transmission time of the second UE initiating the SL positioning session, a time indicator of when the SL positioning session is initiated, an indicator of the carrier frequency at which the SL positioning session is initiated, or any combination thereof, for example, Figure 5 The components for generating a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in a memory 604 and / or a medium 620, such as a PRS sequence module 624 of the UE 600.

[0135] At block 806, the UE sends a SL PRS, e.g. Figure 5 The means for transmitting the SL PRS may include, for example, one or more processors 602 and one of the transceivers 510-513 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or the medium 620, such as the PRS module 626 of the UE 600.

[0136] In one implementation, the SL PRS sequence is generated based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE by initializing or seeding the SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE, for example, Figure 5 The components for initializing or seeding the generation of the SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in the memory 604 and / or the medium 620, such as the PRS sequence module 624 of the UE 600.

[0137] In one implementation, the SL PRS is generated based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE by scrambling the SLPRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE, for example, Figure 5 The means for scrambling the SL PRS sequence based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a PRS sequence module 624 of the UE 600.

[0138] In one implementation, the SL PRS is generated based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE by applying a cover code to the SL PRS sequence, wherein the cover code is based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE, for example, Figure 5 Components for applying a cover code to a SL PRS sequence, wherein the cover code is based on an indication of an SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE, may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in a memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a PRS sequence module 624 of the UE 600.

[0139] In one implementation, the UE may receive a second SL PRS from a second UE, the second SL PRS being generated based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the second UE, e.g. Figure 5 The UE may determine the SL positioning session based on the second SL PRS, for example, Figure 5 The UE may generate a measurement of the second SLPRS, for example, as Figure 5 The UE may send an indication of the measurement of the second SL PRS, for example, Figure 5 600. The means for receiving a PRS for a second SL from a second UE (the second SL PRS being generated based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the second UE) may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620 and one of the transceivers 510-513, such as a PRS module 626 of the UE 600. The means for determining the SL positioning session based on the second SL PRS may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a PRS sequence module 624 of the UE 600. The means for generating a measurement of the second SL PRS may include, for example, one or more processors 602 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or medium 620, such as a measurement module 628 of the UE 600. Means for sending an indication of measurements of a second SL PRS may include, for example, one or more processors 602 and one of transceivers 510 - 513 configured with dedicated hardware or implementing executable code or software instructions in memory 604 and / or media 620 , such as measurement exchange module 630 of UE 600 .

[0140] Substantial changes may be made depending on specific expectations. For example, customized hardware may also be used, and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or both. In addition, connections to other computing devices such as network input / output devices may be employed.

[0141] The configuration may be described as a process depicted as a flow chart or block diagram. Although each operation may be described as a sequential process, many operations may be performed in parallel or simultaneously. In addition, the order of the operations may be rearranged. The process may have additional steps not included in the figure. In addition, examples of the methods may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middleware, or microcode, the program code or code segments for performing the necessary tasks may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as a storage medium. The processor may perform the described tasks.

[0142] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly or conventionally understood. As used herein, the articles "a" and "an" refer to one or more than one (i.e., at least one) grammatical object of the article. For example, "an element" means one element or more than one element. When referring to measurable values ​​such as amounts, durations, and the like, "about" and / or "approximately" as used herein encompass changes from ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or ±0.1% of the specified value, as such changes are appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein. When referring to measurable values ​​such as amounts, durations, physical properties (e.g., frequencies), and the like, "substantially" as used herein also encompasses changes from ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or ±0.1% of the specified value, as such changes are appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein.

[0143] As used herein, including the claims, "or", as used in a list of items ending with "at least one of" or "one or more of," indicates a disjunctive list, so that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or a combination of more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.). Furthermore, as used herein, unless otherwise specified, a statement that a function or operation is "based on" an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the stated item or condition, and may be based on one or more items and / or conditions other than the stated item or condition.

[0144] Although some techniques, processes, and / or implementations presented herein may conform to all or part of one or more standards, in some embodiments, such techniques, processes, and / or implementations may not conform to part or all of such one or more standards.

[0145] In view of this specification, embodiments may include different combinations of features. Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0146] Clause 1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning, comprising: sending in a message associated with a SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including an identification of the UE as a source of transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; and sending the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0147] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the message is sent using layer 1 (L1) or layer 2 (L2) control signaling or higher layer signaling.

[0148] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein the L1 or L2 control signaling comprises a Sidelink Control Information (SCI) stage 2 message or a Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) message.

[0149] Clause 4. A method as described in any of Clauses 1-3, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an identifier associated with the SL positioning session.

[0150] Clause 5. A method according to any of clauses 1-4, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an expected PRS transmission time of the second UE initiating the SL positioning session.

[0151] Clause 6. A method according to any of clauses 1-5, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises a time indicator of when the SL positioning session was initiated.

[0152] Clause 7. A method as described in any of Clauses 1-6, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an indicator of the carrier frequency at which the SL positioning session is initiated.

[0153] Clause 8. A method according to any one of clauses 1-7, wherein the message also includes the number of UEs participating in the SL positioning session.

[0154] Clause 9. The method according to any one of clauses 1-8 further includes: receiving a second message associated with a second SL PRS, the second message including an identifier of a second UE as a source of transmission of the second SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; receiving a second SL PRS associated with the message; generating measurements of the second SL PRS; and sending indications of measurements of the second SLPRS.

[0155] Clause 10. A user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning, comprising: a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with a network entity; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, the at least one processor configured to: send in a message associated with a SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including an identification of the UE as a source of transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; and send the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0156] Clause 11. The UE of clause 10, wherein the message is sent using layer 1 (L1) or layer 2 (L2) control signaling or higher layer signaling.

[0157] Clause 12. The UE of clause 11, wherein the L1 or L2 control signaling comprises a Sidelink Control Information (SCI) stage 2 message or a Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) message.

[0158] Clause 13. A UE as described in any of clauses 10-12, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an identifier associated with the SL positioning session.

[0159] Clause 14. A UE as described in any of clauses 10-13, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an expected PRS transmission time of the second UE initiating the SL positioning session.

[0160] Clause 15. A UE as described in any of clauses 10-14, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes a time indicator when the SL positioning session was initiated.

[0161] Clause 16. A UE as described in any of clauses 10-15, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an indicator of a carrier frequency at which the SL positioning session is initiated.

[0162] Clause 17. A UE according to any of clauses 10-16, wherein the message also includes the number of UEs participating in the SL positioning session.

[0163] Clause 18. A UE according to any one of clauses 10-17, wherein at least one processor is further configured to: receive a second message associated with a second SL PRS, the second message including an identifier of a second UE that is a source of transmission of the second SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; receive the second SL PRS associated with the message; generate measurements of the second SL PRS; and send an indication of the measurements of the second SL PRS.

[0164] Clause 19. A user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning, comprising: a component for sending in a message associated with a SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message including an identification of the UE as a source of transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; and a component for sending the SL PRS associated with the message.

[0165] Clause 20. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support sidelink (SL) positioning, the program code comprising instructions for: sending in a message associated with a SL positioning reference signal (PRS), the message comprising an identification of the UE as a source of transmission of the SLPRS and an indication of an SL positioning session identifier; and sending the SLPRS associated with the message.

[0166] Clause 21. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning, comprising: obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; generating a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identifier of the UE; and sending the SL PRS.

[0167] Clause 22. The method of Clause 21, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an identifier associated with the SL positioning session.

[0168] Clause 23. A method according to any of clauses 21-22, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an expected PRS transmission time of the second UE initiating the SL positioning session.

[0169] Clause 24. A method according to any of Clauses 21-23, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises a time indicator of when the SL positioning session was initiated.

[0170] Clause 25. A method as described in any of Clauses 21-24, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an indicator of a carrier frequency at which the SL positioning session is initiated.

[0171] Clause 26. A method according to any one of clauses 21-25, wherein generating the SL PRS based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE includes: initializing or seeding the generation of the SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE.

[0172] Clause 27. A method according to any one of clauses 21-26, wherein generating the SL PRS based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE comprises: scrambling the SLPRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE.

[0173] Clause 28. A method according to any one of clauses 21-27, wherein generating the SL PRS based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE comprises: applying a cover code to the SL PRS sequence, wherein the cover code is based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE.

[0174] Clause 29. The method according to any one of clauses 21-28 further includes: receiving a second SL PRS from a second UE, the second SL PRS being generated based on an indication of a SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the second UE; determining the SL positioning session based on the second SLPRS; generating measurements of the second SL PRS; and sending an indication of measurements of the second SL PRS.

[0175] Clause 30. A user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning, comprising: a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with a network entity; at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, the at least one processor configured to: obtain SL positioning session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; generate a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE; and send the SL PRS.

[0176] Clause 31. A UE as described in clause 30, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an identifier associated with the SL positioning session.

[0177] Clause 32. A UE as described in any of clauses 30-31, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an expected PRS transmission time of the second UE initiating the SL positioning session.

[0178] Clause 33. A UE as described in any of clauses 30-32, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes a time indicator when the SL positioning session was initiated.

[0179] Clause 34. A UE as described in any of clauses 30-33, wherein the indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an indicator of a carrier frequency at which the SL positioning session is initiated.

[0180] Clause 35. A UE according to any one of clauses 30-34, wherein the at least one processor is configured to generate the SL PRS based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE by being configured to initialize or seed the generation of the SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE.

[0181] Clause 36. A UE according to any one of clauses 30-35, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: generate a SL PRS based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE by being configured to scramble the SL PRS sequence based on an indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE.

[0182] Clause 37. A UE according to any one of clauses 30-36, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: generate a SL PRS based on an indication of a SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE by being configured to apply a cover code to the SL PRS sequence, wherein the cover code is based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE.

[0183] Clause 38. A UE according to any one of clauses 30-37, wherein at least one processor is further configured to: receive a second SL PRS from a second UE, the second SL PRS being generated based on an indication of a SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the second UE; determine the SL positioning session based on the second SL PRS; generate measurements of the second SL PRS; and send an indication of the measurements of the second SL PRS.

[0184] Clause 39. A user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning, comprising: a component for obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; a component for generating a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE; and a component for sending the SL PRS.

[0185] Clause 40. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support sidelink (SL) positioning, the program code comprising instructions for: obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; generating a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identification of the UE; and sending a SL PRS.

[0186] Although specific embodiments have been disclosed in detail herein, this is done by way of example only for the purpose of illustration and is not intended to limit the scope of the following claims. In particular, it is contemplated that various substitutions, changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the claims. Other aspects, advantages and modifications are considered to be within the scope of the appended claims. The claims presented represent embodiments and features disclosed herein. Other embodiments and features that are not claimed are also contemplated. Therefore, other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: transmitting in a message associated with a SL Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), the message comprising an identification of the UE being the source of transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; and The SL PRS associated with the message is sent.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The message is sent using layer 1 (L1) or layer 2 (L2) control signaling or higher layer signaling.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The L1 or L2 control signaling includes a Sidelink Control Information (SCI) stage 2 message or a Medium Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE) message.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an identifier associated with the SL positioning session.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an expected PRS transmission time of the second UE initiating the SL positioning session.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises a time indicator of when the SL positioning session was initiated.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an indicator of a carrier frequency at which the SL positioning session is initiated.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The message also includes the number of UEs participating in the SL positioning session.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a second message associated with a second SL PRS, the second message comprising an identification of a second UE as a source of transmission of the second SL PRS and the indication of the SL positioning session identifier; receiving the second SL PRS associated with the message; generating measurements of the second SL PRS; and Send an indication of measurement of the second SL PRS.

10. A user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning, comprising: a wireless transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with a network entity; at least one memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, the at least one processor configured to: transmitting in a message associated with a SL Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), the message comprising an identification of the UE being the source of transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; and The SL PRS associated with the message is sent.

11. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The message is sent using layer 1 (L1) or layer 2 (L2) control signaling or higher layer signaling.

12. The UE according to claim 11, wherein: The L1 or L2 control signaling includes a Sidelink Control Information (SCI) stage 2 message or a Medium Access Control-Control Element (MAC-CE) message.

13. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an identifier associated with the SL positioning session.

14. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an expected PRS transmission time of the second UE initiating the SL positioning session.

15. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises a time indicator of when the SL positioning session was initiated.

16. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an indicator of a carrier frequency at which the SL positioning session is initiated.

17. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The message also includes the number of UEs participating in the SL positioning session.

18. The UE according to claim 10, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: receiving a second message associated with a second SL PRS, the second message comprising an identification of a second UE as a source of transmission of the second SL PRS and the indication of the SL positioning session identifier; receiving the second SL PRS associated with the message; generating measurements of the second SL PRS; and Send an indication of measurement of the second SL PRS.

19. A user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning, comprising: means for transmitting in a message associated with a SL Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), the message comprising an identification of the UE being the source of transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; and Means for transmitting said SL PRS associated with said message.

20. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support sidelink (SL) positioning, the program code comprising instructions for: transmitting in a message associated with a SL Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), the message comprising an identification of the UE being the source of transmission of the SL PRS and an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; and The SL PRS associated with the message is sent.

21. A method for supporting sidelink (SL) positioning performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; generating a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE; and Send the SL PRS.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an identifier associated with the SL positioning session.

23. The method according to claim 21, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an expected PRS transmission time of the second UE initiating the SL positioning session.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises a time indicator of when the SL positioning session was initiated.

25. The method according to claim 21, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an indicator of a carrier frequency at which the SL positioning session is initiated.

26. The method according to claim 21, wherein: Generating the SL PRS based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE includes initializing or seeding a SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE.

27. The method of claim 21, wherein: Generating the SL PRS based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE includes: scrambling a SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE.

28. The method of claim 21, wherein: Generating the SL PRS based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE includes: applying a cover code to a SL PRS sequence, wherein the cover code is based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE.

29. The method of claim 21, further comprising: receiving, from a second UE, a second SL PRS, the second SL PRS being generated based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identity of the second UE; determining the SL positioning session according to the second SL PRS; generating measurements of the second SL PRS; and Send an indication of measurement of the second SL PRS.

30. A user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning, comprising: a wireless transceiver configured to communicate wirelessly with a network entity; at least one memory; as well as at least one processor coupled to the wireless transceiver and the at least one memory, the at least one processor configured to: obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; generating a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE; and Send the SL PRS.

31. The UE according to claim 30, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an identifier associated with the SL positioning session.

32. The UE according to claim 30, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier includes an expected PRS transmission time of the second UE initiating the SL positioning session.

33. The UE according to claim 30, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises a time indicator of when the SL positioning session was initiated.

34. The UE according to claim 30, wherein: The indication of the SL positioning session identifier comprises an indicator of a carrier frequency at which the SL positioning session is initiated.

35. The UE according to claim 30, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to generate the SL PRS based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE by being configured to initialize or seed generation of a SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE.

36. The UE according to claim 30, wherein: The at least one processor is configured to generate the SL PRS based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE by being configured to scramble a SL PRS sequence based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE.

37. A UE according to claim 30, wherein the at least one processor is configured to generate the SL PRS based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE by being configured to apply a cover code to the SL PRS sequence, wherein the cover code is based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identification of the UE.

38. The UE according to claim 30, wherein: The at least one processor is further configured to: receiving, from a second UE, a second SL PRS, the second SL PRS being generated based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and an identity of the second UE; determining the SL positioning session according to the second SL PRS; generating measurements of the second SL PRS; and Send an indication of measurement of the second SL PRS.

39. A user equipment (UE) configured to support sidelink (SL) positioning, comprising: means for obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; means for generating a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on said indication of said SL positioning session identifier and an identity of said UE; as well as Means for sending said SL PRS.

40. A non-transitory storage medium comprising program code stored thereon, the program code being operable to configure at least one processor in a user equipment (UE) to support sidelink (SL) positioning, the program code comprising instructions for: obtaining SL positioning session information including an indication of a SL positioning session identifier; generating a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) based on the indication of the SL positioning session identifier and the identity of the UE; and Send the SL PRS.

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