Method and apparatus for mode of sidelink positioning of mobile device

Abstract

Sidelink positioning of a plurality of UEs may be performed using a sidelink (SL) positioning protocol (SLPP) in a conversational mode or a non-conversational mode. In the session mode, one UE of the plurality of UEs may discover other UEs, determine a session for SLPP, indicate the session to other UEs, and exchange a plurality of SLPP messages with other UEs, where the SLPP messages are part of the session and enable sidelink positioning. In the non-session mode, the UE may not discover some or all other UEs of the plurality of UEs and may exchange a plurality of SLPP messages with the other UEs, where the SLPP messages are not part of the session, but enable sidelink positioning. These two modes may each be applied to SL positioning using SL PRS signals as well as WiFi, UWB, and GNSS signals.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 18 / 366,455, filed on August 7, 2023, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MODES OF SIDELINK POSITIONING OF MOBILE DEVICES,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 18 / 366,455, filed on August 9, 2022, entitled “SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR 5 TH GENERATION (5G) SIDELINK POSITIONING”, both of which are assigned to the assignee of the present application and are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly to determining the location of one or more user equipments (UEs) using radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted between UEs based on sidelink (SL) communications. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of 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 of which simultaneously supports communication for multiple communication devices (also referred to as user equipment (UE)). A base station may communicate with a set of UEs on a downlink channel (e.g., for transmissions from the base station to the UE) and an uplink channel (e.g., for transmissions from the UE to the base station). In addition, the 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. In a cellular network, for example, a base station may send a downlink reference signal by which the UE obtains location measurements, and / or a UE may send an uplink reference signal by which the base station obtains location measurements. The UE may use the location measurements in UE-based positioning to calculate an estimate of its own location, or may send the location measurements to a network entity (e.g., a location server), which may calculate the UE location based on the location measurements in UE-assisted positioning.

[0007] There are many other applications where the location of one or more UEs may be required and where traditional UE-based positioning and UE-assisted positioning may be less useful. Examples of such other applications include vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication and coordination, public safety first responder scenarios, and control and coordination of automated environments such as factories and warehouses. In these applications, it may be more efficient for UEs to communicate using sidelink signaling and for UEs to perform positioning using sidelink-related position measurements and / or sidelink-related control signaling. In addition, processes may be established that enable two or more UEs to perform positioning (including ranging) using sidelink communications. However, many aspects of these sidelink-based processes have not yet been formalized. Summary of the invention

[0008] Sidelink positioning of multiple UEs may be performed using the Sidelink (SL) Positioning Protocol (SLPP) in session mode or sessionless mode. In session mode, one of the multiple UEs may discover other UEs, determine a session for SLPP, indicate the session to the other UEs, and exchange multiple SLPP messages with the other UEs, wherein the SLPP messages are part of the session and enable sidelink positioning. In sessionless mode, the UE may not discover some or all of the multiple UEs and may exchange multiple SLPP messages with the other UEs, wherein the SLPP messages are not part of the session but enable sidelink positioning. These two modes may each be applied to SL positioning using SL PRS signals as well as WiFi, UWB, and GNSS signals.

[0009] An example method for sidelink positioning of multiple UEs including the UE, performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining a session of a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP) for the multiple UEs, wherein the session is indicated to each of the multiple UEs; and exchanging multiple SLPP messages with other UEs of the multiple UEs, wherein the SLPP messages are part of the session, wherein the SLPP messages enable the sidelink positioning.

[0010] An example method performed by a user equipment (UE) for sidelink positioning of multiple UEs including the UE, comprising: determining to perform sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs, wherein there is no discovery between the UE and at least some of the other UEs in the multiple UEs; and exchanging multiple SLPP messages with the other UEs in the multiple UEs using broadcast or multicast, wherein the SLPP messages are not part of a session, wherein the SLPP messages enable the sidelink positioning.

[0011] An example UE for sidelink positioning of a plurality of UEs including the UE, the UE comprising a transceiver, a memory, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processors may be configured to: determine a session of a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP) for the plurality of UEs, wherein the session is indicated to each of the plurality of UEs; and exchange a plurality of SLPP messages with other UEs of the plurality of UEs, wherein the SLPP messages are part of the session, wherein the SLPP messages enable the sidelink positioning.

[0012] An example UE for sidelink positioning of a plurality of UEs including the UE, the UE comprising a transceiver, a memory, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processors may be configured to: determine to perform sidelink positioning of the plurality of UEs, wherein there is no discovery between the UE and at least some of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs; and exchange a plurality of SLPP messages with the other UEs in the plurality of UEs using broadcast or multicast, wherein the SLPP messages are not part of a session, wherein the SLPP messages enable the sidelink positioning.

[0013] This summary is neither intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter nor to be used alone to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood with reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of the present disclosure, any or all of the drawings, and each claim. The foregoing and other features and examples will be described in more detail below in the following specification, claims, and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 The architecture of a communication system including multiple UEs, a radio access network (RAN) and a 5G core network (5GC) is shown.

[0015] Figure 2 An architecture of a communication system for network supported sidelink positioning is shown.

[0016] Figure 3is a signal flow illustrating signaling between a UE and a location server for network supported sidelink positioning.

[0017] Figure 4A and Figure 4B is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the structure of a Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) message.

[0018] Figure 5 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between a pair of UEs for paired sidelink positioning.

[0019] Fig. 6A is a signal flow illustrating signaling between UEs for sidelink positioning capability exchange (including exchange of capabilities, resources and service requirements).

[0020] Figure 6B is a signal flow illustrating signaling between UEs for positioning signal configuration and confirmation exchange.

[0021] Figure 6C is a signal flow illustrating signaling for measurement value exchange between UEs.

[0022] Figure 7 is a signal flow illustrating signaling of group operation for sidelink positioning of multiple UEs.

[0023] Figure 8 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between UEs for paired mode sidelink positioning according to one embodiment.

[0024] Fig. 9 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between UEs for paired mode sidelink positioning according to one embodiment.

[0025] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an implementation of a group mode side link positioning system according to an embodiment.

[0026] Fig.11 is a signal flow illustrating signaling for group mode sidelink positioning between UEs using a SLPP session according to one embodiment.

[0027] Fig.12 is a signal flow illustrating signaling for group mode sidelink positioning between UEs using a SLPP session according to one embodiment.

[0028] Fig.13 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between UEs for starting a session for group mode sidelink positioning according to one embodiment.

[0029] Fig.14 is a signal flow illustrating signaling of a group session operation between UEs for sidelink positioning according to one embodiment.

[0030] Fig.15 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between UEs for modifying a sidelink positioning session according to one embodiment.

[0031] Fig.16 is a signal flow illustrating a signal flow between UEs for joining a session for group mode sidelink positioning according to one embodiment.

[0032] Fig.17 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between UEs for leaving a session of group mode sidelink positioning according to one embodiment.

[0033] Fig.18 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between UEs for terminating a session for group mode sidelink positioning according to one embodiment.

[0034] Fig.19 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between UEs for session-free mode sidelink positioning according to one embodiment.

[0035] Fig. 20 is a flowchart of a method for supporting sidelink positioning of multiple UEs according to one embodiment.

[0036] Fig.21 is a flowchart of a method for supporting sidelink positioning of multiple UEs using an SLPP session according to one embodiment.

[0037] Fig. 22 is a flowchart of a method for supporting sidelink positioning of multiple UEs in a sessionless mode according to one embodiment.

[0038] Fig.23 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a UE that may be utilized in embodiments as described herein.

[0039] Fig.24 A schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of a UE configured to support sidelink positioning as discussed herein is shown.

[0040] According to some example embodiments, the same reference symbols in different drawings indicate the same elements. In addition, multiple instances of an element can be indicated by following a letter or a hyphen and a second digit after the first digit of the element. For example, multiple instances of element 110 can be indicated as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, etc., or as 110a, 110b, 110c, etc. When only the first digit is used to refer to such an element, any instance of the element will be understood (for example, the element 110 in the previous example will refer to elements 110-1, 110-2 and 110-3 or to elements 110a, 110b and 110c). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0041] This document discusses techniques and apparatus for supporting sidelink positioning (SL) between UEs. The Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) may be used to support sidelink positioning of UEs in paired positioning (referred to as paired mode), group operation (referred to as group mode), and network-supported SLPP.

[0042] 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 both. The sequence of actions described herein may be embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a corresponding set of computer instructions, which, when executed, will cause an associated processor to perform the functions 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).

[0043] 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, a UE may be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a tracking device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Industrial IoT (IIoT) device, an in-vehicle system (IVS), etc.) for communicating over a wireless communication network. A UE may be mobile, or may be fixed (e.g., at certain times or all 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", "mobile device", RSU, PRU, IVS, or variations thereof. In general, a UE may communicate with a core network via a RAN, and through the core network, the UE may connect 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 Wi-Fi network (eg, based on IEEE 802.11, etc.), and the like.

[0044] 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 generalized 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.

[0045] 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, a tracking device, an asset tag, etc. The communication link through which the UE may send signals to the 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 the RAN may send signals to the 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 the UE may send signals 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.

[0046] As used herein, depending on the context, the term "cell" or "sector" may correspond to one of a plurality of 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)) used to distinguish adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cellular cells, and different cellular 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 may 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.

[0047] As used herein, an "RF signal" includes electromagnetic waves that transmit information through the space between a transmitter (or transmitting device) and a receiver (or receiving device). As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multiple channels or paths, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal.

[0048] Additionally, unless otherwise noted, references to "reference signals," "positioning reference signals," "reference signals for positioning," and the like may be used to refer to signals used for positioning of user equipment (UE) in 5G New Radio (NR) networks, 4G (LTE) networks, or future (e.g., 6G) networks. As described in more detail herein, such signals may include any of a variety of signal types, but may not necessarily be limited to positioning reference signals (PRS) as defined in relevant wireless standards.

[0049] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the term "positioning" as used herein may include absolute position determination, relative position determination, ranging, or a combination thereof. Thus, positioning measurements as discussed herein may include distance measurements. Such positioning may include and / or be based on timing, angle, phase, or power measurements, or a combination thereof (which may include RF sensing measurements) for the purpose of location or sensing services.

[0050] As described above, SL-based signaling between two or more UEs can potentially be used to perform positioning (including ranging) of at least one of the UEs. However, many procedural aspects of such positioning have not yet been defined or formalized. Embodiments herein address these and other problems by providing message types, transactions, procedures, and positioning modes that can be used in a protocol for SL-based positioning (referred to herein as the SL Positioning Protocol or SLPP). According to some aspects, advantages can include extending the positioning range and capabilities beyond the location range and capabilities of traditional LPP positioning of UEs in which a UE exchanges uplink and / or downlink signals with one or more base stations.

[0051] Figure 1An example of a communication system 100 is shown, which includes a first UE 105A, a second UE 105B, a third UE 105C, 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). UEs 105a, 105B, and 105C may sometimes be referred to herein individually or collectively as UEs 105. UEs 105 may be, for example, IoT devices, location tracker devices, cellular phones, vehicles, on-board units (OBUs), or other similar types of devices. UEs 105 may be additionally considered to be RSUs or PRUs. 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). The RAN 135 may be another type of RAN, such as a 3G RAN, a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. The communication system 100 may utilize a constellation 190 of space vehicles (SVs), which may support a satellite positioning system (SPS) (e.g., a global navigation satellite system (GNSS)) such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo, or BeiDou) or some other local or regional SPS such as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), or the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS). In some embodiments, the UE 105 may communicate with the SVs 190 and ground stations ( Figure 1 The UE 105 may communicate with a RAN node (e.g., gNB 110) or a 5GC 140 node (not shown), in which case the UE 105 may not communicate directly with the RAN node, but only communicate with the RAN node via the SV 190. This may be used to increase the coverage and / or capacity of the NG-RAN 135. Additional components of the communication system 100 are described below. The communication system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

[0052] like Figure 1As shown, 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 (SLP) 119. The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 are communicatively coupled to each other, each wirelessly configured to communicate bidirectionally with the UE 105, and each communicatively coupled to the AMF 115 and the UPF 118 and configured to communicate bidirectionally with the AMF 115 and the UPF 118. The gNBs 110a, 110b, and the ng-eNB 114 may be referred to as base stations (BSs) or RAN nodes. AMF 115, SMF 117, LMF 120, and GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and GMLC 125 is communicatively coupled to external client 130. AMF 115, SMF 117, UPF 118, and SLP 119 are communicatively coupled to each other, and SLP 119 is communicatively coupled to external client 130. According to some embodiments, server 121, Internet 122, and server 123 may be communicatively coupled to UPF 118 and may facilitate SL positioning. 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 WI-FI, WI-FI Direct (Wi-Fi 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.

[0053] Figure 1A generalized illustration of various components is provided, 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 illustrated, 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.

[0054] Although Figure 1 A 5G-based network is illustrated. Similar network implementations and configurations may be used for other communication technologies, such as 3G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), future 6G, etc. The implementations described herein (which are used for 5G technologies and / or for one or more other communication technologies and / or protocols) may be used to send (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals at a UE (e.g., UE 105) or at a base station 110a, 110b, 114, receive and measure directional signals and / or provide location assistance to UE 105 (via LMF 120 or SLP 119 or other location servers) and / or calculate the location of one or both of UE 105 at a location-capable device (such as UE 105, base station 110a, 110b, LMF 120 or SLP 119) based on the measurement amount of such directional transmitted signals received at UE 105 or base station 110a, 110b, 114. GMLC 125, LMF 120, AMF 115, SMF 117, UPF 118, SLP 119, ng-eNB (eNodeB) 114 and gNB (gNodeB) 110a, 110b are examples and may be replaced by or include various other entities in various embodiments, including location server functionality and / or base station functionality.

[0055] The communication 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) may be implemented within the system 100 and may communicate with each other and / or with the UE 105, base stations 110a, 110b, 114, the core network 140, and / or 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 may communicate with the external clients 130, servers 123, or servers 121 (e.g., which may each be a computer system), for example, to allow the external clients 130, servers 123, or servers 121 (e.g., via the GMLC 125, SLP 119, or UPF 118) to request and / or receive location information about the UE 105.

[0056] 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 (also known as WiFi) communications, Wi-Fi communications at multiple frequencies, satellite positioning, satellite communications, one or more types of communications (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.). V2X communications can be cellular (cellular-V2X (C-V2X)) and / or Wi-Fi (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. The UE 105 can communicate by transmitting on one or more sidelink channels (e.g., physical sidelink synchronization channel (PSSCH), physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), synchronization signal block (SSB), sidelink channel state information reference signal (SL-CSIRS), physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH), sidelink positioning reference signal (SL- The UEs communicate with each other through UE-to-UE sidelink (SL) communication.

[0057] 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. Typically, but not necessarily, UE 105 may support wireless communications using 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), IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi (also known as WiFi), Bluetooth (BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140), future 6G, etc. UE 105 may support wireless communications using a wireless local area network (WLAN), which may connect to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using, for example, a digital subscriber line (DSL) or packet cable. Use of one or more of these RATs may allow UE 105 to communicate with external clients 130, server 121, and / or server 123 (e.g., via elements of 5GC 140 and possibly Internet 122) and / or allow external clients 130, server 121, and / or server 123 to receive location-related information about UE 105 (e.g., via GMLC 125, SLP 119, or UPF 118).

[0058] 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 geodetic, 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, floor level, or basement 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 name for a 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 urban terms, or by reference to a point, area, or volume (e.g., indicated on a map, floor plan, or building plan). In the descriptions contained herein, unless otherwise indicated, the use of the term location may include any of these variations.

[0059] When using sidelink positioning, the absolute (e.g., global) or relative position of the UE may not always be obtained. Alternatively, a position result of the UE may be obtained, which may include the range or distance between the UE and each of one or more other UEs, the direction from the UE to each of the one or more other UEs, the position of the UE relative to the position of some other UE, the position of one or more other UEs relative to the position of the UE, the speed of the UE and / or the speed of each of the one or more other UEs. The speed of the UE may be absolute (e.g., relative to the earth) or may be relative to some other UE, and may then be referred to as "relative speed". The relative speed of UE B relative to another UE A may include a "radial speed" component and a "lateral speed" component, the "radial speed" component may be equal to the rate of change of the range from UE A to UE B, and the "lateral speed" component may be at right angles to the radial speed component seen by UE A and may be equal to the angular rate of change of the direction from UE A to UE B multiplied by the range from UE A to UE B. In the description contained herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of the term "position result" or "multiple position results" for sidelink positioning of a UE or UE group may include any of these variations.

[0060] As used herein, the term "target UE" may refer to a UE for which a location result is desired. When a group of two or more UEs participates in SL positioning, only some of the UEs in the group may be target UEs, since the location results may already be known or may not be required by other UEs. However, for the sake of generality, when discussing the techniques described herein for positioning of a group of UEs, all UEs may be considered potential target UEs, since there may be little or no difference in how the techniques described herein are used for positioning.

[0061] The UE 105 may be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of a variety of technologies. The UE 105 may be configured to communicate with one or more other UEs (e.g., other UEs 105) via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. The D2D P2P links may be examples of (or may be supported by) sidelink signaling and may be supported with any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT) such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), Wi-Fi Direct (Wi-Fi D), Bluetooth, etc. One or more UEs in a group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be within a geographic coverage area of ​​a transmit / receive point (TRP) such as one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNBs 114. Other UEs in such a group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may otherwise be unable to receive transmissions from the base station. A group of UEs 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. The TRP may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In other cases, D2D communications may be performed between UEs without involving a TRP. 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, in which each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In other cases, D2D communications may be performed between UEs without involving a TRP.

[0062] Figure 1 The base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN 135 shown include NR Node Bs, referred to as gNBs 110a and 110b. Pairs of 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 communications between the UE and one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b may provide wireless communications access to the 5GC 140 on behalf of the UE using 5G. Figure 1 In the figure, 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 UE 105 moves to another location, another gNB may serve as the serving gNB, or may serve as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105, and UE 105 may share the same serving gNB.

[0063] Figure 1 The base stations (BSs) in the illustrated NG-RAN 135 may include ng-eNBs 114, also referred to as next generation evolved Node Bs. The ng-eNBs 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-eNBs 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-eNBs 114 may be configured to function as a positioning-only beacon, which may transmit signals to assist in determining the location of the UE 105, but may not receive signals from the UE 105 or from other UEs.

[0064] The base stations 110a, 110b, 114 may transmit one or more downlink reference signals, including positioning reference signal (PRS) transmissions. The 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. The 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 the UE 105.

[0065] 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 interspersed OFDM symbols of a time slot. In addition, PRS transmission may support frequency hopping within a PRB of a channel.

[0066] 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).

[0067] 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. The reporting parameters for each PRS resource (which may include a reporting quantity) may include one or more of a time of arrival (TOA), a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a reference signal received power (RSRP), an angle, a PRS identification number, a received to transmitted difference (UE Rx-Tx), a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), or a reference signal received quality (RSRQ).

[0068] 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).

[0069] A reference signal (such as a PRS signal or an SRS for positioning signal) or other reference signals from one or more base stations 110a, 110b, 114 or the UE may be used to determine a position estimate for the UE. Positioning methods such as downlink (DL) time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), DL angle of departure (DL AOD), enhanced cell ID (ECID) are positioning methods that may be used to estimate the position of the UE using reference signals from base stations. For example, DL-TDOA relies on measuring a 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).

[0070] 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). Downlink- and uplink-based positioning methods include, for example, multi-cell round-trip time (RTT) between the UE and 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.

[0071] As mentioned above, although Figure 1Nodes configured to communicate according to a 5G communication protocol are depicted, but nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols (e.g., an LTE protocol, an IEEE 802.11x protocol, or a future 6G protocol) may be used. For example, in an evolved packet system (EPS) that provides LTE radio 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 base stations, the base stations may include evolved Node Bs (eNBs). 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 Figure 1 NG-RAN 135 in, and EPC corresponds to Figure 1 5GC 140 in.

[0072] 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. A node / system implementing the 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 (SLP). At least a portion of the positioning functions (including the derivation of the UE's position) may be performed at the UE (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by the UE for signals transmitted by wireless nodes (such as gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114), and / or assistance data provided to the UE, for example, by LMF 120). Alternatively, at least a portion of the positioning functions (including the derivation of the UE's position) 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 for handling signaling between UE 105 and core network 140, and provide QoS (Quality of Service) flow and session management. AMF 115 may support mobility of UE 105 (including cell changes and handovers), and may participate in supporting signaling connections to UE 105.

[0073] 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 or a sidelink location result 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 or a sidelink location result) 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 embodiments, the 5GC 140 may support only one of these connections.

[0074] 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 122 and servers such as server 121 and server 123. 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 SLP 119 to enable positioning of UE 105 using SUPL support. SLP 119 may also be connected to or accessible from external client 130.

[0075] 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.

[0076] like Figure 1As further shown in FIG. 1 , LMF 120 may communicate with gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 using New Radio Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa), which may be defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa messages may be transmitted between gNB 110a (or gNB 110b) and LMF 120 and / or between ng-eNB 114 and LMF 120 via AMF 115. Figure 1 As further shown in , the LMF 120 and the UE 105 may communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), which may be defined in 3GPP TS 37.355. Here, LPP messages may be transmitted between the UE 105 and the LMF 120 via the AMF 115 and a serving gNB 110a, 110b or a 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 a service operation based on a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), and may be transmitted between the AMF 115 and the UE 105 using a 5G non-access stratum (NAS) protocol.

[0077] The LPP protocol may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based positioning methods (e.g., 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 positioning 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 may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using a network-based positioning 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. Figure 1 140, but may be outside the core network 140, for example, in the NG-RAN. For example, the LMF 120 may be co-located or integrated with the gNB, or may be located remote from the gNB and configured to communicate directly or indirectly with the gNB.

[0078] In the case of a UE-assisted positioning 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 of 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.

[0079] Using the UE-based positioning method, a UE (e.g., UE 105A or UE 105B) can obtain a position measurement value (e.g., which can be the same or similar to the position measurement value used for the UE-assisted positioning method) and can calculate the UE's position (e.g., with the help of auxiliary 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).

[0080] Using network-based positioning methods, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) may obtain location measurements (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, or time of arrival (ToA) of signals transmitted 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 computing a position estimate for the UE.

[0081] As described above, although the communication system 100 is described with respect to 5G technology, the communication system 100 may be implemented to support other communication technologies for supporting and interacting with mobile devices (such as UE 105) (e.g., to implement voice, data, positioning, and other functions), such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc. For example, in EPS, NG-RAN 135 may be replaced by E-UTRAN containing eNBs, and 5GC 140 may be replaced by EPC containing a mobility management entity (MME) instead of AMF 115, E-SMLC instead of LMF 120, and GMLC which may be similar to GMLC 125.

[0082] For radio networks such as Figure 1Positioning of a UE in the communication system 100 shown in the figure typically uses the Uu interface (i.e., the radio interface between the UE 105 and the radio access network) for DLPRS and / or UL PRS. Positioning of the UE may also use or alternatively use a sidelink PRS (SL PRS), which may be a reference signal defined by a specific sidelink for positioning, or may reuse a Uu PRS, such as a 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 UE with a known position (such as UE 105B) may be used to support position determination of another target UE (such as UE 105A), where UE 105B is sometimes referred to as an anchor node.

[0083] Using the sidelink positioning method, UE 105A can, for example, send a sidelink PRS or sidelink SRS signal that is received and measured by another UE 105B. Additionally or alternatively, UE 105B can, for example, send a sidelink PRS or sidelink SRS signal that is received and measured by UE 105A. The sidelink PRS can be similar to the PRS (e.g., DL PRS) sent by gNB 110, for example, as described above. The sidelink SRS can be similar to the SRS (e.g., uplink SRS) sent by UE 105 for measurement by gNB 110, for example, as described above. The SL PRS can be sent during a separate short period of time (e.g., of approximately 1 millisecond duration) referred to as a "SL PRS opportunity" or "SL PRS positioning opportunity." The measurements of the SL PRS or SL SRS signal may include received transmission time difference (Rx-Tx), arrival time (TOA), reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), angle of arrival (AOA), and reference signal time difference (RSTD). SL positioning methods may include SL round trip signal propagation time (RTT) (also known as ranging), SL AOA, and SL AOD.

[0084] In some scenarios, a group of UEs 105 may support SL positioning. In this case, one UE in the group (e.g., UE 105A) may transmit a SL PRS or SL SRS signal, which may be measured by some or all other UEs 105 in the group (e.g., UEs 105b and 105c). Some or all other UEs 105 in the group may also each transmit a SL PRS or SL SRS signal (e.g., each UE 105 transmits a SL SRS or SL PRS at one or more times different from the times when other UEs 105 in the group transmit the SL PRS or SL SRS), which may be measured by some or all other UEs 105 in the group that are different from the UE 105 that transmits the UL PRS or ULS SRS. Measurements made by the UE 105 applicable to transmission of the SL PRS or SL SRS by a group of UEs 105 may include Rx-Tx, TOA, RSTD, AOA, RSRP, RSRQ. The positioning 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 positioning methods, each UE 105 may determine a position result for itself and / or one or more other UEs 105 in the group. As previously described, the position result for UE 105 may include a range or distance between UE 105 and each of the one or more other UEs 105 in the group, a direction from UE 105 to each of the one or more other UEs 105 in the group, a direction from each of the one or more other UEs 105 in the group to UE 105, a position of UE 105 relative to a position of some other UE 105 in the group, a position of UE 105 relative to some other known position, an absolute position of UE 105, a speed of UE 105, or a speed of UE 105 relative to some other UE 105.

[0085] Sidelink positioning may be used to locate a UE independently of a core network (e.g., 5GC 140) or a serving PLMN. An example implementation of sidelink positioning may be found in a vehicle communication system (such as V2X), which may be used for safety-related applications (such as safety warnings), traffic congestion (e.g., automatic traffic control), and coordinated or automatic vehicle maneuvers. One aspect of sidelink positioning that may be desirable for a standardized solution is a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP) that may be used between UEs (including between an RSU and a UE) and between a location server. For example, SLPP may support sidelink positioning with network access independence between UEs, RSUs, and PRUs. SLPP may provide support for sidelink positioning for a pair of UEs (e.g., ranging), a group of UEs (V2X), and UEs that are members of multiple different groups. For example, SLPP may provide support for various positioning techniques currently standardized for UE and UE-assisted support for location servers (e.g., LMF 120), such as PRS RTT, AOA, Differential AOA (DAOA), AOD, Differential AOD (DAOD), but may also implement support for other PRS and SRS-based positioning methods and non-PRS methods such as RTK at a later time. By implementing the addition of new capabilities and methods at a later time, SLPP may avoid the need to define a separate new positioning protocol that is different from SLPP. For example, additional positioning methods that may be included in SLPP at a later time may include RTK, Wi-Fi, Ultra Wideband (UWB), BT positioning methods.

[0086] SLPP may initially implement direct sidelink operation (where UEs communicate and coordinate positioning by exchanging SLPP messages using sidelink signaling), and may later be extended to sidelink operation via a relay and operation via a network, where UEs may exchange SLPP messages via the network or via an intermediate relay UE. For example, this may be used to coordinate the positioning of two vehicles on a collision course at a corner where direct SL signaling between the two vehicles is not possible. Therefore, SLPP may initially define support for SL PRS-based positioning in a generic manner to simplify later expansion of support for other positioning methods. For example, SLPP may define generic SLPP messages similar to the generic LPP messages defined for LPP in 3GPP TS 37.355. Where feasible, SLPP may support separate positioning methods (e.g., SL PRSRTT, SL PRS AOA, SL PRS AOD) using common procedures and common parameters. SLPP may define procedures that can be reused for multiple positioning methods and are not limited to only one or a few positioning methods. SLPP may be enabled to be transmitted and used by various entities such as UE, RSU, PRU, and location servers such as LMF and SUPL SLP. The location server (e.g., LMF and SUPL SLP) usage may transmit SLPP messages within LPP messages to enable UE assisted positioning through LMF or SUPL SLP. Alternatively, the location server (e.g., LMF and SUPLSLP) usage may transmit SLPP messages not associated with LPP messages to enable UE assisted positioning through LMF or SUPL SLP. SLPP may also support relative (local) and global positioning.

[0087] Figure 2 The architecture of a communication system 200 capable of network-supported sidelink positioning is shown by way of example. Figure 2 As shown, multiple UEs may be combined within the same group 210 for sidelink positioning. Within the group 210, there may be different subgroups of UEs. For example, the UE group 210 may include a first subgroup 212 of UEs served by a first network (PLMN1 140a), while a second subgroup 214 of UEs is served by a second (different) network (PLMN2 140b), and a third subgroup 216 of UEs is out of coverage of either network and is not served by either network. One or more of the UEs served by the network (e.g., UEs in the subgroup 212 served by PLMN1 140a or UEs in the subgroup 214 served by PLMN2 140b) may include an RSU.

[0088] The location server in the serving network (e.g., LMF1 120a, SUPL SLP1 119a, or Server 1 121a in serving PLMN1 140a, LMF2 120b, SUPL SLP2 119b, or Server 2 121b in serving PLMN2 140b, and Server 3 123 (communicating with the UE via PLMN1 140a and / or PLMN2 140b)) may assist some or all UEs in the group (e.g., subgroups 212 and 214) served by the network (PLMN), respectively. As illustrated, the location server may support the UE by communicating with the UE using "LPP / SLPP", which means communicating using LPP, SLPP, SLPP embedded in LPP, or a combination thereof. For example, LMF1 120a and LMF2 120b may embed SLPP into LPP while supporting UEs in subgroups 212 and 214, respectively (e.g., where each SLPP message transmitted between the UE and LMF1 120a or LMF2 120b is embedded in one LPP message, and one of the LPP messages may include one or more embedded SLPP messages). Similarly, SUPL SLP1 119a and SUPL SLP2 119b may embed SLPP into LPP, where the LPP message is embedded in a SUPL User Plane Location Protocol (ULP) message, while supporting UEs in subgroups 212 and 214, respectively. Additionally or alternatively, LPP messages and / or SLPP messages may be used, where the SLPP message is not embedded in the LPP message (but the LPP message or SLPP message may still be embedded in the SUPL ULP message). In addition, UEs within each subgroup and UEs in different subgroups may exchange SLPP messages with each other to support and coordinate SL positioning.

[0089] A location server (e.g., LMF / SUPL SLP / Server 1 / Server 2 / Server 3) supporting one or more particular UEs may not be visible to other UEs in the group. For example, a location server from PLMN1 140a supporting UEs in subgroup 212 may not be visible to UEs in subgroup 214, and may not be visible to out-of-coverage UEs in subgroup 216. The support provided by the location server to the UEs may include determining or verifying SL PRS configuration and calculating location results for UEs, including supported UEs and unsupported UEs (e.g., if location information for UEs in an unsupported subgroup is provided to the location server, such as calculating location results for UEs within a supported subgroup and UEs within an unsupported subgroup). In some embodiments, signaling between location servers in separate networks may be used to provide more complete network support. As illustrated, LMF-LMF or SUPL SLP-SUPL SLP signaling may use extensions of SLPP (in Figure 2 for more complete network support.

[0090] SLPP message types may be aligned with LPP message types to enable LPP messages to contain embedded SLPP messages and / or to enable SLPP procedures to be aligned with LPP procedures, which may reduce implementation and / or testing. Figure 2 Signaling (eg, SLPP messages or SLPP messages embedded in LPP messages) between LMF1 120a and one or more of the UEs of subgroup 212 and signaling between LMF2 120b and one or more of the UEs of subgroup 214 are shown. Figure 2 SLPP messages or LPP messages containing embedded SLPP messages are also shown and are embedded in SUPL ULP messages exchanged between SUPL SLP1 119a and one or more UEs of subgroup 212 and between SUPL SLP2 119b and one or more UEs of subgroup 214. SLPP may contain messages similar to LPP request capability messages and LPP offer capability messages, which may be referred to as "request capabilities and resources" and "offer capabilities and resources" in SLPP, for example. Requesting / offering capabilities and resources in SLPP may initially be limited to NR SL PRS capabilities and resources, but may later be extended to capabilities and resources for LTE SL PRS, RTK, Wi-Fi, BT, etc.

[0091] In another example, the SLPP may include a message similar to the LPP Provide Assistance Data message, which may be referred to as "Provide Positioning Signal Configuration" (or just "Provide Assistance Data") in the SLPP, for example. The Provide Positioning Signal Configuration in the SLPP may include one or more of the following: for example, the SL PRS configuration to be sent by each UE and measured by other UEs, the start time and duration of the transmission, and the conditions for terminating the transmission, and the type of SL PRS measurement requested (e.g., Rx-Tx, AOA, RSRP, RSRD, TOA, TDOA). In some embodiments, the Provide Positioning Signal Configuration in the SLPP may be extended to define other types of signals, such as RTK signals to be measured, Wi-Fi signals to be sent and measured, etc. The Provide Positioning Signal Configuration in the SLPP may include additional information, for example to assist the UE in acquiring and measuring signals (e.g., SL PRS signals) and determining the time of transmission and measurement.

[0092] In another example, SLPP may include a message such as "Confirm Positioning Signal Configuration" (or "Provide Assistance Data Confirmation"), which does not have a similar LPP message. For example, the confirmation positioning signal configuration in SLPP can confirm whether to agree to provide the positioning signal configuration (or provide assistance data). If it is not agreed to provide the positioning signal configuration (partially), a different configuration may be provided as the provision of the positioning signal configuration. Because LPP does not have a similar message, in the case where the SLPP message is embedded in the LPP message, a new LPP message type may be added to carry the confirmation positioning signal configuration SLPP message. However, when the SLPP message is not embedded in the LPP message, this new LPP message type may not be needed.

[0093] In another example, the SLPP may include a message similar to the LPP Provide Location Information message, which may be referred to as a "Provide Location Information" message in the SLPP, for example. The Provide Location Information message in the SLPP may include and provide SL PRS measurements obtained by the UE for SL PRSs sent by one or more other UEs, and / or may include and provide location results obtained for the UE and / or other UEs. The Provide Location Information in the SLPP may be extended to include and provide other measurements, such as measurements of RTK, Wi-Fi, BT, etc.

[0094] like Figure 2As shown, UEs within each subgroup and UEs in different subgroups may signal each other using SLPP (e.g., where a UE sends a SLPP message to one or more other UEs). In addition, a location server (e.g., LMF, SUPL SLP, or Server 1-3) may support UEs using SLPP (as discussed above). As previously mentioned, according to some embodiments, SLPP may be embedded in LPP or embedded in both LPP and SUPL, or may be sent without being embedded in LPP. Thus, a first UE may receive a first SLPP message from a second UE, and may send the first SLPP message to a location server supporting the first UE. The first UE may receive a second SLPP message from the location server in response to the first SLPP message, and may send the second SLPP message to a second UE.

[0095] As an example, Figure 3 3 is a signal flow 300 illustrating signaling between UE 105A and UEs 105b, 105C, and 105D and a location server 302 for network-supported sidelink positioning, as discussed herein. UEs 105A, 105B, 105C, and 105D may belong to the same group and may be, for example, Figure 1 UE 105 shown in or Figure 2 The network in supports any UE shown in subgroups 212 and 214. Location server 302 may be Figure 1 LMF 120, SUPL SLP 119, server 121 or server 123 or Figure 2 Either the LMF1 120a or the SUPL SLP1 119a shown in FIG.

[0096] like Figure 3 As shown, at 310, UE 105A receives a first sidelink positioning message from UE 105B. For example, the first sidelink positioning message may be a SLPP message, as described above, and may be any message type discussed above. If the group includes more than two UEs, the first sidelink positioning message may be sent based on SL multicast (also referred to as SL groupcast), for example. Figure 3As shown, the first sidelink positioning message can be sent based on SL unicast. Using SL multicast (also known as SL groupcast), a sidelink positioning message (e.g., SLPP message) containing a group destination address (e.g., which can be partially or completely included in a layer 1 protocol header and / or a layer 2 protocol header in the sidelink positioning message) can be sent. Then, a receiving UE (e.g., UE 105A) belonging to the group with the group destination address identifies the group destination address in the sidelink positioning message, and receives, decodes and processes the sidelink positioning message. Using SL unicast, a sidelink positioning message containing a UE destination address (e.g., a layer 2 address assigned to UE105A) can be sent and is only received, decoded and processed by the UE (e.g., UE 105A) that includes the destination address.

[0097] In 320, the UE 105A sends a first LPP / SLPP message (eg, a first SLPP message or a first SLPP message embedded in an LPP message, as described above) to the location server 302, wherein the first SLPP message is based on or includes the first sidelink positioning message.

[0098] In 330, UE 105A receives a second LPP / SLPP message from location server 302 in response to the first LPP / SLPP message from 320. The second LPP / SLPP message may be a second SLPP message or a second SLPP message embedded in an LPP message, as discussed above, and may be any of the message types discussed above. The second LPP / SLPP message (e.g., the second SLPP message) may include a location result for at least one UE in the group (e.g., UE 105A or UE 105B). For example, the location result for at least one UE in the group may include at least one of a range between at least one UE and another UE, a direction from at least one UE to another UE, a location of at least one UE relative to a location of another UE, a speed of at least one UE, a relative speed of at least one UE relative to a speed of another UE, or some combination thereof.

[0099] At 340, UE 105A may send a second sidelink positioning message to one or more of UEs 105b, 105C, and 105D in the group. The second sidelink positioning message may be an SLPP message and may be based on or include the second SLPP message received at 330. If the group includes more than two UEs, the second sidelink positioning message may be sent based on SL multicast, e.g. Figure 3 shown.

[0100] The sidelink positioning messages in signal flow 300 may be any message type as described above. For example, the first sidelink positioning message at 310 and the first LPP / SLPP message at 320 may include the sidelink positioning capabilities, sidelink positioning resources, or both of at least one UE in the group (e.g., UE 105B). The first LPP / SLPP message at 320 may include an LPP offers capabilities message and / or an SLPP offers capabilities message (e.g., where the SLPP offers capabilities message may be embedded in the LPP offers capabilities message). The second LPP / SLPP message at 330 and the second sidelink positioning message at 340 may include the sidelink positioning capabilities, sidelink positioning resources, or both of UE 105A. The second LPP / SLPP message at 330 may include an LPP offers capabilities message and / or an SLPP offers capabilities message.

[0101] In another example, the first sidelink positioning message at 310 and the first LPP / SLPP message at 320 may include a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration of at least one UE in the group (e.g., UE 105A and / or UE 105B). The first LPP / SLPP message at 320 may include an LPP request assistance data message, an LPP provide assistance data message, an SLPP request assistance data message, and / or an SLPP provide assistance data message (e.g., where the SLPP message may be embedded in the same type of LPP message). The second LPP / SLPP message at 330 and the second sidelink positioning message at 340 may include a SL positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration of at least one UE in the group (e.g., UE 105A or UE 105B). The second LPP / SLPP message at 330 may include an LPP provide assistance data message and / or an SLPP provide assistance data message (e.g., where the SLPP provide assistance data message may be embedded in an LPP provide assistance data message).

[0102] In another example, the first sidelink positioning message at 310 and the first LPP / SLPP message at 320 may include sidelink positioning measurements obtained by at least one UE in the group (e.g., UE 105B). The first LPP / SLPP message at 320 may include an LPP Provides Location Information message and / or an SLPP Provides Location Information message (e.g., wherein the SLPP Provides Location Information message may be embedded in the LPP Provides Location Information message). The second LPP / SLPP message at 330 may include a location result of at least one UE in the group, wherein the second LPP / SLPP message includes an LPP Provides Location Information message and / or an SLPP Provides Location Information message (e.g., wherein the SLPP Provides Location Information message may be embedded in the LPP Provides Location Information message).

[0103] The location server 302 may be a LMF or a SUPL SLP. If the location server 302 is a SUPL SLP, a first LPP / SLPP message is sent by the UE 105A to the location server 302 as part of a first SUPL message at 320, and a second LPP / SLPP message is received by the UE 105A from the location server 302 as part of a second SUPL message at 330. The first SUPL message and the second SUPL message may each include a SUPL POS message.

[0104] As an example, Figure 4A 4 is a block diagram 400A illustrating one embodiment of the structure of an SLPP message 410. As shown, the SLPP message 410 includes a header 412, which may include a session ID, a transaction ID, a sequence number (seq no), an acknowledgement (or acknowledgement) sequence number (acknowledgement seq no), etc. The SLPP message 410 allows one or more positioning methods or positioning method types. For example, the SLPP message 410 includes positioning method / type 1 414, positioning method / type 2 416, and positioning method / type M 418 (for example, where M may be equal to three or greater than three) as entries. For example, the positioning method may use one or more specific signal types (for example, SL NR PRS, SL LTE PRS, Wi-Fi, or GPS L1 to L5), and support a method for determining the position of the specific signal type (for example, one of RTT, AOA, RSRP, or TDOA). On the other hand, the positioning method type uses a specific one or more signal types and supports multiple positioning methods for the one or more signal types. For example, a positioning method type may use SL PRS signals (e.g., SL NR PRS signals or both SL NR PRS and SL LTE PRS signals) and support multiple positioning methods using these SL PRS signals (e.g., all RTT, AOA, RSRP, and TDOA may be supported). Another positioning method type may use GNSS signals and support multiple positioning methods using GNSS signals (e.g., GNSS code phase-based positioning and GNSS carrier phase-based positioning, such as RTK, may be supported).

[0105] The SLPP message 410 may be configured to support a positioning method or a positioning method type (also referred to as a positioning type), or both a positioning method and a positioning method type. As shown, each positioning method / type 414, 416, and 418 in the SLPP message 410 may include parameters for each UE in the group, which are illustrated as being identified by a member ID (e.g., UE1, UE2, ...UEn). Not all UEs in the group may support the same positioning method / type, which may mean that the parameters of the UEs that do not support positioning method / type 414, 416, or 418 may not exist for the positioning method / type in the SLPP message 410. When the UEs do not all support the same positioning method or the same positioning method type, it may be advantageous to support multiple positioning methods or positioning method types in the SLPP message 410. For example, some of the UEs may support positioning using RTK and SL PRS, while some other UEs only support RTK. However, in some embodiments, the SLPP message 410 may provide support for only one positioning method (e.g., NR SL PRS RTT) or one positioning method type (e.g., NR SL PRS). Figure 4B 4 is a block diagram 400B illustrating another embodiment of the structure of the SLPP message 420. Figure 4A In block diagram 400A, SLPP message 420 includes header 422, which may include Figure 4A However, here, the data may be structured so that each UE in the group of n UEs has a separate message part 424, 426, and 428 in the SLPP message 420, each message part 424, 426, and 428 including parameters for that UE for each positioning method / type 1-M supported by that UE.

[0106] Figure 4A and Figure 4B The SLPP messages 410 and 420 shown in the figure may include other information of other protocol levels used to send (and transmit) the SLPP messages, such as the Level 2 address of the UE sending or receiving the SLPP message and / or the Level 2 group address of a group of UEs to which the SLPP message is sent via multicast (also known as groupcast).

[0107] It should be noted that Figure 4A and Figure 4B The SLPP message shown in can be used for UE positioning. It is not directly used for UE positioning but is used to manage the SLPP session (for example, to start, modify or terminate the SLPP session, as described later for Figures 11 to 18 The SLPP message described in the example above may include other parameters (such as the ID and address of the UE participating in the SLPP session) and may not include the following parameters: Figure 4A and Figure 4BHowever, such "non-positioning" SLPP messages may still contain Figure 4A and Figure 4B The header 412 shown in FIG.

[0108] As an example, Figure 5 5 is a signal flow 500 illustrating signaling between UE 105A and UE 105B for paired sidelink positioning involving only two UEs. UE 105A and UE 105B may be, for example, Figure 1 The UE shown in Figure 2 Any two UEs among the UEs illustrated in the group 210 shown in . Figure 5 The sidelink positioning shown can be independent of the network, so Figure 5 The UE shown may be an out-of-coverage UE in subgroup 216. The signaling performed in signal flow 500 may be similar to that described above with reference to FIG. Figure 2 The SLPP signaling discussed is similar or identical.Signal flow 500 illustrates a simple type of SLPP session between UE 105A and UE 105B, where there may or may not be explicit session establishment and session termination.

[0109] exist Figure 5 In phase 0, discovery of UEs and establishment of a sidelink communication session or a sidelink positioning session may be performed. The discovery process may be request-response or notification-based. For example, the discovery phase may be implemented by one or both of UE 105A and 105B to detect other UEs that may be used for sidelink positioning. For example, discovery messages may be exchanged between UE 105A and / or UE 105B to determine nearby UEs that may be used to participate in sidelink positioning. For example, UE 105A may broadcast a discovery-based message using sidelink signaling, and UE 105B may receive and respond to the discovery-based message by sending a similar discovery-based response message back to UE 105A using sidelink signaling. Additional messages may be exchanged between UE 105A and UE 105B to explicitly establish a sidelink communication or positioning session between UE 105A and 105B. For example, UE 105A may send a request (eg, SLPP Request) to UE 105B to start a SLPP positioning session, and UE 105B may return a response (eg, SLPP Response) to UE 105A agreeing to start the SLPP positioning session.

[0110] In phase 1, UEs 105A and 105B may exchange SLPP capabilities, resources, and service requirements, which may include quality of service (QoS), for example using SLPP request capabilities and resources and SLPP offer capabilities and resources messages as discussed above. Exchanging SLPP capabilities, resources, and service requirements may include both UE 105A and UE 105B sending their capabilities, resources, and service requirements to the other UE, or only one of UE 105A or UE 105B sending its capabilities, resources, and service requirements to the other UE. The capabilities exchanged may define what each of UE 105A and 105B is implemented to support. The resources exchanged may define what capabilities each of UE 105A and 105B is allowed to support, and / or 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 permission or restriction on one or more of the sidelink PRS transmission time, the sidelink PRS measurement time, the sidelink PRS transmission duration, the sidelink PRS measurement duration, the bandwidth of the sidelink PRS that can be sent, the bandwidth of the sidelink PRS that can be measured, the RF frequency of the sidelink PRS that can be sent, the RF frequency of the sidelink PRS that can be measured, the signal decoding of the sidelink PRS that can be sent, the signal decoding of the sidelink PRS that can be measured, the periodicity of the sidelink PRS transmission, the periodicity of the measured sidelink PRS, the transmission power of the sidelink PRS transmission, the transmission power of the measured sidelink PRS, or any combination thereof.

[0111] The sidelink positioning capabilities may be fixed and static (e.g., depending on the UE implementation, it may never change or may change infrequently via software upgrades to the UE). The sidelink positioning resources may depend on the available spectrum for the SLPRS (e.g., whether PLMN licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or Intelligent Transport System (ITS) spectrum for V2X is available and allowed for use) and / or on pre-existing positioning sessions and / or positioning procedures that the UE may already support or be part of. Pre-existing positioning sessions and / or positioning procedures may mean that the UE cannot send and / or measure SL PRS for a new SL positioning session at certain times because at these times the UE needs to send and / or measure SL PRS for the pre-existing positioning session and / or positioning procedure. Similarly, certain SL PRS characteristics (such as frequency or decoding) that have been used for a pre-existing positioning session may not be available for a new SL (or SLPP) positioning session. For example, the use of certain SL PRS characteristics for a new positioning session that have already been used for a pre-existing positioning session may prevent the SL PRS transmission of the new positioning session or the pre-existing positioning session from being uniquely identified by the UEs involved in the new positioning session or the pre-existing positioning session, which may then lead to errors in positioning measurements and position results. Such errors can be prevented by controlling the use of SL PRS characteristics for the new positioning session by exchanging allowed and / or disallowed sidelink positioning resources.

[0112] The service requirements exchanged in Phase 1 may include an indication of at least one of: an instant (e.g., single) position at the current time, a delayed position (e.g., at a later time), a periodic position, a triggered position, one or more types of position results (e.g., relative position, global position, range, direction), a QoS of the position result (e.g., position result accuracy, position result response time or latency, position periodicity, position reliability), or some combination thereof. The exchanged service requirements may define the type of position (e.g., single or periodic), accuracy, latency, periodicity, reliability that each UE requires or expects in a sidelink positioning session.

[0113] At stage 2, UE 105A may send a proposed sidelink positioning signal configuration, such as PRS1, PRS2 configuration, to UE 105B, for example, using an SLPP Provide Positioning Signal Configuration message or an SLPP Provide Assistance Data message, as discussed above. The PRS1 configuration (in this example) may define a SL PRS to be sent later by UE 105A, and the PRS2 configuration (in this example) may define a SL PRS to be sent later by UE 105B, for example, the PRS1 and PRS2 configurations may be defined and proposed by UE 105A based on the capabilities, resources, and service requirements exchanged at stage 1, which may include QoS for UEs 105A and 105B. The PRS1 and PRS2 configurations may be the same or similar to the PRS configurations defined for LPP in 3GPP TS 37.355, for example, except that they may refer to SL PRS transmissions on a sidelink communication channel between UEs 105A and 105B. For example, the PRS1 and PRS2 configurations may each include specifications for a SL PRS transmission start time, a SL PRS transmission duration, a SL PRS bandwidth, a SL PRS RF frequency (or frequencies), SLPRS signal coding, a SL PRS transmission period, a SL PRS transmission power, SL PRS muting, and / or a SL PRS frequency hopping. Rules and guidelines may be standardized to ensure that the proposed PRS configurations PRS1 and PRS2 are compatible with the capabilities, resources, and service requirements of UEs 105A and 105B (which may include QoS for both UEs).

[0114] At stage 3, UE 105B may send a message to UE 105A to confirm the proposed positioning signal configuration, such as PRS1, PRS2 configuration, for example, using SLPP confirm positioning signal configuration or SLPP provide assistance data confirmation, as discussed above. In some embodiments, UE 105B may alternatively reject the proposed positioning signal configuration at stage 3, and UE 105A may then propose a different positioning signal configuration until UE 105A confirms the positioning signal configuration. In some embodiments, UE 105B may send a modified proposed positioning signal configuration to UE 105A, and UE 105A may confirm the modified positioning signal configuration or may send another modified proposed positioning signal configuration to UE 105B. In some implementations, when the PRS1, PRS2 configuration sent at stage 2 is acceptable to UE 105B, stage 3 may be omitted, which may reduce signaling.

[0115] In stage 4, UE 105A sends SL positioning signals corresponding to the PRS1 configuration, and UE 105B measures these positioning signals (e.g., based on UE 105B already knowing the PRS1 configuration). For example, UE 105B can measure one or more of the receive time-transmit time difference (Rx-Tx), round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), angle of arrival (AOA), and time of arrival (TOA) of the PRS1 sent by UE 105A.

[0116] In stage 5, UE 105B sends SL positioning signals corresponding to the PRS2 configuration, and UE 105A measures these positioning signals (e.g., based on UE 105A already knowing the PRS2 configuration). For example, UE 105A can measure one or more of RTT, Rx-Tx, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, and TOA of the PRS2 sent by UE 105B.

[0117] At Phase 6, UE 105A and UE 105B exchange measurements obtained at Phase 4 and Phase 5. For example, if there are any differences with the PRS1 and / or PRS2 configurations (e.g., regarding the exact time or duration of SL PRS transmissions), the exchange of measurements may indicate a revised SL PRS configuration used for SL PRS transmissions at Phase 4 or Phase 5, and may further provide measurements generated at Phase 4 or Phase 5. As an example, if the SL positioning signal (SL PRS) sent by UE 105A at Phase 4 that corresponds to the PRS1 configuration sent by UE 105A at Phase 2 does not exactly match the PRS1 configuration (e.g., because UE 105A slightly delayed the SL PRS transmission because some other UEs transmitted at the transmission time indicated in the PRS1 configuration), UE 105A may include in the revised SL PRS configuration sent by UE 105A at Phase 6 the correct transmission time that was actually used by UE 105A at Phase 4. UE 105B may then use the correct transmission time of UE 105A received in the revised SL PRS configuration at stage 6 when calculating any position results later (e.g., at stage 7). Exchanging measurements at stage 6 may include both UE 105A and UE 105B sending their measurements and / or revised SL PRS configuration to the other UE, or only one of UE 105A or UE 105B sending its measurements and / or revised SL PRS configuration to the other UE.

[0118] At stage 7, UE 105A and UE 105B may each calculate a position result, such as a range and / or direction, relative position, absolute position, speed, relative speed, or any combination thereof, between UE 105A and 105B based on the measurements generated at stages 4 and 5 and received (or sent) at stage 6 and / or the revised SL PRS configuration received (or sent) at stage 6. For example, the UE may determine the distance between UE 105A and UE 105B based on Rx-Tx measurements of PRS signals or based on equivalent TODi and TOAi measurements of PRSi signals (where i=1 for the PRS sent by UE 105A in stage 4 and i=2 for the PRS sent by UE 105B in stage 5, and c represents the transmission speed of electromagnetic waves, such as the speed of light) as follows:

[0119] |Equation 1

[0120] At stage 8, the position results determined at stage 7 may then be exchanged. Exchanging position results at stage 8 may include both UE 105A and UE 105B sending their position results to the other UE or only one of UE 105A or UE 105B sending its position result to the other UE. In the latter case, only the UE that sends its position result to the other UE may calculate its position result at stage 7.

[0121] Stages 4-8 may be repeated as desired by UE 105A and UE 105B, as illustrated in stage 9. For example, stages 4 through 8 may be repeated at stage 9 to achieve periodic or triggered location results for UE 105A and UE 105B.

[0122] Fig. 6A is a signal flow 600 illustrating signaling between UE 105A and UE 105B for a sidelink positioning capability exchange, which includes an exchange of capabilities, resources, and service requirements (which may include QoS), which may correspond to Figure 5 As shown in signal flow 600, at stage 1, UE 105A may send a (e.g., SLPP) request capability message, a (e.g., SLPP) offer capability message, or a (e.g., SLPP) offer capability, resources, and service requirements message (which may include QoS) to UE 105B. At stage 2, and in response to the request capability, offer capability, or offer capability, resources, and service requirements message, UE 105B may send a (e.g., SLPP) offer capability message or a (e.g., SLPP) offer capability, resources, and service requirements message (which may include QoS) to UE 105A.

[0123] Figure 6Bis a signal flow 620 illustrating signaling between UE 105A and UE 105B for positioning signal configuration and confirmation exchange, and may correspond to Figure 5 As illustrated, in stage 1 of signal flow 620, UE 105A sends a proposed positioning signal configuration (eg, PRS1, PRS2 configuration) to UE 105B, which corresponds to Figure 5 Phase 2 of the UE 105B may include a SLPP Provide Assistance Data message or a SLPP Provide Positioning Signal Configuration message. In phase 2a, UE 105B may send a confirmation configuration message to UE 105A, which corresponds to Figure 5 In stage 3, UE 105B may send a rejection configuration message to UE 105A, which may be a SLPP confirmation positioning signal configuration message or a SLPP provision assistance data confirmation message. Alternatively, in stage 2b, UE 105B may send a rejection configuration message to UE 105A, which may be a SLPP rejection positioning signal configuration message or a SLPP provision assistance data rejection message. In response to the rejection configuration message from stage 2b, UE 105A may prepare another positioning signal configuration and repeat stages 1 and 2a or 2b. In another embodiment, in stage 2c, UE 105B may send a modified positioning signal configuration to UE 105A, for example, with the proposed modified PRS1*, PRS2* configuration, which may be included in a SLPP provision assistance data message or a SLPP provision positioning signal configuration message. In response to stage 2c, UE 105A may send a confirmation configuration message to UE 105B in stage 3, which may be a SLPP confirmation positioning signal configuration message or a SLPP provision assistance data confirmation message. Alternatively, UE 105A may further modify the positioning signal configuration by repeating stages 1 and 2a or 2b.

[0124] Figure 6C is a signal flow 660 illustrating signaling between UE 105A and UE 105B for measurement exchange, and may correspond to Figure 5 As illustrated in signal flow 660, at stage 1, UE 105A may send a measurement report to UE 105B, which may include the measurement report received by UE 105A at Figure 5 4 (such as one or more exact times of transmission, etc.), and may further include information generated by UE 105A for a PRS transmitted by UE 105B at Figure 5 The measurement report of stage 1 may be a SLPP provide location information message.

[0125] Similarly, at stage 2, UE 105B may send a measurement report to UE 105A, which may include the measurement report corresponding to the measurement performed by UE 105B at Figure 5 5 (such as one or more exact times of transmission, etc.), and may further include information generated by UE 105B about the PRS transmitted by UE 105A at Figure 5 The measurement value of the PRS transmitted at stage 4. The measurement report of stage 2 can be an SLPP provide location information message.

[0126] Therefore, if Figure 5 Phase 1 of the Fig. 6A As discussed in stage 1 shown in FIG, the sidelink positioning message sent by UE 105A may include the sidelink positioning capability and sidelink positioning resources of UE 105A. The sidelink positioning message may also include the sidelink positioning service requirements of UE 105A, such as for Figure 5 and Fig. 6A as discussed in Phase 1.

[0127] In addition, UE 105A may receive a second sidelink positioning message from UE 105B. Figure 5 Phase 1 of the Fig. 6A As discussed in stage 2 shown in FIG, the second side link positioning message received from UE 105B may include the side link positioning capability and the side link positioning resource of UE 105B. The second side link positioning message received from UE 105B may also include the side link positioning service requirement of UE 105B, such as the side link positioning service requirement for UE 105B. Figure 5 Phase 1 and Fig. 6A as discussed in Phase 2.

[0128] like Figure 5 As shown in stages 2 to 8 of , UE 105A may exchange additional sidelink positioning messages with UE 105B, which may be based on the sidelink positioning capability and sidelink positioning resources of UE 105B. Each additional sidelink positioning message may also be based on the sidelink positioning service requirements of UE 105B. For example, Figure 5 Phases 2 to 8 discussed in Figure 6B and Figure 6C As discussed in signal flows 620 and 660 of , the additional sidelink positioning messages exchanged with UE 105B may include a proposed positioning signal configuration, a confirmation (or rejection or modification) of the proposed positioning signal configuration, a request for measurement values ​​and / or measurements of the sidelink positioning PRS, and a position result determined based on the measurement values ​​of the sidelink positioning PRS.

[0129] like Figure 5 As shown in stage 7, UE 105A can determine the location of UE 105B based on the additional side link positioning message.

[0130] Figure 5 , Fig. 6A , Figure 6B and Figure 6C The paired sidelink positioning illustrated in the example may be for example with a UE group (e.g., as represented by Figure 2 The UE group operation of the UE group 210 (exemplified in FIG. 2 ) is expanded and extended. For example, the UE group can be small enough so that direct discovery and direct sidelink signaling can be performed between the UEs in the UE group. The various sidelink positioning messages sent by the UEs in the group can be sent using groupcast or multicast so that each sidelink positioning message is broadcast once to all receiving UEs using sidelink signaling.

[0131] As an example, Figure 7 A signal flow 700 is shown illustrating signaling for group operation for sidelink positioning of multiple UEs, illustrated as UEs 105A, 105B, 105C, ... 105Z, sometimes collectively referred to as UEs 105. UE group 105 may include a small number of UEs (e.g., up to 20) for which direct discovery and direct SL signaling may be performed. UE 105 may be, for example, Figure 1 The UE or Figure 2 Any one of the UEs illustrated in the group 210 shown in . Figure 7 The sidelink positioning shown in is independent of the network and therefore Figure 7 The UE shown in FIG. 1 may be Figure 2 The signaling performed in signal flow 700 may be similar to that described above with reference to Figure 2 discussed and as Figure 5 500 in FIG. 7 , except that the SLPP signaling may involve a greater number of UEs. If desired, the signaling may be performed directly as shown, or via a relay and / or via the network. Note that the number of UEs in signal flow 700 is typically more than two, but may be two in a limiting case (in which case there is no Figure 7 ).

[0132] Signal flow 700 illustrates a simple type of SLPP session between UEs 105, where explicit session establishment and session termination may or may not be present. When signal flow 700 is performed using explicit session establishment and session termination, Figure 7 Stages 1 to 11 can be used as a later Fig.11 The signal flow 1100 is described as a portion of the execution, wherein Figure 7 Stages 1 to 11 are replaced Fig.11 Stages 9 to 13.

[0133] exist Figure 7 In phase 0, the discovery of UE 105, the formation of the group and the establishment of the multicast side link communication session are performed. The discovery process can be based on request-response or notification. For example, the discovery phase can be implemented by one or more UEs 105 to detect other UEs 105 that can be used for side link positioning and are suitable for joining the group. For example, discovery messages can be exchanged between UEs 105 to determine nearby UEs 105 that can be used to participate in side link positioning. For example, UE 105A can broadcast a discovery-based message using side link signaling, and UE 105b, 105C and 105Z can each receive and respond to the message by sending a similar discovery-based response message back to UE 105A using side link signaling. UE 105 can also exchange (or can be pre-configured with) one or more group standard parameters for group formation, such as the approximate maximum distance between UE pairs (to help ensure that UE 105 can communicate directly with each other), the minimum time period that any UE 105 may communicate with other UEs 105 (to help ensure that UE 105 can communicate directly with each other for a certain minimum time period). and / or a common direction and / or a common speed range of the UEs 105 (to help ensure that the UEs 105 will remain in the vicinity of each other). Based on the group criteria parameters, the UEs 105 may determine whether to form a group, which UEs 105 should or should not belong to the group, or whether and when to later add additional UEs 105 to the group and / or remove existing UEs 105 from the group. For example, the UEs 105 may determine a group status indication for each UE 105 indicating inclusion in the group or exclusion from the group. Figure 7 In the example, it is assumed that all UEs 105A, 105B, 105C, ... 105Z meet one or more group criteria and are included in the group. Additional messages may be exchanged between UEs 105 to explicitly establish sidelink communications or positioning sessions between UEs 105. For example, UE 105A may multicast a single request (e.g., SLPP Request) to UEs 105b, 105C, and 105Z to start a SLPP positioning session, and UEs 105b, 105C, and 105Z may each return a response (e.g., SLPP Response) agreeing to start the SLPP positioning session to UE 105A.

[0134] In Phase 1, the UE 105 may exchange SLPP capabilities, resources, and service requirements (which may include QoS), for example using SLPP Request Capabilities and Resources and SLPP Offer Capabilities and Resources messages as discussed above. The exchange of capabilities, resources, and service requirements (which may include QoS) may be similar to Fig. 6A105 , but with additional UEs. For example, the UEs 105 may initially exchange capabilities by individually sending a single multicast SLPP message from each UE 105 to all other UEs 105. The capabilities exchanged may define what each of the UEs 105 is implemented to support. The resources exchanged may define what capabilities each UE 105 is allowed to support and / or is not allowed to support. The sidelink positioning capabilities that the UE 105 is allowed to support or not allowed to support may include allowing or limiting 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 that may be sent, a bandwidth of a sidelink PRS that may be measured, an RF frequency of a sidelink PRS that may be sent, an RF frequency of a sidelink PRS that may be measured, a signal encoding of a sidelink PRS that may be sent, a signal encoding of a sidelink PRS that may be measured, 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 sidelink positioning capabilities may be fixed and static, such as for Figure 5 The sidelink positioning resources may depend on the available spectrum for the SL PRS and / or a pre-existing positioning session and / or positioning procedure that the UE 105 may already support or a portion thereof, such as for Figure 5 The service requirements of each UE 105 in UE 105 may be as described for Figure 5 as described in Phase 1.

[0135] At stage 2, UE 105A may send proposed positioning signal configurations, such as PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, ... PRSn configurations, to other UEs 105, for example, using an SLPP Provide Positioning Signal Configuration message or an SLPP Provide Assistance Data message, as discussed above. The PRS1 configuration (in this example) may define a SL PRS to be sent later by UE 105A, the PRS2 configuration (in this example) may define a SL PRS to be sent later by UE 105B, the PRS3 configuration (in this example) may define a SL PRS to be sent later by UE 105C, and the PRSn configuration (in this example) may define a SLPRS to be sent later by UE 105Z. The PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, and PRSn configurations may, for example, be defined and proposed by UE 105A based on the capabilities, resources, and service requirements (which may include QoS for each of the UEs 105) exchanged in stage 1. For example, the PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, and PRSn configurations may each be defined as for Figure 5 Stage 2 is as described for PRS1 and PRS2.

[0136] At stage 3, each of UE 105b, 105C, ... 105Z may send a message to UE 105A to confirm the proposed positioning signal configuration, such as PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, ... PRSn configurations, for example using SLPP Confirm Positioning Signal Configuration or SLPP Provide Assistance Data Confirm, as discussed above. In some embodiments, UE 105 (e.g., UE 105B) may alternatively reject the proposed positioning signal configuration at stage 3, and may further indicate which PRS configurations are being rejected, and UE 105A may then propose a different positioning signal configuration (or a different PRS configuration only for the PRS configurations being rejected) until each of the other UEs 105 confirms the positioning signal configuration. In some embodiments, UE 105 (e.g., UE 105B) may send the modified proposed positioning signal configuration to UE 105A and to other UEs 105 in the group, and UE 105A and other UEs 105 may confirm the modified positioning signal configuration or may send another modified proposed positioning signal configuration to other UEs 105. In some embodiments, when the PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, ..., PRSn configurations sent in stage 2 are acceptable to each of UEs 105B, 105C, ..., 105Z, stage 3 may be omitted, which may reduce signaling.

[0137] In stage 4, UE 105A transmits SL positioning signals corresponding to the PRS1 configuration, and UEs 105B, 105C, ..., 105Z each measure these positioning signals (e.g., based on the fact that UE 105B, UE 105C, ..., UE 105Z each already knows the PRS1 configuration). UEs 105b, 105C, ..., 105Z may each measure, for example, one or more of the reference signal time difference (RSTD), RTT, Rx-Tx, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, and TOA of the PRS1 transmitted by UE 105A.

[0138] At stage 5 , UE 105B transmits positioning signal PRS2 , and the remaining UEs 105 each measure positioning signal PRS2 , similar to the PRS1 measurement at stage 4 .

[0139] At stage 6 , UE 105C sends positioning signal PRS3 , and the remaining UEs 105 measure positioning signal PRS3 , similar to the PRS1 measurement at stage 4 .

[0140] At stage 7, UE 105Z sends positioning signal PRSn, and the remaining UEs 105 measure positioning signal PRSn. Similar to the PRS1 measurement in stage 4.

[0141] In stage 8, the UE 105 exchanges measurement values. The exchange of measurement values ​​may be similar to Figure 6C , but with additional UEs and where the measurement values ​​are exchanged, for example, via a single multicast SLPP message sent by each UE 105 to all other UEs 105 in the group. For example, the exchange of measurement values ​​may indicate a revised SL PRS configuration for transmission of the SL PRS by the UE 105 (e.g., as for Figure 5 6), and may also provide measurements obtained by UE 105, for example, in one of stages 4, 5, 6, or 7.

[0142] At stage 9, each UE 105 may determine a position result, e.g., a range and / or direction between UE 105 and each of one or more other UEs 105 in the group, a relative position, an absolute position, a speed, a relative speed, or any combination thereof, of one or more of the UEs 105, based on the measurements generated at stages 4 to 7 and received (or sent) at stage 8 and / or the revised SL PRS configuration received (or sent) at stage 8. In some embodiments, only one UE 105 (e.g., UE 105A) or a subset of UEs 105 may determine a position result.

[0143] Then, at stage 10, the location results determined at stage 9 may be exchanged. Exchanging location results at stage 10 may include each of UEs 105A, 105B, 105c ... 195z sending its location result to all other UEs 105 in the group, or only one UE 105 (e.g., UE 105A) or a subset of UEs 105 sending location results to other UEs 105. In the latter case, only the UE 105 (or the subset of UEs 105) that send their location results to other UEs 105 may calculate the location result at stage 9.

[0144] As shown at stage 11, stages 4-10 may be repeated as needed by UE 105. For example, stages 4 to 10 may be repeated at stage 11 to enable periodic or triggered location results for UE 105 to be obtained.

[0145] Therefore, if Figure 7 As shown, when UE 105 (e.g., UE 105A) belongs to a UE group including two or more UEs, UE 105A can send a sidelink positioning message to all other UEs in the UE group (e.g., UE 105b, 105C, ... 105Z), for example, based on sidelink multicast, so as to broadcast or multicast the sidelink positioning message to all receiving UEs using SL signaling. For example, as in Figure 7As discussed in Phase 1 of Fig. 6A As discussed in stage 1 shown in FIG. 1 , the sidelink positioning message sent by UE 105A may include the sidelink positioning capability and the sidelink positioning resource of UE 105A. The sidelink positioning message may also include the sidelink positioning service requirement of UE 105A, such as Figure 7 and Fig. 6A discussed in Phase 1 of this paper.

[0146] In addition, as in Figure 7 As further discussed in stage 1 of , UE 105A may receive a second sidelink positioning message from each other UE in the UE group (e.g., UE 105b, 105C, ... 105Z), for example, based on sidelink multicast. Figure 7 As discussed in Phase 1 of Fig. 6A As discussed in stage 2 shown in , the second side link positioning message received from each of the other UEs may include the side link positioning capability and the side link positioning resource of each UE. The second side link positioning message received from each UE may also include the side link positioning service requirement of each UE, such as Figure 7 and Fig. 6A discussed in Phase 1 of this paper.

[0147] As shown in stages 2 to 8 of stage 7, UE 105A may exchange additional sidelink positioning messages with at least some UEs in the UE group (e.g., UE 105b, 105c, ... 105z), for example, based on sidelink multicast. For example, the additional sidelink positioning messages may be based on the sidelink positioning capability and sidelink positioning resources of each UE in at least some of the UEs. Each additional sidelink positioning message may also be based on the sidelink positioning service requirement of each UE 105. For example, as in Figure 7 discussed in Stages 2 to 8 of Figure 6B and Figure 6C As discussed in signal flows 620 and 660, the additional sidelink positioning messages exchanged with at least some UEs may include a proposed positioning signal configuration, may confirm (or reject or modify) a proposed positioning signal configuration, and / or may request measurements of a SL PRS or provide measurements of a SL PRS.

[0148] As shown in stage 9, UE 105A can determine location results for at least some UEs based on the additional sidelink positioning messages.

[0149] For sidelink positioning group operations (such as Figure 7 As shown), a UE group should be initially determined and optionally formed, for example, based on one or more criteria. In addition, when a UE leaves or enters a group area, the UE group may need to be modified.

[0150] Group determination and formation for sidelink positioning may use proximity-based services (ProSe) or V2X services, e.g. Figure 5 and Figure 7 The discovery and establishment of the group shown in Phase 0 of the present invention. Various criteria may be used to include UEs in the same group. For example, to be included in the group, one criterion may be the ability to be discovered via ProSe or V2X and the ability to communicate directly with other UEs in the group (via sidelink signaling). Other criteria may include a maximum distance limit, for example, excluding from the group any UE that is generally farther from other UEs in the group than a maximum distance threshold; a time limit, for example, excluding from the group any UE that communicates with (or may communicate with) other UEs in the group for less than a minimum duration threshold; and a direction or speed limit, for example, excluding from the group any UE that moves in a different direction from other UEs in the group or moves at a speed that differs from other UEs in the group by more than a maximum speed difference threshold. The criteria (e.g., thresholds for determining whether a UE meets various requirements for joining a group) may depend on the environment and application. For example, the distance, time, and direction or speed criteria used in group formation for V2X highway, V2X local road, or V2X parking lot applications may be different. Once a group is established, periodic ProSe or periodic V2X signaling may be used to determine when a UE should leave the group and when a new UE should join the group, for example, based on whether the group criteria are met. Within a group, UEs may be assigned a member ID (e.g., 1, 2, 3, etc.) for identification within the group and in SLPP messages. For example, the group member ID may be used to determine which UE will lead, coordinate, and / or initiate a SLPP positioning session, positioning method, or positioning method type, such as which UE will propose a PRS configuration to other UEs, such as in Figure 5 and Figure 7 As illustrated at Stage 2 of . Groups may be limited to only one positioning method type (e.g. SL NR PRS), while other positioning method types (e.g. SL LTE PRS or RTK) may be used by different groups. Limiting a group to one positioning method type avoids situations where not all UEs in the group support the same positioning method type, and simplifies procedures and messaging. Alternatively, to maximize signaling efficiency, the same UE group may employ multiple positioning method types and / or multiple positioning methods, where not all UEs in the group must support exactly the same positioning method type or exactly the same positioning method.

[0151] As an example, Figure 8 8 is a signal flow 800 illustrating signaling between UEs for paired mode sidelink positioning. For example, UEs 105A and 105B may be, for example, Figure 1 The UE and Figure 2Any two UEs among the UEs illustrated in the group 210 shown in . Figure 8 The sidelink positioning shown can be independent of the network, so Figure 8 The illustrated UE 105 may be an out-of-coverage UE in the subgroup 216. The signaling performed in the signal flow 800 may be similar to that described above with reference to FIG. Figure 2 The SLPP signaling discussed is similar or identical and as Figure 5 8. Signal flow 800 illustrates another simple type of SLPP session between UE 105A and UE 105B, where there may or may not be explicit session establishment and session termination.

[0152] In Phase 1, discovery of UEs and establishment of a sidelink communications connection, association, link, or session is performed. 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 (e.g., including detecting each other). For example, discovery messages indicating whether the UEs are allowed to support paired mode sidelink positioning sessions 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 optionally be exchanged to explicitly establish a sidelink positioning session between UEs 105A and 105B. In Phase 1, discovery of UEs may be performed by one or both of UEs 105A and 105B to detect other UEs that may be used for sidelink positioning (e.g., including detecting each other). For example, discovery messages may be exchanged between UEs 105A and 105B to indicate whether the UEs are allowed to support paired mode sidelink positioning sessions to determine nearby UEs that may be used to participate in sidelink positioning. Additional messages may optionally be exchanged to explicitly establish a sidelink positioning session between UEs 105A and 105B. Figure 8 For example, assume that both UE 105A and 105B are allowed to support paired mode sidelink positioning sessions.

[0153] In some embodiments, signal flow 800 may optionally include stage 2, where security may be established between UE 105A and 105B, such as SLPP messages later sent in stages 3, 4, and 6 being encrypted.

[0154] At stage 3, UE 105A may send a SL positioning reference signal (PRS1) configuration to UE 105B, which will be sent by UE 105A at one or later time using the SL. This may be sent in a SLPP Provide Assistance Data message. In some embodiments, the SL PRS configuration may be included in UE 105B and unicast to UE 105B. In some embodiments, the PRS1 configuration may include when and how UE 105A may send the SL PRS timing. In some embodiments, the transmission time may be indicated using GNSS time or Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), or may be relative to the UE's local time. For example, when using UE local time, the UE may include in the transmission a timestamp indicating the local UE time at which any transmission (e.g., a particular portion of a transmission, such as an initial bit or initial octet) is sent or is to be sent. Each UE may then calculate a real time difference (RTD) between its own time and the local times of the other UEs based on the difference between the UE's own local time and the local times of the other UEs indicated in transmissions received from these other UEs, and with corrections based on estimates of propagation delays between the UEs (or ignoring propagation delays and treating these as negligible). Each UE (e.g., UE A) may then include a local time timestamp in the SLPP message sent to the other UEs, and any other UE (e.g., UE B) may convert the local time timestamp using the RTD previously calculated by the other UE (UE B) for the UE A and UE B pair.

[0155] For example, the PRS1 configuration may be the same or similar to the PRS configuration defined in 3GPP TS 37.355 for LPP, except that it may involve PRS transmission on a sidelink communication channel between two UEs.

[0156] At stage 4 and in response to receiving the PRS1 configuration at stage 3, UE 105B may send a positioning reference signal (PRS2) configuration to be sent by UE 105B at one or later time. This may be sent in a SLPP Provide Assistance Data message. In some embodiments, the PRS2 configuration may be included in UE 105A and unicast to UE 105A. In some embodiments, the PRS2 configuration may include when and how UE 105B may send SL PRS opportunities.

[0157] In stage 5, both UE 105A and 105B transmit and measure SL PRS (e.g., PRS1, PRS2). For example, UE 105A transmits SL positioning signal PRS1, and UE 105B measures positioning signal PRS1. For example, UE 105B may measure RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, TOA of PRS1 transmitted by UE 105A. UE 105B also transmits SL positioning signal PRS2, and UE 105A measures positioning signal PRS2. For example, UE 105A may measure RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, TOA of PRS2 transmitted by UE 105B. After determining the measurement values, UE 105A and UE 105B each exchange the measurement values ​​in stage 6 by each transmitting a SLPP measurement report message or a SLPP provide location information message including the measurement values ​​obtained by each UE. The exchange of measurements may also include, for example, revised PRS1 configuration and PRS2 configuration, which may indicate the exact transmission time, AOD, signal power, etc. of the transmitted signal (PRS1 or PRS2), as well as providing the measurements obtained in stage 5 .

[0158] After stage 6, the UEs may determine the distance between the UEs based on the measurements and / or the revised PRS1 configuration and PRS2 configuration, and / or may determine other location results based on the measurements, such as the direction between the UEs, the relative position of one UE relative to another UE, the relative speed of one UE relative to another UE, or any combination thereof. Figure 5 Determine the scope as described in Stage 7 of

[0159] In some embodiments, stages 5 and 6 may be repeated as needed (eg, as indicated in stages 3 and 4).

[0160] In some embodiments, exchange of UE capabilities and resources may not be required.For example, the Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) for a paired mode sidelink positioning session may define a minimum core set of capabilities and / or resources that all UEs participating in the session should be allowed to support.

[0161] As an example, Fig. 9 9 is a signal flow 900 illustrating signaling between UEs for paired mode sidelink positioning. For example, UEs 105A and 105B may be, for example, Figure 1 The UE and Figure 2 Any two UEs among the UEs illustrated in the group 210 shown in . Fig. 9 The sidelink positioning shown in can be independent of the network, so Figure 8 The UE shown in may be an out-of-coverage UE in subgroup 216. Fig. 9 In the example, explicit signaling is used to establish and later terminate the SLPP positioning session between UE 105A and 105B.

[0162] In Phase 1, discovery of UEs and establishment of a sidelink communication session, association, link, or connection is performed. 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 (e.g., including detecting each other). For example, discovery messages indicating whether the UEs are allowed to support paired mode sidelink positioning sessions may be exchanged between UEs 105A and / or 105B to determine nearby UEs that may be used to participate in sidelink positioning. Fig. 9 For example, assume that both UE 105A and 105B are allowed to support paired mode sidelink positioning sessions.

[0163] In some embodiments, signal flow 700 may optionally include stage 2, where security may be established between UE 105A and 105B, such as SLPP messages later sent in stages 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 being encrypted.

[0164] In phase 3, UE 105A (which may be referred to as an "anchor," "anchor UE," "coordinating UE," "coordinator," or "initiating UE") may request UE 105B to participate in a paired mode sidelink positioning session by, for example, transmitting (sending) a SLPP session request message including a session ID to UE 105B. In some embodiments, the SLPP session request message may include information regarding parameters for duration, number of measurement reports, QoS, normal termination of the session, and the like.

[0165] In phase 4, UE 105B may accept or reject the request by, for example, transmitting a SLPP SESSION ACCEPT (phase 4a) or SLPP SESSION REJECT (phase 4b) message. Figure 7 As shown, for example, assume that UE 105B accepts the participation request (eg, phase 4a). After phase 4a, a SLPP positioning session may be established between UE 105A and 20B.

[0166] In stage 5, UE 105B may send its sidelink positioning capabilities and / or resources to UE 105A. In some embodiments, the sidelink positioning capabilities may include capabilities, resources (e.g., available time for transmitting and / or measuring SL PRS), and service requirements, which may include QoS. In some embodiments, UE 105A may first send a request capability message to UE 105B.

[0167] In stage 6, UE 105A may determine and send a proposed SL positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration, such as a PRS1 configuration, a PRS2 configuration, to UE 105B, for example, using a SLPP Provide Assistance Data message. For example, the PRS1 configuration and the PRS2 configuration may be defined and proposed by UE 105A based on the capabilities, resources (and possibly service requirements) received by UE 105A in stage 5. The PRS1 configuration and the PRS2 configuration may be the same or similar to the PRS configuration defined for LPP in 3GPP TS 37.355, for example, except that they may involve PRS transmission on a sidelink communication channel between two UEs or between a group of UEs. Rules and guidelines may be standardized to ensure that the proposed SL PRS configuration is compatible with the capabilities, resources, and service requirements (which may include QoS for both UEs). The PRS1 configuration may be indicated as being sent by UE 105A, and the PRS2 configuration may be indicated as being sent by UE 105B.

[0168] In stage 7, both UE 105A and 105B transmit and measure SL PRS according to the SL PRS configuration sent by UE 105A in stage 6 (e.g., PRS1 is transmitted by UE 105A and measured by UE 105B, and PRS2 is transmitted by UE 105B and measured by UE 105B). For example, UE 105A transmits positioning signal PRS1, and UE 105B measures positioning signal PRS1. For example, UE 105B can measure Rx-Tx, RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, TOA of PRS1 transmitted by UE 105A. UE 105B also transmits positioning signal PRS2, and UE 105A measures positioning signal PRS2. For example, UE 105A can measure Rx-Tx, RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, TOA of PRS2 transmitted by UE 105B.

[0169] In stage 8, UE 105A and UE 105B may determine and exchange SLPP measurement reports (or SLPP provide location information messages) containing the measurements obtained in stage 7. For example, the exchange of measurements may also include revised PRS1 configurations and PRS2 configurations, such as indicating actual transmission times, AODs, signal powers, etc. of the transmitted PRS1 and PRS2 signals. The UEs may then determine ranges based on the measurements and / or may determine other location results based on the measurements, such as directions between UEs, relative positions of one UE relative to another UE, relative speeds of one UE relative to another UE, or any combination thereof. For example, the exchange of measurements may include a PRS1 configuration and a PRS2 configuration, such as indicating actual transmission times, AODs, signal powers, etc. of the transmitted PRS1 and PRS2 signals. The UEs may then determine ranges based on the measurements and / or may determine other location results based on the measurements, such as directions between UEs, relative positions of one UE relative to another UE, relative speeds of one UE relative to another UE, or any combination thereof. Figure 5 Determine the scope as described in Stage 7 of

[0170] In some embodiments, stages 7 and 8 may be repeated periodically as needed.

[0171] At stages 9 and 10, UE 105A and / or UE 105B may explicitly end the paired mode side link positioning session if the session needs to end at a different time than (e.g., before or after) any scheduled end indicated, for example, in the session request transmitted at stage 3. For example, UE 105A and / or UE 105B may send an end request to the other UE indicating the end of the paired mode side link positioning session and end the session accordingly.

[0172] As an example, Fig.10 1000 is a schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a group mode sidelink positioning system according to an embodiment. For example, UE1, UE2 and UE3 may be, for example Figure 1 UE 105A, 105B and 105C and Figure 2 Any three UEs among the UEs illustrated in the group 210 shown in FIG. Fig.10 The sidelink positioning shown can be independent of the network, so Fig.10 The UE shown may be an out-of-coverage UE in subgroup 216. The signaling performed in diagram 1000 may be similar to that described above with reference to Figure 2 The SLPP signaling discussed is similar or identical and as Figure 7 The signal flow 700 in the Figure 11-Figure 18 The signal flows 1100 , 1200 , 1300 , 1400 , 1500 , 1600 , 1700 , and 1800 are depicted.

[0173] like Fig.10 As shown, three anchor (or "coordinating") UEs (e.g., UE1, UE2, and UE3) can each cover and manage a corresponding control area (e.g., control areas 1010, 1020, and 1030). Within each control area, other UEs discovered by the anchor UE associated with the control area and located in the control area can be grouped by the anchor UE into a single group or several subgroups (e.g., group 1015 for UE1 and including subgroups 1015-1 and 1015-2, group 1025 for UE2, and group 1035 for UE3). In some embodiments, the corresponding anchor UE can coordinate the group mode sidelink positioning session for the group of UEs or for each individual UE subgroup. In some embodiments, different control areas can overlap. For example, group 1015 can overlap with group 1025 and / or group 1035.

[0174] In some embodiments, the anchor (or coordination) UE may be a UE with anchor (or coordination) UE capabilities. For example, the anchor capabilities may include having an accurately known positioning and capabilities superior to other UEs (e.g., GNSS capabilities, multiple antennas, more processing and storage resources, etc.). In some embodiments, the anchor UE may be a roadside unit (RSU), truck, bus, etc. for V2X. In some embodiments, more than one UE with anchor UE capabilities may be grouped into the same group performing the same group mode side link positioning session. In this case, any one of the UEs with anchor UE capabilities may serve as the anchor UE of the group (e.g., by negotiation).

[0175] Within each group or subgroup (e.g., group 1015, subgroup 1015-1, subgroup 1015-2, group 1025, and / or group 1035), the group-mode sidelink positioning session may be completely managed by the corresponding anchor UE (e.g., UE1 of group 1015 or subgroups 1015-1 and 1015-2, UE2 of group 1025, and UE3 of group 1035), and other UEs within the group may perform positioning by associating with the corresponding anchor UE (e.g., by participating in the group-mode sidelink positioning session). In some embodiments, the association between the anchor UE and other UEs within the group may be configured to manage positioning of the group-mode sidelink positioning session.

[0176] In some embodiments, each group can be arranged into one or more subgroups (e.g., subgroup 1015-1 and subgroup 1015-2) based on, for example, the location of the UE (e.g., the control region can be divided into different sub-regions, each sub-region corresponding to a sub-group of group mode side link positioning sessions).

[0177] Fig.11 A signal flow 1100 is shown illustrating signaling between UEs for group-mode sidelink positioning of multiple UEs, illustrated as UEs 105A, 105B, 105C, 105D, ... 105n, sometimes collectively referred to as UEs 105. A UE group may include a small number of UEs (e.g., up to 20) for which direct discovery and direct sidelink signaling may be performed. UE 105 may be, for example, Figure 1 The UE 105 illustrated in Figure 2 Any UE illustrated in the group 210 shown in . Fig.11 The sidelink positioning shown can be independent of the network, so Fig.11 The UE shown may be an out-of-coverage UE in subgroup 216. The signaling performed in signal flow 1100 may be similar to that described above with reference to Figure 2 The SLPP signaling discussed is similar or identical and as Figure 7As shown in the signal flow 700 in FIG. If desired, the signaling can be performed directly as shown, or via a relay and / or via the network. As previously mentioned, only some of the UEs in the group of UEs can be target UEs, but Fig.11 The signal flow 1100 shown in FIG. 1 may be almost the same regardless of whether only some or all of the group of UEs 105 are target UEs. Specifically, the number of target UEs 105 for the signal flow 1100 may exceed one.

[0178] The signal flow 1100 includes an explicit establishment of a SLPP session between multiple UEs 105. A SLPP session may also be referred to as a session, a group session, a SLPP group session, a SLPP group mode session, a sidelink positioning session, or a group mode sidelink positioning session.

[0179] exist Fig.11 In phase 1, anchor UE 105A discovers UE1 105B and vice versa. For example, discovery messages may be exchanged between UEs to determine nearby UEs available to participate in sidelink positioning. In some embodiments, an anchor UE (e.g., UE 105A) broadcasts a discovery request and indicates anchor status and SLPP support and / or group mode SLPP support, and available nearby UEs (e.g., UE 105B) may send a discovery response (e.g., via unicast) and indicate SLPP and / or group mode SLPP support. Fig.11 For example, it is assumed that all UEs 105A, 105B, 105C, ... 105n are able to participate in a group mode sidelink positioning session.

[0180] At stage 2, optionally, security establishment may be performed between UE 105A and 105B. In some embodiments, in the network-assisted UE mode, security may be established if the serving PLMN is configured with anchor UE security data (e.g., cryptographic keys). For example, if for a first UE (e.g., one of UE 105b, 105C, 105D, ... 105n) and an anchor UE (e.g., UE 105A), both UEs are within the PLMN coverage, proximity service security may be used for unicast SLPP messages to achieve (i) encryption of unicast SLPP messages, (ii) authentication of the anchor UE by the first UE, and (iii) verification of multicast messages sent by the first UE or the anchor UE to the other using a digital signature. For another example, if the first UE but not the anchor UE is within the PLMN coverage, a trusted source (e.g., a local authority of the PLMN or an RSU accessible via the PLMN) may provide the first UE with an encryption key ID and a corresponding encryption key, for example, the anchor UE and the trusted source may encrypt the encryption key ID into an encryption key for the first UE to anchor UE association using a common secret key. The encryption key ID can be pseudo-random (e.g., 128 bits) assigned by a trusted source that is unique to the first UE (e.g., no two UEs use the same encryption key ID). This can enable (i) encryption of unicast SLPP messages, (ii) authentication of the anchor UE by the first UE, and (iii) verification of multicast messages sent by the first UE or anchor UE by another party using a digital signature. For another example, certain secure UEs (e.g., for public safety and law enforcement) can be configured with security and key information for certain categories of anchor UEs (e.g., RSUs), which can support security, as in the two examples above. In some embodiments, if all UEs participating in the group mode sidelink positioning session (also referred to as "group member UEs") support the standards set forth in any of the above examples, the multicast message can be encrypted, otherwise it is not encrypted.

[0181] In phase 3, UE 105B may provide one or more of its location, capabilities, and available resources to anchor UE 105A. Fig.11 As shown, UE1 may send its current location (e.g., latitude and longitude) to an anchor UE (e.g., UE 105A) using V2X signaling. In some embodiments, the anchor UE may initiate a paired mode sidelink positioning session with UE1 105B to obtain the location and SLPP capabilities and resources of UE1, as described above with respect to Figure 8In some embodiments, the resources may include a sidelink PRS configuration already used by UE1 (e.g., for other communications in other group-mode sidelink positioning sessions). Thus, the anchor UE may verify that UE1 is within the area controlled by the anchor UE and assign UE1 to a specific group or subgroup for the group-mode sidelink positioning session, such as Fig.10 shown.

[0182] In stage 4, the anchor UE 105A determines to establish (or initiate) a session for the Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP) for the group of UEs 105. For example, the UE 105A may be configured at the application layer to establish an SLPP session for the group of UEs 105 when certain criteria for the group of UEs 105 are met, such as for Figure 7 and Fig.10 as discussed. The group of UEs 105 may be determined by the anchor UE 105A without initially notifying other UEs 105, or all UEs 105 may participate in determining and forming the group of UEs 105. UE 105A may also or alternatively determine to establish (or initiate) a session for SLPP based on a service request received from a network entity (e.g., LMF 120 or AMF 115), wherein the service request may indicate the group of UEs 105 to which the service request applies. UE 105A may then send a request to UE1 to join a group-mode sidelink positioning session. In some embodiments, the request may include a common group address for the group-mode sidelink positioning session (e.g., a level 2 group address supported by the 3GPP physical and MAC sidelink protocol layers).

[0183] In stage 5 , UE1 may respond to the request with an acceptance of the request (eg, as indicated in stage 5a ) or a rejection (eg, as indicated in stage 5b ).

[0184] At stage 6, stages corresponding to stages 1-5 may be repeated for each of the other UEs 2-n (eg, UEs 105C, 105D, ... 105n). In some embodiments, each of stages 1-5 may be performed using unicast.

[0185] In stage 7, the anchor UE 105A starts a group-mode sidelink positioning session by sending a start message (e.g., a SLPP start group session message) to each UE that accepted the request in stage 5. In some embodiments, the anchor UE 105A may multicast the start message to all group member UEs (e.g., UE1, UE2, ...UEn) of the session based on the group address. In some embodiments, the start message includes the UE address (e.g., level 2 address and / or application level address or ID) of each UE participating in the group-mode SLPP session. In some embodiments, the anchor UE 105A may include a group encryption key for all UEs in the SLPP session, which the UEs may use to encrypt some or all SLPP messages sent later in stages 9, 11, 12, 14, and 15.

[0186] In response, at stage 8, each UE that received the start message at stage 7 may respond with an acknowledgment of receiving the start message (e.g., a SLPP start group session acknowledgment message), which may be unicast to UE 105A only or may be multicast to UE 105A and all other UEs in the SLPP session. In some embodiments, the acknowledgment may include the data included in the start message (e.g., the addresses of the group member UEs) and may then be multicast to all group member UEs. Thus, UEs that missed the start message may still receive the information in the start message (e.g., by receiving acknowledgments from other UEs). Stage 8 is optional and may not always be performed.

[0187] In some embodiments, the UE address (e.g., as sent at stage 7) may include a level 2 address and / or an application level address of the UE. In some embodiments, the SLPP message transmitted in the group mode side link positioning session (e.g., in stages 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14, 15) may contain a local UE ID (used within the SLPP message) and also referred to as the SLPP UE ID of each of the group member UEs in the session. For example, each of the group member UEs may be indexed (e.g., from 0 to n), and the local (SLPP) UE ID may correspond to the index of the UE. The start message sent at stage 7 may indicate the correspondence of the SLPP UE ID of each group member UE with other addresses of the UE (e.g., level 2 address or application level address). The SLPP UE ID may be used in the SLPP message (e.g., in stages 9, 11, and 12) to identify specific UEs and information for those UEs (in the SLPP message) using fewer signaling bits than required for the level 2 address or application level address, and thus SLPP signaling may be reduced.

[0188] At stage 9, the anchor UE 105A may determine SL PRS configuration data (e.g., SL PRS configuration to be used for the group mode sidelink positioning session) and send it to all group member UEs. For example, the SL PRS configuration data may include SL PRS configurations to be sent once or multiple times by each UE (anchor UE, UE1, UE2, UE3, UEn). The SL PRS configuration to be sent by each UE may be different from the SL PRS configuration to be sent by any other UE, for example, at least the transmission time and / or code may be different. For example, SL PRS configurations PRS0, PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, PRSn may be sent by an anchor UE, where the anchor UE will transmit PRS0, UE1 will transmit PRS1, UE2 will transmit PRS2, UE3 will transmit PRS3, and UEn will transmit PRSn. In some embodiments, if one of the group member UEs has transmitted a SL PRS with an anchor UE of another group (eg, the UE is in more than one group / sub-group controlled by the anchor UE), the anchor UE may include the SL PRS configuration for the other group as SL PRS configuration data for the UE.

[0189] In phase 10, all group member UEs of the group mode side link positioning session may transmit and measure the SL PRS. For example, each group member UE of the group mode side link positioning session may transmit and measure the SL PRS according to the SL PRS configuration determined and transmitted by the anchor UE in phase 9. For example, each UE may transmit its own SL PRS (e.g., the anchor UE transmits PRS0, UE1 transmits PRS1, UE2 transmits PRS2, UE3 transmits PRS3, and UEn transmits PRSn), and all other UEs except the transmitting UE measure the SL PRS being transmitted. In some embodiments, the measurement values ​​may include the received signal strength indicator (RSSI), the round trip signal propagation time (RTT), the reference signal received power (RSRP), the reference signal received quality (RSRQ), the angle of arrival (AOA), the angle of departure (AOD), the time of arrival (TOA), the receive time-transmit time difference (Rx-Tx), and the reference signal time difference (RSTD) of the transmitted PRS.

[0190] At stages 11 and 12, each UE participating in the group mode sidelink positioning session may determine and send (to the other UEs) a SLPP measurement report (or SLPP Provide Location Information message) containing the measurements obtained at stage 10. In some embodiments, the SLPP Measurement Report message sent by the UE 105 may include a revised SL PRS configuration corresponding to the SL PRS actually transmitted by the UE 105 at stage 10, and indicates the exact SL PRS configuration used by the UE 105 at stage 10. For example, in the case of UE1 105B, UE1 105B receives a SL PRS configuration PRS1 from the anchor UE 105A at stage 9 indicating that the SL PRS configuration is intended to be used by UE1 at stage 10, but UE1 105B may need to slightly change that configuration at stage 10 due to SL PRS transmissions or other interference from other UEs or other RF conditions. For example, UE1 105B may have changed the bandwidth or exact time of PRS1 transmissions. UE1 105B may then include the revised PRS1 configuration in the measurement report sent in stage 12, indicating the change in the PRS1 configuration used to transmit PRS1 in stage 10. The anchor UE 105A and other UEs from UE2 to UEn may perform the same operation for each of their PES configurations PRS0, PRS2, PRS3 to PRSn. The measurement report may indicate the precise SL PRS transmission time and the reception time of the measurement value and the revised SL PRS configuration using global time (e.g., GNSS or UTC time). In some embodiments, each UE may multicast the SLPP measurement report to all other group member UEs and may indicate which other group member UEs each UE can receive measurement reports from. This may help the anchor UE 105A decide on group membership changes.

[0191] At stage 13, one or more of the UEs participating in the group mode sidelink positioning session (referred to as participating UEs) determine a location result of a participating UE (e.g., a participating UE that is a target UE), such as a distance between the target UE and another participating UE, a direction of the target UE from another participating UE to the target UE or from the target UE to another participating UE, respectively, a location of the target UE relative to a location of another participating UE, a speed of the target UE relative to a speed of another participating UE, an absolute location of the target UE, an absolute speed of the target UE, or some combination thereof. The determined location result may then be sent to other UEs for the SLPP session.

[0192] For example, if the anchor UE 105A indicates stage 10 at stage 4 or stage 7, stages 10 to 13 may be repeated.

[0193] Note that the SLPP messages sent in phases 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 14 and 15 may be as specified for Figure 4A and Figure 4B The TransactionIDs are structured or partially structured as described and may therefore each include one or more of a session ID, a transaction ID, a sequence number (seq no) and an acknowledgement (or acknowledgement) sequence number.

[0194] In some embodiments, the anchor UE 105A may decide to change group membership during a session (e.g., move UEs between different subgroups and / or assign UEs to more than one subgroup). For example, if a UE participating in a group-mode sidelink positioning session is in the control area of ​​the anchor UE (e.g., Fig.10 If the anchor UE is traveling within / outside the control area of ​​the groups 1015, 1025 and / or 1035 shown in the figure, the anchor UE may adjust the group state of the UE accordingly (e.g., reassign the UE to another group / subgroup and / or remove the UE from any group or subgroup controlled by the anchor UE). Thus, stages 7 and 8 may be repeated for those affected groups (e.g., the groups from which the UE was removed and / or added), or a later stage for the groups may be used. Fig.15 Signal flow 1500 is described.

[0195] exist Fig.11 At stages 14 and 15 in the present invention, the anchor UE may terminate the group mode sidelink positioning session by multicasting an end session request, and the group member UEs may accept the request to end the group mode sidelink positioning session.

[0196] The above targets Fig.11 The messages described in stages 1 to 6 of can be sent between UEs (eg, anchor UE 105A and another UE 105) using unicast, where the message includes the address of a specific destination UE (eg, a level 2 address). Fig.11 The messages described in stages 7 to 15 of the present invention may be sent between UEs (e.g., anchor UE 105A and other UEs 105) using multicast, wherein the message includes a group address (e.g., a level 2 group address) applicable to all UEs 105, which may enable each of UEs 105A, 105B, 105C, 105D, 105n that is not the sender of the message to receive the message.

[0197] Fig.12 105n, and sometimes collectively referred to as UE 105). The UE group may include a small number of UEs (e.g., up to 20) for which direct discovery and direct sidelink signaling may be performed. UE 105 may be, for example, Figure 1 UE and Figure 2 Any UE illustrated in the group 210 shown in . Fig.12 The sidelink positioning shown can be independent of the network, so Fig.12 The UE shown may be an out-of-coverage UE in subgroup 216. If desired, signaling may be performed directly as shown, or via a relay and / or via the network.

[0198] In some embodiments, Fig.12 The group mode side link positioning shown can be Fig.11 An extension of group mode sidelink positioning is shown, in which the role of the anchor UE can be changed, and other UEs (eg, group member UEs) participating in group mode sidelink positioning can have more control over the positioning process.

[0199] For example, Fig.12 As shown, the signal flow 1200 may include stages 1-5. At stage 1 of the signal flow 1200, mutual discovery and initial information transfer of UEs may be performed. In some embodiments, the operations in stage 1 of the signal flow 1200 may be similar to Fig.11 1100, except that one or more of the UEs (e.g., any UE in UE 105) may be anchor UEs. In some embodiments, the process may be performed based on proximity or V2X services. In some embodiments, the discovery request and the response message to the discovery request may indicate support for SLPP and / or group mode side link positioning and whether the UE has the ability to act as an anchor UE. In some embodiments, the message sent at stage 1 of the signal flow 1200 may also include the IDs of all group mode side link positioning sessions to which each UE (e.g., any UE 105) belongs and the anchor UE address of each group mode side link positioning session.

[0200] In some embodiments, a UE that discovers many nearby UEs belonging to the same group for group-mode side link positioning may then request to join the group and may avoid starting another group for group-mode side link positioning. In some embodiments, a UE performing group-mode side link positioning may also use the same method as described above with respect to Figure 5 and Figure 8 The illustrated paired mode side link positioning session individually determines the range, position, speed of other UEs to help decide which UEs should be included in the group for group mode side link positioning. In some embodiments, a security establishment may also be optionally established, subject to restrictions similar to phase 2 of signal flow 1100.

[0201] At stage 2 of signal flow 1200, a start session of group mode side link positioning may be performed, which may be associated with Fig.11 Stages 4 to 8 are the same or similar, or may be as follows with respect to Fig.13as described.

[0202] At stage 3 of signal flow 1200, group mode side link positioning may be performed. In some embodiments, the operations in stage 3 of signal flow 1200 may be similar to Fig.11 The signal flow 1100 shown in stages 9 to 13 or Figure 7 The operations in stages 1 to 11 of the signal flow 700 shown in FIG. 7 are similar or identical, with the same stages or additional stages. Fig.14 Phase 3 is described in more detail.

[0203] At stage 4 of the signal flow 1200, a modify group session for changing the group members (eg, UEs participating in a group mode sidelink positioning session) and / or the anchor UE of the group may be performed. Fig.15 Stage 4 is described in more detail.

[0204] In stage 5 of signal flow 1200, a termination session for terminating the group mode side link positioning session may be performed. In some embodiments, the operations in stage 5 of signal flow 1200 may be similar to Fig.11 The operations in stages 14 to 15 of the signal flow 1100 shown in FIG. 1 are the same or similar. Fig.18 Stage 5 is described in more detail.

[0205] Fig.13 is an example according to one embodiment and illustrates Fig.12 Signal flow 1300 for signaling between UEs of a start session for a group mode sidelink positioning session in stage 2 of FIG. Signal flow 1300 is similar to Fig.11 Stages 4-5 and 7-8, but with some enhancements for increased flexibility

[0206] After mutual discovery and initial information transfer (eg, stage 1 of signal flow 1200 ), an anchor-capable UE (eg, UE1 105A here) may decide to create a new group for performing group-mode sidelink positioning and act as an anchor UE for group-mode sidelink positioning.

[0207] exist Fig.13 In phase 1, UE1 sends a SLPP session request unicast to each of the other UEs (UE2, UE3 to UEn). The level 2 group address is included in the SLPP session request. All UE addresses (e.g., level 2 addresses and / or application level addresses of UE2, UE3 to UEn) may also be included to allow each UE to see which other UEs will be in the group.

[0208] Each of the other UEs (UE2, UE3 to UEn) provides one of the two responses in phase 2a or phase 2b. In phase 2a, the UE may send an acceptance indication for the SLPP group session to UE1, and optionally include the addresses of additional UEs that may be added to the group (e.g., the addresses of UEm not included in phase 1). Alternatively, in phase 2b, the UE may send a rejection indication for the SLPP session to UE1, and optionally indicate one or more existing group sessions that UE1 may join. UE1 may then join (one or more) other group sessions and / or end the new group session.

[0209] In phase 3, UE1 unicasts the SLPP session request to each of any additional UEs indicated in phase 2a (e.g., UEm). Each additional UE (e.g., UEm) may then indicate acceptance (phase 4a) or rejection (phase 4b) of the session to UE1 as in phase 2, and may optionally include the addresses of the additional UEs that may be added to the group as in phase 2. To prevent additional UEs from returning indefinitely (as in phases 2 and 4), the SLPP session request sent by UE1 may indicate whether the receiving UE is allowed to return the addresses of the additional UEs. UE1 may then not allow the addresses of the additional UEs to be sent (e.g., at phase 3 or after phase 4).

[0210] UEs that accept the request in phases 2a and 4a may be included in the group mode sidelink positioning session. UEs that reject the group mode sidelink positioning session in phases 2b and 4b may be excluded from the group mode sidelink positioning session.

[0211] At the end of stage 2 or stage 4 of signal flow 1300, anchor UE1 starts a group mode sidelink positioning session at stage 5, similar to the anchor UE starting the group mode sidelink positioning session with respect to stage 7 of signal flow 1100. In response, at stage 6 (which may be optional), each UE that received the start message at stage 5 may respond with an acknowledgment, as with stage 8 of signal flow 1100.

[0212] Fig.14 is an example according to one embodiment and illustrates Fig.12 Signal flow 1400 of signaling between UEs for group mode sidelink positioning in stage 3 of the present invention.

[0213] like Fig.14 As shown, at stage 1 of signal flow 1400, each UE participating in the group mode sidelink positioning session (e.g., a UE that accepts a request at stage 2 or stage 4 of signal flow 1300) sends its sidelink positioning capabilities and resources to all other participating UEs via, for example, multicast. Optionally, anchor UE1 may first multicast a request for each UE's capabilities to all other UEs in the group.

[0214] In stage 2 of the signal flow 1400, a common time reference for making SL PRS measurements may be established (as described in more detail below).

[0215] In stage 3 of signal flow 1400, the anchor UE sends out the SL PRS configuration of each group member UE for the group mode side link positioning session via, for example, multicast. Each UE that receives the SL PRS configuration may confirm reception. In some embodiments, the confirmation may repeat / include all received SL PRS configurations. The SL PRS configuration sent in stage 3 may include a different SL PRS configuration for each UE in the group (e.g., UE1, UE2, UE3, UEn) to be transmitted by the UE at one or more later times. Therefore, the SL PRS configuration may indicate the SL PRS configuration to be transmitted by each UE and the SL PRS configurations of other UEs in the group that each UE may measure. The anchor UE may also indicate the measurement values ​​obtained by each UE in the SL PRS configuration to be transmitted by other UEs.

[0216] In stage 4 of the signal flow 1400, all group member UEs perform SL PRS transmission and measurement according to the SL PRS configuration received in stage 3. For example, the measurement values ​​may include received signal strength indicator (RSSI), round trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), angle of arrival (AOA), angle of departure (AOD), time of arrival (TOA), receive time-transmit time difference (Rx-Tx), and reference signal time difference (RSTD).

[0217] At stage 5 of signal flow 1400, each UE participating in the group mode side link positioning session multicasts a measurement report to all other UEs participating in the group mode side link positioning session, the measurement report may include the measurements obtained at stage 4 and the revised PRS configuration used at stage 3. In some embodiments, each measurement report may indicate from which UE the UE sending the measurement report is capable of receiving the measurement report. In some embodiments, the measurement report may also include a vote for selecting an anchor UE for the group mode side link positioning session. Stages 4 and 5 may be repeated, for example, periodically. Fig.14 Stages 3 to 5 in can be similar to Figure 7 Stages 1 to 11 and Fig.11 Stages 9 to 13 of Fig.14 Additional details, actions, and signaling used in.

[0218] Fig.15 is a signal flow 1500 illustrating signaling between UEs for implementing modification of a SLPP group session that may have been Fig.11or Fig.13 Build as described. Fig.15 , UE1 to UEn (105A, 105B, 105C, 105n) are existing UEs that are already part of the SLPP group session, while UEp and UEq (105p and 105q) are new UEs that are not yet part of the SLPP group session. Fig.15 Two new UEs are shown, but there may be more than two new UEs or less than two new UEs, excluding new UEs.

[0219] Modification of the SLPP session may be initiated by anchor UE1 105A or a new anchor UE (e.g., voted by a group member UE of the SLPP positioning session and having anchor UE capabilities) to modify the group members. For example, the group members may be modified by adding one or more new UEs to the group, removing one or more existing UEs from the group, and / or changing the anchor UE of the group. In some embodiments, the newly added UE may first receive the group address from the anchor UE, for example, as described below for Fig.16 as described.

[0220] like Fig.15 As illustrated in FIG. 15 , in stage 1 of signal flow 1500 , after determining the modified members of the group, anchor UE 1 multicasts a modify group session request message to all other current group member UEs, the modify group session request message indicating the addresses of all group member UEs to be included in the modified group (which may include both current group member UEs and new group member UEs) and identifying the anchor UE of the group (e.g., an existing anchor UE or a newly changed anchor UE). The modify group session request message may include the current SLPP session ID, a new SLPP session ID for the modified SLPP session, and / or a new SLPP UE ID for each modified group member UE of the modified SLPP session.

[0221] In phase 2, each of the other group member UEs multicasts (or unicasts) an acceptance (phase 2a) or a rejection (phase 2b) in response to receiving the modify group session request. In some embodiments, the acceptance or rejection includes the addresses of all new group member UEs and identifies the anchor UE. In some embodiments, if a rejection is sent (e.g., as shown in phase 2b of signal flow 1500) or if no response is sent, the member UE may be excluded from the modified group.

[0222] In an optional embodiment, the modify group session request is sent only to the UEs to be included in the modified group session at stage 2, and not to the UEs to be excluded from the modified group session. In this embodiment, at stage 3, the anchor UE1 multicasts the SLPP session end request to all UEs to be excluded from the modified group session, or unicasts a separate SLPP session end request to each UE to be excluded from the modified group session. Then, each UE excluded from the modified group session returns a SLPP session end acceptance to the anchor UE1 105A.

[0223] If there is at least one new UE to be added to the modified group session, then in stage 5, anchor UE1 sends a Fig.15 UE 1 and UE 2 (in the example of UE 1 and UE 2) unicast SLPP session request. Each new UE then returns SLPP session accept (stage 6a) or session reject (stage 6b) to anchor UE 1. New UEs that return session reject or no response are then not included in the modified session. Note that stages 5 and 6 are not based on the following for Fig.16 The depicted signal flow 1600 is performed for any new UE requesting to join the group session because the signal flow 1600 makes stages 5 and 6 unnecessary for such new UEs.

[0224] In phase 7, anchor UE1 performs a start session to start the modified SLPP group session. The start may be as for Fig.11 This is described in stages 7 and 8 of the .

[0225] Fig.16 FIG. 1 is a signal flow 1600 illustrating signaling between UEs for joining a group mode SLPP session according to one embodiment. Fig.16 As shown in FIG. 1 , at stage 1 of the signal flow 1600 , a new UE 105r (eg, not currently a group member UE) and a group member UE (eg, as Fig.16 For example, the new UE 105r may discover the group member UE1 (or vice versa), and the group member UE1 may provide the group session ID (e.g., SLPP session ID) and the anchor UE address (e.g., level 2 address and / or application level address) to the new UE.

[0226] At stage 2 of the signal flow 1600, the new UE 105r may undergo a formal discovery process with the anchor UE based on the anchor UE address received at stage 1. In some embodiments, there may be some sidelink positioning sessions (e.g., Figure 8 ) to enable two UEs to verify their range, position and speed.

[0227] In stage 3 of the signal flow 1600, the new UE 105r unicasts a join session request to the anchor UE.

[0228] At stage 4 of the signal flow 1600, the anchor UE 105A may accept (e.g., respond with an accept message as shown in stage 4a) or reject (e.g., respond with a reject message as shown in stage 4b) the request. In some embodiments, the accept message includes details of the group mode sidelink positioning session (e.g., including the level 2 group address and possibly the addresses of other group member UEs).

[0229] At stage 5 of the signal flow 1600, the anchor UE 105A may perform the following Fig.15 The modified group session is shown to collectively process all join and / or leave requests after a predetermined period of time (e.g., after some other UEs have requested to join or leave the group). The requests and responses sent in phases 3 and 4 may include either or both of a time parameter indicating the time at which the anchor UE expects to perform the modify group session in phase 5. For example, this may help the new UE 105r know when it will join the group session, and may help the anchor UE 105A by indicating how long the new UE may wait to join the group session.

[0230] Fig.17 1700 is a signal flow illustrating signaling between UEs for leaving a group mode SLPP session according to one embodiment. When an existing group member UE 105, referred to as a “leaving UE”, decides to leave the group session (e.g., if it is now away from other group members), as shown in FIG. Fig.17 As shown, in stage 1 of the signal flow 1700, the leaving UE 105 unicasts a leave session request to the anchor UE 105A and may include a time at which the requested leave session becomes valid.

[0231] In stage 2 of the signal flow 1700, the anchor UE 105A returns an acceptance and may include a time that is the same or different than the time proposed by the leaving UE 105 in stage 1, indicating the time at which the leaving session will become valid.

[0232] At stage 3 of the signal flow 1700, the anchor UE 105A may perform the following Fig.15 The group session is shown modified to collectively process all join and / or leave requests after a predetermined period of time (eg, after some other UEs have requested to join or leave the group). The time at which stage 3 will be performed may be included in stage 2 by the anchor UE 105A.

[0233] In some embodiments, the leaving UE 105 may leave the group if no acceptance of the leave request is received from the anchor UE 105A, or if the UE 105 is unable to receive other SLPP messages for the group mode sidelink positioning session from the anchor UE 105A. The anchor UE 105A may assume that an existing group member UE has left after failing to receive an SLPP measurement report from the existing group member UE for a predetermined period of time.

[0234] Fig.18 is an example according to one embodiment and illustrates Fig.12 1800 of signaling between UEs for terminating a group mode sidelink positioning session in stage 5 of FIG. 1801. When the anchor UE 105A decides to terminate the group mode sidelink positioning session (e.g., due to problems exchanging SLPP messages with group members), as shown in FIG. Fig.18 As shown, in stage 1 of the signal flow 1800, the anchor UE 105A may multicast a request to all other UEs in the session to terminate the group mode SLPP session.

[0235] In stage 2 of signal flow 1800, each of the other group member UEs may multicast an acceptance (e.g., as illustrated in stage 2a of signal flow 1800) or a rejection (e.g., as illustrated in stage 2b of signal flow 1800). For those UEs that accept the request, the accepting UE leaves the group mode sidelink positioning session. For those UEs that reject the request, the rejecting UE may remain a group member UE. In some embodiments, the rejecting UE includes a vote for the new anchor UE in the rejection. If two or more UEs remain group member UEs (e.g., reject the request), the UE with the most votes then performs the following steps: Fig.15 The modified group session illustrated in .

[0236] Note that SLPP messages passed between UEs (e.g. Figure 5 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig. 9 and Figure 11-Figure 18 The SLPP session may include a session identifier (ID) (also referred to as a session identification) to identify the SLPP session to the UEs participating in the session, which may enable these UEs to identify SLPP messages applicable to the SLPP session. For example, the anchor UE may assign a session ID and provide the session ID to other UEs participating in the SLPP session. In some embodiments, some SLPP messages for SLPP sessions shown as being passed between UEs may be replaced by messages for supplementary service protocols, such as the protocols defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 24.080. This may enable the inclusion of a larger number of parameters that may not be possible or appropriate for a positioning protocol such as SLPP. For example, Fig. 9 The SLPP session request and acceptance, Fig.11 The SLPP starts a group session and its response and Fig.15 The SLPP modify group session request and response may be replaced by similar messages of the supplementary service protocol (which may also include one or more embedded SLPP messages).

[0237] Previous descriptions (e.g., Figure 11-Figure 18 ) It has been assumed that in order to perform SL positioning for a group of UEs, a session or SLPP session is first established between all UEs in the group or between all UEs in the group that accept session establishment. SL positioning is then performed by exchanging SLPP messages between the UEs in the group to which the SLPP messages belong and which are part of the session. However, establishing and later modifying and / or terminating a SLPP session requires exchanging additional SLPP messages to establish, modify and / or terminate a SLPP session that is not directly used for positioning. In addition, UEs that are not part of the SLPP session will be excluded from positioning, even though they may be in the vicinity of UEs belonging to the session and may usefully contribute to SL positioning. In order to reduce the amount of SLPP signaling required to perform SL positioning and allow all UEs in the vicinity of each other to participate in SL positioning, an alternative sessionless mode of SLPP can be used, in which there is no SLPP session between UEs participating in SL positioning. The sessionless mode of SLPP can also avoid the need for UEs to discover each other, which can further reduce the amount of signaling and allow SL positioning to occur with reduced latency compared to using SLPP sessions, and allow a greater number of UEs to perform SL positioning with each other. The sessionless mode of SLPP can be likened to having a SLPP session that includes all UEs and is permanently established without any signaling for establishment or termination. Then, a special reserved session ID can be included in the SLPP message indicating the sessionless mode sent for the sessionless mode of SLPP.

[0238] Fig.19 A signal flow 1900 illustrating session-less SL positioning (also referred to as broadcast mode sidelink positioning or non-session-based sidelink positioning) of SLPP for multiple UEs (illustrated as UEs 105A, 105B, 105C, sometimes collectively referred to as UEs 105) is shown. UEs 105 may be, for example, Figure 1 UE and Figure 2 Any UE illustrated in the group 210 shown in . Fig.19 The sidelink positioning shown can be independent of the network, so Fig.19 The UE shown may be an out-of-coverage UE in subgroup 216. The signaling performed in signal flow 1900 may be similar to that described above with reference to FIG. Figure 2 The SLPP signaling discussed is similar or identical. Note that although Fig.19 Only three UEs 105 are shown, but Fig.19 The techniques shown in can be performed by any number of two or more UEs 105, including hundreds or even thousands of UEs 105 (e.g., for SL positioning of V2X on one or more busy highways). Fig.19 In this embodiment, different UEs 105 do not have to discover each other, and no SLPP session may be established between any UEs 105. It should also be noted that only some of the UEs 105 may be target UEs, but all of the UEs 105 may also be target UEs.

[0239] Fig.19 Each UE 105 shown in FIG. 104 may receive a SLPP message indicating session-free SLPP positioning from other UEs (e.g., in FIG. 105 ). Fig.19 1 and 3 in the signal flow 1900) or based on a determination that the number of nearby UEs is too large to effectively support SLPP in session mode, a determination is made to perform SL positioning for SLPP in session-free mode. Based on this determination and as illustrated at stage 1 of the signal flow 1900, each of the UEs 105 broadcasts a SLPP assistance data message. In some embodiments, the SLPP assistance data message sent by the UE includes a sidelink PRS configuration to be sent by the UE and an expected time of sidelink PRS transmission from the UE (according to the sidelink PRS configuration) and optionally sidelink PRS configuration data received from other UEs 105. The sidelink PRS configuration may indicate a frequency range or band, coding, bandwidth, transmission duration, transmission period, and / or other parameters of the SL PRS intended to be transmitted by the transmitting UE 105 in stage 2. In some embodiments, the UE may indicate a different transmission time and / or a different (e.g., orthogonal) code from other UEs. Different (e.g., orthogonal) codes may allow some simultaneous transmissions by multiple UEs. In some embodiments, the SL PRS transmission time indicated in the SLPP assistance data message may be indicated using a common time (e.g., GNSS), or may be relative to the transmission time of the SLPP assistance data message. The SLPP assistance data message may also include a level 2 address and / or an application level address of the sending UE 105. The SLPP assistance data message may be broadcast by the UE 105 to all other UEs 105 that are capable of receiving the message, and may not be sent using unicast or multicast.

[0240] At stage 2 of signal flow 1900, each UE 105 broadcasts a SL PRS (e.g., using an intelligent transport system (ITS) spectrum, an unlicensed spectrum, or a PLMN operator spectrum) according to the SL PRS configuration sent by the UE 105 at stage 1, and measures the SL PRS broadcast by other UEs. For example, the measurements may include one or more of a received signal strength indicator (RSSI), a round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), a reference signal received power (RSRP), a reference signal received quality (RSRQ), an angle of arrival (AOA), an angle of departure (AOD), a time of arrival (TOA), a receive time-transmit time difference (Rx-Tx), and a reference signal time difference (RSTD). The measurements may be based on the sidelink PRS configuration and the expected time of the sidelink PRS transmission received from other UEs at stage 1. Each UE may also record (e.g., timestamp) its own SL PRS transmission time and the time when the SLPRS is received from other UEs, such as Fig.19 The timestamp tij (i, j = 1, 2 or 3) in is shown.

[0241] At stage 3 of signal flow 1900, each UE 105 broadcasts a SLPP measurement report message containing measurements (e.g., Rx-Tx) obtained at stage 2 for SL PRS received from other UEs 105 and / or containing a recorded timestamp. In some embodiments, the SLPP measurement report message sent by the UE 105 may include a revised SL PRS configuration corresponding to the SL PRS that the UE 105 had sent at stage 2, and indicates the exact SL PRS configuration used by the UE 105 at stage 2. For example, although the UE 105 may have sent a SL PRS configuration at stage 1 indicating a configuration to be used later at stage 2, the UE 105 may have changed the configuration due to SL PRS transmissions from other UEs, interference, or other RF conditions. For example, the UE 105 may have changed the bandwidth or exact time of (one or more) PRS transmissions.

[0242] UEs 105 receiving and measuring the SL PRS in Phase 2 may identify the SL PRS transmission and determine which UE 105 sent any SL PRS transmission by matching the received and measured SL PRS configuration with the expected SL PRS configuration received in Phase 1 or (preferably) the revised SL PRS configuration received in Phase 3. For example, the SL PRS frequency, bandwidth, coding, transmission duration, and transmission time may match. Thus, as an example, if UE1 105A receives and measures a SL PRS with a particular SL PRS configuration in Phase 2, and if UE2 105B (but no other UE) indicates in Phase 1 or Phase 3 that UE2 105B is about to send or has sent exactly the same SL PRS configuration, respectively, then UE1 105A may assume that the SL PRS it received and measured was sent by UE2 105B and not by some other UE.

[0243] The global time may be used to indicate the SL PRS transmission time. The global time may be a mapping from the UE local time, or may be UTC or GNSS time. The SLPP Measurement Report message may include the Level 2 address and / or Application Level address of the sending UE 105 and the Level 2 address and / or Application Level address of each UE 105 for which the measurement of the SL PRS is included in the SLPP Measurement Report message.

[0244] In stage 4, one or more of the UEs 105 (e.g., each of the UEs 105) determine a location result of the UE 105 as a target UE (e.g., which may be all UEs 105). The location result may include an RTT between a pair of UEs 105, a range between a target UE 105 and another UE 105; a direction from another UE 105 to the target UE 105 or from the target UE 105 to another UE 105, respectively, a location of the target UE 105 relative to a location of another UE 105, a speed of the target UE 105 relative to a speed of another UE 105, an absolute location of the target UE 105, an absolute speed of the target UE 105, or some combination thereof. The location result can be determined by any UE 105 in stage 4 based on one or more of the measurement values ​​and revised SL PRS configuration received from other UEs 105 in the SLPP measurement report message in stage 3, the SL PRS measurement values ​​obtained by UE 105 in stage 2, and the revised SL PRS configuration for UE 105 sent by the UE in stage 3.

[0245] At stage 5, the UE 105 may optionally send the location result obtained at stage 4 to other UEs 105. In such a case, the SLPP message sent at stage 5 may include the Level 2 address and / or application-level address of the sending UE 105 and the Level 2 address and / or application-level address of each UE 105 including its location result.

[0246] Note that the SLPP messages sent in phases 1, 3, and 5 can be as specified for Figure 4A and Figure 4B The SLPP header for each SLPP message may be constructed or partially constructed as described, and thus each SLPP message may include one or more of a session ID, a transaction ID, a sequence number (seq no), and an acknowledgement (or acknowledgement) sequence number. The session ID may be a reserved value that indicates that the SLPP message is being used in SLPP sessionless mode. Alternatively, the SLPP header for each SLPP message may indicate sessionless mode in some other manner, for example, using a separate parameter or flag in the SLPP message header. Importantly, the SLPP messages sent in phases 1, 3, and 5 indicate sessionless mode so that the receiving UE can associate these SLPP messages with Fig.19 The process shown is associated and it can be known that other UEs are using sessionless mode.

[0247] In some embodiments for V2X support, when executing signal flow 1900, the broadcast of SLPP assistance data at stage 1, the measurement report message at stage 3, and the position result at stage 5 can be transmitted on its spectrum, while the SL PRS signal is transmitted in the unlicensed spectrum. In some embodiments, the UE 105 can include a level 2 address and an application identifier in the SLPP message to allow the position measurement value and the position to be associated with a specific UE, which can be tracked over a period of time. The identity of the UE 105 can correspond to the identity of the UE 105 used by these UEs 105 for other V2X communications. When there is congestion (e.g., as indicated to the UE 105 by higher interference levels and / or more detected SL PRS transmissions from other UEs), the UE 105 can reduce the frequency of sending SLPP messages (e.g., in stages 1, 3, and 5) and the frequency or total amount of SL PRS transmissions in stage 2.

[0248] In an open environment (e.g., for signal flow 1900), security establishment may not be performed. However, UEs 105 may still hide their global identities, which may be provided to certain other UEs only after proximity services or VX security procedures controlled by the PLMN or after authenticating the status of another UE (e.g., as a UE of a registered user or ITS). In signal flow 1900, for example, each UE 105 may provide a temporary (e.g., application level) ID in the SLPP messages sent in phases 1, 3, and 5, which may be used by the UE 105 for the duration of the road trip in the case of V2X and then changed for any new road trip. In signal flow 1900, UEs 105 may not exchange SLPP capabilities and resources. Instead, a definition (e.g., in a 3GPP TS or other standard thereof) may define a minimum core set of location capabilities that all UEs should support to participate in sessionless mode sidelink location.

[0249] When performing, for example, stage 1 of signal flow 1900, a common time reference may be established where the UE 105 may know exactly when to send the SL PRS and when to perform SL PRS measurements.

[0250] In some embodiments, a common time reference may be established based on the use of UTC or GPS / GNSS time, assuming that all UEs 105 are able to obtain GNSS time from navigation signals received from a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), such as GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, or BeiDou.

[0251] In some other embodiments, a common time reference may be established based on the use of RSUs, where the RSU times are synchronized with each other and / or aligned with UTC / GNSS (eg, where the RSUs are able to obtain timing from GNSS).

[0252] In some embodiments, a common time reference may be established based on the use of each UE local timestamp. For example, a first UE may include a timestamp in a transmission (e.g., at stage 1, stage 3, and / or stage 5 in signal flow 1900) indicating the first UE local time at which a specific portion of any transmission from the first UE (e.g., the first bit or first octet of the transmission) is (or will be) transmitted. The second UE may then calculate the real-time difference (RTD) between its own local time and the local time indicated by the first UE. The RTD may be equal to the local time indicated by the first UE plus the estimated propagation delay from the first UE to the second UE minus the local time at which the specific portion of the transmission from the first UE is received at the second UE. Alternatively, the RTD may be calculated as the negative of the addition and subtraction. In some cases, the propagation delay between the UE pairs may be ignored (i.e., assumed to be zero) in the addition and subtraction because the propagation delay is typically very small (e.g., less than 1 microsecond for most UE pairs for V2X). Each UE may then include a timestamp and transmission time in the SLPP message according to that UE's own local time, and any other UE may be able to convert that timestamp and transmission time to its own local time (by adding or subtracting the RTD between the pair of UEs).

[0253] In some embodiments, a common time reference may be established based on the use of a group RTT process. For example, a source UE (once) multicasts or broadcasts a SLPP RTT request message to other UEs, the message containing the local transmission time (stamp) of the UE. Each of the other UEs responds with an RTT response message at a different time, the RTT response message containing a local time (of each UE) indicating the local time when the SLPP RTT request message was received and a local transmission time (stamp) of each UE indicating the local time when the RTT response message was sent. The source UE then determines the RTT and RTD to the other UEs. This can achieve very accurate time synchronization and can be part of the SLPP RTT / AoA process for establishing range and orientation. The process can be extended to all UEs by first sending a set of RTT requests by all UEs and then sending another set of RTT responses by all UEs, where each RTT response includes a local transmission time (stamp) and a local reception time, indicating when each RTT request was received by the sending UE.

[0254] In some embodiments, SL PRS measurements may be reported based on a common time reference. For example, each UE may maintain an accurate local time X for the UE with low time drift (e.g., RSU / gNB may be used as a clock source). The UE may also maintain a separate common time reference T (e.g., based on GNSS / UTC) with lower accuracy (e.g., about 10 μs). The common time reference T may be used to schedule SL PRS transmissions and measurements, and report (timestamp) when SL PRS is sent and when SLPRS is measured. The UE may also use the common time reference T to report the time of TOA measurements and SL PRS transmissions. The accuracy of the common reference may be lower (e.g., 10 μs error), but the precision and accuracy relative to the local UE time X may be higher. For example, assuming that the UE has a set of local transmit and receive times to be reported (e.g., X1, X2, X3...Xn), the UE may convert these times to corresponding common times T1, T2, T3...Tn via a fixed conversion algorithm (e.g., T=aX+b) that maintains high accuracy of the local transmit and receive times. Therefore, although the common time provides an accuracy of about, for example, 10 μs, the difference between the common times (e.g., for RSTD or Rx-Tx) can be more accurate because any common errors in the common times T1, T2, T3...Tn will be eliminated and removed by using the difference between the common times. This can help other UEs determine the source UE for SL PRS measurement and achieve accurate Rx-Tx and RSTD calculations. Therefore, this solution can be used even when the UE has a high error in its common time T.

[0255] The description of sidelink and SLPP positioning up to this point has not indicated a specific SLPP positioning method, or has assumed and referenced positioning based on SL PRS transmissions and measurements by participating UEs. However, the processes and associated architectures for SL and SLPP positioning described herein do not require the use of SL PRS transmissions and measurements by participating UEs, but other positioning methods may be used. In some embodiments, these may be positioning methods that are independent of radio access technology (RAT). These other positioning methods may include: real-time kinematic (RTK); transmissions and measurements by participating UEs; transmissions and measurements of WiFi signals by participating UEs, and transmissions and measurements of ultra-wideband (UWB) signals by participating UEs. For example, when sidelink positioning of multiple UEs is performed using RTK, each of the multiple UEs may measure and obtain carrier phase measurements of global navigation satellite (GNSS) signals (e.g., GPS, Galileo, GLONASS, or BeiDou). The carrier phase measurements obtained by the multiple UEs may then be provided to at least one of the multiple UEs, wherein the at least one UE determines position results for the multiple UEs based on the carrier phase measurements obtained by the multiple UEs. In Figures 11 to 18 In the case of RTK, the use of SL PRS instead of RTK may have little or no impact on how SLPP sessions are established, modified, and terminated. However, it is no longer necessary to send the SL PRS configuration to other UEs for transmission or measurement, but other assistance data may be sent to the UE, such as the configuration for WiFi or UWB signals to be transmitted or measured, or details of GNSS signals to be measured (but not transmitted) for RTK. It is also no longer necessary to transmit and measure SLPRS, but WiFi signals or UWB signals may be transmitted and measured, or in the case of RTK, RTK signals may be measured (although not transmitted). These changes will require changes to Fig.11 Stages 9-13 Fig.14 Phases 3 and 4 of Fig.19 With these changes, each of signal flows 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, and 1900 can remain valid for these other positioning methods.

[0256] Fig. 20 1 is a flow chart of a method 2000 for supporting sidelink positioning of multiple UEs performed by a UE (e.g., UE 105) in a plurality of UEs according to one embodiment. The UE may include an anchor UE, a coordinating UE, or other UE, as described herein. Fig.23 and Fig.24 Example components of a UE are provided.

[0257] At block 2010, the functionality includes starting or joining a sidelink positioning session, the sidelink positioning session including a session for a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP) between all UEs in the plurality of UEs, the sidelink positioning session enabling the exchange of SLPP messages between all UEs in the plurality of UEs. Means for performing the functionality of block 2010 may include a bus 2305, a processor 2310, a DSP 2320, a wireless communication interface 2330, a memory 2360, a GNSS receiver 2380, and / or other components of the UE, such as Fig.23 exemplified in .

[0258] At block 2020, the functions include obtaining position measurements (e.g., Rx-Tx, RSTD, RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, AOA, AOD, or time of arrival (ToA) measurements) of signals transmitted by other UEs in the plurality of UEs or by other sources (e.g., GNSS SVs). Means for performing the functions of block 2020 may include a bus 2305, a processor 2310, a DSP 2320, a wireless communication interface 2330, a memory 2360, a GNSS receiver 2380, and / or other components of the UE, such as Fig.23 exemplified in .

[0259] At block 2030, the functionality includes sending positioning measurements to other UEs in the plurality of UEs using a sidelink positioning session. Means for performing the functionality of block 2030 may include a bus 2305, a processor 2310, a DSP 2320, a wireless communication interface 2330, a memory 2360, a GNSS receiver 2380, and / or other components of the UE, such as Fig.23 exemplified in .

[0260] At block 2040, the functionality includes receiving a second position measurement from other UEs in the plurality of UEs using the sidelink positioning session. Means for performing the functionality of block 2040 may include a bus 2305, a processor 2310, a DSP 2320, a wireless communication interface 2330, a memory 2360, a GNSS receiver 2380, and / or other components of the UE, such as Fig.23 exemplified in .

[0261] At block 2050, the functionality includes determining location results for the plurality of UEs based in part on the location measurements and the second location measurements. Means for performing the functionality of block 2050 may include a bus 2305, a processor 2310, a DSP 2320, a wireless communication interface 2330, a memory 2360, a GNSS receiver 2380, and / or other components of the UE, such as Fig.23 exemplified in .

[0262] In some embodiments, the location measurement and the second location measurement each comprise a radio access technology (RAT) independent location measurement, a RAT dependent location measurement, or both.

[0263] In some embodiments, the RAT-independent position measurement includes at least one of: a GNSS carrier phase measurement, a GNSS code phase measurement, a sensor measurement, or some combination thereof.

[0264] In some embodiments, the RAT-dependent position measurement includes a measurement of a first sidelink PRS opportunity transmitted by another UE of the plurality of UEs.

[0265] In some embodiments, the method 2000 further comprises sending a second sidelink PRS opportunity.The second position measurement value may comprise a measurement value of the second sidelink PRS opportunity obtained by other UEs of the plurality of UEs.

[0266] In some embodiments, the method 2000 further comprises receiving a first sidelink PRS opportunity, wherein obtaining the position measurement comprises measuring the first sidelink PRS opportunity.

[0267] In some embodiments, the method 2000 further includes obtaining a PRS configuration, the PRS configuration including a PRS configuration of at least the first sidelink PRS opportunity or the second sidelink PRS opportunity.

[0268] In some embodiments, method 2000 also includes: sending a session request message to each UE in a second plurality of UEs, the second plurality of UEs including other UEs in the plurality of UEs; receiving a session response message from each UE in the second plurality of UEs, wherein when each UE agrees to join the side link positioning session, the session response message includes a session acceptance message, wherein when each UE does not agree to join the side link positioning session, the session response message includes a session rejection message; and when the session acceptance message is received from each UE, including each UE in the second plurality of UEs in the side link positioning session.

[0269] In some embodiments, method 2000 also includes discovering each UE in a second plurality of UEs, receiving an indication from each UE in the second plurality of UEs that each UE supports sidelink positioning, and sending a session request message to each UE in the second plurality of UEs at least in part in response to receiving the indication that each UE supports sidelink positioning.

[0270] In some embodiments, when method 2000 is performed for group mode sidelink positioning, the method further includes: including a group address in a session request message sent to each UE in a second plurality of UEs, receiving a session acceptance message from each other UE in the plurality of UEs, receiving a session rejection message or not receiving a session response message from all UEs in the second plurality of UEs that are not part of the plurality of UEs, and sending a start group session message to other UEs in the plurality of UEs using sidelink multicast using the group address, wherein the start group session message includes at least one address or identifier of each other UE in the plurality of UEs.

[0271] In some embodiments, the method 2000 further includes receiving a start group session confirm message from each other UE of the plurality of UEs using sidelink unicast or sidelink multicast, wherein the start group session confirm message confirms receipt of the start group session message.

[0272] In some embodiments, the start group session confirmation message is received from each other UE of the multiple UEs using sidelink multicast based on the group address, wherein the start group session confirmation message includes the at least one address or identifier of each other UE of the multiple UEs.

[0273] In some embodiments, when method 2000 is performed for group mode sidelink positioning, method 2000 also includes: resuming a sidelink positioning session with a third plurality of UEs including the UE, wherein resuming the sidelink positioning session adds additional UEs to the sidelink positioning session, removes existing UEs from the sidelink positioning session, or both, wherein, when adding the additional UEs, the third plurality of UEs includes the additional UEs, and when removing the existing UEs, excludes the existing UEs and includes a plurality of UEs other than the existing UEs.

[0274] In some embodiments, when method 2000 is executed for group mode sidelink positioning, method 2000 also includes: discovering each additional UE when an additional UE is added, receiving an indication of support for sidelink positioning from each additional UE when an additional UE is added, sending a session request message including a group address to each additional UE when an additional UE is added, receiving a session acceptance message from each additional UE when an additional UE is added, and sending a start group session message to other UEs in the third group of UEs using sidelink multicast using the group address, wherein the start group session message includes at least one address or identifier of each other UE in the third group of UEs.

[0275] In some embodiments, when method 2000 is executed for group mode sidelink positioning, method 2000 also includes: receiving a start group session confirmation message from each other UE in a third plurality of UEs using sidelink unicast or multicast, wherein the start group session confirmation message confirms receipt of the start group session message.

[0276] In some embodiments, when method 2000 is performed for group mode sidelink positioning, a start group session confirmation message is received from each other UE in a third plurality of UEs using sidelink multicast based on the group address, wherein the start group session confirmation message includes at least one address or identifier of each other UE in the third plurality of UEs.

[0277] In some embodiments, when method 2000 is performed for group mode sidelink positioning, a session acceptance message received from a UE in the second plurality of UEs includes an address of the additional UE. Method 2000 also includes: sending a session request message to at least one UE in the additional UE based on the address of at least one UE in the session acceptance message; receiving a session response message from at least one UE, wherein when the at least one UE agrees to join the sidelink positioning session, the session response message includes a session acceptance message, wherein when the at least one UE does not agree to join the sidelink positioning session, the session response message includes a session rejection message; and when the session acceptance message is received, including the at least one UE in the sidelink positioning session.

[0278] In some embodiments, when method 2000 is performed for group mode sidelink positioning, the session rejection message received from the UE in the second plurality of UEs includes an indication of at least one other sidelink positioning session, and the method further includes: joining the at least one other sidelink positioning session.

[0279] In some embodiments, when method 2000 is executed for group mode sidelink positioning, method 2000 also includes modifying a sidelink positioning session, wherein modifying the sidelink positioning session includes: identifying an additional UE to be added to the sidelink positioning session, identifying a first UE among multiple UEs to be removed from the sidelink positioning session, identifying a second UE among multiple UEs to be retained in the sidelink positioning session, sending a modify group session request message to the second UE and optionally to the first UE among the multiple UEs using sidelink multicast, and sending a session request message to a first subset of the additional UEs using sidelink multicast, wherein the modify group session request message includes at least one address or identifier of each second UE among the multiple UEs, wherein the first subset of additional UEs does not include a second subset of additional UEs, and the second subset of additional UEs includes UEs that previously requested to join the sidelink positioning session and were accepted by the sidelink positioning session.

[0280] In some embodiments, when method 2000 is performed for group mode sidelink positioning, modifying the sidelink positioning session further includes: (i) receiving a modified group session response message from each second UE of the plurality of UEs, wherein when the UE agrees to join the modified sidelink positioning session, the modified group session response message includes a modified group session acceptance message, wherein when the UE does not agree to join the modified sidelink positioning session, the modified group session response message includes a modified group session rejection message; (ii) receiving a session response message from each UE in a first subset of additional UEs, wherein when the UE agrees to join the modified sidelink positioning session, the session response message includes a session acceptance message, wherein when the UE does not agree to join the modified sidelink positioning session, the session response message includes a session rejection message. rejection message; (iii) identifying a third plurality of UEs to be included in the modified sidelink positioning session, wherein the third plurality of UEs includes a second UE among the plurality of UEs from which the modified group session acceptance message is received, a UE in a first subset of additional UEs from which the session acceptance message is received, and a UE in a second subset of additional UEs; (iv) using the group address, sending a start group session message to the third plurality of UEs using sidelink multicast, wherein the start group session message includes at least one address or identifier of each UE in the third plurality of UEs; and (v) receiving a start group session confirmation message from each UE in the third plurality of UEs using sidelink unicast or multicast, wherein the start group session confirmation message confirms receipt of the start group session message.

[0281] In some embodiments, when method 2000 is performed for group mode sidelink positioning, identifying a second subset of additional UEs to be added to the sidelink positioning session includes: receiving a request to join the sidelink positioning session using sidelink unicast from each UE in the second subset of additional UEs, and sending a response to each UE in the second subset of additional UEs using sidelink unicast indicating that each UE in the second subset of additional UEs can join the sidelink positioning session.

[0282] In some embodiments, when method 2000 is performed for group mode sidelink positioning, identifying a first UE to be removed from a sidelink positioning session includes: receiving a request to leave the sidelink positioning session using sidelink unicast from each of the first UEs, and sending a response to each of the first UEs using sidelink unicast indicating that each of the first UEs can leave the sidelink positioning session.

[0283] Fig.21 2 is a flow chart of a method 2100 for supporting sidelink positioning of multiple UEs (eg, UE 105) and performed by a UE in the multiple UEs according to one embodiment. Fig.23 and Fig.24Example components of a UE are provided.

[0284] At block 2110, the functionality includes determining a session of a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP) for a plurality of UEs, wherein the session is indicated to each of the plurality of UEs, e.g., as for Fig.11 as described in stages 4 to 6.

[0285] Means for performing the functions of block 2110 may include a bus 2305, processor(s) 2310, DSP 2320, wireless communication interface 2330, memory 2360, GNSS receiver 2380, and / or other components of the UE, such as Fig.23 exemplified in .

[0286] At block 2120, the functionality includes exchanging a plurality of SLPP messages with other UEs of the plurality of UEs, wherein the SLPP messages are part of a session, wherein the SLPP messages enable sidelink positioning, such as for Fig.11 As described in stages 7 to 13 of .

[0287] Means for performing the functions of block 2120 may include a bus 2305, processor(s) 2310, DSP 2320, wireless communication interface 2330, memory 2360, GNSS receiver 2380, and / or other components of the UE, such as Fig.23 exemplified in .

[0288] In some embodiments, method 2100 also includes: obtaining position results of at least two target UEs among multiple UEs, wherein the position results include at least one of the following: the range between each target UE among the multiple UEs and another UE; the direction from another UE among the multiple UEs to each target UE or from each target UE to another UE among the multiple UEs, respectively; the position of each target UE relative to the position of another UE among the multiple UEs; the speed of each target UE relative to the speed of another UE among the multiple UEs; the absolute position of each target UE; the absolute speed of each target UE; or some combination thereof.

[0289] In some embodiments, multiple SLPP messages include at least one SLPP message sent by a sending UE to a receiving UE or a receiving UE group, wherein the UE is a sending UE, a receiving UE, or a part of a receiving UE group, and wherein at least one SLPP message includes: SLPP capability of the sending UE; a request for SLPP capability of the receiving UE or the receiving UE group; SLPP assistance data for assisting the receiving UE or the receiving UE group in transmitting or measuring positioning-related signals; a request for SLPP assistance data from the receiving UE to assist the sending UE in transmitting or measuring positioning-related signals; a request for measurement values ​​or some position results or both obtained by the receiving UE or the receiving UE group; measurement values ​​or some position results or both obtained by the sending UE; or some combination thereof.

[0290] In some embodiments, the method 2100 further includes: discovering each other UE in the other UEs of the plurality of UEs; receiving an indication from each other UE in the other UEs of the plurality of UEs that each other UE in the other UEs supports SLPP; and determining to initiate a session based on a service request received from a network entity or a configuration of the UE, for example, as for Fig.11 as described in Stages 1 and 4 of the

[0291] In some embodiments, the method 2100 further includes: sending a first SLPP message to each other UE in the plurality of UEs, the first SLPP message including a request for each UE to join the session; and receiving a second SLPP message from each other UE in the plurality of UEs indicating acceptance or rejection of the request, for example, Fig.11 as described in stages 4 and 5 of .

[0292] In some embodiments, the method 2100 further includes including, in the first SLPP message, at least one of: a level 2 group address of the plurality of UEs, a SLPP session ID, or both.

[0293] In some embodiments, the method 2100 further includes: sending a third SLPP message to each of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs, wherein the third SLPP message starts or restarts the SLPP session, for example, as for Fig.11 This is described in Stage 7 of .

[0294] In some embodiments, the method 2100 further includes including in the third SLPP message at least one of: an application level ID of each UE in the plurality of UEs, a SLPP UE ID of each UE in the plurality of UEs, a group encryption key of the plurality of UEs, or some combination thereof.

[0295] In some embodiments, the method 2100 further includes sending a first SLPP message to at least one UE of the plurality of UEs to terminate a session at the at least one UE, for example, Fig.11 as described in Stage 14 of .

[0296] In some embodiments, method 2100 also includes: sending a first SLPP message to each UE in a second plurality of UEs other than the UE, wherein the second plurality of UEs includes the UE and at least some other UEs in the plurality of UEs, wherein the first SLPP message includes a request for each UE to join the modified session; when a third group of UEs includes at least one UE, sending a second SLPP message to each UE in the third group of UEs, wherein the third group of UEs includes UEs not in the plurality of UEs, wherein the second SLPP message includes a request for each UE to join the modified session; receiving a third SLPP message from each UE in the second group of UEs, the third SLPP message indicating whether each UE accepts or rejects the request; when the third group of UEs includes at least one UE, receiving a fourth SLPP message from each UE in the third group of UEs, the fourth SLPP message indicating whether each UE accepts or rejects the request; and sending a fifth SLPP message to each UE in the plurality of UEs other than the UE that is not in the second plurality of UEs, the fifth SLPP message indicating that the session is terminated at each UE, for example, as for Fig.15 In these embodiments, the method 2100 may further include: when each UE accepts the request for each UE to join the modified session, sending a sixth SLPP message to each UE in the second plurality of UEs and the third plurality of UEs, wherein the sixth SLPP message starts the modified session, for example, as for Fig.15 In some of these embodiments, the third plurality of UEs may not include UEs.

[0297] In some embodiments, the method 2100 further includes: receiving a first SLPP message from a second UE among the plurality of UEs, the first SLPP message including a request for the UE to join, terminate, start, modify, or leave the session or for the second UE to join the session; and when the first SLPP message includes a request for the UE to join or modify the session or a request for the second UE to join the session, sending a second SLPP message to the second UE, wherein the second SLPP message indicates acceptance or rejection of the request, for example, as for Fig.11 Stages 4, 5, 7 and 8, Fig.15 Phases 1 and 2 Fig.16 Phases 3 and 4 Fig.17 Phases 1 and 2 and Fig.18 as described in Stages 1 and 2.

[0298] In some embodiments, each SLPP message in the plurality of SLPP messages includes at least one of the following: a SLPP session ID; a SLPP transaction ID; a level 2 address of a UE sending the SLPP message; a level 2 address of a UE or UE group receiving the SLPP message; information for one or more UEs in the plurality of UEs, wherein the information includes a SLPP UE ID for each of the one or more UEs in the plurality of UEs; or some combination thereof, for example, as for Figure 4A and Figure 4B as well as Fig.11 of Levels 7 and 8 are discussed.

[0299] In some embodiments, sidelink positioning of multiple UEs is performed using at least one of: transmission and measurement of a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL PRS), real-time kinematics (RTK), transmission and measurement of WiFi signals, transmission and measurement of ultra-wideband (UWB) signals, or some combination thereof, e.g., as described above in Fig.19 discussed after the description.

[0300] In some embodiments, sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using RTK, wherein each of the multiple UEs obtains a carrier phase measurement value of a global navigation satellite (GNSS) signal, wherein the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs are provided to at least one UE of the multiple UEs, wherein the at least one UE determines position results for the multiple UEs based on the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs.

[0301] In some embodiments, sidelink positioning of multiple UEs is performed using transmission and measurement of SL PRS, and method 2100 may then further include: (i) obtaining a SL PRS transmission configuration for each of the multiple UEs; (ii) obtaining SL PRS measurement values ​​for other UEs in the multiple UEs based on the SL PRS transmission configurations of the other UEs; (iii) sending the SL PRS based on the SL PRS transmission configuration for the UE; and (iv) performing at least one of the following: sending the obtained SL PRS measurement value to at least one other UE in the multiple UEs, or receiving the obtained SL PRS measurement value from at least one other UE in the multiple UEs, or both, wherein the obtained SL PRS measurement value enables determination of a position result of the target UE, for example, as Figure 7 and Fig.11The SL PRS measurement may include at least one of: receive time-transmit time difference (Rx-Tx), reference signal time difference (RSTD), round trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal received power, reference signal received quality, angle of arrival, or some combination thereof.

[0302] Fig. 22 2 is a flow chart of a method 2200 for supporting sidelink positioning of multiple UEs (eg, UE 105) and performed by a UE in the multiple UEs according to one embodiment. Fig.23 and Fig.24 Example components of a UE are provided.

[0303] At block 2210, the functionality includes determining to perform sidelink positioning of a plurality of UEs, wherein there is no discovery between the UE and at least some other UEs of the plurality of UEs, e.g., as for Fig.19 discussed.

[0304] Means for performing the functions of block 2210 may include a bus 2305, processor(s) 2310, DSP 2320, wireless communication interface 2330, memory 2360, GNSS receiver 2380, and / or other components of the UE, such as Fig.23 exemplified in .

[0305] At block 2220, the functionality includes exchanging a plurality of SLPP messages with other UEs of the plurality of UEs using broadcast or multicast, wherein the SLPP messages are not part of a session, wherein the SLPP messages enable sidelink positioning, e.g., as for Fig.19 discussed.

[0306] Means for performing the functions of block 2220 may include a bus 2305, processor(s) 2310, DSP 2320, wireless communication interface 2330, memory 2360, GNSS receiver 2380, and / or other components of the UE, such as Fig.23 exemplified in .

[0307] In some embodiments, performing sidelink positioning includes obtaining position results of at least two target UEs among a plurality of UEs, wherein the position results include at least one of: a range between each target UE among the plurality of UEs and another UE; a direction from another UE among the plurality of UEs to each target UE or from each target UE to another UE among the plurality of UEs, respectively; a position of each target UE relative to a position of another UE among the plurality of UEs; a speed of each target UE relative to a speed of another UE among the plurality of UEs; an absolute position of each target UE; an absolute speed of each target UE; or some combination thereof, for example, as for Fig.19as discussed in Phase 4.

[0308] In some embodiments, the multiple SLPP messages include at least one SLPP message sent by the sending UE to other UEs of the multiple UEs, wherein the UE is the sending UE or one of the other UEs, wherein the at least one SLPP message includes: SLPP assistance data for assisting the other UE in transmitting or measuring positioning-related signals; measurement values ​​or some position results or both obtained by the sending UE; the level 2 address of the sending UE; the application level address of the sending UE; or some combination thereof, for example, such as for Fig.19 as described.

[0309] In some embodiments, sidelink positioning of multiple UEs is performed using at least one of: transmission and measurement of sidelink positioning reference signals (SL PRS); real-time kinematics (RTK); transmission and measurement of WiFi signals; transmission and measurement of ultra-wideband (UBW) signals; or some combination thereof, for example, as described above for Fig.19 The description is described after the description.

[0310] In some embodiments, sidelink positioning of multiple UEs is performed using RTK, wherein each of the multiple UEs obtains a carrier phase measurement value of a global navigation satellite (GNSS) signal, wherein the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs are provided to at least one UE among the multiple UEs, wherein the at least one UE among the multiple UEs determines position results for some target UEs among the multiple UEs based on the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs.

[0311] In some embodiments, sidelink positioning of multiple UEs is performed using transmission and measurement of SL PRS, and method 2200 may then further include: receiving SL PRS transmission configuration from other UEs among the multiple UEs; obtaining SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs among the multiple UEs based on the SL PRS transmission configuration; receiving a revised SL PRS transmission configuration from the other UEs among the multiple UEs, wherein the revised SL PRS transmission configuration corresponds to the SL PRS transmitted by the other UEs; sending the obtained SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs to the other UEs among the multiple UEs; sending SL PRS based on the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE; before transmitting the SL PRS, sending the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE to the other UEs among the multiple UEs; after transmitting the SL PRS, sending a revised SL PRS transmission configuration for the UE to the other UEs among the multiple UEs, wherein the revised SL PRS transmission configuration corresponds to the transmitted SLPRS; receiving SL PRS measurement values ​​obtained by the other UEs among the multiple UEs; and based on the obtained SL The method further comprises determining a location result of some target UEs based on at least one of a PRS measurement value, a revised SL PRS transmission configuration for other UEs in the plurality of UEs, a SL PRS measurement value obtained by other UEs in the plurality of UEs, and a revised SL PRS transmission configuration for the UE, for example, Fig.19 In some embodiments, the SL PRS measurement value includes at least one of: receive time-transmit time difference (Rx-Tx), reference signal time difference (RSTD), round trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal received power, reference signal received quality, angle of arrival, or some combination thereof.

[0312] Fig.23 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a UE 2300, which may be used as described above (e.g., in association with previously described figures, with respect to UE 105, receiving device / UE, target UE, coordinating UE, etc.). It should be noted that Fig.23 It is intended only to provide a generalized illustration of various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate. In addition, the functionality of any UE (e.g., UE 105) discussed herein may be provided by Fig.23 One or more of the hardware and / or software components shown in FIG.

[0313] UE 2300 is shown as including hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via bus 2305 (or may otherwise communicate as appropriate). The hardware elements may include a processor 2310, which may include (but is not limited to) one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., application processors), one or more special-purpose processors (e.g., digital signal processor (DSP) chips, graphics acceleration processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), and / or other processing structures or devices. Processor 2310 may include one or more processing units, which may be housed in a single integrated circuit (IC) or multiple ICs. Fig.23 As shown, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 2320, depending on the desired functionality. Position determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communication may be provided in the processor 2310 and / or the wireless communication interface 2330 (discussed below). The UE 2300 may also include one or more input devices 2370, which may include (but are not limited to) one or more keyboards, touch screens, touch pads, microphones, buttons, dials, switches, etc.; and one or more output devices 2315, which may include (but are not limited to) one or more displays (e.g., touch screens), light emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, etc.

[0314] UE 2300 may also include a wireless communication interface 2330, which may include but is not limited to a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device and / or a chipset (such as a Bluetooth® device, an IEEE 802.11 device, an IEEE 802.15.4 device, a Wi-Fi device, a WiMAX device, a WAN device and / or various cellular devices, etc.), etc., which may enable UE 2300 to communicate with other devices as described in the above embodiments. The wireless communication interface 2330 may allow, for example, communication (e.g., sending and receiving) data and signaling with the TRP of the network via an eNB, a gNB, an ng-eNB, an access point, various base stations and / or other access node types and / or other network components, a computer system and / or any other electronic device communicatively coupled to the TRP, as described herein. Communication may be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 2332 that send and / or receive wireless signals 2334. According to some embodiments, the wireless communication antenna 2332 may include multiple discrete antennas, an antenna array, or any combination thereof. Antenna 2332 may be able to use beams (eg, Tx beams and Rx beams) to send and receive wireless signals. Beamforming may be performed using digital and / or analog beamforming techniques and corresponding digital and / or analog circuits. Wireless communication interface 2330 may include such circuits.

[0315] Depending on the desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 2330 may include a separate receiver and transmitter, or any combination of transceivers, transmitters, and / or receivers to communicate with base stations (e.g., ng-eNBs and gNBs) and other terrestrial transceivers (such as wireless devices and access points). The UE 2300 may communicate with different data networks, which may include various network types. For example, one such network type may include a wireless wide area network (WWAN), which may be a code division multiple access (CDMA) network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) network, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, etc. A CDMA network may implement one or more radio access technologies, such as wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), etc. CDMA2000® includes IS-95, IS-2000, and / or IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement a global system for mobile communications (GSM), a digital advanced mobile phone system (D-AMPS), or some other RAT. An OFDMA network may employ long term evolution (LTE), advanced LTE, fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR), etc. 5G NR, LTE, advanced LTE, GSM, and WCDMA are described in documents from the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). CDMA2000® is described in documents from an alliance named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. A wireless local area network (WLAN) may also be an IEEE 802.11x network, and a wireless personal area network (WPAN) may be a Bluetooth network, IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. The techniques described herein may also be used for any combination of WWAN, WLAN, and / or WPAN.

[0316] UE 2300 may also include sensors 2340. Sensors 2340 may include, but are not limited to, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, magnetometers, altimeters, microphones, proximity sensors, light sensors, barometers, etc.), some of which may be used to obtain location-related measurements and / or other information.

[0317] Embodiments of UE 2300 may also include a GNSS receiver 2380 capable of receiving signals 2384 from one or more global navigation satellite system (GNSS) satellites using antenna 2382 (which may be the same as antenna 2332). Positioning based on GNSS signal measurements may be used to supplement and / or incorporate the techniques described herein. GNSS receiver 2380 may use conventional techniques to extract the location of UE 2300 from GNSS satellites of GNSS systems such as Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS, Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, IRNSS over India, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) over China, etc. In addition, the GNSS receiver 2380 can be used with various augmentation systems, such as a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS), which can be associated with or otherwise enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems, such as, for example, the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geosynchronous Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multifunction Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), and / or the Geographic Augmentation Navigation System (GAGAN), etc.

[0318] It can be noted that although the GNSS receiver 2380 Fig.23 2310, DSP 2320, and / or a processor within the wireless communication interface 2330 (e.g., in a modem)). The GNSS receiver may also optionally include a positioning engine that may use the GNSS measurements from the measurement engine to determine the position of the GNSS receiver using an extended Kalman filter (EKF), a weighted least squares (WLS), a shadow filter, a particle filter, or the like. The positioning engine may also be executed by one or more processors (e.g., processor 2310 or DSP 2320).

[0319] UE 2300 may also include and / or communicate with memory 2360. Memory 2360 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network accessible storage, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices, such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, and / or the like. Such storage may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, and / or the like.

[0320] The memory 2360 of the UE 2300 may also include software elements ( Fig.23 2300 (and / or the processor 2310 or DSP 2320 within the UE 2300). Then, in some embodiments, such code and / or instructions can be used to configure and / or adapt a general-purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0321] Fig.24 A schematic block diagram illustrating certain exemplary features of a UE 2400 is shown, which may be, for example, Figure 1 Figure 3 , Figure 5-Figure 9 and Figure 11-Figure 19 UE 105 shown in FIG. 1 , and Figure 2 and Fig.10 , and supports sidelink positioning of UE 2400. For example, UE 2400 may perform the following steps in the corresponding Figure 11-Figure 19 The signal flows 1100-1900 shown in FIG. Figure 20-Figure 22UE 2400 may include, for example, one or more processors 2402, memory 2404, external interfaces (such as, for example, at least one wireless transceiver (e.g., wireless network interface) exemplified as a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver 2410, a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver 2411, an ultra-wideband (UWB) transceiver 2412, and a Bluetooth (BT) transceiver 2413, an SPS receiver 2414, and one or more sensors 2415), which are operably coupled to a non-transitory computer-readable medium 2420 and memory 2404 via one or more connections 2406 (e.g., buses, lines, optical fibers, links, etc.). The SPS receiver 2414 may, for example, receive and process data from a non-transitory computer-readable medium 2420 and memory 2404. Figure 1 2400. For example, the one or more sensors 2415 may include an inertial measurement unit (IMU), which may include one or more accelerometers, one or more gyroscopes, a magnetometer, etc. The UE 2400 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 2400. In some example embodiments, all or part of the UE 2400 may take the form of a chipset or the like.

[0322] The UE 2400 may include at least one wireless transceiver, such as a wireless transceiver 2410 for a WWAN communication system and a wireless transceiver 2411 for a WLAN communication system, a UWB transceiver 2412 for a UWB communication system, a BT transceiver 2413 for a Bluetooth communication system, or a combined transceiver for any one of WWAN, WLAN, UWB, and BT. The WWAN transceiver 2410 may include a transmitter 2410t and a receiver 2410r coupled to one or more antennas 2409 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 2411 may include a transmitter 2411t and a receiver 2411r coupled to one or more antennas 2409 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 2412 may include a transmitter 2412t and a receiver 2412r coupled to one or more antennas 2409 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 2413 may include a transmitter 2413t and a receiver 2413r coupled to one or more antennas 2409 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 2410t, 2411t, 2412t, and 2413t may include a plurality of transmitters that may be separate components or combined / integrated components, and / or the receivers 2410r, 2411r, 2412r, and 2413r may include a plurality of receivers that may be separate components or combined / integrated components.The WWAN transceiver 2410 may be configured to transmit signals (e.g., with a base station and / or one or more other UEs or other devices) according to various radio access technologies such as New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), 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 WLAN transceiver 2411 may be configured to transmit 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 IEEE 1102.11p), Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct (Wi-Fi D), Zigbee, etc. The BT transceiver 2413 may be configured to transmit 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 2410 , 2411 , 2412 , and 2413 may be communicatively coupled to a transceiver interface, such as through optical and / or electrical connections, and the transceiver interface may be at least partially integrated with the transceivers 2410 , 2411 , 2412 , 2413 .

[0323] In some embodiments, the UE 2400 may include an antenna 2409, which may be internal or external. The UE antenna 2409 may be used to transmit and / or receive signals processed by the wireless transceivers 2410, 2411, 2412, 2413. In some embodiments, the UE antenna 2409 may be coupled to the wireless transceivers 2410, 2411, 2412, 2413. In some embodiments, measurements of signals received (transmitted) by the UE 2400 may be performed at the connection point of the UE antenna 2409 and the wireless transceivers 2410, 2411, 2412, 2413. For example, the measurement reference point for the received (transmitted) RF signal measurement may be the input (output) UE of the receiver 2410r (transmitter 2410t) and the output (input) UE of the UE antenna 2409. In a UE 2400 having multiple UE antennas 2409 or an antenna array, the antenna connector may be considered as a virtual point representing the aggregate output (input) of the multiple UE antennas.

[0324] The one or more processors 2402 may be implemented using a combination of hardware, firmware, and software. For example, the one or more processors 2402 may be configured to perform the functions discussed herein by implementing one or more instructions or program codes 2408 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., the medium 2420 and / or the memory 2404). In some embodiments, the one or more processors 2402 may represent one or more circuits that may be configured to perform at least a portion of a data signal computing process or process associated with the operation of the UE 2400.

[0325] The medium 2420 and / or the memory 2404 may store instructions or program code 2408 containing executable code or software instructions that, when executed by one or more processors 2402, cause the one or more processors 2402 to operate as a special-purpose computer programmed to perform the techniques disclosed herein. As illustrated in the UE 2400, the medium 2420 and / or the memory 2404 may include one or more components or modules that may be implemented by one or more processors 2402 to perform the methods described herein. Although the components or modules are illustrated as software in the medium 2420 that may be executed by one or more processors 2402, it should be understood that the components or modules may be stored in the memory 2404, or may be dedicated hardware in or outside the one or more processors 2402.

[0326] A number of software modules and data tables may reside in the media 2420 and / or memory 2404 and be used by the one or more processors 2402 to manage both the communications and functions described herein. It should be understood that the organization of the contents of the media 2420 and / or memory 2404 as shown in the UE 2400 is merely exemplary, and therefore, the functionality of the modules and / or data structures may be combined, separated and / or structured in different ways depending on the implementation of the UE 2400.

[0327] The medium 2420 and / or the memory 2404 may include an SLPP message module 2422, which, when implemented by one or more processors 2402, configures the one or more processors 2402 to send and receive side link positioning (e.g., SLPP) messages via an external interface including one or more of the wireless transceivers 2410, 2411, 2412, and 2413. The side link positioning message may use SLPP as discussed herein. The one or more processors 2402 may be configured to send the SLPP message directly to one or more other UEs via an external interface or broadcast the SLPP message to multiple other UEs using groupcast or multicast. The one or more processors 2402 may be configured to send and receive SLPP messages with a location server (e.g., LMF) in the PLMN via an external interface, wherein the SLPP message is embedded in an LPP message, embedded in both an LPP and SUPL message (e.g., it may include a SUPL POS message), embedded only in a SUPL message (e.g., it may include a SUPL POS message), or not embedded in an LPP or SUPL message. One or more processors 2402 may be configured to, for example, send and receive SLPP messages via an external interface, the SLPP messages including SLPP capability requests or SLPP capabilities, SLPP resources, and / or SLPP service requirements of the UE. One or more processors 2402 may be configured to, for example, send and receive a proposed PRS configuration for sidelink positioning via an external interface, and may be configured to send and receive a confirmation, rejection, or modification of a proposed PRS configuration for sidelink positioning via an external interface. The sidelink positioning message may use SLPP as discussed herein. One or more processors 2402 may be configured to, for example, send and receive SLPP messages including measurement reports or location results via an external interface. For example, the measurement report sent may include information for a sidelink positioning signal sent by the UE and measurements performed by the UE 2400 for sidelink positioning signals sent by other UEs, and may include an indication of reverse link communication from each UE in the group to the UE 2400. The received measurement reports may include, for example, measurements performed by other UEs (including measurements of sidelink positioning signals sent by UE 2400), and may include indications of reverse link communications from each UE in the group to each other UE in the group. The position results may include ranges, distances, and / or directions between one or more pairs of UEs in the group and / or the relative position, absolute position, and / or velocity, and / or relative velocity of each of one or more UEs in the group.

[0328] The medium 2420 and / or the memory 2404 may include a PRS module 2423, which when implemented by the one or more processors 2402 configures the one or more processors 2402 to transmit a PRS for sidelink positioning (e.g., a sidelink PRS or a sidelink SRS for NR or LTE) via an external interface including one or more of the wireless transceivers 2410, 2411, 2412, and 2413. The one or more processors 2402 may be configured to transmit a SL PRS consistent with a proposed SL PRS configuration sent to or received from another UE. The one or more processors 2402 may also be configured to receive a SL PRS from other UEs via an external interface and measure the SL PRS for sidelink positioning.

[0329] The medium 2420 and / or the memory 2404 may include a location module 2424, which, when implemented by the one or more processors 2402, configures the one or more processors 2402 to determine location results of one or more UEs relative to the UE 2400 based on the SL PRS measurements performed by the UE 2400 and the measurement information received in the SLPP messages from the other UEs. The one or more processors 2402 may also be configured to determine the speed of the UE 2400 and / or other UEs based on the SL PRS measurements performed by the UE 2400 and the measurement information received in the SLPP messages from the other UEs.

[0330] The medium 2420 and / or the memory 2404 may include a discovery module 2426 that, when implemented by the one or more processors 2402, configures the one or more processors 2402 to discover one or more other UEs that may be used for sidelink positioning. The one or more processors 2402 may also be configured to obtain set standard parameters for other UEs, such as distance limits, time limits, driving direction limits, speed limits, sidelink location method limits, or sidelink location method type limits.

[0331] The medium 2420 and / or the memory 2404 may include a group management module 2428, which, when implemented by the one or more processors 2402, configures the one or more processors 2402 to determine a group status indication for one or more UEs based on a group standard parameter, indicating that the UE is included in the group or excluded from the group. The one or more processors 2402 may also be configured to: determine a group status indication for one or more UEs in the group based on an indication of reverse link communications for the one or more UEs (including an indication of reverse link communications from each UE and an indication of reverse link communications from UE 2400), indicating that the UE is included in the group or excluded from the group. The one or more processors 2402 may also be configured to initiate the addition or transfer of one or more UEs from one group to another group based on the relative position and speed of the one or more UEs to the UEs in the group.

[0332] The methods described herein may be implemented by various devices depending on the application. For example, these methods may be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or any combination thereof. For hardware implementations, one or more processors 2402 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.

[0333] For firmware and / or software implementations, the methods can be implemented using modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein. Any machine-readable medium that tangibly embodies instructions can be used to implement the methods described herein. For example, software code can be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium 2420 or memory 2404 connected to and executed by one or more processors 2402. The memory can 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 type of medium storing the memory.

[0334] If implemented in firmware and / or software, the functionality may be stored as one or more instructions or program code 2408 on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., medium 2420 and / or memory 2404). Examples include computer-readable media encoded with data structures and computer-readable media encoded with computer program code 2408. For example, a non-transitory computer-readable medium including program code 2408 stored thereon may include program code 2408 for supporting sidelink positioning in a manner consistent with the disclosed embodiments. Non-transitory computer-readable media 2420 includes physical computer storage media. 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 devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code 2408 in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a computer; as used herein, disks and optical disks include compact disks (CDs), laser disks, optical disks, digital versatile disks (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray disks, where 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.

[0335] In addition to being stored on the computer-readable medium 2420, 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 that includes one or more of the wireless transceivers 2410, 2411, 2412, and 2413 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.

[0336] Memory 2404 may represent any data storage mechanism. Memory 2404 may include, for example, main memory and / or secondary memory. Main memory may include, for example, random access memory, read-only memory, etc. Although shown in this example as being separate from one or more processors 2402, it should be understood that all or part of the main memory may be provided within one or more processors 2402 or otherwise co-located / coupled with one or more processors 2402. Secondary memory may include, for example, the same or similar type of memory as the main memory and / or one or more data storage devices or systems, such as, for example, a disk drive, an optical drive, a tape drive, a solid-state memory drive, etc.

[0337] In certain embodiments, the secondary memory may be operable to receive or otherwise be configurable to be coupled to the non-transitory computer-readable medium 2420. Thus, in certain example embodiments, the methods and / or apparatus presented herein may take the form of all or part of a computer-readable medium 2420, which may contain computer-implemented program code 2408 stored thereon, which, if executed by one or more processors 2402, may be operable to enable execution of all or part of the example operations as described herein. The computer-readable medium 2420 may be part of the memory 2404.

[0338] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial variations may be made depending on specific requirements. For example, custom 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.

[0339] With reference to the accompanying drawings, the components that may include memory may include non-transitory machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that enables a machine to operate in a particular manner. In the embodiments provided above, various machine-readable media may involve providing instructions / codes to a processor and / or other devices for execution. Additionally or alternatively, machine-readable media may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / codes. In many embodiments, computer-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media may take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media and volatile media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical media with hole patterns, RAM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or box, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or codes.

[0340] The methods, systems and devices discussed herein are examples. Various embodiments may appropriately omit, replace or add various processes or components. For example, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of the embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. The various components of the accompanying drawings provided herein may be embodied in hardware and / or software. In addition, technology develops, and therefore many elements are examples that do not limit the scope of the present disclosure to those specific examples.

[0341] It has proven convenient at times, primarily for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, terms, numbers, digits, etc. It will be understood, however, that all of these or similar terms are associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless otherwise specifically stated, as will be apparent from the above discussion, it will be understood that throughout this specification, discussions utilizing terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," "ascertaining," "identifying," "correlating," "measuring," "performing," etc. refer to the actions or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device. Thus, in the context of this specification, a special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals, typically represented as physical electronic, electrical, or magnetic quantities within a memory, register, or other information storage device, transmission device, or display device of the special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device.

[0342] The terms "and" and "or" as used herein may include multiple meanings, which are also expected to depend at least in part on the context in which the terms are used. Generally, "or", if used in an associative list, such as A, B, or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C (used here in an inclusive sense), as well as A, B, or C (used here in an exclusive sense). In addition, the term "one or more" as used herein may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular form, or may be used to describe a certain combination of features, structures, or characteristics. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example and the claimed subject matter is not limited to this example. In addition, if used in an associative list (such as A, B, or C), the term "at least one of..." may be interpreted to mean any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0343] Several embodiments have been described, and various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the above elements may be merely components of a larger system, where other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the various embodiments. In addition, multiple steps may be performed before, during, or after considering the above elements. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0344] Clause 1. An example method performed by a user equipment (UE) for sidelink positioning of multiple UEs including the UE, comprising: determining a session of a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP) for the multiple UEs, wherein the session is indicated to each of the multiple UEs; and exchanging multiple SLPP messages with other UEs of the multiple UEs, wherein the SLPP messages are part of the session, wherein the SLPP messages enable the sidelink positioning.

[0345] Clause 2. The method according to Clause 1 also includes: performing sidelink positioning includes obtaining position results of at least two target UEs among multiple UEs, wherein the position results include at least one of the following: the distance between each target UE among the multiple UEs and another UE; the direction from another UE among the multiple UEs to each target UE or from each target UE to another UE among the multiple UEs, respectively; the position of each target UE relative to the position of another UE among the multiple UEs; the speed of each target UE relative to the speed of another UE among the multiple UEs; the absolute position of each target UE; the absolute speed of each target UE; or some combination thereof.

[0346] Clause 3. A method as described in clause 1 or 2, wherein the multiple SLPP messages include at least one SLPP message sent by a sending UE to a receiving UE or a UE receiving group, wherein the UE is the sending UE, the receiving UE or a part of the UE receiving group, and wherein the at least one SLPP message includes: the SLPP capability of the sending UE; a request for the SLPP capability of the receiving UE or the receiving UE group; SLPP assistance data for assisting the receiving UE or the receiving UE group in transmitting or measuring positioning-related signals; a request from the receiving UE for SLPP assistance data to assist the sending UE in transmitting or measuring positioning-related signals; a request for measurement values ​​or some position results or both obtained by the receiving UE or the receiving UE group; measurement values ​​or some position results or both obtained by the sending UE; or some combination thereof.

[0347] Clause 4. The method as described in any of Clauses 1-3 further includes: discovering each other UE among the multiple UEs; receiving an indication from each other UE among the multiple UEs that each other UE among the other UEs supports SLPP; and determining to initiate a session based on a service request received from a network entity or a configuration of the UE.

[0348] Clause 5. The method as described in any of Clauses 1-4 further includes: sending a first SLPP message to each of the other UEs in the multiple UEs, the first SLPP message including a request for each UE to join the session; and receiving a second SLPP message from each of the other UEs in the multiple UEs indicating acceptance or rejection of the request.

[0349] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 1-5, further comprising including in the first SLPP message at least one of: a level 2 group address of the plurality of UEs, a SLPP session ID, or both.

[0350] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 1-6, further comprising sending a third SLPP message to each of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs, wherein the third SLPP message starts or resumes the SLPP session.

[0351] Clause 8. The method as described in any of clauses 1-7 also includes including at least one of the following in the third SLPP message: an application level ID of each UE in the multiple UEs, a SLPP UE ID of each UE in the multiple UEs, a group encryption key of the multiple UEs, or a combination thereof.

[0352] Clause 9. The method of any of clauses 1-8, further comprising sending a first SLPP message to at least one UE of the plurality of UEs to terminate a session at the at least one UE.

[0353] Clause 10. The method as described in any of clauses 1-9 further includes sending a first SLPP message to each UE in a second plurality of UEs other than the UE, wherein the second plurality of UEs includes the UE and at least some of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs, wherein the first SLPP message includes a request for each UE to join the modified session; when a third plurality of UEs includes at least one UE, sending a second SLPP message to each UE in the third plurality of UEs, wherein the third plurality of UEs includes UEs not in the plurality of UEs, wherein the second SLPP message includes a request for each UE to join the modified session; receiving a third SLPP message from each UE in the second plurality of UEs, the third SLPP message indicating whether each UE accepts or rejects the request; when the third plurality of UEs includes at least one UE, receiving a fourth SLPP message from each UE in the third plurality of UEs, the fourth SLPP message indicating whether each UE accepts or rejects the request; and sending a fifth SLPP message to each UE in the plurality of UEs other than the UE and not in the second plurality of UEs, the fifth SLPP message indicating that the session is terminated at each UE.

[0354] Clause 11. The method as described in any of Clauses 1-10 further includes: when each UE of the second plurality of UEs and the third plurality of UEs accepts the request of each UE to join the modified session, sending a sixth SLPP message to each UE, wherein the sixth SLPP message starts the modified session.

[0355] Clause 12. A method as described in any of clauses 1-11, wherein the third plurality of UEs does not include UEs.

[0356] Clause 13. The method as described in any of Clauses 1-12 further includes: receiving a first SLPP message from a second UE among the multiple UEs, the first SLPP message including a request for the UE to join, terminate, start, modify or leave the session or a request for the second UE to join the session; and when the first SLPP message includes a request for the UE to join or modify the session or a request for the second UE to join the session, sending a second SLPP message to the second UE, the second SLPP message indicating acceptance or rejection of the request.

[0357] Clause 14. A method as described in any of clauses 1-13, wherein each of the multiple SLPP messages includes at least one of the following: a SLPP session ID; a SLPP transaction ID; a level 2 address of the UE that sends the actual SLPP message; a level 2 address of the UE or UE group that receives the SLPP message; information of one or more UEs among the multiple UEs, wherein the information includes a SLPP UE ID of each UE among the one or more UEs of the multiple UEs; or some combination thereof.

[0358] Clause 15. A method as described in any of clauses 1-14, wherein the sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using at least one of: transmission and measurement of a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL PRS), real-time kinematics (RTK), transmission and measurement of WiFi signals, transmission and measurement of ultra-wideband (UWB) signals, or some combination thereof.

[0359] Clause 16. A method as described in any one of clauses 1-15, wherein the sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using RTK, wherein each of the multiple UEs obtains a carrier phase measurement value of a global navigation satellite (GNSS) signal, wherein the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs are provided to at least one UE of the multiple UEs, wherein the at least one UE determines position results of the multiple UEs based on the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs.

[0360] Clause 17. A method according to any one of clauses 1-16, wherein the sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using transmission and measurement of SL PRS, and the method further includes: obtaining the SL PRS transmission configuration of each UE among the multiple UEs; obtaining SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs among the multiple UEs based on the SL PRS transmission configuration of the other UEs; sending SL PRS based on the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE; and performing at least one of the following: sending the obtained SL PRS measurement value to at least one other UE among the multiple UEs, or receiving the obtained SL PRS measurement value from at least one other UE among the multiple UEs, or both, wherein the obtained SL PRS measurement value enables determination of the position result of the target UE.

[0361] Clause 18. A method according to any one of clauses 1-17, wherein the SL PRS measurement value includes at least one of the following: reception time-transmission time difference (Rx-Tx), reference signal time difference (RSTD), round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal received power, reference signal received quality, arrival angle, or some combination thereof.

[0362] Clause 19. An example method performed by a user equipment (UE) for sidelink positioning of multiple UEs including the UE, comprising: determining to perform sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs, wherein no discovery exists between the UE and at least some of the other UEs in the multiple UEs; and exchanging multiple SLPP messages with the other UEs in the multiple UEs using broadcast or multicast, wherein the SLPP messages are not part of a session, wherein the SLPP messages enable the sidelink positioning.

[0363] Clause 20. The method according to Clause 19 also includes obtaining position results of at least two target UEs among the multiple UEs, wherein the position results include at least one of the following: the distance between each target UE and another UE among the multiple UEs; the direction from another UE among the multiple UEs to each target UE or from each target UE to another UE among the multiple UEs, respectively; the position of each target UE relative to the position of another UE among the multiple UEs; the speed of each target UE relative to the speed of another UE among the multiple UEs; the absolute position of each target UE; the absolute speed of each target UE; or some combination thereof.

[0364] Clause 21. A method according to claim 19 or 20, wherein the multiple SLPP messages include at least one SLPP message sent by a sending UE to other UEs among the multiple UEs, wherein the UE is the sending UE or one of the other UEs, and wherein the at least one SLPP message includes: SLPP assistance data for assisting the other UE in transmitting or measuring positioning-related signals; some or both of the measurement values ​​or the position results obtained by the sending UE; the level 2 address of the sending UE; the application level address of the sending UE; or some combination thereof.

[0365] Clause 22. A method according to any of clauses 19-21, wherein the sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using at least one of: transmission and measurement of a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL PRS); real-time kinematic (RTK); transmission and measurement of WiFi signals; transmission and measurement of ultra-wideband (UBW) signals; or some combination thereof.

[0366] Clause 23. A method as described in any of clauses 19-22, wherein the sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using RTK, wherein each of the multiple UEs obtains a carrier phase measurement value of a global navigation satellite (GNSS) signal, wherein the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs are provided to at least one UE among the multiple UEs, wherein at least one of the multiple UEs determines position results for some of the target UEs among the multiple UEs based on the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs.

[0367] Clause 24. A method according to any one of clauses 19-23, wherein the sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using transmission and measurement of SL PRS, and the method further includes: receiving SL PRS transmission configuration from other UEs among the multiple UEs; obtaining SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs among the multiple UEs based on the SL PRS transmission configuration; receiving a revised SL PRS transmission configuration from the other UEs among the multiple UEs, wherein the revised SL PRS transmission configuration corresponds to the SL PRS sent by the other UEs; sending the obtained SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs to the other UEs among the multiple UEs; sending SL PRS based on the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE; before sending the SL PRS, sending the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE to the other UEs among the multiple UEs; after sending the SL PRS, sending the revised SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE to the other UEs among the multiple UEs, wherein the revised SL PRS transmission configuration corresponds to the sent SL PRS; receiving SLPRS measurement values ​​obtained by the other UEs among the multiple UEs; and determining the position results of some target UEs among the target UEs based on at least one of the obtained SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs, the revised SL PRS transmission configuration of the other UEs among the multiple UEs, the SL PRS measurement values ​​obtained by the other UEs among the multiple UEs and the revised SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE.

[0368] Clause 25. A method according to any one of clauses 18-24, wherein the SL PRS measurement value includes at least one of the following: reception time-transmission time difference (Rx-Tx), reference signal time difference (RSTD), round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal received power, reference signal received quality, arrival angle, or some combination thereof.

[0369] Clause 26. An example UE for sidelink positioning of a plurality of UEs including the UE, the UE comprising a transceiver, a memory, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processors may be configured to: determine a session of a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP) for the plurality of UEs, wherein the session is indicated to each of the plurality of UEs; and exchange a plurality of SLPP messages with other UEs of the plurality of UEs, wherein the SLPP messages are part of the session, wherein the SLPP messages enable the sidelink positioning.

[0370] Clause 27. A UE according to Clause 26, wherein the one or more processors are also configured to obtain position results of at least two target UEs among the multiple UEs, wherein the position results include at least one of the following: the distance between each target UE and another UE among the multiple UEs; the direction from another UE among the multiple UEs to each target UE or from each target UE to another UE among the multiple UEs, respectively; the position of each target UE relative to the position of another UE among the multiple UEs; the speed of each target UE relative to the speed of another UE among the multiple UEs; the absolute position of each target UE; the absolute speed of each target UE; or some combination thereof.

[0371] Clause 28. A UE as described in clauses 26 or 27, wherein the multiple SLPP messages include at least one SLPP message sent by a sending UE to a receiving UE or a receiving UE group, wherein the UE is part of the sending UE, the receiving UE or the receiving UE group, and wherein the at least one SLPP message includes: the SLPP capability of the sending UE; a request for the SLPP capability of the receiving UE or the receiving UE group; SLPP assistance data for assisting the receiving UE or the receiving UE group in transmitting or measuring positioning-related signals; a request from the receiving UE for SLPP assistance data to assist the sending UE in transmitting or measuring positioning-related signals; a request for measurement values ​​or some position results or both obtained by the receiving UE or the receiving UE group; measurement values ​​or some position results or both obtained by the sending UE; or some combination thereof.

[0372] Clause 29. A UE according to any one of clauses 26-28, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: discover each other UE among the multiple UEs; receive an indication from each other UE among the multiple UEs that each other UE among the other UEs supports SLPP; and determine to initiate the session based on a service request received from a network entity or a configuration of the UE.

[0373] Clause 30. A UE as described in any of clauses 26-29, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: send a first SLPP message to each of the other UEs in the multiple UEs, the first SLPP message including a request for each of the other UEs to join the session; and receive a second SLPP message from each of the other UEs in the multiple UEs indicating acceptance or rejection of the request.

[0374] Clause 31. A UE as described in any of clauses 26-30, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to include at least one of the following in the first SLPP message: a level 2 group address of the plurality of UEs, a SLPP session ID, or both.

[0375] Clause 32. A UE as described in any of clauses 26-31, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: send a third SLPP message to each of the other UEs in the multiple UEs, wherein the third SLPP message starts or restarts the SLPP session.

[0376] Clause 33. A UE as described in any of clauses 26-32, wherein the one or more processors are also configured to include at least one of the following in the third SLPP message: an application level ID of each UE in the multiple UEs, a SLPP UE ID of each UE in the multiple UEs, a group encryption key of the multiple UEs, or some combination thereof.

[0377] Clause 34. A UE as described in any of clauses 26-33, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to send a first SLPP message to at least one UE of the plurality of UEs to terminate the session at the at least one UE.

[0378] Clause 35. A UE as described in any of clauses 26-34, sending a first SLPP message to each UE in a second plurality of UEs other than the UE, wherein the second plurality of UEs includes the UE and at least some of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs and additional UEs that are not in the plurality of UEs, wherein the first SLPP message includes a request for each UE to join the modified session; when a third plurality of UEs includes at least one UE, sending a second SLPP message to each UE in the third plurality of UEs, wherein the third plurality of UEs includes UEs that are not in the plurality of UEs, wherein the second SLPP message includes a request for each UE to join the modified session; receiving a third SLPP message from each UE in the second plurality of UEs, the third SLPP message indicating whether each UE accepts or rejects the request; and when the third plurality of UEs includes at least one UE, receiving a fourth SLPP message from each UE in the third plurality of UEs, the fourth SLPP message indicating whether each UE accepts or rejects the request; sending a fifth SLPP message to each UE in the plurality of UEs other than the UE and not in the second plurality of UEs, the fifth SLPP message indicating that the session is terminated at each UE.

[0379] Clause 36. A UE as described in any of clauses 26-35, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: when each UE of the second plurality of UEs and the third plurality of UEs accepts the request of each UE to join the modified session, send a sixth SLPP message to each UE, wherein the sixth SLPP message starts the modified session.

[0380] Clause 37. A UE as described in any of clauses 26-36, wherein the third plurality of UEs does not include UEs.

[0381] Clause 38. A UE as described in any of Clauses 26-37, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive a first SLPP message from a second UE among the multiple UEs, the first SLPP message including a request for the UE to join, terminate, start, modify or leave the session or a request for the second UE to join the session; and when the first SLPP message includes a request for the UE to join or modify the session or a request for the second UE to join the session, send a second SLPP message to the second UE, the second SLPP message indicating acceptance or rejection of the request.

[0382] Clause 39. A UE as described in any of Clauses 26-38, wherein each of the multiple SLPP messages includes at least one of the following: a SLPP session ID; a SLPP transaction ID; a level 2 address of the UE sending the SLPP message; a level 2 address of a UE or UE group receiving the SLPP message; information of one or more UEs among the multiple UEs, wherein the information includes a SLPP UE ID for each of the one or more UEs among the multiple UEs; or some combination thereof.

[0383] Clause 40. A UE as described in any of clauses 26-39, wherein sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using at least one of: transmission and measurement of a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL PRS), real-time kinematic (RTK), transmission and measurement of WiFi signals, transmission and measurement of ultra-wideband (UWB) signals, or some combination thereof.

[0384] Clause 41. A UE as described in any of Clauses 26-40, wherein the sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using RTK, wherein each of the multiple UEs obtains a carrier phase measurement value of a global navigation satellite (GNSS) signal, wherein the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs are provided to at least one UE of the multiple UEs, wherein the at least one UE determines position results of the multiple UEs based on the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs.

[0385] Clause 42. A UE according to any one of clauses 26-41, wherein sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using transmission and measurement of SL PRS, and the one or more processors are also configured to: obtain the SL PRS transmission configuration of each UE among the multiple UEs; obtain SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs based on the SL PRS transmission configuration of the other UEs among the multiple UEs; send SL PRS based on the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE; and perform at least one of the following operations: send the obtained SL PRS measurement value to at least one other UE among the multiple UEs, or receive the obtained SL PRS measurement value from at least one other UE among the multiple UEs, or both, wherein the obtained SL PRS measurement value enables determination of the position result of the target UE.

[0386] Clause 43. A UE according to any one of clauses 26-42, wherein the SL PRS measurement value includes at least one of the following: reception time-transmission time difference (Rx-Tx), reference signal time difference (RSTD), round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal received power, reference signal received quality, arrival angle, or some combination thereof.

[0387] Clause 44. An example UE for sidelink positioning of a plurality of UEs including the UE, the UE comprising a transceiver, a memory, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processors may be configured to: determine to perform sidelink positioning of the plurality of UEs, wherein discovery does not exist between the UE and at least some of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs; and exchange a plurality of SLPP messages with the other UEs in the plurality of UEs using broadcast or multicast, wherein the SLPP messages are not part of a session, wherein the SLPP messages enable the sidelink positioning.

[0388] Clause 45. A UE according to clause 44, wherein the one or more processors are also configured to obtain position results of at least two target UEs among the multiple UEs, wherein the position results include at least one of the following: the distance between each target UE and another UE among the multiple UEs; the direction from another UE among the multiple UEs to each target UE or from each target UE to another UE among the multiple UEs, respectively; the position of each target UE relative to the position of another UE among the multiple UEs; the speed of each target UE relative to the speed of another UE among the multiple UEs; the absolute position of each target UE; the absolute speed of each target UE; or some combination thereof.

[0389] Clause 46. A UE according to clause 44 or 45, wherein the multiple SLPP messages include at least one SLPP message sent by a sending UE to other UEs among the multiple UEs, wherein the UE is the sending UE or one of the other UEs, and wherein the at least one SLPP message includes: SLPP assistance data for assisting the other UE in transmitting or measuring positioning-related signals; measurement values ​​obtained by the sending UE or some of the location results or both; a level 2 address of the sending UE; an application level address of the sending UE; or some combination thereof.

[0390] Clause 47. A UE according to any of clauses 44-46, wherein sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using at least one of: transmission and measurement of a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL PRS); real-time kinematic (RTK); transmission and measurement of WiFi signals; transmission and measurement of ultra-wideband (UBW) signals; or some combination thereof.

[0391] Clause 48. A UE according to any one of clauses 44-47, wherein the sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using transmission and measurement of SL PRS, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receive SL PRS transmission configurations from other UEs of the multiple UEs; obtain SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs of the multiple UEs based on the SL PRS transmission configurations; receive revised SL PRS transmission configurations from the other UEs of the multiple UEs, wherein the revised SL PRS transmission configurations correspond to SL PRSs sent by the other UEs; send the obtained SL PRS measurement results of the other UEs to the other UEs of the multiple UEs; send SL PRS based on the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE; before sending the SL PRS, send the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE to the other UEs of the multiple UEs; after sending the SL PRS, send the revised SL PRS transmission configurations of the UE to the other UEs of the multiple UEs, wherein the revised SL PRS transmission configurations correspond to the sent SL PRS; receive SL PRS measurements obtained by the other UEs of the multiple UEs PRS measurement value; and determine the position results of some target UEs among the target UEs based on the obtained SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs, the revised SL PRS transmission configuration of the other UEs among the multiple UEs, the SL PRS measurement values ​​obtained by the other UEs among the multiple UEs and at least one of the revised SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE.

[0392] Clause 49. A UE according to any one of clauses 44-48, wherein sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using transmission and measurement of SL PRS, and further comprising: receiving SL PRS transmission configuration from other UEs of the multiple UEs; obtaining SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs of the multiple UEs based on the SL PRS transmission configuration; receiving a revised SL PRS transmission configuration from the other UEs of the multiple UEs, wherein the revised SL PRS transmission configuration corresponds to the SL PRS sent by the other UEs; sending the obtained SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs to the other UEs of the multiple UEs; sending the SL PRS based on the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE; before sending the SL PRS, sending the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE to the other UEs of the multiple UEs; after sending the SL PRS, sending the revised SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE to the other UEs of the multiple UEs, wherein the revised SL PRS transmission configuration corresponds to the sent SL PRS; receiving SL PRS measurement values ​​obtained by the other UEs of the multiple UEs; and based on the obtained SL The position results of some of the target UEs are determined based on at least one of PRS measurement values, revised SL PRS transmission configurations of the other UEs among the multiple UEs, SL PRS measurement values ​​obtained by the other UEs among the multiple UEs, and the revised SL PRS transmission configurations of the UE.

[0393] Clause 50. A UE according to any one of clauses 44-49, wherein the SL PRS measurement value includes at least one of the following: reception time-transmission time difference (Rx-Tx), reference signal time difference (RSTD), round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal received power, reference signal received quality, arrival angle, or some combination thereof.

Claims

1. A method for sidelink positioning of a plurality of UEs including the UE, performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP) session for the plurality of UEs, wherein the session is indicated to each of the plurality of UEs; as well as A plurality of SLPP messages are exchanged with other UEs of the plurality of UEs, wherein the SLPP messages are part of the session, wherein the SLPP messages enable the sidelink positioning.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprises obtaining location results of at least two target UEs among the plurality of UEs, wherein: The location result includes at least one of the following: a distance between each target UE and another UE in the plurality of UEs; a direction from another UE of the plurality of UEs to each of the target UEs or from each of the target UEs to another UE of the plurality of UEs, respectively; the location of each target UE relative to the location of another UE in the plurality of UEs; a speed of each target UE relative to a speed of another UE among the plurality of UEs; The absolute position of each target UE; the absolute speed of each target UE; or Some combination of them.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The multiple SLPP messages include at least one SLPP message sent by a sending UE to a receiving UE or a receiving UE group, wherein the UE is part of the sending UE, the receiving UE, or the receiving UE group, and wherein the at least one SLPP message includes: The SLPP capability of the sending UE; a request for SLPP capability of the receiving UE or the receiving UE group; SLPP assistance data for assisting the receiving UE or the receiving UE group in transmitting or measuring positioning related signals; a request for SLPP assistance data from the receiving UE to assist the sending UE in transmitting or measuring positioning related signals; a request for some or both of the measurements or the position results obtained by the receiving UE or the group of receiving UEs; some or both of the measurement values ​​or the position result obtained by the sending UE; or Some combination of them.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: discovering each other UE of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs; receiving, from each of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs, an indication that each of the other UEs supports SLPP; as well as The session is initiated based on a service request received from a network entity or a configuration of the UE.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: sending a first SLPP message to each other UE in the plurality of UEs, the first SLPP message comprising a request for each UE to join the session; as well as A second SLPP message is received from each of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs, the second SLPP message indicating acceptance or rejection of the request.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising including in the first SLPP message at least one of: the level 2 group addresses of the plurality of UEs, SLPP session ID, or Both of them.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A third SLPP message is sent to each of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs, wherein the third SLPP message starts or resumes the SLPP session.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising including at least one of the following in the third SLPP message: An application level ID of each UE in the plurality of UEs, a SLPP UE ID of each UE in the plurality of UEs, a group encryption key for the plurality of UEs, or Some combination of them.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a first SLPP message to at least one UE among the plurality of UEs to terminate the session at the at least one UE.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: sending a first SLPP message to each UE in a second plurality of UEs other than the UE, wherein the second plurality of UEs includes the UE and at least some of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs, wherein the first SLPP message includes a request for each of the UEs to join the modified session; When the third plurality of UEs includes at least one UE, sending a second SLPP message to each UE in the third plurality of UEs, wherein the third plurality of UEs includes UEs not in the plurality of UEs, wherein the second SLPP message includes a request for each UE to join the modified session; receiving a third SLPP message from each of the second plurality of UEs, the third SLPP message indicating whether each UE accepts or rejects the request; When the third plurality of UEs includes at least one UE, receiving a fourth SLPP message from each of the third plurality of UEs, the fourth SLPP message indicating whether each of the UEs accepts or rejects the request; as well as A fifth SLPP message is sent to each UE in the plurality of UEs other than the UE and not in the second plurality of UEs, the fifth SLPP message indicating that the session is terminated at each UE.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising sending a sixth SLPP message to each UE when each UE in the second plurality of UEs and the third plurality of UEs accepts the request for each UE to join the modified session, wherein The sixth SLPP message starts the modified session.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The third plurality of UEs does not include UEs.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a first SLPP message from a second UE among the plurality of UEs, the first SLPP message comprising a request for the UE to join, terminate, start, modify, or leave the session or for the second UE to join the session; as well as When the first SLPP message includes a request for the UE to join or modify the session or a request for the second UE to join the session, a second SLPP message is sent to the second UE, the second SLPP message indicating acceptance or rejection of the request.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the plurality of SLPP messages includes at least one of the following: SLPP session ID; SLPP transaction ID; The level 2 address of the UE sending the SLPP message; a level 2 address of the UE or UE group receiving the SLPP message; information of one or more UEs among the plurality of UEs, wherein the information comprises a SLPP UE ID of each UE among the one or more UEs among the plurality of UEs; or Some combination of them.

15. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The sidelink positioning of the plurality of UEs is performed using at least one of: Transmission and measurement of Sidelink Positioning Reference Signal (SL PRS), Real-time kinematic (RTK), Transmission and measurement of WiFi signals, Transmission and measurement of ultra-wideband (UWB) signals, or Some combination of them.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using RTK, wherein each of the multiple UEs obtains a carrier phase measurement value of a global navigation satellite (GNSS) signal, wherein the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs are provided to at least one UE of the multiple UEs, wherein the at least one UE determines position results for the multiple UEs based on the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein: The sidelink positioning of the plurality of UEs is performed using transmission and measurement of the SL PRS, and the method further comprises: Obtaining a SL PRS transmission configuration for each of the plurality of UEs; Obtaining SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs among the multiple UEs based on the SL PRS transmission configuration of the other UEs; transmitting a SL PRS based on the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE; and Do at least one of the following: sending the obtained SL PRS measurement value to at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs, or receiving the obtained SL PRS measurement value from at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs, or Both of them, wherein the obtained SL PRS measurements enable the determination of the location result of the target UE.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein: The SL PRS measurements include at least one of the following: Receiving time - transmitting time difference (Rx-Tx), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Round trip signal propagation time (RTT), Reference signal received power, Reference signal reception quality, Angle of arrival, or Some combination of them.

19. A method for sidelink positioning of a plurality of UEs including the UE, performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: determining to perform sidelink positioning of the plurality of UEs, wherein discovery does not exist between the UE and at least some of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs; and A plurality of SLPP messages are exchanged with other UEs of the plurality of UEs using broadcast or multicast, wherein the SLPP messages are not part of a session, wherein the SLPP messages enable the sidelink positioning.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising obtaining location results of at least two target UEs among the plurality of UEs, wherein: The location result includes at least one of the following: a distance between each target UE and another UE in the plurality of UEs; a direction from another UE of the plurality of UEs to each of the target UEs or from each of the target UEs to another UE of the plurality of UEs, respectively; the location of each target UE relative to the location of another UE in the plurality of UEs; a speed of each target UE relative to a speed of another UE among the plurality of UEs; The absolute position of each target UE; the absolute speed of each target UE; or Some combination of them.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein: The multiple SLPP messages include at least one SLPP message sent by a sending UE to other UEs among the multiple UEs, wherein the UE is the sending UE or one of the other UEs, and wherein the at least one SLPP message includes: SLPP assistance data used to assist the other UE in transmitting or measuring positioning related signals; some or both of the measurement values ​​or the position result obtained by the sending UE; The second level address of the sending UE; The sending UE's application level address; or Some combination of them.

22. The method according to claim 20, wherein: The sidelink positioning of the plurality of UEs is performed using at least one of: Transmission and measurement of Sidelink Positioning Reference Signal (SL PRS); Real-time kinematic (RTK); Transmission and measurement of WiFi signals; Transmission and measurement of ultra-wideband (UBW) signals; or Some combination of them.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein: The sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using RTK, wherein each of the multiple UEs obtains a carrier phase measurement value of a global navigation satellite (GNSS) signal, wherein the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs are provided to at least one UE among the multiple UEs, wherein the at least one UE among the multiple UEs determines position results for some of the target UEs among the multiple UEs based on the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein: The sidelink positioning of the plurality of UEs is performed using transmission and measurement of the SL PRS, and the method further comprises: receiving a SL PRS transmission configuration from other UEs among the plurality of UEs; Obtaining SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs among the multiple UEs based on the SL PRS transmission configuration; receiving a revised SL PRS transmission configuration from the other UEs of the plurality of UEs, wherein the revised SL PRS transmission configuration corresponds to the SL PRS transmitted by the other UEs; Sending the obtained SL PRS measurement value of the other UE to the other UE among the multiple UEs; transmitting the SL PRS based on the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE; Before sending the SL PRS, sending the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE to other UEs among the multiple UEs; After transmitting the SL PRS, transmitting a revised SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE to other UEs of the plurality of UEs, wherein the revised SL PRS transmission configuration corresponds to the transmitted SL PRS; receiving SL PRS measurement values ​​obtained by the other UEs among the plurality of UEs; and Based on the obtained SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs, the revised SLPRS transmission configuration of the other UEs among the multiple UEs, the SL PRS measurement values ​​obtained by the other UEs among the multiple UEs and at least one of the revised SL PRS transmission configurations of the UEs, the position results of some target UEs among the target UEs are determined.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein: The SL PRS measurements include at least one of the following: Receiving time - transmitting time difference (Rx-Tx), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Round trip signal propagation time (RTT), Reference signal received power, Reference signal reception quality, Angle of arrival, or Some combination of them.

26. A user equipment (UE) for sidelink positioning of a plurality of UEs including the UE, and wherein: The UE includes: one or more transceivers; one or more memories; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers and the one or more memories, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: determining a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP) session for the plurality of UEs, wherein the session is indicated to each of the plurality of UEs; and A plurality of SLPP messages are exchanged with other UEs of the plurality of UEs, wherein the SLPP messages are part of the session, wherein the SLPP messages enable the sidelink positioning.

27. The UE according to claim 26, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to obtain location results of at least two target UEs among the plurality of UEs, wherein the location results include at least one of the following: a distance between each target UE and another UE in the plurality of UEs; a direction from another UE of the plurality of UEs to each of the target UEs or from each of the target UEs to another UE of the plurality of UEs, respectively; the location of each target UE relative to the location of another UE in the plurality of UEs; a speed of each target UE relative to a speed of another UE among the plurality of UEs; The absolute position of each target UE; the absolute speed of each target UE; or Some combination of them.

28. The UE of claim 27, wherein the plurality of SLPP messages comprises at least one SLPP message sent by a sending UE to a receiving UE or a group of receiving UEs, wherein the UE is a part of the sending UE, the receiving UE, or the group of receiving UEs, wherein the at least one SLPP message comprises: The SLPP capability of the sending UE; a request for SLPP capability of the receiving UE or the receiving UE group; SLPP assistance data for assisting the receiving UE or the receiving UE group in transmitting or measuring positioning related signals; a request for SLPP assistance data from the receiving UE to assist the sending UE in transmitting or measuring positioning related signals; a request for some or both of the measurements or the position results obtained by the receiving UE or the group of receiving UEs; some or both of the measurement values ​​or the position result obtained by the sending UE; or Some combination of them.

29. The UE according to claim 26, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: discovering each other UE of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs; receiving, from each of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs, an indication that each of the other UEs supports SLPP; and The session is initiated based on a service request received from a network entity or a configuration of the UE.

30. The UE according to claim 26, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: sending a first SLPP message to each of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs, the first SLPP message comprising a request for each of the UEs to join the session; and A second SLPP message is received from each of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs indicating acceptance or rejection of the request.

31. The UE according to claim 30, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to include in the first SLPP message at least one of: the level 2 group addresses of the plurality of UEs, SLPP session ID, or Both of them.

32. The UE according to claim 26, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: A third SLPP message is sent to each of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs, wherein the third SLPP message starts or resumes the SLPP session.

33. The UE according to claim 32, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to include in the third SLPP message at least one of: An application level ID of each UE in the plurality of UEs, a SLPP UE ID of each UE in the plurality of UEs, a group encryption key for the plurality of UEs, or Some combination of them.

34. The UE according to claim 26, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to send a first SLPP message to at least one UE of the plurality of UEs to terminate the session at the at least one UE.

35. The UE according to claim 26, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: sending a first SLPP message to each UE in a second plurality of UEs other than the UE, wherein the second plurality of UEs includes the UE and at least some of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs, and additional UEs not in the plurality of UEs, wherein the first SLPP message includes a request for each of the UEs to join the modified session; When the third plurality of UEs includes at least one UE, sending a second SLPP message to each UE in the third plurality of UEs, wherein the third plurality of UEs includes UEs not in the plurality of UEs, wherein the second SLPP message includes a request for each UE to join the modified session; receiving a third SLPP message from each of the second plurality of UEs, the third SLPP message indicating whether each UE accepts or rejects the request; and When the third plurality of UEs includes at least one UE, receiving a fourth SLPP message from each of the third plurality of UEs, the fourth SLPP message indicating whether each of the UEs accepts or rejects the request; and A fifth SLPP message is sent to each UE of the plurality of UEs other than the UE that is not in the second plurality of UEs, the fifth SLPP message indicating that the session is terminated at each UE.

36. The UE according to claim 35, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: When each UE in the second plurality of UEs and the third plurality of UEs accepts the request of each UE to join the modified session, a sixth SLPP message is sent to each UE, wherein the sixth SLPP message starts the modified session.

37. The UE according to claim 35, wherein: The third plurality of UEs does not include UEs.

38. The UE according to claim 26, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: receiving a first SLPP message from a second UE among the plurality of UEs, the first SLPP message comprising a request for the UE to join, terminate, start, modify, or leave the session or for the second UE to join the session; and When the first SLPP message includes a request for the UE to join or modify the session or a request for the second UE to join the session, a second SLPP message is sent to the second UE, the second SLPP message indicating acceptance or rejection of the request.

39. The UE of claim 26, wherein each of the plurality of SLPP messages comprises at least one of: SLPP session ID; SLPP transaction ID; The level 2 address of the UE sending the SLPP message; a level 2 address of the UE or UE group receiving the SLPP message; Information of one or more UEs among the plurality of UEs, wherein: The information comprises a SLPP UE ID for each of the one or more UEs of the plurality of UEs; or Some combination of them.

40. The UE according to claim 27, wherein: The sidelink positioning of the plurality of UEs is performed using at least one of: Transmission and measurement of Sidelink Positioning Reference Signal (SL PRS), Real-time kinematic (RTK), Transmission and measurement of WiFi signals, Transmission and measurement of ultra-wideband (UWB) signals, or Some combination of them.

41. The UE of claim 40, wherein the sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using RTK, wherein each of the multiple UEs obtains a carrier phase measurement value of a global navigation satellite (GNSS) signal, wherein the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs are provided to at least one UE of the multiple UEs, wherein the at least one UE determines position results of the multiple UEs based on the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs.

42. The UE according to claim 40, wherein: The sidelink positioning of the plurality of UEs is performed using transmission and measurement of the SL PRS, and the one or more processors are further configured to: Obtaining a SL PRS transmission configuration for each of the plurality of UEs; Obtaining SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs based on the SL PRS transmission configurations of the other UEs among the multiple UEs; sending a SL PRS based on the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE; and Do at least one of the following: sending the obtained SL PRS measurement value to at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs, or receiving the obtained SL PRS measurement value from at least one other UE among the plurality of UEs, or Both of them, wherein the obtained SL PRS measurements enable the determination of the location result of the target UE.

43. The UE according to claim 42, wherein: The SL PRS measurements include at least one of the following: Receiving time - transmitting time difference (Rx-Tx), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Round trip signal propagation time (RTT), Reference signal received power, Reference signal reception quality, Angle of arrival, or Some combination of them.

44. A user equipment (UE) for sidelink positioning of a plurality of UEs including the UE, and wherein: The UE includes: one or more transceivers; one or more memories; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the one or more transceivers and the one or more memories, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: determining to perform sidelink positioning of the plurality of UEs, wherein there is no discovery between the UE and at least some of the other UEs in the plurality of UEs; and A plurality of SLPP messages are exchanged with other UEs of the plurality of UEs using broadcast or multicast, wherein the SLPP messages are not part of a session, wherein the SLPP messages enable the sidelink positioning.

45. The UE of claim 44, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to obtain location results of at least two target UEs among the plurality of UEs, wherein the location results include at least one of the following: a distance between each target UE and another UE in the plurality of UEs; a direction from another UE of the plurality of UEs to each of the target UEs or from each of the target UEs to another UE of the plurality of UEs, respectively; the location of each target UE relative to the location of another UE in the plurality of UEs; a speed of each target UE relative to a speed of another UE among the plurality of UEs; The absolute position of each target UE; the absolute speed of each target UE; or Some combination of them.

46. ​​The UE according to claim 45, wherein the plurality of SLPP messages include at least one SLPP message sent by a sending UE to other UEs among the plurality of UEs, wherein the UE is one of the sending UE or the other UEs, and wherein the at least one SLPP message comprises: SLPP assistance data used to assist the other UE in transmitting or measuring positioning related signals; some or both of the measurement values ​​or the position result obtained by the sending UE; The second level address of the sending UE; The sending UE's application level address; or Some combination of them.

47. The UE according to claim 45, wherein: The sidelink positioning of the plurality of UEs is performed using at least one of: Transmission and measurement of Sidelink Positioning Reference Signal (SL PRS); Real-time kinematic (RTK); Transmission and measurement of WiFi signals; Transmission and measurement of ultra-wideband (UBW) signals; or Some combination of them.

48. The UE according to claim 47, wherein the sidelink positioning of the multiple UEs is performed using RTK, wherein each of the multiple UEs obtains a carrier phase measurement value of a global navigation satellite (GNSS) signal, wherein the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs are provided to at least one UE among the multiple UEs, wherein the at least one UE among the multiple UEs determines position results of some of the target UEs among the multiple UEs based on the carrier phase measurement values ​​obtained by the multiple UEs.

49. The UE according to claim 48, wherein: The sidelink positioning of the plurality of UEs is performed using transmission and measurement of an SL PRS, and wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receiving a SL PRS transmission configuration from other UEs among the plurality of UEs; Obtaining SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs among the multiple UEs based on the SL PRS transmission configuration; receiving a revised SL PRS transmission configuration from the other UEs of the plurality of UEs, wherein the revised SL PRS transmission configuration corresponds to the SL PRS transmitted by the other UEs; Sending the obtained SL PRS measurement results of the other UEs to the other UEs among the multiple UEs; transmitting the SL PRS based on the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE; Before sending the SL PRS, sending the SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE to other UEs among the multiple UEs; After transmitting the SL PRS, transmitting a revised SL PRS transmission configuration of the UE to other UEs of the plurality of UEs, wherein the revised SL PRS transmission configuration corresponds to the transmitted SL PRS; receiving SL PRS measurement values ​​obtained by the other UEs among the plurality of UEs; and Based on the obtained SL PRS measurement values ​​of the other UEs, the revised SLPRS transmission configuration of the other UEs among the multiple UEs, the SL PRS measurement values ​​obtained by the other UEs among the multiple UEs and at least one of the revised SL PRS transmission configurations of the UEs, the position results of some target UEs among the target UEs are determined.

50. The UE according to claim 49, wherein: The SL PRS measurements include at least one of the following: Receiving time - transmitting time difference (Rx-Tx), Reference Signal Time Difference (RSTD), Round trip signal propagation time (RTT), Reference signal received power, Reference signal reception quality, Angle of arrival, or Some combination of them.

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