Joint network entity / user equipment with user equipment / user equipment ranging

Abstract

A method of assisting joint network entity / user equipment and user equipment / user equipment (NE / UE and UE / UE) ranging includes transmitting a capability indication from a first UE to a network entity, the capability indication indicating a capability of the first UE to serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging; obtaining, at the first UE, a location of the first UE; transmitting, from the first UE, the location of the first UE; sending, from the first UE to the network entity, at least one indication that a second UE is in a line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and transmitting, from the first UE, at least one of a first positioning reference signal or a measurement report to the second UE, the measurement report indicating a measurement of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 17 / 891,829, filed on August 19, 2022, entitled “JOINT NETWORK ENTITY / USEREQUIPMENT-AND-USER EQUIPMENT / USER EQUIPMENT RANGING,” which is assigned to the assignee of this application and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes. Background Art

[0003] Wireless communication systems have evolved over several generations, including first generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third generation (3G) high-speed data wireless service with Internet capabilities, fourth generation (4G) service (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax), fifth generation (5G) service, etc. There are many different types of wireless communication systems in use today, including cellular systems and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), global system for mobile access (GSM) TDMA variants, etc.

[0004] The fifth generation (5G) mobile standard calls for higher data transfer speeds, a greater number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Network Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, with a data rate of 1 gigabit per second provided to dozens of workers on an office floor. To support large sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Therefore, the spectrum efficiency of 5G mobile communications should be significantly improved compared to the current 4G standard. In addition, signaling efficiency should be improved and latency should be significantly reduced compared to the current standard.

[0005] Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology can be used to transmit signals with wide bandwidth (e.g., >500 MHz). Signal energy can be transmitted without interfering with narrowband and carrier transmissions in the same frequency band. UWB can be used for low-energy, short-range applications (e.g., for ranging). UWB is currently divided into channels 1 to 15, which span frequencies from about 3.5 GHz to about 4.5 GHz and from about 6.5 GHz to about 10 GHz. Summary of the invention

[0006] An example first user equipment (UE) includes: a transceiver; a memory; one or more processors, the one or more processors being communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory and configured to: send a capability indication to a network entity (NE) via the transceiver, the capability indication indicating the capability of the first UE to serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging; obtain a position of the first UE; send the position of the first UE via the transceiver; and send at least one indication to the network entity via the transceiver that a second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and send at least one of a first positioning reference signal or a measurement report to the second UE via the transceiver, the measurement report indicating measurements of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE.

[0007] An example method for assisting joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging includes: sending a capability indication from a first UE to a network entity, the capability indication indicating the ability of the first UE to serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging; obtaining a position of the first UE at the first UE; sending the position of the first UE from the first UE; sending at least one indication from the first UE to the network entity that a second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and sending from the first UE at least one of a first positioning reference signal or a measurement report directed to the second UE, the measurement report indicating measurements of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE.

[0008] Another example first UE includes: a component for sending a capability indication to a network entity, the capability indication indicating the ability of the first UE to serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging; a component for obtaining the position of the first UE; a component for sending the position of the first UE; a component for sending at least one indication that a second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and a component for sending at least one of a first positioning reference signal or a measurement report to the second UE, the measurement report indicating measurements of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE.

[0009] An example non-transitory processor-readable storage medium includes processor-readable instructions for causing one or more processors of a first UE to: send a capability indication to a network entity, the capability indication indicating the ability of the first UE to serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging; obtain a position of the first UE; send the position of the first UE; send at least one indication that a second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and send at least one of a first positioning reference signal or a measurement report to the second UE, the measurement report indicating measurements of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] Figure 1 is a simplified diagram of an example wireless communication system.

[0011] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A block diagram of components of an example user equipment is shown.

[0012] Figure 3 is a block diagram of the components of an example send / receive point.

[0013] Figure 4 is a block diagram of components of an example server, various implementations of which are described in Figure 1 Shown in.

[0014] Figure 5 is a block diagram of an example user equipment.

[0015] Figure 6 is a block diagram of example network entities.

[0016] Figure 7 is an illustration of an example wireless communication environment.

[0017] Figure 8 A signaling and process flow diagram for joint network entity / user equipment and user equipment / user equipment ranging.

[0018] Fig. 9 is a signaling and process flow diagram for connection setup.

[0019] Fig.10 The invention is a flowchart of a method for assisting joint network entity / user equipment and user equipment / user equipment ranging. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Techniques for joint network entity (NE) / user equipment (UE) and UE / UE ranging, including joint NE / UE and UE / UE positioning, are discussed herein. One or more positioning signals may be communicated between the network entity and the target UE, and one or more positioning signals may be communicated between the target UE and the anchor UE, and measurements of the positioning signals between the NE and the target UE and between the target UE and the anchor UE may be used to determine location information, such as distances between the NE and the target UE and between the anchor UE and the target UE and / or a location estimate for the target UE. However, other specific implementations other than these examples may be used.

[0021] The items and / or techniques described herein may provide one or more of the following capabilities, as well as other capabilities not mentioned. The positioning accuracy of the target UE positioning may be improved. The positioning of the target UE in non-line-of-sight (NLOS) relative to the network entity may be achieved, or the positioning accuracy of the NLOS target UE may be improved. Other capabilities may be provided, and not every specific implementation according to the present disclosure must provide any of the capabilities discussed, let alone all of the capabilities.

[0022] Obtaining the location of a mobile device accessing a wireless network can be used for many applications, including, for example, emergency calls, personal navigation, consumer asset tracking, locating friends or family members, etc. Existing positioning methods include methods based on measuring radio signals transmitted from various devices or entities, including satellite vehicles (SVs) and terrestrial radio sources such as base stations and access points in wireless networks. It is expected that standardization for 5G wireless networks will include support for various positioning methods, which can utilize reference signals transmitted by base stations for positioning determination in a manner similar to how LTE wireless networks currently utilize positioning reference signals (PRS) and / or cell-specific reference signals (CRS).

[0023] This specification may refer to a sequence of actions to be performed by, for example, an element of a computing device. Each action described herein can be performed by a dedicated circuit (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. The sequence of actions described herein may be embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Thus, the various aspects described herein may be implemented in a number of different forms, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure, including the claimed subject matter.

[0024] As used herein, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not dedicated to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT), unless otherwise specified. Generally speaking, such UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., mobile phone, router, tablet computer, laptop computer, consumer asset tracking device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate through a wireless communication network. The UE can be mobile or can be stationary (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can 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" or their variants. In general, the UE can communicate with the core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a WiFi network (eg, based on IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11, etc.), and the like.

[0025] Depending on the network in which the base station is deployed, the base station may operate according to one of several RATs when communicating with the UE. Examples of base stations include access points (APs), network nodes, NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), or generalized NodeBs (gNodeBs, gNBs). Additionally, in some systems, a base station may provide only edge node signaling functions, while in other systems, a base station may provide additional control functions and / or network management functions.

[0026] The UE may be implemented by any of several 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 device, a consumer asset tracking device, an asset tag, etc. The communication link through which the UE can transmit 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 can transmit 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.). As used herein, the term "traffic channel (TCH)" may refer to an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0027] As used herein, depending on the context, the term "cell" or "sector" may correspond to one of multiple cells of a base station or to the base station itself. The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., on a carrier), and may be associated with an identifier to distinguish adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCID), virtual cell identifier (VCID)). In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types that may provide access to different types of devices (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types). In some examples, the term "cell" may refer to a portion of a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) on which the logical entity operates.

[0028] refer to Figure 1 , an example of a communication system 100 includes UE 105, UE 106, a radio access network (RAN) (here, fifth generation (5G) next generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN) 135), a 5G core network (5GC) 140, and a server 150. UE 105 and / or UE 106 may be, for example, an IoT device, a location tracker device, a cellular phone, a vehicle (e.g., a car, truck, bus, ship, etc.), or other devices. 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 NR RAN; and 5GC 140 may be referred to as an NG core network (NGC). Standardization of NG-RAN and 5GC is being conducted in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Accordingly, NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 may follow current or future standards from 3GPP for 5G support. NG-RAN 135 may be another type of RAN, for example, a 3G RAN, a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. UE 106 may be similarly configured and coupled to UE 105 to transmit and / or receive signals to and / or from similar other entities in system 100, but for simplicity of the drawing, the UE 106 is not shown in FIG. Figure 1105. Similarly, for simplicity, the discussion focuses on the UE 105. The communication system 100 may utilize information from a constellation 185 of satellite vehicles (SVs) 190, 191, 192, 193 of a satellite positioning system (SPS), such as 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). Additional components of the communication system 100 are described below. The communication system 100 may include additional or alternative components.

[0029] like Figure 1 As shown, the NG-RAN 135 includes NR nodeB (gNB) 110a, 110b and 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. The gNB 110a, gNB 110b, and ng-eNB 114 are communicatively coupled to each other, each configured for bidirectional wireless communication with the UE 105, and each communicatively coupled to the AMF 115 and configured for bidirectional communication with the AMF. The gNB 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may be referred to as a base station (BS). The AMF 115, SMF 117, LMF 120, and GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the GMLC is communicatively coupled to the external client 130. The SMF 117 may serve as an initial contact point for a service control function (SCF) (not shown) to create, control, and delete media sessions. A base station (such as gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) may be a macro cell (e.g., a high-power cellular base station) or a small cell (e.g., a low-power cellular base station) or an access point (e.g., a short-range base station configured to communicate with a short-range technology (e.g., WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth ® 、Bluetooth ® Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, etc.) for communication). One or more base stations (e.g., one or more of gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) may be configured to communicate with UE 105 via multiple carriers. Each of gNB 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic area (e.g., a cell). Each cell may be divided into multiple sectors according to the base station antenna.

[0030] Figure 1 A generalized illustration of various components is provided, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each component may be repeated or omitted as desired. Specifically, although one 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 190-193 shown), gNBs 110a, gNBs 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.

[0031] Although Figure 1 A 5G-based network is illustrated, but similar network implementations and configurations may be used for other communication technologies, such as 3G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), 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, receive and measure directional signals at a UE (e.g., UE 105), and / or provide location assistance to UE 105 (via GMLC 125 or other location servers), and / or calculate the position of UE 105 at a device with positioning capabilities (such as UE 105, gNB 110a, gNB 110b, or LMF 120) based on measurement parameters received at UE 105 for such directionally transmitted signals. The gateway mobile location center (GMLC) 125, location management function (LMF) 120, access and mobility management function (AMF) 115, SMF 117, ng-eNB (eNodeB) 114 and gNB (gNodeB) 110a, 110b are examples and may be replaced by or include various other location server functionality and / or base station functionality, respectively, in various embodiments.

[0032] The system 100 is capable of wireless communication because the components of the system 100 can communicate with each other (at least sometimes using wireless connections), directly or indirectly, for example, via gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, and / or 5GC 140 (and / or one or more other devices not shown, such as one or more other transceiver base stations). For indirect communication, the communication can be modified during transmission from one entity to another, for example, to change header information of a data packet, change the format, etc. The UE 105 may include multiple UEs and may be a mobile wireless communication device, but may communicate wirelessly as well as via a wired connection. The UE 105 may 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 need not be any of these configurations and other configurations of UEs may be used. Other UEs may include wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart jewelry, smart glasses, or head-mounted devices, 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, the gNBs 110a, 110b, the ng-eNB 114, the 5GC 140, and / or the external clients 130. For example, such other devices may include Internet of Things (IoT) devices, medical devices, home entertainment and / or automation devices, etc. The 5GC 140 may communicate with the external client 130 (e.g., a computer system), for example, to allow the external client 130 (e.g., via the GMLC 125) to request and / or receive location information about the UE 105.

[0033] The UE 105 or other device may be configured to communicate in various networks and / or for various purposes and / or using various technologies (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi communication, multi-frequency Wi-Fi communication, satellite positioning, one or more types of communication (e.g., GSM (Global System for Mobile), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), V2X (Vehicle to Vehicle, 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 WiFi (e.g., DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Connection)). System 100 can support operations on multiple carriers (waveform signals of different frequencies). A multi-carrier transmitter can simultaneously send modulated signals on multiple carriers. 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 transmitted on a different carrier and can carry pilots, overhead information, data, etc. UE 105, 106 may communicate with each other via UE-to-UE sidelink (SL) communication by transmitting on one or more sidelink (SL) channels, such as a physical sidelink synchronization channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), or a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). Direct wireless device-to-wireless device communication (not through a network) may generally be referred to as sidelink communication without limiting the communication to a particular protocol.

[0034] 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 secure user plane location (SUPL) enabled terminal (SET), or some other name. In addition, UE 105 may correspond to a cellular phone, a smart phone, a laptop computer, a tablet device, a PDA, a consumer asset tracking device, a navigation device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a health monitor, a security system, a smart city sensor, a smart meter, a wearable tracker, or some other portable or mobile device. Typically, although not required, UE 105 may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to support wireless communications, 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 WiFi (also known as Wi-Fi), Bluetooth ®(BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140), etc. UE 105 may use a wireless local area network (WLAN) to support wireless communications, which may be connected to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using, for example, a digital subscriber line (DSL) or packet cable. Using one or more of these RATs may allow UE 105 (e.g., via elements of 5GC 140 ( Figure 1 125), or possibly via the GMLC 125) to communicate with the external client 130 and / or allow the external client 130 to receive location information about the UE 105 (eg, via the GMLC 125).

[0035] UE 105 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network, where users may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O (input / output) devices, and / or body sensors and separate wired or wireless modems. The estimate of the location of UE 105 may be referred to as location, location estimate, location fix, fix, position, position estimate, or position fix, and may be geographic, thereby providing location coordinates (e.g., latitude and longitude) of UE 105, which may or may not include an altitude component (e.g., height above sea level; height above or depth below ground level, floor level, or basement level). Alternatively, the location of UE 105 may be expressed as a municipal location (e.g., a postal address or a designation of a point or smaller area in a building, such as a specific room or floor). The location of UE 105 may be represented as an area or volume (geographically or municipally defined) within which UE 105 is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of the UE 105 may be expressed as a relative location, including, for example, a distance and direction relative to a known location. The relative location may be expressed as relative coordinates (e.g., X, Y (and Z) coordinates) defined relative to a certain origin at a known location, which may be defined, for example, geographically, in municipal form, or with reference to a point, area, or volume indicated, for example, on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the description contained herein, the use of the term location may include any of these variants unless otherwise indicated. When calculating the location of the UE, local x, y, and (possibly) z coordinates are typically solved, and then (if necessary) the local coordinates are converted into absolute coordinates (e.g., with respect to latitude, longitude, and altitude above or below mean sea level).

[0036] UE 105 may be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of a variety of technologies. UE 105 may be configured to be indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. D2D P2P links may be supported using any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth ® Etc. One or more UEs in the group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be located within a geographic coverage area of ​​a transmit / receive point (TRP), such as one or more of gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may be unable to receive transmissions from the base station for other reasons. The 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 communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without involving a TRP. One or more UEs in the group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be located within a geographic coverage area of ​​a TRP. Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographic coverage area or may be unable to receive transmissions from the base station for other reasons. The 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 communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without involving TRP.

[0037] Figure 1 The base stations (BSs) in the NG-RAN 135 shown include NR Node Bs (referred to as gNBs 110a and 110b). Each pair 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 105 and one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b, which may provide wireless communications access to the 5GC 140 on behalf of the UE 105 using 5G. Figure 1 , it is assumed that the serving gNB for UE 105 is gNB 110a, but another gNB (e.g., gNB 110b) may serve as the serving gNB if UE 105 moves to another location, or may serve as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105.

[0038] Figure 1The base stations (BSs) in the illustrated NG-RAN 135 may include an ng-eNB 114, also referred to as a next generation evolved Node B. The ng-eNB 114 may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135, possibly via one or more other gNBs and / or one or more other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNB 114 may provide LTE wireless access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) wireless access to the UE 105. One or more of the gNBs 110a, gNB 110b, and / or ng-eNB 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 other UEs.

[0039] The gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or the ng-eNB 114 may each include one or more TRPs. For example, each sector within a cell of a BS may include a TRP, but multiple TRPs may share one or more components (e.g., a shared processor but with separate antennas). The system 100 may include only a macro TRP, or the system 100 may have different types of TRPs, such as a macro TRP, a pico TRP, and / or a femto TRP, among others. A macro TRP may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscriptions. A pico TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a pico cell) and may allow unrestricted access by terminals with service subscriptions. A femto or home TRP may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a femto cell) and may allow restricted access by terminals associated with the femto cell (e.g., terminals of users in a home).

[0040] Each of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may include a radio unit (RU), a distributed unit (DU), and a central unit (CU). For example, the gNB 110a includes a RU 111, a DU 112, and a CU 113. The RU 111, the DU 112, and the CU 113 divide the functionality of the gNB 110a. Although the gNB 110a is shown as having a single RU, a single DU, and a single CU, the gNB may include one or more RUs, one or more DUs, and / or one or more CUs. The interface between the CU 113 and the DU 112 is referred to as the F1 interface. The RU 111 is configured to perform digital front end (DFE) functions (e.g., analog-to-digital conversion, filtering, power amplification, transmission / reception) and digital beamforming, and includes a portion of the physical (PHY) layer. The RU 111 may perform DFE using massive multiple input / multiple output (MIMO) and may be integrated with one or more antennas of the gNB 110a. DU 112 hosts the radio link control (RLC), medium access control (MAC), and physical layers of gNB 110a. One DU may support one or more cells, and each cell is supported by a single DU. The operation of DU 112 is controlled by CU 113. CU 113 is configured to perform functions for delivering user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc., although some functions are only assigned to DU 112. CU 113 hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocols of gNB 110a. UE 105 can communicate with CU 113 via RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, communicate with DU 112 via RLC, MAC, and PHY layers, and communicate with RU 111 via PHY layer.

[0041] As mentioned, although Figure 1 Nodes configured to communicate according to a 5G communication protocol are depicted, but nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols (such as, for example, an LTE protocol or an IEEE 802.11x protocol) may also be used. For example, in an evolved packet system (EPS) that provides LTE wireless access to a UE 105, the RAN may include an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), which may include base stations including evolved Node Bs (eNBs). The core network for the EPS may include an evolved packet core (EPC). The EPS may include the E-UTRAN plus the EPC, where the E-UTRAN corresponds to Figure 1 The NG-RAN 135 in the figure and the EPC correspond to the 5GC 140 in the figure.

[0042] The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may communicate with the AMF 115; for positioning functionality, the AMF 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 with the UE 105 and (possibly) data and voice bearers for the UE 105. The LMF 120 may communicate directly with the UE 105, or directly with the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 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 various positioning procedures / methods, such as Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (e.g., downlink (DL) OTDOA or uplink (UL) OTDOA), Round Trip Time (RTT), Multi-cell RTT, 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 for the UE 105 received from, for example, the AMF 115 or the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be connected to the AMF 115 and / or the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 may be referred to by other names, such as a Location Manager (LM), a Location Function (LF), a Commercial LMF (CLMF), or a Value-Added LMF (VLMF). A node / system implementing LMF 120 may additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an enhanced serving mobile location center (E-SMLC) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP). At least a portion of the positioning functionality (including the derivation of the location of UE 105) may be performed at UE 105 (e.g., using signal measurements obtained by UE 105 for signals sent by wireless nodes (such as gNB 110a, gNB 110b and / or ng-eNB 114), and / or assistance data provided to UE 105 by LMF 120, for example). AMF 115 may serve as a control node for processing signaling between UE 105 and 5GC 140, and may provide QoS (quality of service) flow and session management. AMF 115 may support the mobility of UE 105 (including cell changes and handovers), and may participate in supporting signaling connections with UE 105.

[0043] The server 150 (e.g., a cloud server) is configured to obtain a location estimate for the UE 105 and provide it to the external client 130. The server 150 may, for example, be configured to run a microservice / service that obtains a location estimate for the UE 105. The server 150 may, for example, obtain a location estimate from (e.g., by transmitting a location request) the UE 105, one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b (e.g., via the RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113), and / or the ng-eNB 114, and / or the LMF 120. As another example, the UE 105, one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b (e.g., via the RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113), and / or the LMF 120 may push the location estimate for the UE 105 to the server 150.

[0044] The GMLC 125 may support location requests for the UE 105 received from the external client 130 via the server 150, and may forward the 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 of 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 the location estimate) to the external client 130 via the server 150. The GMLC 125 is shown as being connected to both the AMF 115 and the LMF 120, but may not be connected to either the AMF 115 or the LMF 120 in some implementations.

[0045] like Figure 1 As further illustrated, LMF 120 may communicate with gNB 110a, gNB 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 using a new radio positioning protocol A (which may be referred to as NPPa or NRPPa), which may be defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa) defined in 3GPP TS 36.455, wherein NRPPa messages are communicated between gNB 110a (or gNB 110b) and LMF 120, and / or between ng-eNB 114 and LMF 120 via AMF 115. Figure 1By further example, the LMF 120 and the UE 105 may communicate using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP), which may be defined in 3GPP TS 36.355. The LMF 120 and the UE 105 may additionally or alternatively communicate using a new radio positioning protocol (which may be referred to as NPP or NRPP), which may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LPP. Here, LPP and / or NPP messages may be communicated between the UE 105 and the LMF 120 via the AMF 115 and the serving gNB 110a, gNB 110b, or serving ng-eNB 114 of the UE 105. For example, the LPP and / or NPP messages may be communicated between the LMF 120 and the AMF 115 using the 5G Location Service Application Protocol (LCS AP), and may be communicated between the AMF 115 and the UE 105 using the 5G Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol. The LPP and / or NPP protocols may be used to support positioning of the UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based positioning methods such as A-GNSS, RTK, OTDOA, 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., in conjunction 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 SS (synchronization signal) or PRS transmissions from the gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. The LMF 120 may be co-located or integrated with the gNB or TRP, or may be located remotely from the gNB and / or TRP and configured to communicate directly or indirectly with the gNB and / or TRP.

[0046] Using UE-assisted positioning methods, UE 105 may obtain location measurements and transmit these measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for use in calculating a location estimate for UE 105. 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) of gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114, and / or WLAN APs. The location measurements may additionally or alternatively include measurements of GNSS pseudoranges, code phases, and / or carrier phases of SVs 190-193.

[0047] Using the UE-based positioning method, UE 105 can obtain position measurements (e.g., which can be the same or similar to the position measurements of the UE-assisted positioning method), and the position of UE 105 can be calculated (e.g., with the help of auxiliary data received from a location server (such as LMF120) or broadcast by gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114 or other base stations or APs).

[0048] Using network-based positioning methods, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) or APs may obtain location measurements (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, or time of arrival (ToA) of signals sent by UE 105) and / or may receive measurements obtained by UE 105. One or more base stations or APs may transmit the measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 120) for use in calculating a location estimate for UE 105.

[0049] The information provided to LMF 120 by gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114 using NRPPa may include timing and configuration information for directional SS or PRS transmission and location coordinates. LMF 120 may provide some or all of this information to UE 105 as assistance data in LPP and / or NPP messages via NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140.

[0050] The LPP or NPP message transmitted from LMF 120 to UE 105 may instruct UE 105 to do any of a variety of things, depending on the desired functionality. For example, the LPP or NPP message may include instructions for UE 105 to obtain measurements of GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and / or OTDOA (or some other positioning method). In the case of E-CID, the LPP or NPP message may instruct UE 105 to obtain one or more measurement parameters (e.g., beam ID, beam width, average angle, RSRP, RSRQ measurements) of directional signals transmitted within a particular cell supported by one or more of gNB 110a, gNB 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 (or supported by some other type of base station (such as an eNB or WiFi AP)). The UE 105 may transmit these measurement parameters back to the LMF 120 in an LPP or NPP message (e.g., within a 5G NAS message) via the serving gNB 110a (or serving ng-eNB 114) and the AMF 115.

[0051] As noted, while the communication system 100 is described with respect to 5G technology, the communication system 100 may be implemented to support other communication technologies (such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc.) that are used to support and interact with mobile devices (such as UE 105) (e.g., to implement voice, data, positioning, and other functionality). In some such embodiments, the 5GC 140 may be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, the 5GC 140 may use the non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF, Figure 1 114) is connected to the WLAN. For example, the WLAN may support IEEE 802.11 WiFi access for the UE 105 and may include one or more WiFi APs. Here, the N3IWF may be connected to the WLAN and other elements in the 5GC 140, such as the AMF 115. In some embodiments, both the NG-RAN 135 and the 5GC 140 may be replaced by one or more other RANs and one or more other core networks. For example, in the EPS, the NG-RAN 135 may be replaced by an E-UTRAN including an eNB, and the 5GC 140 may be replaced by an EPC including a mobility management entity (MME) replacing the AMF 115, an E-SMLC replacing the LMF 120, and a GMLC that may be similar to the GMLC 125. In such an EPS, the E-SMLC may use LPPa instead of NRPPa to transmit location information to and receive location information from the eNBs in the E-UTRAN, and may use LPP to support positioning of the UE 105. In these other embodiments, positioning of UE 105 using directional PRS may be supported in a manner similar to that described herein for 5G networks, with the difference that the functionality and procedures described herein for gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, and LMF 120 may in some cases be applied alternatively to other network elements, such as eNBs, WiFi APs, MMEs, and E-SMLCs.

[0052] As noted, in some embodiments, positioning functionality may be implemented at least in part using directional SS or PRS beams transmitted by base stations (such as gNBs 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) that are located at the UE (e.g., Figure 1 In some instances, the UE may use directional SS beams or directional PRS beams from multiple base stations (such as gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, etc.) to calculate the positioning of the UE.

[0053] Also refer to Figure 2UE 200 is an example of one of UEs 105, 106, and includes a computing platform including a processor 210, a memory 211 including software (SW) 212, one or more sensors 213, a transceiver interface 214 for a transceiver 215 (the transceiver includes a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250), a user interface 216, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 217, a camera 218, and a positioning device (PD) 219. The processor 210, the memory 211, the sensor 213, the transceiver interface 214, the user interface 216, the SPS receiver 217, the camera 218, and the positioning device 219 can be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 220 (the bus can be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., the camera 218, the positioning device 219, and / or one or more sensors in the sensor 213, etc.) can be omitted from the UE 200. The processor 210 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 210 may include multiple processors, including a general / application processor 230, a digital signal processor (DSP) 231, a modem processor 232, a video processor 233, and / or a sensor processor 234. One or more of the processors 230 to 234 may include multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, the sensor processor 234 may include, for example, a processor for RF (radio frequency) sensing (where one or more (cellular) wireless signals and reflections sent are used to identify, map, and / or track objects) and / or ultrasound, etc. The modem processor 232 may support dual SIM / dual connectivity (or even more SIMs). For example, a SIM (subscriber identity module or subscriber identity module) may be used by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and another SIM may be used by a terminal user of the UE 200 to obtain connectivity. The memory 211 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, an optical disk memory, and / or a read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 211 stores software 212, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause processor 210 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 212 may not be directly executable by processor 210, but may be configured to cause processor 210 to perform these functions, for example, when compiled and executed. This specification may refer to processor 210 performing a function, but this includes other specific implementations, such as specific implementations in which processor 210 executes software and / or firmware. This specification may refer to processor 210 performing a function as shorthand for one or more of processors 230 to 234 performing the function.This description may refer to UE 200 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of UE 200 performing that function. Processor 210 may include a memory with stored instructions in addition to and / or in lieu of memory 211. The functionality of processor 210 is discussed more fully below.

[0054] Figure 2 The configuration of UE 200 shown is an example and not a limitation of the present disclosure (including claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, an example configuration of UE includes one or more of processors 230 to 234 of processor 210, memory 211, and wireless transceiver 240. Other example configurations include one or more of processors 230 to 234 in processor 210, memory 211, wireless transceiver, and one or more of the following: sensor 213, user interface 216, SPS receiver 217, camera 218, PD 219, and / or wired transceiver.

[0055] UE 200 may include a modem processor 232 that may be capable of performing baseband processing of signals received and down-converted by transceiver 215 and / or SPS receiver 217. Modem processor 232 may perform baseband processing of signals to be up-converted for transmission by transceiver 215. Additionally or alternatively, baseband processing may be performed by general / application processor 230 and / or DSP 231. However, other configurations may be used to perform baseband processing.

[0056] UE 200 may include sensors 213, which may include, for example, one or more sensors of various types of sensors, such as one or more inertial sensors, one or more magnetometers, one or more environmental sensors, one or more optical sensors, one or more weight sensors, and / or one or more radio frequency (RF) sensors, etc. An inertial measurement unit (IMU) may include, for example, one or more accelerometers (e.g., collectively responsive to acceleration of UE 200 in three dimensions) and / or one or more gyroscopes (e.g., three-dimensional gyroscopes). Sensors 213 may include one or more magnetometers (e.g., three-dimensional magnetometers) to determine orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and / or true north), which may be used for any of a variety of purposes (e.g., to support one or more compass applications). Environmental sensors may include, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and / or one or more microphones, etc. Sensors 213 may generate analog and / or digital signals, indications of which may be stored in memory 211 and processed by DSP 231 and / or general / application processor 230 to support one or more applications (such as, for example, applications involving positioning and / or navigation operations).

[0057] The sensor 213 may be used for relative position measurement, relative position determination, motion determination, etc. The information detected by the sensor 213 may be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based position determination, and / or sensor-assisted position determination. The sensor 213 may be used to determine whether the UE 200 is fixed (stationary) or mobile and / or whether to report certain useful information related to the mobility of the UE 200 to the LMF 120. For example, based on the information obtained / measured by the sensor 213, the UE 200 may notify / report to the LMF 120 that the UE 200 has detected movement or that the UE 200 has moved, and report the relative displacement / distance (e.g., via dead reckoning implemented by the sensor 213, or sensor-based position determination, or sensor-assisted position determination). In another example, for relative positioning information, the sensor / IMU may be used to determine the angle and / or orientation of another device relative to the UE 200, etc.

[0058] The IMU may be configured to provide measurements of the direction of motion and / or speed of motion of the UE 200, which may be used for relative position determination. For example, one or more accelerometers and / or one or more gyroscopes of the IMU may detect the linear acceleration and rotational speed of the UE 200, respectively. The linear acceleration measurements and rotational speed measurements of the UE 200 may be integrated over time to determine the instantaneous direction of motion and displacement of the UE 200. The instantaneous direction of motion and displacement may be integrated to track the position of the UE 200. For example, a reference position of the UE 200 at a certain moment may be determined, for example, using the SPS receiver 217 (and / or by some other means), and measurements obtained from the accelerometers and gyroscopes after that moment may be used for dead reckoning to determine the current position of the UE 200 based on the movement (direction and distance) of the UE 200 relative to the reference position.

[0059] The magnetometer may determine magnetic field strengths in different directions, which may be used to determine the orientation of the UE 200. For example, the orientation may be used to provide a digital compass for the UE 200. The magnetometer may include a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of magnetic field strength in two orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer may include a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of magnetic field strength in three orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer may provide a component for sensing a magnetic field and providing an indication of the magnetic field, for example, to the processor 210.

[0060] The transceiver 215 may include a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 240 may include a wireless transmitter 242 and a wireless receiver 244 coupled to an antenna 246 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 248 and converting signals from the wireless signals 248 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to the wireless signals 248. The wireless transmitter 242 includes appropriate components (e.g., a power amplifier and a digital-to-analog converter). The wireless receiver 244 includes appropriate components (e.g., one or more amplifiers, one or more frequency filters, and an analog-to-digital converter). The wireless transmitter 242 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 244 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 240 may be configured to communicate with a variety of radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global Mobile System), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth ® , Zigbee, etc.) to communicate signals (e.g., with TRP and / or one or more other devices). The new radio may use millimeter wave frequencies and / or frequencies below 6 GHz. The wired transceiver 250 may include a wired transmitter 252 and a wired receiver 254 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that can be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to transmit communications to the NG-RAN 135 and receive communications from the NG-RAN. The wired transmitter 252 may include a plurality of transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 254 may include a plurality of receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 250 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication. The transceiver 215 may be communicatively coupled to the transceiver interface 214, for example, via an optical connection and / or an electrical connection. The transceiver interface 214 may be at least partially integrated with the transceiver 215. The wireless transmitter 242, the wireless receiver 244 and / or the antenna 246 may include multiple transmitters, multiple receivers and / or multiple antennas, respectively, for transmitting and / or receiving appropriate signals, respectively.

[0061] The user interface 216 may include one or more of several devices (such as, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a display device, a vibration device, a keyboard, a touch screen, etc.). The user interface 216 may include more than one of any of these devices. The user interface 216 may be configured to enable a user to interact with one or more applications hosted by the UE 200. For example, the user interface 216 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in the memory 211 in response to actions from the user to be processed by the DSP 231 and / or the general / application processor 230. Similarly, an application hosted on the UE 200 may store indications of analog and / or digital signals in the memory 211 to present output signals to the user. The user interface 216 may include an audio input / output (I / O) device, which includes, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a digital-to-analog circuit system, an analog-to-digital circuit system, an amplifier, and / or a gain control circuit system (including more than one of these devices). Other configurations of audio I / O devices may be used. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface 216 may include one or more touch sensors that respond to touch and / or pressure on, for example, a keyboard and / or a touch screen of the user interface 216 .

[0062] The SPS receiver 217 (e.g., a global positioning system (GPS) receiver) may be capable of receiving and acquiring the SPS signal 260 via the SPS antenna 262. The SPS antenna 262 is configured to convert the SPS signal 260 from a wireless signal to a wired signal (e.g., an electrical signal or an optical signal) and may be integrated with the antenna 246. The SPS receiver 217 may be configured to process the acquired SPS signal 260 in whole or in part to estimate the position of the UE 200. For example, the SPS receiver 217 may be configured to determine the position of the UE 200 by performing trilateration using the SPS signal 260. The general / application processor 230, the memory 211, the DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors (not shown) may be utilized in conjunction with the SPS receiver 217 to process the acquired SPS signal in whole or in part, and / or calculate the estimated position of the UE 200. The memory 211 may store indications (e.g., measurements) of the SPS signals 260 and / or other signals (e.g., signals obtained from the wireless transceiver 240) for use in performing positioning operations. The general / application processor 230, the DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors, and / or the memory 211 may provide or support a location engine for use in processing measurements to estimate the location of the UE 200.

[0063] UE 200 may include a camera 218 for capturing still or moving images. Camera 218 may include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge coupled device or a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) imager), a lens, analog-to-digital circuitry, a frame buffer, etc. Additional processing, conditioning, encoding, and / or compression of signals representing captured images may be performed by general / application processor 230 and / or DSP 231. Additionally or alternatively, a video processor 233 may perform conditioning, encoding, compression, and / or manipulation of signals representing captured images. Video processor 233 may decode / decompress stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown) (e.g., of user interface 216).

[0064] Positioning device (PD) 219 may be configured to determine the location of UE 200, the movement of UE 200, and / or the relative location of UE 200, and / or time. For example, PD 219 may communicate with SPS receiver 217 and / or include part or all of an SPS receiver. PD 219 may work appropriately with processor 210 and memory 211 to perform at least a portion of one or more positioning methods, although this specification may refer to PD 219 being configured to perform according to a positioning method or the PD performing according to a positioning method. PD 219 may be additionally or alternatively configured to: use ground-based signals (e.g., at least some signals 248) for trilateration, assist in obtaining and use SPS signals 260, or both to determine the location of UE 200. PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of UE 200 based on the cell of a serving base station (e.g., cell center) and / or another technology (such as E-CID). The PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 using one or more images from the camera 218 and image recognition combined with known locations of landmarks (e.g., natural landmarks (such as mountains) and / or artificial landmarks (such as buildings, bridges, streets), etc.). The PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 using one or more other techniques (e.g., relying on the UE's self-reported location (e.g., part of the UE's location beacon)), and may use a combination of techniques (e.g., SPS and ground positioning signals) to determine the location of the UE 200. The PD 219 may include one or more sensors 213 (e.g., gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, etc.), which may sense the orientation and / or movement of the UE 200 and provide an indication of the orientation and / or movement, and the processor 210 (e.g., general / application processor 230 and / or DSP 231) may be configured to use the indication to determine the movement of the UE 200 (e.g., velocity vector and / or acceleration vector). PD 219 may be configured to provide an indication of uncertainty and / or error in the determined position and / or motion. The functionality of PD 219 may be provided in various ways and / or configurations, such as by general / application processor 230, transceiver 215, SPS receiver 217, and / or another component of UE 200, and may be provided by hardware, software, firmware, or various combinations thereof.

[0065] Also refer to Figure 3, an example of a TRP 300 for a gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 includes a computing platform including a processor 310, a memory 311 including software (SW) 312, and a transceiver 315. The processor 310, the memory 311, and the transceiver 315 may be communicatively coupled to one another via a bus 320 (which may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., a wireless transceiver) may be omitted from the TRP 300. The processor 310 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 310 may include a plurality of processors (e.g., including a general / application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and / or a sensor processor, such as Figure 2 ). The memory 311 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, optical disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory 311 stores software 312, which may be a processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause the processor 310 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, the software 312 may not be directly executable by the processor 310, but may be configured to cause the processor 310 to perform these functions, for example, when compiled and executed.

[0066] This specification may refer to processor 310 performing a function, but this includes other specific implementations, such as a specific implementation in which processor 310 executes software and / or firmware. This specification may refer to processor 310 performing a function as shorthand for one or more processors included in processor 310 performing the function. This specification may refer to TRP 300 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components (e.g., processor 310 and memory 311) of TRP 300 (and therefore one of gNB 110a, 110b and / or ng-eNB 114) performing the function. Processor 310 may include a memory with stored instructions in addition to and / or in lieu of memory 311. The functionality of processor 310 is discussed more fully below.

[0067] The transceiver 315 may include a wireless transceiver 340 and / or a wired transceiver 350 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 340 may include a wireless transmitter 342 and a wireless receiver 344 coupled to one or more antennas 346 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more downlink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more downlink channels and / or one or more uplink channels) wireless signals 348 and converting signals from the wireless signals 348 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to the wireless signals 348. Thus, the wireless transmitter 342 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 344 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 340 may be configured to communicate in accordance with various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G 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), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth ® , Zigbee, etc.) to communicate signals (e.g., with UE 200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices). The wired transceiver 350 may include a wired transmitter 352 and a wired receiver 354 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that can be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to transmit communications to, for example, the LMF 120 and / or one or more other network entities and receive communications therefrom. The wired transmitter 352 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 354 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 350 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0068] Figure 3 The configuration of the TRP 300 shown is an example and not a limitation of the present disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, the present specification discusses that the TRP 300 is configured to perform several functions or that the TRP performs several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by the LMF 120 and / or the UE 200 (i.e., the LMF 120 and / or the UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0069] Also refer to Figure 4 , the server 400 (LMF 120 is an example of the server) includes a computing platform including a processor 410, a memory 411 including software (SW) 412, and a transceiver 415. The processor 410, the memory 411, and the transceiver 415 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 420 (the bus may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the devices shown (e.g., a wireless transceiver) may be omitted from the server 400. The processor 410 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 410 may include a plurality of processors (e.g., including a general / application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and / or a sensor processor, such as Figure 2 410). Memory 411 is a non-transitory storage medium that may include random access memory (RAM), flash memory, optical disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. Memory 411 stores software 412, which may be a processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause processor 410 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, software 412 may not be directly executable by processor 410, but may be configured to cause processor 410 to perform these functions, for example, when compiled and executed. This specification may refer to processor 410 performing functions, but this includes other specific implementations, such as specific implementations in which processor 410 executes software and / or firmware. This specification may refer to processor 410 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more processors included in processor 410 performing the function. This specification may refer to server 400 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of server 400 performing the function. Processor 410 may include a memory with stored instructions as a supplement and / or alternative to memory 411. The functionality of processor 410 is discussed more fully below.

[0070] The transceiver 415 may include a wireless transceiver 440 and / or a wired transceiver 450 configured to communicate with other devices via wireless connections and wired connections, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may include a wireless transmitter 442 and a wireless receiver 444 coupled to one or more antennas 446 for transmitting (e.g., on one or more downlink channels) and / or receiving (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) wireless signals 448 and converting signals from the wireless signals 448 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to the wireless signals 448. Thus, the wireless transmitter 442 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 444 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 440 may be configured to communicate in accordance with various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G 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), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Bluetooth ® , Zigbee, etc.) to communicate signals (e.g., with UE 200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices). The wired transceiver 450 may include a wired transmitter 452 and a wired receiver 454 configured for wired communication, for example, a network interface that can be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to transmit communications to, for example, the TRP 300 and / or one or more other network entities and receive communications therefrom. The wired transmitter 452 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 454 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 450 may be configured, for example, for optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0071] This specification may refer to processor 410 performing a function, but this includes other implementations, such as implementations in which processor 410 executes software (stored in memory 411) and / or firmware. This specification may refer to server 400 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of server 400 (e.g., processor 410 and memory 411) performing that function.

[0072] Figure 4The configuration of the server 400 shown is an example and not a limitation of the present disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may be omitted. Additionally or alternatively, this specification discusses that the server 400 is configured to perform several functions or that the server performs several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by the TRP 300 and / or the UE 200 (i.e., the TRP 300 and / or the UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0073] Positioning Technology

[0074] For terrestrial positioning of UEs in cellular networks, techniques such as Advanced Forward Link Trilateration (AFLT) and Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) typically operate in a "UE-assisted" mode, where measurements of reference signals (e.g., PRS, CRS, etc.) transmitted by base stations are acquired by the UE and then provided to a location server. The location server then calculates the position of the UE based on the measurements and the known positions of the base stations. Since these techniques use a location server (rather than the UE itself) to calculate the position of the UE, these positioning techniques are not frequently used in applications such as automotive or cell phone navigation, which instead typically rely on satellite-based positioning.

[0075] UEs can use a satellite positioning system (SPS) (Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)) to use Precise Point Positioning (PPP) or Real-Time Kinematics (RTK) techniques for high accuracy positioning. These techniques use assistance data, such as measurements from ground-based stations. LTE Release 15 allows the data to be encrypted so that only UEs subscribed to the service can read the information. Such assistance data changes over time. As a result, a UE subscribed to the service may not be able to easily "crack the encryption" for other UEs by passing the data to other UEs that have not paid for the subscription. This transfer needs to be repeated each time the assistance data changes.

[0076] In UE-assisted positioning, the UE transmits measurements (e.g., TDOA, Angle of Arrival (AoA), etc.) to a positioning server (e.g., LMF / eSMLC). The positioning server has a base station almanac (BSA) that contains multiple "entries" or "records", one record per cell, where each record contains a geographic cell location, but may also include other data. An identifier of a "record" among multiple "records" in the BSA may be referenced. The BSA and the measurements from the UE may be used to calculate the positioning of the UE.

[0077] In conventional UE-based positioning, the UE calculates its own position, avoiding the transmission of measurements to the network (e.g., a location server), which in turn improves latency and scalability. The UE uses the relevant BSA record information from the network (e.g., the location of the gNB (more broadly, the base station)). The BSA information can be encrypted. However, since the BSA information changes much less frequently than, for example, the PPP or RTK assistance data described previously, it may be easier (compared to PPP or RTK information) to make the BSA information available to UEs that are not subscribed and have not paid for decryption keys. The transmission of reference signals by the gNB makes the BSA information potentially accessible to crowdsourcing or driving attacks, essentially enabling the BSA information to be generated based on in-the-field observations and / or over-the-top observations.

[0078] Positioning techniques may be characterized and / or evaluated based on one or more criteria, such as positioning determination accuracy and / or latency. Latency is the time elapsed between an event that triggers the determination of positioning-related data and the availability of the data at a positioning system interface (e.g., an interface of LMF 120). At the time of initialization of the positioning system, the latency for the availability of positioning-related data is called the time to first fix (TTFF) and is greater than the latency after the TTFF. The inverse of the time elapsed between two consecutive positioning-related data availabilities is called the update rate, i.e., the rate at which positioning-related data is generated after the first fix. Latency may depend on (e.g., UE's) processing capabilities. For example, assuming a 272 PRB (physical resource block) allocation, a UE may report the processing capability of the UE as the duration (in time units (e.g., milliseconds) of a DL PRS symbol that the UE can process per T amount of time (e.g., Tms). Other examples of capabilities that may affect latency are the number of TRPs from which the UE can process PRSs, the number of PRSs that the UE can process, and the bandwidth of the UE.

[0079] One or more of many different positioning techniques (also referred to as positioning methods) may be used to determine the location of an entity (such as one of the UEs 105, 106). For example, known positioning determination techniques include RTT, multi-RTT, OTDOA (also referred to as TDOA and including UL-TDOA and DL-TDOA), enhanced cell identification (E-CID), DL-AoD, UL-AoA, etc. RTT uses the time it takes for a signal to travel from one entity to another and back to determine the distance between the two entities. This distance plus the known position of the first of the entities and the angle (e.g., azimuth) between the two entities may be used to determine the position of the second of the entities. In multi-RTT (also referred to as multi-cell RTT), multiple distances from one entity (e.g., UE) to other entities (e.g., TRP) and the known positions of the other entities may be used to determine the position of the one entity. In TDOA techniques, the travel time difference between one entity and the other entities may be used to determine the relative distance to the other entities, and the relative distance combined with the known positions of the other entities may be used to determine the position of the one entity. The angle of arrival and / or angle of departure can be used to help determine the location of an entity. For example, the angle of arrival or angle of departure of a signal combined with the distance between devices (the distance determined using the signal (e.g., the travel time of the signal, the received power of the signal, etc.)) and the known position of one of the devices can be used to determine the location of the other device. The angle of arrival or angle of departure can be an azimuth relative to a reference direction (such as true north). The angle of arrival or angle of departure can be a zenith angle relative to directly upward from the entity (i.e., relative to radially outward from the center of the earth). E-CID uses the identity of the serving cell, the timing advance (i.e., the difference between the reception time and the transmission time at the UE), the estimated timing and power of the detected neighbor cell signals, and possible angles of arrival (e.g., the angle of arrival of the signal from the base station at the UE, or vice versa) to determine the location of the UE. In TDOA, the difference in the arrival time of signals from different sources at the receiving device together with the known positions of these sources and the known offsets of the transmission times from these sources are used to determine the location of the receiving device.

[0080] In network-centric RTT estimation, the serving base station commands the UE to scan / receive RTT measurement signals (e.g., PRS) on the serving cells of two or more neighboring base stations (and typically the serving base station, since at least three base stations are required). The one or more base stations send the RTT measurement signals on low reuse resources (e.g., resources used by the base station to send system information) allocated by the network (e.g., a location server, such as LMF 120). The UE records the arrival time (also known as reception time, received time, received time, or arrival time (ToA)) of each RTT measurement signal relative to the current downlink timing of the UE (e.g., as derived by the UE from the DL signal received from its serving base station), and (e.g., when instructed by its serving base station) sends a common or individual RTT response message (e.g., SRS (sounding reference signal) used for positioning, i.e., UL-PRS) to the one or more base stations, and may calculate the time difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the sending time of the RTT response message. (i.e., UE T Rx-Tx or UE Rx-Tx ) is included in the payload of each RTT response message. The RTT response message will include a reference signal from which the base station can infer the ToA of the RTT response. By comparing the difference between the transmission time of the RTT measurement signal from the base station and the ToA of the RTT response at the base station Time difference with UE report , the base station can infer the propagation time between the base station and the UE, from which the base station can determine the distance between the UE and the base station by assuming the speed of light during the propagation time.

[0081] UE-centric RTT estimation is similar to the network-based approach, except that the UE sends an uplink RTT measurement signal (e.g., when commanded by a serving base station), which is received by multiple base stations in the vicinity of the UE. Each base station involved responds with a downlink RTT response message, which may include in the RTT response message payload the time difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal at the base station and the transmission time of the RTT response message from the base station.

[0082] For both network-centric and UE-centric procedures, the side performing the RTT calculation (network or UE) typically (but not always) sends a first message or signal (e.g., an RTT measurement signal), and the other side responds with one or more RTT response messages or signals, which may include the difference between the ToA of the first message or signal and the sending time of the RTT response message or signal.

[0083] Multi-RTT techniques may be used to determine positioning. For example, a first entity (e.g., a UE) may transmit one or more signals (e.g., unicast, multicast, or broadcast from a base station), and a plurality of second entities (e.g., other TSPs, such as base stations and / or UEs) may receive signals from the first entity and respond to the received signals. The first entity receives responses from the plurality of second entities. The first entity (or another entity, such as an LMF) may use the responses from the second entity to determine the distance to the second entity, and may use the plurality of distances and the known positions of the second entity to determine the position of the first entity by trilateration.

[0084] In some instances, additional information may be obtained in the form of an angle of arrival (AoA) or angle of departure (AoD) that defines a straight line direction (e.g., which may be in the horizontal plane or in three dimensions) or a range of possible directions (e.g., of the UE as seen from the location of a base station). The intersection of the two directions may provide another estimate of the UE's position.

[0085] For positioning techniques (e.g., TDOA and RTT) that use PRS (positioning reference signal) signals, PRS signals transmitted by multiple TRPs are measured and the arrival times of these signals, the known transmission times, and the known locations of the TRPs are used to determine the distance from the UE to the TRPs. For example, RSTD (reference signal time difference) can be determined for PRS signals received from multiple TRPs and used in TDOA techniques to determine the location (position) of the UE. Positioning reference signals may be referred to as PRS or PRS signals. PRS signals are typically transmitted using the same power, and PRS signals with the same signal characteristics (e.g., the same frequency shift) may interfere with each other, so that PRS signals from farther TRPs may be drowned out by PRS signals from closer TRPs, so that signals from farther TRPs may not be detected. PRS muting can be used to help reduce interference by muting some PRS signals (reducing the power of the PRS signal, for example, to zero and thereby not sending the PRS signal). In this way, the UE can more easily detect (at the UE) a weaker PRS signal without a stronger PRS signal interfering with the weaker PRS signal. The term RS and its variants (eg, PRS, SRS, CSI-RS (Channel State Information - Reference Signal)) may refer to one reference signal or more than one reference signal.

[0086] Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) include downlink PRS (DL PRS, often referred to as PRS for short) and uplink PRS (UL PRS) (the uplink PRS may be referred to as SRS (sounding reference signal) for positioning). PRS may include a PN code (pseudo-random number) or be generated using a PN code (e.g., by modulating a carrier signal with a PN code) so that the source of the PRS can be used as a pseudo-satellite. The PN code may be unique to the PRS source (at least unique within a specified area so that the same PRS from different PRS sources do not overlap). PRS may include PRS resources and / or PRS resource sets of a frequency layer. A DL PRS positioning frequency layer (or simply a frequency layer) is a collection of DL PRS resource sets from one or more TRPs, where the PRS resources have common parameters configured by higher layer parameters DL-PRS-PositioningFrequencyLayer, DL-PRS-ResourceSet, and DL-PRS-Resource. Each frequency layer has a DL PRS subcarrier spacing (SCS) for a DL PRS resource set and DL PRS resource in that frequency layer. Each frequency layer has a DL PRS cyclic prefix (CP) for the DL PRS resource sets and DL PRS resources in that frequency layer. In 5G, a resource block occupies 12 consecutive subcarriers and a specified number of symbols. A common resource block is a set of resource blocks that occupy a channel bandwidth. A bandwidth part (BWP) is a set of consecutive common resource blocks and may include all common resource blocks within the channel bandwidth or a subset of the common resource blocks. In addition, the DL PRS point A parameter defines the frequency of the reference resource block (and the lowest subcarrier of the resource block), where DL PRS resources belonging to the same DL PRS resource set have the same point A, and all DL PRS resource sets belonging to the same frequency layer have the same point A. Frequency layers also have the same DL PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size value (i.e., the frequency of PRS resource elements per symbol, so that for comb-N, every Nth resource element is a PRS resource element). A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and can be associated with a specific TRP (identified by a cell ID) transmitted by the antenna panel of the base station. The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set may be associated with an omni-directional signal and / or associated with a single beam (and / or beam ID) transmitted from a single base station (where a base station may transmit one or more beams). Each PRS resource in a PRS resource set may be transmitted on a different beam, and as such, the PRS resources (or simply resources) may also be referred to as beams. This does not imply anything about whether the base station and beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE.

[0087] The TRP may be configured, for example, by instructions received from a server and / or by software in the TRP to transmit DL PRS on a schedule. According to the schedule, the TRP may transmit DL PRS intermittently (e.g., periodically at consistent intervals from the initial transmission). The TRP may be configured to transmit one or more PRS resource sets. A resource set is a collection of PRS resources across a TRP, where the resources have the same periodicity, a common muting mode configuration (if any), and the same cross-slot repetition factor. Each PRS resource set in a PRS resource set includes a plurality of PRS resources, where each PRS resource includes a plurality of OFDM (orthogonal frequency division multiplexing) resource elements (REs), which may be in a plurality of resource blocks (RBs) within N (one or more) consecutive symbols within a slot. PRS resources (or, in general, reference signal (RS) resources) may be referred to as OFDM PRS resources (or OFDMRS resources). RBs are RE sets that span a certain number of one or more consecutive symbols in the time domain and a certain number (12 for 5G RBs) of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. Each PRS resource is configured with an RE offset, a slot offset, a symbol offset within a slot, and the number of consecutive symbols that the PRS resource can occupy within a slot. The RE offset defines the starting RE offset in frequency for the first symbol within the DL PRS resource. The relative RE offsets of the remaining symbols within the DL PRS resource are defined based on the initial offset. The slot offset is the starting slot of the DL PRS resource relative to the corresponding resource set slot offset. The symbol offset determines the starting symbol of the DL PRS resource within the starting slot. The transmitted REs may be repeated across slots, where each transmission is called a repetition, so that there may be multiple repetitions in a PRS resource. The DL PRS resources in a DL PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP, and each DL PRS resource has a DL PRS resource ID. The DL PRS resource ID in a DL PRS resource set is associated with a single beam transmitted from a single TRP (although a TRP may transmit one or more beams).

[0088] PRS resources may also be defined by quasi co-location parameters and starting PRB parameters. The quasi co-location (QCL) parameter may define any quasi co-location information of the DLPRS resources with other reference signals. The DL PRS may be configured as QCL type D with a DL PRS or SS / PBCH (synchronization signal / physical broadcast channel) block from a serving cell or a non-serving cell. The DL PRS may be configured as QCL type C with an SS / PBCH block from a serving cell or a non-serving cell. The starting PRB parameter defines the starting PRB index of the DLPRS resource with respect to reference point A. The starting PRB index has a granularity of one PRB and may have a minimum value of 0 PRBs and a maximum value of 2176 PRBs.

[0089] A PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources with the same periodicity, the same muting pattern configuration (if any), and the same repetition factor across time slots. Each time all repetitions of all PRS resources in a PRS resource set are configured to be transmitted is referred to as an "instance". Thus, an "instance" of a PRS resource set is a specified number of repetitions for each PRS resource and a specified number of PRS resources within a PRS resource set, such that once the specified number of repetitions is transmitted for each of the specified number of PRS resources, the instance is complete. An instance may also be referred to as an "opportunity". A DL PRS configuration including a DL PRS transmission schedule may be provided to a UE to facilitate (or even cause) the UE to measure a DL PRS.

[0090] Multiple frequency layers of PRS can be aggregated to provide an effective bandwidth that is greater than any bandwidth in the bandwidth of each layer. Multiple frequency layers belonging to component carriers (which may be continuous and / or separate) and satisfying criteria such as quasi co-location (QCL) and having the same antenna port can be spliced ​​to provide a larger effective PRS bandwidth (for DL ​​PRS and UL PRS), thereby improving the accuracy of arrival time measurement. Splicing includes combining PRS measurements on various bandwidth segments into a unified fragment so that the spliced ​​PRS can be regarded as taken from a single measurement. In the case of quasi co-location, different frequency layers behave similarly, so that the splicing of PRS produces a larger effective bandwidth. The larger effective bandwidth (which may be referred to as the bandwidth of the aggregated PRS or the frequency bandwidth of the aggregated PRS) provides better time domain resolution (e.g., the resolution of TDOA). The aggregated PRS includes a collection of PRS resources, and each PRS resource in the aggregated PRS may be referred to as a PRS component, and each PRS component may be sent on different component carriers, frequency bands or frequency layers, or on different parts of the same frequency band.

[0091] RTT positioning is an active positioning technique because RTT uses positioning signals transmitted by the TRP to the UE and by the UE (participating in RTT positioning) to the TRP. The TRP can transmit a DL-PRS signal received by the UE, and the UE can transmit an SRS (sounding reference signal) signal received by multiple TRPs. The sounding reference signal may be referred to as an SRS or an SRS signal. In 5G multi-RTT, coordinated positioning may be used in which the UE transmits a single UL-SRS for positioning received by multiple TRPs, rather than transmitting a separate UL-SRS for positioning for each TRP. A TRP participating in multi-RTT will typically search for UEs currently residing on the TRP (served UEs, where the TRP is the serving TRP) and also search for UEs residing on adjacent TRPs (neighbor UEs). A neighbor TRP may be a TRP of a single BTS (base transceiver station) (e.g., a gNB), or may be a TRP of one BTS and a TRP of a separate BTS. For RTT positioning (including multi-RTT positioning), the DL-PRS signal and the UL-SRS positioning signal in a PRS / SRS positioning signal pair used to determine the RTT (and thereby used to determine the distance between the UE and the TRP) may occur close to each other in time so that errors due to UE motion and / or UE clock drift and / or TRP clock drift are within acceptable limits. For example, the signals in the PRS / SRS positioning signal pair may be sent from the TRP and the UE, respectively, within approximately 10 ms of each other. In the case where the SRS for positioning is being transmitted by the UE and the PRS and the SRS for positioning are transmitted close to each other in time, it has been found that radio frequency (RF) signal congestion (which may result in excessive noise, etc.) may result (especially if many UEs are attempting to locate concurrently) and / or computational congestion may result at the TRP where many UEs are attempting to measure concurrently.

[0092] RTT positioning can be UE-based or UE-assisted. In UE-based RTT, the UE 200 determines the RTT and corresponding distance to each TRP in the TRP 300, and determines the positioning of the UE 200 based on the distance to the TRP 300 and the known position of the TRP 300. In UE-assisted RTT, the UE 200 measures the positioning signal and provides the measurement information to the TRP 300, and the TRP 300 determines the RTT and the distance. The TRP 300 provides the distance to a location server (e.g., server 400), and the server determines the position of the UE 200, for example, based on the distance to different TRPs 300. The RTT and / or distance may be determined by the TRP 300 receiving the signal from the UE 200, by the TRP 300 in combination with one or more other devices (e.g., one or more other TRPs 300 and / or server 400), or by one or more devices other than the TRP 300 that receive the signal from the UE 200.

[0093] Various positioning technologies are supported in 5G NR. The NR native positioning methods supported in 5G NR include DL-only positioning methods, UL-only positioning methods, and DL+UL positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include DL-TDOA and DL-AoD. Uplink-based positioning methods include UL-TDOA and UL-AoA. Combined DL+UL-based positioning methods include RTT with one base station and RTT with multiple base stations (multi-RTT).

[0094] A positioning estimate (e.g., for a UE) may be referred to by other names, such as position estimate, position, fix, position fix, fix, etc. The positioning estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be municipal and include a street address, postal address, or some other textual description of the location. The positioning estimate may be further defined relative to some other known location or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). The positioning estimate may include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be contained with some specified or default confidence level).

[0095] Joint NE / UE and UE / UE positioning

[0096] refer to Figure 5 UE 500 includes a processor 510, a transceiver 520, and a memory 530 that are communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 540. UE 500 may include Figure 5 The components shown, and may include one or more other components, such as Figure 25. The UE 200 may include any of those components shown, so that the UE 200 may be an example of the UE 500. For example, the processor 510 may include one or more of the components of the processor 210. The transceiver 520 may include one or more of the components of the transceiver 215, for example, the wireless transmitter 242 and the antenna 246, or the wireless receiver 244 and the antenna 246, or the wireless transmitter 242, the wireless receiver 244, and the antenna 246. Additionally or alternatively, the transceiver 520 may include a wired transmitter 252 and / or a wired receiver 254. The memory 530 may be configured similarly to the memory 211, for example, including software having processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor 510 to perform functions.

[0097] This specification may refer to the processor 510 performing a function only, but this includes other implementations, such as an implementation in which the processor 510 executes software and / or firmware (stored in the memory 530). This specification may refer to the UE 500 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the UE 500 (e.g., the processor 510 and the memory 530) performing that function. The processor 510 (possibly in combination with the memory 530 and, where appropriate, the transceiver 520) may include a PRS measurement unit 550 and a location information reporting unit 560. The PRS measurement unit 550 and the location information reporting unit 560 are discussed further below, and this specification may generally refer to the processor 510 or generally refer to the UE 500 performing any of the functions of the PRS measurement unit 550 and the location information reporting unit 560, where the UE 500 is configured to perform those functions.

[0098] refer to Figure 6 , the network entity 600 includes a processor 610, a transceiver 620, and a memory 630 that are communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 640. The network entity 600 may include Figure 6 The components shown, and may include one or more other components, such as Figure 3 and / or Figure 4Any of those components shown, such that the network entity 600 may be part of the server 400 (e.g., a location server such as an LMF) and / or integrated in the TRP 300. Thus, references to the processor 610, the transceiver 620, or the memory 630 are equivalent to references to corresponding components of the server 400 or the TRP 300. For example, the transceiver 620 may include one or more components of the transceiver 315 and / or the transceiver 415, such as the antenna 346 and the wireless transmitter 342 and / or the wireless receiver 344, and / or the antenna 446 and the wireless transmitter 442 and / or the wireless receiver 444. Additionally or alternatively, the transceiver 620 may include the wired transmitter 352 and / or the wired receiver 354, and / or the wired transmitter 452 and / or the wired receiver 454. The memory 630 may be configured similarly to the memory 311 and / or the memory 411, for example, including software having processor-readable instructions configured to cause the processor 610 to perform functions. The network entity 600 may be a standalone device, or may be part of or integrated with a server (e.g., and LMF) or a TRP.

[0099] This description may refer to the processor 610 performing a function only, but this includes other implementations, such as an implementation where the processor 610 executes software and / or firmware (stored in the memory 630). This description may refer to the network entity 600 performing a function as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the network entity 600 (e.g., the processor 610 and the memory 630) performing that function. The processor 610 (possibly in combination with the memory 630 and, where appropriate, the transceiver 620) may include an anchor management unit 650 and a ranging unit 660. The anchor management unit 650 and the ranging unit 660 are discussed further below, and this description may refer generally to the processor 610 or generally to the network entity 600 performing any of the functions of the anchor management unit 650 and / or the ranging unit 660, where the network entity 600 is configured to perform those functions.

[0100] Ranging using the Uu interface between a network entity (NE) and a UE has been discussed in various 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Protocol) standard releases, and sidelink ranging and positioning will be explored in one or more standard releases in the near future. The sidelink ranging protocol may use entities such as roadside units (RSUs) and / or anchor UEs (UEs with known locations (e.g., locations known within a threshold accuracy)) such as vehicle UEs (VUEs) to perform ranging with one or more target UEs (e.g., target VUEs) in a distributed manner. Sidelink positioning (e.g., to determine a location estimate of the target UE) inherently includes sidelink ranging to determine one or more distances between the target UE and one or more other entities (e.g., NE, anchor UE, etc.). Although Uu ranging (e.g., positioning) and sidelink ranging (e.g., positioning) have been discussed independently, the discussion herein explores joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging (e.g., positioning) of a target UE. The target UE may perform ranging with one or more NEs and with one or more anchor UEs, and ranging measurements of positioning signals transmitted between the target UE and the anchor UEs and between the target UE and the NEs may be used in combination to determine ranging between the target UE and the anchor UEs and the NEs, which ranging may be used for positioning the target UE (e.g., determining an estimated position of the target UE relative to a global coordinate system).

[0101] refer to Figure 7 , and further reference Figures 1 to 6 , the wireless communication environment 700 includes a target UE 710, network entities 720, 721, and anchors 731, 732. The target UE 710 (the UE whose position is desired to be obtained) is an example of the UE 500, and can participate in PRS delivery (transmission and / or reception of UL PRS, DL PRS, SL PRS) between the target UE 710 and the network entities 720, 721 through a corresponding Uu interface, and through a corresponding (mobile to mobile (e.g., PC5)) interface (in Figure 7732 (e.g., anchor UEs) participate in PRS delivery (transmission and / or reception of UL PRS, DL PRS, SLPRS) between the target UE 710 and anchors 731, 732 (e.g., anchor UEs). Network entities 720, 721 are both examples of network entity 600, shown here as TRPs of respective base stations, although network entities 720, 721 may be configured differently than shown (e.g., including a server in addition to the TRP) and / or configured differently from each other. Here, the target UE 710 is a smartphone, anchor 731 is a vehicle UE (VUE), and anchor 732 is a smartphone. These are examples, and one or more other forms of target UEs may be used, and / or one or more other forms of anchors may be used in addition to and / or in place of either or both of the anchors 731, 732. Multiple network entities 720, 721 may be deployed in the environment 700 to help increase the probability that one or more network entities are in LOS with the target UE 710. One or more anchors (such as anchors 731, 732) may be selected and / or used based on the location of each of the selected / used anchors being known or known with at least a threshold accuracy (e.g., within less than a distance threshold). In the case where the anchors 731, 732 are mobile devices, there may be a greater chance that the anchors 731, 732 are in close proximity and / or in LOS with the target UE 710, which may result in better signal quality reception, more accurate corresponding distance determination, and more accurate position estimate determination for the target UE 710. The anchors 731, 732 that are in LOS with the target UE 710 as shown will be more suitable for performing ranging for the target UE 710 than the network entity 721 that is in NLOS with respect to the target UE 710 as shown, because there is a building 740 between the network entity 721 and the target UE 710.

[0102] The discussion herein provides techniques (e.g., methods and / or signaling schemes) for ranging a target UE 710. For example, methods and / or signaling schemes are discussed for determining which UEs a network entity 720 (e.g., of a gNB) may or even should select as anchors to perform ranging with a target UE 710. The network entity 720 may prefer to select a VUE (rather than a non-vehicle UE) as an anchor because the VUE may have a more accurate position estimate than a non-vehicle UE. As another example, techniques for ranging operations are discussed, such as coordinating network entities to participate in target UE ranging with one or more anchors. As another example, methods and / or signaling schemes for configuring PRS sequences and sessions between the network entity 720 and the anchor are discussed. As another example, signaling between the anchor and the network entity 720 is discussed to make the network entity 720 aware of the channel / environmental conditions existing between the anchor and the target UE 710. As another example, signaling between the network entity 720 and the anchor is discussed to enable the anchor to provide ranging results (e.g., the distance between the corresponding anchor and the target UE 710). Joint Uu and SL ranging may provide the network entity 720 with flexibility in selecting an anchor (eg, an anchor that is in LOS with the target UE 710 ) for ranging (eg, positioning) with the target UE 710 .

[0103] refer to Figure 8 , and further reference Figures 1 to 7 , signaling and process flow 800 for joint NE / UE to UE / UE ranging between a target UE 801, a network entity 802, and an anchor 803 includes the stages shown. Flow 800 is an example and may be modified, for example, by adding and / or removing one or more stages, rearranging, combining and / or performing the stages concurrently, and / or splitting one or more single stages into multiple stages.

[0104] At stage 810, anchor 803 and candidate anchor 804 obtain their respective positions. At this point, anchor 803 is a candidate anchor, but is marked as an anchor because anchor 803 will later be selected as the anchor for ranging with target UE 801. Anchor 803 and / or candidate anchor 804 may obtain their respective positions in one or more of various ways at sub-stages 813 and 814. For example, Figure 8, the anchor 803 is a parked VUE and may obtain the location of the anchor 803 from interaction with the RSU (e.g., ranging with an RSU of known location) and / or a parking meter (e.g., receiving the location through near field communication with the parking meter), and the candidate anchor 804 may obtain the location using GNSS. However, either or both of the anchor 803 and / or the candidate anchor 804 may use one or more techniques other than those indicated. Both the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 may use the same technique to determine the location. The GNSS receiver (e.g., SPS receiver 217) of the candidate anchor 804 may provide a location estimate for the candidate anchor 804 that is sufficiently accurate to use the candidate anchor 804 as an anchor UE (which may be referred to as an anchor). As another example, the candidate anchor 804 (and / or anchor 803) may determine the location using trilateration, which uses one or more non-GNSS signals as a supplement or alternative to GNSS signals. As another example, the anchor 803 may use the location of an entity (e.g., RSU, parking meter, etc.) near the anchor 803 as the location of the candidate anchor UE. If the candidate anchor is stationary, then the candidate anchor is more likely to be used as an anchor. For example, anchor 803 can be anchor 731, which is (e.g., Figure 7 7 . A parking meter 760 is disposed in close proximity to the anchor 731. The parking meter 760 may be configured to provide the location of the parking meter 760 to the anchor 731 for use as the location of the anchor 731, and / or may be configured to determine in which of the parking spaces 771, 772 the anchor 731 is disposed, and to transmit to the anchor 731 an indication of the location (e.g., center) of the parking space (here, the parking space 771) in which the anchor 731 is disposed.

[0105] The anchor 803 (e.g., the location information reporting unit 560 of the anchor 731) may be configured to determine the location of the anchor 803 in one or more of various ways. For example, the anchor 731 may communicate with the parking meter 760 (e.g., using SL and / or near field communication) to determine the location of the anchor 731 or a location assumed to be the location of the anchor 731 (e.g., the location of the parking meter 760 or the location of the parking spot 771). As another example, the anchor 731 may be configured to determine the location of the anchor 731 from the RSU and / or the cloud (e.g., by identifying the parking lot and the parking spot in the parking lot to the RSU and / or the cloud and the RSU and / or the entity providing the location corresponding to the parking spot in the parking lot in the cloud). The anchor 731 may provide the location of the anchor 731 directly to the network entity 720, or provide it to the network entity 720 through the cloud without directly communicating with the network entity 720. As another example, the anchor 731 may communicate with one or more network entities (e.g., network entities 720, 721) to perform positioning to determine the position of the anchor 731, for example, based on (and possibly in response to) the anchor 731 indicating that the anchor 731 is willing and able to participate in joint ranging for the target UE. Other techniques may also be used to determine the position of the anchor 803 (e.g., the anchor 731).

[0106] At stage 820, communication connection setup is performed to establish a communication connection between the network entity 802 and the anchor 803, and possibly between the network entity 802 and the candidate anchor 804. The setup of the connection between the network entity 802 and the anchor 803, and possibly between the network entity 802 and the candidate anchor 804, may be performed in various ways, for example, as discussed below.

[0107] Also refer to Fig. 9 , which shows a signaling and process flow 900 for connection setup, any of a variety of options may be implemented to establish one or more of the communication connections. A connection may be established according to stage 910 or stage 920, or multiple connections may be established according to stage 930. According to process 900, the anchor 803 and / or the network entity 802 may determine that the anchor 803 is in a LOS state relative to the target UE 801 and / or is in close proximity to the target UE 801.

[0108] For example, at stage 910, the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 transmit capability messages 913, 914, respectively, to the network entity 802, which explicitly indicate the ability and willingness of the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 to participate in joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging (which may be referred to as joint Uu and SL ranging). The capability messages 913, 914 may be transmitted in response to receiving capability request messages 911, 912 sent by the network entity 802 to the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804, wherein the messages 911, 912 respectively ask whether the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 are capable of supporting joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging. The network entity 802 may transmit acceptance messages 915, 916 to the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804, which indicate that the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 accept to establish corresponding communication connections between the network entity 802 and the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804. The accept messages 915, 916 may indicate that the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 will potentially be used as anchors, e.g., for ranging with the target UE 801. At stage 910, the network entity 802 may transmit only the accept message 915 and not the accept message 916 (e.g., based on the candidate anchor 804 not having the modem turned on and / or being outside a threshold distance from the target UE 801 (based on the approximate location of the target UE 801 and the candidate anchor 804)).

[0109] As another option, at stage 920, the network entity 802 (e.g., the anchor management unit 650) transmits participation requests 921, 922 to the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 (at this point, the anchor 803 is also a candidate anchor). The requests 921, 922 request the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor to serve as anchors in the joint NE / UE to UE / UE ranging session, respectively (and may indicate that the ranging session is conducted with the target UE 801). The requests 921, 922 may include an explicit inquiry (similar to the messages 911, 912) as to whether the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 are capable of supporting the joint NE / UE to UE / UE ranging, or may be used as an implicit inquiry (in response to which messages 913, 914 may be transmitted, possibly as part of the acceptance messages 923, 924 discussed below). The network entity 802 may transmit the requests 921, 922 (and not transmit requests to other candidate anchors) based on one or more factors. For example, the network entity 802 may transmit requests 921, 922 based on determining that the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 are stationed (e.g., parked) and have their respective modems turned on (and not transmit a participation request to one or more candidate anchors based on the candidate anchors not being stationed and / or not having their modems turned on). The parked VUE may have its modem turned on for one or more of a variety of reasons, such as to collect information and provide the information to the network entity 802 (e.g., images captured by a camera about a collision, and / or for collision avoidance, and / or for theft prevention, etc.). The network entity 802 may transmit request 921 instead of request 922 based on the candidate anchor 804 not being stationed and / or not having its modem turned on. The anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 may respond by transmitting acceptance messages 923, 924 to the network entity 802, respectively indicating that the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 will participate in the joint ranging session, thereby establishing a communication connection with the network entity 802. The acceptance message 923 may serve as an indication of the ability of the anchor 803 to serve as an anchor for UE / UE ranging. For example, based on the candidate anchor 804 not being stationed, the candidate anchor 804 may not transmit the acceptance message 924. As another example, the network entity 802 may transmit the requests 921, 922 based on determining that the target UE 801 is within a threshold distance of the requested ranging session participants (here, the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804). For example, the network entity 802 may transmit the requests 921, 922 based on determining that the approximate location of the target UE 801 (e.g., based on E-CID or serving cell center, etc.) is within a threshold distance of the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 (and not transmit participation requests to one or more other candidate anchors that are farther than the threshold distance from the target UE 801). These determinations may be based on the approximate locations of the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804. The network entity 802 may not transmit the participation request 922 based on the candidate anchor 804 being farther than the threshold distance from the target UE 801.As another example, the network entity 802 may transmit requests 921 , 922 including an approximate location of the network entity 802 and a threshold distance, and the candidate anchor 804 may not transmit an acceptance message 924 based on the candidate anchor 804 determining that the candidate anchor 804 is farther from the target UE 801 than the threshold distance.

[0110] As another option, at stage 930, the network entity 802 may determine whether one or more candidate anchors have sufficient UE / UE communication links with the target UE 801, and select any such candidate anchor to be used as an anchor for the joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging session. The network entity 802 may send SL ID report messages 931, 932 to the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804, respectively, to request the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 to report the sidelink identification (e.g., L1 / L2ID) of any UE that meets one or more conditions. The network entity 802 may send the SL ID report message only to stationed UEs (e.g., parked VUEs). The one or more conditions may be, for example, that the received signal power from the corresponding UE is greater than a threshold power (e.g., SL RSRP is greater than a threshold RSRP, such as -70 dBm), and / or that there is a LOS between the candidate anchor and the corresponding candidate target UE (e.g., based on the SL channel response). For example, a path loss below a threshold and / or a number of paths for a signal from a transmitter to a receiver below a threshold number is an indication of LOS. The network entity 802 may indicate a confidence threshold (e.g., 80% confidence of LOS) to the anchor 803 so that the anchor 803 reports the SL ID corresponding to the received signal. The messages 931, 932 may request the candidate anchor to indicate the SLID of any UE that satisfies one or more conditions, or may request the candidate anchor to only indicate whether one or more specific target UEs satisfy the one or more conditions, for example, to provide a response only when the SL communication with the target UE 801 satisfies the one or more conditions. The anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804 may provide SL ID messages 933, 934 indicating the SL ID of any UE that satisfies the one or more conditions. Alternatively, the SL ID messages 933, 934 may indicate the SL IDs of one or more UEs specified in the messages 931, 932 and satisfying the one or more conditions. The messages 933, 934 may indicate the SL IDs of one or more UEs and corresponding binary indications as to whether the corresponding UEs satisfy the one or more conditions. Alternatively, if the messages 931, 932 indicate a single specific target UE, the messages 933, 934 may provide a binary indication of whether the specific target UE satisfies one or more conditions, or the messages may be transmitted only when the specified target UE satisfies one or more conditions. The message 933 may serve as an indication of the ability of the anchor 803 to serve as an anchor for UE / UE ranging, e.g., for any UE corresponding to the message 933, such as any UE whose ID is indicated in the message 933. At substate 935, the network entity 802 (e.g., the anchor management unit 650) may select one or more candidate anchors as anchors for the joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging session.For example, if message 933 indicates that target UE 801 satisfies the condition and message 934 indicates that another UE (not target UE 801) satisfies the condition, network entity 802 may select anchor 803 as the anchor for the ranging session with target UE 801 instead of selecting candidate anchor 804 as the anchor for the ranging session with target UE 801. Network entity 802 may send a selection indication to any selected anchor to complete the communication connection with the anchor, such as sending a selection message 936 to anchor 803 to complete the communication connection with anchor 803.

[0111] At stage 940, in the event that a communication connection is established between the network entity 802 and the anchor 803, the anchor 803 sends a location message 941 to the network entity 802 (directly and / or indirectly (such as via a cloud)) indicating the location of the anchor 803 (obtained at stage 810). If a communication connection is established between the network entity 802 and the candidate anchor 804, the candidate anchor 804 may send a location message 942 to the network entity 802 (directly and / or indirectly) indicating the location of the candidate anchor 804 (obtained at stage 810).

[0112] At stage 830, the network entity 802 provides one or more PRS configurations to the anchor 803 and the candidate anchor 804. Based on the successful connection setup between the network entity 802 and the anchor 803 (an anchor selected from the one or more candidate anchors) at stage 820, the network entity 802 provides the one or more PRS configurations to the target UE 801 and the anchor 803. For example, the network entity 802 may implement downlink positioning and / or uplink positioning.

[0113] If the network entity 802 is to perform downlink positioning of the target UE 801, the network entity 802 (e.g., ranging unit 660) sends positioning configuration messages 831, 832 with DL PRS configuration information to the anchor 803 and the target UE 801, respectively. The DL PRS configuration information includes, for example, a DL PRS sequence and a time slot pattern for sending DL PRS by the network entity 802 and by the anchor 803. The PRS configurations for the network entity 802 and the anchor 803 may be the same or different. The message 832 may include the locations of the network entity 802 and the anchor 803 (or these locations may be provided in one or more messages separate from the message 832). The location of the anchor 803 may be provided by the anchor 803 to the target UE 801, as a supplement or alternative to the provision by the network entity 802 to the target UE 801. In the case of DL PRS, according to the configuration information provided in the messages 831, 832, the anchor 803 sends the DL PRS 833 and the network entity 802 sends the DL PRS 834. The target UE 801 may determine location information (e.g., a distance between the target UE 801 and the network entity 802, a distance between the target UE 801 and the anchor 803, and possibly the location of the target UE 801), as discussed below with respect to sub-stage 841. The target UE 801 (e.g., the PRS measurement unit 550) may measure the DL PRS 833, 834, and the target UE 801 (e.g., the location information reporting unit 560) may provide a measurement report 835 with location information (e.g., one or more PRS measurements, one or more distances determined from the one or more PRS measurements) to the network entity 802 for use in determining location information (e.g., a location estimate for the target UE 801). The transmission and measurement of the DL PRS 833, 834 for determining the one or more distances provides joint UE / UE and NE / UE ranging. The SL PRS (and corresponding SL PRS configuration) may be used instead of the DL PRS 833.

[0114] If the network entity 802 is to perform uplink positioning for the target UE 801, the positioning configuration messages 831, 832 include UL PRS configuration parameters. These parameters include one or more time instances (e.g., time slots / frames) for PRS reception, and a PRS sequence that the target UE 801 should send and the anchor 803 can expect to receive from the target UE 801. The target UE 801 sends a UL PRS 836 that can be received by the network entity 802 and the anchor 803. The target UE 801 may or may not know whether the network entity 802 and / or the anchor 803 are the intended recipients of the UL PRS 836. The network entity 802 and the anchor 803 (e.g., the PRS measurement unit 550) may measure the UL PRS 836, and the anchor 803 (e.g., the location information reporting unit 560) may send a measurement report 837 to the network entity 802 and / or a measurement report 838 to the target UE 801. The measurement reports 837, 838 may include location information (e.g., PRS measurements, distances based on the measurements, etc.). For example, the measurement reports 837, 838 may include a reception time / distance determined from the UL PRS 836. At sub-stage 843 discussed below, the network entity 802 (e.g., ranging unit 660) may determine location information (e.g., a location estimate of the target UE 801) using the location information determined by the network entity 802 and / or received in the measurement report 837. The transmission and measurement of the UL PRS 836 for determining one or more distances provides joint UE / UE and NE / UE ranging. The SL PRS (and corresponding SL PRS configuration) may be used in place of the UL PRS 836.

[0115] At stage 840, location information may be determined by the target UE 801 and / or the network entity 802. For example, at sub-stage 841, the target UE 801 (e.g., the PRS measurement unit 550 and / or the location information reporting unit 560) may use one or more PRS measurements obtained at stage 830 (e.g., by measuring PRS 833, 834 and / or as received from measurement report 838 (or a measurement report from the network entity 802)) to determine location information, such as a distance from the anchor 803, a distance from other anchors, and possibly a location estimate for the target UE 801. The location information reporting unit 560 may transmit a location information message 842 to the network entity 802, the location information message having, for example, the one or more measurements if the network entity 802 is to determine a location estimate for the target UE 801, and / or having a location estimate for the target UE 801 if the target UE 801 has determined a location estimate. At sub-stage 843, the ranging unit 660 of the network entity 802 (e.g., the server 400) may determine location information. For example, the ranging unit 660 may use information from one or more of the measurement reports 835, 837 and possibly other information (e.g., location information from the location information message 842) to determine location information for the target UE 801, e.g., determine one or more distances (e.g., pseudoranges) and / or one or more location estimates for the target UE 801. The network entity 802 may provide the location information (such as the location estimate) to one or more appropriate recipients (e.g., the target UE 801) in a location information message 844.

[0116] refer to Fig.10 , and further reference Figures 1 to 9 , the method 1000 of assisting the joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging includes the stages shown. However, the method 1000 is only an example and is not limiting. The method 1000 can be modified, for example, by adding and / or removing one or more stages, rearranging, combining and / or performing the stages concurrently, and / or splitting one or more single stages into multiple stages.

[0117] At stage 1010, method 1000 includes sending a capability indication from a first UE to a network entity, the capability indication indicating the capability of the first UE to act as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE to UE / UE ranging. For example, anchor 803 (e.g., processor 510) sends a capability message 913 or an acceptance message 923 or an SL ID message 933 to network entity 802 (e.g., via transceiver 520) indicating the capability of anchor 803 to act as an anchor for joint NE / UE to UE / UE ranging. Joint NE / UE to UE / UE ranging includes determining one or more distances between target UE 801 and one or more other entities (e.g., network entity 802, anchor 803, and / or one or more other anchors, etc.), and may include positioning of target UE 801 (e.g., determining a position estimate for target UE 801). Processor 510 (possibly in combination with memory 530, in combination with transceiver 520 (e.g., wireless transmitter 242 and antenna 246)) may include means for sending the capability indication.

[0118] At stage 1020, method 1000 includes obtaining, at the first UE, a location of the first UE. For example, at stage 810 as discussed above, for example, at sub-stage 813, anchor 803 may obtain the location of anchor 803 from interaction with the cloud, RSU, one or more base stations, and / or one or more other devices and / or from a GNSS receiver (e.g., combining the location determined by SPS receiver 217 with the locations determined by other components). Anchor 803 may use cellular technology, near field communication, short-range wireless protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, etc.). ® ) and the like to interact with one or more other entities. Anchor 803 may use trilateration to determine the location of anchor 803 and / or may be provided with the location of anchor 803 (e.g., the location of a nearby entity) or used as the location of anchor 803 (e.g., the location of parking meter 760). For example, anchor 731, which is a parked VUE, may use near field communication with parking meter 760 to determine the location of anchor 731. Processor 510 (possibly in combination with memory 530, possibly in combination with transceiver 520 (e.g., wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246, and possibly wireless transmitter 242)) may include components for obtaining the location of the first UE.

[0119] At stage 1030, method 1000 includes sending, from the first UE, a location of the first UE. For example, anchor 803 sends a location message 941 to network entity 802. Additionally or alternatively, anchor 803 may send an indication of the location of anchor 803 to target UE 801 (either directly if there is a communication connection between anchor 803 and target UE 801, or indirectly via network entity 802). Processor 510 (possibly in combination with memory 530, in combination with transceiver 520 (e.g., wireless transmitter 242 and antenna 246)) may include means for sending the location of the first UE.

[0120] At stage 1040, method 1000 includes sending at least one indication from the first UE to the network entity that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE. For example, at stage 930, anchor 803 (e.g., processor 510) may use channel responses between one or more other UEs and / or received power from one or more UEs to determine which UEs (if any) are likely to be in LOS and / or in close proximity to anchor 803 (e.g., within a threshold distance thereof). For example, anchor 803 may receive signals from one or more other UEs and determine whether the received signal power satisfies one or more criteria (e.g., the received power is above a threshold power). Processor 510 may send at least one indication of LOS or close proximity via transceiver 520. At least one indication (e.g., in SL ID message 933) may include an ID of another UE that is in LOS and / or in close proximity to anchor 803 (e.g., and SL ID), and / or may include an explicit indication that another UE is close to anchor 803 and / or in LOS. As another example, at least one indication may implicitly indicate another UE. For example, the indication may be an acceptance (e.g., at least a portion of an acceptance message 923) of a request to serve as an anchor for a joint NE / UE to UE / UE ranging session, wherein the request (e.g., a request to participate 921) identifies the target UE 801, and the acceptance includes an indication that the acceptance corresponds to the request (e.g., including a request ID). The processor 510 (possibly in combination with the memory 530, in combination with the transceiver 520 (e.g., the wireless transmitter 242 and the antenna 246)) may include means for sending at least one indication.

[0121] At stage 1050, at least one of a first positioning reference signal or a measurement report is sent from the first UE to the second UE, the measurement report indicating a measurement of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE. For example, the processor 510 of the anchor 803 may send the PRS 833 to the target UE 801 via the transceiver 520, and / or may send a measurement report 837 and / or a measurement report 838 to the network entity 802 and / or the target UE 801, respectively, wherein the measurement reports 837, 838 indicate one or more measurements of the PRS 836 received from the target UE 801. The processor 510 (possibly in combination with the memory 530, in combination with the transceiver 520 (e.g., the wireless transmitter 242 and the antenna 246)) may include means for sending at least one of the first PRS or the measurement report to the second UE.

[0122] Implementations of the method 1000 may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, the capability indication is sent in response to the first UE receiving a message from a network entity for at least one of the following operations: asking whether the first UE can serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging, or requesting the first UE to serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging. For example, the anchor 803 (e.g., the processor 510 and the transceiver 520) may send the capability message 913 in response to receiving the capability request message 911 and / or as part of an acceptance message 923 in response to the participation request 921. In another example implementation, the method 1000 includes receiving a configuration of a first positioning reference signal from the network entity at the first UE in response to sending at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE, wherein the first positioning reference signal is sent according to the configuration of the first positioning reference signal. For example, in response to the indication provided at stage 820 that the anchor 803 is in LOS and / or close proximity to the target UE 801, the anchor 803 receives a configuration of the PRS 833 from the network entity 802 in a positioning configuration message 831. The processor 510 (possibly in combination with the memory 530, in combination with the transceiver 520 (e.g., the wireless receiver 244 and the antenna 246)) may include means for receiving the PRS configuration. In another example implementation, the first positioning reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0123] Additionally or alternatively, implementations of method 1000 may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, method 1000 includes: receiving, at a first UE, a configuration of a second positioning reference signal from a network entity in response to sending at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and obtaining a measurement of the second positioning reference signal by measuring the second positioning reference signal using the configuration of the second positioning reference signal. For example, in response to an indication provided at stage 820 that the anchor 803 is in LOS and / or in close proximity to the target UE 801, the anchor 803 receives a configuration of a PRS 836 from the network entity 802 in a positioning configuration message 831, and measures the PRS 836 according to the received configuration of the PRS 836. The processor 510 (possibly in combination with the memory 530, in combination with the transceiver 520 (e.g., the wireless receiver 244 and the antenna 246)) may include means for receiving the PRS configuration. The processor 510 (possibly in combination with the memory 530, possibly in combination with the transceiver 520 (e.g., the wireless receiver 244 and the antenna 246)) may include means for obtaining measurements of the second PRS. In another example implementation, the second positioning reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0124] Specific implementation examples

[0125] Specific implementation examples are provided in the following numbered clauses.

[0126] Clause 1. A first user equipment (UE), the first user equipment (UE) comprising:

[0127] Transceiver;

[0128] Memory;

[0129] one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory and configured to:

[0130] sending, via the transceiver, a capability indication to a network entity (NE), the capability indication indicating a capability of the first UE to act as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging;

[0131] Obtaining a location of the first UE;

[0132] transmitting, via the transceiver, the location of the first UE; and

[0133] sending, via the transceiver, to the network entity at least one indication that a second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and

[0134] At least one of a first positioning reference signal or a measurement report is sent via the transceiver to the second UE, the measurement report indicating measurements of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE.

[0135] Clause 2. A first UE according to clause 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send the capability indication to the network entity via the transceiver in response to receiving a message from the network entity for at least one of the following operations: inquiring as to whether the first UE is capable of serving as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging, or requesting the first UE to serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging.

[0136] Clause 3. A first UE according to clause 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive a configuration of the first positioning reference signal from the network entity via the transceiver in response to sending at least one indication that the second UE is within the line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send the first positioning reference signal according to the configuration of the first positioning reference signal.

[0137] Clause 4. The first UE of clause 3, wherein the first positioning reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0138] Clause 5. The first UE of clause 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to:

[0139] receiving, via the transceiver, a configuration of receiving, from the network entity, the second positioning reference signal in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and

[0140] The measurements of the second positioning reference signal are obtained using the configuration of the second positioning reference signal.

[0141] Clause 6. The first UE of clause 5, wherein the second positioning reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal or a sidelink reference signal.

[0142] Clause 7. A method of assisting joint network entity / user equipment and user equipment / user equipment (NE / UE and UE / UE) ranging, the method comprising:

[0143] sending, from a first UE to a network entity, a capability indication indicating a capability of the first UE to act as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging;

[0144] obtaining, at the first UE, a position of the first UE;

[0145] sending, from the first UE, the location of the first UE;

[0146] sending, from the first UE to the network entity, at least one indication that a second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and

[0147] At least one of a first positioning reference signal or a measurement report is sent from the first UE to the second UE, the measurement report indicating measurements of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE.

[0148] Clause 8. A method for assisting joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging according to clause 7, wherein the capability indication is sent in response to the first UE receiving a message from the network entity for at least one of the following operations: asking whether the first UE can serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging, or requesting the first UE to serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging.

[0149] Clause 9. A method for assisting joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging according to Clause 7, the method further comprising receiving a configuration of the first positioning reference signal from the network entity at the first UE in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE, wherein the first positioning reference signal is sent according to the configuration of the first positioning reference signal.

[0150] Clause 10. The method for assisting joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging according to clause 9, wherein the first positioning reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0151] Clause 11. The method of assisting joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging according to clause 7, the method further comprising:

[0152] a configuration to receive, at the first UE, from the network entity the second positioning reference signal in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and

[0153] The measurement of the second positioning reference signal is obtained by measuring the second positioning reference signal using the configuration of the second positioning reference signal.

[0154] Clause 12. A method for assisting joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging according to clause 11, wherein the second positioning reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0155] Clause 13. A first user equipment (UE), the first user equipment (UE) comprising:

[0156] means for sending a capability indication to a network entity (NE), the capability indication indicating a capability of the first UE to act as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging;

[0157] means for obtaining a location of the first UE;

[0158] means for transmitting the location of the first UE;

[0159] means for sending at least one indication that a second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and

[0160] Means for sending at least one of a first positioning reference signal to the second UE or a measurement report indicating measurements of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE.

[0161] Clause 14. A first UE according to clause 13, wherein the component for sending the capability indication includes a component for sending the capability indication in response to the first UE receiving a message from the network entity for at least one of the following operations: inquiring as to whether the first UE can serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging, or requesting the first UE to serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging.

[0162] Clause 15. According to the first UE described in Clause 13, the first UE also includes a component for the following operations: receiving a configuration of the first positioning reference signal from the network entity at the first UE in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in the line of sight of the first UE or the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE, wherein the component for sending the first positioning reference signal includes a component for sending the first positioning reference signal according to the configuration of the first positioning reference signal.

[0163] Clause 16. The first UE of clause 15, wherein the first positioning reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0164] Clause 17. The first UE of clause 13, further comprising:

[0165] Means for: receiving, at the first UE, a configuration of the second positioning reference signal from the network entity in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and

[0166] Means for obtaining the measurement of the second positioning reference signal by measuring the second positioning reference signal using the configuration of the second positioning reference signal.

[0167] Clause 18. The first UE of clause 17, wherein the second positioning reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0168] Clause 19. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions for causing one or more processors of a first user equipment (UE) to:

[0169] sending a capability indication to a network entity (NE), the capability indication indicating a capability of the first UE to act as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging;

[0170] Obtaining a location of the first UE;

[0171] sending the location of the first UE;

[0172] sending at least one indication that a second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and

[0173] At least one of a first positioning reference signal or a measurement report is sent to the second UE, the measurement report indicating measurements of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE.

[0174] Clause 20. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to clause 19, wherein the instructions for causing the one or more processors to send the capability indication include instructions for sending the capability indication in response to the first UE receiving a message from the network entity for at least one of the following operations: inquiring as to whether the first UE can serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging, or requesting the first UE to serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging.

[0175] Clause 21. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to Clause 19, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium also includes instructions for causing the one or more processors to perform the following operations: receiving a configuration of the first positioning reference signal from the network entity at the first UE in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE, wherein the instructions for causing the one or more processors to send the first positioning reference signal include instructions for causing the one or more processors to send the first positioning reference signal according to the configuration of the first positioning reference signal.

[0176] Clause 22. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of Clause 21, wherein the first positioning reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0177] Clause 23. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of Clause 19, further comprising instructions for causing the one or more processors to:

[0178] a configuration to receive, at the first UE, from the network entity the second positioning reference signal in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and

[0179] The measurement of the second positioning reference signal is obtained by measuring the second positioning reference signal using the configuration of the second positioning reference signal.

[0180] Clause 24. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of Clause 23, wherein the second positioning reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

[0181] Other considerations

[0182] Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, the above functions can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hard wiring, or any combination thereof. Features that implement the functions can also be physically located at different locations, including being distributed so that parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0183] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, the term "comprising" indicates the presence of recited features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0184] Likewise, as used herein, "or" used in a list of items (possibly followed by "at least one of" or followed by "one or more of") indicates a disjunctive list, so that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C," or a list of "one or more of A, B, or C," or a list of "A or B or C" means A or B or C, or AB (A and B), or AC (A and C), or BC (B and C), or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or a combination of more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.). Thus, a statement that an item (e.g., a processor) is configured to perform a function with respect to at least one of A or B, or a statement that an item is configured to perform function A or function B means that the item may be configured to perform the function with respect to A, or may be configured to perform the function with respect to B, or may be configured to perform the functions with respect to both A and B. For example, the phrase "a processor configured to measure at least one of A or B" or "a processor configured to measure A or measure B" means that the processor may be configured to measure A (and may or may not be configured to measure B), or may be configured to measure B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or may be configured to measure A and measure B (and may be configured to select which of A and B to measure or both). Similarly, a recitation of a component for measuring at least one of A or B includes: a component for measuring A (which may or may not be able to measure B), or a component for measuring B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or a component for measuring A and B (which may be able to select which of A and B to measure or both). As another example, a recitation of an item (e.g., a processor) being configured to perform at least one of function X or to perform function Y means that the item may be configured to perform function X, or may be configured to perform function Y, or may be configured to perform function X and perform function Y. For example, the phrase "a processor configured to measure at least one of X or Y" means that the processor may be configured to measure X (and may or may not be configured to measure Y), or may be configured to measure Y (and may or may not be configured to measure X), or may be configured to measure X and measure Y (and may be configured to select which or both of X and Y to measure).

[0185] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, a statement that a function or operation is "based on" an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the stated item or condition, and may be based on one or more items and / or conditions other than the stated item or condition.

[0186] Substantial changes may be made according to specific requirements. For example, customized hardware may also be used, and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, in software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.) executed by a processor, or in both. In addition, connections with other computing devices such as network input / output devices may be adopted. Unless otherwise indicated, components (functional or otherwise) shown in the figures and / or discussed herein as being connected or communicating with each other are communicatively coupled. That is, these components may be connected directly or indirectly to achieve communication between them.

[0187] The systems and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations may appropriately omit, replace, or add various procedures or components. For example, features described with respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of a configuration may be combined in a similar manner. In addition, technology is constantly evolving, and therefore many elements are examples and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure or claims.

[0188] A wireless communication system is a system in which communications are transmitted wirelessly, i.e., by electromagnetic waves and / or sound waves propagating through atmospheric space rather than by wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication network may not cause all communications to be sent wirelessly, but may be configured to cause at least some communications to be sent wirelessly. In addition, the term "wireless communication device" or similar terms does not require that the functionality of the device is only or primarily used for communication, or that communications using the wireless communication device are only or primarily wireless, or that the device is a mobile device, but rather indicates that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (unidirectional or bidirectional), for example, including at least one radio component (each radio component is part of a transmitter, receiver or transceiver) for wireless communication.

[0189] Specific details are given in this specification to provide a thorough understanding of example configurations (including specific implementations). However, the configurations can be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown without unnecessary details to avoid confusing these configurations. This specification provides example configurations without limiting the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. Instead, the previous description of the configuration provides a description for implementing the described technology. Various changes can be made to the functions and arrangements of the elements.

[0190] As used herein, the terms "processor-readable medium," "machine-readable medium," and "computer-readable medium" refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a particular manner. Using a computing platform, various processor-readable media may be involved in providing instructions / code to a processor for execution, and / or may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code (e.g., as signals). In many specific implementations, processor-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. Non-volatile media include, for example, optical disks and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media include, but are not limited to, dynamic memory.

[0191] After describing several example configurations, various modifications, alternative constructions and equivalents can be used. For example, the above elements can be components of a larger system, in which other rules can take precedence over the application of the present disclosure or otherwise modify the application of the present disclosure. In addition, several operations can be taken before, during or after considering the above elements. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of the claims.

[0192] Unless otherwise indicated, "approximately" and / or "about" as used herein in reference to a measurable value (such as an amount, a duration of time, etc.) encompasses variations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other specific implementations described herein. Unless otherwise indicated, "substantially" as used herein in reference to a measurable value (such as an amount, a duration of time, a physical property (such as frequency), etc.) also encompasses variations of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other specific implementations described herein.

[0193] A statement that a value exceeds (or is greater than or above) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that the value meets or exceeds a second threshold that is slightly greater than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value higher than the first threshold at the resolution of the computing system. A statement that a value is less than (or within or below) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that the value is less than or equal to a second threshold that is slightly less than the first threshold, e.g., the second threshold is one value lower than the first threshold at the resolution of the computing system.

Claims

1. A first user equipment (UE), the first user equipment (UE) comprising: Transceiver; Memory; one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory and configured to: sending, via the transceiver, a capability indication to a network entity (NE), the capability indication indicating a capability of the first UE to act as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging; Obtaining a location of the first UE; transmitting, via the transceiver, the location of the first UE; as well as sending, via the transceiver, to the network entity at least one indication that a second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and At least one of a first positioning reference signal or a measurement report is sent via the transceiver to the second UE, the measurement report indicating measurements of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE.

2. The first UE according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send the capability indication to the network entity via the transceiver in response to receiving a message of at least one of the following operations from the network entity: inquiring about whether the first UE can be used as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging, or requesting the first UE to be used as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging.

3. The first UE according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive a configuration of the first positioning reference signal from the network entity via the transceiver in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in the line of sight of the first UE or the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE, wherein the one or more processors are configured to send the first positioning reference signal according to the configuration of the first positioning reference signal. 4 . The first UE according to claim 3 , wherein the first positioning reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

5. The first UE of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: receiving, via the transceiver, a configuration of receiving, from the network entity, the second positioning reference signal in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and The measurement of the second positioning reference signal is obtained using the configuration of the second positioning reference signal. The first UE according to claim 5 , wherein the second positioning reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal or a sidelink reference signal.

7. A method for assisting joint network entity / user equipment and user equipment / user equipment (NE / UE and UE / UE) ranging, the method comprising: sending, from a first UE to a network entity, a capability indication indicating a capability of the first UE to act as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging; obtaining, at the first UE, a position of the first UE; sending, from the first UE, the location of the first UE; sending, from the first UE to the network entity, at least one indication that a second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and At least one of a first positioning reference signal or a measurement report is sent from the first UE to the second UE, the measurement report indicating measurements of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE.

8. The method of assisting joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging according to claim 7, wherein the capability indication is sent in response to the first UE receiving a message from the network entity for at least one of the following operations: asking whether the first UE can serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging, or requesting the first UE to serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging.

9. The method for assisting joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging according to claim 7, the method further comprising receiving, at the first UE, a configuration of the first positioning reference signal from the network entity in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE, wherein the first positioning reference signal is sent according to the configuration of the first positioning reference signal.

10. The method for assisting joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging according to claim 9, wherein the first positioning reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

11. The method for assisting joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging according to claim 7, the method further comprising: receiving, at the first UE, from the network entity, a configuration for receiving the second positioning reference signal in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; as well as The measurement of the second positioning reference signal is obtained by measuring the second positioning reference signal using the configuration of the second positioning reference signal.

12. The method for assisting joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging according to claim 11, wherein the second positioning reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

13. A first user equipment (UE), the first user equipment (UE) comprising: means for sending a capability indication to a network entity (NE), the capability indication indicating a capability of the first UE to act as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging; means for obtaining a location of the first UE; means for transmitting the location of the first UE; means for sending at least one indication that a second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; as well as Means for sending at least one of a first positioning reference signal to the second UE or a measurement report indicating measurements of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE.

14. The first UE according to claim 13, wherein the component for sending the capability indication includes a component for sending the capability indication in response to the first UE receiving a message of at least one of the following operations from the network entity: asking whether the first UE can serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging, or requesting the first UE to serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging.

15. According to the first UE of claim 13, the first UE also includes a component for the following operations: receiving a configuration of the first positioning reference signal from the network entity at the first UE in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in the line of sight of the first UE or the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE, wherein the component for sending the first positioning reference signal includes a component for sending the first positioning reference signal according to the configuration of the first positioning reference signal. 16 . The first UE according to claim 15 , wherein the first positioning reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

17. The first UE according to claim 13, wherein the first UE further comprises: means for receiving, at the first UE, from the network entity, a configuration for receiving the second positioning reference signal in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; as well as Means for obtaining the measurement of the second positioning reference signal by measuring the second positioning reference signal using the configuration of the second positioning reference signal.

18. The first UE according to claim 17, wherein the second positioning reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

19. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions for causing one or more processors of a first user equipment (UE) to: sending a capability indication to a network entity (NE), the capability indication indicating a capability of the first UE to act as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging; Obtaining a location of the first UE; sending the location of the first UE; sending at least one indication that a second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; as well as At least one of a first positioning reference signal or a measurement report is sent to the second UE, the measurement report indicating measurements of a second positioning reference signal received by the first UE from the second UE.

20. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein the instructions for causing the one or more processors to send the capability indication include instructions for sending the capability indication in response to the first UE receiving a message from the network entity for at least one of the following operations: inquiring as to whether the first UE is capable of serving as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging, or requesting the first UE to serve as an anchor UE for joint NE / UE and UE / UE ranging.

21. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions for causing the one or more processors to perform: receiving a configuration of the first positioning reference signal from the network entity at the first UE in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE, wherein the instructions for causing the one or more processors to send the first positioning reference signal include instructions for causing the one or more processors to send the first positioning reference signal according to the configuration of the first positioning reference signal.

22. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 21, wherein the first positioning reference signal is a downlink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

23. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 19, further comprising instructions for causing the one or more processors to: a configuration to receive, at the first UE, from the network entity the second positioning reference signal in response to sending the at least one indication that the second UE is in line of sight of the first UE or that the second UE is in close proximity to the first UE; and The measurement of the second positioning reference signal is obtained by measuring the second positioning reference signal using the configuration of the second positioning reference signal.

24. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 23, wherein the second positioning reference signal is an uplink positioning reference signal or a sidelink positioning reference signal.

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