Carrier phase positioning measurements

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) includes a transceiver and a processor. The processor is configured to transmit, via the transceiver, UE capability information indicating at least one capability of the UE regarding carrier phase positioning (CPP) measurements. In accordance with the UE capability information, the processor is configured to receive one or more downlink (DL) positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations or one or more uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) configurations. The processor is configured to perform CPP measurements on the plurality of DL PRS symbols, or to transmit one or more UL SRS to a base station based on the one or more UL SRS configurations. The one or more DL PRS configurations include a plurality of DL PRS symbols. The one or more UL SRS configurations and the one or more DL PRS configurations are adapted for CPP measurements.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application generally relates to wireless communication systems, including methods and systems for measurements based on carrier phase positioning. Background Art

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to send data between base stations and wireless communication devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols may include, for example, the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) (e.g., 4G), 3GPP New Radio (NR) (e.g., 5G), and the IEEE 602.11 standard for wireless local area networks (WLANs) (commonly referred to within industry organizations as WLANs). ).

[0003] As envisioned by 3GPP, different wireless communication system standards and protocols may use various radio access networks (RANs) to communicate between base stations of the RAN (which may also sometimes be referred to as RAN nodes, network nodes, or simply nodes) and wireless communication devices referred to as user equipment (UE). 3GPP RANs may include, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and / or Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN).

[0004] Each RAN may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to perform communications between base stations and UEs. For example, GERAN implements GSM and / or EDGE RAT, UTRAN implements Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RAT, E-UTRAN implements LTE RAT (sometimes referred to as LTE), and NG-RAN implements NR RAT (sometimes referred to herein as 5G RAT, 5G NR RAT, or NR). In some deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement NR RAT. In some deployments, NG-RAN may also implement LTE RAT.

[0005] The base stations used by the RAN may correspond to the RAN. An example of an E-UTRAN base station is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as an evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB). An example of an NG-RAN base station is a Next Generation Node B (sometimes also referred to as a g-Node B or gNB).

[0006] The RAN provides its communication services with external entities through its connection to the Core Network (CN). For example, E-UTRAN may utilize the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) while NG-RAN may utilize the 5G Core Network (5GC). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] To easily identify the discussion of any particular element or action, the most significant digit(s) in a reference number refers to the drawing number that first introduces the element.

[0008] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system is shown according to embodiments described herein.

[0009] Figure 2 Example configurations of positioning reference symbols (PRS) for traditional time-based positioning and carrier phase-based positioning according to embodiments described herein are illustrated.

[0010] Figure 3 An example flow diagram illustrating operations that may be performed by a UE according to the embodiments described herein.

[0011] Figure 4 An example flow diagram illustrating operations that may be performed by a base station according to embodiments described herein.

[0012] Figure 5 An example flow chart illustrating method operations for CPP measurement according to embodiments described herein.

[0013] Figure 6 An example architecture of a wireless communication system according to the embodiments described herein is illustrated.

[0014] Figure 7 A system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device according to embodiments described herein is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] In the present disclosure, various embodiments relate to systems and methods for positioning measurements. Specifically, the embodiments described herein relate to performing positioning measurements based on carrier phase information. Due to signal bandwidth, receiver resolution, and the complexity associated with various algorithms such as multiple signal classification (MUSIC), estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques (estimation of signal parameters via rotational invariance techniques, ESPRIT) and / or spatial alternating generalized expectation maximization (SAGE), traditional timing-based positioning measurements using time of arrival (ToA) and / or time or direction of arrival (TDoA) may have limitations.

[0016] Another alternative to conventional timing-based positioning measurements is a carrier phase ranging method that uses the carrier phase of a measurement signal to extract propagation distance information between the source of the measurement signal and the receiver of the measurement signal. However, the carrier phase ranging method may also have limitations, for example, the carrier phase ranging method may not be suitable for multipath and / or non-line-of-sight (NLOS) environments. In addition, the carrier phase positioning measurement has an unknown integer ambiguity problem, in which the total number of entire cycles of the measurement signal on the propagation path from the source of the measurement signal to the receiver of the measurement signal is unknown and can be determined with some degree of complexity, but only a portion of the cycle of the measurement signal can be easily and accurately verified.

[0017] In addition, for traditional timing-based positioning measurements and / or carrier phase ranging methods, it is necessary to synchronize the clocks at the transmitter and receiver. In other words, the transmitter clock and the receiver clock are required to generate the same phase of the carrier at the same time. The carrier phase that the receiver is receiving may lag behind the carrier phase that the receiver may be generating, and this lag may correspond to the propagation time of the measurement signal because the carrier phase has a linear change over time. Therefore, clock synchronization offsets and / or errors may also cause problems.

[0018] In order to measure the distance between a transmitter and a receiver using carrier phase such as those used in real-time kinematic (RTK) and / or precise point positioning (PPP), absolute ambiguity resolution is required so that carrier phase-based positioning can be applied to position determination. In addition, carrier phase-based positioning requires at least one good initial position result derived from ToA measurements and non-static settings. When resolving the relative ambiguity between two consecutive measurements (which may be separated by several milliseconds), the speed of the moving object can be indicated, and / or the speed of the moving object can be used for carrier phase smoothing. Therefore, when using the carrier phase ranging method, only a portion of the wavelength can be measured without performing ambiguity resolution for each measurement step in time. Therefore, before a cycle slip occurs, only positive and negative half wavelengths can be successfully distinguished. Based on this, the maximum speed of the object can be calculated. However, at higher carrier frequencies, the maximum speed or measurable speed may be lower. Therefore, the carrier phase ranging method may not be beneficial in frequency range-2 (FR2).

[0019] Therefore, existing carrier phase ranging methods are not suitable for 5G NR to perform positioning determination and / or speed measurement. Various embodiments in the present disclosure provide solutions so that carrier phase ranging methods can be used for positioning determination and / or speed measurement for 5G NR. In addition, the various embodiments described herein can be used for UE-based and / or UE-assisted positioning using physical layer measurements and / or physical layer procedures based on reference signals (e.g., downlink (DL) positioning reference signals (PRS) and / or uplink (UL) sounding reference signals (SRS)) without introducing any new reference signals. However, new reference signals may be used without departing from the scope of the various embodiments as described herein.

[0020] Reference will now be made specifically to the representative embodiments / aspects illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The following description is not intended to limit the embodiments to a preferred embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover alternatives, combinations, modifications and equivalents that may be included within the spirit and scope of the embodiments defined by the appended claims.

[0021] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system according to the embodiments described herein is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication system 100 may include base stations 104, 106, 108, and 110 and a UE 102. In some embodiments, the base stations 104, 106, 108, and 110 may be eNb, eNodeB, gNodeB, or access points (AP) in a radio access network (RAN), and may support one or more radio access technologies, such as 4G, 5G, 5G New Radio (5G NR), etc. The UE 102 may be a phone, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a smart watch, an Internet of Things (IoT), etc. Although the UE 102 is shown as being connected to Figure 1 1 and 110 are communicatively connected to the four base stations 104, 106, 108 and 110 in the UE, but the embodiments described herein may require that the UE 102 be communicatively coupled to at least three base stations.

[0022] A UE 102 communicatively coupled to at least three of the base stations 104, 106, 108, and 110 may receive a PRS to enable the UE 102 to perform a downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDoA) measurement, a DL angle of departure (DL-AoD) measurement, and / or a round trip time (RTT) measurement on the PRS (also referred to herein as a DLPRS) received from each of the at least three base stations 104, 106, 108, and 110. Similarly, the UE 102 may send an SRS (also referred to herein as a UL SRS) to each of the at least three base stations 104, 106, 108, and 110. Each of the at least three base stations 104, 106, 108, and 110 may perform a UL-TDoA measurement, a UL angle of arrival (UL-AOA) measurement, and an RTT measurement on the received UL SRS. Each of the at least three base stations of UE 102 and / or 104, 106, 108, and 110 may report the performed measurements to a location server (not shown). The location server may determine the location of each of the at least three base stations of UE 102 and / or 104, 106, 108, and 110 based on the received measurements.

[0023] As described herein, according to some embodiments, DL PRS and / or UL SRS may be used for carrier phase measurements as a supplement or alternative to traditional timing-based positioning measurements. As non-limiting examples, carrier phase measurements may include carrier phase of arrival signals (CPoA) measurements and / or carrier phase difference of arrival signals (CPDoA) measurements. DL PRS and / or UL SRS are transmitted with long transmission cycles. Therefore, DL PRS and / or UL SRS may not always be available for applications requiring precise position determination and / or continuous monitoring of precise position.

[0024] Figure 2 An example configuration of positioning reference symbols (PRS) for traditional time-based positioning and carrier phase-based positioning according to the embodiments described herein is illustrated. Specifically, the example configuration of PRS for traditional time-based positioning and carrier phase-based positioning shown in diagram 200 can be used for precise position determination and / or continuous monitoring of precise position.

[0025] In some embodiments, a dedicated PRS configuration having a plurality of symbols in a time slot may be sent to the UE 102 by a base station such as base stations 104, 106, 108, and / or 110. As a non-limiting example, the plurality of symbols in the time slot may have a gap between each of the plurality of symbols in the time slot. In some embodiments, as shown in the example configuration 202, symbols of a radio signal frame are shown along the horizontal axis (or time axis), and subcarriers of the radio signal frame are shown along the vertical axis (or frequency axis). In the example configuration 202, twelve subcarriers forming one physical resource block (PRB) are shown along the vertical axis. In the example configuration 202, the PRS for CPP is shown as 202b, 202c, 202d, 202f, and 202g, and the PRS for conventional timing-based positioning measurements is shown as 202a and 202e. As shown in the example configuration 202, the PRS for CPP has a higher periodicity than the PRS for conventional timing-based positioning measurements. As a non-limiting example, the PRS for CPP may have a periodicity of 1 slot instead of a minimum of 4 slots. Thus, the PRS for CPP may be almost always available because the PRS for CPP is present in every slot. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the PRS symbols for CPP may not be in every slot, but may have a periodicity of two slots, and the PRS symbols for non-CPP may have a periodicity of four slots. In other words, the PRS symbols for CPP may have a higher periodicity than the PRS symbols for non-CPP.

[0026] Another example configuration 204 may similarly have a configuration for CPP such as Figure 2 204b, 204c, 204d, 204f, and 204g, and the PRS for conventional opportunity-based positioning measurements may be shown as 204a and 204e. Also, as shown in the example configuration 204, the PRS for CPP has a higher periodicity than the PRS for conventional opportunity-based positioning measurements. As a non-limiting example, the PRS for CPP may have a periodicity of 1 slot instead of a minimum of 4 slots.

[0027] Therefore, the PRS for CPP can be almost always available because the PRS for CPP exists in every time slot. Figure 2 As shown in 202b, 202c, 202d, 202f, 202g, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204f and / or 204g, the PRS for CPP measurement in each time slot may have a gap of at least one symbol between two symbols. Therefore, the PRS (or DLPRS) configuration may be suitable for CPP measurement.

[0028] In some embodiments, the PRS configuration may be a configuration at a sub-slot time periodicity level. In other words, the PRS configuration may include a PRS for CPP measurement at a sub-slot level by indicating the number of PRSs for CPP measurement on each sub-slot (e.g., each half-slot). As a non-limiting example, a different number of PRSs for CPP measurement may be allocated in each sub-slot.

[0029] In some embodiments, the PRS configuration may describe PRS symbols allocated in a comb pattern in time. For example, the PRS symbols in 202b, 202c, 202d, 202f, 202g, 204b, 204c, 204d, 204f, and / or 204g for CPP measurement are allocated in a comb pattern. Therefore, when it is not necessary to perform carrier phase measurements at a specific frequency, PRS symbols for CPP measurement when allocated in a comb pattern may be useful or beneficial. However, when carrier phase measurements are to be performed at a specific frequency or subcarrier level, a non-comb pattern may be specified.

[0030] In some embodiments, the PRS configuration may specify different bandwidths for PRS symbols used for CPP measurements and PRS symbols used for traditional opportunity-based positioning measurements. Thus, the PRS configuration may have dedicated BWs for CPP measurements and traditional opportunity-based positioning measurements.

[0031] In some embodiments, a single PRS set configuration may support both CPP measurements and traditional timing-based positioning measurements. A single PRS set configuration may include multiple sub-configurations. For example, a sub-configuration associated with traditional timing-based positioning measurements may have a larger periodicity and / or frequency bandwidth than the periodicity and / or frequency bandwidth used for CPP measurements. As a non-limiting example, the value of the periodicity and / or frequency bandwidth of the sub-configuration for CPP measurements may be a subset or factor of the value of the periodicity and / or frequency bandwidth of the sub-configuration for traditional timing-based positioning measurements.

[0032] In some embodiments, multiple PRS configurations may be sent to the UE, and each of the multiple PRS configurations has separate resources for CPP measurements and traditional timing-based positioning measurements. In other words, in a single time slot, there may be PRS for CPP measurements or traditional timing-based positioning measurements, but not both. However, the resources used for CPP measurements and the resources used for traditional timing-based positioning measurements may use the same or different frequency layers or subcarriers for the PRS. Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling may be used to indicate a specific set of resources to be used for CPP measurements.

[0033] In some embodiments, to avoid collision with symbols used for other purposes, the PRS used for CPP measurement may be a symbol reserved for use by another UE.Other signals for the UE may skip the PRS.

[0034] therefore, Figure 2 The various example PRS configurations shown in describe PRSs adapted to accommodate periodic or more frequent CPP measurements.Similar to the PRS configurations, the SRS (or UL SRS) configurations may be adapted to accommodate periodic or more frequent CPP measurements.

[0035] In some embodiments, a dedicated SRS configuration having multiple SRS symbols in a slot may be sent to the UE 102 by a base station such as base stations 104, 106, 108, and / or 110. As a non-limiting example, the multiple SRS symbols in the slot may have a gap between each of the multiple symbols in the slot. In some embodiments, the SRS symbols for CPP have a higher periodicity than the SRS symbols used for traditional timing-based positioning measurements. As a non-limiting example, the SRS symbols for CPP may have a 1 slot periodicity or a sub-slot periodicity. Therefore, the SRS symbols for CPP may be almost always available because the SRS symbols for CPP are present in every slot or every sub-slot. Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the SRS symbols for CPP may not be in every slot or sub-slot, but may have a higher periodicity than the SRS symbols for non-CPP.

[0036] In some embodiments, the SRS symbols used for CPP measurement in each slot or sub-slot may have a gap of at least one symbol between two symbols.Thus, the SRS (or UL SRS) configuration may be suitable for CPP measurement.

[0037] In some embodiments, the SRS configuration at the sub-slot time periodicity level may include SRS symbols for CPP measurement at the sub-slot level by indicating the number of SRS symbols for CPP measurement at each sub-slot (e.g., each half-slot). As a non-limiting example, a different number of SRS symbols for CPP measurement may be allocated in each sub-slot.

[0038] In some implementations, the SRS configuration may describe SRS symbols allocated in a comb pattern over time. Thus, when carrier phase measurements do not need to be performed at a specific frequency, SRS symbols for CPP measurements when allocated in a comb pattern may be useful or beneficial. However, when carrier phase measurements are to be performed at a specific frequency or subcarrier level, a non-comb pattern may be specified.

[0039] In some embodiments, the SRS configuration may specify different bandwidths for SRS symbols used for CPP measurements and SRS symbols used for traditional opportunity-based positioning measurements. Thus, the SRS configuration may have dedicated BWs for CPP measurements and traditional opportunity-based positioning measurements.

[0040] In some embodiments, a single SRS set configuration may support both CPP measurements and traditional timing-based positioning measurements. A single SRS set configuration may include multiple sub-configurations. For example, a sub-configuration associated with traditional timing-based positioning measurements may have a larger periodicity and / or frequency bandwidth than the periodicity and / or frequency bandwidth used for CPP measurements. As a non-limiting example, the value of the periodicity and / or frequency bandwidth of the sub-configuration for CPP measurements may be a subset or factor of the value of the periodicity and / or frequency bandwidth of the sub-configuration for traditional timing-based positioning measurements.

[0041] In some embodiments, multiple SRS configurations may be sent to the UE, and each of the multiple SRS configurations has separate resources for CPP measurements and traditional opportunity-based positioning measurements. In other words, in a single time slot, there may be SRS for CPP measurements or traditional opportunity-based positioning measurements, but not both. Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling may be used to indicate a specific set of resources to be used for CPP measurements.

[0042] In some embodiments, to avoid collision with symbols used for other purposes, the SRS symbols used for CPP measurement may be symbols reserved for use by another UE.Other signals for the UE may skip SRS symbols or resources.

[0043] In some embodiments, the SRS configuration may allocate SRS symbols in a manner similar to that used for sidelink positioning SRS symbols.

[0044] As described herein, the PRS and SRS configuration is sent to the UE 102 based on UE capability information indicating at least one capability of the UE 102 regarding CPP measurements. In some embodiments, the at least one UE capability may describe that the UE can estimate the UE position based on CPP measurements. As a non-limiting example, a UE that supports position estimation based on CPP measurements may also indicate in the same or additional UE capability information message that the UE can support combined CPP measurements and traditional opportunity-based positioning measurements, and / or position change estimation based on CPP measurements.

[0045] In some embodiments, PRS symbols and / or SRS symbols sent using different center frequencies may be used to determine a position (or speed) change estimate based on CPP measurements. As a non-limiting example, the center frequency may be close to the end of a specific frequency band or bandwidth portion allocated to the PRS symbols and / or SRS symbols. In some embodiments, in order to limit overhead, the base station may send PRS configurations and / or SRS configurations with different periodicities. For example, the base station may explicitly indicate the maximum supported speed to the UE and / or implicitly allow the maximum supported speed. In some embodiments, the UE may provide feedback and a request for a higher periodicity PRS symbol and / or SRS symbol to support measurement or estimation of a higher speed.

[0046] In some embodiments, the UE may expect to receive a PRS configuration and / or SRS configuration describing PRS symbols and / or SRS symbols to support measurements of a particular speed. In one example, the UE may indicate a speed range, and the base station may send a PRS configuration and / or SRS configuration describing PRS symbols and / or SRS symbols to support the speed range indicated by the UE. In another example, the base station may adjust or trigger a correct or different PRS configuration and / or SRS configuration based on the current rate / speed estimated using the embodiments described herein.

[0047] Figure 3 An example flow chart illustrating operations that may be performed by a UE according to embodiments described herein. As shown in flow chart 300, at 302, the UE may send UE capability information indicating at least one capability of the UE regarding CPP measurement. As described herein, the at least one capability of the UE may describe that the UE may estimate the UE position based on CPP measurement. As a non-limiting example, a UE that supports position estimation based on CPP measurement may also indicate in the same or additional UE capability information message that the UE may support combined CPP measurement and traditional opportunity-based positioning measurement, and / or position change estimation based on CPP measurement.

[0048] At 304, as described herein, according to some embodiments, based on UE capability information sent by the UE to the base station, the UE may receive one or more DL PRS configurations and / or one or more UL SRS configurations. As described herein, according to some embodiments, the one or more DL PRS configurations and / or the one or more UL SRS configurations may be suitable for CPP measurement.

[0049] In some embodiments, when the UE has received the one or more DL PRS configurations at 304, at 306, the UE may perform CPP measurements on the DL PRS symbols received by the UE as specified in the one or more DL PRS configurations. The CPP measurements may include carrier phase of arrival (CPoA) measurements and carrier phase difference of arrival (CPDoA) measurements. In some embodiments, when the UE has received one or more UL SRS configurations at 304, at 308, the UE may send one or more UL SRS symbols suitable for CPP measurements by the base station. One or more UL SRS symbols are sent according to the one or more UL SRS configurations received by the UE at 302.

[0050] Figure 4 An example flow chart illustrating operations that may be performed by a base station according to embodiments described herein is illustrated. As shown in flow chart 400, at 402, the base station may receive UE capability information from a UE indicating at least one capability of the UE regarding CPP measurement. As described herein, the at least one capability of the UE may describe that the UE may estimate the UE position based on CPP measurement. As a non-limiting example, a UE that supports position estimation based on CPP measurement may also indicate in the same or additional UE capability information message that the UE may support combined CPP measurement and traditional opportunity-based positioning measurement, and / or position change estimation based on CPP measurement.

[0051] At 404, as described herein, according to some embodiments, based on the received UE capability information, the base station may send one or more DL PRS configurations and / or one or more UL SRS configurations to the UE. As described herein, according to some embodiments, the one or more DL PRS configurations and / or the one or more UL SRS configurations may be suitable for CPP measurement.

[0052] In some embodiments, when the base station has sent one or more DL PRS configurations at 404, the base station may receive from the UE, at 406, CPP measurements performed on DL PRS symbols received by the UE (as specified in the one or more DL PRS configurations). As described herein, CPP measurements may include carrier phase of arrival signals (CPoA) measurements and carrier phase difference of arrival signals (CPDoA) measurements. In some embodiments, when the base station has sent one or more UL SRS configurations at 404, the base station may receive from the UE, at 408, one or more UL SRS symbols suitable for CPP measurements performed by the base station. One or more UL SRS symbols are sent according to the one or more UL SRS configurations received by the UE at 402.

[0053] Figure 5An example flow chart illustrating a method operation for CPP measurement according to an embodiment described herein is illustrated. As shown in flow chart 500, at 502, a UE may send UE capability information indicating at least one capability of the UE regarding CPP measurement. As described herein, the at least one capability of the UE may describe that the UE can estimate the UE position based on CPP measurement. As a non-limiting example, a UE supporting position estimation based on CPP measurement may also indicate in the same or additional UE capability information message that the UE can support combined CPP measurement and traditional opportunity-based positioning measurement, and / or position change estimation based on CPP measurement.

[0054] At 504, the UE may receive one or more DL PRS configurations suitable for CPP measurements based on UE capability information sent by the UE to a base station according to some embodiments, as described herein.

[0055] The UE may perform CPP measurements on DL PRS symbols received by the UE as specified in one or more DL PRS configurations at 506. The CPP measurements may include carrier phase of arrival signals (CPoA) measurements and carrier phase difference of arrival signals (CPDoA) measurements.

[0056] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus having means for performing one or more elements of method 300, 400, or 500. In the context of method 300 or 500, the apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as wireless device 702 as a UE, as described herein). In the context of method 400, the apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a base station (such as network device 720 as a base station, as described herein).

[0057] Embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of methods 300, 400, or 500. In the context of methods 300 or 500, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, a memory of a UE (such as memory 706 of wireless device 702 as a UE, as described herein). In the context of method 400, the non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, a memory of a base station (such as memory 724 of network device 720 as a base station, as described herein).

[0058] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus having logic, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of methods 300, 400, or 500. In the context of methods 300 or 500, the apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as wireless device 702 as a UE, as described herein). In the context of method 400, the apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a base station (such as network device 720 as a base station, as described herein).

[0059] Embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus having one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media using or storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of methods 300, 400, or 500. In the context of methods 300 or 500, the apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as wireless device 702 as a UE, as described herein). In the context of method 400, the apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a base station (such as network device 720 as a base station, as described herein).

[0060] Embodiments contemplated herein include a signal as described in or associated with one or more elements of methods 300 , 400 , or 500 .

[0061] Embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product having instructions, wherein when the program is executed by a processor, causes the processor to perform one or more elements of the methods 300, 400, or 500. In the context of the methods 300 or 400, the processor may be a processor of a UE (such as the processor 704 of the wireless device 702 as a UE, as described herein), and the instructions may be located, for example, in the processor and / or on a memory of the UE (such as the memory 706 of the wireless device 702 as a UE, as described herein). In the context of the method 400, the processor may be a processor of a base station (such as the processor 722 of the network device 720 as a base station, as described herein), and the instructions may be located, for example, in the processor and / or on a memory of the base station (such as the memory 724 of the network device 720 as a base station, as described herein).

[0062] Figure 6 An example architecture of a wireless communication system according to the embodiments described herein is illustrated. The description provided below is for an example wireless communication system 600 operating in conjunction with the LTE system standard and / or the 5G or NR system standard as provided by the 3GPP technical specifications.

[0063] like Figure 6As shown, wireless communication system 600 includes UE 602 and UE 604 (although any number of UEs may be used). In this example, UE 602 and UE 604 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touch screen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device configured for wireless communication.

[0064] UE 602 and UE 604 may be configured to be communicatively coupled to RAN 606. In an embodiment, RAN 606 may be NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. UE 602 and UE 604 utilize connections (or channels) (shown as connection 608 and connection 610, respectively) with RAN 606, where each connection (or channel) includes a physical communication interface. RAN 606 may include one or more base stations, such as base station 612 and base station 614, to implement connection 608 and connection 610.

[0065] In this example, connection 608 and connection 610 are air interfaces that enable such communicatively coupling and may conform to the RAT used by the RAN 606 , such as, for example, LTE and / or NR.

[0066] In some embodiments, UE 602 and UE 604 may also directly exchange communication data via side link interface 616. UE 604 is shown as being configured to access an access point (shown as AP 618) via connection 620. As an example, connection 620 may include a local wireless connection, such as any connection conforming to the IEEE 602.11 protocol, wherein AP 618 may include In this example, AP 618 may not be connected to another network (eg, the Internet) through CN 624.

[0067] In an embodiment, UE 602 and UE 604 may be configured to communicate with each other or with base station 612 and / or base station 614 over a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communication) or single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), although the scope of the embodiment is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0068] In some embodiments, all or part of the base station 612 or the base station 614 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network. In addition, or in other embodiments, the base station 612 or the base station 614 may be configured to communicate with each other via the interface 622. In an embodiment where the wireless communication system 600 is an LTE system (e.g., when the CN 624 is an EPC), the interface 622 may be an X2 interface. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to the EPC and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC. In an embodiment where the wireless communication system 600 is an NR system (e.g., when the CN 624 is a 5GC), the interface 622 may be an Xn interface. The Xn interface is defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to the 5GC, between the base station 612 (e.g., gNB) and the eNB connected to the 5GC, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC (e.g., CN 624).

[0069] RAN 606 is shown communicatively coupled to CN 624. CN 624 may include one or more network elements 626 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., UE 602 and users of UE 604) connected to CN 624 via RAN 606. The components of CN 624 may be implemented in one physical device or separate physical devices including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium).

[0070] In an embodiment, CN 624 may be an EPC, and RAN 606 may be connected to CN 624 via an S1 interface 628. In an embodiment, S1 interface 628 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface, which carries traffic data between base station 612 or base station 614 and a serving gateway (S-GW); and an S1-MME interface, which is a signaling interface between base station 612 or base station 614 and a mobility management entity (MME).

[0071] In an embodiment, CN 624 may be a 5GC, and RAN 606 may be connected to CN 624 via an NG interface 628. In an embodiment, NG interface 628 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface, which carries traffic data between base station 612 or base station 614 and a user plane function (UPF); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface, which is a signaling interface between base station 612 or base station 614 and an access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0072] Generally speaking, the application server 630 can be an element that provides applications (e.g., packet-switched data services) using Internet Protocol (IP) bearer resources using the CN 624. The application server 630 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc.) for the UE 602 and the UE 604 via the CN 624. The application server 630 can communicate with the CN 624 via the IP communication interface 632.

[0073] Figure 7 A system 700 for performing signaling 738 between a wireless device 702 and a network device 720 according to embodiments described herein is illustrated. The system 700 may be part of a wireless communication system as described herein. The wireless device 702 may be, for example, a UE of a wireless communication system. The network device 720 may be, for example, a base station (e.g., an eNB or a gNB) of a wireless communication system.

[0074] The wireless device 702 may include one or more processors 704. The processor 704 may execute instructions to perform various operations as described herein for the wireless device 702. The processor 704 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a controller, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0075] The wireless device 702 may include a memory 706. The memory 706 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions 708 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by the processor 704). The instructions 708 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 706 may also store data used by the processor 704 and results computed by the processor.

[0076] The wireless device 702 may include one or more transceivers 710, which may include radio frequency (RF) transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses an antenna 712 of the wireless device 702 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 738) sent or received by the wireless device 702 with other devices (e.g., network device 720) in accordance with a corresponding RAT.

[0077] The wireless device 702 may include one or more antennas 712 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). For implementations with multiple antennas 712, the wireless device 702 may utilize the spatial diversity of such multiple antennas 712 to transmit and / or receive multiple different data streams on the same time-frequency resources. This behavior may be referred to as, for example, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) behavior (referring to multiple antennas used at each of the transmitting device and the receiving device to implement this aspect). MIMO transmission by the wireless device 702 may be implemented based on precoding (or digital beamforming) applied to the wireless device 702, which multiplexes data streams between the antennas 712 based on known or assumed channel characteristics, so that each data stream is received at an appropriate signal strength relative to other streams and at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of a receiver associated with the data stream). Some implementations may use a single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) approach (where all data streams are directed to a single receiver) and / or a multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) approach (where separate data streams may be directed to separate (different) receivers in different locations in the spatial domain).

[0078] In some embodiments with multiple antennas, the wireless device 702 may implement analog beamforming techniques whereby the phases of signals transmitted by antennas 712 are relatively adjusted so that the (joint) transmissions of antennas 712 can be directed (this is sometimes referred to as beam steering).

[0079] The wireless device 702 may include one or more interfaces 714. The interfaces 714 may be used to provide input to the wireless device 702 or output from the wireless device. For example, a wireless device 702 that is a UE may include an interface 714, such as a microphone, a speaker, a touch screen, buttons, etc., to allow a user of the UE to input and / or output to the UE. Other interfaces of such a UE may be composed of transmitters, receivers, and other circuits (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 710 / antenna 712 described above), which allow the UE to communicate with other devices and may communicate according to known protocols (e.g., etc.) to perform the operation.

[0080] The wireless device 702 may include a CPP module 716. The CPP module 716 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the CPP module 716 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instructions 708 stored in the memory 706 and executed by the processor 704. In some examples, the CPP module 716 may be integrated within the processor 704 and / or the transceiver 710. For example, the CPP module 716 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or a general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor 704 or the transceiver 710.

[0081] From the perspective of the UE, the CPP module 716 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 5 As described herein, according to some embodiments, the CPP module 716 may be configured to, for example, send UE capability information to a base station, as described herein, and perform CPP measurement operations.

[0082] The network device 720 may include one or more processors 722. The processor 722 may execute instructions to perform various operations as described herein for the network device 720. The processor 722 may include one or more baseband processors implemented using, for example, a CPU, a DSP, an ASIC, a controller, an FPGA device, another hardware device, a firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0083] The network device 720 may include a memory 724. The memory 724 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 726 (which may include, for example, instructions executed by the processor 722). The instructions 726 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. The memory 724 may also store data used by the processor 722 and results calculated by the processor.

[0084] The network device 720 may include one or more transceivers 728, which may include RF transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses an antenna 730 of the network device 720 to facilitate signaling (e.g., signaling 738) transmitted or received by the network device 720 with other devices (e.g., wireless device 702) according to the corresponding RAT.

[0085] The network device 720 may include one or more antennas 730 (e.g., one, two, four, or more). In embodiments with multiple antennas 730, the network device 720 may perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beam steering, etc. as described above.

[0086] The network device 720 may include one or more interfaces 732. The interface 732 may be used to provide input to the network device 720 or provide output from the network device. For example, the network device 720 as a base station may include an interface 732 composed of a transmitter, a receiver and other circuits (for example, in addition to the transceiver 728 / antenna 730 described above), which enables the base station to communicate with other equipment in the core network and / or enables the base station to communicate with an external network, computer, database, etc., so as to achieve the purpose of operating, managing and maintaining the base station or other equipment operably connected thereto.

[0087] The network device 720 may include a CPP module 734. The CPP module 734 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the CPP module 734 may be implemented as a processor, circuit, and / or instructions 726 stored in the memory 724 and executed by the processor 722. In some examples, the CPP module 734 may be integrated within the processor 722 and / or the transceiver 728. For example, the CPP module 734 may be implemented by a combination of software components (e.g., software components executed by a DSP or a general purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuits) within the processor 722 or the transceiver 728.

[0088] From the perspective of the base station, the CPP module 734 may be used in various aspects of the present disclosure, for example, Figure 2 and Figure 4 As described herein, the CPP module 734 may be configured to, for example, receive UE capability information and send one or more PRS configurations and / or SRS configurations for the UE to perform CPP measurement operations.

[0089] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described herein. For example, a baseband processor as described herein in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples set forth herein. For another example, circuits associated with a UE, a base station, a network element, etc. as described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples set forth herein.

[0090] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. In view of the above teachings, modifications and variations are possible, or can be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0091] Embodiments and implementations of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations that may be embodied in machine executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. A computer system may include one or more general or special purpose computers (or other electronic devices). A computer system may include hardware components that include specific logic components for performing operations; or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0092] The systems described herein relate to specific embodiments, but are provided as examples. These embodiments may be combined into a single system, partially combined into other systems, divided into multiple systems, or otherwise divided or combined. In addition, it is contemplated that parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment may be used in one embodiment. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. are described only in one or more embodiments, and it should be recognized that unless explicitly stated herein, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc. of another embodiment.

[0093] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0094] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for the sake of clarity, it will be apparent that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that there are many alternative ways to implement both the processes and the apparatus described herein. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and the specification is not limited to the details given herein, but may be modified within the scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: Transceiver; as well as A processor, the processor being configured to: sending, via the transceiver, UE capability information indicating at least one capability of the UE with respect to carrier phase positioning (CPP) measurement; and According to the UE capability information: receiving, via the transceiver, one or more downlink (DL) positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations or one or more uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) configurations, the one or more DL PRS configurations or the one or more UL SRS configurations being suitable for the CPP measurement, the one or more DL PRS configurations comprising a plurality of DL PRS symbols; and performing at least one of the following operations: performing the CPP measurement on the plurality of DL PRS symbols, the CPP measurement comprising a carrier phase of arrival signal (CPoA) measurement and a carrier phase difference of arrival signal (CPDoA) measurement; or One or more UL sounding reference signals (SRS) are transmitted via the transceiver based on the one or more UL SRS configurations.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The UE is a first UE; and The plurality of DL PRS symbols in each time slot are symbols reserved for the second UE.

3. The UE of claim 2, wherein the at least one capability of the UE with respect to carrier phase positioning (CPP) measurements comprises a capability to estimate a position of the UE based on the CPP measurements.

4. The UE of claim 3, wherein the at least one capability of the UE regarding carrier phase positioning (CPP) measurement further comprises at least one of the following: a first capability to estimate a position of the UE based on the CPP measurements and opportunity-based positioning measurements; or A second capability of estimating a change in location of the UE based on the CPP measurement.

5. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more DL PRS configurations further include: The periodicity of the plurality of DL PRS symbols at a slot time level or a sub-slot time level; and The number of the plurality of DL PRS symbols in each slot level periodicity or sub-slot level periodicity; or The one or more UL SRS configurations further include: a periodicity of the plurality of UL SRS symbols at a slot time level or a sub-slot time level; and The number of the plurality of UL SRS symbols in each slot level periodicity or sub-slot level periodicity; or The one or more DL PRS configurations further include: The plurality of DL PRS symbols used for the CPP measurement have a higher periodicity than a plurality of DL PRS symbols used for non-CPP measurement; or The one or more UL SRS configurations further include: The plurality of UL SRS symbols used for the CPP measurement have a higher periodicity than the plurality of UL PRS symbols used for non-CPP measurement. 6 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of DL PRS symbols or the plurality of UL SRS symbols of the one or more UL SRS configurations are allocated in a comb pattern in time. 7 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of DL PRS symbols or a plurality of UL SRS symbols of the one or more UL SRS configurations are allocated in a non-comb pattern.

8. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of DL PRS symbols include one or more DL PRS symbols for opportunity-based positioning measurement and one or more DL PRS symbols for the CPP measurement; and The one or more DL PRS symbols used for the opportunity-based positioning measurement are in a bandwidth portion different from a bandwidth portion of the one or more DL PRS symbols used for the CPP measurement. 9 . The UE of claim 1 , wherein the one or more DL PRS configurations or the one or more UL SRS configurations include a first sub-configuration associated with opportunity-based positioning measurement and a second sub-configuration associated with the CPP measurement.

10. The UE according to claim 9, wherein: The first sub-configuration defines a first time periodicity or a first frequency bandwidth for the opportunity-based positioning measurements; The second sub-configuration defines a second time periodicity or a second frequency bandwidth for the CPP measurement; and The first time periodicity or the first frequency bandwidth is greater than the second time periodicity or the second frequency bandwidth. 11 . The UE of claim 10 , wherein the second time periodicity or the second frequency bandwidth is a subset of the first time periodicity or the first frequency bandwidth.

12. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more DL PRS configurations include a first PRS configuration for opportunity-based positioning measurements and a second PRS configuration for the CPP measurements; The first PRS configuration describes a first resource for the opportunity-based positioning measurement, and the second PRS configuration describes a second resource for the CPP measurement; and The first resource is separate from the second resource. 13 . The UE of claim 12 , wherein the first resource and the second resource are in the same downlink (DL) PRS positioning frequency layer or in different DL PRS positioning frequency layers.

14. The UE according to claim 11, wherein: The plurality of UL SRS symbols of the one or more UL SRS configurations include one or more UL PRS symbols for opportunity-based positioning measurement and one or more UL SRS symbols for the CPP measurement; and The one or more UL SRS symbols used for the opportunity-based positioning measurement are in a bandwidth portion different from a bandwidth portion of the one or more UL SRS symbols used for the CPP measurement.

15. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more UL SRS configurations include a first SRS configuration for opportunity-based positioning measurements and a second SRS configuration for the CPP measurements; The first SRS configuration describes a first resource for the opportunity-based positioning measurement, and the second SRS configuration describes a second resource for the CPP measurement; and The first resource is separate from the second resource.

16. The UE according to claim 1, wherein: The UE is a first UE; and The plurality of UL SRS symbols of the one or more UL SRS configurations are symbols reserved for the second UE.

17. A base station, comprising: Transceiver; as well as A processor, the processor being configured to: receiving, via the transceiver and from a user equipment (UE), UE capability information indicating at least one capability of the UE with respect to carrier phase positioning (CPP) measurement; and According to the UE capability information: transmitting, via the transceiver and to the UE, one or more downlink (DL) positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations or one or more uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) configurations, the one or more DL PRS configurations or the one or more UL SRS configurations being suitable for the CPP measurement, the one or more DL PRS configurations comprising a plurality of DL PRS symbols; and performing at least one of the following operations: receiving, via the transceiver and from the UE, the CPP measurements performed on the plurality of DLPRS symbols, the CPP measurements comprising carrier phase of arrival signals (CPoA) measurements and carrier phase difference of arrival signals (CPDoA); or One or more UL sounding reference signals (SRS) are received via the transceiver and from the UE based on the one or more UL SRS configurations.

18. A method comprising: Sending UE capability information from a user equipment (UE) to a base station, the UE capability information indicating at least one capability of the UE regarding carrier phase positioning (CPP) measurement; receiving, at the UE and from the base station, one or more downlink (DL) positioning reference signal (PRS) configurations suitable for carrier phase positioning (CPP) measurements, the one or more DL PRS configurations comprising a plurality of DL PRS symbols; and The CPP measurements are performed on the plurality of DL PRS symbols, the CPP measurements comprising carrier phase of arrival signals (CPoA) measurements and carrier phase difference of arrival signals (CPDoA) measurements.

19. The method according to claim 18, further comprising: receiving, at the UE and from the base station, one or more uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS) configurations suitable for the CPP measurement by the base station, the one or more UL SRS configurations comprising a plurality of UL PRS symbols; as well as Based on receiving the one or more UL SRS configurations, one or more uplink (UL) sounding reference signals (SRS) suitable for the CPP measurement by the base station are transmitted via the transceiver and to the base station.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein: The at least one capability of the UE with respect to carrier phase positioning (CPP) measurements includes a capability to estimate a position of the UE based on the CPP measurements.

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