Positioning reference unit activation

Abstract

A method is disclosed, the method comprising: receiving an activation request from a user equipment, where the activation request comprises: a request to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; sending a response to the activation request to the user equipment or to the network element, wherein the response indicates whether the activation request is accepted; and performing at least one of transmitting an uplink reference signal to the one or more transmission and reception points, measuring a downlink reference signal received from the one or more transmission and reception points, transmitting a sidelink reference signal to the user equipment, and receiving the sidelink reference signal based on the received activation request. Or measuring a sidelink reference signal received from the user equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The following example embodiments relate to wireless communications and positioning. Background Art

[0002] Positioning technology can be used to estimate the physical location of a device. It is desirable to improve positioning accuracy so as to more accurately estimate the location of a device. Summary of the invention

[0003] The scope of protection sought by various example embodiments is defined by the independent claims. Example embodiments and features described in this specification that do not belong to the scope of the independent claims, if any, should be interpreted as examples that help understand the various embodiments.

[0004] According to one aspect, a device is provided, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to at least: receive an activation request from a user equipment, wherein the activation request comprises: a request to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; send a response to the activation request to the user equipment or to a network element, wherein the response indicates whether the activation request is accepted; and perform at least one of the following items based on accepting the activation request: send an uplink reference signal to one or more transmission and reception points, measure a downlink reference signal received from one or more transmission and reception points, send a sidelink reference signal to the user equipment, or measure a sidelink reference signal received from the user equipment.

[0005] According to another aspect, an apparatus is provided, comprising: a component for receiving an activation request from a user equipment, wherein the activation request comprises: a request for activating one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; a component for sending a response to the activation request to the user equipment or to a network element, wherein the response indicates whether the activation request is accepted; and a component for performing at least one of the following items based on accepting the activation request: sending an uplink reference signal to one or more transmission and reception points, measuring a downlink reference signal received from one or more transmission and reception points, sending a sidelink reference signal to the user equipment, or measuring a sidelink reference signal received from the user equipment.

[0006] According to another aspect, a method is provided, the method comprising: receiving an activation request from a user equipment, wherein the activation request comprises: a request for activating one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; sending a response to the activation request to the user equipment or to a network element, wherein the response indicates whether the activation request is accepted; and performing at least one of the following items based on accepting the activation request: sending an uplink reference signal to one or more transmission and reception points, measuring a downlink reference signal received from one or more transmission and reception points, sending a sidelink reference signal to the user equipment, or measuring a sidelink reference signal received from the user equipment.

[0007] According to another aspect, a computer program is provided, which includes instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following items: receive an activation request from a user equipment, wherein the activation request includes: a request to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; send a response to the activation request to the user equipment or to a network element, wherein the response indicates whether the activation request is accepted; and based on accepting the activation request, perform at least one of the following items: send an uplink reference signal to one or more transmission and reception points, measure a downlink reference signal received from one or more transmission and reception points, send a sidelink reference signal to the user equipment, or measure a sidelink reference signal received from the user equipment.

[0008] According to another aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions, which when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform at least the following items: receive an activation request from a user equipment, wherein the activation request includes: a request to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; send a response to the activation request to the user equipment or to a network element, wherein the response indicates whether the activation request is accepted; and based on accepting the activation request, perform at least one of the following items: send an uplink reference signal to one or more transmission and reception points, measure a downlink reference signal received from one or more transmission and reception points, and send a sidelink reference signal to the user equipment.

[0009] According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions, which when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform at least the following items: receive an activation request from a user equipment, wherein the activation request includes: a request to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; send a response to the activation request to the user equipment or to a network element, wherein the response indicates whether the activation request is accepted; and based on accepting the activation request, perform at least one of the following items: send an uplink reference signal to one or more transmission and reception points, measure a downlink reference signal received from one or more transmission and reception points, and send a sidelink reference signal to the user equipment.

[0010] According to another aspect, a device is provided, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to at least: send an activation request to one or more positioning reference units, wherein the activation request comprises: a request to activate the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the device; receive a response to the activation request from the one or more positioning reference units, wherein the response indicates acceptance of the activation request; and based on the response, send a message to a network element, wherein the message indicates or requests activation of the one or more positioning reference units as follows: a response indicating receipt is received from the one or more positioning reference units.

[0011] According to another aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for sending an activation request to one or more positioning reference units, wherein the activation request comprises: a request to activate the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the device; a component for receiving a response to the activation request from the one or more positioning reference units, wherein the response indicates acceptance of the activation request; and a component for sending a message to a network element based on the response, wherein the message indicates or requests activation of the one or more positioning reference units as follows: a response indicating acceptance is received from the one or more positioning reference units.

[0012] According to another aspect, a method is provided, the method comprising: sending, by a user device, an activation request to one or more positioning reference units, wherein the activation request comprises: a request for activating one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user device; receiving, by the user device, a response to the activation request from the one or more positioning reference units, wherein the response indicates acceptance of the activation request; and sending, by the user device, a message to a network element based on the response, the message indicating or requesting activation of the one or more positioning reference units as follows: receiving a response indicating acceptance from the one or more positioning reference units.

[0013] According to another aspect, a computer program is provided, which includes instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following: send an activation request to one or more positioning reference units, wherein the activation request includes: a request to activate the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the apparatus; receive a response to the activation request from the one or more positioning reference units, wherein the response indicates acceptance of the activation request; and based on the response, send a message to a network element, wherein the message indicates or requests activation of the one or more positioning reference units as follows: receive a response indicating acceptance from the one or more positioning reference units.

[0014] According to another aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions, which when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform at least the following items: sending an activation request to one or more positioning reference units, wherein the activation request includes: a request to activate the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the apparatus; receiving a response to the activation request from the one or more positioning reference units, wherein the response indicates acceptance of the activation request; and based on the response, sending a message to a network element, the message indicating or requesting activation of the one or more positioning reference units as follows: receiving a response indicating acceptance from the one or more positioning reference units.

[0015] According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions, which when executed by an apparatus, causes the apparatus to perform at least the following items: sending an activation request to one or more positioning reference units, wherein the activation request includes: a request to activate the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the apparatus; receiving a response to the activation request from the one or more positioning reference units, wherein the response indicates acceptance of the activation request; and sending a message to a network element based on the response, wherein the message indicates or requests activation of the one or more positioning reference units as follows: receiving a response indicating acceptance from the one or more positioning reference units.

[0016] According to another aspect, a device is provided, which includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, which instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the device to at least: receive a message from a user equipment or from one or more positioning reference units, the message indicating or requesting activation of one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; and based on receiving the message, obtain measurement information associated with at least one of the following items: an uplink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, a downlink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units, a sidelink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, or a sidelink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units.

[0017] According to another aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for receiving a message from a user equipment or from one or more positioning reference units, the message indicating or requesting activation of one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; and a component for obtaining measurement information associated with at least one of the following items based on receiving the message: an uplink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, a downlink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units, a sidelink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, or a sidelink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units.

[0018] According to another aspect, a method is provided, the method comprising: receiving a message from a user equipment or from one or more positioning reference units, the message indicating or requesting activation of one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; and based on receiving the message, obtaining measurement information associated with at least one of the following items: an uplink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, a downlink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units, a sidelink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, or a sidelink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units.

[0019] According to another aspect, a computer program is provided, which includes instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following items: receive a message from a user equipment or from one or more positioning reference units, the message indicating or requesting activation of one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; and based on receiving the message, obtain measurement information associated with at least one of the following items: an uplink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, a downlink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units, a sidelink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, or a sidelink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units.

[0020] According to another aspect, a computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions, which when executed by an apparatus causes the apparatus to perform at least the following items: receive a message from a user equipment or from one or more positioning reference units, the message indicating or requesting activation of one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; and based on receiving the message, obtain measurement information associated with at least one of the following items: an uplink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, a downlink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units, a sidelink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, or a sidelink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units.

[0021] According to another aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions, which when executed by an apparatus causes the apparatus to perform at least the following items: receive a message from a user equipment or from one or more positioning reference units, the message indicating or requesting activation of one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; and based on receiving the message, obtain measurement information associated with at least one of the following items: an uplink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, a downlink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units, a sidelink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, or a sidelink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] In the following, various example embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0023] Figure 1 An example of a cellular communication network is illustrated;

[0024] Figure 2 An example of a positioning scenario is illustrated;

[0025] Figure 3 illustrates a signaling diagram according to an example embodiment;

[0026] Figure 4 illustrates a signaling diagram according to an example embodiment;

[0027] Figure 5 illustrates a signaling diagram according to an example embodiment;

[0028] Figure 6 illustrates a signaling diagram according to an example embodiment;

[0029] Figure 7 illustrates a signaling diagram according to an example embodiment;

[0030] Figure 8 illustrates a signaling diagram according to an example embodiment;

[0031] Fig. 9 illustrates a flow chart according to an example embodiment;

[0032] Fig.10 illustrates a flow chart according to an example embodiment;

[0033] Fig.11 illustrates a flow chart according to an example embodiment;

[0034] Fig.12 An example of an apparatus is illustrated; and

[0035] Fig.13 An example of an apparatus is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The following embodiments are exemplary. Although the specification may refer to "one", "an" or "some" embodiments at several locations in the text, this does not necessarily mean that the same embodiment (s) are mentioned each time or that a particular feature only applies to a single embodiment. Individual features of different embodiments may also be combined to provide other embodiments.

[0037] In the following, different example embodiments will be described using radio access architectures based on Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE-Advanced, LTE-A), New Radio (NR, 5G), Beyond 5G or Sixth Generation (6G) as examples of access architectures to which example embodiments may be applied, without limiting the example embodiments to such architectures. It is clear to a person skilled in the art that, by appropriately adjusting parameters and procedures, the example embodiments may also be applied to other types of communication networks with appropriate components. Some examples of other options for applicable systems may be Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Radio Access Network (UTRAN or E-UTRAN), Long Term Evolution (LTE, which is basically the same as E-UTRA), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN or Wi-Fi), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Personal Communications Service (PCS), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), systems using Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, sensor networks, Mobile Ad Hoc Networks (MANETs), and Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or any combination thereof.

[0038] Figure 1 An example of a simplified system architecture is depicted showing some elements and functional entities, which are all logical units, the implementation of which may differ from what is shown. Figure 1The connections shown are logical connections; the actual physical connections may be different. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that the system may also include in addition to Figure 1 Other functions and structures than those shown.

[0039] However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited to the systems given as examples, and a person skilled in the art may apply the solution to other communication systems having the necessary properties.

[0040] Figure 1 The example of FIG. 1 shows a portion of an exemplary radio access network.

[0041] Figure 1 User equipment 100 and 102 are shown, which are configured to wirelessly connect to an access node (AN) 104 (such as an evolved Node B (abbreviated as eNB or eNodeB) or a next-generation Node B (abbreviated as gNB or gNodeB) providing a radio cell on one or more communication channels in the radio cell. The physical link from the user equipment to the access node can be called an uplink (UL) or reverse link, and the physical link from the access node to the user equipment can be called a downlink (DL) or forward link. The user equipment can also communicate directly with another user equipment via a sidelink (SL) communication. It should be understood that the access node or its functions can be implemented by using any node, host, server, or access point entity suitable for such purpose.

[0042] The communication system may include more than one access node, in which case the access nodes may also be configured to communicate with each other via wired or wireless links designed for this purpose. These links may be used for signaling purposes or for routing data from one access node to another access node. An access node may be a computing device configured to control the radio resources of the communication system to which it is coupled. An access node may also be referred to as a base station, a base transceiver station (BTS), an access point, or any other type of interface device, including a relay station capable of operating in a wireless environment. An access node may include or be coupled to a transceiver. From the transceiver of the access node, a connection to an antenna unit may be provided that establishes a two-way radio link to a user device. The antenna unit may include multiple antennas or antenna elements. The access node may also be connected to a core network 110 (CN or next generation core NGC). Depending on the deployed technology, the other party to which the access node can connect on the CN side may be a serving gateway (S-GW, routing and forwarding user data packets), a packet data network gateway (P-GW) for providing user equipment with connection to an external packet data network, a user plane function (UPF), a mobility management entity (MME) or an access and mobility management function (AMF), etc.

[0043] Regarding positioning, the service-based architecture (core network) may include an AMF 111 and a location management function (LMF) 112. The AMF may provide location information for call processing, policy, and billing to other network functions in the core network and to other entities requesting the positioning of the terminal device. The AMF may receive and manage location requests from several sources: a mobile originated location request (MO-LR) from a user equipment, and a mobile terminated location request (MT-LR) from other functions of the core network, or from other network elements. The AMF may select an LMF for a given request and use its positioning service to trigger a positioning session. The LMF may then perform positioning after receiving such a request from the AMF. The LMF may manage the resources and time of positioning activities. The LMF may request the positioning of the user equipment from one or more access nodes using the Namf_Communication service on the NL1 interface, or the LMF may communicate with the user equipment via N1 for UE-based positioning or UE-assisted positioning. Positioning may include an estimate of the location, and in addition, the LMF may also estimate the movement or accuracy of the location information when requested. In terms of connection, the AMF may be located between the access node and the LMF, and is therefore closer to the access node than the LMF.

[0044] The user equipment illustrates one type of apparatus to which resources on the air interface may be allocated and assigned, and thus any features of the user equipment described herein may be implemented with a corresponding apparatus, such as a relay node.

[0045] An example of such a relay node may be a layer 3 relay towards an access node (self-backhaul relay). A self-backhaul relay node may also be referred to as an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. An IAB node may comprise two logical parts: a mobile terminal (MT) part, which is responsible for the backhaul link(s) (i.e., the link(s) between the IAB node and a donor node (also referred to as a parent node)); and a distributed unit (DU) part, which is responsible for the access link(s) (i.e., the sub-link(s) between the IAB node and the user equipment(s) and / or between the IAB node and other IAB nodes (multi-hop scenario)).

[0046] Another example of such a relay node may be a layer 1 relay known as a repeater. A repeater may amplify a signal received from an access node and forward it to a user device and / or amplify a signal received from a user device and forward it to an access node.

[0047] User equipment may also be referred to as a subscriber unit, mobile station, remote terminal, access terminal, user terminal, terminal device, or user equipment (UE), to name just a few names or devices. User equipment may refer to a portable computing device, which includes wireless mobile communication devices operating with or without a subscriber identity module (SIM), including but not limited to the following types of devices: mobile stations (mobile phones), smart phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, devices using wireless modems (alarm or measurement devices, etc.), laptops and / or touch screen computers, tablets, game consoles, notebook computers, multimedia devices, reduced capability (RedCap) devices, wireless sensor devices, or any device integrated in a vehicle.

[0048] It should be understood that a user device may also be almost exclusively an uplink device, an example of which may be a camera or camcorder that loads images or video clips to a network. A user device may also be a device capable of operating in an Internet of Things (IoT) network, in which case an object may have the ability to transmit data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. A user device may also utilize the cloud. In some applications, a user device may include a small portable or wearable device (such as a watch, headset, or glasses) with a radio component, and the computation may be performed in the cloud or in another user device. A user device (or in some example embodiments, a layer 3 relay node) may be configured to perform one or more user device functions.

[0049] The various techniques described in this article can also be applied to cyber-physical systems (CPS) (systems of cooperating computing elements that control physical entities). CPS can enable the implementation and utilization of a large number of interconnected ICT devices (sensors, actuators, processors, microcontrollers, etc.) embedded in physical objects at different locations. Mobile cyber-physical systems are a subcategory of cyber-physical systems, where the physical system in question can have inherent mobility. Examples of mobile physical systems include mobile robots and electronics transported by humans or animals.

[0050] Furthermore, although these devices are depicted as a single entity, different units, processors and / or memory units may be implemented. Figure 1 Not all are shown).

[0051] 5G enables the use of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, more base stations or nodes than LTE (the so-called small cell concept), including macro sites operating in cooperation with smaller base stations and employing various radio technologies depending on service needs, use cases and / or available spectrum. 5G mobile communications can support a wide range of use cases and related applications, including video streaming, augmented reality, different data sharing methods, and various forms of machine type applications (such as (massive) machine type communication (mMTC), including vehicle safety, different sensors, and real-time control. 5G can have multiple radio interfaces, namely below 6GHz, cmWave, and mmWave, and can also be integrated with existing traditional radio access technologies (such as LTE). At least in the early stages, the integration with LTE can be implemented as a system in which macro coverage can be provided by LTE, and 5G radio interface access can come from small cells by aggregation to LTE. In other words, 5G can support both inter-RAT operability (such as LTE-5G) and inter-RI operability (inter-radio interface operability, such as below 6GHz-cmWave-mmWave). One of the concepts considered to be used in 5G networks may be network slicing, in which multiple independent and dedicated virtual subnets (network instances) can be created within substantially the same infrastructure to run services with different requirements for latency, reliability, throughput, and mobility.

[0052] The current architecture in LTE networks can be completely distributed in the radio and completely concentrated in the core network. Low-latency applications and services in 5G may require content to be close to the radio, resulting in local outages and multi-access edge computing (MEC). 5G can enable analysis and knowledge generation at the data source. This approach may require the use of resources that may not be continuously connected to the network, such as laptops, smartphones, tablets, and sensors. MEC can provide a distributed computing environment for application and service hosting. It can also be able to store and process content near cellular subscribers to obtain faster response times. Edge computing can cover a wide range of technologies, such as wireless sensor networks, mobile data acquisition, mobile signature analysis, collaborative distributed peer-to-peer networking and processing, and can also be classified as local cloud / fog computing and mesh / grid computing, dew computing, mobile edge computing, cloudlet, distributed data storage and retrieval, autonomous self-healing networks, remote cloud services, augmented and virtual reality, data caching, Internet of Things (large-scale connection and / or delay critical), critical communications (autonomous driving cars, traffic safety, real-time analysis, time-critical control, healthcare applications).

[0053] The communication system may also be capable of communicating with one or more other networks 113, such as a public switched telephone network or the Internet, or utilizing services provided by them. The communication network may also be capable of supporting the use of cloud services, for example, at least part of the core network operations may be provided as a cloud service (this is in the Figure 1 The communication system may also include a central control entity or the like to provide facilities for the networks of different operators to collaborate, for example, in spectrum sharing.

[0054] Edge cloud can be introduced into the radio access network (RAN) by utilizing network function virtualization (NFV) and software defined network (SDN). The use of edge cloud can mean performing access node operations at least partially in a server, host, or node that is operationally coupled to a remote radio head (RRH) or a radio unit (RU) or an access node including a radio component. Node operations can also be distributed among multiple servers, nodes, or hosts. The application of cloudRAN architecture enables RAN real-time functions to be performed on the RAN side (in the distributed unit DU 105) and non-real-time functions to be performed in a centralized manner (in the centralized unit CU 108).

[0055] It should also be understood that the functional distribution between core network operations and access node operations may be different from LTE, or even non-existent. Some other technological advances that may be used include big data and all-IP, which may change the way networks are constructed and managed. 5G (or New Radio NR) networks can be designed to support multiple hierarchical structures, where MEC servers can be placed between the core and access nodes. It should be understood that MEC can also be applied to 4G networks.

[0056] 5G can also make use of non-terrestrial communications (e.g., satellite communications) to enhance or supplement the coverage of 5G services, for example by providing backhaul. Possible use cases may be to provide service continuity for machine-to-machine (M2M) or Internet of Things (IoT) devices or for passengers on board, or to ensure service availability for critical communications and future rail / maritime / aviation communications. Satellite communications can make use of geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite systems, as well as low earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems, in particular mega-constellations (systems in which hundreds of (nano) satellites are deployed). A given satellite 106 in a mega-constellation can cover several satellite-supported network entities that create a terrestrial cell. A terrestrial cell can be created by a terrestrial relay node or by an access node 104 located on the ground or in a satellite.

[0057] 6G networks are expected to adopt flexible decentralized and / or distributed computing systems and architectures and ubiquitous computing, based on mobile edge computing, artificial intelligence, short packet communications and blockchain technology to achieve local spectrum licensing, spectrum sharing, infrastructure sharing and intelligent automation management. The key features of 6G may include intelligent interconnection management and control functions, programmability, integrated sensing and communication, reduced energy footprint, trusted infrastructure, scalability and affordability. In addition, 6G also targets new use cases, covering the integration of positioning and sensing capabilities into system definitions to unify the user experience of the physical and digital worlds.

[0058] It is clear to a person skilled in the art that the depicted system is only an example of a part of a radio access system, and in practice the system may include multiple access nodes, a user equipment may be able to access multiple radio cells, and the system may also include other devices, such as physical layer relay nodes or other network elements, etc. At least one access node may be a home eNodeB or a home gNodeB.

[0059] In addition, the access node can also be split into: a radio unit (RU), which includes a radio transceiver (TRX), i.e., a transmitter (Tx) and a receiver (Rx); one or more distributed units (DU), which can be used for so-called layer 1 (L1) processing and real-time layer 2 (L2) processing; and a central unit (CU) (also called a centralized unit), which can be used for non-real-time L2 and layer 3 (L3) processing. The CU can be connected to one or more DUs, for example, by using an F1 interface. This split can make the CU centralized relative to the cell site and the DU, while the DU can be distributed more widely and can even remain at the cell site. The CU and DU together can also be referred to as a baseband or baseband unit (BBU). The CU and DU can also be included in a radio access point (RAP).

[0060] A CU may be defined as a logical node that hosts the higher layer protocols of an access node, such as radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and / or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP). A DU may be defined as a logical node that hosts the radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC), and / or physical (PHY) layers of an access node. The operation of a DU may be at least partially controlled by a CU. A CU may include a control plane (CU-CP), which may be defined as a logical node that hosts the control plane portion of the RRC and PDCP protocols for a CU of an access node. A CU may also include a user plane (CU-UP), which may be defined as a logical node that hosts the user plane portion of the PDCP protocol and the SDAP protocol for a CU of an access node.

[0061] The cloud computing platform can also be used to run the CU and / or DU. The CU can run in a cloud computing platform, which can be referred to as a virtualized CU (vCU). In addition to the vCU, there can also be a virtualized DU (vDU) running in the cloud computing platform. In addition, there can also be a combination in which the DU can use a so-called bare metal solution, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or a customer specific standard product (CSSP) system-on-chip (SoC) solution. It should also be understood that the functional distribution between the above-mentioned access node units, or different core network operations and access node operations may be different.

[0062] Furthermore, in a geographical area of ​​a radio communication system, a plurality of different types of radio cells and a plurality of radio cells may be provided. A radio cell may be a macro cell (or umbrella cell), which may be a large cell up to tens of kilometres in diameter, or a smaller cell such as a micro cell, a femto cell or a pico cell. Figure 1 (Multiple) access nodes can provide any type of these cells. A cellular radio system can be implemented as a multi-layer network including several types of radio cells. In a multi-layer network, one access node can provide one or more radio cells, and therefore multiple access nodes may be required to provide such a network structure.

[0063] In order to meet the requirements of improving the deployment and performance of communication systems, the concept of "plug and play" access nodes can be introduced. In addition to the home eNodeB or home gNodeB, a network that can use "plug and play" access nodes can also include a home NodeB gateway or HNB-GW ( Figure 1 (not shown in the figure). HNB-GW (which may be installed in the operator's network) may aggregate services from a large number of home eNodeBs or home gNodeBs back to the core network.

[0064] Positioning techniques can be used to estimate the physical location of a user equipment. Here, the user equipment to be positioned is referred to as a target UE. For example, the following positioning techniques can be used for NR: downlink time difference of arrival (DL TDoA), uplink time difference of arrival (UL TDoA), downlink angle of departure (DL AoD), uplink angle of arrival (UL AoA), and / or multi-cell round trip time (multi-RTT).

[0065] In wireless positioning, multiple positioning anchors in a known position can send and / or receive one or more positioning reference signals (PRS) to a target UE. In the uplink, a sounding reference signal (SRS) can be used as a positioning reference signal. For example, multilateral positioning techniques can then be used to localize (i.e., position) the target UE relative to the positioning anchor. The positioning anchor may also be referred to herein as an anchor, anchor node, multilateral anchor, or reference point. The positioning anchor may be, for example, a radio access node (in uplink / downlink positioning) or other UE (in sidelink positioning).

[0066] Sidelink (SL) positioning refers to a positioning method in which a target UE utilizes a sidelink (i.e., a direct device-to-device link) to locate itself either absolutely (in the case of absolute positioning, where the coordinates of the target UE are obtained in the form of global or local Cartesian coordinates) or relatively (in the case of relative positioning, where the position of the target UE relative to another entity (e.g., another non-static UE) is estimated).

[0067] Sidelink positioning involves the use of a supporting UE or a group of supporting UEs, referred to as "anchor UE(s), which assist the positioning session of the target UE. Anchor UE support may be implemented in various ways, including the anchor UE(s) estimating the position of the target UE, the target UE obtaining positioning assistance data through the anchor UE(s), and the target UE measuring reference signals from the anchor UE(s) for positioning purposes (or vice versa).

[0068] The positioning reference unit can be used in a positioning session to improve the positioning accuracy of the target UE. A positioning reference unit (PRU) at a known location can perform positioning measurements, such as reference signal time difference (RSTD), reference signal received power (RSRP), UE receive transmission time difference measurement, etc., and report these measurements to a location server, such as an LMF. In addition, the PRU can send a UL SRS for positioning so that the transmission and reception point (TRP) can measure and report UL positioning measurements (e.g., relative arrival time, UL AoA, gNB receive transmission time difference, etc.) from the PRU at a known location. The PRU measurements can be compared by the location server with the expected measurements at the known PRU location to determine correction items for other nearby target UEs. The DL and / or UL location measurements of other target UEs can then be corrected based on the previously determined correction items. From the perspective of the location server, the PRU functionality can be implemented by a UE with a known location.

[0069] The difference between a PRU and an anchor UE is that an anchor UE may not know its own position, whereas a PRU may know its own position. PRUs may also serve as positioning anchors for target UEs, or they may only provide correction data (e.g., to the LMF) to help locate the target UE.

[0070] In other words, a PRU at a known position can act as a reference target UE, thereby comparing its calculated position with the known position. Assuming that the same or similar accuracy determination effect applies to both the position of the PRU and the positions of other target UEs, the comparison of the known position and the estimated position can produce correction data, which can be used in the position estimation process of other nearby target UEs. The correction data can then be used to fine-tune the position of the target UE, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

[0071] The position of the UE may be calculated at the network, for example at the LMF (in the case of LMF based positioning), or at the UE itself (in the case of UE based positioning).

[0072] Figure 2An example is illustrated in which one or more PRUs 202, 202A, 202B are used to locate a target UE 200. The PRUs may be configured to transmit reference signals measured for locating the target UE 200. The target UE 200 may also transmit reference signals used to locate the target UE 200. One or more access nodes 204, 204A, 204B may measure reference signals received from the PRU(s) 202, 202A, 202B, and from the target UE 200. In the case of sidelink positioning, the target UE 200 may measure reference signals received from the PRU(s) 202, 202A, 202B, and / or the PRU(s) 202, 202A, 202B may measure reference signals received from the target UE and / or from other UEs or PRUs. For example, the measurement parameters (measurement data) derived from the received reference signal may include reference signal reception time, reference signal time difference (RSTD), reference signal arrival angle and / or RSRP. The measurement data may be reported to a network element acting as a location management function (LMF) 212, which is configured to perform positioning based on the measurement data. LMF 212 may estimate the position of the target UE 200 based on the received measurement data and the known positions of the (multiple) PRUs measured by the (multiple) reporting access nodes. For example, a position estimation function used in a real-time dynamic positioning (RTK) application of a global navigation satellite system may be employed. For example, if the measurement indicates that the signal received from the target UE 200 and one of the (multiple) PRUs 202 has a high correlation, the position of the target UE 200 may be estimated to be close to the PRU 202 and further away from the other PRUs 202A, 202B. The correction for the position of a given PRU 202A, PRU 202B may be calculated based on the measurement data, for example by using the difference between the measurement data associated with the target UE 200 and the measurement data associated with the nearest PRU 202. For example, multilateration (multiple measurements of RSRP, RSTD, and / or other parameters) may indicate that the target UE 200 is located in a certain direction from the nearest PRU 202, and a correction may be made for that direction.

[0073] What procedure to follow to activate a PRU for a given location service request is a challenge. For example, similar to the target UE, the PRU may also follow the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) procedure. This means that whenever a PRU is to be activated, the LMF may initiate a Location Services (LCS) request for that PRU. This is related to the problem described below.

[0074] Determining and activating appropriate PRUs for a positioning session (i.e. finding the right PRUs within a short time (delay constraint) with minimal overhead to use their correction data for high-precision positioning of a given target UE in the sense of low Geometric Dilution of Precision (GDOP)) is challenging. For example, in low-latency positioning applications, the (accurate) position of the UE needs to be estimated within a short time. Some examples of such low-latency applications may include automotive use cases, where the UE itself may initiate the positioning procedure, e.g. via a Mobile Originated Location Request (MO-LR). In other words, MO-LR means that the request to locate the target UE comes from the target UE itself.

[0075] For example, the positioning delay requirement may be set to only a few milliseconds. Low latency becomes even more challenging if we calculate the additional time needed to select and configure the appropriate PRU (ie, the PRU used to provide assistance data to fine-tune the target UE position).

[0076] Another challenging aspect is that, compared to Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning, in terrestrial positioning, the techniques used to refine positioning accuracy based on correction data may require that the PRU and the target UE experience the same (or substantially the same) radio conditions. That is, in order to be able to apply the same correction data as the PRU to the target UE, the target UE and the PRU may need to be measured by the same set of TRPs under the same conditions (e.g., line of sight, bandwidth, measurement capabilities, etc.). This means that the PRU and the target UE should have similar measurement capabilities and should be physically located as close to each other as possible.

[0077] A conventional LPP-based approach for activating PRUs may require the LMF to initiate an LCS request to the PRUs after receiving an LCS request from the target UE. Furthermore, the LMF may need to make an estimate of the target UE position as accurate as possible in order to identify the appropriate PRU. This results in high latency, since in principle this means that the LMF needs to run two positioning procedures one after the other: one procedure for estimating the position of the target UE; and then another procedure for activating the PRUs and estimating the position of the PRUs based on a stored database. Finally, based on the estimated position of the PRUs, the LMF may refine the position estimate of the target UE.

[0078] Some example embodiments may address the high latency issue of activating and utilizing PRUs by providing a time efficient PRU activation procedure based on coordinating PRUs for a target UE via a sidelink.

[0079] Some example embodiments may enable the target UE to proactively activate appropriate PRU(s) for a positioning request. The activation may be based on sidelink transmissions between the target UE and potential PRUs prior to the start of the positioning session for the target UE. This allows the target UE to indicate within its own initial MO-LR which PRUs the network may use to refine the position estimate of the target UE.

[0080] A positioning session may be associated with signaling for activating devices and / or signals, delivering assistance data, reporting measurement information, and estimating the position of a target UE.A positioning session may start with a positioning request.

[0081] Some example embodiments may take advantage of the fact that a PRU is a device that is seen by the network as a UE. In some example embodiments, coordination is performed between devices to decide which devices will act as a PRU for a given target UE. The target UE then evaluates which other devices can act as a PRU for its positioning session and indicates the PRU identifier to the network along with its positioning request (e.g., MO-LR).

[0082] Actively activating the PRU via the sidelink may result in reduced latency, which allows the PRU to operate when performing positioning of the target UE without introducing additional latency caused by the additional process of PRU selection and activation as in the traditional LMF-based process. In addition, the sidelink-based activation helps to utilize edge-related information (e.g., proximity) that the network may not know to help select the PRU and improve the accuracy of the target UE position estimate.

[0083] However, some example embodiments are described below using the principles and terminology of 5G technology without limiting the example embodiments to 5G communication systems.

[0084] Figure 3 A signaling diagram according to an example embodiment is illustrated. The example embodiment considers the MO-LR case and assumes that the network (e.g., the corresponding serving gNB) preconfigures UL SRS resources for the PRU, which may result in higher gains in terms of latency.

[0085] exist Figure 3 In the above, “SgNB” refers to the target UE (i.e., Figure 3 The “UE” in the SgNB refers to the serving gNB of the SgNB or PRU, and the “NgNB” refers to the neighboring gNB of the SgNB.

[0086] refer to Figure 3In block 301, one or more network elements of a radio access network (e.g., corresponding serving gNB) (pre)configure UL SRS transmission and / or DL ​​PRS reception for PRUs served by different gNBs, and provide these configurations to the PRUs. These configurations may indicate radio resources for UL SRS transmission and / or DL ​​PRS transmission. Alternatively or additionally, one or more network elements may provide assistance data indicating active / ongoing DL PRS transmissions. Alternatively or additionally, one or more network elements, or another UE, or the PRU itself may (pre)configure SL PRS transmission and / or reception to the PRU.

[0087] In block 302, a target UE that wants to initiate MO-LR sends a sidelink broadcast message to request activation of one or more nearby PRUs. In other words, the target UE generates an activation request and sends the activation request to the one or more PRUs via a sidelink, wherein the activation request includes a request to activate the one or more PRUs for the positioning session of the target UE.

[0088] The activation request may also indicate at least one of: whether positioning requires uplink measurements, downlink measurements, or sidelink measurements, a preference for selecting an already active PRU, and / or a proximity to the target UE and / or the already active PRU.

[0089] An already activated PRU may mean a PRU that has been activated for a positioning session of another target UE. It may be beneficial to reuse an already activated PRU that has consumed some radio resources. Activating a new PRU indicates that additional resource allocation is required.

[0090] The proximity range may include a minimum distance and / or a maximum distance to the target UE and / or to an already active PRU. For example, if the distance between the target UE and a given PRU is higher than or equal to the minimum distance, and / or lower than or equal to the maximum distance, the PRU may activate itself.

[0091] The activation request may be propagated between PRUs outside the range of the target UE.A given PRU may determine to activate itself based on other PRUs activated in its vicinity.

[0092] In box 303, one or more nearby PRUs that receive the activation request process the activation request and determine whether to activate themselves, that is, whether to accept the activation request. If one or more nearby PRUs accept the activation request, they can activate themselves. Activation means that one or more nearby PRUs can start performing at least one of the following items: sending UL SRS to one or more TRPs (e.g., its serving gNB), measuring DL PRS received from one or more TRPs (e.g., its serving gNB), sending SL PRS to the target UE, and / or measuring SL PRS received from the target UE.

[0093] The PRU may consider some criteria to determine whether to activate itself, for example, based on additional information exchanged with the target UE. For example, a given PRU may determine whether to accept the activation request based on at least one of the following items: the coordinates of the PRU, the list of access nodes (e.g., gNBs) visible to the target UE and the PRU, the state of the target UE, and / or the state of the PRU. The state here may refer to, for example, the RRC_CONNECTED state, the RRC_IDLE state, or the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0094] In block 304, one or more nearby PRUs generate and send a response to the activation request to the target UE via a sidelink. The response indicates whether the given PRU accepts the activation request. For example, the indication may be an ACK or a NACK. In other words, the indication may be ACK / NACK based or NACK based only.

[0095] In block 305, based on the responses received from the one or more nearby PRUs, the target UE sends a MO-LR to a network element (e.g., to its serving gNB), wherein the MO-LR includes an indication of one or more activated PRUs for the positioning session. For example, the MO-LR may include an identifier of the one or more activated PRUs that indicates acceptance of the activation request in its response. The serving gNB of the target UE may forward the MO-LR to a network element of the core network, such as to the LMF, via NR positioning protocol A.

[0096] In block 306, based on the preconfigured resources from block 301, the one or more activated PRUs may send a UL SRS to the one or more TRPs (e.g., to their serving gNB). Alternatively or additionally, the one or more activated PRUs may receive and measure a DL PRS from the one or more TRPs (e.g., from their serving gNB) based on the preconfiguration. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more activated PRUs may send a SL PRS to the target UE based on the preconfiguration. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more activated PRUs may receive and measure a SL PRS from the target UE based on the preconfiguration.

[0097] In block 307, one or more network elements may collect measurements associated with UL SRS transmissions of one or more activated PRUs and / or target UEs. For example, a serving gNB of one or more activated PRUs and / or target UEs may collect the measurement information and report it to the LMF via NRPPa. Alternatively or additionally, one or more activated PRUs and / or target UEs may report measurement information associated with received DL PRS and / or SL PRS to the LMF via its serving gNB, or directly to the LMF via the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP).

[0098] In block 308, the LMF estimates the position of the target UE using measurement information related to one or more activated PRUs and the target UE. For example, the LMF may select appropriate PRU measurements, collect correction data, and apply the correction data to the estimated target UE position. The LMF may also select measurements belonging only to a subset of the (multiple) activated PRUs based on some criteria, such as criteria related to the characteristics and / or similarity of the collected measurement information.

[0099] It should be noted that the network (eg, LMF) may also perform other positioning procedures between blocks 307 and 308, such as time-based measurements, to locate the target UE.

[0100] Figure 4 A signaling diagram according to an example embodiment is illustrated. This example embodiment considers the MO-LR case and assumes that the network (e.g., the corresponding serving gNB) preconfigures UL SRS resources for the PRU. In this example embodiment, the PRU responds to the network rather than the target UE.

[0101] exist Figure 4 In the above, “SgNB” refers to the target UE (i.e., Figure 4 The “UE” in the SgNB refers to the serving gNB of the SgNB or PRU, and the “NgNB” refers to the neighboring gNB of the SgNB.

[0102] refer to Figure 4In block 401, one or more network elements of a radio access network (e.g., a serving gNB) (pre-)configure UL SRS transmission and / or DL ​​PRS reception for PRUs served by different gNBs, and provide these configurations to the PRUs. These configurations may indicate radio resources for UL SRS transmission and / or DL ​​PRS transmission. Alternatively or additionally, one or more network elements may provide assistance data indicating active / ongoing DL PRS transmissions. Alternatively or additionally, one or more network elements, or another UE, or the PRU itself may (pre-)configure SL PRS transmission and / or reception to the PRU.

[0103] In block 402, a target UE that wants to initiate MO-LR sends a sidelink broadcast message to request activation of one or more nearby PRUs. In other words, the target UE generates an activation request and sends the activation request to the one or more PRUs via a sidelink, wherein the activation request includes a request to activate the one or more PRUs for the positioning session of the target UE.

[0104] The activation request may also indicate at least one of: whether positioning requires uplink measurements, downlink measurements, or sidelink measurements, a preference for selecting an already active PRU, and / or a proximity to the target UE and / or the already active PRU.

[0105] The activation request may be propagated between PRUs outside the range of the target UE.A given PRU may determine to activate itself based on other PRUs activated in its vicinity.

[0106] In box 403, one or more nearby PRUs that receive the activation request process the activation request and determine whether to activate themselves, that is, whether to accept the activation request. If one or more nearby PRUs accept the activation request, they can activate themselves. Activation means that one or more nearby PRUs can start performing at least one of the following items: sending UL SRS to one or more TRPs (e.g., its serving gNB), measuring DL PRS received from one or more TRPs (e.g., its serving gNB), sending SL PRS to the target UE, and / or measuring SL PRS received from the target UE.

[0107] The PRU may consider some criteria to determine whether to activate itself, for example, based on additional information exchanged with the target UE. For example, a given PRU may determine whether to accept the activation request based on at least one of the following items: the coordinates of the PRU, the list of access nodes (e.g., gNBs) visible to the target UE and the PRU, the state of the target UE, and / or the state of the PRU. The state here may refer to, for example, the RRC_CONNECTED state, the RRC_IDLE state, or the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0108] In block 404, one or more nearby PRUs generate and send a response to the activation request to a network element (e.g., its own serving gNB). The response indicates whether the given PRU accepts the activation request, i.e., whether the PRU is activated. The serving gNB of the given PRU may forward the response to the LMF via NRPPa. Thus, the PRU may notify the network of its activation. The response may also include an identifier of the target UE for which activation is requested, so that the network is aware of it.

[0109] In block 405, the target UE sends the MO-LR to the network, for example to its own serving gNB, which may forward the MO-LR to the LMF via NRPPa. The network will be aware of the activation PRU for the positioning session via the response sent by the PRU in block 404.

[0110] In block 406, based on the preconfigured resources from block 401, the one or more activated PRUs may send a UL SRS to the one or more TRPs (e.g., to their serving gNB). Alternatively or additionally, the one or more activated PRUs may receive and measure a DL PRS from the one or more TRPs (e.g., from their serving gNB) based on the preconfiguration. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more activated PRUs may send a SL PRS to the target UE based on the preconfiguration. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more activated PRUs may receive and measure a SL PRS from the target UE based on the preconfiguration.

[0111] In block 407, one or more network elements may collect measurements associated with UL SRS transmissions of one or more activated PRUs and / or target UEs. For example, a serving gNB of one or more activated PRUs and / or target UEs may collect the measurement information and report it to the LMF via NRPPa. Alternatively or additionally, one or more activated PRUs and / or target UEs may report measurement information associated with received DL PRS and / or SL PRS to the LMF via its serving gNB, or directly to the LMF via LPP.

[0112] In block 408, the LMF estimates the position of the target UE using measurement information related to one or more activated PRUs and the target UE. For example, the LMF may select appropriate PRU measurements, collect correction data, and apply the correction data to the estimated target UE position. The LMF may also select measurements belonging only to a subset of the (multiple) activated PRUs based on some criteria, such as criteria related to the characteristics and / or similarity of the collected measurement information.

[0113] It should be noted that the network (eg, LMF) may also perform other positioning procedures between blocks 407 and 408, such as time-based measurements, to locate the target UE.

[0114] It should be noted that Figure 3 and Figure 4 The example embodiments of may have different benefits in terms of signaling efficiency. Figure 3 The example embodiment of results in signaling in the sidelink, but it reduces the signaling on the UL required to inform the network. On the other hand, Figure 4 Example embodiments may reuse the MO-LR message and therefore have less impact on current signal specifications.

[0115] Figure 5 A signaling diagram according to an example embodiment is illustrated. The example embodiment considers the activation of a PRU for a Mobile Terminated Location Request (MT-LR) with pre-configured UL SRS transmission resources. In the example embodiment, the PRU is responsive to a target UE.

[0116] exist Figure 5 In the above, “SgNB” refers to the target UE (i.e., Figure 5 The “UE” in the SgNB refers to the serving gNB of the SgNB or PRU, and the “NgNB” refers to the neighboring gNB of the SgNB.

[0117] refer to Figure 5 In block 501, one or more network elements of a radio access network (e.g., a serving gNB) (pre-)configure UL SRS transmission and / or DL ​​PRS reception for PRUs served by different gNBs, and provide these configurations to the PRUs. These configurations may indicate radio resources used for UL SRS transmission and / or DL ​​PRS transmission. Alternatively or additionally, one or more network elements may provide assistance data indicating active / ongoing DL PRS transmissions. Alternatively or additionally, one or more network elements, or another UE, or the PRU itself may (pre-)configure SL PRS transmission and / or reception to the PRU.

[0118] In block 502, a network element of the core network (eg, LMF) receives an MT-LR, for example, from an LCS client that wants to know the location of a target UE.

[0119] In block 503, the LMF notifies the target UE of the positioning request and requests the target UE to activate one or more PRUs around it for the positioning session of the target UE.

[0120] In block 504, based on the request received from the LMF, the target UE sends a sidelink broadcast message to request activation of one or more nearby PRUs. In other words, the target UE generates an activation request and sends the activation request to the one or more PRUs via the sidelink, wherein the activation request includes a request to activate the one or more PRUs for the positioning session of the target UE.

[0121] The activation request may also indicate at least one of: whether positioning requires uplink measurements, downlink measurements, or sidelink measurements, a preference for selecting an already active PRU, and / or a proximity to the target UE and / or the already active PRU.

[0122] The activation request may be propagated between PRUs outside the range of the target UE.A given PRU may determine to activate itself based on other PRUs activated in its vicinity.

[0123] In box 505, one or more nearby PRUs that receive the activation request process the activation request and determine whether to activate themselves, that is, whether to accept the activation request. If one or more nearby PRUs accept the activation request, they can activate themselves. Activation means that one or more nearby PRUs can start to perform at least one of the following items: send UL SRS to one or more TRPs (e.g., its serving gNB), measure DL PRS received from one or more TRPs (e.g., its serving gNB), send SL PRS to the target UE, and / or measure SL PRS received from the target UE.

[0124] The PRU may consider some criteria to determine whether to activate itself, for example, based on additional information exchanged with the target UE. For example, a given PRU may determine whether to accept the activation request based on at least one of the following items: the coordinates of the PRU, the list of access nodes (e.g., gNBs) visible to the target UE and the PRU, the state of the target UE, and / or the state of the PRU. The state here may refer to, for example, the RRC_CONNECTED state, the RRC_IDLE state, or the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0125] In block 506, one or more nearby PRUs generate and send a response to the activation request to the target UE via a sidelink. The response indicates whether the given PRU accepts the activation request. For example, the indication may be based on ACK / NACK or only on NACK.

[0126] In block 507, based on the responses received from one or more nearby PRUs, the target UE sends a message to a network element (e.g., to its serving gNB) indicating activation of the one or more PRUs for the positioning session. For example, the message may include identifiers of one or more activated PRUs that indicate acceptance of the activation request in its response. The target UE's serving gNB may forward the message to the LMF via NRPPa. Alternatively, the target UE may send the message directly to the LMF via LPP.

[0127] In block 508, based on the preconfigured resources from block 501, one or more activated PRUs may send UL SRS to one or more TRPs, e.g., to their serving gNB. Alternatively or additionally, one or more activated PRUs may receive and measure DL PRS from one or more TRPs (e.g., from their serving gNB) based on the preconfiguration. Alternatively or additionally, one or more activated PRUs may send SL PRS to the target UE based on the preconfiguration. Alternatively or additionally, one or more activated PRUs may receive and measure SL PRS from the target UE based on the preconfiguration.

[0128] In block 509, one or more network elements may collect measurements associated with UL SRS transmissions of one or more activated PRUs and / or target UEs. For example, a serving gNB of one or more activated PRUs and / or target UEs may collect the measurement information and report it to the LMF via NRPPa. Alternatively or additionally, one or more activated PRUs and / or target UEs may report measurement information associated with received DL PRS and / or SL PRS to the LMF via its serving gNB, or directly to the LMF via LPP.

[0129] In block 510, the LMF estimates the position of the target UE using measurement information related to one or more activated PRUs and the target UE. For example, the LMF may select appropriate PRU measurements, collect correction data, and apply the correction data to the estimated target UE position. The LMF may also select measurements belonging only to a subset of the (multiple) activated PRUs based on some criteria, such as criteria related to the characteristics and / or similarity of the collected measurement information.

[0130] It should be noted that the network (eg, LMF) may also perform other positioning procedures between blocks 509 and 510, such as time-based measurements, to locate the target UE.

[0131] Figure 6A signaling diagram according to an example embodiment is illustrated. The example embodiment considers the activation of a PRU for MT-LR with pre-configured UL SRS transmission resources. In this example embodiment, the PRU is responsive to the network rather than the target UE.

[0132] exist Figure 6 In the above, “SgNB” refers to the target UE (i.e., Figure 6 The “UE” in the SgNB refers to the serving gNB of the SgNB or PRU, and the “NgNB” refers to the neighboring gNB of the SgNB.

[0133] refer to Figure 6 In block 601, one or more network elements of a radio access network (e.g., a serving gNB) (pre-)configure UL SRS transmission and / or DL ​​PRS reception for PRUs served by different gNBs, and provide these configurations to the PRUs. These configurations may indicate radio resources used for UL SRS transmission and / or DL ​​PRS transmission. Alternatively or additionally, one or more network elements may provide assistance data indicating active / ongoing DL PRS transmissions. Alternatively or additionally, one or more network elements, or another UE, or the PRU itself may (pre-)configure SL PRS transmission and / or reception to the PRU.

[0134] In block 602, a network element of the core network (eg, LMF) receives an MT-LR, for example, from an LCS client that wants to know the location of a target UE.

[0135] In block 603, the LMF notifies the target UE of the positioning request and requests the target UE to activate one or more PRUs around it for the positioning session of the target UE.

[0136] In block 604, based on the request received from the LMF, the target UE sends a sidelink broadcast message to request activation of one or more nearby PRUs. In other words, the target UE generates an activation request and sends the activation request to the one or more PRUs via the sidelink, wherein the activation request includes a request to activate the one or more PRUs for the positioning session of the target UE.

[0137] The activation request may also indicate at least one of: whether positioning requires uplink measurements, downlink measurements, or sidelink measurements, a preference for selecting an already active PRU, and / or a proximity to the target UE and / or the already active PRU.

[0138] The activation request may be propagated between PRUs outside the range of the target UE.A given PRU may determine to activate itself based on other PRUs activated in its vicinity.

[0139] In box 605, one or more nearby PRUs that receive the activation request process the activation request and determine whether to activate themselves, that is, whether to accept the activation request. If one or more nearby PRUs accept the activation request, they can activate themselves. Activation means that one or more nearby PRUs can start performing at least one of the following items: sending UL SRS to one or more TRPs (e.g., its serving gNB), measuring DL PRS received from one or more TRPs (e.g., its serving gNB), sending SL PRS to the target UE, and / or measuring SL PRS received from the target UE.

[0140] In block 606, one or more nearby PRUs generate and send a response to the activation request to a network element (e.g., its own serving gNB). The response indicates whether the given PRU accepts the activation request, i.e., whether the PRU is activated. The serving gNB of the given PRU may forward the response to the LMF via NRPPa. Thus, the PRU may notify the network of its activation. The response may also include an identifier of the target UE for which activation is requested, so that the network is aware of it.

[0141] In block 607, based on the preconfigured resources from block 601, one or more activated PRUs may send UL SRS to one or more TRPs, e.g., to their serving gNB. Alternatively or additionally, one or more activated PRUs may receive and measure DL PRS from one or more TRPs (e.g., from their serving gNB) based on the preconfiguration. Alternatively or additionally, one or more activated PRUs may send SL PRS to the target UE based on the preconfiguration. Alternatively or additionally, one or more activated PRUs may receive and measure SL PRS from the target UE based on the preconfiguration.

[0142] In block 608, one or more network elements may collect measurements associated with UL SRS transmissions of one or more activated PRUs and / or target UEs. For example, a serving gNB of one or more activated PRUs and / or target UEs may collect the measurement information and report it to the LMF via NRPPa. Alternatively or additionally, one or more activated PRUs and / or target UEs may report measurement information associated with received DL PRS and / or SL PRS to the LMF via its serving gNB, or directly to the LMF via LPP.

[0143] In block 609, the LMF estimates the position of the target UE using measurement information related to one or more activated PRUs and the target UE. For example, the LMF may select appropriate PRU measurements, collect correction data, and apply the correction data to the estimated target UE position. The LMF may also select measurements belonging only to a subset of the (multiple) activated PRUs based on some criteria, such as criteria related to the characteristics and / or similarity of the collected measurement information.

[0144] It should be noted that the network (eg, LMF) may also perform other positioning procedures between blocks 608 and 609, such as time-based measurements, to locate the target UE.

[0145] Figure 7 A signaling diagram according to an example embodiment is illustrated. The example embodiment considers activation of a PRU for MO-LR without pre-configured UL SRS transmission resources, wherein the PRU is responsive to a target UE.

[0146] exist Figure 7 In the above, “SgNB” refers to the target UE (i.e., Figure 7 The “UE” in the SgNB refers to the serving gNB of the SgNB or PRU, and the “NgNB” refers to the neighboring gNB of the SgNB.

[0147] refer to Figure 7 In block 701, the target UE sends a sidelink broadcast message to request activation of one or more nearby PRUs. In other words, the target UE generates an activation request and sends the activation request to the one or more PRUs via the sidelink, wherein the activation request includes: a request to activate the one or more PRUs for a positioning session of the target UE.

[0148] The activation request may also indicate at least one of: whether positioning requires uplink measurements, downlink measurements, or sidelink measurements, a preference for selecting an already active PRU, and / or a proximity to the target UE and / or the already active PRU.

[0149] The activation request may be propagated between PRUs outside the range of the target UE.A given PRU may determine to activate itself based on other PRUs activated in its vicinity.

[0150] In block 702, one or more nearby PRUs receiving the activation request process the activation request and determine whether to accept the activation request.

[0151] The PRU may consider some criteria to determine whether to accept the activation request, for example, based on additional information exchanged with the target UE. For example, a given PRU may determine whether to accept the activation request based on at least one of the following items: the coordinates of the PRU, the list of access nodes (e.g., gNBs) visible to the target UE and the PRU, the state of the target UE, and / or the state of the PRU. The state here may refer to, for example, the RRC_CONNECTED state, the RRC_IDLE state, or the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0152] In block 703, one or more nearby PRUs generate and send a response to the activation request to the target UE via a sidelink. The response indicates whether the given PRU accepts the activation request. For example, the indication may be based on ACK / NACK or only on NACK.

[0153] In block 704, based on the responses received from the one or more nearby PRUs, the target UE sends a message to a network element (e.g., to its serving gNB) to request activation of the one or more PRUs from which a response indicating acceptance of the activation request was received. The message may be, for example, an MO-LR including a request to activate the one or more PRUs for the positioning session. The serving gNB may forward the message to the LMF via NRPPa. Alternatively, the target UE may send the message directly to the LMF via LPP.

[0154] In block 705, based on the received message, the LMF sends an indication to one or more serving gNBs of one or more PRUs to activate the one or more PRUs that the target UE requests to be activated. The LMF may also notify one or more neighboring gNBs of the target UE to be located.

[0155] In block 706, the one or more serving gNBs determine and activate UL SRS and / or DL ​​PRS configurations for the one or more PRUs and the target UE. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more serving gNBs may determine a configuration for SL PRS transmission and / or reception for the one or more PRUs and the target UE.

[0156] In block 707, the one or more serving gNBs send a UL SRS configuration and / or a DL PRS configuration to the one or more PRUs and the target UE. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more serving gNBs may send a SLPRS configuration to the one or more PRUs and the target UE. In block 708, the one or more serving gNBs notify the LMF of the configured UL SRS and / or DL ​​PRS.

[0157] In block 709, the LMF notifies one or more neighboring gNBs of the configured UL SRS and / or DL ​​PRS.

[0158] In block 710, based on the UL SRS configuration, one or more activated PRUs and the target UE may send a UL SRS to one or more TRPs, e.g., to its own serving gNB. Alternatively or additionally, based on the DL PRS configuration, one or more activated PRUs and the target UE may measure a DL PRS received from one or more TRPs (e.g., from its own serving gNB). Alternatively or additionally, one or more activated PRUs may send a SL PRS to the target UE based on the SL PRS configuration. Alternatively or additionally, one or more activated PRUs may receive and measure a SL PRS from the target UE based on the SL PRS configuration.

[0159] In block 711, one or more network elements may collect measurements associated with UL SRS transmissions of one or more activated PRUs and target UEs. For example, the serving gNB of the one or more activated PRUs and target UEs may collect the measurement information and report it to the LMF via NRPPa. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more activated PRUs and target UEs may report the measurement information associated with the received DL PRS and / or SL PRS to the LMF via its serving gNB, or directly to the LMF via LPP.

[0160] In block 712, the LMF estimates the position of the target UE using measurement information related to one or more activated PRUs and the target UE. For example, the LMF may select appropriate PRU measurements, collect correction data, and apply the correction data to the estimated target UE position. The LMF may also select measurements belonging only to a subset of the (multiple) activated PRUs based on some criteria, such as criteria related to the characteristics and / or similarity of the collected measurement information.

[0161] It should be noted that the network (eg, LMF) may also perform other positioning procedures between blocks 711 and 712, such as time-based measurements, to locate the target UE.

[0162] Figure 8 A signaling diagram according to an example embodiment is illustrated. The example embodiment considers activation of a PRU for MO-LR without pre-configured UL SRS transmission resources, where the PRU is responsive to the network (rather than the target UE).

[0163] exist Figure 8 In the above, “SgNB” refers to the target UE (i.e., Figure 7The “UE” in the SgNB refers to the serving gNB of the SgNB or PRU, and the “NgNB” refers to the neighboring gNB of the SgNB.

[0164] refer to Figure 8 In block 801, the target UE sends a sidelink broadcast message to request activation of one or more nearby PRUs. In other words, the target UE generates an activation request and sends the activation request to the one or more PRUs via a sidelink, wherein the activation request includes a request to activate the one or more PRUs for a positioning session of the target UE.

[0165] The activation request may also indicate at least one of: whether positioning requires uplink measurements, downlink measurements, or sidelink measurements, a preference for selecting an already active PRU, and / or a proximity to the target UE and / or the already active PRU.

[0166] The activation request may be propagated between PRUs outside the range of the target UE.A given PRU may determine to activate itself based on other PRUs activated in its vicinity.

[0167] In block 802, one or more nearby PRUs receiving an activation request process the activation request and determine whether to accept the activation request.

[0168] The PRU may consider some criteria to determine whether to accept the activation request, for example, based on additional information exchanged with the target UE. For example, a given PRU may determine whether to accept the activation request based on at least one of the following items: the coordinates of the PRU, the list of access nodes (e.g., gNBs) visible to the target UE and the PRU, the state of the target UE, and / or the state of the PRU. The state here may refer to, for example, the RRC_CONNECTED state, the RRC_IDLE state, or the RRC_INACTIVE state.

[0169] In block 803, one or more nearby PRUs generate and send a response to the activation request to a network element (e.g., its own serving gNB). If the given PRU accepts the activation request, the response includes a request that the positioning session for the target UE be activated. The response may also include an identifier of the target UE for which activation is requested so that the network is aware of it.

[0170] In block 804, the target UE sends the MO-LR to the network, for example to its own serving gNB, which may forward the MO-LR to the LMF via NRPPa. The network will be aware of the activation PRU for the positioning session via the response sent by the PRU in block 803.

[0171] In block 805, based on the responses received from the one or more PRUs, the one or more serving gNBs determine and activate UL SRS and / or DL ​​PRS configurations for the one or more PRUs and the target UE. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more serving gNBs may determine a configuration for SL PRS transmission and / or reception for the one or more PRUs and the target UE.

[0172] In block 806, the one or more serving gNBs send a UL SRS configuration and / or a DL PRS configuration to the one or more PRUs and the target UE. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more serving gNBs may send a SLPRS configuration to the one or more PRUs and the target UE.

[0173] In other words, based on the request to be activated, one or more PRUs may receive a configuration for at least one of: an uplink reference signal (e.g., UL SRS), a downlink reference signal (e.g., DL PRS), or a sidelink reference signal (e.g., SL PRS).

[0174] In block 807, one or more serving gNBs inform the LMF of the configured UL SRS and / or DL ​​PRS.

[0175] In block 808, the LMF notifies one or more neighboring gNBs of the configured UL SRS and / or DL ​​PRS.

[0176] In block 809, based on the UL SRS configuration, the one or more activated PRUs and the target UE may send the UL SRS to one or more TRPs, e.g., to its own serving gNB. Alternatively or additionally, based on the DL PRS configuration, the one or more activated PRUs and the target UE may measure the DL PRS received from one or more TRPs (e.g., from its own serving gNB). Alternatively or additionally, the one or more activated PRUs may send the SL PRS to the target UE based on the SL PRS configuration. Alternatively or additionally, the one or more activated PRUs may receive and measure the SL PRS from the target UE based on the SL PRS configuration.

[0177] In block 810, one or more network elements may collect measurements associated with UL SRS transmissions of one or more activated PRUs and target UEs. For example, a serving gNB of one or more activated PRUs and target UEs may collect the measurement information and report it to the LMF via NRPPa. Alternatively or additionally, one or more activated PRUs and target UEs may report measurement information associated with received DL PRS and / or SL PRS to the LMF via its serving gNB, or directly to the LMF via LPP.

[0178] In block 811, the LMF estimates the position of the target UE using measurement information related to one or more activated PRUs and the target UE. For example, the LMF may select appropriate PRU measurements, collect correction data, and apply the correction data to the estimated target UE position. The LMF may also select measurements belonging only to a subset of (multiple) activated PRUs based on some criteria, such as criteria related to the characteristics and / or similarity of the collected measurement information.

[0179] It should be noted that the network (eg, LMF) may also perform other positioning procedures between blocks 810 and 811, such as time-based measurements, to locate the target UE.

[0180] Fig. 9 A flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method performed by an apparatus such as a positioning reference unit or an apparatus including a positioning reference unit or an apparatus included in a positioning reference unit is illustrated. The positioning reference unit may correspond to Figure 1 The user equipment 102 and / or Figure 2 Any one of PRU 202, PRU 202A, and PRU 202B.

[0181] refer to Fig. 9 In block 901, an activation request is received from a user equipment, wherein the activation request includes: a request to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment. Here, the user equipment may refer to a target UE to be positioned. The activation request may be received via a sidelink.

[0182] The activation request may also indicate at least one of: whether positioning requires uplink measurements, downlink measurements, or sidelink measurements, a preference for selecting an already active positioning reference unit, a proximity range relative to an already active positioning reference unit, or a proximity range relative to a user device.

[0183] In block 902, a response to the activation request is sent to a user equipment or to a network element, wherein the response indicates whether the activation request is accepted.

[0184] The device may determine whether to accept the activation request based on at least one of the following: the coordinates of the device, a list of access nodes visible to the user equipment and to the device, a state of the user equipment, or a state of the device. Here, the state may refer to an RRC state, such as RRC_CONNECTED, RRC_INACTIVE, or RRC_IDLE.

[0185] The network element may be a network element of a radio access network or a core network. For example, the network element may be a serving gNB or LMF of the device.

[0186] In box 903, based on accepting the activation request, the device performs at least one of the following items: sending an uplink reference signal to one or more transmission and reception points, measuring a downlink reference signal received from one or more transmission and reception points, sending a sidelink reference signal to a user equipment, or measuring a sidelink reference signal received from a user equipment.

[0187] The uplink reference signal may be, for example, an uplink sounding reference signal (UL PRS) or any other uplink reference signal. The downlink reference signal may be, for example, a downlink positioning reference signal (DL PRS) or any other downlink reference signal. The sidelink reference signal may be, for example, a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL PRS) or any other sidelink reference signal.

[0188] Fig.10 A flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method performed by an apparatus such as a user equipment or an apparatus including a user equipment or an apparatus included in a user equipment is illustrated. A user equipment may also be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a terminal device, a user equipment (UE), or a target UE. A user equipment may correspond to Figure 1 The user equipment 100 and / or Figure 2 The target UE 200 is configured as follows.

[0189] refer to Fig.10 In block 1001, an activation request is sent to one or more positioning reference units, wherein the activation request includes a request to activate the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the device. The activation request may be sent via a sidelink.

[0190] The activation request may also indicate at least one of: whether positioning requires uplink measurements, downlink measurements, or sidelink measurements, a preference for selecting an already active positioning reference unit, a proximity range relative to an already active positioning reference unit, or a proximity range relative to a user device.

[0191] In block 1002, a response to an activation request is received from one or more positioning reference units, wherein the response indicates acceptance of the activation request.

[0192] In block 1003, a message is sent to a network element based on the response, the message indicating or requesting activation of the one or more positioning reference units from which a response indicating acceptance was received.

[0193] The network element may be a network element of a radio access network or a core network. For example, the network element may be a serving gNB or LMF of the device.

[0194] Fig.11 A flow chart according to an example embodiment of a method performed by an apparatus such as a network element of a radio access network or a core network or an apparatus comprising the network element or an apparatus included in the network element is illustrated. For example, the network element may be an access node (e.g., a gNB) or a location management function (LMF). The network element may correspond to Figure 1 The access node 104 and / or Figure 2 Alternatively, the network element may correspond to any one of the access nodes 204, 204A, 204B. Figure 1 LMF 112 and / or Figure 2 LMF 212.

[0195] refer to Fig.11 In block 1101, a message is received from a user equipment or from one or more positioning reference elements, the message indicating or requesting activation of one or more positioning reference elements for a positioning session of the user equipment. The user equipment may refer to a target UE to be positioned.

[0196] The message may include at least one of the following: an identifier of the user equipment, and / or identifiers of one or more positioning reference units.

[0197] In box 1102, based on receiving the message, the device obtains measurement information associated with at least one of the following items: an uplink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, a downlink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units, a sidelink reference signal sent from one or more positioning reference units, or a sidelink reference signal sent to one or more positioning reference units.

[0198] The apparatus may then estimate a location of the user equipment based at least in part on the acquired measurement information.

[0199] The uplink reference signal may be, for example, an uplink sounding reference signal (UL PRS) or any other uplink reference signal. The downlink reference signal may be, for example, a downlink positioning reference signal (DL PRS) or any other downlink reference signal. The sidelink reference signal may be, for example, a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL PRS) or any other sidelink reference signal.

[0200] The above Figure 3-Figure 11The described boxes, related functions, and information exchanges (messages) are not performed in absolute time order, and some of them may be performed simultaneously or in an order different from the described order. Other functions may also be performed between them or within them, and other information may be sent, and / or other rules may be applied. Some boxes in the box or a part of the box or one or more pieces of information may also be omitted or replaced by a corresponding box or a part of the box or one or more pieces of information.

[0201] As used herein, “at least one of the following: ” and “at least one of ” and similar expressions (wherein a list of two or more elements is connected by “and” or “or”) refer to at least any one of these elements, or at least any two or more of these elements, or at least all of these elements.

[0202] Fig.12 An example of an apparatus 1200 is shown, the apparatus comprising a Fig. 9 methods, Fig.10 The method or any other exemplary embodiment described above. For example, the apparatus 1200 may be an apparatus such as a user equipment or a positioning reference unit, or an apparatus including a user equipment or a positioning reference unit, or an apparatus included in a user equipment or a positioning reference unit. The apparatus 1200 may correspond to Figure 1 The user equipment 100 and / or Figure 2 Alternatively, the apparatus 1200 may correspond to a target UE 200. Figure 1 The user equipment 102 and / or Figure 2 The apparatus 1200 may also be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile station, a remote terminal, an access terminal, a user terminal, a terminal device, a user equipment (UE), a target UE, or a positioning reference unit (PRU).

[0203] The device 1200 includes at least one processor 1210. The at least one processor 1210 interprets computer program instructions and processes data. The at least one processor 1210 may include one or more programmable processors. The at least one processor 1210 may include programmable hardware with embedded firmware, and may alternatively or additionally include one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs).

[0204] At least one processor 1210 is coupled to at least one memory 1220. At least one processor is configured to read data from and write data to at least one memory 1220. At least one memory 1220 may include one or more memory cells. The memory cell may be volatile or non-volatile. It should be noted that there may be one or more non-volatile memory cells and one or more volatile memory cells, or alternatively, there may be one or more non-volatile memory cells, or alternatively, there may be one or more volatile memory cells. Volatile memory may be, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). Non-volatile memory may be, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, an optical storage device, or a magnetic storage device. In general, memory may be referred to as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The term "non-transitory" used herein is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), rather than a limitation on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM vs. ROM). At least one memory 1220 stores computer readable instructions that are executed by at least one processor 1210 to perform one or more of the above-described example embodiments. For example, non-volatile memory stores computer readable instructions, and at least one processor 1210 uses volatile memory for temporary storage of data and / or instructions to execute instructions. Computer readable instructions may refer to computer program code.

[0205] The computer readable instructions may have been pre-stored in at least one memory 1220, or, alternatively or additionally, the computer readable instructions may be received by the device via an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or may be copied from a physical entity (such as a computer program product). The execution of the computer readable instructions by at least one processor 1210 causes the device 1200 to perform one or more of the above-described example embodiments. That is, at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions may provide a component for providing or causing the execution of any of the above-described methods and / or blocks.

[0206] In the context of this document, "memory" or "a computer-readable medium" or "computer-readable media" may be any one or more non-transitory media or components that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transport instructions for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device (such as a computer). The term "non-transitory" as used herein is a limitation on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), not on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM vs. ROM).

[0207] The device 1200 may also include or be connected to an input unit 1230. The input unit 1230 may include one or more interfaces for receiving input. The one or more interfaces may include, for example, one or more temperature, motion and / or orientation sensors, one or more cameras, one or more accelerometers, one or more microphones, one or more buttons, and / or one or more touch detection units. In addition, the input unit 1230 may include an interface to which an external device may be connected.

[0208] The device 1200 may also include an output unit 1240. The output unit may include or be connected to one or more displays capable of rendering visual content, such as a light emitting diode (LED) display, a liquid crystal display (LCD), and / or a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display. The output unit 1240 may also include one or more audio outputs. The one or more audio outputs may be, for example, a speaker.

[0209] The device 1200 also includes a connection unit 1250. The connection unit 1250 implements a wireless connection with one or more external devices. The connection unit 1250 includes at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, which can be integrated into the device 1200 or the device 1200 can be connected to them. At least one transmitter includes at least one transmission antenna, and at least one receiver includes at least one receiving antenna. The connection unit 1250 may include an integrated circuit or a group of integrated circuits that provide wireless communication capabilities for the device 1200. Alternatively, the wireless connection can be a hardwired application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The connection unit 1250 may include one or more components controlled by a corresponding control unit, such as: a power amplifier, a digital front end (DFE), an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a frequency converter, a modulator (demodulator) and / or an encoder / decoder circuit system.

[0210] It should be noted that the apparatus 1200 may also include Fig.12 Various components are not shown in the figure. The various components can be hardware components and / or software components.

[0211] Fig.13 An example of an apparatus 1300 is shown, the apparatus comprising a Fig.11or any other exemplary embodiment described above. For example, the apparatus 1300 may be an apparatus such as a network element of a radio access network or a core network, or an apparatus including the network element, or an apparatus included in the network element. For example, the network element may correspond to any of the access nodes 104, 204, 204A, 204B, or to the LMF 112, 212. The network element may also be referred to as, for example, a network node, a radio access network (RAN) node, a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) node, a NodeB, an eNB, a gNB, a base transceiver station (BTS), a base station, a NR base station, a 5G base station, an access node, an access point (AP), a relay node, a repeater, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, an IAB donor node, a distributed unit (DU), a central unit (CU), a baseband unit (BBU), a radio unit (RU), a radio head, a remote radio head (RRH), a transmission and reception point (TRP), a core network entity, or a location server.

[0212] The device 1300 may include, for example, a circuit system or a chipset suitable for implementing one or more of the above-described example embodiments. The device 1300 may be an electronic device including one or more electronic circuit systems. The device 1300 may include a communication control circuit system 1310 (such as at least one processor), and at least one memory 1320 storing instructions, which when executed by the at least one processor causes the device 1300 to perform one or more of the above-described example embodiments. For example, such instructions may include computer program code (software) 1322, wherein at least one memory and computer program code (software) 1322 are configured to cause the device 1300 to perform one or more of the above-described example embodiments together with at least one processor. Here, the computer program code may also refer to instructions that cause the device 1300 to perform one or more of the above-described example embodiments when executed by at least one processor. That is, at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions may provide a component for providing or causing the execution of any of the above-described methods and / or blocks.

[0213] The processor is coupled to the memory 1320. The processor is configured to read data from and write data to the memory 1320. The memory 1320 may include one or more memory cells. The memory cell may be volatile or non-volatile. It should be noted that there may be one or more non-volatile memory cells and one or more volatile memory cells, or alternatively, there may be one or more non-volatile memory cells, or alternatively, there may be one or more volatile memory cells. The volatile memory may be, for example, a random access memory (RAM), a dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM). The non-volatile memory may be, for example, a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, an optical storage device, or a magnetic storage device. In general, the memory may be referred to as a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The term "non-transitory" used herein is a restriction on the medium itself (i.e., tangible, not a signal), rather than a restriction on data storage persistence (e.g., RAM and ROM). The memory 1320 stores computer-readable instructions executed by the processor. For example, non-volatile memory stores computer readable instructions, and the processor executes the instructions using volatile memory for temporary storage of data and / or instructions.

[0214] The computer readable instructions may have been pre-stored in the memory 1320, or, alternatively or additionally, the computer readable instructions may be received by the device via an electromagnetic carrier signal and / or may be copied from a physical entity (such as a computer program product). The execution of the computer readable instructions causes the device 1300 to perform one or more of the above functions.

[0215] Memory 1320 may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and / or removable memory. The memory may include a configuration database for storing configuration data. For example, the configuration database may store a current neighbor cell list and, in some example embodiments, a structure of frames used in detected neighbor cells.

[0216] The device 1300 may also include a communication interface 1330, which includes hardware and / or software for implementing a communication connection according to one or more communication protocols. The communication interface 1330 includes at least one transmitter (Tx) and at least one receiver (Rx), which may be integrated into the device 1300 or the device 1300 may be connected to them. The communication interface 1330 may include one or more components controlled by a corresponding control unit, such as: a power amplifier, a digital front end (DFE), an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a frequency converter, a modulator (demodulator) and / or an encoder / decoder circuit system.

[0217] The communication interface 1330 provides the apparatus with radio communication capabilities to communicate in a cellular communication system. For example, the communication interface may provide a radio interface to one or more user equipments. The apparatus 1300 may also include another interface toward a core network entity (such as a network coordinator device or AMF) and / or toward an access node of a cellular communication system.

[0218] It should be noted that the apparatus 1300 may also include Fig.13 Various components are not shown in the figure. These various components can be hardware components and / or software components.

[0219] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following: a) a hardware circuit implementation only (such as an implementation only in analog and / or digital circuitry); and b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (as applicable): i) a combination of (multiple) analog and / or digital hardware circuits with software / firmware, and ii) any portion of (multiple) hardware processors with software (including (multiple) digital signal processors, software and (multiple) memories, which work together to enable the device (such as a mobile phone) to perform various functions); and c) (multiple) hardware circuits and / or (multiple) processors, such as (multiple) microprocessors or portions of (multiple) microprocessors, which require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but the software may not be present when the software is not required for operation.

[0220] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or process and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also covers a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0221] The techniques and methods described herein can be implemented in various ways. For example, these techniques can be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or a combination thereof. For hardware implementation, the (multiple) devices of the example embodiments can be implemented in one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), graphics processing units (GPUs), processors, controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors, other electronic units designed to perform the functions described herein, or a combination thereof. For firmware or software, implementation can be implemented by a module (e.g., a process, a function, etc.) of at least one chipset that performs the functions described herein. The software code can be stored in a memory unit and executed by a processor. The memory unit can be implemented within the processor or outside the processor. In the latter case, as is known in the art, the memory unit can be communicatively coupled to the processor in various ways. In addition, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the components of the system described herein can be rearranged and / or supplemented by additional components to facilitate the implementation of the various aspects described, etc., and they are not limited to the precise configurations set forth in the given figures.

[0222] It will be clear to those skilled in the art that, as technology advances, the inventive concept can be implemented in various ways. The embodiments are not limited to the above-described example embodiments, but may vary within the scope of the claims. Therefore, all words and expressions should be interpreted broadly, and they are intended to illustrate rather than limit the example embodiments.

[0223] List of abbreviations

[0224] 4G: Fourth Generation

[0225] 5G: New Radio / Fifth Generation

[0226] 6G: Sixth Generation

[0227] ACK: Acknowledgement

[0228] ADC: Analog-to-Digital Converter

[0229] AMF: Access and Mobility Management Function

[0230] AN: Access Node

[0231] AP: Access Point

[0232] ASIC: Application-Specific Integrated Circuit

[0233] BBU: Baseband Unit

[0234] CN: Core Network

[0235] CPS: Cyber-Physical Systems

[0236] CSSP: Customer Specific Standard Product

[0237] CU: Central Unit

[0238] CU-CP: Central Unit Control Panel

[0239] CU-UP: Central Unit User Plane

[0240] DAC: Digital to Analog Converter

[0241] DFE: Digital Front End

[0242] DL: Downlink

[0243] DL AoD: Downlink Angle of Departure

[0244] DL TDoA: Downlink Time Difference of Arrival

[0245] DRAM: Dynamic Random Access Memory

[0246] DSP: Digital Signal Processor

[0247] DSPD: Digital Signal Processing Device

[0248] DU: Distributed Unit

[0249] EEPROM: Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory

[0250] eNB: Evolved NodeB / 4G base station

[0251] FPGA: Field Programmable Gate Array

[0252] GDOP: Geometric Dilution of Precision

[0253] GEO: Geostationary Orbit

[0254] gNB: Next-generation NodeB / 5G base station

[0255] GNSS: Global Navigation Satellite System

[0256] GPU: Graphics Processing Unit

[0257] HNB-GW: Home Node B Gateway

[0258] IAB: Integrated Access and Backhaul

[0259] IMS: Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem

[0260] IoT: Internet of Things

[0261] L1: Layer 1

[0262] L2: Layer 2

[0263] L3: Layer 3

[0264] LCD: Liquid Crystal Display

[0265] LCoS: Liquid Crystal on Silicon

[0266] LCS: Location Services

[0267] LED: Light Emitting Diode

[0268] LEO: Low Earth Orbit

[0269] LMF: Location Management Function

[0270] LPP: LTE Positioning Protocol

[0271] LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0272] LTE-A: Long Term Evolution Advanced

[0273] M2M: Machine to Machine

[0274] MAC: Media Access Control

[0275] MANET: Mobile Ad Hoc Network

[0276] MEC: Multi-Access Edge Computing

[0277] MIMO: Multiple Input Multiple Output

[0278] MME: Mobility Management Entity

[0279] mMTC: massive machine type communications

[0280] MO-LR: Mobile Originated Location Request

[0281] MT: Mobile Terminal

[0282] MT-LR: Mobile Terminated Location Request

[0283] multi-RTT: multi-cell round-trip time

[0284] NACK: Negative Acknowledgement

[0285] NFV: Network Function Virtualization

[0286] NGC: Next Generation Core

[0287] NR: New Radio

[0288] NRPPa: NR Positioning Protocol A

[0289] PCS: Personal Communications Service

[0290] PDA: Personal Digital Assistant

[0291] PDCP: Packet Data Convergence Protocol

[0292] P-GW: Packet Data Network Gateway

[0293] PHY: Physical

[0294] PLD: Programmable Logic Device

[0295] PROM: Programmable Read Only Memory

[0296] PRS: Positioning Reference Signal

[0297] PRU: Positioning Reference Unit

[0298] RAM: Random Access Memory

[0299] RAN: Radio Access Network

[0300] RAP: Radio Access Point

[0301] RAT: Radio Access Technology

[0302] RI: Radio Interface

[0303] RLC: Radio Link Control

[0304] ROM: Read Only Memory

[0305] RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0306] RRH: Remote Radio Head

[0307] RSRP: Reference Signal Received Power

[0308] RSTD: Reference Signal Time Difference

[0309] RTK: Real-time Kinematic Positioning

[0310] RU: Radio Unit

[0311] RX: Receiver

[0312] SDAP: Service Data Adaptation Protocol

[0313] SDN: Software Defined Networking

[0314] SDRAM: Synchronous Dynamic Random Access Memory

[0315] S-GW: Serving Gateway

[0316] SIM: Subscriber Identity Module

[0317] SL: Sidelink

[0318] SoC: System on Chip

[0319] SRS: Sounding Reference Signal

[0320] TRP: Transmission and Reception Point

[0321] TRX: Transceiver

[0322] TX: Transmitter

[0323] UE: User Equipment

[0324] UL: Uplink

[0325] UL AoA: Uplink Angle of Arrival

[0326] UL TDoA: Uplink Time Difference of Arrival

[0327] UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0328] UTRAN: UMTS Radio Access Network

[0329] UWB: Ultra Wideband

[0330] vCU: Virtualized Central Unit

[0331] vDU: Virtualized Distributed Unit

[0332] WCDMA: Wideband Code Division Multiple Access

[0333] WiMAX: Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access

[0334] WLAN: Wireless Local Area Network

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the apparatus at least: An activation request is received from a user device, wherein the activation request comprises: a request to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; sending a response to the activation request to the user equipment or to a network element, wherein the response indicates whether the activation request is accepted; as well as Based on accepting the activation request, at least one of the following items is performed: sending an uplink reference signal to one or more transmission and reception points, measuring a downlink reference signal received from the one or more transmission and reception points, sending a sidelink reference signal to the user equipment, or measuring a sidelink reference signal received from the user equipment.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the activation request is received via a sidelink.

3. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the activation request also indicates at least one of: whether positioning requires uplink measurements, downlink measurements, or sidelink measurements, a preference for selecting an already active positioning reference unit, a proximity range relative to the already active positioning reference unit, or a proximity range relative to the user equipment.

4. The apparatus according to any preceding claim, further configured to: Whether to accept the activation request is determined based on at least one of: coordinates of the apparatus, a list of access nodes visible to the apparatus and to the user equipment, a state of the user equipment, or a state of the apparatus.

5. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the response sent to the network element comprises a request to be activated; and The device is further configured to: Based on the request to be activated, a configuration is received from the network element for at least one of: the uplink reference signal, the downlink reference signal, or the sidelink reference signal.

6. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the response further comprises: An identifier of the user equipment from which the activation request was received.

7. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the apparatus comprises or is comprised in a positioning reference unit.

8. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: Sending an activation request to one or more positioning reference units, wherein the activation request includes: a request to activate the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session for the device; receiving a response to the activation request from the one or more positioning reference units, wherein the response indicates acceptance of the activation request; as well as Based on the response, a message is sent to a network element, the message indicating or requesting activation of the one or more positioning reference units as follows: the response indicating the acceptance is received from the one or more positioning reference units.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the activation request is sent via a sidelink.

10. An apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 9, wherein the activation request also indicates at least one of the following items: whether positioning requires uplink measurement, downlink measurement, or sidelink measurement, a preference for selecting an already active positioning reference unit, a proximity range relative to the already active positioning reference unit, or a proximity range relative to the apparatus.

11. The device according to any one of claims 8 to 10, further configured to: receiving, from the network element, a request to activate the one or more positioning reference units for the positioning session of the device, Wherein the activation request is sent based on the request received from the network element.

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the message sent to the network element comprises: Identifiers of the one or more positioning reference units from which the response is received.

13. The apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein the apparatus comprises or is included in a user equipment.

14. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, wherein the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to at least: receiving a message from a user equipment or from one or more positioning reference units, the message indicating or requesting activation of the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; and Based on receiving the message, obtain measurement information associated with at least one of the following items: an uplink reference signal sent from the one or more positioning reference units, a downlink reference signal sent to the one or more positioning reference units, a sidelink reference signal sent from the one or more positioning reference units, or a sidelink reference signal sent to the one or more positioning reference units.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the message comprises at least one of: an identifier of the user equipment, or an identifier of the one or more positioning reference units.

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 15, further configured to: sending, to the user equipment, a request to activate the one or more positioning reference units for the positioning session of the user equipment, The message indicating the activation of the one or more positioning reference units is received based on the request sent to the user equipment.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 15, further configured to: Based on the message requesting the activation of the one or more positioning reference elements, a configuration for at least one of the following items is sent to the one or more positioning reference elements: the uplink reference signal, the downlink reference signal, or the sidelink reference signal.

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the apparatus comprises or is comprised in a network element of a radio access network or a core network.

19. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving an activation request from a user equipment, wherein the activation request comprises: a request to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; means for sending a response to the activation request to the user equipment or to a network element, wherein the response indicates whether the activation request is accepted; and A component for performing at least one of the following items based on accepting the activation request: sending an uplink reference signal to one or more transmission and reception points, measuring a downlink reference signal received from the one or more transmission and reception points, sending a sidelink reference signal to the user equipment, or measuring a sidelink reference signal received from the user equipment.

20. An apparatus comprising: means for sending an activation request to one or more positioning reference units, wherein the activation request comprises: a request to activate the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the apparatus; means for receiving a response to the activation request from the one or more positioning reference units, wherein the response indicates acceptance of the activation request; and Means for sending a message to a network element based on the response, the message indicating or requesting activation of the one or more positioning reference units as follows: receiving the response indicating the acceptance from the one or more positioning reference units.

21. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving a message from a user equipment or from one or more positioning reference units, the message indicating or requesting activation of the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; as well as A component for obtaining measurement information associated with at least one of the following items based on receiving the message: an uplink reference signal sent from the one or more positioning reference units, a downlink reference signal sent to the one or more positioning reference units, a sidelink reference signal sent from the one or more positioning reference units, or a sidelink reference signal sent to the one or more positioning reference units.

22. A method comprising: receiving an activation request from a user equipment, wherein the activation request comprises: a request to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; sending a response to the activation request to the user equipment or to a network element, wherein the response indicates whether the activation request is accepted; and Based on accepting the activation request, at least one of the following items is performed: sending an uplink reference signal to one or more transmission and reception points, measuring a downlink reference signal received from the one or more transmission and reception points, sending a sidelink reference signal to the user equipment, or measuring a sidelink reference signal received from the user equipment.

23. A method comprising: Sending, by a user equipment, an activation request to one or more positioning reference units, wherein the activation request comprises: a request to activate the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; receiving, by the user equipment, a response to the activation request from the one or more positioning reference units, wherein the response indicates acceptance of the activation request; and A message is sent by the user equipment to a network element based on the response, the message indicating or requesting activation of the one or more positioning reference units as follows: the response indicating the acceptance is received from the one or more positioning reference units.

24. A method comprising: receiving a message from a user equipment or from one or more positioning reference units, the message indicating or requesting activation of the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; as well as Based on receiving the message, obtain measurement information associated with at least one of the following items: an uplink reference signal sent from the one or more positioning reference units, a downlink reference signal sent to the one or more positioning reference units, a sidelink reference signal sent from the one or more positioning reference units, or a sidelink reference signal sent to the one or more positioning reference units.

25. A computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least perform the following: An activation request is received from a user device, wherein the activation request comprises: a request to activate one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; sending a response to the activation request to the user equipment or to a network element, wherein the response indicates whether the activation request is accepted; as well as Based on accepting the activation request, at least one of the following items is performed: sending an uplink reference signal to one or more transmission and reception points, measuring a downlink reference signal received from the one or more transmission and reception points, sending a sidelink reference signal to the user equipment, or measuring a sidelink reference signal received from the user equipment.

26. A computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least perform the following: Sending an activation request to one or more positioning reference units, wherein the activation request includes: a request to activate the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session for the device; receiving a response to the activation request from the one or more positioning reference units, wherein the response indicates acceptance of the activation request; as well as Based on the response, a message is sent to a network element, the message indicating or requesting activation of the one or more positioning reference units as follows: the response indicating the acceptance is received from the one or more positioning reference units.

27. A computer program comprising instructions, which, when executed by a device, cause the device to at least perform the following: receiving a message from a user equipment or from one or more positioning reference units, the message indicating or requesting activation of the one or more positioning reference units for a positioning session of the user equipment; and Based on receiving the message, obtain measurement information associated with at least one of the following items: an uplink reference signal sent from the one or more positioning reference units, a downlink reference signal sent to the one or more positioning reference units, a sidelink reference signal sent from the one or more positioning reference units, or a sidelink reference signal sent to the one or more positioning reference units.

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