Lateral link positioning reference signal transmission for wireless communication

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to wireless communications, comprising: a user equipment that determines a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) configuration, and transmits a periodic SL-PRS according to the SL-PRS configuration. Further, the user equipment receives the SL-PRS, and performs at least one measurement based on the periodic SL-PRS.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to sidelink positioning for wireless communications. Background Art

[0002] In some cases involving sidelink (SL) wireless communications, out-of-coverage user equipment may share the same predefined positioning reference signal (PRS) configuration. This may in turn lead to resource conflicts and / or interference issues. For such cases, some methods may be needed to avoid or minimize the risk of these issues. Summary of the invention

[0003] The disclosed embodiments relate to methods, systems, devices and apparatuses for wireless communication. In some implementations, a method for wireless communication includes: determining a sidelink positioning reference signal SL-PRS configuration using a user equipment; and transmitting a periodic SL-PRS using the user equipment according to the SL-PRS configuration.

[0004] In some other implementations, a method for wireless communication includes: receiving, with a user equipment, a periodic sidelink positioning reference signal SL-PRS; and performing, with the user equipment, at least one measurement based on the periodic SL-PRS.

[0005] In some other implementations, a device, such as a network device, is disclosed. The device may include one or more processors and one or more memories, wherein the one or more processors are configured to read computer codes from the one or more memories to implement any of the above methods.

[0006] In yet other implementations, a computer program product is disclosed. The computer program product may include a non-transitory computer-readable program medium having computer code stored thereon, and when executed by one or more processors, the computer code causes the one or more processors to implement the above method.

[0007] The above and other aspects and implementations thereof are described in more detail in the drawings, the description and the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 It is a block diagram of a wireless communication system.

[0009] Figure 2 is a block diagram of an example layer configuration for a user device.

[0010] Figure 3 is a block diagram of another example layer configuration of a user equipment.

[0011] Figure 4 is a block diagram of another example layer configuration of a user equipment.

[0012] Figure 5 is a diagram of an example timing-based sidelink positioning method.

[0013] Figure 6 is a flow chart of an example method of wireless communications related to sidelink positioning.

[0014] Figure 7 is a flow chart of another example method of wireless communications related to sidelink positioning. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The disclosed embodiments describe various implementations of systems, apparatuses, devices, and methods for wireless communications involving sidelink positioning.

[0016] Figure 1 A diagram of an example wireless communication system 100 is shown, the system comprising a plurality of communication nodes (or simply nodes) configured to wirelessly communicate with each other. Typically, the communication nodes include at least one user equipment 102 and at least one radio access node 104. Figure 1 The example wireless communication system 100 in FIG. 1 is shown as including two user equipments 102 and a wireless access node 104, the user equipments including a first user equipment 102(1) and a second user equipment 102(2). However, various other examples of wireless communication systems 100 including any various combinations of one or more user equipments 102 and / or one or more wireless access nodes 104 are possible.

[0017] Generally, the user equipment (e.g., user equipment 102) described in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include a single electronic device or device or multiple electronic devices or devices (e.g., its network) that can communicate wirelessly through a network. The user equipment may include or be referred to as a user terminal, a user terminal device, or a user equipment (User Equipment, UE). In addition, the user equipment may be or include, but is not limited to, a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, a smart phone, a smart watch, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a vehicle or other means of transportation (powered by manpower, a motor or an engine, such as a car, an airplane, a train, a ship, or a bicycle, as a non-limiting example), a roadside unit (Road Side Unit, RSU), a positioning reference unit (Positioning Reference Unit, PRU), a device attached or attached to a pedestrian, or a fixed or stationary device (e.g., a desktop computer or other computing device that is not usually moved for a long time, such as an electrical appliance, including the Internet of Things (Internet of In addition, in any of the various embodiments, the user device 102 may be an electronic device that supports V2X services and / or sidelink communications. In various embodiments, the user device 102 may include a transceiver circuit 106 coupled to an antenna 108 to implement wireless communications with the wireless access node 104. The transceiver circuit 106 may also be coupled to a processor 110, which may also be coupled to a memory 112 or other storage device. The memory 112 may store instructions or codes therein, which, when read and executed by the processor 110, cause the processor 110 to implement the various methods described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0018] In addition, as described in further detail below, a given user equipment 102 can assume the role of a type of user equipment (including a target user equipment or an anchor user equipment), or be configured as or used as a type of user equipment. Typically, a target user equipment is a user equipment that wishes to obtain its position through sidelink positioning and / or a user equipment that receives a position request from a wireless access node (i.e., a network). In addition, an anchor user equipment is a user equipment to which an initiating user equipment transmits a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) or from which an initiating user equipment receives an SL-PRS. The target user equipment and the anchor user equipment can form a user equipment (or UE) pair. In addition, the anchor device can facilitate absolute sidelink SL positioning by knowing its precise location. Further details of the target, anchor and initiating user equipment will be described in further detail below.

[0019] In addition, generally, the wireless access node (e.g., wireless access node 104) described in the embodiments of the present disclosure may include a single electronic device or apparatus or multiple electronic devices or apparatuses (e.g., a network thereof), and may include one or more base stations or other wireless network access points capable of wirelessly communicating with one or more user equipment and / or one or more other wireless access nodes 104 through a network. For example, in various embodiments, the wireless access node 104 may include at least one of the following: a 4G LTE base station, a 5G NR base station, a 5G central unit base station, a 5G distributed unit base station, a next generation Node B (generation Node B, gNB), an enhanced Node B (enhanced Node B, eNB) or other similar or next generation (e.g., 6G) base station or a location management function (location management function, LMF). The wireless access node 104 may include a transceiver circuit 114 coupled to an antenna 116, and in various methods, the antenna may include an antenna tower 118 to implement wireless communication with the user equipment 102 or another wireless access node 104. The transceiver circuit 114 may also be coupled to one or more processors 120, and the processor may also be coupled to a memory 122 or other storage device. The memory 122 may store therein instructions or codes, which, when read and executed by the processor 120 , enable the processor 120 to implement one or more methods described in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] In addition, in various embodiments, two or more communication nodes in the wireless system 100 may be configured to communicate according to vehicle networking standards and / or specifications. As used in the embodiments of the present disclosure, vehicle networking refers to a large-scale system for wireless communication and information exchange involving vehicles, pedestrians, roadside equipment, and the Internet according to any of various communication protocols and data exchange standards. Vehicle networking communications can enhance the performance of vehicles in terms of driving safety, traffic efficiency, usability, or user convenience features or entertainment. In addition, in any of the various embodiments, vehicle networking communications can be classified into three types: communication between vehicles (also referred to as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V)); communication between vehicles and roadside equipment / network infrastructure (referred to as vehicle-to-infrastructure / vehicle-to-network (V2I / V2N)); and communication between vehicles and pedestrians (referred to as vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P)). These types of communications are collectively referred to as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications. Communication nodes participating in V2X communication may communicate with each other according to any of a variety of V2X standards or specifications.

[0021] In addition, in various embodiments, two or more of the communication nodes may communicate with each other using a V2X application server. In some embodiments, a V2X application server may exist (or have or be configured) in the user equipment 102. In other embodiments, a V2X application server may exist or have or be configured outside (externally) the user equipment 102 to control multiple user equipments 102. In other embodiments, a V2X application server may exist or have or be configured in the wireless access node 104. For an embodiment in which the V2X application server is in the wireless access node 104, the wireless access node 104 may transmit information to the user equipment 102 via a uu interface. In addition, for an embodiment in which the V2X application server is in the user equipment 102, the user equipment 102 transmits information to other user equipments 102 via a PC5 interface.

[0022] Figure 2A block diagram of multiple layers of a user equipment 102 (e.g., an initiating user equipment and a target user equipment) is shown, including a physical layer (PHY) (also referred to as a PHY module or a PHY entity in the disclosed embodiment), a medium access control (MAC) layer (also referred to as a MAC module or a MAC entity in the disclosed embodiment), a radio resource control (RRC) layer (also referred to as an RRC entity or an RRC module in the disclosed embodiment), a non-access stratum (NAS) layer (also referred to as a NAS entity or a NAS module in the disclosed embodiment), and a V2X application layer (also referred to as a V2X application entity or a V2X application module in the disclosed embodiment).

[0023] Generally, unless otherwise specified, as used in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the terms "layer", "entity", and "module" used alone or in combination with each other and for one or more components of a communication node are electronic devices including hardware or a combination of hardware and software, such as electronic circuits. In various embodiments, a module or entity may be considered to be Figure 1 The communication node of the present invention may be implemented as a part of or a component of one or more components, including a processor 110 / 120, a memory 112 / 122, a transceiver circuit 106 / 114, or an antenna 108 / 116. For example, the processor 110 / 120 may perform the functions of a module or entity, for example, when executing computer code stored in the memory 112 / 116. In addition, in various embodiments, the functions performed by the layer, module, or entity may be defined by one or more standards or protocols (e.g., 5GNR). In addition, according to Figure 2 Its relative positioning is shown in Figure 2 The layers in the system 100 may be higher layers and lower layers relative to each other, wherein the PHY layer is the lowest layer in the layers, the V2X application layer is the highest layer, and so on. In various embodiments, the communication nodes of the system 100 may include Figure 2 More, fewer or other layers than those shown.

[0024] like Figure 2 As shown, the V2X application layer can be considered as a logical layer for generating, carrying and / or transmitting information from a V2X application server. The V2X application layer can be the same as or different from the V2X layer. For at least some embodiments, both the V2X application layer and the V2X layer can be considered to be higher than the RRC layer with respect to a user equipment 102. In addition, as shown in FIG. Figure 2As shown, two user equipments 102 (e.g., an initiating user equipment 102 and a target user equipment 102) may communicate via their respective NAS layers. The NAS layer may be higher than the RRC layer but lower than the V2X application layer. For some embodiments, for example, Figure 2 As shown in , two user equipments 102 may perform PC5-S (or just PC5) signaling between their respective NAS layers. In this context, PC5 signaling may be considered as NAS layer signaling.

[0025] In addition, the V2X application layer or NAS layer may indicate control parameters for transmitting or receiving V2X transmissions to lower layers (e.g., RRC, MAC, and PHY layers). In various embodiments, the V2X application layer and / or NAS layer may also generate V2X service data and pass it to one or more lower layers for transmission to other user equipment 102. As used in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the application layer and the NAS layer may be used interchangeably or considered to be the same layer unless otherwise explicitly stated. In addition, the V2X service data is carried in the PSSCH and may be transmitted via broadcast, multicast, or unicast. The transmission mode (broadcast, multicast, or unicast) is also selected and indicated by the V2X application layer or NAS layer, and an indication of the broadcast type may be carried in the second-level sidelink control information (SCI) in the PSSCH.

[0026] In addition, as used in the embodiments of the present disclosure, PC5-S (or just PC5) signaling may also be referred to as PC5-S message, and / or PC-S may also be referred to as PC5-S message. Figure 2 Although not shown in the figure, the user equipment 102 may also be configured with a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer and / or a Radio-Link Control (RLC) layer, which may be configured between the RRC layer and the MAC layer.

[0027] In addition, in various embodiments, two communication nodes in the wireless system 100, for example, a user equipment 102 and a wireless access node 104, two user equipments 102 without a wireless access node 104, or two wireless access nodes 104 without a user equipment 102, can be configured to communicate wirelessly with each other in or through a mobile network and / or a wireless access network according to one or more standards and / or specifications. In general, the standards and / or specifications can define rules or procedures by which communication nodes can communicate wirelessly, and in various embodiments, these rules or procedures may include rules or procedures for communicating in millimeter (mm) bands and / or using multi-antenna schemes and beamforming functions. Additionally or alternatively, the standards and / or specifications are standards and / or specifications that define radio access technologies and / or cellular technologies, such as fourth generation (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE), fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) or New Radio Unlicensed (NR-U), as non-limiting examples.

[0028] In addition, in the wireless system 100, the communication nodes are configured to wirelessly transmit signals between each other. Generally, the communication between two communication nodes in the wireless system 100 can be or include transmission or reception, and is usually performed simultaneously, depending on the perspective of the specific nodes in the communication. For example, for a given communication between a first node and a second node, wherein the first node transmits a signal to the second node and the second node receives a signal from the first node, the first node can be referred to as a source or transmission node or device, the second node can be referred to as a destination or receiving node or device, and the communication can be considered as transmission by the first node and reception by the second node. Of course, since the communication nodes in the wireless system 100 can transmit and receive signals, a single communication node can be a transmission / source node and a receiving / destination node at the same time, or switch between being a source / transmission node and a destination / receiving node.

[0029] In addition, a specific signal may be characterized or defined as an uplink (UL) signal, a downlink (DL) signal, or a sidelink (SL) signal. An uplink signal is a signal transmitted from a user equipment 102 to a wireless access node 104. A downlink signal is a signal transmitted from a wireless access node 104 to a user equipment 102. A sidelink signal is a signal transmitted from one user equipment 102 to another user equipment 102, or a signal transmitted from one wireless access node 104 to another wireless access node 104. In addition, for sidelink transmission, the first / source user equipment 102 transmits the sidelink signal directly to the second / destination user equipment 102 without forwarding the sidelink signal to the wireless access node 104.

[0030] In addition, signals transmitted between communication nodes in the system 100 can be characterized or defined as data signals or control signals. In general, a data signal is a signal that includes or carries data (e.g., multimedia data (e.g., voice and / or image data)), while a control signal is a signal that carries control information that configures the communication nodes in a specific manner to communicate with each other, or otherwise controls the manner in which the communication nodes transmit data signals to each other. In addition, certain signals can be defined or characterized by a combination of data / control and uplink / downlink / sidelink, including uplink control signals, uplink data signals, downlink control signals, downlink data signals, sidelink control signals, and sidelink data signals.

[0031] For at least some specifications, such as 5G NR, data and control signals are transmitted and / or carried on physical channels. Typically, a physical channel corresponds to a set of time-frequency resources for signal transmission. Different types of physical channels can be used to transmit different types of signals. For example, a physical data channel (or only a data channel) is used to transmit data signals, while a physical control channel (or only a control channel) is used to transmit control signals. Example types of physical data channels include, but are not limited to, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) for transmitting downlink data signals, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for transmitting uplink data signals, and a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) for transmitting sidelink data signals. In addition, example types of physical control channels include, but are not limited to, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) for transmitting downlink control signals, a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) for transmitting uplink control signals, and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) for transmitting sidelink control signals. As used in the embodiments of the present disclosure for simplicity, unless otherwise specified, a specific type of physical channel is also used to refer to a signal transmitted on the specific type of physical channel and / or a transmission on the specific type of transmission. As an example, PDSCH refers to the physical downlink shared channel itself, a downlink data signal transmitted on the PDSCH, or a downlink data transmission. Therefore, the transmission or reception of PDSCH by a communication node indicates that the communication node is transmitting or receiving a signal on the PDSCH.

[0032] In addition, for at least some specifications, such as 5G NR, and / or for at least some types of control signals, the control signal transmitted by the communication node may include control information, which includes information necessary to enable the transmission of one or more data signals between the communication nodes and / or to schedule one or more data channels (or one or more transmissions on the data channels). For example, such control information may include information necessary to correctly receive, decode and demodulate data signals received on a physical data channel during data transmission, and / or information necessary for an uplink scheduling grant that informs a user equipment of resources and a transmission format for uplink data transmission. In some embodiments, the control information includes downlink control information (DCI) transmitted from the radio access node 104 to the user equipment 102 in the downlink direction. In other embodiments, the control information includes uplink control information (UCI) transmitted from the user equipment 102 to the radio access node 104 in the uplink direction or sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted from one user equipment 102 (1) to another user equipment 102 (2) in the sidelink direction.

[0033] Figure 3 and Figure 4 A block diagram showing other layer configurations of the target and initiating user equipment 102 is shown. Figure 3 and Figure 4 Each of the Figure 2 In addition to the layers shown, these layers may include a sidelink SL positioning (Pos) layer. Figure 3 The layer configuration in has a SL positioning layer between the RRC layer and the NAS layer. Figure 4 In the layer configuration of the SL positioning layer, the SL positioning layer is located between the V2X application layer and the NAS layer. Other layer configurations including the SL positioning layer are also possible. For example, the SL positioning layer can be configured in parallel with the NAS layer, the RRC layer, or the V2X application layer. In other embodiments, the SL positioning layer can include or be included in another layer (e.g., the NAS layer or the V2X application layer) or otherwise be a part of another layer (e.g., the NAS layer or the V2X application layer). In addition, as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, and as used in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the signaling transmitted in the SL positioning layer is generally referred to as SL signaling, and may include PC5 signaling, PC5-RRC signaling, or other types of signaling, for example, according to the SL positioning protocol. Additionally or alternatively, the SL signaling transmitted in the SL positioning layer may also be a NAS message and / or NAS signaling.

[0034] In addition, in various embodiments, as described, the user equipment 102 may be configured with any of the above layer configurations, such as Figures 2 to 4 As shown, regardless of its coverage or the coverage of another user device in its pair, including when both user devices 102 in the user device pair are within the coverage or partial coverage of the network, or one user device in the pair is within the coverage or partial coverage, and the other user device in the pair is outside the coverage, or both user devices in the pair are outside the coverage. In addition, when the user device 102 is within the reachable range of the wireless access node (e.g., the network) 104, the user device 102 is "within the coverage". That is, the user device 102 is able to communicate with the wireless access node 104 (i.e., transmit signals to the wireless access node 104 and / or receive signals from the wireless access node 104). In addition, when the user device 102 is not within the reachable range of the wireless access node (e.g., the network) 104, the user device 102 is "outside the coverage". That is, the user device 102 cannot communicate with the wireless access node 104 (i.e., transmit signals to the wireless access node 104 and / or receive signals from the wireless access node 104). For at least some embodiments, user devices 102 outside of coverage can communicate with each other via the PC5 reference point. In addition, a user device 102 is in "partial coverage" when it has a connection with a wireless access node 1 (e.g., a network) 104 while also being able to communicate with other user devices 102 via the PC5 reference point.

[0035] In addition, in various embodiments, the sidelink (SL) assistance data configuration to be transmitted by the user equipment 102 may be provided by the wireless access node 104 (e.g., the network) or by preconfiguration, or may be self-configured or self-generated by the user equipment 102. For at least some embodiments, the preconfiguration of the SL assistance data may be a default configuration of the user equipment 102. In addition, the SL assistance data configuration of the user equipment 102 may include a transmitter (Tx) SL PRS configuration of the user equipment. As used in the embodiments of the present disclosure, the Tx SL PRS configuration is a configuration of a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS), according to which the user equipment 102 will transmit the PRS. In addition, the assistance data configuration of the user equipment 102 (particularly the Tx SLPRS configuration) may be the same or different from the assistance data configuration of one or more other user equipments 102. In addition, the user equipment 102 that is to perform SL positioning should know whether its corresponding Tx SL PRS configurations are the same or different from each other. If different, the SL PRS configuration transmission between user equipments 102 can be used to inform or notify other user equipments 102 of each other's SLPRS configuration. By informing each other of their SL PRS configurations, the user equipments 102 can correctly receive the SL PRS. For at least some embodiments, the SL assistance data information (including the SL PRS configuration) can be generated or determined by self-configuration or pre-configuration of the user equipment 102, for example, in one or more layers thereof (e.g., V2X application layer, NAS, MAC layer, RRC layer, or SL positioning layer, as non-limiting examples). For such embodiments, the SL PRS configuration is based on or specific to the implementation of the user equipment 102.

[0036] Figure 5 An example of a timing-based SL positioning method is shown. In various embodiments, Figure 5As shown, the timing-based positioning method for sidelink communication may include: the target user device 102 may send multiple PRS resources (e.g., SL PRS1, SL PRS 3, SL PRS 5). Then, multiple anchor user devices 102 may receive the PRS resources. Multiple anchor user devices 102 also send their corresponding PRS resources (e.g., SL PRS2, SL PRS 4, SL PRS 6). Then, the target user device 102 may receive PRS resources from multiple anchor user devices 102. In response, the target user device 102 may perform or make a reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurement between different PRS resources of different anchor user devices 102 (e.g., between RSTD 1 and RSTD 2). In addition, the target user device 102 may also perform more or more round-trip time measurements between the PRS it sends and the PRS it receives. Each round-trip time measurement may correspond to a corresponding one of the anchor user devices 102. For example, the target user device 102 may measure receive-transmit (Rx Tx) time difference 1, RxTx time difference 2, and Rx Tx time difference 3, each of which may correspond to a respective one of the three anchor user devices 102. In addition, each anchor user device 102 may measure a round trip time between a PRS received from the target user device 102 and a PRS transmitted by the anchor user device 102. For example, the first anchor user device 102 may measure an Rx Tx time difference 1 between a PRS received from the target user device 102 and a PRS transmitted by the anchor user device 102, the second anchor user device 102 may measure an Rx Tx time difference 2 between a PRS received by the anchor user device 102 and a PRS transmitted by the anchor user device 102, and the third anchor user device 102 may measure an Rx Tx time difference between a PRS received by the anchor user device 102 and a PRS transmitted by the anchor user device 102.

[0037] In addition, in any of the various embodiments, the user equipment 102 may transmit the SL PRS periodically, semi-persistently, or dynamically. Accordingly, a given SL PRS may be configured with a period for a periodic SL PRS. Then, when the user equipment 102 receives a measurement request, the user equipment 102 may prepare to receive the periodic SL PRS. In addition, for a semi-persistent SL PRS, one or more lower layers of the user equipment 102 may trigger one or more SLPRS transmissions configured from a higher layer. In addition, for a dynamic SL PRS, a sidelink control information (SCI) may trigger a dynamic SL PRS transmission.

[0038] In addition, in various embodiments, the sidelink positioning session performed by the user equipment 102 can be the same, similar, or different from a positioning session involving Uu positioning or other types of positioning sessions. For example, a sidelink positioning session can be different from a mobile terminated location request (MT-LR) service triggered by a location service (LCS) client or a mobile originated location request (MO-LR) service triggered by the user equipment 102 itself. The user equipment 102 can use a positioning session identifier to distinguish different positioning sessions. That is, different positioning session identifiers can be assigned to or correspond to different positioning sessions. The positioning session identifier can have any of a variety of forms or formats, such as an integer. In addition, for at least some embodiments, the sidelink positioning session can be established before other positioning procedures or sessions (e.g., before the user equipment 102 transmits the SL-PRS).

[0039] Figure 6 A flow chart of an example method 600 for wireless communication involving sidelink positioning is shown. At block 602, the transmitting user equipment 102 determines a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS) configuration. At block 604, the transmitting user equipment 102 may transmit a periodic SL-PRS according to the SL-PRS configuration.

[0040] Figure 7 A flow chart of another example method 700 for wireless communication involving sidelink positioning is shown. At block 702, the receiving user equipment 102 receives a periodic SL-PRS. At block 704, the receiving user equipment 102 may perform at least one measurement based on the periodic SL-PRS. The at least one measurement may include at least one of: a reference signal time difference (RSTD), a time of arrival (TOA), an Rx-Tx time difference measurement, a SL-PRS reference signal received power (SL-PRS-RSRP), a SL-PRS reference signal received power per path (SL-PRS-RSRPP), or a reception angle of the periodic SL-PRS.

[0041] In various embodiments of method 600 and / or method 700 , the SL-PRS configuration includes at least one of the following: a SL-PRS resource, a SL-PRS resource set, or a SL-PRS resource set list including a plurality of SL-PRS resource sets.

[0042] In addition, in various embodiments, the transmitting user equipment 102 may broadcast at least one of the following: a user equipment identifier, a positioning session identifier, or a SL-PRS configuration. For some of these embodiments, the transmitting user equipment 102 may broadcast the user equipment identifier, the positioning session identifier, and / or the SL-PRS configuration before transmitting the periodic SL-PRS. In other embodiments, the transmitting user equipment 102 may broadcast at least one of the user equipment identifier, the positioning session identifier, the SL-PRS configuration, and / or the SL-PRS timestamp after transmitting the SL-PRS.

[0043] Additionally or alternatively, for at least some embodiments, the transmitting user equipment 102 may be configured with a time period. Accordingly, when the transmitting user equipment 102 transmits a periodic SL-PRS according to the SL-PRS configuration, the transmitting user equipment 102 may do so by transmitting the periodic SL-PRS within the time period. For at least some of these embodiments, each SL-PRS configuration is associated with a time period. That is, the time period used for SL-PRS communication by the transmitting user equipment 102 and / or by the receiving user equipment 102 may be configured based on each SL-PRS configuration. For a plurality of different time periods, each time period may correspond to and / or be configured by a respective one of a plurality of different SL-PRS configurations. In other embodiments of these embodiments, a plurality of SL-PRS configurations are associated with a time period. That is, different or separate SL-PRS configurations may share, correspond to and / or configure the same time period.

[0044] Additionally or alternatively, for at least some embodiments, the transmitting user equipment 102 and / or the receiving user equipment 102 may be configured with a time bitmap. Accordingly, when the transmitting user equipment 102 transmits a periodic SL-PRS according to the SL-PRS configuration, the transmitting user equipment 102 may do so by transmitting the periodic SL-PRS according to the available time indicated by the time bitmap. Additionally or alternatively, the transmitting user equipment 102 may receive a second SL-PRS within the available time indicated by the time bitmap. Additionally or alternatively, the time bitmap may be configured according to a sidelink time slot mode. Additionally or alternatively, the receiving user equipment 102 may receive the periodic SL-PRS by blindly detecting the periodic SL-PRS using at least one of the following: a user equipment identifier or a PRS sequence identifier.

[0045] In more detail, even if the user equipment 102 is out of coverage (or in an out-of-coverage state), a higher layer (e.g., a NAS layer or a V2X application layer) of the user equipment 102 may trigger a positioning service so that the user equipment 102 knows or identifies its absolute position or the distance and / or angle between the user equipment 102 and other neighboring user equipments 102. As a non-limiting example, the positioning service may request the user equipment 102 to perform a SL-PRS-based positioning method, such as sidelink time difference of arrival (SL-TDOA), sidelink antenna of presence (SL-AoD), sidelink angle of arrival (SL-AoA), sidelink multi-round trip time (SL-multi-RTT).

[0046] In addition, when the user equipment 102 outside the coverage has a positioning service and determines to perform sidelink positioning, the user equipment 102 can broadcast a positioning service request with at least one of the following: its user equipment identification (identification, ID) (e.g., UE ID, source / destination user information or source / destination layer 2 ID), one or more sidelink positioning methods, a specific service type identifier or a positioning session identifier. When the neighboring user equipment 102 receives the broadcast, if the neighboring user equipment 102 is interested in a specific positioning service, the neighboring user equipment 102 can return a confirmation message in response. For at least some embodiments, the neighboring user equipment 102 can do this by broadcasting a confirmation message or by triggering a direct PC5 link establishment process. In addition, for some embodiments, the confirmation message may include at least one of the following: a confirmation indication indicating that the neighboring user equipment 102 is confirming the positioning service request, a specific service type identifier, a positioning session ID, or at least one user equipment identifier (for example, at least one of the following: the UEID of the user equipment 102 broadcasting the positioning service request, the UE ID of the neighboring user equipment 102 transmitting the confirmation message, the source / destination user information of the neighboring user equipment 102, or the source / destination layer 2 ID of the neighboring user equipment 102). When the neighboring user equipment 102 transmits the confirmation message, the neighboring user equipment 102 and the user equipment 102 that initially broadcast the positioning service request can establish sidelink positioning. When establishing a positioning session, the user equipments that belong to or are part of the positioning session (for example, the initial broadcasting user equipment 102 and the neighboring user equipment 102) can know each other's user equipment identifiers, and know and / or coordinate which user equipment 102 will send SL-PRS, receive SL-PRS, and / or perform SL-PRS measurements, for example, for positioning purposes.

[0047] In addition, in various embodiments, the user equipment 102 out of coverage (i.e., the user equipment 102 broadcasting the positioning service request) can determine or obtain the SL-PRS configuration for sidelink communication. For at least some embodiments, the user equipment 102 out of coverage can determine or obtain the SL-PRS configuration by pre-configuring the SL-PRS configuration. The SL-PRS configuration pre-configured for the user equipment 102 out of coverage can be considered as a predefined SL-PRS. In addition, in any of the various embodiments, the SL-PRS configuration may include or be configured with at least one of the following: a SL-PRS resource set and a corresponding SL-PRS resource set ID (for at least some embodiments, the SL-PRS resource set may include one or more SL-PRS resources), a SL-PRS resource and a corresponding SL-PRS resource ID, a SL-PRS configuration set and a corresponding PRS configuration set ID (for at least some embodiments, the SL-PRS configuration set may include one or more SL-PRS resource sets).

[0048] In addition, in various embodiments, the user equipment 102 outside the coverage area belonging to the same sidelink positioning session can compete with the appropriate time / frequency / space / code domain resources and select or select the corresponding SL-PRS configuration. For at least some of these embodiments, the user equipment 102 outside the coverage area can select its corresponding SL-PRS configuration to avoid resource conflicts. Additionally or alternatively, the user equipment 102 outside the coverage area can select its corresponding SL-PRS configuration according to its corresponding pre-configuration. Additionally or alternatively, the user equipment 102 outside the coverage area can select its corresponding SL-PRS configuration in a competitive manner.

[0049] Furthermore, in some embodiments, user equipment 102 outside the coverage of the same sidelink positioning session may each assume the role of a target user equipment 102 or an anchor user equipment 102. After establishing a sidelink positioning session, the target user equipment 102 and (one or more) anchor user equipment 102 may each broadcast their respective selected SL-PRS configurations (where each SL-PRS configuration includes, for example, a PRS resource ID, a PRS resource set ID, and / or a PRS configuration set ID) associated with a user equipment identity (e.g., UE ID, its own source / destination user information, or its own source / destination Layer 2 ID) and / or a positioning session ID. The target and anchor user equipment 102 may broadcast their respective SL-PRS configurations, user equipment identities, and / or positioning session IDs in order to inform other user equipment 102 in the sidelink positioning session what type of periodic SL-PRS they will each transmit at a later time.

[0050] In addition, in any of the various embodiments, the user equipment 102 may select only one SL-PRS configuration or multiple SL-PRS configurations. If only one SL-PRS configuration is selected, the user equipment 102 may transmit a periodic SL-PRS according to the selected SL-PRS configuration. If multiple SL-PRS configurations are selected, the user equipment 102 may select any one of the multiple SL-PRS configurations and transmit a periodic SL-PRS according to the selected one of the multiple SL-PRS configurations.

[0051] In addition, in at least some embodiments, before sending each instance of the periodic SL-PRS, the user device 102 may perform sensing to determine whether the configured time domain and frequency domain resources of the SL-PRS instance are unoccupied (or available, unused or empty) or occupied (or unavailable or sampled). If the time domain and frequency domain resources are unoccupied, the user device 102 may send the SL-PRS instance in those time domain and frequency domain resources. In addition, if the time domain and frequency domain resources are occupied, the user device 102 may skip the SL-PRS instance and monitor the next SL-PRS instance. In addition, for at least some embodiments, the user device 102 may perform sensing to determine whether the time domain and frequency domain resources are occupied for the SL-PRS instance without performing SCI sensing. In addition, in various embodiments, the user device 102 may be configured or pre-configured with a sensing window and / or selection window specific to the SL-PRS. In any of the various embodiments, the sensing window and / or selection window for the SL-PRS may overlap or may not overlap with the SCI sensing configuration.

[0052] In addition, in order for the receiving user equipment 102 to monitor and / or receive the periodic SL-PRS from the transmitting user equipment 102, since the receiving user equipment 102 may have received the broadcast SL-PRS configuration according to which the periodic SL-PRS is transmitted, the receiving user equipment 102 may have known the association between the SL-PRS configuration, the user equipment identity and the positioning session accordingly. In the case where only one SL-PRS configuration is associated with and / or included in the SL-PRS configuration broadcast, the receiving user equipment 102 may monitor the time domain and frequency domain resources according to only one SL-PRS configuration to receive one or more instances of the periodic SL-PRS. In addition, if more than one SL-PRS configuration is associated with and / or included in the SL-PRS configuration broadcast, the receiving user equipment 102 may perform blind detection of each SL-PRS configuration included in the SL-PRS configuration broadcast.

[0053] Additionally or alternatively, after the user equipment 102 establishes the sidelink positioning session, the user equipment 102 may start transmitting (transmitting and receiving) periodic SL-PRS. The user equipment 102 may do so without using SCI communication and / or without triggering caused by communication of a medium access control element (MAC-CE).

[0054] Additionally or alternatively, after the transmitting user equipment 102 transmits multiple instances of the periodic SL-PRS (e.g., over multiple periods), the user equipment 102 in the SL positioning session (the transmitting user equipment 102 or another user equipment 102 in the SL positioning session) may broadcast an association between at least one of the following: a user equipment identity (e.g., UE ID, its own source / destination user information, or its own source / destination Layer 2 ID), the SL positioning session ID, the SL-PRS timestamp sent by it in the previous duration, the SL-PRS configuration selected by the UE in the previous duration (including, for example, a PRS resource ID, a PRS resource set ID, and / or a PRS configuration set ID). The SL-PRS timestamp may specify or indicate an exact, absolute, or specific time of an instance of the periodic SL-PRS. Thus, each SL-PRS instance may have or correspond to a corresponding SL-PRS timestamp. The user equipment 102 may record the SL-PRS timestamp of each or all SL-PRS instances it sent during the previous duration, where the previous duration is the duration during which the transmitting user equipment 102 transmitted multiple instances of the periodic SL-PRS prior to the associated broadcast. Accordingly, other user equipment 102 may monitor each configured time domain and frequency domain resource to receive the SL-PRS instances of the periodic SL-PRS and measure the time of arrival (TOA) and / or reference signal received power (RSRP) of each instance of the periodic SL-PRS. When other user equipment 102 in the SL positioning session receive the associated information in a later broadcast, the other user equipment 102 may know which SL-PRS measurements belong to which transmitting user equipment 102.

[0055] Additionally or alternatively, after establishing the sidelink positioning session, and when the user equipment 102 out of coverage is to transmit the periodic SL-PRS, the user equipment 102 may transmit the periodic SL-PRS based on or according to the predefined or preconfigured SL-PRS configuration. Other user equipments 102 in the SL positioning session may monitor the periodic SL-PRS by blindly detecting all time / frequency / space / code domain resources of or indicated by the preconfigured PRS configuration. In some embodiments, the user equipment identifier may be embedded in the SL-PRS sequence ID. For at least some of these embodiments, the user equipment 102 may use all possible combinations of the user equipment identifier in one sidelink positioning session and the SL-PRS sequence ID in the preconfigured PRS configuration to perform blind detection.

[0056] Additionally or alternatively, for some embodiments in which the user equipment 102 is to transmit a periodic SL-PRS and the user equipment 102 selects or chooses a certain or specific SL-PRS configuration indicating a certain time domain and frequency domain resource that the periodic SL-PRS will periodically occupy, the user equipment 102 may be configured with a timer that prevents the user equipment 102 from occupying these time domain and frequency domain resources indefinitely. For example, the timer may define or indicate a duration (or a length of time, a time window, or a time period). The timer may indicate that the user equipment 102 may transmit the periodic SL-PRS within the duration indicated by the timer. In at least some embodiments, each SL-PRS configuration may be associated with a timer or configured with a timer.

[0057] Furthermore, in various embodiments, the timer may be started when the user equipment 102 first transmits an instance of a periodic SL-PRS instance. When the timer expires, if the user equipment 102 still needs to transmit one or more instances of the periodic SL-PRS, the user equipment 102 may change the SL-PRS configuration. In some embodiments, the same timer may be part of or applicable to all predefined SL-PRS configurations.

[0058] Additionally or alternatively, the SL-PRS configuration may also indicate a maximum number of instances of a periodic SL-PRS. Upon selecting a SL-PRS configuration, the user device 102 may transmit up to a maximum number of SL-PRS instances indicated by the selected SL-PRS configuration. In various embodiments, the user device 102 may maintain a count that is incremented each time the user device 102 transmits an instance of a periodic SL-PRS. If or when the count reaches the maximum number, the user device 102 may determine whether it wants to transmit more instances of the periodic SL-PRS. If more instances of the periodic SL-PRS are desired to be transmitted, the user device 102 may change the SL-PRS configuration. In various embodiments, each SL-PRS configuration may indicate a maximum number of SL-PRS instances, and / or multiple SL-PRS configurations may all have the same maximum number.

[0059] Furthermore, in some embodiments, when the user equipment 102 changes the SL-PRS configuration due to the expiration of a timer, as part of or in response to changing the SL-PRS configuration, the user equipment 102 may broadcast a new association to neighboring user equipments 102. As previously described, the broadcast message indicating the new association may include a user equipment identifier and / or a SL positioning session ID.

[0060] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, when the user equipment 102 transmits the periodic SL-PRS, the user equipment 102 may receive signaling from the wireless access node 104 (e.g., the network) or from one or more other user equipment 102 to stop transmitting the periodic SL-PRS. Additionally or alternatively, when the user equipment 102 transmits the periodic SL-PRS, the user equipment 102 may receive signaling from the wireless access node 104 (e.g., the network) or from one or more other user equipment 102 to change to another or different SL-PRS configuration for periodic SL-PRS transmission. In response, the user equipment 102 may change to a different SL-PRS configuration and transmit a new or second periodic SL-PRS according to the different SL-PRS.

[0061] Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, a user device 102 that is transmitting or receiving a periodic SL-PRS may transmit or receive the periodic SL-PRS only in a configured time grid. This may have the desired effect of limiting the number of instances of the transmitted periodic SL-PRS. In some of these embodiments, the time grid is configured as a bitmap, wherein the bits or bit values ​​of the bitmap indicate available time units (e.g., available time slots, available symbols, available subframes, or available frames) in which the periodic SL-PRS may be transmitted or received. SL-PRS is not transmitted or received outside of these indicated time units. In various embodiments, the time grid (e.g., a bitmap) may be configured based on a preconfigured or network-configured sidelink slot pattern.

[0062] The above description and accompanying drawings provide specific exemplary embodiments and implementations. However, the described subject matter may be embodied in a variety of different forms, and therefore, the subject matter covered or claimed is intended to be interpreted as not being limited to any exemplary embodiment set forth in the embodiments of the present disclosure. It is intended to provide a reasonably broad scope for the subject matter claimed or covered. In addition, for example, the subject matter may be embodied as a method, device, component, system, or non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing computer code. Therefore, the implementation may, for example, take the form of hardware, software, firmware, storage media, or any combination thereof. For example, the above method implementation may be implemented by a component, device, or system including a memory and a processor by executing a computer code stored in a memory.

[0063] Throughout the specification and claims, in addition to the explicitly stated meanings, terms may have slightly different meanings in the context that are implied or implicit. Similarly, the phrase "in one embodiment / implementation" used in the embodiments of the present disclosure does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and the phrase "in another embodiment / implementation" used in the embodiments of the present disclosure does not necessarily refer to a different embodiment. For example, the claimed subject matter is intended to include, in whole or in part, a combination of exemplary embodiments.

[0064] Typically, terms can be understood at least in part from their use in context. For example, the terms "and", "or", and "and / or" used in embodiments of the present disclosure may include multiple meanings, which may depend at least in part on the context in which the terms are used. Typically, "or" (if used to associate a list, for example, A, B, or C) is intended to mean: A, B, and C, used here in an inclusive sense; and A, B, or C, used here in an exclusive sense. In addition, the term "one or more" used in embodiments of the present disclosure depends at least in part on the context, and may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular sense, or may be used to describe a combination of features, structures, or characteristics in a plural sense. Similarly, the terms "one" or "the" may be understood to convey singular usage or to convey plural usage, which may depend at least in part on the context. In addition, the term "based on" may be understood to not necessarily be intended to convey a set of exclusive factors, but may allow for the presence of additional factors that are not necessarily explicitly described, which may also depend at least in part on the context.

[0065] Throughout this specification, references to features, advantages, or similar language do not imply that all features and advantages that may be achieved with the present solution should be or are included in any single implementation thereof. Rather, language referring to features and advantages is understood to mean that a particular feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present solution. Thus, throughout this specification, discussion of features and advantages and similar language may, but do not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

[0066] In addition, in one or more embodiments, the features, advantages, and characteristics of the present solution may be combined in any suitable manner. A person of ordinary skill in the relevant art will recognize that, based on the description of the disclosed embodiments, the present solution may be implemented without one or more specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other cases, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not be present in all embodiments of the present solution.

[0067] The subject matter of the embodiments of the present disclosure may also relate to or include the following aspects:

[0068] A first aspect includes a method for wireless communication, the method comprising: determining, by a user equipment, a sidelink positioning reference signal SL-PRS configuration; and transmitting, by the user equipment, a periodic SL-PRS according to the SL-PRS configuration.

[0069] The second aspect includes the first aspect, and also includes wherein the SL-PRS configuration includes at least one of: a SL-PRS resource, a SL-PRS resource set, or a SL-PRS resource set list including multiple SL-PRS resource sets.

[0070] The third aspect includes any one of the first aspect or the second aspect, and further includes using a user equipment to broadcast at least one of the following: a user equipment identifier, a positioning session identifier, or a SL-PRS configuration.

[0071] The fourth aspect includes the third aspect, and also includes the step wherein the user equipment broadcasts at least one of the following before transmitting the periodic SL-PRS: a user equipment identifier, a positioning identifier, or a SL-PRS configuration.

[0072] The fifth aspect includes the third aspect, and also includes the step wherein the user equipment broadcasts at least one of the following after transmitting the periodic SL-PRS: a user equipment identifier, a positioning identifier, a SL-PRS configuration, or a SL-PRS timestamp.

[0073] The sixth aspect includes any one of the first to fifth aspects, and also includes wherein the user equipment is configured with a time period, and wherein transmitting the periodic SL-PRS according to the SL-PRS configuration includes transmitting the periodic SL-PRS within the time period.

[0074] The seventh aspect includes the sixth aspect, and also includes wherein each SL-PRS configuration is associated with a time period.

[0075] The eighth aspect includes the sixth aspect, and also includes wherein a plurality of SL-PRS configurations are associated with one said time period.

[0076] The ninth aspect includes any one of the first to eighth aspects, and also includes the step wherein the user equipment is configured with a time bitmap, wherein transmitting periodic SL-PRS according to the SL-PRS configuration includes transmitting periodic SL-PRS according to available time indicated by the time bitmap.

[0077] The tenth aspect includes any one of the first to ninth aspects, and also includes the step where the user equipment is configured with a time bitmap, and the method further includes: using the user equipment to receive the SL-PRS within an available time indicated by the time bitmap.

[0078] The eleventh aspect includes any of the ninth aspect or the tenth aspect, and also includes wherein the time bitmap is configured based on a sidelink time slot mode.

[0079] A twelfth aspect includes a method for wireless communication, the method comprising: receiving a periodic sidelink positioning reference signal SL-PRS using a user equipment; and performing at least one measurement based on the periodic SL-PRS using the user equipment.

[0080] The thirteenth aspect includes the twelfth aspect, and also includes wherein receiving the periodic SL-PRS includes blindly detecting the periodic SL-PRS using at least one of: a user equipment identifier or a PRS sequence identifier.

[0081] The fourteenth aspect includes the twelfth aspect or the thirteenth aspect combined with any one of the first to eleventh aspects.

[0082] A fifteenth aspect includes a wireless communication device comprising a processor and a memory, wherein the processor is configured to read code from the memory to implement the method of any one of the first to fourteenth aspects.

[0083] A sixteenth aspect includes a computer program product comprising a computer-readable program medium, the computer-readable program medium including code stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, causes the processor to implement the method of any one of the first to fourteenth aspects.

[0084] In addition to the features mentioned in each independent aspect listed above, some examples may show, alone or in combination, optional features mentioned in the dependent aspects and / or disclosed in the above description and shown in the drawings.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: Determining, using the user equipment, a sidelink positioning reference signal SL-PRS configuration; The user equipment is used to transmit a periodic SL-PRS according to the SL-PRS configuration.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The SL-PRS configuration includes at least one of the following: a SL-PRS resource, a SL-PRS resource set, or a SL-PRS resource set list including multiple SL-PRS resource sets.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The user equipment is utilized to broadcast at least one of the following: a user equipment identifier, a positioning session identifier, or the SL-PRS configuration.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The user equipment broadcasts at least one of the following before transmitting the periodic SL-PRS: the user equipment identifier, the positioning identifier, or the SL-PRS configuration.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The user equipment broadcasts at least one of the following after transmitting the periodic SL-PRS: the user equipment identifier, the positioning identifier, the SL-PRS configuration, or the SL-PRS timestamp.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The user equipment is configured with a time period, wherein transmitting the periodic SL-PRS according to the SL-PRS configuration includes transmitting the periodic SL-PRS within the time period.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: Each of the SL-PRS configurations is associated with one of the time periods.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: A plurality of the SL-PRS configurations are associated with one time period.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The user equipment is configured with a time bitmap, wherein transmitting the periodic SL-PRS according to the SL-PRS configuration includes transmitting the periodic SL-PRS according to an available time indicated by the time bitmap.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The user equipment is configured with a time bitmap, and the method further comprises: The SL-PRS is received by the user equipment within an available time indicated by the time bitmap.

11. The method according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: The time bitmap is configured based on the sidelink time slot pattern.

12. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: Receiving a periodic sidelink positioning reference signal SL-PRS by using a user equipment; At least one measurement is performed with the user equipment based on the periodic SL-PRS.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Receiving the periodic SL-PRS includes blindly detecting the periodic SL-PRS using at least one of: a user equipment identifier or a PRS sequence identifier.

14. A wireless communication device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein: The processor is configured to read code from the memory to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable program medium, the computer-readable program medium comprising code stored thereon, the code, when executed by a processor, causing the processor to implement the method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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