Node configuration for localization model monitoring

Abstract

In an aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes receiving first assistance data indicative of a first set of network devices, where the first assistance data indicates that the first set of network devices is to be used to obtain radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurements during a model monitoring occasion in which performance of a positioning model is to be monitored; receiving second assistance data indicating a second set of network devices for obtaining a second set of RFFP measurements during a positioning opportunity in which performance of the positioning model is not monitored; and measuring a positioning reference signal (PRS) of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001]

[0011] Generally speaking, aspects of the disclosure relate to wireless communications. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication systems have evolved over several generations, including first generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third generation (3G) high speed data, Internet-enabled wireless services, and fourth generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). There are many different types of wireless communication systems in use today, including cellular and personal communications service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include: cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS) and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), etc.

[0003] The fifth generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), can achieve higher data transmission speeds, more connections and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide higher data rates, more accurate positioning (e.g., based on reference signals for positioning (RS-P), such as downlink, uplink, or sidelink positioning reference signals (PRS)), and other technical enhancements compared to previous standards. These enhancements, along with the use of higher frequency bands, advances in PRS processes and technologies, and high-density deployment of 5G enable high-precision positioning based on 5G. Summary of the invention

[0004] A brief overview of one or more aspects disclosed herein is given below. Therefore, the following overview should not be considered a general summary of all contemplated aspects, nor should it be considered to identify key or important elements of all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope associated with any specific aspect. Accordingly, the sole purpose of the following overview is to present certain concepts related to one or more aspects of the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form before the detailed description given below.

[0005] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: receiving first auxiliary data indicating a first set of network devices, wherein the first auxiliary data indicates that the first set of network devices will be used to obtain radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurements during a model monitoring opportunity in which the performance of a positioning model will be monitored; receiving second auxiliary data, the second auxiliary data indicating a second set of network devices used to obtain a second RFFP measurement set during a positioning opportunity in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored; and measuring a positioning reference signal (PRS) of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity.

[0006] In an aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes: receiving an indication of a first set of network devices for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the UE's position is determined; and obtaining a position estimate of the UE based on RFFP measurements of the PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying a positioning model during a model monitoring opportunity in which performance of the positioning model is monitored, obtaining positioning measurements associated with the UE's position based on RFFP measurements of the PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, or a combination thereof.

[0007] In aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a network server, comprising: configuring a first set of network devices to obtain a first radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement set based on a sounding reference signal (SRS) received from a user equipment (UE) during a model monitoring opportunity in which the network server monitors the performance of a positioning model applied to a first RFFP measurement set; and configuring a second set of network devices to obtain a second RFFP measurement set based on the SRS received from the UE during a positioning opportunity in which the network server does not monitor the performance of the positioning model.

[0008] In an aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a network server includes: sending to a user equipment (UE) an indication of a first set of network devices to be used for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the UE's position is determined; and sending to the UE: an indication for determining which network devices in the first set of network devices will be included in a subset of the first set of network devices for PRS measurements during a model monitoring opportunity, wherein the model monitoring opportunity corresponds to an instance during which the UE applies a positioning model to a radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement corresponding to a PRS measurement of a subset of the first set of network devices, an indication of a number N of network devices from the first set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the model monitoring opportunity, a second set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the positioning opportunity in which the UE's position is determined; or any combination thereof.

[0009] In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor, which is communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, and the at least one processor is configured to perform the following operations: receive first assistance data indicating a first set of network devices via the at least one transceiver, wherein the first assistance data indicates that the first set of network devices will be used to obtain radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurements during a model monitoring opportunity in which the performance of a positioning model is to be monitored; and measure a positioning reference signal (PRS) of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity.

[0010] In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor, which is communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, and the at least one processor is configured to perform the following operations: receive, via the at least one transceiver, an indication of a first set of network devices for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the position of the UE is determined; and 1) obtain a position estimate of the UE based on RFFP measurements of the PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying a positioning model during a model monitoring opportunity in which performance of the positioning model is monitored, 2) obtain positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on RFFP measurements of the PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, or 3) a combination thereof.

[0011] In one aspect, a network server includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor, which is communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, and the at least one processor is configured to perform the following operations: configure a first set of network devices to obtain a first radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement set during a model monitoring opportunity in which the network server monitors the performance of a positioning model applied to a first RFFP measurement set; and configure a second set of network devices to obtain a second RFFP measurement set during a positioning opportunity in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored by the network server.

[0012] In an aspect, a network server includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor, which is communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to perform the following operations: sending an indication of a first set of network devices to be used for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the UE's position is determined to a user equipment (UE) via the at least one transceiver; and sending the following items to the UE via the at least one transceiver: 1) an indication of scheduling for determining which network devices in the first set of network devices will be included in a subset of the first set of network devices for PRS measurements during a model monitoring opportunity, wherein the model monitoring opportunity corresponds to an instance during which the UE applies a positioning model to a radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement corresponding to a PRS measurement of a subset of the first set of network devices, 2) an indication of a number N of network devices from the first set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the model monitoring opportunity, 3) a second set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the positioning opportunity in which the UE's position is determined, or 4) any combination thereof.

[0013] In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: a unit for receiving first assistance data indicating a first set of network devices, wherein the first assistance data indicates that the first set of network devices will be used to obtain radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurements during a model monitoring opportunity in which the performance of a positioning model will be monitored; and a unit for measuring a positioning reference signal (PRS) of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity.

[0014] In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: a unit for receiving an indication of a first set of network devices for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the UE's position is determined; and a unit for performing the following operations: 1) obtaining a position estimate of the UE based on RFFP measurements of the PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying a positioning model during a model monitoring opportunity in which performance of the positioning model is monitored, 2) obtaining positioning measurements associated with the UE's position based on RFFP measurements of the PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, or 3) a combination thereof.

[0015] In one aspect, a network server includes: a unit for configuring a first set of network devices to obtain a first radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement set based on a sounding reference signal (SRS) received from a user equipment (UE) during a model monitoring opportunity in which the network server monitors the performance of a positioning model applied to a first RFFP measurement set; and a unit for configuring a second set of network devices to obtain a second RFFP measurement set based on the SRS received from the UE during a positioning opportunity in which the network server does not monitor the performance of the positioning model.

[0016] In an aspect, a network server includes: a unit for sending to a user equipment (UE) an indication of a first set of network devices for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the UE's position is determined; and a unit for sending to the UE: 1) an indication of scheduling for determining which network devices in the first set of network devices will be included in a subset of the first set of network devices for PRS measurements during a model monitoring opportunity, wherein the model monitoring opportunity corresponds to an instance during which the UE applies a positioning model to a radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement corresponding to a PRS measurement of the subset of the first set of network devices; 2) an indication of a number N of network devices from the first set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the model monitoring opportunity; 3) a second set of network devices for PRS measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the UE's position is determined; 4) or any combination thereof.

[0017] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive first assistance data indicating a first set of network devices, wherein the first assistance data indicates that the first set of network devices is to be used to obtain radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurements during a model monitoring opportunity in which performance of a positioning model is to be monitored; and measure a positioning reference signal (PRS) of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity.

[0018] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a UE, cause the UE to: receive an indication of a first set of network devices for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the UE's position is determined; and 1) obtain a position estimate for the UE based on RFFP measurements of the PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying a positioning model during a model monitoring opportunity in which performance of the positioning model is monitored, 2) obtain positioning measurements associated with the UE's position based on RFFP measurements of the PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, or 3) a combination thereof.

[0019] In aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network server, cause the network server to: configure a first set of network nodes to obtain a first radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement set during a model monitoring opportunity in which the network server monitors the performance of a positioning model applied to a first RFFP measurement set; and configure a second set of network devices to obtain a second RFFP measurement set during a positioning opportunity in which the network server does not monitor the performance of the positioning model.

[0020] In an aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network server, cause the network server to perform the following operations: sending to a user equipment (UE) an indication of a first set of network devices to be used for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the UE's position is determined; and sending to the UE: 1) an indication for determining which network devices in the first set of network devices are to be included in a scheduling of a subset of the first set of network devices for PRS measurements during a model monitoring opportunity, wherein the model monitoring opportunity corresponds to an instance during which the UE applies a positioning model to a radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement corresponding to a PRS measurement of the subset of the first set of network devices; 2) an indication of a number N of network devices from the first set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the model monitoring opportunity; 3) a second set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the UE's position is determined; 4) or any combination thereof.

[0021] Other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in describing various aspects of the disclosure and are provided for illustrative purposes only and not limiting thereof.

[0023] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0024] Figure 2A , 2B 2C illustrate example wireless network structures according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 3A , 3B 3C are simplified block diagrams of several example aspects of components that may be employed in a user equipment (UE), a base station, and a network entity, respectively, and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0026] Figure 4 Examples of various positioning methods supported in New Radio (NR) according to aspects of the present disclosure are shown.

[0027] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 6 is a graph representing a radio frequency (RF) channel estimate in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0029] Figure 7 An example neural network according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0030] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the use of a machine learning (ML) model for RF fingerprint (RFFP) based positioning according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0031] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an inference cycle for UE-based downlink RFFP (DL-RFFP) positioning according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0032] Fig.10 An example calling flow for UE-based DL-RFFP positioning according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0033] Fig.11 An example method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0034] Fig.12 An example method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0035] Fig.13 An example method of wireless communication performed by a network server according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0036] Fig.14 An example method of wireless communication performed by a network server according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Aspects of the present disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings for various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be designed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to make the relevant details of the present disclosure difficult to understand.

[0038] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects of the disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.

[0039] Those skilled in the art will also understand that any of a variety of different techniques and methods may be used to represent the information and signals described below. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description below may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, etc.

[0040] In addition, many aspects are described in the form of a sequence of actions that can be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein can be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. In addition, it can be considered that the sequence of actions described herein is fully embodied in any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium in which a set of corresponding computer instructions is stored, which, when executed, will cause or direct the processor of the associated device to perform the functions described herein. Therefore, various aspects of the present disclosure can be embodied in a number of different forms, all of which are contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. In addition, for each of the aspects described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, a "logical unit" that is "configured to" perform the described actions.

[0041] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any specific radio access technology (RAT). In general, a UE may be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate on a wireless communication network (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet, a laptop, a consumer asset location device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headsets, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE may be mobile or may be fixed (e.g., at certain times) and may communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" may be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT", "client device", "wireless device", "subscriber device", "subscriber terminal", "subscriber station", "user terminal" or "UT", "mobile device", "mobile terminal", "mobile station", or variations thereof. In general, a UE may communicate with a core network via a RAN, and through the core network, the UE may be connected to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for the UE to connect to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification, etc.), and so on.

[0042] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs communicating with a UE, depending on the network deployed therein, and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), a network node, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), a new radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as a gNB or gNode B), etc. A base station may be primarily used to support wireless access by a UE, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may provide only edge node signaling functions, while in other systems, it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link through which a UE can send a signal to a base station is referred to as an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link through which a base station can send a signal to a UE is referred to as a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term traffic channel (TCH) may refer to an uplink / reverse or downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0043] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit receive point (TRP) or to multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to a cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an array of antennas of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRP may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and a neighboring base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signal the UE is measuring. Because a TRP is a point from which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, as used herein, references to transmissions from a base station or receptions at a base station should be understood to refer to a specific TRP of a base station.

[0044] In some implementations of supporting positioning of a UE, a base station may not support wireless access by the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but may instead send a reference signal to the UE to be measured by the UE, and / or may receive and measure a signal sent by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when sending a signal to the UE) and / or as a position measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring a signal from the UE).

[0045] "RF signals" include electromagnetic waves of a given frequency that transmit information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may send a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same RF signal transmitted on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, RF signals may also be referred to as "wireless signals" or simply "signals", where it is clear from the context that the term "signal" refers to either wireless signals or RF signals.

[0046] Figure 1An example wireless communication system 100 is shown according to aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled as "BS") and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In aspects, the macrocell base stations may include: eNBs and / or ng-eNBs, where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network; or gNBs, where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network; or a combination of both, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0047] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)) through a backhaul link 122, and interface to one or more location servers 172 (e.g., a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) through the core network 170. The location server 172 may be part of the core network 170 or may be external to the core network 170. The location server 172 may be integrated with the base station 102. The UE 104 may communicate with the location server 172 directly or indirectly. For example, the UE 104 may communicate with the location server 172 via the base station 102 currently serving the UE 104. The UE 104 may also communicate with the location server 172 through another path (e.g., via an application server (not shown), via another network, such as via a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., the AP 150 described below), etc.). For signaling purposes, communication between UE 104 and location server 172 may be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., through core network 170, etc.) or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128), wherein intermediate nodes (if any) are omitted from the signaling diagram for clarity.

[0048] The base stations 102 may perform, among other functions, functions related to one or more of the following: transmission of user data, wireless channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and device tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through EPC / 5GC) over a backhaul link 134 (which may be wired or wireless).

[0049] Base station 102 may communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each of base stations 102 may provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In aspects, one or more cells may be supported by base station 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity for communicating with a base station (e.g., on a certain frequency resource, referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.), and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), an enhanced cell identifier (ECI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI), a cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) to distinguish cells operating via the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others), which may provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" may refer to either or both of a logical communication entity and a base station supporting the logical communication entity, depending on the context. In addition, because the TRP is generally the physical transmission point of the cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" can be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" can also refer to the geographic coverage area (e.g., sector) of a base station, in the sense that a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communication within a portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0050] Although the geographic coverage areas 110 of neighboring macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handoff region), some of the geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with the larger geographic coverage areas 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may have a geographic coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cells and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a home eNB (HeNB), which may provide services to a restricted group referred to as a closed subscriber group (CSG).

[0051] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include an uplink (also referred to as a reverse link) transmission from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or a downlink (DL) (also referred to as a forward link) transmission from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may use MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for the downlink compared to the uplink).

[0052] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a WLAN access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a wireless local area network (WLAN) station (STA) 152 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz) via a communication link 154. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or a listen before talk (LBT) process to determine whether a channel is available prior to communication.

[0053] The small cell base station 102' can operate in a licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, the small cell base station 102' can adopt LTE or NR technology and use the same 5GHz unlicensed spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base station 102' adopting LTE / 5G in the unlicensed spectrum can improve the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in the unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, Licensed Assisted Access (LAA) or MulteFire.

[0054] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate in mmW frequencies and / or near mmW frequencies to communicate with UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is part of the RF in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30GHz to 300GHz and a wavelength between 1 mm and 10 mm. The wireless waves in this band can be called millimeter waves. Near mmW can extend down to a frequency of 3GHz and a wavelength of 100 mm. The super high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3GHz and 30GHz and is also called centimeter waves. Communications using mmW / near mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short distances. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 can utilize beamforming (transmitting and / or receiving) on ​​the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short distance. In addition, it will be appreciated that in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 can also use mmW or near mmW and beamforming to transmit. Therefore, it will be appreciated that the foregoing description is merely an example, and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0055] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, the network node broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectional). Through transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing a faster (in terms of data rate) and stronger RF signal to the receiving device. In order to change the directionality of the RF signal when transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters that broadcast the RF signal. For example, a network node can use an array of antennas (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that creates beams of RF waves that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antenna. Specifically, the RF current from the transmitter is fed to each antenna in the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the separate antennas are added together to increase the radiation in the desired direction while canceling to suppress the radiation in the undesired direction.

[0056] The transmit beams can be quasi-colocated, which means that they appear to have the same parameters in the receiver (e.g., UE), regardless of whether the transmit antennas of the network nodes themselves are physically colocated. In NR, there are four types of quasi-colocated (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about the second reference RF signal on the second beam can be derived from information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Therefore, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay and delay spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver may use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0057] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses a receive beam to amplify an RF signal detected on a given channel. For example, a receiver may increase the gain setting of an array of antennas and / or adjust the phase setting of an array of antennas in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase its gain level) RF signals received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, this means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in the directions of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in the RF signal received from that direction having a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc.).

[0058] The transmit beam and the receive beam may be spatially correlated. Spatial correlation means that parameters of a second beam (e.g., a transmit or receive beam) of a second reference signal may be derived from information about a first beam (e.g., a receive beam or a transmit beam) of a first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE may then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0059] Note that a "downlink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if a base station forms a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to a UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if a UE forms a downlink beam, it is a receive beam for receiving downlink reference signals. Similarly, an "uplink" beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam, depending on the entity that forms it. For example, if a base station is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink receive beam, and if a UE is forming an uplink beam, it is an uplink transmit beam.

[0060] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified with the frequency range names FR1 (410 MHz-7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz-52.6 GHz). It should be understood that, although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to (interchangeably) as a "sub-6 GHz" band in various documents and articles. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs with respect to FR2, which is often referred to (interchangeably) as a "millimeter wave" band in documents and articles, although different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz-300 GHz) identified as a "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0061] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating bands for these mid-band frequencies as the frequency range name FR3 (7.125GHz-24.25GHz). The bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, and therefore, the features of FR1 and / or FR2 can be effectively extended to the mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operations to exceed 52.6GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range names FR4 or FR4-1 (52.6GHz-71 GHz), FR4 (52.6GHz-114.25GHz) and FR5 (114.25GHz-300GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0062] In view of the above, unless otherwise explicitly stated, it should be understood that if the term "sub-6 GHz" or the like is used herein, the term can be broadly referred to as a frequency that may be lower than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise explicitly stated, it should be understood that if the term "millimeter wave" or the like is used herein, the term can be broadly referred to as a frequency that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0063] In a multi-carrier system (such as 5G), one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell", and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells". In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is a carrier that operates on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and on the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection reestablishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common control channels as well as UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). A secondary carrier is a carrier that operates on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier, and that can be used to provide additional radio resources. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals, for example, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier, because both the primary uplink and downlink carriers are typically UE-specific. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network is able to change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. For example, this is done to balance the load on different carriers. Because a "serving cell" (whether a PCell or an SCell) corresponds to a carrier frequency / component carrier on which a base station is communicating, the terms "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0064] For example, still referring to Figure 1, one of the frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies utilized by the macrocell base station 102 and / or the mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables the UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a two-fold increase in data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate obtained by a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0065] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164 that may communicate with the macrocell base station 102 over the communication link 120 and / or communicate with the mmW base station 180 over the mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0066] In some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 may be able to perform sidelink communications. A sidelink-capable UE (SL-UE) may communicate with base station 102 over communication link 120 using a Uu interface (i.e., an air interface between a UE and a base station). SL-UEs (e.g., UE 164, UE 182) may also communicate directly with each other over a wireless sidelink 160 using a PC5 interface (i.e., an air interface between sidelink-capable UEs). A wireless sidelink (or simply "sidelink") is an adaptation of a core cellular (e.g., LTE, NR) standard that allows direct communication between two or more UEs without communicating through a base station. Sidelink communications may be unicast or multicast and may be used for device-to-device (D2D) media sharing, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communications, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communications, etc.), emergency rescue applications, etc. One or more SL-UEs in a group of SL-UEs utilizing sidelink communications may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102. Other SL-UEs in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102, or otherwise unable to receive transmissions from the base station 102. In some cases, a group of SL-UEs communicating via sidelink communications may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, in which each SL-UE transmits to each other SL-UE in the group. In some cases, the base station 102 facilitates the scheduling of resources for sidelink communications. In other cases, sidelink communications are performed between SL-UEs without the involvement of the base station 102.

[0067] In aspects, the sidelink 160 can operate on a wireless communication medium of interest, which can be shared with other wireless communications between other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points and other RATs. A "medium" can consist of one or more time, frequency, and / or spatial communication resources (e.g., including one or more channels across one or more carriers) associated with wireless communications between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs. In aspects, the medium of interest can correspond to at least a portion of an unlicensed frequency band shared between various RATs. Although different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for certain communication systems (e.g., by government entities such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States), these systems (particularly those employing small cell access points) have recently expanded operations to unlicensed frequency bands, such as the unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) bands used by wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies (most notably the IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi"). Example systems of this type include different variations of CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, and the like.

[0068] Note that although Figure 1 Only two of the UEs are shown as SL-UEs (i.e., UEs 164 and 182), but any of the UEs shown may be SL-UEs. In addition, although only UE 182 is described as being capable of beamforming, any of the UEs shown (including UE 164) may be capable of beamforming. In the case where the SL-UEs are capable of beamforming, they may beamform to each other (i.e., to other SL-UEs), to other UEs (e.g., UE 104), to base stations (e.g., base stations 102, 180, small cells 102', access point 150), etc. Thus, in some cases, UEs 164 and 182 may utilize beamforming on sidelink 160.

[0069] exist Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , any UE among the UEs shown (for simplicity, in Figure 1104) can receive a signal 124 from one or more earth-orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 112 (e.g., satellites). In aspect, SV 112 can be part of a satellite positioning system that UE 104 can use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SV 112) positioned to enable receivers (e.g., UE 104) to determine their location on or above the earth based at least in part on positioning signals (e.g., signal 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit a signal with a repeating pseudo-random noise (PN) code marked with a set number of chips. Although typically located in SV 112, the transmitter may sometimes be located on a ground-based control station, base station 102, and / or other UE 104. UE 104 may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive signal 124 to derive geographic location information from SV 112.

[0070] In a satellite positioning system, the use of the signal 124 may be enhanced by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) that may be associated with or otherwise enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, SBAS may include augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential corrections, etc., such as Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), European Geosynchronous Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Multifunction Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), Global Positioning System (GPS) Assisted Geographic Augmentation Navigation or GPS and Geographic Augmentation Navigation System (GAGAN), etc. Thus, as used herein, a satellite positioning system may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0071] In aspects, SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, SV 112 is connected to an earth station (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn is connected to an element in a 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a terrestrial antenna) or a network node in a 5GC. This element in turn will provide access to other elements in the 5G network, and ultimately provide access to entities external to the 5G network (such as Internet web servers and other user devices). In this way, UE 104 can receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV 112 as an alternative or in addition to receiving communication signals from a terrestrial base station 102.

[0072] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs, such as UE 190, which are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) point-to-point (P2P) links (referred to as “sidelinks”). Figure 1 In the example of FIG. 1 , UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity), and has a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to WLAN AP 150 (through which UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based network connectivity). In the example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can utilize any well-known D2D RAT (such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), etc.) to support.

[0073] Figure 2A An example wireless network architecture 200 is shown. For example, the 5GC 210 (also referred to as the Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally viewed as a control plane (C-plane) function 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and a user plane (U-plane) function 212 (e.g., UE gateway function, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which operate in coordination to form a core network. The user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and the control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect the gNB 222 to the 5GC 210, and specifically to the user plane function 212 and the control plane function 214, respectively. In additional configurations, the ng-eNB 224 can also be connected to the 5GC 210 via the NG-C 215 to the control plane function 214 and the NG-U 213 to the user plane function 212. In addition, the ng-eNB 224 can communicate directly with the gNB 222 via the backhaul connection 223. In some configurations, the next generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. The gNB 222 or the ng-eNB 224 (or both the gNB 222 and the ng-eNB 224) may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0074] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230 that can communicate with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance for the UE 204. The location server 230 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed on multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively can each correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, and the UE 204 can be connected to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not shown). In addition, the location server 230 can be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively can be external to the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service host).

[0075] Figure 2B Another example wireless network structure 240 is shown. 5GC 260 (which may correspond to Figure 2AThe 5GC 210 in the UE 200 may be functionally considered as a control plane function provided by an access and mobility management function (AMF) 264, and a user plane function provided by a user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate in cooperation to form a core network (i.e., 5GC 260). The functions of the AMF 264 include registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and a session management function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access identity authentication and access approval, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and a security anchor function (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives an intermediate key established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on the UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the AMF 264 retrieves security materials from the AUSF. The functions of the AMF 264 also include security context management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF, which are used to derive keys for specific access networks. The functions of the AMF 264 also include location service management for regulatory services, transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as a location server 230), transmission of location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of EPS bearer identifiers for interaction with the Evolved Packet System (EPS), and notification of UE 204 mobility events. In addition, the AMF 264 also supports the functions of non-3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0076] The functions of UPF 262 include: acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection with a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) processing for the user plane (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in downlink), uplink traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and one or more "end markers" sent and forwarded to the source RAN node. UPF 262 can also support the transmission of location service messages on the user plane between UE 204 and a location server such as SLP 272.

[0077] The functions of SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, configuration of traffic steering at UPF 262 to route traffic to the appropriate destination, control of QoS and partial policy enforcement, and downlink data notification. The interface over which SMF 266 communicates with AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0078] Another optional aspect may include LMF 270, which can communicate with 5GC 260 to provide location assistance for UE 204. LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed on multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively can each correspond to a single server. LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for UE 204, and UE 204 can connect to LMF 270 via the core network, 5GC 260 and / or via the Internet (not shown). SLP 272 can support similar functionality as LMF 270, but LMF 270 can communicate with AMF 264, NG-RAN 220, and UE 204 on the control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols designed to convey signaling messages but not voice or data), and SLP 272 can communicate with UE 204 and external clients (e.g., third-party servers 274) on the user plane (e.g., using protocols designed to carry voice and / or data, such as Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0079] Another optional aspect may include a third-party server 274 that can communicate with the LMF 270, SLP 272, 5GC 260 (e.g., via AMF 264 and / or UPF 262), NG-RAN 220, and / or UE 204 to obtain location information (e.g., location estimate) for the UE 204. Thus, in some cases, the third-party server 274 may be referred to as a location service (LCS) client or an external client. The third-party server 274 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed on multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively may each correspond to a single server.

[0080] The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC 260, in particular the UPF 262 and the AMF 264, respectively, to one or more gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 in the NG-RAN 220. The interface between the gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and the AMF 264 is referred to as the "N2" interface, and the interface between the gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and the UPF 262 is referred to as the "N3" interface. The gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 of the NG-RAN 220 may communicate directly with each other via a backhaul connection 223 referred to as an "Xn-C" interface. One or more of the gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 may communicate with one or more UEs 204 over a radio interface referred to as a "Uu" interface.

[0081] The functions of the gNB 222 may be divided between a gNB central unit (gNB-CU) 226, one or more gNB distributed units (gNB-DU) 228, and one or more gNB radio units (gNB-RU) 229. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions for transmitting user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc. (except those specifically assigned to the gNB-DU 228). More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 typically hosts the radio resource control (RRC), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), and packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) protocols of the gNB 222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that typically hosts the radio link control (RLC) and medium access control (MAC) layers of the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 may support one or more cells, and one cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DUs 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. The physical (PHY) layer functions of the gNB 222 are typically hosted by one or more independent gNB-RUs 229, which perform functions such as power amplification and signal transmission / reception. The interface between the gNB-DU 228 and the gNB-RU 229 is referred to as the "Fx" interface. Thus, the UE 204 communicates with the gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, communicates with the gNB-DU 228 via the RLC and MAC layers, and communicates with the gNB-RU 229 via the PHY layer.

[0082] The deployment of a communication system (such as a 5G NR system) can be arranged in a variety of ways, with various components or parts. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a RAN node, a core network node, a network element, or a network device (such as a base station) or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functions can be implemented in an aggregated or deaggregated architecture. For example, a base station (such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), a NR base station, a 5G NB, an access point (AP), a transmit receive point (TRP) or a cell, etc.) can be implemented as an aggregated base station (also referred to as an independent base station or an integral BS) or a deaggregated base station.

[0083] Aggregated base stations may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. Deaggregated base stations may be configured to utilize a protocol stack physically or logically distributed between two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs). In some aspects, the CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other RAN nodes. The DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU, and RU may also be implemented as a virtual unit, i.e., a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0084] Base station type operations or network designs may take into account the aggregation characteristics of base station functions. For example, a deaggregated base station may be used in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (such as a network configuration initiated by the O-RAN Alliance)), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Deaggregation may include distributing functions across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing functions for at least one unit, which enables flexibility in network design. Individual units of a deaggregated base station or a deaggregated RAN architecture may be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0085] Figure 2CAn example disaggregated base station architecture 250 is shown in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The disaggregated base station architecture 250 may include one or more central units (CUs) 280 (e.g., gNB-CUs 226), which may communicate directly with a core network 267 (e.g., 5GC 210, 5GC 260) via a backhaul link, or indirectly with a core network 267 through one or more disaggregated base station units, such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 259 (via an E2 link), or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 257 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 255, or both. The CU 280 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 285 (e.g., gNB-DUs 228) via corresponding midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DUs 285 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 287 (e.g., gNB-RUs 229) via corresponding fronthaul links. The RU 287 may communicate with a corresponding UE 204 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 204 may be served by multiple RUs 287 simultaneously.

[0086] Each unit in the unit (i.e., CU 280, DU 285, RU 287) and the near-RT RIC 259, non-RT RIC 257 and SMO framework 255 may include one or more interfaces configured to receive or send signals, data or information (collectively referred to as signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium or may be coupled to the one or more interfaces. Each unit in the unit or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interface of the unit may be configured to communicate with one or more other units in the other units via a transmission medium. For example, a unit may include a wired interface configured to receive a signal on a wired transmission medium or to send a signal to one or more other units in the other units on a wired transmission medium. Alternatively, a unit may include a wireless interface configured to receive a signal on a wireless transmission medium or to send a signal to one or more other units in the other units on a wireless transmission medium, or to perform both signal reception and transmission on a wireless transmission medium, which wireless interface may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver).

[0087] In some aspects, CU 280 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface configured to transmit signals with other control functions hosted by CU 280. CU280 may be configured to process user plane functions (i.e., central unit-user plane (CU-PU)), control plane functions (i.e., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, CU 280 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. The CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface (such as an E1 interface, when implemented in an O-RAN configuration). CU 280 may be implemented to communicate with DU 285 (when necessary) for network control and signaling.

[0088] DU 285 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions to control the operation of one or more RU 287. In some aspects, depending at least in part on the functional split (such as, the functional split defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)), DU 285 may host one or more of the radio link control (RLC) layer, the medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as, modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.). In some aspects, DU 285 may also host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface configured to transmit signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 285 or with control functions hosted by CU 280.

[0089] The lower layer functions may be implemented by one or more RUs 287. In some deployments, the RU 287 controlled by the DU 285 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.) or both based at least in part on functional splitting (such as lower layer functional splitting). In such an architecture, the RU 287 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 204. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communications with the RU 287 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 285. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the DU 285 and the CU 280 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0090] The SMO framework 255 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O cloud) 269) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as to instantiate virtualized network elements). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to: CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, and near RT RIC 259. In some implementations, the SMO framework 255 may communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 261) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO framework 255 may communicate directly with one or more RUs 287 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 255 may also include a non-RTRIC 257 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 255 .

[0091] The non-RT RIC 257 may be configured to include logic functions that implement non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 259. The non-RT RIC 257 may be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 259 (e.g., via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 259 may be configured to include logic functions that implement near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions on an interface that connects one or more CUs 280, one or more DUs 285, or both, and O-eNBs to the near-RT RIC 259 (e.g., via an E2 interface).

[0092] In some implementations, in order to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 259, the non-RT RIC 257 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 259 and may be received from a non-network data source or from a network function at the SMO framework 255 or the non-RT RIC 257. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 257 or the near-RT RIC 259 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 257 may monitor long-term trends and patterns for performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 255 (such as, via reconfiguration of O1) or via the creation of RAN management policies (such as, A1 policies).

[0093] Figure 3A , 3B 3C show several example components (represented by corresponding blocks), which may be incorporated into UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent of Figure 2A and 2B 20 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 architectures (such as private networks) depicted in the present invention) to support the operations described herein. It will be appreciated that these components can be implemented in different types of devices in different implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system on a chip (SoC), etc.). The components shown may also be incorporated into other devices in the communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to the components described for providing similar functionality. In addition, a given device may include one or more of the components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0094] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, for providing means for communication (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for avoiding transmitting, etc.) via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown) (e.g., NR network, LTE network, GSM network, etc.). WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes (e.g., other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc.) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) on a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a certain set of time / frequency resources in a specific spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 may be configured differently to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), respectively, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.), respectively, according to a specified RAT. Specifically, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding signals 318 and 358, respectively, and one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0095] UE 302 and base station 304 also each include, at least in some cases, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. Short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide for communication via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 are units (e.g., units for sending, units for receiving, units for measuring, units for tuning, units for avoiding sending, etc.) for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) using a PC5, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), wireless access in vehicular environment (WAVE), near field communication (NFC), ultra-wideband (UWB), etc.). The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured differently to send and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.), respectively, and conversely, to receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.), respectively, according to a specified RAT. Specifically, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 include one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for sending and encoding signals 328 and 368, respectively, and one or more receivers 322 and 362 for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively. As specific examples, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be WiFi transceivers, Transceiver, and / or transceiver, NFC transceiver, UWB transceiver, or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceiver.

[0096] UE 302 and base station 304 also include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 in at least some cases. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and can provide units for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. In the case where satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be global positioning system (GPS) signals, global navigation satellite system (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, Beidou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. In the case where satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) derived from a 5G network. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may request information and operations from other systems as appropriate, and in at least some cases perform calculations to determine the position of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively, using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm.

[0097] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, to provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, the base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. As another example, the network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 over one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or communicate with other network entities 306 over one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0098] The transceiver can be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. A transceiver (whether a wired transceiver or a wireless transceiver) includes a transmitter circuit system (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and a receiver circuit system (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). The transceiver can be an integrated device in some implementations (e.g., implementing the transmitter circuit system and the receiver circuit system in a single device), can include separate transmitter circuit systems and separate receiver circuit systems in some implementations, or can be implemented in other ways in other implementations. The transmitter circuit system and the receiver circuit system of a wired transceiver (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) can be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. The wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which permit the corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit "beamforming", as described herein. Similarly, the wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which permit the corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In aspects, the transmitter circuitry and the receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366) so that the corresponding device can only receive or transmit at a given time, rather than simultaneously. The wireless transceivers (eg, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include a network listening module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0099] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) and wired transceivers (e.g., network transceivers 380 and 390 in some implementations) may be generally characterized as a "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." In this way, whether a particular transceiver is a wired transceiver or a wireless transceiver may be inferred from the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers typically involve signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) typically involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0100] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, for providing functions related to, for example, wireless communication, and for providing other processing functions. Processors 332, 384, and 394 can therefore provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for calculating, means for receiving, means for sending, means for indicating, etc. In aspects, processors 332, 384, and 394 can include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuit systems, or various combinations thereof.

[0101] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 include memory circuitry implementing memory 340, 386, and 396, respectively (e.g., each memory including a memory device), for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Memories 340, 386, and 396 may thus provide means for storing, means for retrieving, means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. Positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may be hardware circuits that are part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, which when executed cause UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. In other aspects, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be external to the processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be memory modules stored in the memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, the base station 304, and the network entity 306 to perform the functions described herein. Figure 3A Possible locations are shown for location component 342, which may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or may be a stand-alone component. Figure 3B Possible locations for positioning component 388 are shown, which may be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or may be a separate component. Figure 3C Possible locations for a location component 398 are shown, which may be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or may be a stand-alone component.

[0102] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide a means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information that is independent of motion data derived from signals received by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or satellite signal receivers 330. By way of example, sensor 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. In addition, sensor 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, sensor 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate a position in a two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system.

[0103] In addition, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346, thereby providing a means for providing indications to the user (e.g., auditory and / or visual indications) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., after user actuation of a sensing device (such as, a keyboard, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include a user interface.

[0104] Referring to the one or more processors 384 in more detail, in a downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 may implement functions for an RRC layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may provide RRC layer functions associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., master information block (MIB), system information block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression, security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper layer PDUs, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel priority.

[0105] The transmitter 354 and the receiver 352 may implement layer 1 (L1) functions associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1 (which includes the physical (PHY) layer) may include error detection on the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. The transmitter 354 processes the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The decoded and modulated symbols may then be divided into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and / or frequency domain, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially pre-decoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from a reference signal and / or channel condition feedback sent by the UE 302. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 can modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0106] At the UE 302, the receiver 312 receives the signal through its corresponding antenna 316. The receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 332. The transmitter 314 and the receiver 312 implement layer 1 functions associated with various signal processing functions. The receiver 312 can perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial stream destined for the UE 302. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 302, they can be combined into a single OFDM symbol stream by the receiver 312. The receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a fast Fourier transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier and the reference signal are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point sent by the base station 304. These soft decisions can be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally sent on the physical channel by the base station 304. The data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332 that implement layer 3 (L3) and layer 2 (L2) functionality.

[0107] In the uplink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0108] Similar to the functions described in conjunction with downlink transmissions performed by the base station 304, one or more processors 332 provide RRC layer functions associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functions associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functions associated with transmission of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functions associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs to transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority processing, and logical channel priority.

[0109] Channel estimates derived by a channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback sent by base station 304 may be used by transmitter 314 to select appropriate coding and modulation schemes and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams produced by transmitter 314 may be provided to different antennas 316. Transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with a corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0110] The uplink transmission is processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives the signal through its respective antenna 356. The receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 384.

[0111] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from UE 302. IP packets from one or more processors 384 may be provided to the core network. One or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0112] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 may Figure 3A , 3B 3C are shown as including various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it will be appreciated that the components shown may have different functions in different designs. Specifically, Figures 3A to 3C The various components in are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that may vary due to design choice, cost, use of the device, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A In the case of a wireless communication device, a specific implementation of UE 302 may omit WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., a wearable device, or a tablet, or a PC or laptop may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities, but no cellular capabilities), or may omit short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., only cellular, etc.), or may omit satellite signal receiver 330, or may omit sensor 344, etc. In another example, in Figure 3B In the case of a cellular network, a specific implementation of the base station 304 may omit the WWAN transceiver 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular capabilities), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver 360 (e.g., cellular only, etc.), or may omit the satellite signal receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, descriptions of various alternative configurations are not provided herein, but will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0113] Various components of the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may be communicatively coupled to one another over data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392, respectively. In aspects, the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may form or be part of a communication interface for the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, where different logical entities are embodied in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality are incorporated into the same base station 304), the data buses 334, 382, ​​and 392 may provide communications therebetween.

[0114] Figure 3A , 3B The components of and 3C can be implemented in various ways. In some implementations, Figure 3A , 3BThe components of 3C may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or incorporate at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide the function. For example, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by the execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component). Similarly, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by the execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component). In addition, some or all of the functions represented by blocks 390 to 398 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by the execution of appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor component). For simplicity, various operations, actions and / or functions are described herein as being performed by "UE", "by base station", "by network entity", etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, actions, and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc., such as, processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memories 340, 386 and 396, positioning components 342, 388 and 398, etc.

[0115] In some designs, the network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, the network entity 306 may be operated independently of a network operator or cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 may be a component of a private network that may be configured to communicate with the UE 302 via the base station 304 or independently of the base station 304 (e.g., on a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).

[0116] NR supports multiple cellular network-based positioning technologies, including downlink-based, uplink-based, and downlink and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and Downlink Angle of Departure (DL-AOD) in NR. Figure 4Examples of various positioning methods according to aspects of the present disclosure are shown. In an OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning process, as shown by scenario 410, the UE measures the difference between the arrival times (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from a pair of base stations (referred to as reference signal time difference (RSTD) or arrival time difference (TDOA) measurement) and reports it to a positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in auxiliary data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each of the non-reference base stations. Based on the known positions of the base stations involved and the RSTD measurements, a positioning entity (e.g., a UE for UE-based positioning or a location server for UE-assisted positioning) can estimate the position of the UE.

[0117] For DL-AoD positioning, as shown by scenario 420, the positioning entity uses the measurement reports from the UE of the received signal strength measurements of multiple downlink transmit beams to determine the angle between the UE and the transmitting base station. The positioning entity can then estimate the position of the UE based on the determined angle and the known location of the transmitting base station.

[0118] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signals (SRS)) sent by the UE to multiple base stations. Specifically, the UE sends one or more uplink reference signals measured by a reference base station and multiple non-reference base stations. Each base station then reports the reception time of the reference signal (referred to as relative time of arrival (RTOA)) to a positioning entity (e.g., a location server) that knows the location and relative timing of the base stations involved. Based on the receive-to-receive (Rx-Rx) time difference between the reported RTOA of the reference base station and the reported RTOA of each non-reference base station, the known location of the base stations, and their known timing offsets, the positioning entity can use TDOA to estimate the position of the UE.

[0119] For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurements and the angle of the receive beam to determine the angle between the UE and the base station. Based on the determined angle and the known location of the base station, the positioning entity can then estimate the location of the UE.

[0120] Downlink and uplink based positioning methods include enhanced cell ID (E-CID) positioning and multi-round trip time (RTT) positioning (also referred to as "multi-cell RTT" and "multi-RTT"). In the RTT process, a first entity (e.g., a base station or UE) sends a first RTT-related signal (e.g., PRS or SRS) to a second entity (e.g., UE or base station), and the second entity sends a second RTT-related signal (e.g., SRS or PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the arrival time (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the transmission time of the transmitted RTT-related signal. The time difference is called the received-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The Rx-Tx time difference measurement can be performed or adjusted to include only the time difference between the nearest time slot boundaries of the received and transmitted signals. The two entities may then send their Rx-Tx time difference measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 270), which calculates the round trip propagation time (i.e., RTT) between the two entities based on the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity may send its Rx-Tx time difference measurement to the other entity, which then calculates the RTT. The distance between the two entities may be determined based on the RTT and a known signal speed (e.g., the speed of light). For multi-RTT positioning, as shown by scenario 430, a first entity (e.g., a UE or a base station) performs an RTT positioning process with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) to enable the location of the first entity to be determined (e.g., using multi-point positioning) based on the distance to the second entity and the known location of the second entity. RTT and multi-RTT methods may be combined with other positioning techniques (such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD) to improve location accuracy, as shown by scenario 440.

[0121] The E-CID positioning method is based on radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and the identifiers, estimated timing, and signal strength of detected neighboring base stations. The UE's position is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0122] To assist the positioning operation, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data may include an identifier of the base station (or cell / TRP of the base station) from which the reference signal is measured, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive time slots including PRS, the period of consecutive time slots including PRS, the muting sequence, the frequency hopping sequence, the reference signal identifier, the reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data may originate directly from the base station itself (e.g., in a periodically broadcast overhead message, etc.). In some cases, the UE may be able to detect neighboring network nodes on its own without using assistance data.

[0123] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning process, the auxiliary data may also include an expected RSTD value and associated uncertainty, or a search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the value range of the expected RSTD may be + / -500 microseconds (μs). In some cases, when any of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1, the value range of the uncertainty of the expected RSTD may be + / -32μs. In other cases, when all of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the value range of the uncertainty of the expected RSTD may be + / -8μs.

[0124] The position estimate may be referred to by other names, such as position estimate, position, position fix, position fix, fix, etc. The position estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be citometric and include a street address, postal address, or some other verbal description of the location. The position estimate may also be defined relative to some other known location, or in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). The position estimate may include expected errors or uncertainties (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the position is expected to be included with some specified or default confidence level).

[0125] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (eg, base stations and UEs). Figure 5 5 is a diagram 500 illustrating an example frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. The frame structure may be a downlink or uplink frame structure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0126] LTE, and in some cases NR, utilizes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR can also choose to use OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also commonly referred to as tones, frequency bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. In general, modulation symbols are sent in the frequency domain using OFDM and in the time domain using SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the spacing of the subcarriers can be 15 kilohertz (kHz), and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180kHz). Thus, for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 megahertz (MHz), the nominal fast Fourier transform (FFT) size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth may also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for a system bandwidth of 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0127] LTE supports a single digital scheme (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR can support multiple digital schemes (μ), for example, 15kHz (μ=0), 30kHz (μ=1), 60kHz (μ=2), 120kHz (μ=3), and 240kHz (μ=4) or higher subcarrier spacing may be available. In each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per time slot. For 15kHz SCS (μ=0), there is one time slot per subframe, 10 time slots per frame, the time slot duration is 1 millisecond (ms), the symbol duration is 66.7 microseconds (μs), and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 50. For 30kHz SCS (μ=1), there are two time slots per subframe, 20 time slots per frame, the time slot duration is 0.5ms, the symbol duration is 33.3μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 100. For 60kHz SCS (μ=2), there are four slots per subframe, 40 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.25ms, the symbol duration is 16.7μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 200. For 120kHz SCS (μ=3), there are eight slots per subframe, 80 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.125ms, the symbol duration is 8.33μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 400. For 240kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 slots per subframe, 160 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.0625ms, the symbol duration is 4.17μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 800.

[0128] exist Figure 5 In the example of , a 15kHz digital scheme is used. Therefore, in the time domain, the 10ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes, each subframe is 1ms, and each subframe includes one time slot. Figure 5 , time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right, and frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0129] A resource grid may be used to represent a time slot, each of which includes one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also referred to as "physical RBs" (PRBs) in the frequency domain). The resource grid is further divided into a number of resource elements (REs). One RE may correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. Figure 5In the digital scheme of , for the nominal cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and seven consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For the extended cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and six consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0130] Some of the REs may carry reference (pilot) signals (RS). The reference signals may include positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc., depending on whether the frame structure shown is for uplink or downlink communication. Figure 5 Example locations of REs carrying reference signals (labeled "R") are shown.

[0131] A collection of resource elements (REs) used for PRS transmission is called a "PRS resource". A collection of resource elements may span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain, and 'N' (e.g., 1 or more) consecutive symbols within a slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, a PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0132] The transmission of PRS resources within a given PRB has a specific comb size (also referred to as "comb density"). The comb size 'N' represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for comb size 'N', the PRS is transmitted in every N subcarriers of the symbol of the PRB. For example, for comb-4, for each symbol of the PRS resource configuration, the REs corresponding to every four subcarriers (such as, subcarriers 0, 4, 8) are used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. Currently, comb sizes of comb-2, comb-4, comb-6, and comb-12 are supported for DL-PRS. Figure 5 An example PRS resource configuration for comb-4 (which spans four symbols) is shown. That is, the positions of the shaded REs (labeled "R") indicate a comb-4 PRS resource configuration.

[0133] Currently, DL-PRS resources can span 2, 4, 6 or 12 consecutive symbols within a timeslot, with a fully frequency domain interleaved pattern. DL-PRS resources can be configured in flexible (FL) symbols of any higher layer configured downlink or timeslot. There may be a constant energy per resource element (EPRE) for all REs of a given DL-PRS resource. The following are the frequency offsets from symbol to symbol over 2, 4, 6 and 12 symbols for comb sizes 2, 4, 6 and 12. 2-Symbol Comb-2: {0, 1}; 4-Symbol Comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1}; 6-Symbol Comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1}; 12-Symbol Comb-2: {0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 1}; 4-Symbol Comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3} (as shown in Figure 2). Figure 5 in the example); 12-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3, 0, 2, 1, 3}; 6-symbol comb-6: {0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5}; 12-symbol comb-6: {0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5, 0, 3, 1, 4, 2, 5}; and 12-symbol comb-12: {0, 6, 3, 9, 1, 7, 4, 10, 2, 8, 5, 11}.

[0134] A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used for transmission of a PRS signal, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, the PRS resources in the PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and is associated with a specific TRP (identified by a TRP ID). In addition, the PRS resources in the PRS resource set have the same periodicity, a common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor (such as "PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor") across time slots. The periodicity is the time from the first set of repetitions of the first PRS resource of the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of the next PRS instance. The periodicity may have a length selected from 2^μ*{4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} time slots, where μ=0, 1, 2, 3. The repetition factor may have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} slots.

[0135] The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (where the TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and thus, a "PRS resource" or simply "resource" may also be referred to as a "beam". Note that this does not affect whether the TRP and the beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE.

[0136] A "PRS instance" or "PRS opportunity" is an instance of a periodically repeated time window (such as a group of one or more consecutive time slots) in which a PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS opportunity may also be referred to as a "PRS positioning opportunity", "PRS positioning instance", "positioning opportunity", "positioning instance", "positioning repetition", or simply "opportunity", "instance", or "repetition".

[0137] A "positioning frequency layer" (also referred to as a "frequency layer") is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets across one or more TRPs that have the same values ​​for certain parameters. Specifically, the collection of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning that all digital schemes supported by the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) are also supported by PRS), the same point A, the same downlink PRS bandwidth value, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The point A parameter takes the value of the parameter ARFCN-ValueNR" (where "ARFCN" stands for "Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number"), which is an identifier / code that specifies a pair of physical radio channels for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth can have a granularity of four PRBs, a minimum of 24 PRBs, and a maximum of 272 PRBs. Currently, a maximum of four frequency layers are defined, and each TRP of each frequency layer can be configured with a maximum of two PRS resource sets.

[0138] The concept of frequency layer is a bit like the concept of component carrier and bandwidth part (BWP), but the difference is that component carrier and BWP are used by one base station (or macro cell base station and small cell base station) to send data channels, while frequency layer is used by several (usually three or more) base stations to send PRS. When the UE sends its positioning capabilities to the network (such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session), the UE can indicate the number of frequency layers it can support. For example, the UE can indicate whether it can support one or four positioning frequency layers.

[0139] Note that the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" generally refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in NR and LTE systems. However, as used herein, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may also refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as but not limited to PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, SRS, UL-PRS, etc. defined in LTE and NR. In addition, unless the context otherwise indicates, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may refer to downlink, uplink or sidelink positioning reference signals as indicated by the context. If further distinction is needed between the types of PRS, the downlink positioning reference signal may be referred to as "DL-PRS", the uplink positioning reference signal (e.g., SRS, PTRS used for positioning) may be referred to as "UL-PRS", and the sidelink positioning reference signal may be referred to as "SL-PRS". In addition, for signals (e.g., DMRS) that may be sent in the downlink, uplink and / or sidelink, "DL", "UL" or "SL" may be prefixed to the signal to distinguish the direction. For example, "UL-DMRS" is different from "DL-DMRS".

[0140] Figure 6 600 is a graph representing a channel estimate of a multipath channel between a receiver device (e.g., any of the UEs or base stations described herein) and a transmitter device (e.g., any other of the UEs or base stations described herein) according to aspects of the present disclosure. The channel estimate represents the strength of a radio frequency (RF) signal (e.g., a PRS) received through a multipath channel as a function of time delay and may be referred to as a channel energy response (CER), a channel impulse response (CIR), or a power delay profile (PDP) of the channel. Thus, the horizontal axis is in units of time (e.g., milliseconds) and the vertical axis is in units of signal strength (e.g., decibels). Note that a multipath channel is a channel between a transmitter and a receiver over which an RF signal follows multiple paths or multipaths due to transmission of the RF signal on multiple beams and / or propagation characteristics of the RF signal (e.g., reflection, refraction, etc.).

[0141] exist Figure 6 In the example of , the receiver detects / measures clusters of multiple (four) channel taps. Each channel tap represents the multipath followed by the RF signal between the transmitter and the receiver. That is, the channel taps represent the arrival of the RF signal on the multipath. Each cluster of channel taps indicates that the corresponding multipath follows substantially the same path. Different clusters may exist due to the RF signal being transmitted on different transmit beams (and therefore at different angles), or due to the propagation characteristics of the RF signal (e.g., potentially following different paths due to reflections), or both.

[0142] All of the clusters in the cluster of channel taps for a given RF signal represent the multipath channel (or simply, channel) between the transmitter and the receiver. Figure 6 In the illustrated channel, the receiver receives a first cluster of two RF signals on the channel taps at time T1, a second cluster of five RF signals on the channel taps at time T2, a third cluster of five RF signals on the channel taps at time T3, and a fourth cluster of four RF signals on the channel taps at time T4. Figure 6 In the example of , because the first cluster of RF signals at time T1 arrives first, it is assumed to correspond to RF signals transmitted on a transmit beam aligned with line of sight (LOS) or the shortest path. The third cluster at time T3 includes the strongest RF signals and may correspond to, for example, RF signals transmitted on a transmit beam aligned with a non-line of sight (NLOS) path. Note that although Figure 6 Clusters of two to five channel taps are shown, but as will be understood, clusters may have more or less than the number of channel taps shown.

[0143] Machine learning (ML) or other techniques may be used to generate models that may be used to facilitate various aspects associated with the processing of data. One particular application of ML involves generating a positioning model for use in processing a reference signal (e.g., a PRS) for positioning, such as feature extraction, reporting of reference signal measurements (e.g., selecting which extracted features to report), etc.

[0144] ML models are generally classified as supervised or unsupervised. Supervised models can be further subdivided into regression or classification models. Supervised learning involves learning a function that maps inputs to outputs based on example input-output pairs. For example, given a training data set with two variables, age (input) and height (output), a supervised learning model can be generated to predict a person's height based on their age. In a regression model, the output is continuous. An example of a regression model is linear regression, which simply tries to find the line that best fits the data. Extensions of linear regression include multiple linear regression (e.g., finding the plane of best fit) and polynomial regression (e.g., finding the curve of best fit).

[0145] Another example of an ML model is a decision tree model. In a decision tree model, a tree structure with multiple nodes is defined. Decisions are used to move from a root node at the top of the decision tree to a leaf node (i.e., a node with no other child nodes) at the bottom of the decision tree. Generally, a larger number of nodes in a decision tree model is associated with higher decision accuracy.

[0146] Another example of an ML model is a decision forest. Random forest is an ensemble learning technique built from decision trees. Random forest involves creating multiple decision trees using a bootstrapped dataset of the original data and randomly selecting a subset of variables at each step of the decision tree. The model then selects the mode of all predictions in the predictions of each decision tree. By relying on a "majority wins" model, the risk of error from individual trees is reduced.

[0147] Another example of an ML model is a neural network (NN). A neural network is essentially a network of mathematical equations. A neural network takes one or more input variables and, by going through the network of equations, gets one or more output variables. In other words, a neural network takes a vector of inputs and returns a vector of outputs.

[0148] Figure 7 An example neural network 700 in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The neural network 700 includes an input layer 'i' that receives 'n' input(s) (shown as "input 1", "input 2", and "input n"), one or more hidden layers (shown as hidden layers 'h1', 'h2', and 'h3') for processing the inputs from the input layer, and an output layer 'o' that provides 'm' output(s) (labeled as "output 1" and "output m"). The number of inputs 'n', hidden layers 'h', and outputs 'm' may be the same or different. In some designs, the hidden layer 'h' may include a linear function and / or an activation function, with the nodes of each successive hidden layer (shown as circles) processing the linear function and / or activation function of the nodes from the previous hidden layer.

[0149] In classification models, the output is discrete.An example of a classification model is logistic regression.Logistic regression is similar to linear regression, but is used to model the probability of a limited number (usually two) of results.Essentially, the logistic equation is created in a way that the output value can only be between '0' and '1'.Another example of a classification model is a support vector machine.For example, for two categories of data, a support vector machine will find a hyperplane or boundary between the two categories of data, which maximizes the margin between the two categories.There are many planes that can separate the two categories, but only one plane can maximize the margin or distance between these categories.Another example of a classification model is Naive Bayes based on Bayes' theorem.Other examples of classification models include decision trees, random forests, and neural networks, which are similar to the above examples, except that the output is discrete rather than continuous.

[0150] Unlike supervised learning, unsupervised learning is used to draw inferences and find patterns from input data without reference to labeled results. Two examples of unsupervised learning models include clustering and dimensionality reduction.

[0151] Clustering is an unsupervised technique that involves grouping or clustering data points. Clustering is often used for customer segmentation, fraud detection, and document classification. Common clustering techniques include k-means clustering, hierarchical clustering, mean shift clustering, and density-based clustering. Dimensionality reduction is the process of reducing the number of random variables considered by obtaining a set of principal variables. More simply, dimensionality reduction is the process of reducing the dimensionality of a feature set (or, more simply, reducing the number of features). Most dimensionality reduction techniques can be classified as feature elimination or feature extraction. An example of dimensionality reduction is called principal component analysis (PCA). In the simplest sense, PCA involves projecting higher dimensional data (e.g., three dimensions) into a smaller space (e.g., two dimensions). This results in lower dimensional data (e.g., two dimensions instead of three dimensions) while keeping all the original variables in the model.

[0152] Regardless of which ML model is used, at a high level, the ML module (e.g., implemented by a processing system (such as, processor 332, 384 or 394)) can be configured to iteratively analyze training input data (e.g., measurements of reference signals to / from each target UE) and associate the training input data with an output data set (e.g., a set of possible or likely candidate locations for each target UE), thereby enabling determination of the same output data set when given similar input data (e.g., from other target UEs at the same or similar locations) later.

[0153] NR supports RF fingerprint (RFFP) based positioning, which is a positioning and location technology that uses RFFP captured by a mobile device to determine the location of a mobile device. RFFP can be a histogram of received signal strength indicator (RSSI), CER, CIR, PDP or channel frequency response (CFR), such as Figure 6 . RFFP may represent a single channel (e.g., PRS) received from a transmitter, all channels received from a particular transmitter, or all channels detectable at a receiver. The RFFP measured by a mobile device (e.g., UE) and the location of the transmitter associated with the measured RFFP (i.e., the transmitter sends an RF signal measured by the mobile device to determine the RFFP) may be used to determine (e.g., triangulate) the location of the mobile device.

[0154] Model-based positioning techniques have been shown to provide superior positioning performance when compared to traditional positioning schemes. In ML-RFFP based positioning, the ML model (e.g., neural network 700) takes the RFFP of the downlink reference signal (e.g., PRS) as input and outputs a positioning measurement (e.g., ToA, RSTD) or mobile device position corresponding to the input RFFP. The ML model (e.g., neural network 700) is trained using "ground truth" (i.e., known) positioning measurements or mobile device positions as reference (i.e., expected) outputs of the training set of RFFPs.

[0155] For example, an ML model may be trained to determine the RSTD measurement of a pair of TRPs from the RFFP of the PRS sent by the TRPs. The reference output for training such a model would be the correct (i.e., ground truth) RSTD measurement of the location of the mobile device when the mobile device obtained the RFFP measurement of the PRS. The network (e.g., a location server) may determine the expected RSTD for the TRP pair based on the known location of the mobile device and the known location of the (measured) TRPs involved. The known location of the mobile device may be determined from multiple reported RSTD measurements and / or any other measurements reported by the mobile device (e.g., GPS measurements).

[0156] Figure 8 8 is a schematic diagram 800 illustrating the use of an ML model for RFFP-based positioning according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 8 In the example of FIG. 1 , during the “offline” phase, RFFPs (e.g., CER / CIR / CFR) captured by the mobile device are stored in a database. The database may be located at the mobile device or a network entity (e.g., a location server), and each RFFP may include measurements of an RF signal (or channel or link) transmitted by one or more transmitters, one or more transmitters being transmitted at a predetermined time. Figure 8 Shown as base stations 1 to N (i.e., "BS1" to "BS N"). For UE-based downlink RFFP (DL-RFFP) positioning, the network (e.g., location server) configures the base station to send a downlink reference signal (e.g., PRS) to the mobile device, and the RFFP is the CER / CIR / CFR of the configured downlink reference signal detected by the mobile device. Although the present disclosure describes applying the ML positioning model to RFFP measurements, it will be appreciated that other types of positioning models may be used in addition to or in place of the ML positioning model based on the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0157] Each measured RFFP is associated with a known position of the mobile device at the time the RFFP was measured. Figure 8The positions 1 to L (i.e., "Pos 1" to "Pos L") are shown. The position of the mobile device may be known via another positioning technology, as described above with reference to Figure 4 Note that although Figure 8 RFFP information for a single mobile device is shown, as will be appreciated, RFFP information for multiple mobile devices may be collected and stored in a database.

[0158] Based on the information captured during the offline phase, an ML model (e.g., neural network 700) is trained to predict the location of the mobile device based on the RFFP measured by the mobile device. More specifically, a training set of RFFP measurements is used as input to the ML model, and the known location of the mobile device is used as a label when the RFFP is captured. After training, during the "online" phase, the trained ML model can be used to predict (infer) the location of the mobile device (shown as "Pos M") based on the RFFP currently measured by the mobile device. For UE-based RFFP positioning, the network (e.g., a location server) provides the trained ML model to the mobile device. For UE-assisted positioning, the mobile device can provide the RFFP measurements to the network for processing.

[0159] Note that although Figure 8 The use of an RFFP-based ML model to estimate the position of the UE is shown, but the output (or extracted features) of the ML model may alternatively be positioning measurements based on the input RFFP, such as RSTD measurements, ToA measurements, DL-AoD measurements, etc.

[0160] Fig. 9 9 is a diagram illustrating an example reasoning cycle for UE-based DL-RFFP positioning according to aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 As shown in , the location server (e.g., LMF 270) configures DL-PRS resources so that they are sent by one or more TRPs during a positioning session with the UE. The TRP then sends the configured DL-PRS to the UE, and the UE measures the RFFP of the DL-PRS.

[0161] exist Fig. 9 In the example of , the location server previously trained an ML model (labeled as “RFFPML”) for RFFP positioning, as described above with reference to Figure 7 and 8 As discussed. The location server provides the ML model to the UE to perform inference during the positioning session (e.g., determine positioning measurements based on the measured RFFP). Thus, after measuring the RFFP of the DL-PRS, the UE inputs the measured RFFP into the received ML model to obtain the associated positioning measurements (e.g., ToA, RSTD).

[0162] Fig.10 An example call flow 1000 for UE-based DL-RFFP positioning according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. At stage 1, the UE 204 and the LMF 270 perform an LPP positioning capability transfer procedure, during which the UE 204 provides its positioning capabilities to the LMF 270. At stage 2, the LMF 270 provides assistance information to the UE 204 of the serving ng-eNB / gNB 222 / 224 and any neighboring ng-eNBs / gNBs 222 / 224, such as the PRS resource configuration of the DL-PRS to be sent to the UE 204. At stage 3, the UE 204 and the LMF 270 perform an LPP assistance data exchange. During the exchange, the LMF 270 provides the UE 204 with assistance data for the positioning session, such as the configuration of the DL-PRS sent by the involved ng-eNBs / gNBs 222 / 224 and the ML model for reporting positioning measurements of the DL-PRS.

[0163] At stage 4, the LMF 270 optionally provides assistance information to the involved ng-eNBs / gNBs 222 / 224 via New Radio Positioning Protocol Type A (NRPPa) messages. At stage 5, the serving ng-eNB / gNB 222 / 224 optionally broadcasts the assistance information received from the LMF 270 as assistance data in one or more positioning SIBs (posSIBs). At stage 6, the LMF 270 and the UE 204 perform the LPP Request / Provide Location Information procedure, during which the UE 204 provides positioning measurements of the DL-PRS sent by the ng-eNBs / gNBs 222 / 224. Positioning measurements can be derived by applying the ML model received in the assistance data to the RFFP of the measured DL-PRS.

[0164] The successful deployment and use of the RFFP positioning model may benefit from continuously monitoring the performance (e.g., effectiveness and / or accuracy) of the positioning model. When evaluating the performance of the positioning model, the UE may compare the position estimate obtained by applying the positioning model to the RFFP measurements with a corresponding position estimate obtained using another positioning technology that does not utilize the positioning model (e.g., cellular-based positioning, GNSS-based positioning, etc.). In some cases, the position estimate based on the RFFP may be compared with the position of the reference UE and the known position. Additionally or in an alternative, a position estimate may be determined at the network based on sending to the network positioning measurements (e.g., TOA, TDOA, AoA, etc.) obtained by applying the positioning model to the RFFP measurements.

[0165] The performance of the positioning model can be evaluated in various ways. For example, a position difference between a position estimate using the positioning model and a position estimate not using the positioning model can be determined and compared to one or more position difference thresholds. In some aspects, the degree of accuracy can be obtained based on comparing the difference with difference thresholds corresponding to different degrees of accuracy. In some aspects, the effectiveness of the model can be determined by comparing the difference with a validity threshold. In some aspects, the UE can determine the position uncertainty associated with the RFFP position estimate, and the position uncertainty can be compared to one or more position uncertainty thresholds. The UE can report error instances in which the position uncertainty exceeds one or more position uncertainty thresholds.

[0166] Measuring the same network device during positioning occasions (e.g., instances in which the UE applies a positioning model to RFFP measurements obtained using the network device to determine the UE's location) and model monitoring occasions (e.g., instances in which the UE applies a positioning model to RFFP measurements obtained using the network device to determine the validity and / or accuracy of the positioning model) may be computationally expensive. In an aspect, model monitoring occasions and positioning occasions may be as follows: Fig.10 During positioning opportunities where no model monitoring occurs, the UE is motivated to use as many network devices as possible for positioning. Maximizing the use of network devices during positioning opportunities may result in higher accuracy and achieve a greater degree of redundancy. However, in implementing certain aspects of the present disclosure, it is recognized that it is advantageous to use different sets of network devices for model monitoring opportunities to reduce computational overhead and reduce measurement time for model monitoring opportunities. In some aspects, dedicated processing timelines may be configured for corresponding operations.

[0167] According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the UE is configured to use a selected set of network devices for model monitoring opportunities. The network may configure the UE with a specific set of network devices to be used for model monitoring opportunities. The set of network devices to be used for model monitoring opportunities may be indicated by signaling (e.g., LPP signaling, signaling from a model checking entity dedicated to location model management, etc.). The set of network devices to be used for model monitoring opportunities may be specified and / or updated for each new model monitoring opportunity.

[0168] There may be different criteria for selecting a set of network devices for model monitoring occasions. For example, a set of network devices may be selected based on the location of the UE. In another example, the network may determine that training of the positioning model may be improved by monitoring certain network devices and designating such network devices for use at model monitoring occasions. In such instances, the set of network devices for which training may be improved may be based on an expected performance profile of the positioning model as described in further detail herein.

[0169] In certain aspects, the set of network devices used by the UE for model monitoring may generally be different from the set of network devices used by the UE for positioning occasions (during which model checking is not configured). For example, the set of network devices used for positioning occasions may include a larger number of network devices than the set of network devices used for model monitoring occasions. Additionally or in the alternative, the set of network devices used for model monitoring occasions may include a subset of the set of network devices used for positioning occasions. In this way, model monitoring operations during model monitoring occasions can be optimized to reduce overhead in terms of power and time resources when compared to the overhead required during positioning operations of positioning occasions.

[0170] According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, a set of network devices for a model monitoring opportunity may be a separate configuration of network devices specifically indicated as being used during a model monitoring opportunity. In certain aspects, a UE may receive assistance data (AD) (e.g., via LPP signaling, via signaling from a model checking entity dedicated to positioning model management, etc.) indicating a first set of network devices that the UE will use for a model monitoring opportunity. In such an instance, the assistance data may explicitly indicate that the first set of network devices will be used to obtain RFFP measurements during a model monitoring opportunity in which the performance of a positioning model is to be monitored.

[0171] The UE may measure the PRS of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasions and may apply the positioning model to the corresponding RFFP measurements. The position estimate and / or positioning measurements obtained at the output of the positioning model may be used to evaluate the performance of the positioning model during the model monitoring occasions.

[0172] In another aspect, the network may partition the set of available network devices to be used across different model monitoring opportunities to ensure that load balancing is achieved when all network devices in the available network devices are tested. For example, assume that there are ten network devices (numbered 1 to 10) available for positioning opportunities (e.g., the network devices are configured for positioning without model monitoring). Different subsets of available network devices may be configured for different model monitoring opportunities (numbered 1 to 4). As an example, the UE may use 1) network devices 1, 3, 5, and 6 for model monitoring opportunity 1, 2) network devices 2, 4, 7, and 10 for model monitoring opportunity 2, 3) network devices 3, 8, 9, and 10 for model monitoring opportunity 3, and 4) network devices 4, 6, 8, and 9 for model monitoring opportunity 4. In some aspects, the subset configuration may be periodic (e.g., the subset of network devices used for model monitoring opportunity 5 may be the same as the subset of network devices used for model monitoring opportunity 1, the subset of network devices used for model monitoring opportunity 6 may be the same as the subset of network devices used for model monitoring opportunity 2, etc.). Note that using different subsets of network devices during model monitoring opportunities may allow the network to determine which network devices are causing poor performance of the positioning model, thereby indicating to the network that training of the positioning model with respect to such network devices may require enhancement and / or improvement.

[0173] In an example, the UE may receive an indication of a first set of network devices for PRS measurements during a positioning occasion in which the UE's position is determined. However, during a model monitoring occasion, the UE obtains a position estimate of the UE and / or a position measurement corresponding to the UE's position based on applying a positioning model to RFFP measurements of PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices. In certain aspects, the UE may receive an indication of a schedule for determining which network devices in the first set of network devices are included in a subset of the first set of network devices during a model monitoring occasion. In such an instance, different subsets of the first set of network devices may be indicated for different model monitoring occasions.

[0174] In certain aspects, the UE may receive an indication of a number N of network devices to be used as a subset of the first set of network devices. For example, the network may instruct the UE to use the first N network devices of an existing network device configuration (e.g., indicating to the UE the configuration of the first set of network devices for positioning occasions) for the model monitoring occasion.

[0175] Although the number of network devices used for model monitoring occasions may be configured as a value N, the UE may be allowed to measure additional network devices if the UE's capabilities allow it to meet the processing timeline window. In an aspect, the UE may obtain one or more other position estimates for the UE based on RFFP measurements of PRSs of one or more other network devices in the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during the model monitoring occasion. Additionally or in the alternative, the UE may obtain one or more other positioning measurements associated with the UE's position based on RFFP measurements of PRSs of one or more other network devices in the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during the model monitoring occasion. In each scenario, the one or more other position estimates and / or positioning measurements associated with the UE's position are obtained based on the UE's capabilities for determining the other position estimates and / or other positioning measurements associated with the UE's position within a time threshold.

[0176] In an aspect, the network may leave the selection of network devices to the UE. In such an instance, the UE selects a set of network devices for model monitoring and may report to the network which network devices are used for model monitoring occasions. In an aspect, the UE may randomly select a network device to be included in the set of network devices.

[0177] One or more profiles of expected performance as a function of the number of network devices and / or the specific configuration of network devices involved in the model monitoring configuration may be signaled to the UE. Such profiles may be generated offline by running a large number of positioning scenarios and analyzing the statistics of expected errors of model performance for each possible combination of network devices. The signaled profiles may include expected performance with mean errors and associated variance / confidence intervals for a given number of network devices and / or a specific configuration of network devices. According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the expected performance profile may be signaled based on a given number of sidelink UEs and / or a given configuration of sidelink UEs.

[0178] In this regard, once the positioning model is trained, the expected performance of the positioning model can be characterized by the average error, the root mean square error (RMSE), the cumulative distribution function (CDF) error, or a combination thereof. Different numbers of network devices and / or network device configurations will result in different errors and, thus, different expected performances of the positioning model. Smaller errors indicate better positioning model performance.

[0179] Based on the teachings of the present disclosure, it will be appreciated that in an uplink positioning operation (in which a configured network device measures an SRS received from a UE), different network device configurations can be used for positioning opportunities and model monitoring opportunities. In such an instance, a network server (e.g., LMF, model management server, etc.) can configure a first set of network devices to obtain a first RFFP measurement set based on an SRS received from a UE during a model monitoring opportunity in which the network server monitors the performance of a positioning model applied to a first RFFP measurement set. The network server can also configure a second set of network devices to obtain a second RFFP measurement set based on an SRS received from a UE during a positioning opportunity in which the performance of a positioning model is not monitored by the network server. Which network devices are used as the first set of network devices can be determined based on the location of the UE. Additionally or in an alternative, the first set of network devices can be determined based on training a positioning model to improve the performance of the positioning model. According to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the first set of network devices may include one or more TRPs.

[0180] Fig.11 An example method 1100 of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. At operation 1102, the UE receives first assistance data indicating a first set of network devices, wherein the first assistance data indicates that the first set of network devices is to be used to obtain radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurements during a model monitoring opportunity in which the performance of the positioning model is to be monitored. In aspects, operation 1102 can be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which can be considered as a means for performing the operation.

[0181] At operation 1104, the UE receives second assistance data indicating a second set of network devices for obtaining a second set of RFFP measurements during a positioning occasion in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored. In aspects, operation 1104 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered as a means for performing the operation.

[0182] At operation 1106, the UE measures positioning reference signals (PRS) of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasions. In aspects, operation 1104 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered as means for performing the operation.

[0183] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of method 1100 is that the method enables a UE to receive indications of network devices that are specifically indicated to be used during model monitoring opportunities. Network devices that are indicated to be used during monitoring opportunities can be designated as independent of network devices used during positioning opportunities. For model checking, the UE position can be estimated using both RFFP measurements applied to the positioning model and traditional positioning techniques. The method allows a sufficient number of network devices to be selected for model monitoring, thereby allowing the model monitoring operation to be feasible and reduce overhead in terms of power and time resources. In addition, the method also allows the network to isolate the source of the mismatch in the event of a model mismatch, which indicates to the network that the training of the positioning model for certain network devices needs to be enhanced and / or improved.

[0184] Fig.12 An example method 1200 of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. At operation 1202, the UE receives an indication of a first set of network devices for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the position of the UE is determined. In aspects, operation 1202 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered as a means for performing the operation.

[0185] At operation 1204, the UE obtains a position estimate of the UE based on RFFP measurements of PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during a model monitoring occasion in which performance of the positioning model is monitored, obtains positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on RFFP measurements of PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during the model monitoring occasion, or a combination thereof. In aspects, operation 1204 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered as means for performing the operation.

[0186] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of method 1200 is that the method enables the UE to receive an indication of the network devices used during the positioning occasions. However, a subset of the network devices used only during the positioning occasions is used during the model monitoring occasions, thereby enabling the UE to reduce the time and processing resources required to generate information for model monitoring.

[0187] Fig.13An example method 1300 of wireless communication performed by a network server (e.g., LMF, model management server, etc.) according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. At operation 1302, the network server configures a first set of network devices to obtain a first set of radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurements based on a sounding reference signal (SRS) received from a user equipment (UE) during a model monitoring opportunity in which the performance of a positioning model applied to a first set of RFFP measurements is monitored by the network server. In aspects, operation 1302 can be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which can be considered as a unit for performing the operation.

[0188] At operation 1304, the network server configures a second set of network devices for obtaining a second set of RFFP measurements based on an SRS received from the UE during a positioning occasion in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored by the network server. In an aspect, operation 1304 may be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered as a means for performing the operation.

[0189] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of method 1300 is that the method enables the network server to select separate network device configurations for model monitoring opportunities and positioning opportunities. This allows the network server to optimize the set of network devices used for model monitoring.

[0190] Fig.14 An example method 1400 of wireless communication performed by a network server (e.g., LMF, model management server, etc.) according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. At operation 1402, the network server sends an indication of a first set of network devices for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which a position of the UE is determined to a user equipment (UE). In aspects, operation 1402 may be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered as a means for performing the operation.

[0191] At operation 1404, the network server sends to the UE: 1) an indication of a schedule for determining which network devices of the first set of network devices are to be included in a subset of the first set of network devices for PRS measurements during a model monitoring occasion, wherein the model monitoring occasion corresponds to an instance during which the UE applies a positioning model to a radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement corresponding to a PRS measurement of the subset of the first set of network devices, 2) an indication of a number N of network devices from the first set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the model monitoring occasion, 3) a second set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the model monitoring occasion, or 4) any combination thereof. In aspects, operation 1404 may be performed by one or more network transceivers 390, one or more processors 394, memory 396, and / or positioning component 398, any or all of which may be considered as means for performing the operation.

[0192] As will be appreciated, a technical advantage of method 1400 is that the method enables the network to specify a set of network devices to be used during positioning occasions, as well as individual indications of network devices in the set of network devices to be used during model monitoring occasions. The network server can optimize the network devices used for model monitoring occasions to enable the UE to reduce the time and processing resources required to generate information for model monitoring at the UE.

[0193] It can be seen in the above detailed description that different features are combined together in the examples. This disclosure should not be understood as an intention that the example clauses have more features than those explicitly mentioned in each clause. On the contrary, various aspects of the present disclosure may include less than all the features of the disclosed single example clauses. Therefore, the following clauses should be deemed to be included in the specification, where each clause itself can be used as a separate example. Although each dependent clause can be referenced in a clause in a specific combination with one of the other clauses, the aspects of the dependent clause are not limited to the specific combination. It will be recognized that other example clauses may also include a combination of the subject matter of the dependent clause aspect with any other dependent clause or independent clause, or a combination of any feature with other dependent and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations unless they are explicitly expressed or can be easily inferred that a specific combination is not intended (for example, contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an electrical insulator and an electrical conductor). In addition, even if a clause is not directly subordinate to an independent clause, it is intended that the aspects of the clause be included in any other independent clause.

[0194] Examples of implementations are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0195] Item 1: A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving first auxiliary data indicating a first set of network devices, wherein the first auxiliary data indicates that the first set of network devices will be used to obtain radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurements during a model monitoring opportunity in which the performance of a positioning model is to be monitored; receiving second auxiliary data indicating a second set of network devices used to obtain a second RFFP measurement set during a positioning opportunity in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored; and measuring a positioning reference signal (PRS) of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity.

[0196] Clause 2: The method of clause 1, wherein the second set of network devices includes a greater number of network devices than the first set of network devices; or, the first set of network devices includes a subset of the second set of network devices.

[0197] Clause 3: The method of any one of clauses 1 to 2, further comprising: measuring a positioning reference signal (PRS) of the second set of network devices during the positioning opportunity.

[0198] Clause 4: The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 3 further includes: determining a first position estimate based on applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices; and monitoring the performance of the positioning model based on the first position estimate, the position uncertainty associated with the first position estimate, or any combination thereof.

[0199] Clause 5: The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 4 further includes: determining one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices; and reporting the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE to a network server.

[0200] Clause 6: The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 5 further includes: measuring one or more other network devices in addition to the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity based on the UE's ability to determine within a time threshold: 1) a first position estimate of the UE, 2) one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or 3) a combination thereof, wherein 1) the first position estimate of the UE, 2) the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or 3) the combination thereof is obtained by applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices and the one or more other network devices.

[0201] Clause 7: The method of clause 6, further comprising: reporting the first position estimate of the UE, the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or the combination thereof to a network server.

[0202] Clause 8: A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 7, wherein the first set of network devices includes: one or more transmit receive points (TRPs); one or more sidelink UEs (SL-UEs); or a combination thereof.

[0203] Clause 9: A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving an indication of a first set of network devices for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the position of the UE is determined; and 1) obtaining a position estimate of the UE based on RFFP measurements of the PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during a model monitoring opportunity in which the performance of the positioning model is monitored, 2) obtaining positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on the RFFP measurements of the PRSs of the subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, or 3) a combination thereof.

[0204] Clause 10: The method according to Clause 9 also includes: receiving an indication of a schedule for determining which network devices in the first set of network devices are included in the subset of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity, wherein different subsets of the first set of network devices are indicated for different model monitoring opportunities.

[0205] Clause 11: The method of any of clauses 9 to 10, further comprising: receiving an indication of a number N of network devices to be used as the subset of the first set of network devices.

[0206] Clause 12: The method according to Clause 11 also includes: obtaining one or more other position estimates of the UE based on applying RFFP measurements of the PRS of one or more other network devices in the first network device set to the positioning model during the model monitoring period, wherein the one or more other position estimates of the UE are obtained based on the UE's ability to determine the one or more other position estimates within a time threshold; obtaining one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on applying the RFFP measurements of the PRS of the one or more other network devices in the first network device set to the positioning model during the model monitoring period, wherein the one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE are obtained based on the UE's ability to determine the one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE within the time threshold; or a combination thereof.

[0207] Clause 13: The method of any of clauses 9 to 12, wherein different subsets of the first set of network devices are used during different model monitoring occasions.

[0208] Clause 14: The method according to any one of clauses 9 to 13 further includes: receiving one or more expected performance profiles of the positioning model, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles indicate the expected performance of the positioning model based on: 1) using different configurations of the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices, 2) using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices, or 3) any combination thereof.

[0209] Clause 5: A method according to clause 14, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected mean error associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected variance associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; a confidence level associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0210] Clause 16: A method according to any one of clauses 14 to 15, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; expected average error associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; expected variance associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; expected average confidence level associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0211] Clause 17: A method according to any one of clauses 9 to 16, wherein the first set of network devices includes: one or more transmit receive points (TRPs); one or more sidelink UEs (SL-UEs); or a combination thereof.

[0212] Clause 18: The method according to any one of clauses 9 to 17 further includes: monitoring the performance of the positioning model based on 1) the position estimate of the UE, 2) the position uncertainty associated with the position estimate, or 3) any combination thereof; and 1) reporting the position estimate of the UE to a network server, 2) reporting the position uncertainty associated with the position estimate to a network server, 3) reporting the positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE to a network server, or 4) a combination thereof.

[0213] Clause 19: A method of wireless communication performed by a network server, comprising: configuring a first set of network devices to obtain a first radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement set based on a sounding reference signal (SRS) received from a user equipment (UE) during a model monitoring opportunity in which the network server monitors the performance of a positioning model applied to the RFFP measurement set; and configuring a second set of network devices to obtain a second RFFP measurement set based on the SRS received from the UE during a positioning opportunity in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored by the network server.

[0214] Clause 20: The method of clause 19, further comprising: determining the first set of network devices based on a location of the UE.

[0215] Clause 21: The method of any one of clauses 19 to 20, further comprising: determining the first set of network devices based on training the positioning model to improve performance of the positioning model.

[0216] Clause 22: A method according to any one of clauses 19 to 21, wherein the first set of network devices includes: one or more transmit receive points (TRPs); one or more side link UEs (SL-UEs); or a combination thereof.

[0217] Clause 23: A method of wireless communication performed by a network server, comprising: sending to a user equipment (UE) an indication of a first set of network devices to be used for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the position of the UE is determined; and sending to the UE: 1) an indication for determining which network devices in the first set of network devices will be included in a scheduling of a subset of the first set of network devices for PRS measurements during a model monitoring opportunity, wherein the model monitoring opportunity corresponds to an instance during which the UE applies a positioning model to a radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement corresponding to the PRS measurement of the subset of the first set of network devices, 2) an indication of a number N of network devices from the first set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the model monitoring opportunity, 3) a second set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the positioning opportunity in which the position of the UE is determined, or 4) any combination thereof.

[0218] Clause 24: The method of clause 23, wherein different subsets of the first set of network devices are indicated for different model monitoring occasions.

[0219] Clause 25: The method of any one of clauses 23 to 24, wherein the first set of network devices has fewer network devices than the first set of network devices.

[0220] Clause 26: A method according to any one of clauses 23 to 25, wherein the subset of the first set of network devices includes fewer network devices than the first set of network devices; the number N of network devices includes fewer network devices than the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0221] Clause 27: The method according to any one of clauses 25 to 26 further includes: sending one or more expected performance profiles of the positioning model to the UE for use by the UE in UE-based model monitoring, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles indicate the expected performance of the positioning model based on: 1) using different configurations of the first set of network devices to obtain the first RFFP measurement set, 2) using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices to obtain the first RFFP measurement set, or 3) any combination thereof.

[0222] Clause 28: A method according to any one of clauses 26 to 27, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected mean error associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected variance associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; a confidence level associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0223] Clause 29: A method according to any one of clauses 26 to 28, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity; expected average error associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity; expected variance associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity; expected average confidence level associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity; or any combination thereof.

[0224] Clause 30: A method as described in any of clauses 23 to 29, wherein the first set of network devices includes: one or more transmit reception points (TRPs).

[0225] Clause 31: A user equipment (UE) comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor, which is communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, and the at least one processor is configured to perform the following operations: receiving first auxiliary data indicating a first set of network devices via the at least one transceiver, wherein the first auxiliary data indicates that the first set of network devices will be used to obtain radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurements during a model monitoring opportunity in which the performance of a positioning model is to be monitored; and measuring a positioning reference signal (PRS) of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity.

[0226] Clause 32: A UE according to clause 31, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive second auxiliary data via the at least one transceiver, the second auxiliary data indicating a second set of network devices for obtaining a second RFFP measurement set during a positioning opportunity in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored.

[0227] Clause 33: A UE as described in clause 32, wherein the second set of network devices includes a larger number of network devices than the first set of network devices; or the first set of network devices includes a subset of the second set of network devices.

[0228] Clause 34: A UE as described in any of clauses 32 to 33, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: measure a positioning reference signal (PRS) of the second set of network devices during the positioning opportunity.

[0229] Clause 35: A UE according to any one of clauses 31 to 34, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine a first position estimate based on applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices; and monitor the performance of the positioning model based on 1) the first position estimate, 2) position uncertainty associated with the first position estimate, or 3) any combination thereof.

[0230] Clause 36: A UE according to any one of clauses 31 to 35, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices; and report the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE to a network server via the at least one transceiver.

[0231] Clause 37: A UE according to any one of clauses 31 to 36, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform the following operations: measuring one or more other network devices in addition to the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity based on the UE's ability to determine the following items within a time threshold: 1) a first position estimate of the UE, 2) one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or 3) a combination thereof, wherein 1) the first position estimate of the UE, 2) the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or 3) the combination thereof is obtained by applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices and the one or more other network devices.

[0232] Clause 38: A UE according to clause 37, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: report the first position estimate of the UE, the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or a combination thereof to a network server via the at least one transceiver.

[0233] Clause 39: A UE according to any one of clauses 31 to 38, wherein the first set of network devices includes: one or more transmit receive points (TRPs); one or more sidelink UEs (SL-UEs); or a combination thereof.

[0234] Clause 40: A user equipment (UE) comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, an indication of a first set of network devices for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which a position of the UE is determined; and 1) obtain a position estimate of the UE based on RFFP measurements of the PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during a model monitoring opportunity in which performance of the positioning model is monitored, 2) obtain positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on the RFFP measurements of the PRSs of the subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, or 3) a combination thereof.

[0235] Clause 41: A UE according to clause 40, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, an indication of a schedule for determining which network devices in the first set of network devices are included in the subset of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity, wherein different subsets of the first set of network devices are indicated for different model monitoring opportunities.

[0236] Clause 42: A UE as described in any of clauses 40 to 41, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, an indication of a number N of network devices to be used as the subset of the first set of network devices.

[0237] Clause 43: A UE according to clause 42, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to perform the following operations: obtaining one or more other position estimates of the UE based on applying RFFP measurements of the PRS of one or more other network devices in the first set of network devices to the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, wherein the one or more other position estimates of the UE are obtained based on the UE's ability to determine the one or more other position estimates within a time threshold; obtaining one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on applying the RFFP measurements of the PRS of the one or more other network devices in the first set of network devices to the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, wherein the one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE are obtained based on the UE's ability to determine the one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE within the time threshold; or a combination thereof.

[0238] Clause 44: A UE as described in any of clauses 40 to 43, wherein different subsets of the first set of network devices are used during different model monitoring occasions.

[0239] Clause 45: A UE according to any one of clauses 40 to 44, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive one or more expected performance profiles of the positioning model via the at least one transceiver, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles indicate the expected performance of the positioning model based on: 1) using different configurations of the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices, 2) using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices, or 3) any combination thereof.

[0240] Clause 46: A UE according to clause 45, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected mean error associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected variance associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; a confidence level associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0241] Clause 47: A UE according to any one of clauses 45 to 46, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; expected mean error associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; expected variance associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; expected average confidence level associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0242] Clause 48: A UE according to any one of clauses 40 to 47, wherein the first set of network devices includes: one or more transmit receive points (TRPs); one or more sidelink UEs (SL-UEs); or a combination thereof.

[0243] Clause 49: A UE according to any one of clauses 40 to 48, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: monitor the performance of the positioning model based on 1) the position estimate of the UE, 2) the position uncertainty associated with the position estimate, or 3) any combination thereof; and report to a network server via the at least one transceiver 1) the position estimate of the UE, 2) the position uncertainty associated with the position estimate, 3) the positioning measurement associated with the position of the UE, or 4) a combination thereof.

[0244] Item 50: A network server comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: configure a first set of network devices to obtain a first radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement set during a model monitoring opportunity in which the network server monitors the performance of a positioning model applied to the first RFFP measurement set; and configure a second set of network devices to obtain a second RFFP measurement set during a positioning opportunity in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored by the network server.

[0245] Clause 51: The network server of clause 50, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine the first set of network devices based on a location of the UE.

[0246] Clause 52: The network server of any one of clauses 50 to 51, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: determine the first set of network devices based on training the positioning model to improve performance of the positioning model.

[0247] Clause 53: A network server according to any one of clauses 50 to 52, wherein the first set of network devices includes: one or more transmit reception points (TRPs).

[0248] Clause 54: A network server comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: send to a user equipment (UE) via the at least one transceiver an indication of a first set of network devices to be used for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which a position of the UE is determined; and send to the UE via the at least one transceiver: 1) an indication for determining which network devices from the first set of network devices are to be included in a schedule of a subset of the first set of network devices for PRS measurements during a model monitoring opportunity, wherein the model monitoring opportunity corresponds to an instance during which the UE applies a positioning model to a radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement corresponding to the PRS measurement of the subset of the first set of network devices, 2) an indication of a number N of network devices from the first set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the model monitoring opportunity, 3) a second set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the positioning opportunity in which the position of the UE is determined, or 4) any combination thereof.

[0249] Clause 55: The network server of clause 54, wherein different subsets of the first set of network devices are indicated for different model monitoring occasions.

[0250] Clause 56: The network server of any one of clauses 54 to 55, wherein the first set of network devices has fewer network devices than the first set of network devices.

[0251] Clause 57: A network server according to any one of clauses 54 to 56, wherein the subset of the first set of network devices includes fewer network devices than the first set of network devices; the number N of network devices includes fewer network devices than the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0252] Clause 58: A network server according to any one of clauses 56 to 57, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: send one or more expected performance profiles of the positioning model to the UE via the at least one transceiver for use by the UE in UE-based model monitoring, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles indicate the expected performance of the positioning model based on: obtaining the first RFFP measurement set using different configurations of the first set of network devices, obtaining the first RFFP measurement set using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices, or any combination thereof.

[0253] Clause 59: A network server according to any one of clauses 57 to 58, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected mean error associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected variance associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; a confidence level associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0254] Clause 60: A network server according to any one of clauses 57 to 59, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity; expected average error associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity; expected variance associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity; expected average confidence level associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity; or any combination thereof.

[0255] Clause 61: A user equipment (UE), comprising: a unit for receiving first auxiliary data indicating a first set of network devices, wherein the first auxiliary data indicates that the first set of network devices will be used to obtain radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurements during a model monitoring opportunity in which the performance of a positioning model is to be monitored; and a unit for measuring a positioning reference signal (PRS) of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity.

[0256] Clause 62: The UE of clause 61, further comprising: means for receiving second assistance data, the second assistance data indicating a second set of network devices for obtaining a second set of RFFP measurements during positioning occasions in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored.

[0257] Clause 63: A UE as described in clause 62, wherein the second set of network devices includes a larger number of network devices than the first set of network devices; or the first set of network devices includes a subset of the second set of network devices.

[0258] Clause 64: A UE as described in any of clauses 62 to 63, further comprising: means for measuring a positioning reference signal (PRS) of the second set of network devices during the positioning occasion.

[0259] Clause 65: The UE according to any one of clauses 61 to 64 further includes: a unit for determining a first position estimate based on applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices; and a unit for monitoring the performance of the positioning model based on 1) the first position estimate, 2) position uncertainty associated with the first position estimate, or 3) any combination thereof.

[0260] Clause 66: The UE according to any one of clauses 61 to 65 further includes: a unit for determining one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices; and a unit for reporting the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE to a network server.

[0261] Clause 67: A UE according to any one of clauses 61 to 66, further comprising: measuring one or more other network devices in addition to the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity based on the UE's ability to determine within a time threshold: 1) a first position estimate of the UE, 2) one or more positioning measurements associated with the UE and associated with the position of the UE, or 3) a combination thereof, wherein 1) the first position estimate of the UE, 2) the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or 3) the combination thereof is obtained by applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices and the one or more other network devices.

[0262] Clause 68: The UE of clause 67, further comprising: means for reporting the first position estimate of the UE, the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or the combination thereof to a network server.

[0263] Clause 69: A UE according to any one of clauses 61 to 68, wherein the first set of network devices includes: one or more transmit receive points (TRPs); one or more sidelink UEs (SL-UEs); or a combination thereof.

[0264] Clause 70: A user equipment (UE) comprising: a unit for receiving an indication of a first set of network devices for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the position of the UE is determined; and 1) a unit for obtaining a position estimate of the UE based on RFFP measurements of the PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during a model monitoring opportunity in which performance of the positioning model is monitored, 2) a unit for obtaining positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on the RFFP measurements of the PRSs of the subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, or 3) a combination thereof.

[0265] Clause 71: The UE according to Clause 70 further includes: a unit for receiving an indication of a schedule for determining which network devices in the first set of network devices are included in the subset of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity, wherein different subsets of the first set of network devices are indicated for different model monitoring opportunities.

[0266] Clause 72: The UE of any of clauses 70 to 71, further comprising means for receiving an indication of a number N of network devices to be used as the subset of the first set of network devices.

[0267] Clause 73: The UE according to Clause 72 further includes: a unit for obtaining one or more other position estimates of the UE based on applying RFFP measurements of the PRSs of one or more other network devices in the first network device set to the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, wherein the one or more other position estimates of the UE are obtained based on the UE's ability to determine the one or more other position estimates within a time threshold; a unit for obtaining one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on applying the RFFP measurements of the PRSs of the one or more other network devices in the first network device set to the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, wherein the one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE are obtained based on the UE's ability to determine the one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE within the time threshold; or a combination thereof.

[0268] Clause 74: A UE as described in any of clauses 70 to 73, wherein different subsets of the first set of network devices are used during different model monitoring occasions.

[0269] Clause 75: The UE according to any one of clauses 70 to 74 further includes: a unit for receiving one or more expected performance profiles of the positioning model, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles indicate the expected performance of the positioning model based on: 1) using different configurations of the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices, 2) using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices, or 3) any combination thereof.

[0270] Clause 76: A UE according to clause 75, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected mean error associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected variance associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; a confidence level associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0271] Clause 77: A UE according to any one of clauses 75 to 76, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; expected mean error associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; expected variance associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; expected average confidence level associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0272] Clause 78: A UE according to any one of clauses 70 to 77, wherein the first set of network devices includes: one or more transmit receive points (TRPs); one or more sidelink UEs (SL-UEs); or a combination thereof.

[0273] Clause 79: The UE according to any one of clauses 70 to 78 further includes: a unit for monitoring the performance of the positioning model based on 1) the position estimate of the UE, 2) the position uncertainty associated with the position estimate, or 3) any combination thereof; and a unit for reporting to a network server 1) the position estimate of the UE, 2) the uncertainty associated with the position estimate, 3) the positioning measurement associated with the position of the UE, or 4) a combination thereof.

[0274] Clause 80: A network server comprising: a unit for configuring a first set of network devices to obtain a first radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement set based on a sounding reference signal (SRS) received from a user equipment (UE) during a model monitoring opportunity in which the network server monitors the performance of a positioning model applied to the first RFFP measurement set; and a unit for configuring a second set of network devices to obtain a second RFFP measurement set based on the SRS received from the UE during a positioning opportunity in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored by the network server.

[0275] Clause 81: The network server of clause 80, further comprising: means for determining the first set of network devices based on a location of the UE.

[0276] Clause 82: The network server of any one of clauses 80 to 81, further comprising: a unit for determining the first set of network devices based on training the positioning model to improve performance of the positioning model.

[0277] Clause 83: A network server according to any one of clauses 80 to 82, wherein the first set of network devices includes: one or more transmit reception points (TRPs).

[0278] Clause 84: A network server comprising: a unit for sending to a user equipment (UE) an indication of a first set of network devices to be used for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the position of the UE is determined; and a unit for sending to the UE: 1) an indication of scheduling for determining which network devices in the first set of network devices will be included in a subset of the first set of network devices for PRS measurements during a model monitoring opportunity, wherein the model monitoring opportunity corresponds to an instance during which the UE applies a positioning model to a radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement corresponding to the PRS measurement of the subset of the first set of network devices, 2) an indication of a number N of network devices from the first set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the model monitoring opportunity, 3) a second set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the position of the UE is determined, or 4) any combination thereof.

[0279] Clause 85: The network server of clause 84, wherein different subsets of the first set of network devices are indicated for different model monitoring occasions.

[0280] Clause 86: The network server of any one of clauses 84 to 85, wherein the first set of network devices has fewer network devices than the first set of network devices.

[0281] Clause 87: A network server according to any one of clauses 84 to 86, wherein the subset of the first set of network devices includes fewer network devices than the first set of network devices; the number N of network devices includes fewer network devices than the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0282] Clause 88: The network server according to any one of clauses 86 to 87 further includes: a unit for sending to the UE one or more expected performance profiles of the positioning model for use by the UE in UE-based model monitoring, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles indicate the expected performance of the positioning model based on: 1) using different configurations of the first set of network devices to obtain the first RFFP measurement set, 2) using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices to obtain the first RFFP measurement set, or 3) any combination thereof.

[0283] Clause 89: A network server according to any one of clauses 87 to 88, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected mean error associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected variance associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; a confidence level associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0284] Clause 90: A network server according to any one of clauses 87 to 89, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity; expected average error associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity; expected variance associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity; expected average confidence level associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity; or any combination thereof.

[0285] Item 91: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive first assistance data indicating a first set of network devices, wherein the first assistance data indicates that the first set of network devices will be used to obtain radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurements during a model monitoring opportunity in which the performance of a positioning model is to be monitored; and measure a positioning reference signal (PRS) of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity.

[0286] Clause 92: The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to clause 91 further includes: computer executable instructions, which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: receive second auxiliary data, wherein the second auxiliary data indicates a second set of network devices for obtaining a second RFFP measurement set during a positioning opportunity in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored.

[0287] Clause 93: The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 92, wherein: the second set of network devices includes a greater number of network devices than the first set of network devices; or the first set of network devices includes a subset of the second set of network devices.

[0288] Clause 94: The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 92 to 93, further comprising: computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: measure a positioning reference signal (PRS) of the second set of network devices during the positioning opportunity.

[0289] Clause 95: The non-temporary computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 91 to 94 further comprises: computer executable instructions which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: determine a first position estimate based on applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices; and monitor the performance of the positioning model based on 1) the first position estimate, 2) position uncertainty associated with the first position estimate, or 3) any combination thereof.

[0290] Clause 96: The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 91 to 95 further includes: computer executable instructions, which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to perform the following operations: determine one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices; and report the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE to a network server.

[0291] Clause 97: The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 91 to 96 further includes: computer executable instructions, which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to perform the following operations: measure one or more other network devices in addition to the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity based on the UE's ability to determine the following items within a time threshold: 1) a first position estimate of the UE, 2) one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or 3) a combination thereof, wherein 1) the first position estimate of the UE, 2) the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or 3) the combination thereof is obtained by applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices and the one or more other network devices.

[0292] Clause 98: The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to Clause 97 further includes: computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: report the first position estimate of the UE, the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or the combination thereof to a network server.

[0293] Clause 99: A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any one of clauses 92 to 98, wherein the first set of network devices includes: one or more transmit receive points (TRPs); one or more sidelink UEs (SL-UEs); or a combination thereof.

[0294] Item 100: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a UE, cause the UE to: receive an indication of a first set of network devices for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the position of the UE is determined; and 1) obtain a position estimate of the UE based on RFFP measurements of the PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during a model monitoring opportunity in which performance of a positioning model is monitored, 2) obtain positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on the RFFP measurements of the PRSs of the subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, or 3) a combination thereof.

[0295] Clause 101: The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to clause 100 further includes: computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to perform the following operations: receive an indication of a schedule for determining which network devices in the first set of network devices are included in the subset of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring opportunity, wherein different subsets of the first set of network devices are indicated for different model monitoring opportunities.

[0296] Clause 102: The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 100 to 101 further comprising: computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: receive an indication of a number N of network devices to be used as the subset of the first set of network devices.

[0297] Clause 103: The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to clause 102 further includes: computer executable instructions, which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to perform the following operations: obtaining one or more other position estimates of the UE based on applying RFFP measurements of the PRS of one or more other network devices in the first network device set to the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, wherein the one or more other position estimates of the UE are obtained based on the UE's ability to determine the one or more other position estimates within a time threshold; obtaining one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on applying the RFFP measurements of the PRS of the one or more other network devices in the first network device set to the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, wherein the one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE are obtained based on the UE's ability to determine the one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE within the time threshold; or a combination thereof.

[0298] Clause 104: The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 99 to 102, wherein different subsets of the first set of network devices are used during different model monitoring occasions.

[0299] Clause 105: The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 100 to 104 further includes: computer executable instructions, which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to perform the following operations: receive one or more expected performance profiles of the positioning model, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles indicate the expected performance of the positioning model based on the following items: 1) using different configurations of the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices, 2) using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices, or 3) any combination thereof.

[0300] Clause 106: A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in clause 105, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: an expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected mean error associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected variance associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; a confidence level associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0301] Clause 107: A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any one of clauses 105 to 106, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; expected average error associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; expected variance associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; expected average confidence level associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0302] Clause 108: A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 100 to 107, wherein the first set of network devices includes: one or more transmit receive points (TRPs); one or more sidelink UEs (SL-UEs); or a combination thereof.

[0303] Clause 109: The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 100 to 108 further includes: computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: monitor the performance of the positioning model based on 1) the position estimate of the UE, 2) the position uncertainty associated with the position estimate, or 3) any combination thereof; and report to a network server 1) the position estimate of the UE, 2) the position uncertainty associated with the position estimate, 3) the positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or 4) a combination thereof.

[0304] Item 110: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network server, cause the network server to: configure a first set of network devices to obtain a first radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement set during a model monitoring opportunity in which the network server monitors the performance of a positioning model applied to the first RFFP measurement set; and configure a second set of network devices to obtain a second RFFP measurement set during a positioning opportunity in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored by the network server.

[0305] Clause 111: The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 110, further comprising: computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the network server, cause the network server to: determine the first set of network devices based on a location of the UE.

[0306] Clause 112: The non-temporary computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 110 to 111 further comprising: computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the network server, cause the network server to: determine the first set of network devices based on training the positioning model to improve the performance of the positioning model.

[0307] Clause 113: The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 110 to 112, wherein the first set of network devices comprises: one or more transmit-receive points (TRPs).

[0308] Clause 114: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a network server, cause the network server to: send to a user equipment (UE) an indication of a first set of network devices to be used for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning opportunity in which the position of the UE is determined; and send to the UE: 1) an indication for determining which network devices from the first set of network devices are to be included in a schedule of a subset of the first set of network devices for PRS measurements during a model monitoring opportunity, wherein the model monitoring opportunity corresponds to an instance during which the UE applies a positioning model to a radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement corresponding to the PRS measurement of the subset of the first set of network devices, 2) an indication of a number N of network devices from the first set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the model monitoring opportunity, 3) a second set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the positioning opportunity in which the position of the UE is determined, or 4) any combination thereof.

[0309] Clause 115: The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 114, wherein different subsets of the first set of network devices are indicated for different model monitoring opportunities.

[0310] Clause 116: The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 114-115, wherein the first set of network devices has fewer network devices than the first set of network devices.

[0311] Clause 117: A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any one of clauses 114 to 116, wherein the subset of the first set of network devices includes fewer network devices than the first set of network devices; the number N of network devices includes fewer network devices than the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0312] Clause 118: The non-temporary computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 116 to 117 further includes: computer executable instructions, which, when executed by the network server, cause the network server to perform the following operations: sending one or more expected performance profiles of the positioning model for use by the UE in UE-based model monitoring to the UE, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles indicate the expected performance of the positioning model based on the following: 1) using different configurations of the first set of network devices to obtain the first RFFP measurement set, 2) using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices to obtain the first RFFP measurement set, or 3) any combination thereof.

[0313] Clause 119: A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any one of clauses 117 to 118, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected mean error associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected variance associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; a confidence level associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; or any combination thereof.

[0314] Clause 120: A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 117 to 119, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasion; expected average error associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasion; expected variance associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasion; expected average confidence level associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasion; or any combination thereof.

[0315] Those skilled in the art will also understand that any of a variety of different techniques and methods can be used to represent information and signals. For example, voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof can be used to represent the data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips mentioned throughout the above description.

[0316] In addition, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described in terms of their functions. Whether such functions are implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints proposed to the entire system. The technician can implement the described functions in different ways for each specific application, but such implementation decisions should not be considered as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0317] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0318] The methods, sequences and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be directly embodied in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium is coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated into the processor. The processor and the storage medium may be located in an ASIC. The ASIC may be located in a user terminal (e.g., UE). In an alternative, the processor and the storage medium may be located in a user terminal as discrete components.

[0319] In one or more example aspects, the described functions can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions can be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any medium that helps to transfer a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. For example, but not limited to, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store the desired program code with instruction or data structure form and can be accessed by a computer. Moreover, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if a coaxial cable, optical fiber cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wireless technology such as infrared, radio and microwave is used to send software from a website, server or other remote source, then coaxial cable, optical fiber cable, twisted pair, DSL or wireless technology such as infrared, radio and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc as used herein include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and Blu-ray disc, where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0320] Although the foregoing disclosure shows illustrative aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. The functions, steps and / or actions of the method claims according to the aspects of the present disclosure described herein do not need to be performed in any particular order. In addition, although the elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural form is contemplated unless expressly stated to be limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving first assistance data indicating a first set of network devices, wherein the first assistance data indicates that the first set of network devices is to be used to obtain radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurements during a model monitoring occasion in which performance of a positioning model is to be monitored; receiving second assistance data indicating a second set of network devices for obtaining a second set of RFFP measurements during positioning occasions in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored; and Positioning reference signals (PRS) of the first set of network devices are measured during the model monitoring occasions.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The second set of network devices includes a larger number of network devices than the first set of network devices; or The first set of network devices includes a subset of the second set of network devices.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Positioning reference signals (PRS) of the second set of network devices are measured during the positioning opportunity.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining a first position estimate based on applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices; The performance of the positioning model is monitored based on: the first position estimate, a position uncertainty associated with the first position estimate, or Any combination thereof.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: determining one or more positioning measurements associated with the location of the UE based on applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices; as well as The one or more positioning measurements associated with the location of the UE are reported to a network server.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: measuring one or more other network devices in addition to the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasion based on a capability of the UE to determine within a time threshold: a first position estimate of the UE, one or more positioning measurements associated with the UE and associated with the location of the UE, or Its combination, in: the first position estimate of the UE, the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or The combination The positioning model is obtained by applying the positioning model to RFFP measurements associated with the first set of network devices and the one or more other network devices.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: The first position estimate of the UE, the one or more positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE, or the combination thereof are reported to a network server.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first network device set includes: One or more Transmit Receiving Points (TRPs); One or more sidelink UEs (SL-UEs); or Its combination.

9. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving an indication of a first set of network devices for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning occasion in which a position of the UE is determined; as well as obtaining a position estimate for the UE based on RFFP measurements of PRSs of a subset of the first set of network devices applying the positioning model during a model monitoring occasion in which performance of the positioning model is monitored, obtaining positioning measurements associated with the location of the UE based on applying the positioning model to the RFFP measurements of the PRSs of the subset of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasion, or Its combination.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: An indication of a schedule for determining which network devices of the first set of network devices are included in the subset of the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasion is received, wherein different subsets of the first set of network devices are indicated for different model monitoring occasions.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: An indication of a number N of network devices to be used as the subset of the first set of network devices is received.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: obtaining one or more other position estimates of the UE based on applying RFFP measurements of PRSs of one or more other network devices in the first set of network devices to the positioning model during the model monitoring occasion, wherein the one or more other position estimates of the UE are obtained based on a capability of the UE to determine the one or more other position estimates within a time threshold; obtaining one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE based on applying the RFFP measurements of the PRS of the one or more other network devices in the first set of network devices to the positioning model during the model monitoring opportunity, wherein the one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE are obtained based on the capability of the UE to determine the one or more other positioning measurements associated with the position of the UE within the time threshold; or Its combination.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein: Different subsets of the first set of network devices are used during different model monitoring occasions.

14. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: Receiving one or more expected performance profiles of the positioning model, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles indicate expected performance of the positioning model based on: using a different configuration of the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices, using a different number of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices, or Any combination thereof.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected mean error associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations for the first set of network devices; an expected variance associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations for the first set of network devices; a confidence level associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations for the first set of network devices; or Any combination thereof.

16. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The one or more expected performance profiles include: an expected performance corresponding to using a different number of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; an expected mean error associated with the expected performance corresponding to using a different number of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; an expected variance associated with the expected performance corresponding to using a different number of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; an expected average confidence level associated with the expected performance corresponding to using a different number of network devices in the first set of network devices as the subset of the first set of network devices; or Any combination thereof.

17. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The first network device set includes: One or more Transmit Receiving Points (TRPs); One or more sidelink UEs (SL-UEs); or Its combination.

18. The method according to claim 9, further comprising: The performance of the positioning model is monitored based on: the position estimate of the UE, the position uncertainty associated with the position estimate, or any combination thereof; and Report the following: reporting the position estimate of the UE to a network server, reporting a position uncertainty associated with the position estimate to the network server, reporting the positioning measurements associated with the location of the UE to the network server, or Its combination.

19. A method of wireless communication performed by a network server, comprising: configuring a first set of network devices to obtain a first radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement set based on a sounding reference signal (SRS) received from a user equipment (UE) during a model monitoring occasion in which the network server monitors performance of a positioning model applied to the first RFFP measurement set; as well as A second set of network devices is configured to obtain a second RFFP measurement set based on the SRS received from the UE during a positioning occasion in which the performance of the positioning model is not monitored by the network server.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: The first set of network devices is determined based on a location of the UE.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising: The first set of network devices is determined based on training the positioning model to improve performance of the positioning model.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein: The first network device set includes: One or more Transmit Receipt Points (TRPs).

23. A method of wireless communication performed by a network server, comprising: sending an indication to a user equipment (UE) of a first set of network devices for positioning reference signal (PRS) measurements during a positioning occasion in which a position of the UE is determined; and Send the following items to the UE: an indication of a schedule for determining which network devices of the first set of network devices are to be included in a subset of the first set of network devices for PRS measurements during a model monitoring occasion, wherein the model monitoring occasion corresponds to an instance during which the UE applies a positioning model to a radio frequency fingerprint positioning (RFFP) measurement corresponding to the PRS measurement of the subset of the first set of network devices, an indication of a number N of network devices from the first set of network devices to be used for PRS measurements during the model monitoring occasion, a second set of network devices for PRS measurements during positioning occasions in which the position of the UE is determined, or Any combination thereof.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein: Different subsets of the first set of network devices are indicated for different model monitoring opportunities.

25. The method according to claim 23, wherein: The first set of network devices has fewer network devices than the first set of network devices.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein: the subset of the first set of network devices includes fewer network devices than the first set of network devices; The number N of network devices includes fewer network devices than the first set of network devices; or Any combination thereof.

27. The method according to claim 26, further comprising: and sending, to the UE, one or more expected performance profiles of the positioning model for use by the UE in UE-based model monitoring, wherein the one or more expected performance profiles indicate expected performance of the positioning model based on: obtaining the first set of RFFP measurements using a different configuration of the first set of network devices, using a different number of network devices in the first set of network devices to obtain the first set of RFFP measurements, or Any combination thereof.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein: The one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance for each of the different configurations of the first set of network devices; an expected mean error associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations for the first set of network devices; an expected variance associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations for the first set of network devices; a confidence level associated with the expected performance for each of the different configurations for the first set of network devices; or Any combination thereof.

29. The method according to claim 27, wherein: The one or more expected performance profiles include: expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasion; an expected mean error associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasion; an expected variance associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasion; an expected average confidence level associated with the expected performance corresponding to using different numbers of network devices in the first set of network devices during the model monitoring occasions; or Any combination thereof.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein: The first network device set includes: One or more Transmit Receipt Points (TRPs).

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