Carrier aggregation positioning

Abstract

Among other things, a method is disclosed that includes obtaining a request to measure at least a combinatorial carrier aggregation error (CAE) for one or more component carriers (CCs) configured for an apparatus in a mobile communication network, wherein the combined CAE indicates a total amount of one or more errors caused by at least one of transmit errors, receive errors, or processing of the one or more CCs; obtaining at least one of one or more positioning reference signals (PRS) or one or more sounding reference signals (SRS) of the one or more CCs based on the request; determining a combined CAE based at least in part on at least one of the obtained one or more PRSs or one or more SRSs; and providing the determined combined CAE. Corresponding devices, computer programs and systems are also disclosed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The following disclosure relates to the field of mobile communication networks, or more particularly, to systems, apparatuses, and methods for error mitigation in carrier aggregation positioning. Background Art

[0002] In mobile communication networks, positioning is enabled and provides a certain accuracy. The accuracy requirements increase with the evolution of mobile communication networks, for example, about tens of centimeters for commercial use cases and an order of magnitude lower for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications. In order to meet such stringent requirements, it is beneficial to mitigate the errors that may occur due to the measurements on which the positioning is based. Summary of the invention

[0003] Positioning accuracy enhancement in 5G New Radio (NR) has been considered through timing error group (TEG) standardization, for example, by mitigating UE receive (Rx) / transmit (Tx) timing delays and gNB Rx / Tx timing delays. Such timing group errors / delays can be considered as uncompensated delays that occur when processing signals from the baseband to the antennas of the corresponding devices (e.g., user equipment).

[0004] This approach may not fully remove timing errors, but only give an indication of how accurate the estimate of positioning can be expected to be. In other words, the corresponding framework defined by the TEG provides a process by which to identify the error range. However, it would be beneficial if the framework further enabled, for example, to cancel Tx / Rx errors associated with positioning signal transmission and / or reception.

[0005] For convenience, a list of the abbreviations used below has been given here:

[0006] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership Project

[0007] 5G Fifth Generation

[0008] 6G Sixth Generation

[0009] CA Carrier Aggregation

[0010] CAE Carrier Aggregation Error

[0011] CC Component Carrier

[0012] DL Downlink

[0013] gNB Next Generation Node B

[0014] LMF Location Management Function

[0015] LPP LTE Positioning Protocol

[0016] LoS Line of Sight

[0017] LTE Long Term Evolution

[0018] MAC Media Access Control (layer)

[0019] NLoS Non Line of Sight

[0020] NR New Radio

[0021] NRPPa NR Positioning Protocol A

[0022] PRS Positioning Reference Signal

[0023] PM Positioning Measurement

[0024] RAN Radio Access Network

[0025] RF

[0026] RSRP Reference Signal Received Power

[0027] RSRPP RSRP by path

[0028] RSRQ Reference Signal Received Quality

[0029] RSTD Received Signal Time Difference

[0030] SRS Sounding Reference Signal

[0031] TE Timing Error

[0032] TEG Timing Error Group

[0033] ToA Arrival Time

[0034] TDoA Time Difference of Arrival

[0035] TRP Transmission Reception Point (also known as Send Reception Point)

[0036] UE User Equipment (also known as User Equipment)

[0037] UL Uplink

[0038] According to a first exemplary aspect, a method is disclosed, the method comprising:

[0039] - obtaining a request to measure at least a combined carrier aggregation error (CAE) of one or more component carriers (CCs) configured for an apparatus in a mobile communication network, wherein the combined CAE indicates an overall combined CAE caused by at least one of a transmission error, a reception error, or a processing of the one or more CCs;

[0040] - based on the request, obtaining at least one of one or more positioning reference signals (PRS) or one or more sounding reference signals (SRS) of one or more CCs;

[0041] - determining a combined CAE based at least in part on at least one of the obtained one or more PRSs or one or more SRSs; and

[0042] -Provide the determined combined CAE.

[0043] The method may be performed and / or controlled, for example, by a device (e.g., a user device, a user equipment, a mobile terminal, or a TRP). Alternatively, the method may be performed and / or controlled, for example, by a user device, a user equipment, or a mobile terminal. For example, the method may be performed and / or controlled by using at least one processor of a user device, a user equipment, a mobile terminal, or a TRP.

[0044] Such a user equipment (e.g., represented by a corresponding device according to the first exemplary aspect disclosed above) will also be referred to as a device according to the first exemplary aspect hereinafter. The user equipment may be a UE or mobile terminal of a cellular network (also referred to as a mobile communication network) (e.g., a 3G network, a LTE / 4G network, a 5G NR network, a 5G network, or a 6G network). In addition, the user equipment may be a mobile device, such as a handheld device, a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop, or any other mobile device. In various embodiments, the user equipment may be a vehicle for traveling in the air, in water, or on land, such as an airplane or a drone, a ship, or a car or a truck. The user equipment may also be a robot, a sensor device, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a machine type communication (MTC) device, and the like. Herein and hereinafter, the terms user equipment, UE, and / or mobile terminal are used for such disclosed (multiple) example devices of the first exemplary aspect. The user equipment may also be referred to as a first device.

[0045] The corresponding TRP can be provided or hosted by a base station of the cellular network. Such a TRP can serve the corresponding user equipment as an entity enabling communication for the corresponding user equipment.

[0046] According to a second exemplary aspect, a method is disclosed, the method comprising:

[0047] - sending a request for measuring at least a combined carrier aggregation error (CAE) of one or more component carriers (CCs) configured for a user equipment or a TRP in a mobile communication network, wherein the combined CAE indicates an overall combined CAE caused by at least one of a transmission error, a reception error, or a processing of the one or more CCs;

[0048] - obtain a combined CAE; and

[0049] -Determining a location of at least one of a user equipment or a transmission and reception point (TRP) based at least in part on the obtained combined CAE.

[0050] The method may be performed and / or controlled, for example, by a device, such as a network node (e.g., a server, a portion of a server, and / or hosted by a server) or a function of a mobile communication network (e.g., LMF). Alternatively, the method may be performed and / or controlled by more than one device (e.g., a server cloud including at least two servers of a mobile communication network). For example, the method may be performed and / or controlled by using at least one processor of a network node or a function of a mobile communication network (e.g., LMF).

[0051] The corresponding network node can be understood, for example, as an electronic device of the core network of a mobile communication network or a communication system (such as a mobile communication network). For example, the network node can communicate with a base station or a user equipment (for example, via a base station). In general, the network node can be a hardware component and / or a software component that implements a certain functionality (such as LMF). In the example of the exemplary aspect, the network node can be a node defined by the 3GPP 5G (or NR) standard. Therefore, although the network node can be understood as being implemented in a single device or module or as a single device or module, the network node can also be implemented across multiple devices or modules or include multiple devices or modules. Multiple network nodes of the exemplary aspect can specifically establish a communication system or network, which can be particularly an NR or 5G system or any other mobile communication system defined by past or future standards (particularly the successor of the current 3GPP standard). Here and hereinafter, the term LMF is used for such a disclosed example device of the second exemplary aspect. The network node may also be referred to as a second device.

[0052] According to another exemplary aspect, a computer program is disclosed which, when executed by a processor, causes an apparatus (eg, a server) to perform and / or control actions of the method according to the first exemplary aspect and / or the second exemplary aspect.

[0053] The computer program may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium, in particular a tangible medium and / or a non-transitory medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be, for example, a disk or a memory or the like. The computer program may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium in the form of instructions encoding the computer-readable storage medium. The computer-readable storage medium may be intended for use in the operation of a participating device, such as an internal memory or an external memory, for example, a read-only memory (ROM) or a hard disk of a computer; or intended for distribution of the program, such as an optical disk.

[0054] According to another exemplary aspect, a device is disclosed, which is configured to execute and / or control the method according to the first exemplary aspect and / or the second exemplary aspect, or includes corresponding components for executing and / or controlling the method according to the first exemplary aspect and / or the second exemplary aspect.

[0055] The components of the device can be implemented in hardware and / or software. The component may include, for example, at least one processor for executing a computer program code to perform a desired function, at least one memory for storing program code, or both. Alternatively, the component may include, for example, a circuit system designed to implement the desired function (for example, implemented in a chipset or chip), such as an integrated circuit. In general, the component may include, for example, one or more processing components or processors.

[0056] According to another exemplary aspect, a device is disclosed, comprising at least one processor and at least one memory comprising computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, together with the at least one processor, enable the device (e.g., the device) to at least execute and / or control the method according to the first exemplary aspect and / or the second exemplary aspect.

[0057] The above-disclosed apparatus according to any aspect may be a module or component for a device, such as a chip. Alternatively, the apparatus disclosed according to any aspect may be a device, such as a server or a server cloud. The apparatus disclosed according to any aspect may include only the disclosed components, such as a part, a processor, a memory, or may also include one or more additional components.

[0058] According to another exemplary aspect, a system is disclosed, comprising:

[0059] A first device according to the first exemplary aspect as disclosed above, and a second device according to the second exemplary aspect as disclosed above.

[0060] Any disclosure herein relating to any exemplary aspect should be understood to be equivalently disclosed with respect to any subject matter according to the corresponding exemplary aspect (e.g., subject matter relating to apparatus, methods, computer programs, and computer-readable media). Thus, for example, the disclosure of method steps should also be considered as the disclosure of components for performing and / or configured to perform the corresponding method steps. Similarly, the disclosure of components for performing and / or configured to perform method steps should also be considered as the disclosure of the method steps themselves. The same applies to any paragraph describing: at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; at least one memory and computer program code configured to, together with at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least steps.

[0061] In the following, exemplary features and exemplary embodiments of all aspects will be described in more detail.

[0062] A request for measuring at least a combined CAE of one or more (e.g., aggregated) CCs is obtained, for example, by receiving a request (e.g., from a second device). A first device (e.g., user equipment) may, for example, be configured with one or more CCs such that the first device is enabled to apply or activate the configured CCs for communication and / or deploy (e.g., CA) positioning. Since the first device may or may not use one or more CCs (e.g., at least one additional carrier) for data communication, the one or more CCs may be used for at least positioning, and additionally or alternatively, for communication, for example, if data communication is required by the first device.

[0063] The corresponding CC used herein may also be referred to as a carrier or a positioning frequency layer. These mentioned expressions (CC, carrier, and positioning frequency layer) are interchangeable.

[0064] Such CA positioning as used herein refers to positioning based at least in part on one or more CC corresponding signals sent via such one or more CCs. Such CA positioning may be based on a 5G or NR mobile communication network (also referred to as a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN)), and may utilize, among other things, time-based and / or angle-based positioning methods. Such a mobile communication network may include a location management function (LMF; e.g., a second device) as an entity of the corresponding 5G or NR positioning architecture. Such an LMF may receive measurement and auxiliary information from, for example, a NG-RAN as a corresponding mobile communication network and one or more user devices (e.g., UE; a first device), for example, via a corresponding access and mobility management function (AMF, another entity of the corresponding NG-RAN) and, for example, through a corresponding interface, to determine (e.g., calculate) the corresponding positioning of the user equipment. The NG-RAN may utilize a next generation interface between the NG-RAN and the core network, such as a new NR positioning protocol A, referred to as the NRPPa protocol. Therefore, the NRPPa protocol may be utilized. Via such an NRPPa protocol, positioning information (e.g., positioning information between an NG-RAN corresponding entity and the LMF of the NG-RAN) may be communicated, for example, among others, via the so-called Next Generation Control Plane Interface (NG-C). Such an addition in the 5G or NR architecture may provide a framework for positioning in 5G or NR. The corresponding LMF may further configure the user equipment, for example, via the corresponding AMF, for example, using the LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP). The NG RAN may configure the user equipment, for example, using the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol over the LTE-Uu interface and the NR-Uu interface, to name a few non-limiting examples.

[0065] One or more CCs may be aggregated, which may also be referred to as carrier aggregation. Such carrier aggregation may be used by a corresponding mobile communication network, for example, to increase bandwidth. This may allow for an increased bit rate for data communications. One or more CCs may be aggregated in the time domain and / or in the frequency domain. DL resources and / or UL resources may be allocated to the first device on such one or more aggregated resources of one or more CCs.

[0066] The mobile communication network may comprise a plurality of network devices of all exemplary aspects, which may in particular establish a communication system or network, which may in particular be a NR or 5G system (5GS) or any other mobile communication system defined by past or future standards, in particular a successor to the current 3GPP standards, to name just a few non-limiting examples.

[0067] Based on the request (eg, in response to a received request), at least one of the one or more PRSs or the one or more SRSs is obtained, eg, by measuring at least one of the one or more PRSs or the one or more SRSs.

[0068] In addition or alternatively, example embodiments according to all example aspects may be based on any reference signal(s) used for positioning. Thus, any other kind of reference signal that may be used for positioning may be used to replace the corresponding PRS, SRS, respectively. As disclosed, example embodiments may be implemented using such reference signal(s) in any occasion where PRS, SRS, respectively, are disclosed in this specification.

[0069] From the perspective of the first device (e.g., user equipment), in the case where the example embodiments of all exemplary aspects are applied to the DL scenario, one or more PRSs may be measured. From the perspective of the first device (e.g., user equipment), in the case where the example embodiments of all exemplary aspects are applied to the UL scenario, one or more SRSs may be measured. One or more PRSs may be sent to the user equipment by the corresponding TRP. One or more SRSs may be sent to the corresponding TRP by the corresponding user equipment. The first device may be enabled to measure both: one or more PRSs and one or more SRSs, for example, depending on whether the first device plays the role of UL communication or the role of DL communication. It is understood that the first device may not simultaneously measure one or more PRSs and one or more SRSs based on a single request for combined CAE.

[0070] Here, the corresponding PRS in DL communication (also referred to as NR PRS) and / or the corresponding SRS in UL communication (also referred to as NR SRS) are understood as signals that support downlink-based positioning and uplink-based positioning, respectively. The corresponding PRS may have a certain delay spread range so that the corresponding PRS can be obtained (e.g., measurable) from a potentially distant neighboring user equipment or base station (e.g., TRP) for positioning determination (e.g., estimation). The corresponding PRS may cover the entire 5G / NR bandwidth and may be sent on multiple symbols that may be aggregated to accumulate power. The corresponding base station (e.g., TRP) may then send the corresponding PRS in different subcarrier sets to avoid interference. For example, different TRPs may send PRSs with different combs or comb-offsets.

[0071] In the UL direction, the corresponding SRS can be used for positioning. Since positioning can be based on one or more SRSs of certain CCs provided by the corresponding serving base station, where the base station receives the corresponding SRS in this case, the corresponding SRS can cover the entire (e.g., NR) bandwidth. In addition, the corresponding resource elements of the corresponding SRS can be spread across different symbols so that certain (e.g., all) subcarriers are covered. Therefore, the configuration of the positioning SRS for a certain CC can be provided by a serving base station (e.g., gNB). Multiple (e.g., at least two) SRS resources can be configured. The first device (e.g., UE) can send a corresponding (e.g., each) SRS resource for a specific TRP.

[0072] Based at least in part on the obtained (e.g., measured) one or more PRSs and / or one or more SRSs, the first device determines (e.g., estimates) a combined CAE. Such a combined CAE indicates, for example, a total combined CAE caused by a transmission error, a reception error, and / or processing (e.g., a delay and represented by a value, an interval, or a range) of one or more CCs. Such a combined CAE may represent one or more errors associated with the joint processing of one or more CCs (e.g., occurring on a portion of the first device and / or the second device). Based on such a determined combined CAE, example embodiments of all exemplary aspects may determine (e.g., derive) how reliable the CA-PM and / or CA-RSTD is and / or to what extent such PM, RSTD should be used, respectively, when determining (e.g., estimating) the positioning / position of the first device. The determination of the positioning of the first device may be performed and / or controlled by the second device. Based on such a combined CAE, the second device may determine (e.g., process) how one or more CCs are combined, for example, by the first device or have been combined, for example, by the first device. The determined combined CAE may allow mitigation of one or more errors in positioning, in particular one or more errors in CA positioning.

[0073] The determined combined CAE is provided (sent), for example, from the first device to the second device (eg, LMF).

[0074] The obtained (e.g., measured) PRS and / or SRS may be measured to determine one or more angle of arrival (AOA) measurements, one or more observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA), DL-TDOA, uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), and / or power measurements of the corresponding (multiple) PRS and / or (multiple) SRS. This may allow for determination of a combined CAE, which may enable determination of positioning based on, for example, round trip time (RTT) and / or based on certain observable angles of the corresponding (multiple) PRS and / or (multiple) SRS taking into account the combined CAE. This may allow for mitigation of errors and thus enhance the accuracy of CA positioning.

[0075] According to an exemplary embodiment of all exemplary aspects, the combined CAE is a measure of respective errors associated with received signal time difference (RSTD) measurements (eg, made) on multiple (eg, at least two) CCs of one or more CCs.

[0076] According to exemplary embodiments of all exemplary aspects, the combined CAE is a measure of respective errors associated with positioning measurements (PM) (eg, performed) on multiple (eg, at least two) CCs of one or more CCs.

[0077] Here, the expressions "CAE" and "combined CAE" are used. It should be understood here that the difference between CAE and combined CAE is that combined CAE may be the total error resulting from baseband processing delay and (multiple) transmit and / or receive errors, while CAE may be measured as an error without error combination. For example, CAE may be just a measurement of the ToA measurement error for each respective CC in one or more CCs, such that CAE may represent such a measurement, however without processing delays, for example, as just one non-limiting example.

[0078] The combined CAE is a measure of the error associated with RSTD measurements and / or PM measurements made on multiple CCs in one or more CCs, for example. Thus, the determined combined CAE may cover timing errors, for example, timing errors caused by one or more group delays from multiple CCs. The corresponding RSTD measurements and / or PM measurements may be made on multiple CCs provided by one or more TRPs.

[0079] For example, a TEG may be defined on each of the one or more CCs, or in other words, for a corresponding CC in the one or more CCs. For (multiple) multi-RTT and TDOA techniques, a first device (e.g., a user equipment) may measure such timing, for example, as a TDoA measurement of a corresponding TRP in one or more TRPs (which may provide a corresponding CC in the one or more CCs). For example, the first device may measure (multiple) TDoA (time of arrival) measurements from two PRS resources, where the PRS resources are sent through different CCs and the corresponding (e.g., each) PRS resource is associated with a specific TRP Tx TEG.

[0080] For CA, for example, PRS#1 and PRS#2 may be sent on a first CC#1 provided by a first TRP, and may be sent on a second CC#2 provided by a second TRP. The timing error from CC#1 may be associated with TEG#1, and the timing error from CC#2 may be associated with TEG#2.

[0081] For a single measurement of PRS and / or SRS, e.g., based on CC#1 and CC#2 (e.g., extracted from CC#1 and CC#2), the first device (e.g., user equipment) may report another TEG information (e.g., included by the combined CAE). In this case, the combined CAE may be determined based on the timing error from one (e.g., corresponding) CC, and may also be determined based on another set of delays from another CC in one or more CCs. In this way, the obtained (e.g., measured) PRS and / or SRS may allow for the determination (e.g., measurement) of RSTD measurements or PM measurements made on multiple CCs (here, CC#1 and CC#2).

[0082] According to exemplary embodiments of all exemplary aspects, the request indicates at least one or more CCs.

[0083] The request may include one or more CCs for which the first apparatus may then obtain (e.g., measure) the corresponding PRS or SRS. The request may include one or more identifiers of the corresponding one or more CCs for which the first apparatus may then obtain the corresponding PRS or SRS. Additionally or alternatively, the request may indicate the corresponding CC(s) for which the first apparatus may obtain the corresponding PRS or SRS, for example by including or accompanying an information element (IE) that enables the first apparatus to determine (e.g., derive) the corresponding CC(s) in the one or more CCs for which the first apparatus may obtain the corresponding PRS or SRS. This may be done, for example, based on a lookup table or a configuration obtained (e.g., received) on a portion of the first apparatus, thereby enabling identification of the corresponding CC(s) in the one or more CCs based on the corresponding indication of the corresponding CC(s).

[0084] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first exemplary aspect, the request further targets or indicates or includes an indicator for CC ranking, and the method further comprises:

[0085] - determining a CC ranking indicating a weight of the one or more CCs, wherein the CC ranking is determined based on at least one of the obtained one or more PRSs or one or more SRSs.

[0086] In addition to or as an alternative to weighting, the CC ranking may indicate whether a corresponding CC of one or more CCs has the same or different weighting as another CC in the one or more CCs and / or a corresponding CC(s) in the one or more CCs, and / or whether a corresponding CC or all CCs in the one or more CCs are discarded for determining the combined CAE. For example, in the case where the obtained PRS(s) and / or SRS(s) are of low quality, the PRS values ​​and / or SRS values ​​obtained respectively may be below a predetermined threshold, the corresponding CCs of all CCs in the one or more CCs may be discarded for determining the combined CAE, to give just one non-limiting example. For example, the corresponding discarded CC in the one or more CCs may be assigned a weight / rank of "0". The corresponding predetermined threshold may be any standardized measurement of the 3GPP standard. For example, the corresponding predetermined threshold may be a received power value (e.g., RSRP) of a corresponding (e.g., each) CC in one or more CCs, an RSRPP (RSRP by path) or LoS / NLoS indicator of a corresponding (e.g., each) CC in one or more CCs, or an RSRQ value of a corresponding (e.g., each) CC in one or more CCs, or a combination thereof, to name a few non-limiting examples.

[0087] According to exemplary embodiments of all exemplary aspects, a combined CAE is determined based (eg, also) on a CC ranking and at least one of a transmission error or a reception error of a corresponding CC.

[0088] Additionally or alternatively, the combined CAE may be determined based at least in part on respective weights of respective CC(s) in one or more CCs for which respective PRS(s) and / or SRS(s) are obtained (eg, measured).

[0089] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second exemplary aspect, the (e.g. sent) request is also for CC ranking, and the method further comprises:

[0090] - Obtain a CC ranking indicating a weighting of one or more CCs (eg, together with a combined CAE).

[0091] The determined CC ranking may be provided by the first apparatus, eg, to the second apparatus, so that the second apparatus may obtain (eg, receive) the CC ranking, eg, for further use (such as determining a corresponding location of the first apparatus).

[0092] According to exemplary embodiments of all exemplary aspects, the request is included by (eg, attached to) or is accompanied by the LPP assistance data.

[0093] From the perspective of the second device, the request is provided by the second device (e.g., LMF) to the first device (e.g., user equipment). Likewise, from the perspective of the first device, the request is received by the first device (e.g., user equipment) and originates from the second device (e.g., LMF).

[0094] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first exemplary aspect, the request is further for measuring at least one of one or more positioning measurements (PM) or one or more received signal time differences (RSTD), and the method further comprises:

[0095] -Determine at least one of the one or more PMs or one or more RSTDs based at least in part on the corresponding PM of a specific CC among the one or more CCs for which at least one of the one or more PRSs or one or more SRSs is obtained, or at least in part on the corresponding RSTD of a specific CC among the one or more CCs for which at least one of the one or more PRSs or one or more SRSs is obtained.

[0096] In addition, according to an exemplary embodiment of the first exemplary aspect, the method further comprises:

[0097] - providing the determined PM(s) or RSTD(s) or providing the determined PM(s) or RSTD(s) together with (eg accompanying) the determined combined CAE.

[0098] The combined CAE may be a measure of the total error associated with the determined RSTD and / or PM for a corresponding CC in one or more CCs. Thus, the combined CAE may be determined based on, for example, the determined RSTD and / or PM performed on multiple or a plurality of (e.g., at least two) CCs in one or more CCs.

[0099] According to exemplary embodiments of all exemplary aspects, a respective PM of the one or more PMs is represented by a timing measurement.

[0100] The corresponding timing measurement may be RSTD, ToA, or Rx-Tx time difference, to name a few non-limiting examples.

[0101] For example, a corresponding PRS is sent (e.g., as a PRS transmission) across multiple carriers (e.g., CCs): c1, ..., cN. A corresponding CC in these multiple (e.g., one or more) CCs may be characterized by TX TE: txe1, ..., txeN (due to carrier-dependent STO, CFO, PN); and may be associated with different bandwidths: b1, ..., bN.

[0102] The first device may receive signals at multiple CCs, and the RF chain of the first device may introduce an RX TE at each of the multiple CCs: rxe1, ..., rxeN. In order to benefit from CA transmission, the first device may therefore combine signal samples in baseband (BB) over (e.g., all) received carriers and bandwidths. In order to determine the combined CAE; the first device may extract a single positioning metric (PM), e.g. representing the signal spread over an expanded bandwidth B = b1 + ... + bN. As a result of the above disclosed process, the PM estimate may be characterized by the overall error (hence the combined) CAE, due to:

[0103] 1)TX TE txe1,…,txeN,

[0104] 2) RX TErxe1,…,rxeN, and / or

[0105] 3) How the first device combines carriers in the BB (eg, how many CCs the UE uses and / or how to weight CCs when estimating PM).

[0106] Therefore, the combined CAE can be utilized by the second device (e.g., LMF) for mitigating errors in CA positioning, because the combined CAE can indicate how reliable the CA-PM is and to what extent the corresponding CA-PM should be used when determining (e.g., estimating) the positioning of the first device (e.g., as its target UE position). Therefore, for accurate positioning, it is crucial that the first device makes the combined CAE available to the second device, for example by providing at least the combined CAE accordingly.

[0107] According to exemplary embodiments of all exemplary aspects, a combined CAE is determined based on weights of respective CCs of the one or more CCs and (eg, in addition thereto) based on one or more PMs or one or more RSTDs.

[0108] According to an exemplary embodiment of the first exemplary aspect, the device (eg, first device) is a user equipment (eg, UE) or (eg, represents) a transmission and reception point (TRP).

[0109] As disclosed above, a request is sent from a second device to a first device. In this way, the first device may obtain (e.g., receive) a request for measuring at least a combined CAE for one or more CCs. Before sending the request, the second device may determine one or more CCs for the first device. The request may then also indicate one or more CCs for which CAE may be measured. The request may trigger the first device to determine a combined CAE.

[0110] The combined CAE is obtained, for example, by receiving the combined CAE (e.g., from the first device to which the request is sent), based on the request sent (by the second device). Thus, the combined CAE may be obtained by the second device in response to the sent request. Thus, the combined CAE resulting from a processing delay by the first device may represent, for example, processing of one or more CCs completed by the first device, among other things.

[0111] Based on the obtained combined CAE, the second device determines (e.g., estimates) the location of at least one user device. The at least one user device may be the first device. In addition, the at least one user device may be the first device to which the request is sent. In example embodiments of all exemplary aspects, the request may not be sent (e.g., provided) directly to the first device, but may be sent to another entity of mobile communication (e.g., a base station or user device, e.g., a base station or user device in sidelink communication with the first device) that may forward the request to the first device.

[0112] In addition, based on the obtained combined CAE, the second device determines (e.g., estimates) the location of at least one TRP. In this case, the request may have been sent to the corresponding TRP.

[0113] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second exemplary aspect, the method further comprises:

[0114] -Providing a positioning request (e.g., to a TRP) that includes at least one of a transmit (Tx) (e.g., and / or receive (Rx)) timing error or a Tx CAE (e.g., and / or Rx CAE) for a CC in one or more CCs.

[0115] After obtaining (e.g., receiving) the combined CAE, the second device can evaluate how one or more CCs can be combined (e.g., combined by the first device). The second device can then request a TX CAE (i.e., a combined TX timing error) from a corresponding TRP (or multiple TRPs of one or more CCs, for example, provided to the first device), where the combining is done for the CCs used, for example, by the first device.

[0116] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second exemplary aspect, the method further comprises:

[0117] - Obtaining (eg, receiving based on (eg, in response to) a positioning request) a positioning report indicating at least one of a Tx (and / or Rx) timing error or a Tx CAE (and / or Rx CAE) per CC in one or more CCs.

[0118] Thus, for example, based on a positioning request that may have been sent to a corresponding TRP, the second device may obtain (e.g., receive) a report that may include the requested information.

[0119] When a corresponding TRP provides (e.g., reports) a corresponding combined CAE and / or CC ranking (e.g., as a positioning report) (e.g., including a combined Tx CAE), there may be two different options:

[0120] -In option 1, the corresponding TRP may (e.g., only) report the Tx TEG of (e.g., each) one or more individual CCs in one or more CCs, and the second device (e.g., LMF) may assume that the overall Tx CAE margin is the sum of the individual Tx TEG margins (i.e., CC#1 Tx TEG margin + CC#2 Tx TEG margin).

[0121] - In option 2, the corresponding TRP may (e.g., directly) report a combined Tx CAE that may take into account or represent any optimizations that the corresponding TRP may make or has characterized, such as based on CA transmission (e.g., if (multiple) corresponding CCs in one or more CCs share some components, then the overall CAE margin of such a combined Tx CAE may be strictly smaller than the combined TEG margin).

[0122] For Option 1 and / or Option 2, as an example, the TRP (e.g., represented by the first device) may inform the LMF (e.g., represented by the second device) that a specific Tx TEG ID is associated with multiple CCs. Then, if the LMF receives a specific positioning measurement measured according to (e.g., based on) multiple CCs (where, for example, the LMF is notified via the specific Tx TEG ID), the LMF may use the overall Tx CAE margin.

[0123] For example, the corresponding first TRP1 and the corresponding second TRP2 may report Tx CAE1 and Tx CAE2. Additionally or alternatively, the corresponding TRP1 and TRP2 may report components / measurements required for a second device (e.g., LMF) to determine (e.g., calculate) Tx CAE1 and Tx CAE2. Next, the second device (e.g., LMF) may store (multiple) corresponding reports (e.g., including or representing RSTD, CAE, Tx CAE1, Tx CA2, or a combination thereof). The second device (e.g., LMF) may be able to consider (multiple) corresponding reports for further differential operations (e.g., between RSTD measurements tagged with the same Tx / Rx CAE information).

[0124] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second exemplary aspect, the method further comprises:

[0125] -Providing at least one of Tx (e.g., and / or Rx) timing error or Tx CAE (and / or Rx CAE) to at least one of the user equipment or TRP (e.g., based on LPP).

[0126] The second device (e.g., LMF) can provide this information to the first device (e.g., user equipment), for example, for so-called UE-based positioning, which can be performed and / or controlled by the user equipment. In addition, the second device can provide information (e.g., obtained (e.g., received) information) to the first device (if the first device indicates a corresponding TRP) as such a positioning report.

[0127] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second exemplary aspect, the request is further for measuring at least one of one or more positioning measurements (PM) or one or more received signal time differences (RSTD), and the method further comprises:

[0128] - Obtain at least one of one or more PMs or one or more RSTDs.

[0129] Based on a request for measuring the combined CAE that may have been sent to the first device (e.g., in response to the request), and in the case where the request is also for measuring at least one of PM or RSTD, the recipient of the request (e.g., the first device) may be triggered to perform and / or control corresponding acquisition (e.g., measurement) of the corresponding one or more PMs or one or more RSTDs. Then, the second device may obtain the requested measured PM and / or RSTD, for example, by receiving the measured PM and / or RSTD (e.g., from the first device).

[0130] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second exemplary aspect, the method further comprises:

[0131] - Based at least in part on the obtained CC ranking, determining one or more parameters for one or more LPP sessions served by the device.

[0132] For example, the second device may optionally attach one or more parameters (e.g., received) obtained based on the sent request for measuring the combined CAE (e.g., TX error margin included in the combined CAE) to the LPP assistance data (e.g., as a new IE). This may allow for enhanced positioning accuracy. As an example, the first device (e.g., user equipment) may transmit the corresponding CAE and optionally the CC ranking (if available), for example, via such a new IE (e.g., in an LPP measurement report). The first device may, for example, provide (e.g., report) the combined CAE independent of the measurement and optionally provide the CC ranking (if available).

[0133] A second device (e.g., LMF) that can obtain a combined CAE and determine (e.g., estimate or calculate) the positioning of a first device can then use such combined CAE along with the CC ranking to optimize the design of future LPP sessions, for example, for the same first device, or for nearby neighbor devices, to name a few non-limiting examples.

[0134] According to an exemplary embodiment of the second exemplary aspect, the second device is a location management function (LMF) (eg of a base station) or is a part of the LMF.

[0135] The features and exemplary embodiments described above may equally relate to different aspects.

[0136] It should be understood that the presentation in this section is by way of example only and not limitation.

[0137] Other features will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the drawings are designed for illustration purposes only and not as a definition of limitation, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. It should also be understood that the drawings are not drawn to scale and that they are merely intended to conceptually illustrate the structures and procedures described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0138] The figure shows:

[0139] Figure 1 a schematic block diagram of a system according to an exemplary aspect;

[0140] Figure 2 A flow chart showing an example embodiment of a method according to the first exemplary aspect;

[0141] Figure 3 A flow chart showing an example embodiment of a method according to the second exemplary aspect;

[0142] Figure 4 A signaling diagram of a system according to an exemplary aspect;

[0143] Figure 5 A signaling diagram of a system according to an exemplary aspect;

[0144] Figure 6 A schematic block diagram of an apparatus according to a first exemplary aspect;

[0145] Figure 7 a schematic block diagram of an apparatus according to the second exemplary aspect; and

[0146] Figure 8 Examples of storage media. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0147] The following description helps to deepen understanding and should be understood as supplementary to and read together with the description provided in the above-mentioned Summary section of this specification.

[0148] Figure 1 is a schematic high-level block diagram of a system 100 comprising two first devices (e.g., base stations), here two gNBs 120-1 and 120-2 representing respective TRPs, another first device (e.g., respective user equipment 130), and a second device (LMF 110). Entity 110, entity 120-1, entity 120-2 and / or entity 130 are part of or form a mobile communication network (not shown).

[0149] Via such a mobile communication network, entity 110 , entity 120 - 1 , entity 120 - 2 , and / or entity 130 may communicate with one another, as illustrated by the shown double arrows directed between respective entities 110 , entity 120 - 1 , entity 120 - 2 , and / or entity 130 .

[0150] Example embodiments of all example aspects may allow for enhanced (e.g. CA) positioning based on the TEG positioning framework. This may allow, for example, the LMF 110 to cope with variable timing errors (TE) that affect, for example, different frequency portions (i.e., one or more CCs) of (multiple) CA PRS or (multiple) SRS. For simplicity, example embodiments of all example aspects are presented herein in a DL scenario. It will be appreciated that the UL scenario is a straightforward alternative and extension, e.g. based on (multiple) SRS instead of (multiple) PRS.

[0151] Example embodiments of all exemplary aspects may use one or more of the following as respective error values ​​considered for determining the combined CAE:

[0152] Tx timing error:

[0153] From the perspective of signal transmission, there will be a time delay from the time when the digital (e.g., RF) signal is generated at the baseband to the time when the RF signal is sent from the Tx antenna (e.g., at the corresponding first device). In order to support positioning, the first device (e.g., user equipment, TRP) can implement internal calibration / compensation of Tx time delay for transmission of DL PRS / UL SRS signals, which can also include calibrating / compensating for the relative time delays between different RF chains in the same device (e.g., first device). Compensation may also take into account the offset of the Tx antenna phase center to the physical antenna center. However, the calibration may not be perfect. The remaining Tx time delay after calibration, or the uncalibrated Tx time delay is defined as the Tx timing error.

[0154] Rx timing error:

[0155] From the perspective of signal reception, there will be a time delay from the time when the RF signal arrives at, for example, the Rx antenna of the first device (e.g., user equipment, TRP) to the time when the signal is digitized at the baseband and timestamped. In order to support positioning, the first device (e.g., user equipment, TRP) can implement internal calibration / compensation of the Rx time delay before the first device can report (e.g., based on) the measurement value obtained (e.g., measured) from the DL PRS / ULSRS signal, which can also include calibration / compensation of the relative time delay between different RF chains in the same first device (e.g., UE / TRP). The compensation may also take into account the offset of the Rx antenna phase center to the physical antenna center. However, the calibration may not be perfect. The remaining Rx time delay after calibration, or the uncalibrated Rx time delay, is defined as the Rx timing error.

[0156] UE TX "Timing Error Group" (UE Tx TEG):

[0157] A UE (eg, a first device such as a user equipment) Tx TEG is associated with transmission of one or more UL SRS resources for positioning purposes, the one or more UL SRS resources having a Tx timing error within a certain margin.

[0158] TRP Tx “Timing Error Group” (TRP Tx TEG):

[0159] A TRP (eg, a first device, such as a corresponding TRP) Tx TEG is associated with transmission of one or more DL PRS resources having a Tx timing error within a certain margin.

[0160] UE Rx "Timing Error Group" (UE Rx TEG):

[0161] A UE (eg, a first device such as a user equipment) Rx TEG is associated with one or more DL measurements having an Rx timing error within a certain margin.

[0162] TRP Rx “Timing Error Group” (TRP Rx TEG):

[0163] The TRP (eg, a first device, such as a corresponding TRP) Rx TEG is associated with one or more UL measurements having an Rx timing error within a margin.

[0164] UE RxTx "Timing Error Group" (UE RxTx TEG):

[0165] A UE (e.g., a first device, such as a user equipment) RxTx TEG is associated with one or more UE Rx-Tx time difference measurements for positioning purposes, and one or more UL SRS resources, which have "Rx timing error + Tx timing error" within a certain margin.

[0166] TRP RxTx “Timing Error Group” (TRP RxTx TEG):

[0167] The TRP (e.g., a first device, such as a corresponding TRP) RxTx TEG is associated with one or more gNB Rx-Tx time difference measurements and one or more DL PRS resources, which one or more gNB Rx-Tx time difference measurements and one or more DL PRS resources can have "Rx timing error + Tx timing error" within a certain margin.

[0168] Thus, example embodiments of all example aspects may allow for mitigation of positioning errors associated with corresponding transmit and / or receive processing chains as follows: NR defines a framework for reporting TEG, which is essentially a timing error margin, and may be indicated from the user equipment 130 to the LMF 110. Such a timing error margin may indicate within what range the timing measurement may vary. For example, a corresponding user equipment 130 may report (e.g., per antenna panel and / or per PRS resource) a TEG of + / -30ns, which means that the transmit chain of the corresponding user equipment 130 used for that particular PRS resource may introduce an error having a value anywhere within the interval [-30,30]ns. In addition, Tx / Rx timing errors may occur due to, for example, the following:

[0169] - the sampling time offset (STO) between the clock rate of the transmitter and the clock rate of the receiver for a given signal;

[0170] - the carrier frequency offset (CFO) between the carrier frequency of the transmitter and the carrier frequency of the receiver of a given signal; and / or

[0171] - Phase noise (PN),

[0172] Among other things, STO, CFO, PN themselves may also be sensitive to temperature, bandwidth, carrier, or a combination thereof, to name a few non-limiting examples.

[0173] The corresponding LMF 110 may have to process measurements tagged with such various TEGs when determining (e.g., calculating or estimating) the target location of the corresponding user equipment 130. If enough measurements are collected, the LMF may decide to use the measurements in a weighted manner, where the weight is inversely proportional to the TEG level.

[0174] However, such a scheme may not remove timing errors, but rather (e.g., only) gives an indication of how accurate the final position (e.g., position estimate) determined is expected to be. In other words, such a TEG framework defines a process by which an error range is identified. However, it would be beneficial to have a means for canceling Tx / Rx errors associated with positioning signal transmission and / or reception.

[0175] Additionally, the TEG framework (e.g., RAN1 TEG framework) may enable that the corresponding TEG reports may be used to create further differential measurements (e.g., combining RSTD measurements with the same Rx TEG). This type of grouping and further differencing may remove the effects of such timing errors. However, this requires a sufficient number of measurements, which need to be available for the same TEG. Allowing measurements to be combined across multiple TRPs would be beneficial if those TRPs have different TxTEGs (e.g., as is typical) for DL ​​measurements (e.g., of PRS(s)) or Rx TEGs for UL measurements (e.g., of SRS(s)).

[0176] CA positioning may complicate such a situation because, for example, aggregated CCs may suffer from different degrees of STO, CFO, and PN because the respective transmissions are implemented on different RF chains of the respective first device and / or second device, and / or the respective one or more offsets may be carrier-dependent. Specifically, when the respective PRS transmissions are spread over different carriers, different parts of such signals may be affected by different offsets and thus introduce different timing errors. Thus, exemplary embodiments of all exemplary aspects allow:

[0177] 1. Determine a combined CAE (e.g., derive a per-PRS resource TEG) such that such a combined CAE can characterize (e.g., sufficiently well) one or more errors on respective aggregated carriers of one or more CCs (i.e., a single TEG is indeed applicable to all carriers and / or there are separate TEGs for respective carriers); and

[0178] 2. Enable the determination of the corresponding position by the corresponding LMF 110, where the corresponding TEG may still be useful to the LMF 110 given the following:

[0179] - different parts of the same signal are characterized by different errors, and / or

[0180] - The respective user equipment 130 may determine (eg, calculate) a single positioning metric (eg, combined CAE) using the respective signals in their entirety.

[0181] Thus, example embodiments of all example aspects may form a framework for obtaining a combined CAE (eg, indicating or representing or including an error value), such as representing (eg, CA) a PRS timing error and / or an SRS Tx / Rx timing error.

[0182] Therefore, the exemplary embodiments of all exemplary aspects enable

[0183] A. The first device (eg, user equipment 130) obtains and uses TRP information about TX TE per CC, or when available, obtains and uses TRP information of combined / aggregated TE (eg, information acquisition mediated by LMF 110).

[0184] B. The first device (e.g., user equipment 130) determines (e.g., calculates and, e.g., signals) based on a request from the second device (e.g., LMF 110):

[0185] a. Total carrier aggregation error (e.g., combined CAE), which is a result of TX / Rx RF errors, but also a result of PRS baseband processing (e.g., how the user equipment 130 combines the CC(s); and / or

[0186] b. CC ranking, which indicates how / whether CC(s) are used.

[0187] The signaling exchange may allow:

[0188] a) determining (e.g., deriving) a CAE by a first device (e.g., user equipment 130),

[0189] b) determining (e.g., deriving) a ranking of each CC by a first device (e.g., user equipment 130),

[0190] c) a) and b) are obtained by a second device (e.g., LMF 110) so that positioning metric utilization can be optimized.

[0191] Specifically, in order to perform a) and b), the first device (e.g., the user equipment 130) may obtain information about 1) from the second device (e.g., the LMF 110), which may be:

[0192] - a list of error margins {txe1,…,txeN}, or

[0193] - when available, a combined Tx error margin, which characterizes the CA signal (e.g., also referred to as (e.g., combined) Tx-CAE),

[0194] - Differential TE list (error difference between different TEGs across TEGs, where each TEG is associated with a CC).

[0195] - This may be helpful for UE-based positioning (e.g., positioning performed and / or controlled by the first device): for example, when the differential TE of (TRP Tx TEG#1(CC#1), TEG#2(CC#2)) is much smaller than that of (TRP Tx TEG#1(CC#1), TEG#3(CC#3)), the first device (e.g., user equipment 130) would rather perform reference signal (RS) measurement based on CC#1 and CC#2 rather than performing measurement based on CC#1 and CC#3.

[0196] Similar to step c), the second device (e.g., LMF 110) may receive from the first device (e.g., user equipment 130):

[0197] - CAE (eg, combined CAE) as a point value or as an interval; and / or

[0198] - Information about how the first device (eg, user equipment 130) uses / combines CCs, such as CC ranking.

[0199] Figure 2 2 is a flowchart 200 showing an example embodiment of a method according to the first exemplary aspect. The flowchart 200 may be, for example, performed by a first device (eg, Figure 1 130), or by Figure 1 The first device represents the corresponding TRP enabled by the corresponding base station 120-1 or the corresponding base station 120-2. In the latter case, the first device represents the corresponding TRP.

[0200] In a first step 201, a request for measuring at least a combined carrier aggregation error (CAE) of one or more component carriers (CCs) is obtained, for example, by receiving a request from a second device (e.g. Figure 1 The one or more CCs are configured for a first device in a mobile communication network.

[0201] In a second step 202, at least one of one or more positioning reference signals (PRS) or one or more sounding reference signals (SRS) of one or more CCs is obtained based on the request, for example, by measuring corresponding one or more PRSs and / or corresponding one or more SRSs of one or more CCs.

[0202] In a third step 203, a combined CAE is determined based at least in part on at least one of the obtained one or more PRSs or one or more SRSs. The combined CAE indicates the total combined CAE caused by at least one of the transmission error, reception error, or processing of one or more CCs. The combined CAE may include or represent a point value, an interval, or a range, to name a few non-limiting examples. Based on the obtained one or more PRSs and / or one or more SRSs, the combined CAE may be determined, for example, based at least in part on the result of one or more Tx / Rx RF errors, but also based on the result of baseband processing performed by the PRS (DL scenario) SRS (UL scenario) of the first device, respectively. In this way, the determined combined CAE includes, represents, or indicates the total carrier aggregation error caused by one or more Tx / Rx RF errors and baseband processing.

[0203] In a fourth step, the determined combined CAE is provided, for example, by sending the combined CAE to the second device.The determined combined CAE may be provided to a corresponding entity from which the first device may have obtained the request in step 201 .

[0204] Figure 3 300 is a flowchart illustrating an example embodiment of a method according to the second exemplary aspect. The flowchart 300 may be, for example, performed by a second device (eg, Figure 1 LMF 110) is executed.

[0205] Figure 2 The flowchart 200 and the flowchart 300 may be jointly executed and / or controlled, for example, by Figure 1 System 100, Figure 4 System 400 and / or Figure 5 The system 500 is executed and / or controlled.

[0206] In a first step 301, a request for measuring at least a carrier aggregation error (CAE) of one or more component carriers (CCs) is sent, for example, by providing the request so that a corresponding receiving entity can obtain the request (see also Figure 1 In step 201), the one or more CCs are configured for a first device (eg, Figure 1 130) or TRP (by Figure 1 TRP enabled by gNB 120-1 and / or gNB 120-2).

[0207] In a second step 302, a combined CAE is obtained, for example, by receiving the combined CAE (eg, from the corresponding entity to which the request was sent in step 301).

[0208] In a third step 303, a first device (eg, Figure 1 User equipment 130 or Figure 1 The determined positioning may be sent (eg, provided) to another entity (eg, the first device) of the mobile communication network.

[0209] Figure 4 4 is a signaling diagram of a system 400 according to an exemplary aspect. The system 400 includes a first device (here, a user equipment 430) (in Figure 4 ), the corresponding TRP 420, and the LMF 410.

[0210] Figure 4 The signaling diagram can be obtained by Figure 4 The process described in enables information exchange.

[0211] In example embodiments of all exemplary aspects, one or more of the following details, one or more functionalities of one or more various components are also considered to be disclosed.

[0212] In step (e.g., signal) 1, LMF 410 requests and receives TX error margin(s) for the indicated carriers via a new IE in the NRPPa assistance data and in the corresponding capability report. The report may contain TE per CC, combined TE for all CCs, or differential TE, the latter identifying which CCs have similar TX TE.

[0213] In step (eg, signal) 2, LMF 410 may optionally attach the Tx error margin to the LPP assistance data (eg, as a new IE).

[0214] In step (eg, box) 3, CA positioning is deployed between LMF 410, UE 430, and corresponding TRP 420.

[0215] In step (e.g., signal) 4, LMF 410 requests UE 430 to measure one / more PMs and the combined CAE from the CCs indicated by the aggregation. LMF 410 may additionally request a CC ranking that indicates how CCs are combined at UE 430, for example:

[0216] - (e.g. whether all) CCs have been used with the same weight or with different weights,

[0217] - Whether (eg all) CCs have been discarded, eg by assigning them a "0" weight / rank.

[0218] For example, if the UE reports CC ranking {CC1-rank=2, CC2-rank=2, CC3-rank=1, CC4-rank=0}, this indicates that CC1 and CC2 have the highest weight in PM estimation (i.e., w)2 / (2+2+1+0)), followed by CC3, while CC4 is discarded.

[0219] In steps (e.g., signals 5 to 7), UE 430 obtains one or more PRSs, for example, by measuring the corresponding PRSs of the corresponding CCs configured for UE 430 based at least in part on the corresponding PRSs of the corresponding CCs provided by TRP 420. As indicated by the numbers CC1, CC2, ..., CCN, UE 430 can obtain (e.g., measure) multiple different CC PRSs.

[0220] In step (e.g., block) 8, UE 430 obtains (e.g., receives) N CC PRSs (see steps (e.g., signal) 5-step 7), for example, on different carriers and possibly with different bandwidths. After UE 430 samples each of the one or more CCs at a corresponding sampling rate, UE 430 combines the carriers according to its own capabilities. For example, UE 430 may sample the corresponding (e.g., each) carrier "N" at a corresponding resolution 1 / bN, and optionally:

[0221] 1. Use advanced processing methods to make the superimposed signal appear to have a fine sampling resolution equivalent to 1 / b. Then use the resulting signal to retrieve a PM (e.g., TOA) with the same very fine resolution. Or, conversely,

[0222] 2. Obtain a PM per carrier "N" with a resolution of 1 / bN, and then combine the metrics (e.g., each obtained CC PRS with different resolutions) over all / some carriers to determine (e.g., calculate) and provide (e.g., report) an average value (e.g., as a corresponding combined CAE (here referred to as RXCAE in step (e.g., signal) 9)). Optionally, in step (e.g., signal) 9, if a CC ranking is determined, the CC ranking is provided by UE 430 to LMF 410.

[0223] In step (eg, signal) 9, UE 430 may thus transmit the combined CAE and / or CC ranking, for example via a new IE in the LPP measurement report.

[0224] - In another embodiment, UE 430 may report combined CAE and / or CC ranking information independent of the measurement. For fixed ranking information, UE 430 may report PM multiple times.

[0225] Approach / procedure 1 and approach / procedure 2 (or their variants) may be associated with overall estimation errors due to:

[0226] a. Accuracy of post-processing, i.e., how the example embodiments of all exemplary aspects obtain and use samples;

[0227] b. CC-specific Tx TE and RX TE; and / or

[0228] c. How to combine different CCs and / or how to exclude different CCs from the combination.

[0229] Regarding c., UE 430 may evaluate the quality of the signal at the respective (eg, each) CC and rank the respective CCs according to their cleanliness, eg, the ranking is then used to combine signal samples for joint PM, combined CAE determination (eg, estimation).

[0230] In step (e.g., block) 10, the obtained (e.g., received) LMF 410 then consumes the report of UE 430 and determines (e.g., calculates or estimates) the corresponding positioning of UE 430. LMF 410 may then use the CC ranking to optimize the design of future LPP sessions for the same UE 430 or for nearby neighbors.

[0231] As an illustrative example for all exemplary aspects, assume that UE 430 is combining two CCs for positioning measurements.

[0232] A corresponding UE (eg, first device) receives a request to measure at least a combined CAE, wherein the request may come from or originate from the LMF.

[0233] The UE measures (e.g., obtains) a reference signal RS1 (e.g., a first PRS) on CC1 (e.g., a first CC among one or more CCs configured for the device in a mobile communication system) and another reference signal RS2 (e.g., a second PRS) on CC2 (e.g., a second CC among one or more CCs).

[0234] To determine the combined CAE, the UE may combine the measurements according to the CC ranking (ie, the UE may weight (eg, determine weights / CC rankings)) the respective measurements RS1 and RS2, eg, to obtain a combined position measurement.

[0235] In addition, the UE may determine the Rx / Tx error measured by RS1 and the Rx / Tx error measured by RS2.

[0236] The UE determines the combined CAE based on the combined positioning measurement, for example by summing the Rx / Tx error of RS1 and the Rx / Tx error of RS2 according to the corresponding weights in the combined positioning measurement (i.e., Rx / Tx error of RS1 * weight of RS1 in the combined positioning measurement result + Rx / Tx error of RS2 * weight in the combined positioning measurement result).

[0237] Finally, the UE sends (eg, provides) the combined CAE, for example, to the LMF.

[0238] Regarding the respectively determined CC rankings, for exemplary purposes, the following is mentioned: CC_A has a TEG margin of + / -4ns, and CC_B has a TEG margin of + / -2ns. If the UE 430 determines that it should weight CC_A with a value of 0.25 and CC_B with a value of 0.75, the UE 430 may estimate that the combined TEG margin has a value of + / -2.5ns (0.25*4ns+0.75*2ns).

[0239] Figure 5 5 shows a signaling diagram of a system 500 according to an exemplary aspect. The system 500 includes a first device (here, a user equipment 530) (in Figure 5 ), the corresponding TRP 520, and the LMF 510.

[0240] Figure 5 The signaling diagram can be similar to Figure 4 The signaling diagram, for example, starts from the box "Deploy CA positioning", and thus can enable Figure 4 However, in Figure 5 Thus, for example, in step (e.g., signal 2), the corresponding (LPP) request from LMF 530 is for RSTD and combined RX CAE, and optionally corresponding CC ranking, rather than for PM and combined RX CAE, and optionally corresponding CC ranking.

[0241] Example embodiments of all exemplary aspects, and for example Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , it is possible to allow for a PM equal to (=) RSTD and / or for a PM equal to (=) RSTD (for example, Figure 1 The corresponding TRP provided by gNB 120-1, 120-2gNB can provide (e.g., report) a combined Tx CAE solution. Figure 5 Details disclosed:

[0242] For example, one can assume a scenario with two TRPs where:

[0243] -TRP1 sends PRS1 on CC1 and CC2, and

[0244] -TRP2 sends PRS2 on CC1 and CC2.

[0245] For the sake of simplicity, Figure 5 , only a single instance of the corresponding TRP 520 is shown.

[0246] UE 530 may be instructed from LMF 510 to measure RSTD between TRP1 and TRP2 and provide (e.g., report) a combined Rx CAE. In the scenario referenced above, after CA PRS reception on multiple or plural CCs, UE 530 performs and / or controls corresponding (CA) RSTD measurements across CC1 and CC2. Next, UE 530 reports a single (RSTD, CAE) pair and a CC ranking, implicitly indicating whether UE 530 has combined the corresponding CCs (or which CCs of the one or more CCs configured for the first device). For example, and in general, the corresponding CC ranking may indicate which CCs of the one or more CCs have been combined. A single CAE (e.g., a value) may then indicate corresponding errors (e.g., transmission errors, reception errors, and / or processing (e.g., errors or delays) of one or more CCs) caused by combining the corresponding CCs included in the CC ranking.

[0247] When the combined Rx CAE is received by the LMF 510 (see step (eg, signal 7), the LMF 510 evaluates how the CCs have been combined. The LMF 510 may, for example, request a Tx CAE (ie, combined TX TE) from each TRP 520, where the combination is performed for the corresponding CC used by the UE 530.

[0248] When TRP 520 sends (e.g., reports) Tx CAE, there may be at least two options:

[0249] - In option 1, the TRP 520 only reports the TX TEG of each individual CC, and then the LMF 510 can assume an overall Tx CAE margin, for example, as the sum of the individual Tx TEGs (ie, CC1 Tx TEG margin + CC2 Tx TEG margin).

[0250] - In option 2, the TRP 520 reports the combined Tx CAE directly, which may take into account any optimizations that the TRP 520 may make or has characterized based on the corresponding CA transmission (e.g., if CCs share some components, the overall CAE margin may be strictly smaller than the combined TEG margin).

[0251] Each of the two TRPs (TRP1 and TRP2 in the described scenario) reports a corresponding Tx CAE (e.g., Tx CAE1 and Tx CAE2) (or the LMF 510 determines (e.g., calculates) the corresponding (multiple) corresponding components required for the corresponding Tx CAE1 and Tx CAE2). Next, the LMF 510 stores the obtained (e.g., received) (multiple) reports, including, for example, RSTD, CAE, Tx CAE1, Tx CAE2 (e.g., between steps / signal 7 and step / signal 9). The LMF 510 may be able to take this into account for further differential operations between RSTD measurements tagged with the same Tx / Rx CAE information (see step (e.g., signal) 8). In addition, the LMF 510 may provide this information to the UE 530 for UE-based positioning (after step (e.g., box) 9), similar to the above with respect to Figure 4 The disclosure of step (eg, box) 10.

[0252] As already disclosed, but mentioned again for the sake of completeness, the scheme can be extended to the corresponding UL case in a straightforward manner. For example, this can be achieved by replacing PRS with SRS and interchanging the UE role and TRP role:

[0253] DL case: the user equipment obtains one or more PRSs from one or more TRPs;

[0254] UL case: TRP obtains one or more SRS from one or more user equipments.

[0255] Figure 6 A first device 600 (eg, Figure 1 The user equipment 130 and / or Figure 1 1 and 12. The first device 600 includes a communication interface 604. The communication interface 604 may include at least one antenna. Additionally or alternatively, the communication interface 604 may correspond to a communication network (e.g., a TRP enabled by a corresponding base station (e.g., gNB) 120-1 and / or a corresponding base station 120-2). Figure 1 The first device 600 also includes at least one main memory 603 and / or at least one program memory 602. Instructions of the exemplary aspects may be stored on the main memory 603 and / or the program memory 462. The first device 600 may also include at least one processor 601.

[0256] The first apparatus 600 may further include at least one combined CAE determiner 610. The combined CAE determiner 610 may be configured to determine the combined CAE based on a request obtained from, for example, the apparatus of the second exemplary aspect.

[0257] The first device 600 may include a transceiver. The transceiver may be configured to represent a user equipment (eg, Figure 1 In the case of the user equipment 130), to the second device (for example, Figure 1 of LMF 110) and / or to (e.g., by Figure 1 The corresponding base station (e.g., gNB) 120-1 and / or the corresponding base station 120-2 enabled) sends a request or a positioning request to the corresponding TRP and / or receives a request or a positioning request from the second device and / or from the corresponding TRP; or when the device represents the corresponding TRP (e.g., Figure 1 In the case of TRP 120-1 or TRP 120-2), a request or a positioning request is sent to the corresponding user equipment and / or a request or a positioning request is received from the corresponding user equipment.

[0258] Figure 7 A first device 700 (eg, Figure 1 The second device 700 includes a communication interface 704. The communication interface 704 may include at least one antenna. Additionally or alternatively, the communication interface 704 may correspond to a communication network (e.g., Figure 1 The second device 700 also includes at least one main memory 703 and / or at least one program memory 702. Instructions of the exemplary aspects may be stored on the main memory 703 and / or the program memory 702. The second device 700 may also include at least one processor 701.

[0259] The second device 700 may further include at least one positioning determiner 710. The positioning determiner 710 may be configured to determine the positioning of the user equipment and / or the TRP (eg, the corresponding device of the first exemplary aspect).

[0260] The second device 700 may include a transceiver. The transceiver may be configured to transmit data to the first device (eg, Figure 1 130) and / or receiving a request or positioning request from the first device, and / or to (e.g., by Figure 1 The corresponding base station (e.g., gNB) 120-1 and / or the corresponding base station 120-2 enabled) sends a request or a positioning request to the corresponding TRP and / or receives a request or a positioning request from the corresponding TRP.

[0261] The program memory 602 and / or main memory 603 of the corresponding device 600 and / or device 700, and / or the program memory 702 and / or the main memory 703 may include a random access memory (RAM) and / or a read-only memory (ROM). The program memory 602 and / or the main memory 603, and / or the program memory 702 and / or the main memory 703 may include at least one RAM chip, and / or at least one ROM chip, and / or at least one flash memory chip. The program memory 602 and / or the main memory 603, and / or the program memory 702 and / or the main memory 703 may include, for example, a solid-state memory, a magnetic memory, and / or an optical memory. The program memory 602 and / or the main memory 603, and / or the program memory 702 and / or the main memory 703 may be at least partially accessible to the corresponding at least one processor 601 or processor 701. The program memory 602 and / or the main memory 603, and / or the program memory 702 and / or the main memory 703 may be at least partially included in the corresponding at least one processor 601 or processor 701. The program memory 602 and / or the main memory 603, and / or the program memory 702 and / or the main memory 703 may be at least partially located outside the corresponding device 600 or device 700. The program memory 602 and / or the main memory 603, and / or the program memory 702 and / or the main memory 703 may include instructions that the corresponding at least one processor 601 or processor 701 is configured to execute. Instructions for performing certain actions may be stored in the program memory 602 and / or the main memory 603, and / or the program memory 702 and / or the main memory 703, so that the corresponding device 600 or device 700 utilizes the corresponding at least one processor 601 or processor 701 to perform these actions.

[0262] Figure 8 is a schematic illustration of examples of tangible and / or non-transitory computer-readable storage media including instructions for performing actions according to example embodiments of the present invention, such as a flash memory 800, which can be, for example, soldered or glued to a printed circuit board, a solid-state drive (SSD) 801 including multiple memory chips (e.g., flash memory chips), a magnetic hard drive 802, a secure digital (SD) card 803, a universal serial bus (USB) memory stick 804, an optical storage medium 805 (such as, for example, a CD-ROM or DVD), and a magnetic storage medium 806.

[0263] The following embodiments should also be considered disclosed:

[0264] Embodiment 1:

[0265] A method, for example performed by a user equipment or a TRP, comprising:

[0266] - obtaining a request to measure at least a combined carrier aggregation error (CAE) of one or more component carriers (CCs) configured for an apparatus in a mobile communication network, wherein the combined CAE indicates a total amount of one or more errors caused by at least one of a transmission error, a reception error, or a processing of the one or more CCs;

[0267] - based on the request, obtaining at least one of one or more positioning reference signals (PRS) or one or more sounding reference signals (SRS) of the one or more CCs;

[0268] - determining a combined CAE based at least in part on at least one of the obtained one or more PRSs or one or more SRSs; and

[0269] -Provide the determined combined CAE.

[0270] Embodiment 2:

[0271] The method according to embodiment 1, wherein the combined CAE is a measure of error associated with received signal time difference (RSTD) measurements over multiple CCs.

[0272] Embodiment 3:

[0273] The method according to embodiment 1 or embodiment 2, wherein the request indicates at least one or more CCs.

[0274] Embodiment 4:

[0275] The method according to any one of the preceding embodiments, wherein the request is also for CC ranking, wherein the apparatus further comprises:

[0276] - determining a CC ranking indicating a weight of the one or more CCs, wherein the CC ranking is determined based on at least one of the obtained one or more PRSs or one or more SRSs.

[0277] Embodiment 5:

[0278] The method according to embodiment 4, wherein the combined CAE is determined based on the CC ranking and at least one of a transmission error or a reception error of the corresponding CC.

[0279] Embodiment 6:

[0280] The method according to any preceding embodiment, wherein the request is comprised by or is accompanied by LPP assistance data.

[0281] Embodiment 7:

[0282] The method according to any of the preceding embodiments, wherein the request is also for measuring at least one of one or more positioning measurements (PM) or one or more received signal time differences (RSTD), wherein the method further comprises:

[0283] - A component for determining at least one of one or more PMs or one or more RSTDs based at least in part on: a corresponding PM for a specific CC among one or more CCs for which at least one of one or more PRSs or one or more SRSs is obtained, or a corresponding RSTD for a specific CC among one or more CCs for which at least one of one or more PRSs or one or more SRSs is obtained.

[0284] Embodiment 8:

[0285] A method according to embodiment 7, wherein a corresponding PM of the one or more PMs is represented by a timing measurement.

[0286] Embodiment 9:

[0287] The method according to any one of embodiments 7 to 8, wherein the combined CAE is determined based on weights of corresponding CCs in the one or more CCs and one or more PMs or one or more RSTDs.

[0288] Embodiment 10:

[0289] A method performed by a LMF, the method comprising:

[0290] - sending a request for measuring at least a combined carrier aggregation error (CAE) of one or more component carriers (CCs), the one or more CCs being configured for a user equipment or a transmission and reception point (TRP) in a mobile communication network, wherein the combined CAE indicates a total amount of one or more errors caused by at least one of a transmission error, a reception error, or a processing of the one or more CCs;

[0291] - obtain a combined CAE; and

[0292] -Determining the positioning of at least one of the user equipment or the TRP based at least in part on the obtained combined CAE.

[0293] Embodiment 11:

[0294] The method according to embodiment 10 further includes:

[0295] - providing a positioning request, the positioning request comprising at least one of a transmit (Tx) timing error of a CC by one or more CCs, or a combined Tx CAE.

[0296] Embodiment 12:

[0297] The method according to embodiment 10 or embodiment 11 further includes:

[0298] - Obtaining a positioning report indicating at least one of a Tx timing error by CC in one or more CCs, or a combined Tx CAE.

[0299] Embodiment 13:

[0300] The method according to any one of embodiments 10 to 12, further comprising:

[0301] -Provide at least one of Tx timing error or combined Tx CAE to at least one of the user equipment or TRP.

[0302] Embodiment 14:

[0303] The method according to any one of embodiments 10 to 13, wherein the request indicates one or more CCs.

[0304] Embodiment 15:

[0305] The method according to any one of embodiments 10 to 14, wherein the request is also for CC ranking, wherein the method further comprises:

[0306] - Obtaining a CC ranking indicating a weighting of one or more CCs.

[0307] Embodiment 16:

[0308] The method according to any one of embodiments 10 to 15, wherein the request is comprised by or is accompanied by LPP assistance data.

[0309] Embodiment 17:

[0310] The method according to any one of embodiments 10 to 16, wherein the request is also for measuring at least one of one or more positioning measurements (PM) or one or more received signal time differences (RSTD), wherein the method further comprises:

[0311] - Obtain one or more PMs or one or more RSTDs.

[0312] Embodiment 18:

[0313] The method according to any one of embodiments 15 to 17, further comprising:

[0314] - Based at least in part on the obtained CC ranking, determining one or more parameters for one or more LPP sessions served by the device.

[0315] Embodiment 19:

[0316] A first device comprises corresponding components for executing the method of any one of embodiments 1 to 9.

[0317] Embodiment 20:

[0318] A first device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device at least executes and / or controls the method according to any one of embodiments 1 to 9.

[0319] Embodiment 21:

[0320] A second device comprises corresponding components for executing the method of any one of embodiments 10 to 18.

[0321] Embodiment 22:

[0322] A second device comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device at least executes and / or controls the method according to any one of embodiments 10 to 18.

[0323] Embodiment 23:

[0324] A computer program which, when executed by a processor, causes a device (e.g., a device according to any one of embodiments 19 to 22) to perform and / or control the actions and / or steps of the method of any one of embodiments 1 to 18.

[0325] Embodiment 24:

[0326] A computer program product comprises the computer program according to embodiment 23.

[0327] Embodiment 25:

[0328] A system comprising:

[0329] At least one first device according to any of embodiments 19 or 20; and

[0330] At least one second device according to any of embodiments 21 or 22.

[0331] In this specification, any connection presented in the described embodiments should be understood in a manner that the components involved are operatively coupled. Therefore, the connection may be direct or indirect, with any number of intermediate elements or any combination of intermediate elements, and there may be only a functional relationship between the components.

[0332] In addition, any methods, processes, and actions described or illustrated herein may be implemented using executable instructions in a general purpose processor or a special purpose processor, and the executable instructions are stored on a computer readable storage medium (e.g., disk, memory, etc.) for execution by such a processor. References to "computer readable storage medium" should be understood to cover special purpose circuits such as FPGAs, ASICs, signal processing devices, and other devices.

[0333] The expression "A and / or B" is considered to include any of the following three scenarios: (i) A, (ii) B, (iii) A and B. The expression "at least one of A or B" having the same meaning as the expression "A and / or B" may be used herein. In addition, the article "a" should not be understood as "one", that is, the use of the expression "element" does not exclude the presence of other elements. The term "comprising" should be understood in an open sense, that is, in a way that the object of "comprising element A" may include other elements in addition to element A.

[0334] It should be understood that all presented embodiments are exemplary only, and any feature presented for a particular example embodiment may be used alone with any aspect, or in combination with any feature presented for the same or another particular example embodiment and / or in combination with any other features not mentioned. In particular, the example embodiments presented in this specification should also be understood to be disclosed in all possible combinations with each other, as long as it is technically reasonable and the example embodiments are not alternatives to each other. It should also be understood that any feature presented for an example embodiment in a particular category (method / device / computer program / system) may also be used in a corresponding manner in an example embodiment of any other category. It should also be understood that the presence of a feature in the presented example embodiment does not necessarily mean that the feature forms a necessary feature and cannot be omitted or replaced.

[0335] The statement that a feature comprises at least one subsequently enumerated feature does not necessarily require that the feature comprises all subsequently enumerated features, or at least one of a plurality of subsequently enumerated features. Furthermore, the enumerated features may be selected in any combination, or only one of the enumerated features may be selected. Specific combinations of all subsequently enumerated features are also conceivable. Furthermore, a plurality of only one of the enumerated features is possible.

[0336] The order of all method steps presented above is not mandatory, and alternative orders are also possible. Nevertheless, the specific order of method steps exemplarily shown in the figures should be regarded as a possible order of method steps for the corresponding embodiments described by the corresponding figures.

[0337] The subject matter has been described above by way of example embodiments. It should be noted that there are alternatives and variations that are obvious to those skilled in the art and may be implemented without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A device comprising: - means for obtaining a request for measuring at least a combined carrier aggregation error, CAE, of one or more component carriers, CC, configured for the apparatus in a mobile communication network, wherein the combined CAE indicates a total amount of one or more errors caused by at least one of a transmission error, a reception error, or a processing of the one or more CCs; - means for obtaining at least one of one or more positioning reference signals PRS or one or more sounding reference signals SRS of the one or more CCs based on the request; - means for determining the combined CAE based at least in part on at least one of the obtained one or more PRSs or the one or more SRSs; and - means for providing said combined CAE determined.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the combined CAE is a measure of error associated with received signal time difference (RSTD) measurements over multiple CCs.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the request indicates at least the one or more CCs.

4. The apparatus according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the request is also for CC ranking, wherein the apparatus further comprises: - means for determining the CC ranking indicating a weighting of the one or more CCs, wherein the CC ranking is determined based on at least one of the obtained one or more PRSs or the one or more SRSs. 5 . The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the combined CAE is determined based on the CC ranking and at least one of the transmission error or the reception error of a corresponding CC.

6. An apparatus according to any preceding claim, wherein the request is comprised by or is accompanied by LPP assistance data.

7. The apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the request is also for measuring at least one of one or more positioning measurements PM or one or more received signal time differences RSTD, wherein the apparatus further comprises: - A component for determining at least one of the one or more PMs or the one or more RSTDs based at least in part on: a corresponding PM of a specific CC among the one or more CCs for which at least one of the one or more PRSs or the one or more SRSs is obtained, or a corresponding RSTD of a specific CC among the one or more CCs for which at least one of the one or more PRSs or the one or more SRSs is obtained.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein a corresponding PM of the one or more PMs is represented by a timing measurement. 9 . The apparatus according to claim 7 , wherein the combined CAE is determined based on the weights of corresponding CCs in the one or more CCs and the one or more PMs or the one or more RSTDs.

10. An apparatus according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the apparatus is a user equipment or a transmission and reception point TRP.

11. An apparatus comprising: - means for sending a request for measuring at least a combined carrier aggregation error, CAE, of one or more component carriers, CC, configured for a user equipment or a transmission and reception point, TRP, in a mobile communication network, wherein the combined CAE indicates a total amount of one or more errors caused by at least one of a transmission error, a reception error, or a processing of the one or more CCs; - means for obtaining said combined CAE; as well as -Components for determining the positioning of at least one of the user equipment or the TRP based at least in part on the obtained combined CAE.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, further comprising: - means for providing a positioning request, the positioning request comprising at least one of a CC-by-CC transmit Tx timing error or a combined Tx CAE of the one or more CCs.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 or claim 12, further comprising: - Means for obtaining a positioning report, the positioning report indicating at least one of the Tx timing error per CC, or the combined Tx CAE of the one or more CCs.

14. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 13, further comprising: -A component for providing at least one of the Tx timing error or the combined TxCAE to at least one of the user equipment or the TRP.

15. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the request indicates the one or more CCs.

16. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the request is also for CC ranking, wherein the apparatus further comprises: - means for obtaining said CC ranking indicating a weighting of said one or more CCs.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the request is comprised by or is accompanied by LPP assistance data.

18. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the request is also for measuring at least one of one or more positioning measurements PM or one or more received signal time differences RSTD, wherein the apparatus further comprises: - means for obtaining said one or more PMs or said one or more RSTDs.

19. The device according to any one of claims 16 to 18, further comprising: - means for determining one or more parameters for one or more LPP sessions served by the device based at least in part on the obtained CC ranking.

20. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the apparatus is a location management function LMF of a base station or is a part of the LMF of the base station.

21. A method comprising: - obtaining a request for measuring at least a combined carrier aggregation error (CAE) of one or more component carriers (CC), the one or more CCs being configured for use in an apparatus in a mobile communication network, wherein the combined CAE indicates a total combined CAE caused by at least one of a transmission error, a reception error, or a processing error of the one or more CCs; - based on the request, obtaining at least one of one or more positioning reference signals PRS or one or more sounding reference signals SRS of the one or more CCs; - determining the combined CAE based at least in part on the obtained at least one of the one or more PRSs or the one or more SRSs; and - providing said determined combined CAE.

22. A method comprising: - sending a request for measuring at least a combined carrier aggregation error (CAE) of one or more component carriers (CC), the one or more CCs being configured for a user equipment or a TRP in a mobile communication network, wherein the combined CAE indicates a total combined CAE caused by at least one of a transmission error, a reception error, or a processing error of the one or more CCs; - obtaining said combined CAE; and -Determining the positioning of at least one of the user equipment or the transmission and reception point TRP based at least in part on the obtained combined CAE.

23. A computer program which, when executed by a processor, causes an apparatus to perform and / or control the actions and / or steps of the method according to any one of claims 21 or 22.

24. A system comprising: - at least one first device comprising: - means for obtaining a request for measuring at least a combined carrier aggregation error, CAE, of one or more component carriers, CC, configured for the at least one first device in the mobile communication network, wherein the combined CAE indicates an overall combined CAE caused by at least one of a transmission error, a reception error, or a processing of the one or more CCs; - means for obtaining at least one of one or more positioning reference signals PRS or one or more sounding reference signals (SRS) of the one or more CCs based on the request; - means for determining the combined CAE based at least in part on at least one of the obtained one or more PRSs or the one or more SRSs; and - providing said determined combined CAE; and - at least one second device comprising: - means for sending a request for measuring at least a combined carrier aggregation error, CAE, of one or more component carriers, CC, configured for the at least one first device in the mobile communication network, wherein the combined CAE indicates an overall combined CAE caused by at least one of a transmission error, a reception error, or a processing of the one or more CCs; - means for obtaining said combined CAE; and - means for determining a positioning of said at least one first device based at least in part on said obtained combined CAE.

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