Method, apparatus, and computer program

Abstract

There is provided an apparatus comprising means for sending a request message to one or more network nodes. The request message includes a request for channel information related to one or more communication links of the one or more second user equipments. The apparatus comprises means for determining a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link of the first user equipment based on the channel information. The apparatus comprises means for sending a first signaling configuration to a first user equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to a method, an apparatus, and a computer program, in particular but not limited to a communication system. More specifically, the present application relates to a method, an apparatus, and a signaling configuration in a computer program for on-demand positioning. Background Art

[0002] A communication system may be viewed as a facility that enables communication sessions between two or more entities (such as user terminals, base stations, and / or other nodes) by providing carrier waves between the various entities involved in the communication path. For example, a communication system may be provided by means of a communication network and one or more compatible communication devices. A communication session may include, for example, communications of data for carrying communications, such as voice, video, electronic mail (email), text messages, multimedia, and / or content data, etc. Non-limiting examples of the services provided include two-way or multi-way calls, data communications, or multimedia services, and access to data network systems (such as the Internet).

[0003] In a wireless communication system, at least part of a communication session between at least two stations occurs over a wireless link. Examples of wireless systems include public land mobile networks (PLMNs), satellite-based communication systems, and different wireless local area networks, such as wireless local area networks (WLANs). Some wireless systems can be divided into cells and are therefore often referred to as cellular systems.

[0004] A user may access a communication system by means of an appropriate communication device or terminal. The user's communication device may be referred to as a user equipment (UE) or user device. The communication device is equipped with appropriate signal receiving and sending means for enabling communication, such as enabling access to a communication network or communicating directly with other users. The communication device may access a carrier provided by a station (e.g., a base station of a cell) and send and / or receive communications on the carrier.

[0005] A communication system and associated equipment typically operate according to a given standard or specification, which specifies what the various entities associated with the system are allowed to do and how it should be achieved. The communication protocols and / or parameters used for the connection are also typically defined. An example of a communication system is UTRAN (3G radio). Other examples of communication systems are the Long Term Evolution (LTE) of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) radio access technology, and the so-called 5G or New Radio (NR) networks. NR is being standardized by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Summary of the invention

[0006] According to a first aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for sending a request message to one or more network nodes, the request message comprising: a request for channel information related to one or more communication links of one or more second user equipments; and a component for determining a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link of a first user equipment based on the channel information; and a component for sending the first signaling configuration to the first user equipment.

[0007] According to some examples, the apparatus includes: a component for determining one or more second signaling configurations associated with one or more communication links of one or more second user devices, and a component for sending the one or more second signaling configurations to the one or more second user devices.

[0008] According to some examples, the first signaling configuration and the one or more second signaling configurations are configured for the same one or more radio resources.

[0009] According to some examples, a first signaling configuration includes: signal transformation of a transmitted signal and / or received signal of a first user device, and one or more second signaling configurations include: signal transformation of a transmitted and / or received signal of one or more second user devices, and the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration are arranged to minimize interference between a positioning link of the first user device and one or more communication links of the second user device.

[0010] According to some examples, the first signaling configuration includes: a first precoder matrix and / or a first combining matrix, and one or more second signaling configurations include: a second precoder matrix or a second combining matrix.

[0011] According to some examples, the channel information includes one or more of: channel state information; channel impulse response; channel frequency response.

[0012] According to some examples, the apparatus further includes a component for determining location information of the first user equipment, and a component for determining one or more network nodes using the location information.

[0013] According to some examples, the location information includes one or more of: serving beam information; cell sector information; information of the distance to the cell edge.

[0014] According to some examples, one or more second user devices are close to a first user device, wherein the one or more second user devices are considered to be close if the one or more second user devices satisfy one or more of the following items: share a service beam with the first user device; have a service beam adjacent to the service beam of the first user device; and are located in an adjacent cell sector of the first user device.

[0015] According to some examples, the apparatus includes means for receiving a location request for a first user equipment served by a network node.

[0016] According to some examples, the first signaling configuration is sent directly to the first user equipment, and the second signaling configuration is sent directly or via the first network node and the second network node, respectively, to one or more second user equipments.

[0017] According to some examples, the component includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions to be executed by the processor.

[0018] According to some examples, the apparatus includes location management functionality.

[0019] According to a second aspect, a device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by the at least one processor, the device at least performs: sending a request message to one or more network nodes, the request message comprising: a request for channel information related to one or more communication links of one or more second user equipments; determining a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link of a first user equipment based on the channel information; and sending the first signaling configuration to the first user equipment.

[0020] According to a third aspect, a method is provided, comprising: sending a request message to one or more network nodes, the request message comprising: a request for channel information related to one or more communication links of one or more second user equipment; based on the channel information, determining a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link of a first user equipment; and sending the first signaling configuration to the first user equipment.

[0021] According to some examples, the method includes determining one or more second signaling configurations associated with one or more communication links of one or more second user devices, and sending the one or more second signaling configurations to the one or more second user devices.

[0022] According to some examples, the first signaling configuration and the one or more second signaling configurations are configured for the same one or more radio resources.

[0023] According to some examples, a first signaling configuration includes: signal transformation of a transmitted signal and / or received signal of a first user device, and one or more second signaling configurations include: signal transformation of a transmitted and / or received signal of one or more second user devices, and the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration are arranged to minimize interference between a positioning link of the first user device and one or more communication links of the second user device.

[0024] According to some examples, the first signaling configuration includes: a first precoder matrix and / or a first combining matrix, and one or more second signaling configurations include: a second precoder matrix or a second combining matrix.

[0025] According to some examples, the channel information includes one or more of: channel state information; channel impulse response; channel frequency response.

[0026] According to some examples, the method includes determining location information of a first user equipment, and using the location information to determine one or more network nodes.

[0027] According to some examples, the location information includes one or more of: serving beam information; cell sector information; information of the distance to the cell edge.

[0028] According to some examples, one or more second user devices are close to a first user device, wherein the one or more second user devices are considered to be close if the one or more second user devices satisfy one or more of the following items: share a service beam with the first user device; have a service beam adjacent to the service beam of the first user device; and are located in an adjacent cell sector of the first user device.

[0029] According to some examples, the method includes receiving a location request for a first user equipment served by a network node.

[0030] According to some examples, the first signaling configuration is sent directly to the first user equipment, and the second signaling configuration is sent directly or via the first network node and the second network node, respectively, to one or more second user equipments.

[0031] According to some examples, the method is performed by a location management function.

[0032] According to a fourth aspect, a computer program is provided, comprising instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following items: sending a request message to one or more network nodes, the request message comprising: a request for channel information related to one or more communication links of one or more second user equipment; based on the channel information, determining a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link of a first user equipment; and sending the first signaling configuration to the first user equipment.

[0033] According to a fifth aspect, a computer program is provided, which includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to perform at least the following items: sending a request message to one or more network nodes, the request message including: a request for channel information related to one or more communication links of one or more second user equipment; based on the channel information, determining a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link of a first user equipment; and sending the first signaling configuration to the first user equipment.

[0034] According to a sixth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following items: sending a request message to one or more network nodes, the request message including: a request for channel information related to one or more communication links of one or more second user equipment; based on the channel information, determining a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link of a first user equipment; and sending the first signaling configuration to the first user equipment.

[0035] According to the seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions stored thereon, and the program instructions are used to perform at least the following items: sending a request message to one or more network nodes, the request message including: a request for channel information related to one or more communication links of one or more second user equipment; based on the channel information, determining a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link of a first user equipment; and sending the first signaling configuration to the first user equipment.

[0036] According to an eighth aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for receiving a request for channel information of one or more user equipment served by the device from a network node; a component for generating channel information of one or more user equipment in response to receiving the request; a component for sending the channel information to the network node; and a component for receiving information about a signaling configuration to be adopted by one or more user equipment served by the device from the network node.

[0037] According to some examples, the apparatus includes: a component for sending signaling configuration information to one or more user equipments.

[0038] According to some examples, signaling configuration includes: signal transformation of a transmitted signal and / or a received signal of one or more user equipments served by the apparatus.

[0039] According to some examples, the signaling configuration includes information of a precoder matrix and / or a combining matrix to be applied by one or more user equipments.

[0040] According to some examples, the apparatus further comprises means for sending an acknowledgment to the network node acknowledging receipt of the precoder matrix and / or combining matrix, the acknowledgment comprising information on how many time slots the precoding and / or combining matrix will be valid.

[0041] According to some examples, the device includes: a component for reporting one or more of the following items to a network node in an information element in response to receiving the request: channel information; identification information of one or more user devices served by the device; information on a link type between the device and one or more user devices served by the device, the link type including a positioning link or a communication link; and information on precoding capabilities.

[0042] According to some examples, the information element is sent as part of NRPPa signaling.

[0043] According to some examples, sending the channel information includes sending differential channel information.

[0044] According to some examples, the network node includes a location management function.

[0045] According to some examples, the component includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions to be executed by the processor.

[0046] According to some examples, the apparatus includes a base station.

[0047] According to a ninth aspect, a device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to at least perform: receiving a request for channel information of one or more user equipment served by the device from a network node; generating channel information of one or more user equipment in response to receiving the request; sending the channel information to the network node; and receiving information on a signaling configuration to be adopted by one or more user equipment served by the device from the network node.

[0048] According to the tenth aspect, a method is provided, comprising: receiving a request for channel information of one or more user equipment served by a device from a network node; generating channel information of one or more user equipment in response to receiving the request; sending the channel information to the network node; and receiving information on a signaling configuration to be adopted by one or more user equipment served by the device from the network node.

[0049] According to some examples, the method includes: sending signaling configuration information to one or more user equipments.

[0050] According to some examples, signaling configuration includes: signal transformation of a transmitted signal and / or a received signal of one or more user equipments served by the apparatus.

[0051] According to some examples, the signaling configuration includes information of a precoder matrix and / or a combining matrix to be applied by one or more user equipments.

[0052] According to some examples, the method includes sending an acknowledgement to the network node confirming receipt of the precoder matrix and / or combining matrix, the acknowledgement including information about how many time slots the precoding and / or combining matrix will be valid.

[0053] According to some examples, the method includes: in response to receiving the request, reporting one or more of the following items to the network node in an information element: channel information; identification information of one or more user equipment served by the device; information on the link type between the device and one or more user equipment served by the device, the link type including a positioning link or a communication link; information on precoding capabilities.

[0054] According to some examples, the information element is sent as part of NRPPa signaling.

[0055] According to some examples, sending the channel information includes sending differential channel information.

[0056] According to some examples, the network node includes a location management function.

[0057] According to some examples, the method is performed by a base station.

[0058] According to an eleventh aspect, a computer program is provided, comprising instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following items: receiving a request for channel information of one or more user equipment served by the apparatus from a network node; generating channel information of one or more user equipment in response to receiving the request; sending the channel information to the network node; and receiving information on a signaling configuration to be adopted by one or more user equipment served by the apparatus from the network node.

[0059] According to the twelfth aspect, a computer program is provided, which includes instructions stored thereon, and the instructions are used to perform at least the following items: receiving a request for channel information of one or more user equipment served by the device from a network node; generating channel information of one or more user equipment in response to receiving the request; sending the channel information to the network node; receiving information of a signaling configuration to be adopted by one or more user equipment served by the device from the network node.

[0060] According to the thirteenth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following items: receiving a request for channel information of one or more user equipment served by the apparatus from a network node; generating channel information of one or more user equipment in response to receiving the request; sending the channel information to the network node; and receiving information on a signaling configuration to be adopted by one or more user equipment served by the apparatus from the network node.

[0061] According to a fourteenth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions stored thereon, and the program instructions are used to perform at least the following items: receiving a request for channel information of one or more user equipment served by the device from a network node; generating channel information of one or more user equipment in response to receiving the request; sending the channel information to the network node; and receiving information on a signaling configuration to be adopted by one or more user equipment served by the device from the network node.

[0062] According to the fifteenth aspect, a device is provided, comprising: a component for receiving a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link associated with the device, and a component for receiving a second signaling configuration related to a communication link associated with another device, the communication link using a common resource subset with the device; and a component for determining an interference management technology to be performed by the device using the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration by evaluating the quality of the positioning link relative to the communication link.

[0063] According to some examples, a component for determining an interference cancellation technique to be performed using a first signaling configuration and a second signaling configuration is configured to: determine the interference cancellation technique to be performed using the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration in response to determining that the received signaling configuration does not produce sufficient improvement in the quality of the positioning link, the interference cancellation technique including: removing the impact on the communication link from the positioning link.

[0064] According to some examples, the first signaling configuration includes: a precoding matrix for a positioning link of the apparatus, and the second signaling configuration includes: a precoding matrix for a communication link associated with the device, and the interference cancellation technique includes: performing interference cancellation of the communication link.

[0065] According to some examples, interference management techniques include one or more of: interference cancellation; interference suppression.

[0066] According to some examples, the component includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions to be executed by the processor.

[0067] According to some examples, the apparatus includes user equipment.

[0068] According to the sixteenth aspect, a device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to at least perform: receiving a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link associated with the device, receiving a second signaling configuration related to a communication link associated with another device, the communication link and the device using a common resource subset; and determining an interference management technology to be performed by the device using the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration by evaluating the quality of the positioning link relative to the communication link.

[0069] According to the seventeenth aspect, a method is provided, comprising: receiving a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link associated with an apparatus, receiving a second signaling configuration related to a communication link associated with another device, the communication link using a common resource subset with the apparatus; and determining an interference management technique to be performed by the apparatus using the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration by evaluating the quality of the positioning link relative to the communication link.

[0070] According to some examples, the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration are used to determine interference cancellation techniques to be performed. In response to determining that the received signaling configuration does not produce a sufficient improvement in the quality of the positioning link, the interference management technique includes: removing the impact on the communication link from the positioning link.

[0071] According to some examples, the first signaling configuration includes: a precoding matrix for a positioning link of the apparatus, and the second signaling configuration includes: a precoding matrix for a communication link associated with the device, and the interference management technique includes: performing interference cancellation of the communication link.

[0072] According to some examples, interference management techniques include one or more of: interference cancellation; interference suppression.

[0073] According to some examples, the method is performed by a user device.

[0074] According to the eighteenth aspect, a computer program is provided, comprising instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link associated with the apparatus, receiving a second signaling configuration related to a communication link associated with another device, the communication link and the apparatus using a common resource subset; and determining an interference management technique to be performed by the apparatus using the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration by evaluating the quality of the positioning link relative to the communication link.

[0075] According to the nineteenth aspect, a computer program is provided, comprising instructions stored thereon, the instructions being used to perform at least the following items: receiving a first signaling configuration associated with a positioning link associated with an apparatus, receiving a second signaling configuration associated with a communication link associated with another device, the communication link using a common resource subset with the apparatus; and determining an interference management technique to be performed by the apparatus using the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration by evaluating the quality of the positioning link relative to the communication link.

[0076] According to the twentieth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following items: receiving a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link associated with the apparatus, receiving a second signaling configuration related to a communication link associated with another device, the communication link and the apparatus using a common resource subset; and determining an interference management technique to be performed by the apparatus using the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration by evaluating the quality of the positioning link relative to the communication link.

[0077] According to the twenty-first aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions stored thereon, and the program instructions are used to perform at least the following items: receiving a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link associated with an apparatus, receiving a second signaling configuration related to a communication link associated with another device, and the communication link and the apparatus use a common resource subset; and determining an interference management technology to be performed by the apparatus using the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration by evaluating the quality of the positioning link relative to the communication link.

[0078] According to a twenty-second aspect, there is provided an apparatus comprising:

[0079] Means for receiving, at the apparatus, two or more signaling configuration options for interference management; means for selecting one of the configuration options; and means for reporting which of the configuration options has been selected.

[0080] According to some examples, reporting includes reporting to one or more of: a location management function; a transmission point in communication with the apparatus.

[0081] According to some examples, interference management techniques include one or more of: interference cancellation; interference suppression.

[0082] According to some examples, the component includes at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions to be executed by the processor.

[0083] According to some examples, the apparatus includes user equipment.

[0084] According to the twenty-third aspect, a device is provided, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions, which, when executed by the at least one processor, causes the device to at least perform: receiving two or more signaling configuration options for interference management at the device; selecting one of the configuration options; and reporting which of the configuration options has been selected.

[0085] According to a twenty-fourth aspect, a method is provided, comprising: receiving, at a device, two or more signaling configuration options for interference management; selecting one of the configuration options; and reporting which of the configuration options has been selected.

[0086] According to some examples, reporting includes reporting to one or more of: a location management function; a transmission point in communication with the apparatus.

[0087] According to some examples, interference management techniques include one or more of: interference cancellation; interference suppression.

[0088] According to some examples, the method is performed by a user device.

[0089] According to a twenty-fifth aspect, a computer program is provided, comprising instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following: receiving two or more signaling configuration options for interference management at the apparatus; selecting one of the configuration options; and reporting which of the configuration options has been selected.

[0090] According to a twenty-sixth aspect, there is provided a computer program comprising instructions stored thereon for performing at least the following: receiving, at a device, two or more signaling configuration options for interference management; selecting one of the configuration options; and reporting which of the configuration options has been selected.

[0091] According to the twenty-seventh aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least the following items: receiving two or more signaling configuration options for interference management at the apparatus; selecting one of the configuration options; and reporting which of the configuration options has been selected.

[0092] According to the twenty-eighth aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium is provided, which includes program instructions stored thereon, and the program instructions are used to perform at least the following items: receiving two or more signaling configuration options for interference management at a device; selecting one of the configuration options; and reporting which of the configuration options has been selected. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0093] Embodiments will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0094] Figure 1 schematically illustrates a representation of a network system according to an example embodiment;

[0095] Figure 2 The method flow according to the example is schematically shown;

[0096] Figure 3 schematically illustrates an interference alignment method according to an example;

[0097] Figure 4 schematically illustrates a representation of a network system according to an example embodiment;

[0098] Figure 5 is a signaling diagram according to an example;

[0099] Fig. 6A schematically illustrates PRB usage according to an example;

[0100] Figure 6B schematically illustrates PRB usage according to an example;

[0101] Figure 7 is a signaling diagram according to an example;

[0102] Figure 8 is a signaling diagram according to an example;

[0103] Fig. 9 shows a representation of a control device according to some examples;

[0104] Fig.10 shows a representation of a user device according to some examples;

[0105] Figures 11 to 14 is a flow chart of a method according to an example;

[0106] Fig.15 Representations of apparatuses according to some example embodiments are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0107] In the following, certain embodiments are explained with reference to a mobile communication device capable of communicating via a wireless cellular system and a mobile communication system serving such a mobile communication device.

[0108] The present invention relates to positioning. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to UE positioning in a telecommunications network. For example, the present disclosure relates to determining the position or location of one or more UEs. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to "enhanced positioning" recognized in 3GPP RAN. In addition, the present disclosure also relates to enhancements in network efficiency related to on-demand PRS (positioning reference signal) transmission, which is specified in Rel-17 WID (work item description):

[0109] “Specify on-demand transmission and reception of DL PRS for DL ​​and DL+UL positioning based on UE and UE-assisted positioning technology solutions, including: [RAN2, RAN1, RAN3]

[0110] ○ UE initiated request for on-demand DL PRS transmission;

[0111] ○LMF (network) initiated request for on-demand DL PRS transmission;"

[0112] The concept of PRS on demand states that PRS is only sent in the direction where there is at least one UE that will receive and process the PRS to derive the UE's position (at the UE itself, referred to as "UE-based" positioning; or at the network side after UE measurements are reported to the network, referred to as "UE-assisted" positioning). PRS on demand also specifies that if the UE requires stronger PRS signal reception (e.g., for higher accuracy), the network can provide more PRS resources (e.g., increased bandwidth and / or increased PRS opportunity period) to a specified area. PRS on demand has been agreed in Rel-17 (see [TS37.355, V17.0]) and is expected to play a role in Rel-19 and enhanced positioning discussions.

[0113] The function of On-Demand PRS (ODPRS) is to enable more flexible positioning sessions for target UEs. This improves resource utilization because ODPRS should be configured according to the positioning QoS (delay, accuracy) and channel conditions of each UE.

[0114] Thus, to fully realize its potential in terms of spectral efficiency and positioning Quality of Service (QoS), ODPRS resource allocation needs to be completely flexible in terms of which resources to use in a session, how often to use them, and how much to use. Under current specifications, this flexibility may be difficult to achieve in practice because, so far, positioning resources have been separated from communication resources (with reduced priority), and as a result, the spectral availability for positioning is severely limited. To overcome or mitigate this limitation, the present disclosure identifies the need for a framework that allows:

[0115] - Merging positioning and communication resources into the same common pool.

[0116] - A coordination scheme among network entities that need to access the above pool for different purposes.

[0117] For example, some resources can be used for communication while other resources can be used for positioning,

[0118] without reducing the priority of one service relative to the other.

[0119] As a further explanation, consider Figure 1 the scenario that shows a long-range or remote transmission reception point (TRP) with index j, i.e., TRP(j) 102, which has been configured to send ODPRS(j) to the target UE(0) 104 at time instance N. In this example, j = 1:j, where J is the total number of TRPs of the target UE(0). In this example, through message exchange between the target UE(0) 104 and the LMF 106, the transmission configuration is finally determined before the actual transmission, i.e., during time instance P < N.

[0120] At the same time instance N, UE(1) 108 can be served by gNB(1) 110 in UL / DL on the same physical resource block (PRB) (referred to as PRB(j)) as ODPRS(j). This can be because gNB(1) 108 is not involved in the positioning session of UE(0) 104, and thus, according to the current standard, no network entity has notified gNB(1) 110 that the foreign UE(1) 104 is receiving ODPRS(j) in the same frequency band. From the perspective of gNB(1) 110, PRB(j) is available for use and can thus be allocated. When this happens, the data link of UE(1) 108 degrades the reception quality of ODPRS at UE(0) 104 because the signal of the former is much stronger than that of the latter.

[0121] A conservative approach to alleviating this problem is to reserve PRB(j) in several (possibly dozens of) cells and keep all cells silent when sending ODPRS. This can be harmful to network spectral efficiency and latency for the following reasons:

[0122] - Spectral efficiency impact: Due to the long-range nature of ODPRS, resources should be reserved among dozens of cells, not just among a reduced set of neighbors (as in typical frequency reuse schemes used in traditional network planning).

[0123] - Delay impact: The target UE (0) 104 needs to wait to receive and measure ODPRS from dozens of TRPs. To avoid long waits, many adjacent PRBs will eventually be reserved for on-demand positioning purposes. However, this strategy is neither feasible nor likely in practice, as it means that all cells need to prioritize the positioning of other UEs rather than the data traffic of their own UEs.

[0124] Therefore, in order to fully realize the potential of ODPRS-based positioning, the present disclosure identifies the need to redefine the current positioning framework to enable joint use of communication and positioning resources. Such a framework can enable flexible and fast on-demand positioning sessions customized for each individual UE.

[0125] The present disclosure proposes a Rel.19 coordination framework for full spectrum reuse between data communication and positioning without deprioritizing one service relative to the other. The proposed framework involves acquiring and exchanging (unidirectional or bidirectional) target channel state information (T-CSI) for different link types, where the T-CSI is subsequently used to achieve or determine (unidirectional or bidirectional) interference alignment (IA) between the link types so that the same resources can be used for positioning and communication simultaneously.

[0126] According to some examples, the link type refers to one or both of the following:

[0127] 1. Communication link (CL), such as UL, DL, or sidelink (SL) traffic

[0128] 2. Positioning sidelinks. For example, on-demand positioning links (OPL), such as ODPRS transmissions.

[0129] To enable full spectrum reuse without degrading the quality of service (QoS) of one service relative to another, the location management function (LMF) triggers IA-based positioning communication (e.g., OPL-CL) coordination, through which the {CL, OPL} link sets are spatially separated. For example, the links can be spatially separated through intelligent precoding and / or combining.

[0130] According to some examples, to obtain or achieve IA, the LMF implements Figure 2 is schematically shown in FIG. 1 and is described below with respect to Figure 1The steps are described in more detail by way of example. It should be understood that a user equipment (UE) may also be referred to as a user device. A gNB may also be referred to as a base station or a network node.

[0131] In this example, at S201, LMF 106 receives a positioning request. For example, LMF 106 receives a positioning request of UE(0)104 served by gNB(0)112 (see Figure 1 ). In this example, UE(0)104 can be regarded as a target UE. In this example, UE(0)104 can be regarded as a first user equipment and gNB(0)112 can be regarded as a first base station or a first network node. Using the serving cell information, LMF 106 obtains channel information and location information of UE(0)104. In some examples, the channel information includes one or more of the following items: channel state information (CSI); channel impulse response (CIR); channel frequency response (CFR). In some examples, the location information includes: coarse or approximate location information. In some examples, "coarse positioning" (cl-loc) refers to any one or more or a combination of the following items: serving beam information; cell sector; distance to the cell edge, etc. According to some examples, the positioning request is initiated by an application that requires the service. The application can reside in the network or in the UE itself.

[0132] At S202, LMF 106 requests UE channel information reporting. For example, using cl-loc, LMF 106 requires neighboring gNBs (such as gNB (1) 110) to report channel information about nearby UEs (if any), such as CSI of UE (1) 108. According to an example, the channel information includes one or more of the following items: CSI; CIR; CFR. According to some examples, "nearby UEs" are defined as UEs that are close enough to the target UE (0) 104 so that they meet one or more of the following items:

[0133] a. Sharing the same service beam,

[0134] b. Their service beams are adjacent,

[0135] c. They are located in adjacent cell sectors, etc.

[0136] For example, the LMF 106 may send a request in a new information element (IE). The new IE may include (cl-loc, target UEID, e.g., the ID of UE(0)104). The new IE may also contain information of the preferred operator. The new IE may also contain bandwidth (BW) information of the channel information that needs to be reported. In some examples, the new IE is sent via the NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa). It should be noted that this does not incur additional signaling overhead, as the proposed new IE may be part of the existing NRPPa TRP information exchange process (see TS38.455 Section 8.2.8). For example, the new IE may be part of a "TRP Information Request / Response Pair", as a structure per UEID:

[0137] ○Cloc-info, such as serving gNB, serving beam

[0138] ○Cloc-carrier

[0139] ○Cloc-bw.

[0140] It should be noted that both "cl-loc" and "cloc" refer to "coarse positioning" and can be used interchangeably. "Cloc-bw" is related to the bandwidth (bw) used by the UE in the same coarse positioning. In this regard, for example, BW can be considered a type of cl-loc INFO.

[0141] According to an example, at S203, each gNB retrieves and reports a list of related UEs to LMF 104, and LMF 104 receives the list of related UEs retrieved by each gNB. For example, each of gNB (0) 112 and gNB (1) 110 may report related UEs supported by each of the corresponding gNBs. In this example, gNB (1) 110 may be referred to as a second network node, and UE (1) 108 may be regarded as a second user equipment. In some examples, the list of related UEs is sent in a new information element and includes the following information:

[0142] a.UE ID (e.g., gNB(1)110 may provide the ID of UE(1)108).

[0143] b.CL type (UL, DL or SL),

[0144] c. Precoding capability (type, codebook, etc.):

[0145] i.Analog / digital / hybrid

[0146] ii. Codebook, e.g. Type I or Type II - see 3GPP TS 38.214 for examples.

[0147] d. CSI of each CL. CSI can be expressed as:

[0148] i. The channel impulse response (CIR) of the CL is organized as a list of pairs (gain, delay), where each pair indicates the gain of the multipath component arriving at the receiver with the corresponding delay.

[0149] ii. Channel frequency response (CFR) in corresponding carrier and BW.

[0150] iii. Amplitude and delay of the main channel multipath components, etc. In some examples, this can be obtained from the estimated CIR (see i.) by selecting the strongest detected component.

[0151] In some examples, the new IE is sent via NRPPa.

[0152] It should be noted that in some examples, the definition of the CSI of the IA needs to be predefined so that all parties (e.g., UE and gNB) have a common understanding of what and how to signal. Also, in the example, this gNB response at S203 does not require signaling overhead as it can be part of the existing NRPPa TRP information exchange process.

[0153] Note that if the gNB already has a list of active UEs associated with cl-loc (e.g. recently acquired as a result of cross-link interference identification, acquired for another positioning session, etc.), the gNB may:

[0154] a) Evaluate whether the most recent CSI can also be considered valid for the current session. For example, if the time elapsed between the current session and the existing entry is less than the coherence time of the channel for each UE, the most recent CSI can be considered valid

[0155] b) The list is updated by refreshing the CSI of the UEs whose information is considered as deprecated.

[0156] c) Instead of reporting full CSI, report shortened CSI. For example, the gNB may report differential CSI. The differential CSI may contain only the change in CSI estimate compared to the last report.

[0157] At S204, LMF 106 collects reports. In an example, based on the collected reports, LMF 106 calculates signaling configurations of UE (0) 104 and UE (1) 108. In an example, the signaling configuration of UE (0) 104 may be considered as a first signaling configuration, and the signaling configuration of UE (1) 108 may be considered as a second signaling configuration. In an example, the first signaling configuration includes: signal transformation of a transmitted and / or received signal of UE (0) 104, and the second signaling configuration includes: signal transformation of a transmitted and / or received signal of UE (1) 108.

[0158] In an example, the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration are arranged by LMF 106 to minimize interference between signaling of UE(0)104 and UE(1)108. In some examples, the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration are arranged by LMF 106 to minimize interference between a positioning link of UE(0)104 and a communication link of UE(1)108.

[0159] In some examples, the first signaling configuration may include: a first precoder matrix and / or a combining matrix (PM / CM) for UE (0) 104, and the second signaling configuration may include: a second PM and / or CM for UE (1) 108. In other words, in some examples, based on the report received from the gNB, LMF 106 calculates the precoder matrix and / or combining matrix (PM / CM) for each link. In this case, the first precoder matrix and the second precoder matrix may be the same or different from each other.

[0160] In some examples, LMF 106 calculates PM / CM for each link at least for OPL and additionally / optionally for nearby CLs. According to an example, the calculation is not limited to a specific IA strategy.

[0161] At S205, LMF 106 sends each signaling configuration including the first PM / CM or the second PM / CM (or an index to the PM / CM if the precoding is codebook based) to the corresponding gNB (e.g., gNB(0)112 or gNB(1)110) and / or directly to the target UE (e.g., UE(0)104 or UE(1)108) via:

[0162] a) NRPPa new IE; and / or

[0163] b) LPP (LTE Positioning Protocol) Assistance Data New IE.

[0164] At S206, the gNB and / or transmission point and / or UE (e.g., gNB(0)112 and / or gNB(1)110 and / or TRPj102 and / or UE(0)104 and / or UE(1)108) responds to the LMF 106 with an ACK / NACK. In some examples, the ACK / NACK is sent via NRPPa in a new IE. The ACK / NACK may depend on whether the signaling configuration (e.g., precoding matrix and / or combining matrix) is applied. In the case of ACK, in some examples, the gNB also reports a validity period (VD). In some examples, the VD provides information about how many time slots the signaling configuration (e.g., PM) will be active for each link.

[0165] It will therefore be appreciated that in some examples, LMF 106 directs the UE (possibly via a gNB) to resources (e.g., PM / CM) that will have the effect of reducing interference between UE (0) 104 and UE (1) 108 (particularly reducing interference between the positioning link and the communication link).

[0166] To help understand the present disclosure, refer to Figure 3 Some aspects of Interference Alignment (IA) are discussed. The IA framework defines that in order for a set of UEs to use the same PRBs, their signals should be precoded in such a way that the signal for each user is in a subspace orthogonal to the space in which the sum of the residual signals is found, such that Figure 3 When this is done, each user can successfully decode its own data while perfectly rejecting the orthogonal signals .

[0167] To illustrate the IA concept, consider an example where a UE is receiving the sum of two signals, a desired signal X1 and an interfering signal X2. In this example, the second signal X2 is precoded with code 1j:Y=X1+jX2. Then, if we assume that signals X1 and X2 are intentionally designed to be real-valued (i.e., real number) signals, a UE receiving Y can easily recover X1 by simply discarding the imaginary part of Y, i.e. The recovery is perfect because X1 and X2 are already orthogonalized in the codes at the two transmitters. In practice, signals are transmitted over multipath wireless propagation channels, so in order to orthogonalize them, the CSI associated with each signal is required at each transmitter.

[0168] consider Figure 4 , where UE(0) 404 is served by gNB(0) 412. UE(0) 404 has OPL to TRP(j) 402, and nearby UE(1) 408 has CL with gNB(1) 410. According to the example, LMF 406 uses Figure 5 The routine shown in provides signaling configuration (e.g., PM or PM index) for each link, which will also be described in more detail below. It should be noted that Figure 4 and Figure 5 The scheme of the present disclosure is different from other schemes such as full-duplex (FD) because in FD, the same PRB is used by the same NW element for Tx and Rx, while in the scheme of the present disclosure, PRBs are used by different NW elements for different services (e.g., one for communication and one for positioning).

[0169] In more detail Figure 5 Before using this method, first refer to Fig. 6A and Figure 6B . Fig. 6AA case is shown where PRBs are not reused between CL and OPL. Figure 6B FIG. 4 shows a case where after IA, although UE(0) and UE(1) are close to each other, PRBs are fully reused for UE(0) and UE(1). Figure 6B (full PRB reuse), LMF 406 evaluates whether the set of UEs (UE(0) 404 and UE(1) 408 in this example) are:

[0170] - are far enough apart that they can be jointly scheduled without any IA precoding.

[0171] - Close enough that they need to be interferometrically aligned first.

[0172] According to an example, the evaluation is performed around the UE that requires on-demand positioning, ie, the target UE (0) 404 in this case.

[0173] Back to Figure 5 At S501, LMF 406 obtains or acquires the precoder type and combining capability of the target UE (UE(0)404 in this case). For example, LMF 406 may obtain the precoder type and combining capability of gNB(0)412 ( Figure 5 The information is obtained by using a UE (not shown) to obtain the information. In some examples, the information obtained includes one or more of the following information about the target UE (0) 404: number of TX / RX antennas; number of TX / RX beams; beam width. In some examples, the "combining capability" of the UE can refer to the operations performed by the UE to combine signals arriving on different RF chains. For example, combining refers to the weighted sum of all signals, where the weights can be specified in a combining matrix.

[0174] At S502, LMF 406 obtains or acquires channel information (e.g., CSI, CIR, and / or CFR, etc.) of the channel between UE(0) 404 and TRP(j) 402. Figure 5 In the figure, for the sake of convenience, one UE (0) and one TRP (j) are described, but there may be other UEs and TRPs ( Figure 5 In some examples, this can be achieved through standard LPP requests / reports: "LPP Offer / Request Information".

[0175] At S503, LMF 406 determines or obtains location information, such as a coarse location (cl-loc) of target UE(0)404. In some examples, LMF 406 determines cl-loc using information of the serving gNB (i.e., gNB(0)412) and the report from S502. According to some examples, the coarse location estimate includes one or more of the following: cell sector ID; SSB ID; CSI-RS ID; nearest TA.

[0176] At S504, LMF 406 queries one or more base stations, such as a neighboring gNB (e.g., gNB (1) 410), to obtain data of (multiple) nearby UEs. In the example, the request is sent in an IE via NRPPa. In the example, the query is to obtain data for UE (1) 408, which may have a CL on the same PRB as the OPL of UE (0) 404.

[0177] At S505, the gNB (in this case, gNB(1) 410) evaluates location information, such as cl-loc. Based on cl-loc, in this case, gNB(1) 410 selects UE(1) 408.

[0178] At S506, the gNB (1) 410 reports channel information (e.g., CSI) of the UE (1) 408 to the LMF 406. In some examples, the neighboring gNB (1) 410 reports the CSI for each CL link. In some examples, this information is sent in an IE via NRPPa. In some examples, differential CSI is sent at S506 instead of full CSI. In the examples, the CSI is typically obtained from the DMRS (demodulation reference signal) of the same CL link for data decoding purposes, so it is already available at the cell level. In contrast, if the CL has not yet been scheduled, the gNB (1) 410 can obtain the CSI from ongoing control channel communications with the UE (1) 408, such as from PUCCH / PDCCH, SSB detection. The latter approach is already in place today, as CSI is required for link adaptation and configuration of each CL, so according to some examples, existing signaling can be used for this purpose.

[0179] At S507 , the LMF 406 evaluates CL-OPL spectrum coexistence based on the received information.

[0180] Then, at S508, after the LMF 406 has the channel information (e.g., CSI) of all reporting links, the LMF 406 calculates or determines the signaling configuration (e.g., precoding matrix (PM)) for each OPL. Additionally or alternatively, this is performed by the selected IA method. It should be noted that in some examples, the IA algorithm is LMF implementation specific, and it may depend on several aspects, including how many simultaneous CL-OPL pairs need to be resolved. For example, different IA strategies may be implemented by the LMF:

[0181] - For example, LMF 406 may use the CL-CSI of each nearby UE (ie, H1, H2, ...) and select the PMV of OPL opl , so that

[0182] In this case, OPL PM is signaled to the TRP (e.g., TRPj 402) and the target UE (e.g., UE(0) 404). In this example, H_i corresponds to the CSI of UE_i, e.g., H1 corresponds to the CSI of UE1, H2 corresponds to the CSI of UE2, and so on. Similarly, V opl corresponds to the precoding matrix associated with the positioning link of UE0, and so on.

[0183] - In another example, LMF selects a random OPL PM H opl , and calculate PM for each CL V1, CL V2, so that and and Superscript (·) H represents the Hermitian operation.

[0184] - It should also be noted that other IA strategies that fully or partially align the signal are not excluded.

[0185] At S509, LMF 406 sends the determined signaling configuration (e.g., PM or PM index) to UE (0) 404. In other words, LMF 406 sends the signaling configuration (e.g., PM index) to the OPL transmitter. The signaling configuration (e.g., PM or PM index) can be sent in an IE in the LPP configuration. In some examples, the IE takes the form of "IA-PM-idx" in the LPP "ProvideAssistanceData" message (defined in Section 5.2.1 of TS 37.355) to index the precoding matrix that should be used for OPL. In the example, IA-PM represents the interference alignment precoding matrix. idx is an index. Therefore, for example, filling the IE with index k will cause the entity receiving the IE to apply a PM with index k when transmitting.

[0186] At S510, LMF 406 sends a signaling configuration (e.g., PM or PM index, and / or CM or CM index) to gNB (1) 410. In some examples, PM or PM index and / or CM or CM index may be sent in an IE in an NRPPa configuration message.

[0187] Each gNB (e.g., gNB (0) 412 and gNB (1) 410) may then decide to apply the signaled signaling configuration, or to reject the signaling configuration. For example, the gNB may reject a configuration in which the signaling configuration would negatively impact the cell and / or UE QoS. Thus, it may be considered that the gNB evaluates whether the indicated signaling configuration may be applied to each of its UEs. For example, the gNB may evaluate whether the signaling configuration (e.g., PM index) was previously marked as causing cross link interference (CLI), or has a historical or low MCS (i.e., transmission to the UE using the indicated PM would result in frequent link adaptations and MCS reductions). If the gNB deems the signaling configuration appropriate, the gNB configures the data UE using the signaling configuration (e.g., PM) selected by the LMF 406 via the standard serving cell configuration. Figure 5 In the example, gNB(0)412 implements the signaling configuration of UE(0)404 (see S511), and gNB(1)410 implements the signaling configuration of UE(1)408 (see S512).

[0188] It should be understood that the signaling configurations of UE (0) and UE (1) (e.g., a first signaling configuration of UE (0) and a second signaling configuration of UE (1)) will depend on the OPL and CL channel states. In some examples (depending on the OPL and CL channel states), the first signaling configuration is different from the second signaling configuration. In other examples (depending on the OPL and CL channel states), the first signaling configuration is the same as the second signaling configuration.

[0189] As shown in S513, when the signaling configuration (e.g., PM) is applied, the gNB (e.g., gNB (1) 410) sends a message ACK to LMF 406. For example, the ACK can be an IE that includes an acknowledgement and a validity period (VD) field, which has a duration during which the PM will be active on the corresponding link. In some examples, the IE is sent on NRPPa.

[0190] It should be appreciated that examples using this scheme can optimize channel capacity through full spectrum reuse while minimizing the impact of scheduling on-demand resources on communication resources. This allows both CL and OPL QoS to be satisfied simultaneously.

[0191] about Figure 7A variant or alternative example is shown. In this alternative example, LMF 406 may send a signaling configuration (e.g., PM) of both OPL and CL to target UE (0) 404. Thus, in this example, UE (0) 404 receives PM of OPL of UE (0) 404 and PM of CL of UE (1) 408. When the selected signaling configuration is not fully aligned with the interfering CL-OPL, UE (0) may cancel (or attempt to cancel) the remaining interference.

[0192] exist Figure 7 S701 to S708 are equivalent to Figure 5 S501 to S508 in .

[0193] At S709 , LMF 406 sends information (eg, PM) of signaling configuration of both CL and OPL to UE( 0 ) 404 .

[0194] Then, at S710, UE(0)404 applies the signaling configuration of OPL (e.g., PM). In the event that this does not completely (or sufficiently) eliminate the interference between OPL and CL, UE(0)404 may employ additional interference cancellation techniques. For example, the additional cancellation techniques may include performing CL interference cancellation using the signaling configuration of CL (e.g., PM). In some examples, a sequential or parallel interference cancellation receiver may be activated. In some examples, interference suppression techniques based on MMSE (minimum mean square error) detection may also be used.

[0195] At S711, LMF 406 sends signaling configuration (e.g., PM) to gNB(1)410 and TRP(j)402.

[0196] At S712 , the signaling configuration is applied to UE ( 0 ) 404 using the configuration signaled at S709 .

[0197] At S713 , the signaling configuration is applied to UE ( 1 ) 408 using the configuration signaled at S709 .

[0198] At S714, when the signaling configuration (e.g., PM) is applied, the gNB (e.g., gNB (1) 410) sends an ACK message to the LMF 406. For example, the ACK can be an IE that includes an acknowledgement and a validity period (VD) field having a duration during which the signaling configuration is active on the corresponding link. In some examples, the IE is sent on NRPPa.

[0199] about Figure 8Another variation or alternative example is shown. In this example, LMF 406 may select a list of candidate signaling configurations (e.g., PMs) for at least target UE (0) 404. The list of candidate signaling configurations is sent to UE (0) 404, which selects a PM to use. The UE then selects a single signaling configuration (e.g., PM):

[0200] - Sent to TRP 402 via a new RRC message (Message 12)

[0201] -Transmitted to LMF 406 via New LPP IE (message 13).

[0202] exist Figure 8 In the above table, S801 to S808 are equivalent to Figure 5 S501 to S508 in .

[0203] At S809 , LMF 406 sends signaling configurations (eg, PM index) of both CL and OPL to UE( 0 ) 404 .

[0204] At S810, LMF 406 sends the signaling configuration (e.g., PM / CM or PM / CM index) of UE(1)408 and / or UE(0)404 to gNB(1)410 and TRP(j)402.

[0205] At S811 , UE( 0 ) 404 evaluates and selects one of the signaling configurations it has received.

[0206] UE(0)404 sends information of the selected signaling configuration to TRPj 402 (S812) and LMF 406 (S813).

[0207] At S814 , signaling configuration is implemented for UE ( 1 ) 408 .

[0208] At S815, the gNB (1) sends a message ACK to the LMF 406. For example, the ACK can be an IE that includes an acknowledgement and a validity period (VD) field having a duration during which the signaling configuration is active on the corresponding link. In some examples, the IE is sent on NRPPa.

[0209] Fig. 9An example of a control device 900 for controlling the functions of the example is illustrated. The control device may include at least one random access memory (RAM) 911a, at least one read-only memory (ROM) 911b, at least one processor 912, 913 and an input / output interface 914. At least one processor 912, 913 may be coupled to the RAM 911a and the ROM 911b. At least one processor 912, 913 may be configured to execute appropriate software code 915. The software code 915 may, for example, allow one or more steps of the present aspect to be performed. The software code 915 may be stored in the ROM 911b. The control device 900 may be interconnected with another control device 900 that controls another function. For example, the LMF, TRP and / or gNB may include as described above. Fig. 9 The device described herein may be included therein. More specifically, for example, Fig. 9 The device shown can be used to perform Figure 2 , Figure 5 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig.11 and Fig.12 The embodiments described in .

[0210] Fig.10 An example of a terminal 1000 is illustrated. The terminal 1000 may be provided by any device capable of sending and receiving radio signals. Non-limiting examples include user equipment or user device, a mobile station (MS) or mobile device (such as a mobile phone or so-called "smart phone"), a computer equipped with a wireless interface card or other wireless interface facility (e.g., a USB dongle), a personal data assistant (PDA) or tablet computer equipped with wireless communication capabilities, a machine type communication (MTC) device, an Internet of Things (IoT) type communication device, or any combination of these devices, etc. The terminal 1000 may provide, for example, communication of data for carrying communications. The communication may be one or more of voice, electronic mail (email), text messaging, multimedia, data, machine data, etc. The terminal 1000 may receive signals via an appropriate device for receiving over the air or radio interface 1007, and may send signals via an appropriate device for sending radio signals. In Fig.10In the figure, the transceiver device is schematically represented by a box 1006. The transceiver device 1006 can be provided, for example, by means of a radio component and an associated antenna arrangement. The antenna arrangement can be arranged inside or outside the mobile device. The terminal 1000 can be equipped with at least one processor 1001, at least one memory ROM 1002a, at least one RAM 1002b, and other possible components 1003 for software and hardware-assisted execution of the tasks it is designed to perform, including controlling access to access systems and other communication devices and communication with them. At least one processor 1001 is coupled to RAM 1002b and ROM 1002a. At least one processor 1001 can be configured to execute appropriate software code 1008. Software code 1008 can, for example, allow execution of one or more aspects of the current description. Software code 1008 can be stored in ROM 1002a. The processor, storage device, and other related control devices can be arranged on a suitable circuit board and / or in a chipset. This feature is represented by reference numeral 1004. The device may optionally have a user interface, such as a keypad 1005, a touch-sensitive screen or touchpad, a combination thereof, etc. Depending on the type of device, one or more of a display, a speaker and a microphone may optionally be provided.

[0211] For example, Fig.10 The terminal shown can be used to execute Figure 5 , Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig.13 and Fig.14 The embodiments described in .

[0212] It should be understood that these devices may include or be coupled to other units or modules, such as radio components or radio heads for transmission and / or reception. Although these devices are described as one entity, different modules and memories may be implemented in one or more physical or logical entities.

[0213] Fig.11 is a flow chart of a method according to an example. Fig.12 For example, the device may include location management functionality.

[0214] At S1101, the method includes: sending a request message to one or more network nodes, the request message including: a request for channel information related to one or more communication links of one or more second user equipments.

[0215] At S1102, the method includes: determining a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link of a first user equipment based on channel information.

[0216] At S1103, the method includes: sending a first signaling configuration to a first user equipment.

[0217] Fig.12 is a flow chart of a method according to an example. Fig.12 For example, the apparatus may include a base station (gNB).

[0218] At S1201 , the method includes receiving, from a network node, a request for channel information of one or more user equipments served by a device.

[0219] At S1202, the method includes: generating channel information of one or more user equipments in response to receiving the request.

[0220] At S1203, the method includes: sending channel information to a network node.

[0221] At S1204, the method includes: receiving, from a network node, information of a signaling configuration to be adopted by one or more user equipments served by the apparatus.

[0222] Fig.13 is a flow chart of a method according to an example. Fig.13 For example, the apparatus may include user equipment.

[0223] At S1301 , the method includes receiving a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link associated with an apparatus, and receiving a second signaling configuration related to a communication link associated with another device, the communication link using a common resource subset with the apparatus.

[0224] At S1302, the method includes determining an interference management technique to be performed by the apparatus using a first signaling configuration and a second signaling configuration by evaluating a quality of a positioning link relative to a communication link.

[0225] Fig.14 is a flow chart of a method according to an example. Fig.14 For example, the apparatus may include user equipment.

[0226] At S1401 , the method includes: receiving, at a device, two or more signaling configuration options for interference management.

[0227] At S1402 , the method includes: selecting one of the configuration options.

[0228] At S1403 , the method includes: reporting which of the configuration options has been selected.

[0229] Fig.15Schematic diagrams of non-volatile storage media 1500a (e.g., a computer compact disk (CD) or digital versatile disk (DVD)) and 1500b (e.g., a universal serial bus (USB) memory stick) storing instructions and / or parameters 1502 that, when executed by a processor, allow the processor to perform, e.g. Figure 5 , Figure 7-Figure 8 and Figures 11 to 14 One or more of the steps of any method in the method.

[0230] Note that although some embodiments have been described for 5G networks, similar principles may also be applied to other networks and communication systems. Therefore, although certain embodiments are described above by way of example with reference to certain example architectures of wireless networks, technologies and standards, the embodiments may be applied to any other suitable form of communication system other than that shown and described herein.

[0231] It should also be noted herein that while the above describes example embodiments, many variations and modifications may be made to the disclosed solutions without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0232] As used herein, "at least one of the following: " and "<at least one of a list of two or more elements>" and similar expressions (wherein a list of two or more elements is connected by "and" or "or") refer to at least any one of these elements, or at least any two or more of these elements, or at least all of these elements. The items in the list can also be separated without using the connection and / or expression. For example, such a list can begin with a colon (:), and each item in the list is separated by a semicolon (;).

[0233] In general, various embodiments may be implemented in hardware or dedicated circuitry, software, logic, or any combination thereof. Some aspects of the disclosure may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software, which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Although various aspects of the disclosure may be shown and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other graphical representation, it is well understood that, as non-limiting examples, the blocks, devices, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, dedicated circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controllers or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

[0234] As used in this application, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

[0235] (a) hardware circuit implementation only (such as implementation in analog and / or digital circuitry only), and

[0236] (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software such as (where applicable):

[0237] (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware, and

[0238] (ii) hardware processor(s) (including digital signal processor(s)) with software, software, and any portion of memory(s) that work together to enable a device such as a mobile phone or server to perform various functions), and (c) hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s), such as microprocessor(s) or portion(s) of microprocessor(s), that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate, but where not required for operation, the software may be absent.”

[0239] This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of only a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its accompanying software and / or firmware. For example, if applicable to a particular claim element, the term circuitry also includes a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0240] The example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer software executable by a data processor of a mobile device, such as in a processor entity, or by hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. Computer software or programs (also referred to as program products, including software routines, applets and / or macros) may be stored in any device-readable data storage medium, and they include program instructions for performing specific tasks. A computer program product may include one or more computer executable components that are configured to perform an embodiment when the program is running. One or more computer executable components may be at least one software code or a portion thereof.

[0241] Furthermore, in this regard, it should be noted that any block of the logic flow as shown in the figure may represent program steps, or interconnected logic circuits, blocks and functions, or a combination of program steps and logic circuits, boxes and functions. The software may be stored on physical media implemented within a processor such as memory chips or memory blocks, magnetic media such as hard disks or floppy disks, and optical media such as DVDs and their data variants CDs. Physical media are non-transitory media.

[0242] As used herein, the term "non-transitory" is a restriction on the medium itself (ie, tangible, not a signal), not on the persistence of data storage (eg, RAM vs. ROM).

[0243] The memory may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The data processor may be of any type suitable for the local technical environment and may include one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an FPGA, a gate-level circuit, and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture, as non-limiting examples.

[0244] Example embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in various components such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is generally a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available to convert logic level designs into semiconductor circuit designs for etching and formation on semiconductor substrates.

[0245] The independent claims define the scope of protection sought by various embodiments of the present disclosure. Embodiments and features described in this specification that do not belong to the scope of the independent claims (if any) are to be construed as examples that help understand the various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0246] The foregoing description provides a complete and informative description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure by way of non-limiting examples. However, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims, various modifications and adjustments may be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art in view of the foregoing description. However, all of these and similar modifications of the teachings of the present disclosure will still fall within the scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. In fact, there are additional embodiments that may include a combination of one or more embodiments with any other embodiments previously discussed.

Claims

1. A device comprising: means for sending a request message to one or more network nodes, the request message comprising: a request for channel information associated with one or more communication links of one or more second user equipments; and means for determining a first signalling configuration associated with a positioning link of a first user equipment based on the channel information; and A component for sending the first signaling configuration to the first user equipment.

2. The device according to claim 1, comprising: Means for determining one or more second signaling configurations associated with the one or more communication links of the one or more second user equipments, and means for sending the one or more second signaling configurations to the one or more second user equipments. 3 . The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the first signaling configuration and the one or more second signaling configurations are configured for the same one or more radio resources.

4. The apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the first signaling configuration comprises: The signal transformation of the transmitted signal and / or received signal of the first user equipment, and the one or more second signaling configurations include: signal transformation of the transmitted signal and / or received signal of the one or more second user equipment, and the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration are arranged to: minimize interference between the positioning link of the first user equipment and the one or more communication links of the second user equipment.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the first signaling configuration comprises: A first precoder matrix and / or a first combining matrix, and the one or more second signaling configurations include: a second precoder matrix or a second combining matrix.

6. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the channel information comprises one or more of the following items: channel state information; channel impulse response; channel frequency response.

7. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising: Means for determining location information of the first user equipment, and means for using the location information to determine the one or more network nodes.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the location information comprises one or more of the following items: service beam information; cell sector information; information of the distance to the cell edge.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the one or more second user equipments are in proximity to the first user equipment, wherein the one or more second user equipments are considered to be in proximity if the one or more second user equipments satisfy one or more of the following items: share a serving beam with the first user equipment; having a service beam adjacent to a service beam of the first user equipment; The cell is located in a neighboring cell sector of the first user equipment.

10. An apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, comprising a location management function.

11. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving, from a network node, a request for channel information of one or more user equipment served by the apparatus; means for generating the channel information of the one or more user equipments in response to receiving the request; means for sending the channel information to the network node; Means for receiving, from the network node, information of a signaling configuration to be employed by the one or more user equipments served by the apparatus.

12. The device according to claim 11, wherein the device comprises: A component for sending the information of the signaling configuration to the one or more user equipments.

13. The apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the signaling configuration comprises: Signal transformation of transmitted signals and / or received signals of the one or more user equipments served by the apparatus.

14. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the signaling configuration comprises: Information of precoder matrices and / or combining matrices to be applied by the one or more user equipments.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, comprising: Means for sending an acknowledgement to the network node acknowledging receipt of the precoding matrix and / or combining matrix, the acknowledgement comprising information on how many time slots the precoding matrix and / or combining matrix will be valid.

16. The device according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the device comprises: means for reporting, in response to receiving the request, to the network node in an information element one or more of: the channel information; Identification information of the one or more user devices served by the apparatus; information on the link type between the apparatus and the one or more user devices served by the apparatus, the link type comprising a positioning link or a communication link; and information on precoding capabilities.

17. The apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the apparatus comprises a base station.

18. An apparatus comprising: means for receiving a first signaling configuration associated with a positioning link associated with the apparatus, and for receiving a second signaling configuration associated with a communication link associated with another device, the communication link utilizing a common resource subset with the apparatus; as well as Means for determining an interference management technique to be performed by the apparatus using the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration by evaluating a quality of the positioning link relative to the communication link.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the means for determining an interference management technique to be performed using the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration is configured to: in response to determining that the received signaling configuration does not produce a sufficient improvement in the quality of the positioning link, determine an interference management technique to be performed using the first signaling configuration and the second signaling configuration, the interference management technique comprising: The influence on the communication link from the positioning link is removed.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the first signaling configuration comprises: The apparatus may further include a precoding matrix for the positioning link of the apparatus, and the second signaling configuration includes a precoding matrix for the communication link associated with the device, and the interference management technique includes performing interference cancellation for the communication link.

21. A method comprising: Sending a request message to one or more network nodes, the request message comprising: a request for channel information associated with one or more communication links of one or more second user equipments; and Based on the channel information, determining a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link of a first user equipment; and Send the first signaling configuration to the first user equipment.

22. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to: Sending a request message to one or more network nodes, the request message comprising: a request for channel information associated with one or more communication links with one or more second user devices; as well as Determine, based on the channel information, a first signaling configuration related to a positioning link of a first user equipment; as well as Send the first signaling configuration to the first user equipment.

23. A method comprising: receiving a request from a network node for channel information of one or more user equipment served by the apparatus; generating the channel information of the one or more user equipments in response to receiving the request; sending the channel information to the network node; Information of a signaling configuration to be adopted by the one or more user equipments served by the apparatus is received from the network node.

24. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to: receiving, from a network node, a request for channel information of one or more user equipment served by the apparatus; generating the channel information of the one or more user equipments in response to receiving the request; sending the channel information to the network node; Information of a signaling configuration to be adopted by the one or more user equipments served by the apparatus is received from the network node.

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