Processing of frequency offset signals

Abstract

A method for Doppler shifted signals includes obtaining, at an apparatus, first and second indications of first and second frequency ranges of first and second positioning signals expected to be affected by a Doppler shift and expected to be received by a mobile device, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency in a combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency in the combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range; and determining, at the apparatus and based on a processable frequency span that the third frequency range is greater than a positioning signal frequency that the mobile device can concurrently process, a frequency processing window, for the mobile device to process the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the processable frequency span and at least one of: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

Description

[0001] Cross - reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Greek Patent Application No. 20220101058, filed on December 20, 2022, entitled "PROCESSING OF FREQUENCY - OFFSET SIGNALS", which is assigned to the assignee of the present invention, and the entire content of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein for all purposes. Background of the Invention

[0003] Wireless communication systems have evolved through several generations, including first - generation analog wireless telephone services (1G), second - generation (2G) digital wireless telephone services (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third - generation (3G) high - speed data wireless services with Internet capabilities, fourth - generation (4G) services (e.g., Long - Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax), fifth - generation (5G) services, etc. There are many different types of wireless communication systems currently in use, including cellular systems and Personal Communication Services (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), GSM TDMA variants, etc.

[0004] The fifth - generation (5G) mobile standard requires higher data transfer speeds, a larger number of connections, better coverage, and other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide data rates of tens of megabits per second to each of tens of thousands of users, with data rates of 1 gigabit per second to dozens of workers on an office floor. To support large - scale sensor deployments, hundreds of thousands of simultaneous connections should be supported. Therefore, the spectral efficiency of 5G mobile communication should be significantly improved compared to the current 4G standard. In addition, compared to the current standard, the signaling efficiency should be improved, and the latency should be significantly reduced. Summary of the Invention

[0005] An example apparatus includes: a transceiver; a memory; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, the processor being configured to: obtain a first indication of a first frequency range of a first positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by a mobile device; obtain a second indication of a second frequency range of a second positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by the mobile device, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency in a combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency in the combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range; and determine a frequency processing window based on the third frequency range being greater than a processable frequency span of positioning signal frequencies that the mobile device can concurrently process, for the mobile device to process the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the processable frequency span and at least one of: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

[0006] An example method for Doppler-shifted signals includes: obtaining, at a device, a first indication of a first frequency range of a first positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by a mobile device; obtaining, at the device, a second indication of a second frequency range of a second positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by the mobile device, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency in a combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency in the combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range; and determining, at the device and based on the third frequency range being greater than a processable frequency span of positioning signal frequencies that the mobile device can concurrently process, a frequency processing window for the mobile device to process the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the processable frequency span and at least one of: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

[0007] Another example apparatus includes: components for obtaining a first indication of a first frequency range of a first positioning signal that is expected to be affected by Doppler shift and that is expected to be received by a mobile device; components for obtaining a second indication of a second frequency range of a second positioning signal that is expected to be affected by Doppler shift and that is expected to be received by the mobile device, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency in a combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency in the combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range; and components for determining a frequency processing window based on the third frequency range being greater than a processable frequency span of positioning signal frequencies that the mobile device can concurrently process, such that the mobile device processes the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the processable frequency span and at least one of the following: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

[0008] An example non-transitory processor-readable storage medium includes processor-readable instructions that cause a processor of an apparatus to: obtain a first indication of a first frequency range of a first positioning signal that is expected to be affected by Doppler shift and that is expected to be received by a mobile device; obtain a second indication of a second frequency range of a second positioning signal that is expected to be affected by Doppler shift and that is expected to be received by the mobile device, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency in a combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency in the combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range; and determine a frequency processing window based on the third frequency range being greater than a processable frequency span of positioning signal frequencies that the mobile device can concurrently process, for the mobile device to process the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the processable frequency span and at least one of the following: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Figure 1 is a simplified diagram of an example wireless communication system.

[0010] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a block diagram of components of the example user equipment shown.

[0011] Figure 3 is a block diagram of components of an example transmit / receive point.

[0012] Figure 4 is a block diagram of components of a server, various examples of which are shown in Figure 1 which.

[0013] Figure 5 is a simplified block diagram of an example mobile device.

[0014] Figure 6 is a simplified block diagram of an example network entity.

[0015] Figure 7 is a diagram of an example environment for locating a target device.

[0016] Figure 8 is a block diagram of a positioning reference signal and a search window.

[0017] Figure 9 is a diagram of a geometry for Doppler shift calculation.

[0018] Figure 10 is a graph of the Doppler shift of a 2 GHz signal at 600 km on the downlink and uplink.

[0019] Figure 11 is a graph of the Doppler shift of a 2 GHz signal at 1500 km on the downlink and uplink.

[0020] Figure 12 is a table of Doppler shifts and shift variations for different altitudes.

[0021] Figure 13 is a diagram of the frequency of a positioning signal and a frequency processing window.

[0022] Figure 14 is a signaling and process flow diagram for determining location information based on a frequency offset signal.

[0023] Figure 15 is a diagram of a frequency offset positioning signal.

[0024] Figure 16 is capable of being used to measure Figure 15 an illustration of an example frequency processing window and an example frequency layer for the signal shown.

[0025] Figure 17 is a flow block diagram of a method for a signal with Doppler shift. Detailed implementation

[0026] This document discusses techniques for processing frequency-offset signals to determine location information (e.g., location estimates of a mobile device). For example, based on an expected Doppler and an expected Doppler uncertainty, as well as the frequency range of positioning signals that a mobile device can concurrently process, a frequency window can be determined (e.g., by determining a frequency layer corresponding to the frequency window). The mobile device can report a processing time for each of one or more processing windows / frequency layers in a processing window / frequency layer. The mobile device can process (e.g., measure) available positioning signals within each of the processing windows / frequency layers in the processing window / frequency layer. Location information determined from processing the positioning signals (e.g., signal measurements, pseudoranges, etc.) can be used to determine a location estimate for the mobile device. However, other configurations can be used.

[0027] The items and / or techniques described herein can provide one or more of the following capabilities, as well as other capabilities not mentioned. Frequency-offset signals that span a frequency range larger than the frequency range that a mobile device can concurrently process can be processed by the mobile device (e.g., by being divided into ranges within the mobile device's concurrent processing range). A network entity can configure frequency layers that span the frequency range that a mobile device can process. For example, the mobile device can concurrently process multiple signals that fall within corresponding frequency ranges within that frequency range. Other capabilities can be provided, and not every specific implementation according to the present disclosure must provide any of the capabilities discussed, let alone all of them.

[0028] Obtaining the location of a mobile device that is accessing a wireless network can be used for many applications, including, for example, emergency calls, personal navigation, consumer asset tracking, locating friends or family members, etc. Existing location methods include methods based on measuring radio signals transmitted from various devices or entities, which include satellite vehicles (SVs) and terrestrial wireless sources in a wireless network, such as base stations and access points. It is expected that the standardization for 5G wireless networks will include support for various location methods, which can utilize reference signals transmitted by base stations for location determination in a manner similar to how LTE wireless networks currently utilize positioning reference signals (PRSs) and / or cell-specific reference signals (CRSs).

[0029] The description herein may refer to sequences of actions to be performed by elements of, for example, a computing device. The various actions described herein can be performed by special-purpose circuitry (e.g., an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)), by program instructions being executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of both. The sequences of actions described herein can be embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon corresponding sets of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause the associated processor to perform the functionality described herein. Accordingly, the various examples described herein can be embodied in several different forms, all of which fall within the scope of the present disclosure, including the claimed subject matter.

[0030] As used herein, the terms “user equipment” (UE) and “base station” are not dedicated to or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT) unless otherwise specified. Generally speaking, such a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a consumer asset tracking device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. The UE can be mobile or can be stationary (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term “UE” can be interchangeably referred to as “access terminal” or “AT”, “client device”, “wireless device”, “subscriber equipment”, “subscriber terminal”, “subscriber station”, “user terminal” or “UT”, “mobile terminal”, “mobile station”, “mobile device” or variations thereof. Typically, a UE can communicate with a core network via a RAN and, through the core network, the UE can connect to an external network such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as via a wired access network, a WiFi network (e.g., based on IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11, etc.).

[0031] Depending on the network in which the base station is deployed, the base station can operate according to one of several RATs when communicating with a UE. Examples of base stations include access points (APs), network nodes, NodeB, evolved NodeB (eNB), or gNodeB (gNB). Additionally, in some systems, the base station can provide only edge node signaling functionality, while in other systems, the base station can provide additional control functionality and / or network management functionality.

[0032] The UE may be implemented by any of several types of devices, including but not limited to a printed circuit (PC) card, a compact flash device, an external or internal modem, a wireless or wired telephone, a smart phone, a tablet device, a consumer asset tracking device, an asset tag, etc. The communication link by which the UE is capable of transmitting signals to the RAN is referred to as an uplink channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link by which the RAN is capable of transmitting signals to the UE is referred to as a downlink or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term "traffic channel (TCH)" may refer to an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0033] As used herein, depending on the context, the term "cell" or "sector" may correspond to one of the multiple cells of a base station or to the base station itself. The term "cell" may refer to a logical communication entity for communicating with a base station (e.g., on a carrier), and may be associated with an identifier to distinguish adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)). In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types that may provide access for different types of devices (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types). In some examples, the term "cell" may refer to a portion of the geographical coverage area over which a logical entity operates (e.g., a sector).

[0034] Reference Figure 1, examples of the communication system 100 include User Equipment (UE) 105, UE 106, a Radio Access Network (RAN) (here, a Fifth Generation (5G) Next Generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN) 135), a 5G Core Network (5GC) 140, and a server 150. UE 105 and / or UE 106 can be, for example, an IoT device, a location tracker device, a cellular phone, a vehicle (e.g., a car, a truck, a bus, a ship, etc.), or another device. The 5G network can also be referred to as a New Radio (NR) network; the NG-RAN 135 can be referred to as 5G RAN or NR RAN; and the 5GC 140 can be referred to as the NG Core Network (NGC). The standardization of the NG-RAN and 5GC is being carried out in the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Accordingly, the NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140 can follow the current or future standards from 3GPP for 5G support. The NG-RAN 135 can be another type of RAN, for example, a 3G RAN, a 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, etc. UE 106 can be similarly configured and coupled to UE 105 to transmit and / or receive signals from / to similar other entities in the system 100, but for simplicity of the drawings, such signaling is not indicated in Figure 1 . Similarly, for simplicity, the discussion focuses on UE 105. The communication system 100 can utilize information from a constellation 185 of satellite vehicles (SV) 190, 191, 192, 193 of a Satellite Positioning System (SPS) (e.g., a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), the Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo, or Beidou, or some other local or regional SPS (such as the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), or the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)). Additional components of the communication system 100 are described below. The communication system 100 can include additional or alternative components.

[0035] As Figure 1As shown, the NG-RAN 135 includes NR nodeBs (gNBs) 110a, 110b, and next-generation eNodeBs (ng-eNBs) 114, and the 5GC 140 includes an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 115, a Session Management Function (SMF) 117, a Location Management Function (LMF) 120, and a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125. The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 are communicatively coupled to each other, each is configured to perform two-way wireless communication with the UE 105, and each is communicatively coupled to the AMF 115 and is configured to perform two-way communication with the AMF. The gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 may be referred to as base stations (BSs). The AMF 115, SMF 117, LMF 120, and GMLC 125 are communicatively coupled to each other, and the GMLC is communicatively coupled to an external client 130. The SMF 117 may serve as an initial contact point for a Service Control Function (SCF) (not shown) to create, control, and delete media sessions. A base station (such as gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) may be a macro cell (e.g., a high-power cellular base station) or a small cell (e.g., a low-power cellular base station) or an access point (e.g., a short-range base station that is configured to communicate using short-range technologies such as WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), low power (BLE), Zigbee, etc.). One or more base stations (e.g., one or more of gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) may be configured to communicate with the UE 105 via multiple carriers. Each of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 provides communication coverage for a corresponding geographical area (e.g., a cell). Each cell may be divided into multiple sectors according to the base station antennas.

[0036] Figure 1A generalization of the various components is provided, where any or all of the components can be appropriately utilized, and each component can be repeated or omitted as needed. Specifically, although one UE 105 is illustrated, many UEs (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) can be utilized in the communication system 100. Similarly, the communication system 100 can include a greater (or smaller) number of SVs (i.e., more or fewer than the four SVs 190 - 193 shown), gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, external client 130, and / or other components. The illustrated connections that connect the various components in the communication system 100 include data and signaling connections, which can include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. Additionally, the components can be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted according to the desired functionality.

[0037] Although Figure 1 a 5G-based network is illustrated, similar network implementations and configurations can be used for other communication technologies, such as 3G, Long-Term Evolution (LTE), etc. The specific implementations described herein (which are for 5G technology and / or for one or more other communication technologies and / or protocols) can be used to transmit (or broadcast) directional synchronization signals, receive and measure the directional signals at a UE (e.g., UE 105), and / or provide location assistance to the UE 105 (via the GMLC 125 or other location server), and / or calculate the location of the UE 105 at a device with positioning capabilities (such as the UE 105, gNB 110a, gNB 110b, or LMF 120) based on the measurement parameters of the signals sent directionally and received at the UE 105. The Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 125, Location Management Function (LMF) 120, Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 115, SMF 117, ng-eNB (eNodeB) 114, and gNB (gNodeB) 110a, 110b are examples, and in various embodiments, they can be replaced or include various other location server functionality and / or base station functionality, respectively.

[0038] System 100 is capable of wireless communication because the components of System 100 can communicate with each other directly or indirectly (at least sometimes using a wireless connection) via, for example, gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, and / or 5GC 140 (and / or one or more other devices not shown, such as one or more other transceiver base stations). For indirect communication, the communication can be changed during transmission from one entity to another, for example, to change the header information of a data packet, change the format, etc. UE 105 can include multiple UEs and can be a mobile wireless communication device, but can communicate wirelessly as well as via a wired connection. UE 105 can be any of a variety of devices, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a vehicle-based device, etc., but these are only examples because UE 105 does not need to be any of these configurations and other configurations of the UE can be used. Other UEs can include wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart jewelry, smart glasses, or head-mounted devices, etc.). Other UEs can also be used, whether currently existing or developed in the future. In addition, other wireless devices (whether mobile or not) can be implemented within System 100 and can communicate with each other and / or with UE 105, gNBs 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, 5GC 140, and / or external client 130. For example, such other devices can include Internet of Things (IoT) devices, medical devices, home entertainment and / or automation devices, etc. 5GC 140 can communicate with external client 130 (e.g., a computer system), for example, to allow external client 130 (e.g., via GMLC 125) to request and / or receive location information about UE 105.

[0039] UE 105 or other devices may be configured to communicate in various networks and / or for various purposes and / or using various technologies (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi communication, multi-frequency Wi-Fi communication, satellite positioning, one or more types of communication (e.g., GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), LTE (Long Term Evolution), V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything), such as V2P (Vehicle-to-Pedestrian), V2I (Vehicle-to-Infrastructure), V2V (Vehicle-to-Vehicle), etc.), IEEE 802.11p, etc.). V2X communication may be cellular (Cellular-V2X (C-V2X)) and / or Wi-Fi-based (e.g., DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications)). System 100 may support operation on multiple carriers (waveform signals of different frequencies). A multi-carrier transmitter may simultaneously transmit modulated signals on multiple carriers. Each modulated signal may be a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) signal, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) signal, an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) signal, a Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) signal, etc. Each modulated signal may be transmitted on a different carrier and may carry pilots, overhead information, data, etc. UEs 105, 106 may communicate with each other via UE-to-UE sidelink (SL) communication by transmitting on one or more sidelink (SL) channels such as the Physical Sidelink Synchronization Channel (PSSCH), the Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), or the Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH). Direct wireless device-to-wireless device communication (without going through a network) is generally referred to as sidelink communication, without limiting the communication to a specific protocol.

[0040] UE 105 may include and / or may be referred to as a device, mobile device, wireless device, mobile terminal, terminal, mobile station (MS), Secure User Plane Location (SUPL)-enabled terminal (SET), or some other name. Additionally, UE 105 may correspond to a cellular phone, smartphone, laptop computer, tablet device, PDA, consumer asset tracking device, navigation device, Internet of Things (IoT) device, health monitor, security system, smart city sensor, smart meter, wearable tracker, or some other portable or mobile device. Generally, although not necessarily, UE 105 may use one or more radio access technologies (RATs) to support wireless communication, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), LTE, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), IEEE 802.11 Wi-Fi (also known as Wi-Fi), (BT), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), 5G New Radio (NR) (e.g., using NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140), etc. The UE 105 may use a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) to support wireless communication, and the WLAN may be connected to other networks (e.g., the Internet) using, for example, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) or packet cable. Using one or more of these RATs may allow the UE 105 (e.g., via elements of the 5GC 140 ( Figure 1 not shown in the figure), or possibly via the GMLC 125) to communicate with an external client 130 and / or allow the external client 130 (e.g., via the GMLC 125) to receive location information about the UE 105.

[0041] The UE 105 may include a single entity or may include multiple entities, such as in a personal area network, where the user may employ audio, video, and / or data I / O (Input / Output) devices, and / or body sensors, as well as separate wired or wireless modems. The estimation of the location of the UE 105 may be referred to as location, location estimation, position fixing, fixing, positioning, positioning estimation, or position fixing, and may be geographical, thereby providing location coordinates of the UE 105 (e.g., latitude and longitude), which may or may not include an elevation component (e.g., height above sea level; height above or depth below a ground plane, floor plane, or basement plane). Alternatively, the location of the UE 105 may be expressed as a civic location (e.g., a postal address or a designation of a point or a smaller area within a building, such as a specific room or floor). The location of the UE 105 may be represented as an area or volume (geographically or in civic form) within which the UE 105 is expected to be located with a certain probability or confidence level (e.g., 67%, 95%, etc.). The location of the UE 105 may be represented as a relative location, which includes, for example, distance and direction relative to a known location. The relative location may be represented as relative coordinates (e.g., X, Y (and Z) coordinates) defined relative to an origin at a known location, which may be defined, for example, geographically, in civic form, or with reference to a point, area, or volume indicated on a map, floor plan, or building plan. In the descriptions contained herein, the use of the term "location" may include any of these variants, unless otherwise indicated. When calculating the location of the UE, local x, y, and (possibly) z coordinates are typically solved for and then (if necessary) converted to absolute coordinates (e.g., with respect to latitude, longitude, and elevation above or below mean sea level).

[0042] UE 105 may be configured to communicate with other entities using one or more of a variety of techniques. UE 105 may be configured to indirectly connect to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) peer-to-peer (P2P) links. The D2D P2P links may be supported using any suitable D2D radio access technology (RAT), such as Long-Term Evolution Direct (LTE-D), Wi-Fi Direct (Wi-Fi-D), etc. One or more UEs in a group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be located within the geographical coverage area of a transmit / receive point (TRP) (such as one or more of gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114). Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographical coverage area or may be unable to receive transmissions from the base station for other reasons. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without involving the TRP. One or more UEs in a group of UEs utilizing D2D communication may be located within the geographical coverage area of a TRP. Other UEs in the group may be outside such geographical coverage area or may be unable to receive transmissions from the base station for other reasons. A group of UEs communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each UE may transmit to other UEs in the group. The TRP may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication may be performed between UEs without involving the TRP.

[0043] Figure 1 The base stations (BSs) in the illustrated NG-RAN 135 include NR Node Bs (referred to as gNBs 110a and 110b). Each pair of gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135 may be connected to each other via one or more other gNBs. Wireless communication between UE 105 and one or more of gNB 110a, gNB 110b provides access to the 5G network for UE 105, and these gNBs may provide wireless communication access to 5GC 140 on behalf of UE 105 using 5G. In Figure 1 it is assumed that the serving gNB of UE 105 is gNB 110a, but another gNB (e.g., gNB 110b) may act as the serving gNB if UE 105 moves to another location, or may act as a secondary gNB to provide additional throughput and bandwidth to UE 105.

[0044] Figure 1The base station (BS) in the NG-RAN 135 shown may include an ng-eNB 114, which is also referred to as a next-generation evolved Node B. The ng-eNB 114 may be connected to one or more of the gNBs 110a, 110b in the NG-RAN 135 via one or more other gNBs and / or one or more other ng-eNBs. The ng-eNB 114 may provide LTE radio access and / or evolved LTE (eLTE) radio access to the UE 105. One or more of the gNBs 110a, gNBs 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may be configured to function as a positioning beacon only, which may send signals to assist in determining the location of the UE 105 but may not receive signals from the UE 105 or other UEs.

[0045] Each of the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may include one or more TRPs. For example, each sector within a cell of the BS may include a TRP, but multiple TRPs may share one or more components (e.g., share a processor but have separate antennas). The system 100 may include only macro TRPs, or the system 100 may have different types of TRPs, such as macro TRPs, pico TRPs, and / or femto TRPs, etc. A macro TRP may cover a relatively large geographical area (e.g., with a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unrestricted access by terminals with a service subscription. A pico TRP may cover a relatively small geographical area (e.g., a pico cell) and may allow unrestricted access by terminals with a service subscription. A femto or home TRP may cover a relatively small geographical area (e.g., a femto cell) and may allow restricted access by terminals associated with that femto cell (e.g., terminals of users in a home).

[0046] Each of gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 may include a Radio Unit (RU), a Distributed Unit (DU), and a Central Unit (CU). For example, gNB 110b includes RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113. RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113 divide the functionality of gNB 110b. Although gNB 110b is shown as having a single RU, a single DU, and a single CU, a gNB may include one or more RUs, one or more DUs, and / or one or more CUs. The interface between CU 113 and DU 112 is referred to as the F1 interface. RU 111 is configured to perform Digital Front End (DFE) functions (e.g., analog-to-digital conversion, filtering, power amplification, transmit / receive) and digital beamforming, and includes a part of the Physical (PHY) layer. RU 111 may use massive Multiple-Input / Multiple-Output (MIMO) to perform DFE and may be integrated with one or more antennas of gNB 110b. DU 112 hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC), and Physical layer of gNB 110b. One DU may support one or more cells, and each cell is supported by a single DU. The operation of DU 112 is controlled by CU 113. CU 113 is configured to perform functions for delivering user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, etc., although some functions are only assigned to DU 112. CU 113 hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols of gNB 110b. UE 105 may communicate with CU 113 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, communicate with DU 112 via the RLC, MAC, and PHY layers, and communicate with RU 111 via the PHY layer.

[0047] As noted, while Figure 1 nodes configured to communicate according to a 5G communication protocol are depicted, nodes configured to communicate according to other communication protocols (such as, for example, the LTE protocol or the IEEE 802.11x protocol) may also be used. For example, in an Evolved Packet System (EPS) that provides LTE radio access to UE 105, the RAN may include an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), which may include base stations containing evolved Node Bs (eNBs). The core network for EPS may include an Evolved Packet Core (EPC). EPS may include E-UTRAN plus EPC, where E-UTRAN corresponds to Figure 1 NG-RAN 135 in the figure and EPC corresponds to 5GC 140 in the figure.

[0048] gNBs 110a, 110b, and ng-eNB 114 can communicate with the AMF 115; for positioning functionality, the AMF communicates with the LMF 120. The AMF 115 can support the mobility of the UE 105 (including cell changes and handovers), and can participate in supporting the signaling connection with the UE 105 and (possibly also) the data and voice bearers for the UE 105. The LMF 120 can communicate directly with the UE 105, for example, via wireless communication, or directly with the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or the ng-eNB 114. The LMF 120 can support the positioning of the UE 105 when the UE 105 accesses the NG-RAN 135, and can support various positioning processes / methods, such as Assisted GNSS (A-GNSS), Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) (e.g., Downlink (DL) OTDOA or Uplink (UL) OTDOA), Round-Trip Time (RTT), Multi-Cell RTT, Real-Time Kinematics (RTK), Precise Point Positioning (PPP), Differential GNSS (DGNSS), Enhanced Cell ID (E-CID), Angle of Arrival (AoA), Angle of Departure (AoD), and / or other positioning methods. The LMF 120 can process, for example, location service requests for the UE 105 received from the AMF 115 or the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 can be connected to the AMF 115 and / or the GMLC 125. The LMF 120 can be referred to by other names, such as Location Manager (LM), Location Function (LF), Commercial LMF (CLMF), or Value-Added LMF (VLMF). The node / system implementing the LMF 120 can additionally or alternatively implement other types of location support modules, such as an Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC) or a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (SLP). At least a part of the positioning functionality (including the derivation of the location of the UE 105) can be performed at the UE 105 (e.g., using signal measurements on signals transmitted by wireless nodes (such as gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) obtained by the UE 105, and / or auxiliary data provided to the UE 105 by, for example, the LMF 120). The AMF 115 can act as a control node for processing the signaling between the UE 105 and the 5GC 140, and can provide QoS (Quality of Service) flow and session management. The AMF 115 can support the mobility of the UE 105 (including cell changes and handovers), and can participate in supporting the signaling connection with the UE 105.

[0049] The server 150 (e.g., a cloud server) is configured to obtain a location estimate of the UE 105 and provide it to the external client 130. The server 150 may be configured, for example, to run a microservice / service that obtains the location estimate of the UE 105. The server 150 may obtain, for example, a location estimate from one or more of the UE 105, gNBs 110a, 110b (e.g., via the RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113), and / or the ng-eNB 114, and / or the LMF 120 (e.g., by transmitting a location request). As another example, one or more of the UE 105, gNBs 110a, 110b (e.g., via the RU 111, DU 112, and CU 113), and / or the LMF 120 may push the location estimate of the UE 105 to the server 150.

[0050] The GMLC 125 may support a location request for the UE 105 received from the external client 130 via the server 150, and may forward the location request to the AMF 115 for forwarding by the AMF 115 to the LMF 120, or may forward the location request directly to the LMF 120. A location response from the LMF 120 (e.g., containing the location estimate of the UE 105) may be returned to the GMLC 125 directly or via the AMF 115, and the GMLC 125 may then return the location response (e.g., containing the location estimate) to the external client 130 via the server 150. The GMLC 125 is shown connected to both the AMF 115 and the LMF 120, but in some embodiments may not be connected to the AMF 115 or the LMF 120.

[0051] As Figure 1 Further exemplified, the LMF 120 may use the New Radio Positioning Protocol A (which may be referred to as NPPa or NRPPa) to communicate with the gNBs 110a, 110b, and / or the ng-eNB 114. The New Radio Positioning Protocol A may be defined in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.455. NRPPa may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LTE Positioning Protocol A (LPPa) defined in 3GPP TS 36.455, where NRPPa messages are transferred between the gNB 110a (or gNB 110b) and the LMF 120, and / or between the ng-eNB 114 and the LMF 120 via the AMF 115. As Figure 1As a further example, the LMF 120 and the UE 105 may communicate using the LTE positioning protocol (LPP), which may be defined in 3GPP TS 36.355. The LMF 120 and the UE 105 may alternatively or additionally communicate using a new radio positioning protocol (which may be referred to as NPP or NRPP), which may be the same as, similar to, or an extension of the LPP. Here, LPP and / or NPP messages may be passed between the UE 105 and the LMF 120 via the AMF 115 and the serving gNB 110a, gNB 110b, or serving ng-eNB 114 of the UE 105. For example, LPP and / or NPP messages may be passed between the LMF 120 and the AMF 115 using the 5G location service application protocol (LCS AP), and may be passed between the AMF 115 and the UE 105 using the 5G non-access stratum (NAS) protocol. The LPP and / or NPP protocols may be used to support positioning the UE 105 using UE-assisted and / or UE-based positioning methods such as A-GNSS, RTK, OTDOA, and / or E-CID. The NRPPa protocol may be used to support positioning the UE 105 using network-based positioning methods such as E-CID (e.g., in conjunction with measurements obtained by the gNB 110a, 110b, or ng-eNB 114) and / or may be used by the LMF 120 to obtain location-related information from the gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114, such as parameters defining the transmission of the directional SS or PRS from the gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114. The LMF 120 may be co-located with or integrated with the gNB or TRP, or may be set up away from the gNB and / or TRP and configured to communicate directly or indirectly with the gNB and / or TRP.

[0052] Using UE-assisted positioning methods, the UE 105 may obtain position measurements and transmit these measurements to a location server (e.g., the LMF 120) for calculating a position estimate of the UE 105. For example, the position measurements may include one or more of received signal strength indication (RSSI), round-trip signal propagation time (RTT), reference signal time difference (RSTD), reference signal received power (RSRP), and / or reference signal received quality (RSRQ) of the gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114, and / or WLAN AP. The position measurements may alternatively or additionally include measurements of GNSS pseudorange, code phase, and / or carrier phase of the SVs 190-193.

[0053] Using a UE-based positioning method, UE 105 can obtain position measurements (e.g., which can be the same as or similar to the position measurements of a UE-assisted positioning method), and can calculate the position of UE 105 (e.g., by means of assistance data received from a position server such as LMF 120 or broadcast by gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114, or other base stations or APs).

[0054] Using a network-based positioning method, one or more base stations (e.g., gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) or APs can obtain position measurements (e.g., measurements of RSSI, RTT, RSRP, RSRQ, or time of arrival (ToA) of signals transmitted by UE 105) and / or can receive measurements obtained by UE 105. One or more base stations or APs can transmit the measurements to a position server (e.g., LMF 120) for calculating a position estimate of UE 105.

[0055] The information provided by gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 to LMF 120 using NRPPa can include timing and configuration information for directional SS or PRS transmission and position coordinates. LMF 120 can provide some or all of this information to UE 105 as assistance data in LPP and / or NPP messages via NG-RAN 135 and 5GC 140.

[0056] The LPP or NPP message transmitted from LMF 120 to UE 105 can command UE 105 to perform any of a variety of things according to the desired functionality. For example, the LPP or NPP message can contain instructions for UE 105 to obtain measurements of GNSS (or A-GNSS), WLAN, E-CID, and / or OTDOA (or some other positioning method). In the case of E-CID, the LPP or NPP message can command UE 105 to obtain one or more measurement parameters (e.g., beam ID, beam width, average angle, RSRP, RSRQ measurements) of a directional signal transmitted within a specific cell supported by one or more of gNB 110a, gNB 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 (or supported by some other type of base station such as an eNB or a WiFi AP). UE 105 can transmit these measurement parameters back to LMF 120 in an LPP or NPP message (e.g., within a 5G NAS message) via serving gNB 110a (or serving ng-eNB 114) and AMF 115.

[0057] As noted, while the communication system 100 has been described with respect to 5G technology, the communication system 100 may be implemented to support other communication technologies (such as GSM, WCDMA, LTE, etc.), which are used to support and interact with mobile devices (such as UE 105) (e.g., to enable voice, data, positioning, and other functionality). In some such embodiments, the 5GC 140 may be configured to control different air interfaces. For example, the 5GC 140 may use a non-3GPP interworking function (N3IWF, Figure 1 not shown in the figure) in the 5GC 140 to connect to a WLAN. For example, the WLAN may support IEEE802.11WiFi access for the UE 105 and may include one or more WiFi APs. Here, the N3IWF may be connected to the WLAN as well as other elements in the 5GC 140, such as the AMF 115. In some embodiments, both the NG-RAN 135 and the 5GC 140 may be replaced by one or more other RANs and one or more other core networks. For example, in EPS, the NG-RAN 135 may be replaced by an E-UTRAN including eNBs, and the 5GC 140 may be replaced by an EPC, which includes a mobility management entity (MME) that replaces the AMF 115, an E-SMLC that replaces the LMF 120, and a GMLC that may be similar to the GMLC 125. In such an EPS, the E-SMLC may use LPPa instead of NRPPa to transmit location information to and receive location information from the eNBs in the E-UTRAN, and may use LPP to support the positioning of the UE 105. In these other embodiments, the positioning of the UE 105 using the directional PRS may be supported in a manner similar to that described herein for the 5G network, except that the functions and processes described herein for the gNB 110a, gNB 110b, ng-eNB 114, AMF 115, and LMF 120 may be alternatively applied to other network elements in some cases, such as eNBs, WiFi APs, MMEs, and E-SMLCs.

[0058] As noted, in some embodiments, positioning functionality may be implemented at least in part using directional SS or PRS beams transmitted by base stations (such as gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) that are within the range of the UE (e.g., Figure 1 the UE 105) for which the positioning is to be determined. In some instances, the UE may use directional SS beams or directional PRS beams from multiple base stations (such as gNB 110a, 110b, ng-eNB 114, etc.) to calculate the positioning of the UE.

[0059] Also refer to Figure 2, UE 200 may be an example of one of UEs 105 and 106, and may include a computing platform including a processor 210, a memory 211 including software (SW) 212, one or more sensors 213, a transceiver interface 214 for a transceiver 215 (which includes a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250), a user interface 216, a satellite positioning system (SPS) receiver 217, a camera 218, and a positioning device (PD) 219. The processor 210, the memory 211, the sensors 213, the transceiver interface 214, the user interface 216, the SPS receiver 217, the camera 218, and the positioning device 219 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 220 (which may be configured for, e.g., optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., one or more of the camera 218, the positioning device 219, and / or one or more of the sensors 213) may be omitted from the UE 200. The processor 210 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 210 may include multiple processors, including a general-purpose / application processor 230, a digital signal processor (DSP) 231, a modem processor 232, a video processor 233, and / or a sensor processor 234. One or more of the processors 230 to 234 may include multiple devices (e.g., multiple processors). For example, the sensor processor 234 may include, e.g., processors for RF (radio frequency) sensing (where one or more (cellular) wireless signals transmitted and reflections are used to identify, map, and / or track objects) and / or ultrasound, etc. The modem processor 232 may support dual SIM / dual connection (or even more SIMs). For example, a SIM (subscriber identity module or subscriber identification module) may be used by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), and another SIM may be used by an end user of the UE 200 to obtain a connection. The memory 211 may be a non-transitory storage medium that may include, e.g., random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory 211 may store software 212, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code including instructions that may be configured to cause the processor 210 to perform various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, the software 212 may not be directly executable by the processor 210, but may be configured to cause the processor 210 to perform these functions when compiled and executed, e.g. The descriptions herein may refer to the processor 210 performing functions, but this includes other specific implementations, such as those where the processor 210 executes software and / or firmware. The descriptions herein may refer to the processor 210 performing functions as an abbreviation for one or more of the processors 230 to 234 performing the function.The descriptions herein may refer to the UE 200 performing functions as shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the UE 200 performing the functions. The processor 210 may include a memory with stored instructions as a supplement to and / or alternative to the memory 211. The functionality of the processor 210 is discussed more fully below.

[0060] Figure 2 The illustrated configuration of the UE 200 is an example and not a limitation of the present disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, an example configuration of the UE may include one or more of processors 230 to 234 in the processor 210, the memory 211, and the wireless transceiver 240. Other example configurations may include one or more of processors 230 to 234 in the processor 210, the memory 211, the wireless transceiver, and one or more of the following: the sensor 213, the user interface 216, the SPS receiver 217, the camera 218, the PD 219, and / or the wired transceiver.

[0061] The UE 200 may include a modem processor 232 that may be capable of performing baseband processing on signals received and downconverted by the transceiver 215 and / or the SPS receiver 217. The modem processor 232 may perform baseband processing on signals to be upconverted for transmission by the transceiver 215. Additionally or alternatively, the baseband processing may be performed by the general-purpose / application processor 230 and / or the DSP 231. However, other configurations may be used to perform the baseband processing.

[0062] The UE 200 may include a sensor 213, which may include, for example, one or more sensors among various types of sensors, such as one or more inertial sensors, one or more magnetometers, one or more environmental sensors, one or more optical sensors, one or more weight sensors, and / or one or more radio frequency (RF) sensors, etc. The inertial measurement unit (IMU) may include, for example, one or more accelerometers (e.g., jointly responsive to the acceleration of the UE 200 in three dimensions) and / or one or more gyroscopes (e.g., three-dimensional gyroscopes). The sensor 213 may include one or more magnetometers (e.g., three-dimensional magnetometers) to determine the orientation (e.g., relative to magnetic north and / or true north), which may be used for any of various purposes (e.g., to support one or more compass applications). The environmental sensors may include, for example, one or more temperature sensors, one or more barometric pressure sensors, one or more ambient light sensors, one or more camera imagers, and / or one or more microphones, etc. The sensor 213 may generate analog and / or digital signals, and indications of these signals may be stored in the memory 211 and processed by the DSP 231 and / or the general-purpose / application processor 230 to support one or more applications (such as, for example, applications related to positioning and / or navigation operations).

[0063] The sensor 213 may be used for relative position measurement, relative position determination, motion determination, etc. The information detected by the sensor 213 may be used for motion detection, relative displacement, dead reckoning, sensor-based position determination, and / or sensor-assisted position determination. The sensor 213 may be used to determine whether the UE 200 is stationary (immobile) or mobile and / or whether to report certain useful information related to the mobility of the UE 200 to the LMF 120. For example, based on the information obtained / measured by the sensor 213, the UE 200 may notify / report to the LMF 120 that the UE 200 has detected movement or the UE 200 has moved, and report the relative displacement / distance (e.g., via dead reckoning implemented by the sensor 213, or sensor-based position determination, or sensor-assisted position determination). In another example, for relative positioning information, the sensor / IMU may be used to determine the angle and / or orientation of another device relative to the UE 200, etc.

[0064] The IMU can be configured to provide measurements regarding the direction of movement and / or the speed of movement of the UE 200, and these measurements can be used for relative position determination. For example, one or more accelerometers and / or one or more gyroscopes of the IMU can respectively detect the linear acceleration and the rotational speed of the UE 200. The linear acceleration measurements and the rotational speed measurements of the UE 200 can be integrated over time to determine the instantaneous direction of movement and the displacement of the UE 200. The instantaneous direction of movement and the displacement can be integrated to track the position of the UE 200. For example, the reference position of the UE 200 at a certain moment can be determined, for example, using the SPS receiver 217 (and / or by some other means), and the measurements obtained from the accelerometer and the gyroscope after that moment can be used for dead reckoning to determine the current position of the UE 200 based on the movement (direction and distance) of the UE 200 relative to the reference position.

[0065] The magnetometer can determine the magnetic field strength in different directions, and these magnetic field strengths can be used to determine the orientation of the UE 200. For example, this orientation can be used to provide a digital compass for the UE 200. The magnetometer can include a two-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of the magnetic field strength in two orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer can include a three-dimensional magnetometer configured to detect and provide an indication of the magnetic field strength in three orthogonal dimensions. The magnetometer can provide components for sensing the magnetic field and, for example, providing an indication of the magnetic field to the processor 210.

[0066] The transceiver 215 may include a wireless transceiver 240 and a wired transceiver 250 configured to communicate with other devices via a wireless connection and a wired connection, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 240 may include a wireless transmitter 242 and a wireless receiver 244 coupled to an antenna 246 for transmitting and / or (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more sidelink channels) receiving a wireless signal 248 and converting the signal from the wireless signal 248 to a wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signal and from the wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signal to the wireless signal 248. The wireless transmitter 242 includes appropriate components (e.g., a power amplifier and a digital-to-analog converter). The wireless receiver 244 includes appropriate components (e.g., one or more amplifiers, one or more frequency filters, and an analog-to-digital converter). The wireless transmitter 242 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 244 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 240 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with a TRP and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc.). The New Radio may use millimeter wave frequencies and / or sub-6 GHz frequencies. The wired transceiver 250 may include a wired transmitter 252 and a wired receiver 254 configured for wired communication, e.g., a network interface that may be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to convey communications to the NG-RAN 135 and receive communications from the NG-RAN. The wired transmitter 252 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 254 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 250 may be configured for, e.g., optical communication and / or electrical communication. The transceiver 215 may be communicatively coupled to the transceiver interface 214, e.g., via an optical connection and / or an electrical connection. The transceiver interface 214 may be at least partially integrated with the transceiver 215. The wireless transmitter 242, the wireless receiver 244, and / or the antenna 246 may each include multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, and / or multiple antennas, respectively, for transmitting and / or receiving appropriate signals.

[0067] The user interface 216 may include one or more of a number of devices such as, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a display device, a vibration device, a keyboard, a touch screen, etc. The user interface 216 may include more than one of any of these devices. The user interface 216 may be configured to enable a user to interact with one or more applications hosted by the UE 200. For example, the user interface 216 may store an indication of an analog and / or digital signal in the memory 211 in response to an action from the user for processing by the DSP 231 and / or the general-purpose / application processor 230. Similarly, an application hosted on the UE 200 may store an indication of an analog and / or digital signal in the memory 211 to present an output signal to the user. The user interface 216 may include an audio input / output (I / O) device that includes, for example, a speaker, a microphone, a digital-to-analog circuitry, an analog-to-digital circuitry, an amplifier, and / or a gain control circuitry (including more than one of any of these devices). Other configurations of the audio I / O device may be used. Additionally or alternatively, the user interface 216 may include one or more touch sensors that respond to a touch and / or pressure on, for example, a keyboard and / or a touch screen of the user interface 216.

[0068] The SPS receiver 217 (e.g., a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver) may be capable of receiving and acquiring an SPS signal 260 via the SPS antenna 262. The SPS antenna 262 is configured to convert the SPS signal 260 from a wireless signal to a wired signal (e.g., an electrical signal or an optical signal) and may be integrated with the antenna 246. The SPS receiver 217 may be configured to fully or partially process the acquired SPS signal 260 to estimate the location of the UE 200. For example, the SPS receiver 217 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 by using trilateration with the SPS signal 260. The general-purpose / application processor 230, the memory 211, the DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors (not shown) may be utilized in conjunction with the SPS receiver 217 to fully or partially process the acquired SPS signal and / or calculate an estimated location of the UE 200. The memory 211 may store an indication (e.g., a measurement) of the SPS signal 260 and / or other signals (e.g., signals acquired from the wireless transceiver 240) for performing location operations. The general-purpose / application processor 230, the DSP 231, and / or one or more dedicated processors, and / or the memory 211 may provide or support a location engine for processing measurements to estimate the location of the UE 200.

[0069] UE 200 may include a camera 218 for capturing still or moving images. The camera 218 may include, for example, an imaging sensor (e.g., a charge-coupled device or a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) imager), a lens, analog-to-digital circuitry, a frame buffer, and the like. Additional processing, conditioning, encoding, and / or compression of the signal representing the captured image may be performed by the general-purpose / application processor 230 and / or the DSP 231. Additionally or alternatively, the video processor 233 may perform conditioning, encoding, compression, and / or manipulation of the signal representing the captured image. The video processor 233 may decode / decompress the stored image data for presentation on a display device (not shown) (e.g., of the user interface 216).

[0070] The positioning device (PD) 219 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200, the movement of the UE 200, and / or the relative location of the UE 200, and / or time. For example, the PD 219 may communicate with the SPS receiver 217 and / or may include a part or all of the SPS receiver. The PD 219 may cooperate appropriately with the processor 210 and the memory 211 to perform at least a part of one or more positioning methods, although the description herein may refer to the PD 219 being configured to perform according to a positioning method or the PD performing according to a positioning method. The PD 219 may additionally or alternatively be configured to: perform trilateration using ground-based signals (e.g., at least some wireless signals 248), assist in obtaining and using SPS signals 260, or both to determine the location of the UE 200. The PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 based on the cell of the serving base station (e.g., cell center) and / or another technique such as E-CID. The PD 219 may be configured to determine the location of the UE 200 using one or more images from the camera 218 and image recognition in combination with the known locations of landmarks (e.g., natural landmarks such as mountains and / or artificial landmarks such as buildings, bridges, streets, etc.). The PD 219 may be configured to: use one or more other techniques (e.g., relying on the self-reported location of the UE (e.g., part of a positioning beacon of the UE)) to determine the location of the UE 200, and may use a combination of techniques (e.g., SPS and ground positioning signals) to determine the location of the UE 200. The PD 219 may include one or more sensors 213 (e.g., gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, etc.) that may sense the orientation and / or movement of the UE 200 and provide an indication of the orientation and / or movement, and the processor 210 (e.g., general / application processor 230 and / or DSP 231) may be configured to use the indication to determine the movement of the UE 200 (e.g., velocity vector and / or acceleration vector). The PD 219 may be configured to provide an indication of the uncertainty and / or error of the determined location and / or movement. The functionality of the PD 219 may be provided in various ways and / or configurations, for example, by the general / application processor 230, the transceiver 215, the SPS receiver 217, and / or another component of the UE 200, and may be provided by hardware, software, firmware, or various combinations thereof.

[0071] Also refer to Figure 3, examples of the TRP 300 of gNB 110a, 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114 include a computing platform including a processor 310, a memory 311 including software (SW) 312, and a transceiver 315. The processor 310, the memory 311, and the transceiver 315 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 320 (which may be configured for, e.g., optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., the wireless transceiver) may be omitted from the TRP 300. The processor 310 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 310 may include multiple processors (e.g., including a general-purpose / application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and / or a sensor processor, as Figure 2 shown). The memory 311 may be a non-transitory storage medium that may include, for example, random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory 311 may store software 312, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause the processor 310 to perform the various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, the software 312 may not be directly executable by the processor 310, but may be configured to cause the processor 310 to perform these functions, e.g., when compiled and executed.

[0072] The descriptions herein may refer to the processor 310 performing functions, but this includes other specific implementations, such as those in which the processor 310 executes software and / or firmware. The descriptions herein may refer to the processor 310 performing functions as an abbreviation for one or more of the processors included in the processor 310 performing the function. The descriptions herein may refer to the TRP 300 performing functions as an abbreviation for one or more appropriate components of the TRP 300 (and thus one of gNB 110a, gNB 110b, and / or ng-eNB 114) (e.g., the processor 310 and the memory 311) performing the function. The processor 310 may include a memory with stored instructions as a supplement to and / or alternative to the memory 311. The functionality of the processor 310 is discussed more fully below.

[0073] The transceiver 315 may include a wireless transceiver 340 and / or a wired transceiver 350 configured to communicate with other devices via a wireless connection and a wired connection, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 340 may include a wireless transmitter 342 and a wireless receiver 344 coupled to one or more antennas 346 for transmitting and / or (e.g., on one or more uplink channels and / or one or more downlink channels) receiving wireless signals 348 and converting the signals from the wireless signals 348 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from the wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to wireless signals 348. Accordingly, the wireless transmitter 342 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 344 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 340 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with the UE 200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc.). The wired transceiver 350 may include a wired transmitter 352 and a wired receiver 354 configured for wired communication, e.g., a network interface that may be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to convey communications to and receive communications from, e.g., the LMF 120 and / or one or more other network entities. The wired transmitter 352 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 354 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 350 may be configured for, e.g., optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0074] Figure 3 The configuration of the TRP 300 shown is an example and not a limitation of the present disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, this specification discusses that the TRP 300 may be configured to perform several functions or the TRP performs several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by the LMF 120 and / or the UE 200 (i.e., the LMF 120 and / or the UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0075] Reference is also made to Figure 4 , the server 400 (an example of which may be the LMF 120) may include: a computing platform including a processor 410, a memory 411 including software (SW) 412, and a transceiver 415. The processor 410, the memory 411, and the transceiver 415 may be communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 420 (which may be configured for, for example, optical communication and / or electrical communication). One or more of the illustrated devices (e.g., a wireless transceiver) may be omitted from the server 400. The processor 410 may include one or more intelligent hardware devices, such as, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), etc. The processor 410 may include multiple processors (e.g., including a general-purpose / application processor, a DSP, a modem processor, a video processor, and / or a sensor processor, as Figure 2 illustrated). The memory 411 may be a non-transitory storage medium that may include, for example, random access memory (RAM), flash memory, disk memory, and / or read-only memory (ROM), etc. The memory 411 may store software 412, which may be processor-readable, processor-executable software code containing instructions that are configured to cause the processor 410 to perform the various functions described herein when executed. Alternatively, the software 412 may not be directly executable by the processor 410, but may be configured to cause the processor 410 to perform these functions, for example, when compiled and executed. The descriptions herein may refer to the processor 410 performing functions, but this includes other specific implementations, such as those in which the processor 410 executes software and / or firmware. The descriptions herein may refer to the processor 410 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more of the processors included in the processor 410 performing the function. The descriptions herein may refer to the server 400 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of the server 400 performing the function. The processor 410 may include a memory with stored instructions as a supplement and / or alternative to the memory 411. The functionality of the processor 410 is discussed more fully below.

[0076] The transceiver 415 may include a wireless transceiver 440 and / or a wired transceiver 450 configured to communicate with other devices via a wireless connection and a wired connection, respectively. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may include a wireless transmitter 442 and a wireless receiver 444 coupled to one or more antennas 446 for transmitting and / or (e.g., on one or more uplink channels) receiving wireless signals 448 and converting the signals from the wireless signals 448 to wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals and from the wired (e.g., electrical and / or optical) signals to the wireless signals 448 (e.g., on one or more downlink channels). Thus, the wireless transmitter 442 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wireless receiver 444 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wireless transceiver 440 may be configured to communicate signals (e.g., with the UE 200, one or more other UEs, and / or one or more other devices) according to various radio access technologies (RATs) such as 5G New Radio (NR), GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications), UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System), AMPS (Advanced Mobile Phone System), CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access), WCDMA (Wideband CDMA), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Direct (LTE-D), 3GPP LTE-V2X (PC5), IEEE 802.11 (including IEEE 802.11p), WiFi, WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), Zigbee, etc.). The wired transceiver 450 may include a wired transmitter 452 and a wired receiver 454 configured for wired communication, e.g., a network interface that may be used to communicate with the NG-RAN 135 to convey communications to and receive communications from, e.g., the TRP 300 and / or one or more other network entities. The wired transmitter 452 may include multiple transmitters that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components, and / or the wired receiver 454 may include multiple receivers that may be discrete components or combined / integrated components. The wired transceiver 450 may be configured for, e.g., optical communication and / or electrical communication.

[0077] The descriptions herein may refer to the processor 410 performing functions, but this includes other specific implementations, such as those where the processor 410 executes software (stored in the memory 411) and / or firmware. The descriptions herein may refer to the server 400 performing functions as an abbreviation for the one or more appropriate components of the server 400 (e.g., the processor 410 and the memory 411) performing the functions.

[0078] Figure 4The configuration of the server 400 shown is an example and not a limitation of the present disclosure (including the claims), and other configurations may be used. For example, the wireless transceiver 440 may be omitted. Additionally or alternatively, this specification discusses the server 400 being configured to perform several functions or the server performing several functions, but one or more of these functions may be performed by the TRP 300 and / or the UE 200 (i.e., the TRP 300 and / or the UE 200 may be configured to perform one or more of these functions).

[0079] Positioning technology

[0080] For terrestrial positioning of UEs in a cellular network, techniques such as advanced forward link trilateration (AFLT) and observed time difference of arrival (OTDOA) typically operate in a "UE-assisted" mode, where measurements of reference signals (e.g., PRS, CRS, etc.) transmitted by base stations are obtained by the UE and subsequently provided to a location server. The location server then calculates the positioning of the UE based on the measurements and the known locations of the base stations. Since these techniques use a location server (rather than the UE itself) to calculate the positioning of the UE, these positioning techniques are not frequently used in applications such as automotive or cellular phone navigation, which instead typically rely on satellite-based positioning.

[0081] A UE can use a satellite positioning system (SPS) (Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)) to perform high-accuracy positioning using precise point positioning (PPP) or real-time kinematics (RTK) techniques. These techniques use auxiliary data, such as measurements from ground-based stations. LTE Release 15 allows the data to be encrypted so that only UEs subscribed to the service can read the information. Such auxiliary data changes over time. Thus, a UE subscribed to the service may not be able to easily "crack the encryption" for other UEs by passing the data to other UEs that have not paid for the subscription. The transfer needs to be repeated each time the auxiliary data changes.

[0082] In UE-assisted positioning, the UE transmits measurements (e.g., TDOA, angle of arrival (AoA), etc.) to a location server (e.g., LMF / eSMLC). The location server has a base station almanac (BSA) that contains multiple "entries" or "records", one record per cell, where each record contains the geographical cell location but may also include other data. Identifiers of the "records" among the multiple "records" in the BSA can be referenced. The BSA and the measurements from the UE can be used to calculate the positioning of the UE.

[0083] In conventional UE-based positioning, the UE computes its own position, thus avoiding transmitting measurements to the network (e.g., a location server), which in turn improves latency and scalability. The UE uses relevant BSA record information from the network (e.g., the location of a gNB (more generally, a base station)). The BSA information can be encrypted. However, since the BSA information changes much less frequently than, for example, the PPP or RTK assistance data described previously, it may be easier to make the BSA information available to UEs that are not subscribed and have not paid for the decryption key. The transmission of reference signals by the gNB makes the BSA information potentially accessible to crowdsourcing or drive-by attacks, thus essentially enabling the BSA information to be generated based on in-the-field observations and / or over-the-top observations.

[0084] Positioning techniques can be characterized and / or evaluated based on one or more criteria such as positioning determination accuracy and / or latency. Latency is the time elapsed between an event that triggers the determination of positioning-related data and the availability of that data at the positioning system interface (e.g., the interface of the LMF 120). At the initialization of the positioning system, the latency for the availability of positioning-related data is referred to as time to first fix (TTFF) and is greater than the latency after TTFF. The reciprocal of the time elapsed between the availability of two consecutive positioning-related data is referred to as the update rate, i.e., the rate at which positioning-related data is generated after the first fix. Latency can depend on, for example, the processing capabilities (of the UE). For example, assuming 272 PRBs (physical resource blocks) are allocated, the UE can report its processing capabilities as the duration (in time units (e.g., milliseconds)) of DL PRS symbols that the UE can process per T time quantity (e.g., T ms). Other examples of capabilities that may affect latency are the number of TRPs from which the UE can process PRS, the number of PRSs that the UE can process, and the bandwidth of the UE.

[0085] One or more of many different positioning techniques (also referred to as positioning methods) may be used to determine the location of an entity, such as one of UEs 105, 106. For example, known positioning determination techniques include RTT, multi-RTT, OTDOA (also referred to as TDOA and including UL-TDOA and DL-TDOA), enhanced cell identification (E-CID), DL-AoD, UL-AoA, etc. RTT uses the time for a signal to travel from one entity to another entity and back to determine the distance between the two entities. This distance, along with the known location of the first entity in the entity and the angle (e.g., azimuth angle) between the two entities, can be used to determine the location of the second entity in the entity. In multi-RTT (also referred to as multi-cell RTT), multiple distances from one entity (e.g., UE) to other entities (e.g., TRP) and the known locations of the other entities can be used to determine the location of the one entity. In TDOA technology, the time difference of arrival between one entity and other entities can be used to determine the relative distance to the other entities, and this relative distance combined with the known locations of the other entities can be used to determine the location of the one entity. Angle of arrival and / or angle of departure can be used to assist in determining the location of an entity. For example, the angle of arrival or departure of a signal, combined with the distance between devices (a distance determined using a signal (e.g., the travel time of the signal, the received power of the signal, etc.)) and the known location of one of these devices, can be used to determine the location of the other device. The angle of arrival or departure can be an azimuth angle relative to a reference direction, such as true north. The angle of arrival or departure can be a zenith angle relative to directly upward from the entity (i.e., radially outward from the center of the earth). E-CID uses the identification of the serving cell, timing advance (i.e., the difference between the reception time and the transmission time at the UE), the estimated timing and power of the detected neighbor cell signals, and possibly the angle of arrival (e.g., the angle of arrival of the signal from the base station at the UE, or vice versa) to determine the location of the UE. In TDOA, the time difference of arrival of signals from different sources at the receiving device, together with the known locations of these sources and the known offsets of the transmission times from these sources, is used to determine the location of the receiving device.

[0086] In network-centric RTT estimation, the serving base station commands the UE to scan / receive RTT measurement signals (e.g., PRS) on the serving cells of two or more neighboring base stations (and typically the serving base station, since at least three base stations are required). The one or more base stations transmit the RTT measurement signals on low reuse resources (e.g., resources used by the base station to transmit system information) allocated by the network (e.g., a location server, such as LMF 120). The UE records the arrival time (also referred to as reception time, received time, received time, or time of arrival (ToA)) of each RTT measurement signal relative to the current downlink timing of the UE (e.g., as derived by the UE from the DL signal received from its serving base station), and (e.g., when instructed by its serving base station) transmits a common or individual RTT response message (e.g., an SRS (sounding reference signal) for positioning, i.e., UL-PRS) to the one or more base stations, and may calculate the time difference T between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal and the transmission time of the RTT response message. Rx→Tx (i.e., UE T Rx-Tx or UE Rx-Tx ) is included in the payload of each RTT response message. The RTT response message will include a reference signal from which the base station can infer the ToA of the RTT response. Tx→Rx The difference between the sending time of the RTT measurement signal from the base station and the ToA of the RTT response at the base station and the time difference T reported by the UE Rx→Tx , and subtract UE Rx-Tx , the base station can infer the propagation time between the base station and the UE, from which the base station can determine the distance between the UE and the base station by assuming the speed of light during the propagation time.

[0087] UE-centric RTT estimation is similar to the network-based approach, except that the UE sends an uplink RTT measurement signal (e.g., when ordered by a serving base station), which is received by multiple base stations in the vicinity of the UE. Each base station involved responds with a downlink RTT response message, which may include in the RTT response message payload the time difference between the ToA of the RTT measurement signal at the base station and the transmission time of the RTT response message from the base station.

[0088] For both network-centric and UE-centric processes, the side performing the RTT calculation (the network or the UE) typically (but not always) sends a first message or signal (e.g., an RTT measurement signal), and the other side responds with one or more RTT response messages or signals, which may include the difference between the ToA of the first message or signal and the sending time of the RTT response message or signal.

[0089] Multi-RTT techniques can be used to determine location. For example, a first entity (e.g., a UE) can transmit one or more signals (e.g., unicast, multicast, or broadcast from a base station), and multiple second entities (e.g., other TSPs such as base stations and / or UEs) can receive the signal from the first entity and respond to the received signal. The first entity receives the responses from the multiple second entities. The first entity (or another entity such as an LMF) can use the responses from the second entities to determine the distances to the second entities, and can use the multiple distances and the known locations of the second entities to determine the location of the first entity by trilateration.

[0090] In some instances, additional information in the form of an angle of arrival (AoA) or an angle of departure (AoD) can be obtained, which defines a straight-line direction (e.g., the straight-line direction can be in a horizontal plane or in three dimensions) or a range of possible directions (e.g., of the UE from the location of the base station). The intersection of the two directions can provide another estimate of the UE's location.

[0091] For positioning techniques that use PRS (Positioning Reference Signal) signals (e.g., TDOA and RTT), the PRS signals transmitted by multiple TRPs are measured, and the arrival times of these signals, the known transmission times, and the known locations of the TRPs are used to determine the distances from the UE to the TRPs. For example, the RSTD (Reference Signal Time Difference) can be determined for the PRS signals received from multiple TRPs, and the RSTD is used in TDOA techniques to determine the positioning (location) of the UE. The positioning reference signal can be referred to as PRS or a PRS signal. PRS signals are typically transmitted using the same power, and PRS signals with the same signal characteristics (e.g., the same frequency shift) may interfere with each other, such that the PRS signals from a more distant TRP may be overwhelmed by the PRS signals from a closer TRP, such that the signals from the more distant TRP may not be detectable. PRS muting can be used to help reduce interference by muting some PRS signals (reducing the power of the PRS signal, e.g., reducing it to zero and thus not transmitting the PRS signal). In this way, the UE can more easily detect (at the UE) the weaker PRS signals without the stronger PRS signals interfering with the weaker PRS signals. The term RS and its variants (e.g., PRS, SRS, CSI-RS (Channel State Information - Reference Signal)) can refer to one reference signal or more than one reference signal.

[0092] Positioning Reference Signals (PRS) include Downlink PRS (DL PRS, often simply referred to as PRS) and Uplink PRS (UL PRS) (this UL PRS can be referred to as Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) for positioning). The PRS can include a PN code (pseudo-random digital code) or use a PN code to generate (e.g., by modulating a carrier signal with a PN code) such that the source of the PRS can be used as a pseudo-satellite. The PN code can be unique for the PRS source (at least unique within a specified area such that the same PRS from different PRS sources does not overlap). The PRS can include PRS resources and / or sets of PRS resources for a frequency layer. The DL PRS positioning frequency layer (or simply referred to as the frequency layer) is a set of DL PRS resource sets from one or more TRPs, where the PRS resources have common parameters configured by the higher layer parameters DL-PRS-PositioningFrequencyLayer, DL-PRS-ResourceSet, and DL-PRS-Resource. Each frequency layer has a DL PRS subcarrier spacing (SCS) for the DL PRS resource sets and DL PRS resources in that frequency layer. Each frequency layer has a DL PRS cyclic prefix (CP) for the DL PRS resource sets and DL PRS resources in that frequency layer. In 5G, a resource block occupies 12 consecutive subcarriers and a specified number of symbols. A common resource block is a set of resource blocks that occupies the channel bandwidth. A bandwidth part (BWP) is a set of consecutive common resource blocks and can include all the common resource blocks within the channel bandwidth or a subset of the common resource blocks. Additionally, the DL PRS point A parameter defines the frequency of the reference resource block (and the lowest subcarrier of that resource block), where the DL PRS resources belonging to the same DL PRS resource set have the same point A, and all DL PRS resource sets belonging to the same frequency layer have the same point A. The frequency layer also has the same DL PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size value (i.e., the frequency of the PRS resource elements per symbol such that for comb-N, every Nth resource element is a PRS resource element). A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and can be associated with a specific TRP (identified by a cell ID) transmitted by an antenna panel of a base station. The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set can be associated with an omnidirectional signal and / or with a single beam (and / or beam ID) transmitted from a single base station (where a base station can transmit one or more beams). Each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and thus, a PRS resource (or simply referred to as a resource) can also be called a beam. This does not imply anything about whether the base station and beam on which the PRS is transmitted are known to the UE.

[0093] The TRP can be configured, for example, by instructions received from a server and / or by software in the TRP, to transmit DL PRS according to a schedule. According to this schedule, the TRP can transmit DL PRS intermittently (e.g., periodically at consistent intervals starting from an initial transmission). The TRP can be configured to transmit one or more PRS resource sets. A resource set is a collection of PRS resources across a TRP, where the resources have the same periodicity, a common silent mode configuration (if any), and the same cross-slot repetition factor. Each PRS resource set in the PRS resource set includes multiple PRS resources, where each PRS resource includes multiple OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) resource elements (REs), and the OFDM REs can be in multiple resource blocks (RBs) within N (one or more) consecutive symbols within a time slot. A PRS resource (or generally, a reference signal (RS) resource) can be referred to as an OFDM PRS resource (or OFDM RS resource). An RB is a set of REs that spans a certain number of one or more consecutive symbols in the time domain and a certain number of (12 for 5G RBs) consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. Each PRS resource is configured with an RE offset, a time slot offset, a symbol offset within the time slot, and the number of consecutive symbols that the PRS resource can occupy within the time slot. The RE offset defines the starting RE offset in frequency of the first symbol within the DL PRS resource. The relative RE offsets of the remaining symbols within the DL PRS resource are defined based on the initial offset. The time slot offset is the starting time slot of the DL PRS resource relative to the corresponding resource set time slot offset. The symbol offset determines the starting symbol of the DL PRS resource within the starting time slot. The transmitted REs can be repeated across time slots, where each transmission is called a repetition, such that there can be multiple repetitions within the PRS resource. The DL PRS resources in the DL PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP, and each DL PRS resource has a DL PRS resource ID. The DL PRS resource IDs in the DL PRS resource set are associated with a single beam transmitted from a single TRP (although the TRP can transmit one or more beams).

[0094] The PRS resources can also be defined by quasi-co-location parameters and starting PRB parameters. The quasi-co-location (QCL) parameters can define any quasi-co-location information of the DL PRS resources with other reference signals. The DL PRS can be configured to be of QCL type D with respect to DL PRS or SS / PBCH (Synchronization Signal / Physical Broadcast Channel) blocks from a serving cell or a non-serving cell. The DL PRS can be configured to be of QCL type C with respect to SS / PBCH blocks from a serving cell or a non-serving cell. The starting PRB parameter defines the starting PRB index of the DL PRS resource with respect to reference point A. The starting PRB index has a granularity of one PRB and can have a minimum value of 0 PRBs and a maximum value of 2176 PRBs.

[0095] A PRS resource set is a collection of PRS resources with the same periodicity, the same silence pattern configuration (if any), and the same cross-slot repetition factor. Each time all the repetitions of all the PRS resources in the PRS resource set are configured to be sent, it is called an "instance". Thus, an "instance" of a PRS resource set is a specified number of repetitions for each PRS resource and a specified number of PRS resources within the PRS resource set, such that once the specified number of repetitions has been sent for each of the specified number of PRS resources, the instance is complete. An instance may also be referred to as an "occasion". A DL PRS configuration including the DL PRS transmission scheduling may be provided to the UE to facilitate (or even enable) the UE to measure the DL PRS.

[0096] Multiple frequency layers of the PRS may be aggregated to provide an effective bandwidth greater than any of the bandwidths of the individual layers. Multiple frequency layers belonging to component carriers (which may be continuous and / or separate), satisfying criteria such as quasi-co-location (QCL), and having the same antenna port may be spliced to provide a larger effective PRS bandwidth (for both DL PRS and UL PRS), thereby improving the time-of-arrival measurement accuracy. Splicing includes combining the PRS measurements on individual bandwidth segments into a unified segment such that the spliced PRS can be regarded as taken from a single measurement. In the case of quasi-co-location, different frequency layers behave similarly, thus enabling the splicing of the PRS to result in a larger effective bandwidth. The larger effective bandwidth (which may be referred to as the bandwidth of the aggregated PRS or the frequency bandwidth of the aggregated PRS) provides better time-domain resolution (e.g., resolution of TDOA). The aggregated PRS includes a collection of PRS resources, and each PRS resource in the aggregated PRS may be referred to as a PRS component, and each PRS component may be transmitted on different component carriers, frequency bands, or frequency layers, or on different parts of the same frequency band.

[0097] RTT positioning is an active positioning technique because RTT uses positioning signals transmitted from the TRP to the UE and positioning signals transmitted from the UE (participating in RTT positioning) to the TRP. The TRP may transmit DL-PRS signals received by the UE, and the UE may transmit SRS (Sounding Reference Signal) signals received by multiple TRPs. The sounding reference signal may be referred to as SRS or SRS signal. In 5G multi-RTT, coordinated positioning may be used, where the UE transmits a single UL-SRS for positioning received by multiple TRPs, rather than transmitting separate UL-SRSs for positioning for each TRP. The TRPs participating in multi-RTT typically search for UEs currently resident on that TRP (served UEs, where that TRP is the serving TRP) and also search for UEs resident on adjacent TRPs (neighbor UEs). Neighbor TRPs may be TRPs of a single BTS (Base Transceiver Station) (e.g., gNB), or may be TRPs of one BTS and TRPs of a separate BTS. For RTT positioning (including multi-RTT positioning), in the PRS / SRS positioning signal pair used to determine RTT (and thus the distance between the UE and the TRP), the DL-PRS signal and the UL-SRS positioning signal may occur close to each other in time such that errors due to UE movement and / or UE clock drift and / or TRP clock drift are within acceptable limits. For example, the signals in the PRS / SRS positioning signal pair may be transmitted from the TRP and the UE respectively within about 10 ms of each other. In the case where the SRS for positioning is being transmitted by the UE and the PRS and the SRS for positioning are conveyed close to each other in time, it has been found that it may cause radio frequency (RF) signal congestion (which may lead to excessive noise, etc.) (especially if many UEs are attempting to position concurrently), and / or may cause computational congestion at the TRP that is attempting to concurrently measure many UEs.

[0098] RTT positioning can be UE-based or UE-assisted. In UE-based RTT, the UE 200 determines the RTT and corresponding distances to each of the TRPs in the TRP 300, and determines the positioning of the UE 200 based on the distances to the TRP 300 and the known positions of the TRP 300. In UE-assisted RTT, the UE 200 measures the positioning signal and provides measurement information to the TRP 300, and the TRP 300 determines the RTT and distances. The TRP 300 provides the distances to a location server (e.g., the server 400), and the server determines the location of the UE 200, for example, based on the distances to different TRPs 300. The RTT and / or distances can be determined by the TRP 300 that receives the signal from the UE 200, determined by the TRP 300 in combination with one or more other devices (e.g., one or more other TRPs 300 and / or the server 400), or determined by one or more devices other than the TRP 300 that receive the signal from the UE 200.

[0099] Various positioning techniques are supported in 5G NR. The NR native positioning methods supported in 5G NR include DL-only positioning methods, UL-only positioning methods, and DL+UL positioning methods. The downlink-based positioning methods include DL-TDOA and DL-AoD. The uplink-based positioning methods include UL-TDOA and UL-AoA. The positioning methods based on the combined DL+UL include RTT with one base station and RTT with multiple base stations (multi-RTT).

[0100] Positioning estimates (e.g., for a UE) can be referred to by other names, such as location estimates, location, positioning, position fixing, fixing, etc. Positioning estimates can be geodesic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or can be civic and include a street address, postal address, or some other textual description of the location. Positioning estimates can be further defined relative to some other known location or defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). Positioning estimates can include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including the area or volume within which the position is expected to be included with a certain specified or default confidence).

[0101] Reference Figure 5 , further reference Figures 1 to 3 , the mobile device 500 includes a processor 510, a transceiver 520, and a memory 530 that are communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 540. The device 500 can take any of various forms, such as a UE, such as a vehicle UE (VUE), etc. The device 500 can include Figure 5 the components shown, and can include one or more other components, such as Figure 2Any of the components shown such that device 200 can be an example of device 500. For example, processor 510 may include one or more of the components of processor 210. Transceiver 520 may include one or more of the components of transceiver 215, for example, wireless transmitter 242 and antenna 246, or wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246, or wireless transmitter 242, wireless receiver 244, and antenna 246. Additionally or alternatively, transceiver 520 may include wired transmitter 252 and / or wired receiver 254. Memory 530 may be configured similarly to memory 211, for example, including software having processor-readable instructions configured to cause processor 510 to perform functions.

[0102] The description herein may refer to processor 510 performing functions, but this includes other specific implementations, such as those in which processor 510 executes software (stored in memory 530) and / or firmware. The description herein may refer to device 500 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of device 500 (e.g., processor 510 and memory 530) performing the functions. Processor 510 (possibly in combination with memory 530 and, where appropriate, transceiver 520) may include positioning signal measurement unit 550 and / or capability unit 560. Positioning signal measurement unit 550 and capability unit 560 may be configured to measure positioning signals (e.g., PRS and / or any other signals for positioning) and indicate one or more capabilities of device 500 to another device (e.g., server 400, such as LMF). Positioning signal measurement unit 550 and capability unit 560 are further discussed below, and the description may generally refer to processor 510 or generally refer to device 500 performing any of the functions of positioning signal measurement unit 550 or capability unit 560, where device 500 is configured to perform these functions.

[0103] Also refer to Figure 6 and further refer to Figure 4 Network entity 600 includes a processor 610, a transceiver 620, and a memory 630 communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 640. Network entity 600 may take any of various forms, such as a server (e.g., LMF), etc. Network entity 600 may include Figure 6The components shown and may include one or more other components. Server 400 may be an example of network entity 600. For example, transceiver 620 may include wireless receiver 444 and antenna 446, and / or may include wired receiver 454. Network entity 600 may include other components, such as wireless transmitter 442 and antenna 446, and / or wired transmitter 452. Memory 530 may be configured similarly to memory 411, for example, including software having processor-readable instructions configured to cause processor 610 to perform functions.

[0104] The description herein may refer to processor 610 performing functions, but this includes other specific implementations, such as those in which processor 610 executes software (stored in memory 630) and / or firmware. The description herein may refer to network entity 600 performing functions as a shorthand for one or more appropriate components of network entity 600 (e.g., processor 610 and memory 630) performing the functions. Processor 610 (possibly in combination with memory 630 and, where appropriate, receiver 620) may include positioning signal unit 650. Positioning signal unit 650 may be configured to determine positioning signal configuration and scheduling and, for example, provide assistance data regarding positioning signal configuration and scheduling to mobile device 500 via a TRP. Positioning signal unit 650 is discussed further below, and the description may generally refer to processor 610 or generally refer to network entity 600 performing any of the functions of positioning signal unit 650, where network entity 600 is configured to perform these functions.

[0105] Also refer to Figure 7 , the environment 700 for positioning target device 710 includes a non-terrestrial network (NTN) of signaling devices (here SV 721, 722, 723) and network entity 600. The signaling devices may be configured to send and / or receive (and measure) positioning signals. In this example, SVs 721 to 723 are signaling devices and are configured to send positioning signals 731, 732, 733 to target device 710 respectively, which is an example of mobile device 500 and may take any of various forms, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, etc. Positioning signals 731 to 733 may be, for example, PRS, and thus the discussion herein refers to PRS, but positioning signals 731 to 733 may include one or more other types of signals. Network entity 600 (e.g., positioning signal unit 650) may be configured to send signal 741 to target device 710, and target device 710 (e.g., capability unit 560) may be configured to send signal 742 to network entity 600 (e.g., the signal indicates one or more capabilities of target device 710). Signals 741, 742 may be sent between network entity 600 and target device 710 using one or more intermediate devices (not shown) (e.g., a TRP).

[0106] The signal 741 sent by the network entity 600 to the target device 710 may include auxiliary data (AD) to assist the target device 710 (e.g., the positioning signal measurement unit 550) in receiving and measuring the positioning signals 731 to 733. For example, the network entity 600 (e.g., the LMF) may transmit the AD to configure the target device 710 to search for the PRS from the TRP (e.g., the reference TRP (e.g., the serving TRP) or the neighbor TRP) over time. The AD may be transmitted, for example, in the LPP message. Also refer to Figure 8 that the target device 710 may assume the start of the subframe 820 for receiving the PRS of the neighbor TRP within the search window 830, the size of which is [-nr-DL-PRS-ExpectedRSTD-Uncertainty×R; nr-DL-PRS-ExpectedRSTD-Uncertainty×R], centered at T REF +N+nr-DL-PRS-ExpectedRSTD×4×Ts, where T REF is the reception time at the antenna connector of the target device 710 for the start of the subframe 810 of the PRS of the auxiliary data reference TRP, and N may be calculated based on the following: the nr-DL-PRS-SFN0-Offset information element (IE); the dl-PRS-Periodicity-and-ResourceSetSlotOffset IE; and the dl-PRS-ResourceSlotOffset IE. The resolution R(a) is Ts if all the PRS resources are within the Frequency Range 2, or otherwise (b) 4×Ts, where Ts = 1 / (15000*2048) seconds. As used herein, the lowercase "frequency range" indicates the frequency span, while the uppercase "FrequencyRange" indicates a specific, well-known, identified frequency span. Specifically, the Frequency Range 2 or FR2 indicates 24.25 GHz to 71.0 GHz.

[0107] For the purpose of DL PRS processing capabilities, as detailed in 3GPP technical specification 38.214, the duration K milliseconds of the DL PRS symbols within a window of P milliseconds is calculated as follows:

[0108] K = ∑ s∈S K s (1)

[0109]

[0110] For type 1 duration calculation using a receiver with symbol-level buffering capabilities, and the calculation is performed as follows:

[0111]

[0112] For type 2 duration calculation using a receiver with time-slot-level buffering capabilities, where S is a set of time slots based on a parameter set of DL PRS of serving cells within a P millisecond window in the positioning frequency layer, and this set of time slots includes potential DL PRS resources considering the actual nr-DL-PRS-ExpectedRSTD and nr-DL-PRS-ExpectedRSTD-Uncertainty provided for each pair of DL PRS resource sets. For type 1, is the minimum interval in milliseconds within time slot s, and this time slot corresponds to an integer number of OFDM symbols based on the parameter set of DL PRS of the serving cell, and the serving cell covers the union of potential PRS symbols and determines the PRS symbol occupancy within time slot s, where the interval considers the actual nr-DL-PRS-ExpectedRSTD and nr-DL-PRS-ExpectedRSTD-Uncertainty provided for each pair of DL PRS resource sets (target and reference). For type 2, μ is the parameter set of DL PRS, and |S| is the cardinality of set S.

[0113] As detailed in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.133, the measurement period per frequency layer for RSTD depends on the capabilities of the PRS receiver, the time duration (including misalignment), and the maximum number of PRS resources per time slot. The measurement period for PRS RSTD measurement in positioning frequency layer i can be given by:

[0114]

[0115] where: N RxBeam,i is the UE Rx beam scanning factor (in FR1, N RxBeam,i = 1, and in FR2, N RxBeam,i = 8); CSSF PRS,i is the carrier-specific scaling factor for NR PRS-based positioning measurements in positioning frequency layer i; is the maximum number of DL PRS resources configured in a time slot in positioning frequency layer i; is for positioning frequency layer i to be in Time duration of available PRS measured during the period; {N,T} is the UE capability combination per band, where N is the duration in ms of the DL PRS symbols, which corresponds to durationOfPRS-ProcessingSysmbols processed every T ms in TS 37.355

[34] , which corresponds to durationOfPRS-ProcessingSymbolsInEveryTms for a given maximum bandwidth supported by the UE (which corresponds to supportedBandwidthPRS in 3GPP TS 37.355); and N’ is the UE capability of the number of DL PRS resources that the UE can process in a time slot, as indicated by maxNumOfDL-PRS-ResProcessedPerSlot specified in 3GPP TS 37.355. It can be calculated in the same way as the PRS duration K defined in clause 5.1.6.5 of 3GPP TS 38.214. For the calculation Only PRS resources that are not silenced and completely or partially overlap with the measurement gap (MG) can be considered.

[0116] Also refer to Figure 9 , Figure 900 illustrates the system geometry for Doppler shift calculation for a non-geostationary satellite system. Figure 9 The illustrated scenario assumes a Cartesian coordinate system such that the mobile satellite 910 and the receiver 920 (e.g., UE, terrestrial base station) are in the y-z plane. The Doppler shift experienced by the stationary receiver can be calculated as a function of time as follows:

[0117]

[0118] where f0 is the carrier frequency, d(t) is the distance vector between the satellite 910 and the receiver 920, and x SAT (t) is the vector of the satellite position. These vectors can be expressed as:

[0119] d(t) = [0 (R E + h)sin(ω SAT t) (R E + h)cos(ω SAT t) - R E T (6)

[0120] x SAT (t) = [0 (R E + h)sin(ω SAT t) (R E + h)cos(ωSAT t)] T (7)

[0121] where R E is the radius of the Earth, h is the height of the satellite, and ω SAT t is the angular velocity of the satellite. After some mathematical operations, the Doppler shift as a function of the elevation angle can be calculated in a closed - form expression as follows:

[0122]

[0123] where the angular velocity is

[0124]

[0125] where G is the gravitational constant, and M E is the mass of the Earth. Although the discussions in this document can use geometric SVs and / or satellite networks as examples, the discussions in this document can be applied to non - satellite non - terrestrial networks. In other words, the observed velocity that can be used to determine the Doppler can be expressed as the product of the velocity vector of the SV and the relative position between the SV and the receiver (e.g., UE). For example, in a Cartesian coordinate system, satellite 910 is located at position xS, receiver 920 is located at position xU, and satellite 910 is moving with a velocity vector of vS. The observed velocity oV of satellite 910 at receiver 920 can be expressed as the inner product of the velocity vector and the unit vector in the (xU - xS) direction, i.e.,

[0126]

[0127] According to the velocity, the Doppler can be determined as follows:

[0128]

[0129] If the receiver 920 (e.g., UE) is placed on an aircraft or a high - speed train, there will be an additional term for the Doppler shift caused by the velocity of the receiver 920. In the case of non - geostationary satellites, the Doppler shift caused by the satellite movement is much higher than the Doppler shift caused by the movement of the receiver 920. However, for geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) satellites and high - altitude platform stations (HAPS), the Doppler shift component is mainly caused by the movement of the receiver.

[0130] Also refer to Figure 10 and Figure 11, Charts 1000 and 1100 illustrate example frequency offsets caused by Doppler shift. Chart 1000 illustrates the example Doppler shift of a 2 GHz signal at 600 km on the downlink and uplink. Chart 1000 exemplifies the curves for both a stationary receiver and a moving receiver (both moving in the same direction as the satellite and in the opposite direction to the satellite). Chart 1100 illustrates the example frequency offset caused by the Doppler shift of a 2 GHz signal at 1500 km on the downlink and uplink. Chart 1100 exemplifies the curves for both a stationary receiver and a moving receiver (both moving in the same direction as the satellite and in the opposite direction to the satellite). Charts 1000 and 1100 exemplify the worst-case impact when the receiver moves at 1000 km / h and in the same direction as the satellite (which is a non-geostationary satellite). The boundaries of Charts 1000 and 1100 can be defined by adding the Doppler shift caused by satellite motion and the Doppler shift caused by receiver motion. Charts 1000 and 1100 show the boundaries of the Doppler shift perceived according to the motion between satellite 910 and receiver 920.

[0131] The Doppler shift of positioning signals 731 to 733 can be significant. For example, as illustrated in Charts 1000 and 1100, it may concurrently cause the target device 710 to be unable to concurrently process all positioning signals 731 to 733. In a terrestrial network environment, the target device may not encounter significant Doppler frequencies between signals from different signal sources (e.g., TRPs). In a non-terrestrial network (NTN), the relative Doppler between signal sources (e.g., TRPs) may be large enough such that the target device may not be able to concurrently process signals from multiple sources in the same frequency layer. For example, the maximum concurrent frequency processing capability may be shorter than the measurement period T of PRS RSTD. RSTD,i Also refer to Figure 12 , Table 1200 shows the maximum Doppler shift and relative Doppler shift of various frequencies of positioning signals 731 to 733 and the various altitudes of SVs 721 to 723 in LEO (Low Earth Orbit) and MEO (Medium Earth Orbit).

[0132] A mobile device 500 (e.g., a target device 710 such as a UE) and / or a network entity 600 (e.g., an LMF) may determine one or more frequency processing windows for the device 500 to measure positioning signals (e.g., positioning signals 731 to 733). For example, a positioning signal measurement unit 550 and / or a positioning signal unit 650 may determine the frequency processing windows. For example, the frequency processing windows may be determined based on the range in which the Doppler-shifted positioning signals are arranged and the maximum concurrent frequency processing capability of the device 500. As another example, the frequency processing windows may be determined based on: the range in which the Doppler-shifted positioning signals are arranged, the maximum concurrent frequency processing capability of the device 500, and the number of positioning signal sources from which positioning signals are expected to be received, each positioning signal having a frequency spread within the maximum concurrent frequency processing capability of the device 500. As another example, the frequency processing windows may be determined as the number (e.g., the minimum number) of frequency intervals (each frequency interval not greater than the maximum concurrent frequency processing capability of the device 500) that can be used to measure (all) the positioning signals, each positioning signal having a frequency spread within the maximum concurrent frequency processing capability of the device 500, while attempting to arrange at least one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing windows to cover two or more frequency ranges in the frequency range of the positioning signals expected to be received. The processing time for measuring the positioning signals may be affected by the Doppler shift of the positioning signals. The device 500 and / or another device (e.g., the network entity 600) may determine the processing time of one or more of the techniques discussed above for the device 500 to determine and use the frequency processing windows. If the device 500 determines such processing time, the device 500 may report such processing time as a capability of the device 500. The network entity 600 may configure and / or schedule one or more frequency layers for the device 500 to measure the positioning signals, for example, based on the processing time and / or the frequency processing windows.

[0133] To determine the frequency processing windows, the entity determining the frequency processing windows (e.g., the mobile device 500 and / or the network entity 600) obtains the expected Doppler and the expected Doppler uncertainty of the positioning signals at the mobile device 500. The expected Doppler and the expected Doppler uncertainty may be obtained directly and / or indirectly. For example, the network entity 600 may determine the expected Doppler and the expected Doppler uncertainty and provide them to the device 500. As another example, information (e.g., signaling ephemeris (e.g., SV position and motion) and beam position) may be provided to the device 500 based on which the device 500 (e.g., the positioning signal measurement unit 550) may calculate the expected Doppler and the expected Doppler uncertainty.

[0134] Based on the frequency difference of the positioning signal due to Doppler effect (e.g., the maximum frequency difference of the frequency of the positioning signal), the selection of the frequency processing window may affect the measurement time of the positioning signal. For each signal source (e.g., TRP) j, the mobile device 500 can obtain (e.g., calculate and / or be provided with) the corresponding frequency range [f min，j , f max，j of the positioning signal affected by the expected Doppler effect. The maximum frequency difference f Δ corresponding to the signal source (affected by Doppler effect) in (e.g., the frequency layer) can be determined as

[0135] f Δ = max{f max,j} - min{f min,j}, for all j (12)

[0136] The measurement period of the Doppler-considered PRS RSTD measurement in the positioning frequency layer i can be given by:

[0137]

[0138] where S is a scaling factor corresponding to the number of frequency processing windows in which the positioning signal (in this example, PRS) is measured by the device 500.

[0139] Also referring to Figure 13 , the scaling factor S can be the result of determining the frequency processing window, e.g., as discussed above. In the example shown in Figure 13 , for each of the three signal sources, there are three positioning signals 1311, 1312, 1313 corresponding to the frequency ranges [f min,1 , f max,1 , [f min,2 , f max,2 , [f min,3 , f max,3 . The frequency processing window can be determined, for example, as the minimum number of the maximum frequency ranges of the positioning signals that the device 500 can concurrently process, and this maximum frequency range will cover the maximum frequency difference f Δ . In this case, the scaling factor S is given by:

[0140]

[0141] where F is the maximum frequency range of the positioning signal frequencies that the device 500 is configured to concurrently process, and the ceil function rounds the operand up to the next highest integer. In this example, f Δ will be equal to f max,3 – f min,1 . ForFigure 13 For the example shown, the scaling factor using this calculation method is 4, which corresponds to processing windows 1321, 1322, 1323, 1324. As another example, the frequency processing window can be determined as the lower of the scaling factor according to equation (14) or the number of signal sources from which positioning signals are received or expected to be received, each positioning signal spanning no more than the frequency range F. In this case, the scaling factor S is given by:

[0142]

[0143] For Figure 13 the example shown, the scaling factor using this calculation method is 3, which corresponds to processing windows 1331, 1332, 1333 for the respective signal sources (e.g., TRP and / or SV). As another example of determining the frequency processing window, the frequency processing window can be determined by attempting to arrange one or more of the frequency processing windows to span two or more (Doppler-affected) positioning signal frequency ranges within the positioning signal frequency range. For example, the frequency processing window can be determined by attempting to arrange the frequency processing window such that the minimum number of frequency processing windows cover all positioning signals (or at least all positioning signals spanning no more than the maximum frequency range F of the positioning signal frequencies that device 500 is configured to process concurrently). For Figure 13 the example shown, the scaling factor using this calculation method is 2, which corresponds to processing window 1341 that covers processing signal 1311 (spanning the frequency range of this processing signal), and processing window 1342 that covers processing signals 1312, 1313 (spanning the frequency range of this processing signal). In the above example, the frequency range F can be specified in an appropriate standard specification. For different subcarrier spacings (SCS), different positioning signal (e.g., PRS) durations, different positioning signal bandwidths, etc., the frequency range F can be different. Alternatively, the frequency range F can be signaled by device 500 in a capability message. The frequency range F can be expressed as a multiple of a basic "frequency bin", as an absolute value in Hz, or in parts per million (ppm). The frequency range F can be indicated per wireless signal transmitting device (e.g., per UE), per frequency band, per feature set (FS), and / or per feature set per component carrier (FSPC). For different subcarrier spacings (SCS), different positioning signal (e.g., PRS) durations, different positioning signal bandwidths, etc., the frequency range F can be different.

[0144] A network entity 600 (e.g., a positioning signal unit 650) can determine and configure a frequency layer to be used by a device 500 for measuring positioning signals based on the frequency range within which the device 500 can concurrently process positioning signals, such that the device 500 can concurrently process all positioning signals within each frequency layer in the frequency layer respectively. Positioning signals (e.g., PRS) from different signal sources (e.g., SV) can be transmitted at the same carrier frequency, but due to different Doppler corresponding to different signal sources, the positioning signals from different signal sources may appear to have different carrier frequencies. Different positioning signals can be regarded by the network entity 600 as having different carrier frequencies. For example, the network entity 600 can configure the frequency layer based on a frequency processing window, which is determined according to Equation (15) (e.g., as discussed with respect to frequency processing windows 1131 to 1333 and positioning signals 1311 to 1313) or is determined to provide a minimum number of frequency layers such that the frequency processing window can cover the corresponding frequency ranges of all positioning signals (or at least all positioning signals spanning no more than the maximum frequency range F of the positioning signal frequencies that the device 500 is configured to concurrently process). Each frequency layer can be indicated by a coarse frequency error, which is common to all positioning signal sources (e.g., TRP) of the frequency layer and can indicate a residual frequency error for some or all of the frequency layers in the frequency layer. For example, the residual frequency error can be indicated for each positioning signal source among the positioning signal sources within the frequency layer (but the same residual frequency error can be applied to more than one positioning signal source). As another example, a single indication of the residual frequency error can be provided for all frequency layers. As another example, a single indication of the residual frequency error can be provided for all TRP in the frequency layer by frequency layer. The magnitudes of the coarse frequency error and the residual frequency error can be set such that the frequency error is small enough within a frequency layer to allow the device 500 to perform concurrent positioning signal processing. For example, in the case where the maximum frequency range F is 1 kHz, the coarse frequency error can be a multiple of 1 kHz, and the residual frequency error can be between -500 Hz and 500 Hz. The granularity of the coarse frequency error can depend on the parameter set of the frequency layer. If two (or more) positioning signal sources are not within the same coarse frequency error bin, the network entity 600 can configure and indicate separate frequency layers for the corresponding positioning signal sources. The processing time of the device 500 for the positioning signals will be the sum of the processing times for all frequency layers (e.g., according to Equation (13)).

[0145] Reference Figure 14 , and further reference Figures 1 to 13, The signaling and process flow 1400 for determining location information includes the stages shown. In flow 1400, signals are transmitted between the mobile device 500 and signal sources 1401, 1402, 1403 (e.g., SVs, non-terrestrial TRPs, etc.) and between the device 500 and the network entity 600. Flow 1400 is an example as one or more stages can be added, removed, and / or rearranged, and / or two or more stages can be combined.

[0146] At stage 1410, the device 500 (e.g., the capability unit 560) may send a capability message 1412 to the network entity 600. The capability message 1412 may include, for example, an indication of the frequency range F of the positioning signal frequencies that the device 500 is capable of processing concurrently. The frequency range F of the signals that can be processed concurrently may be due to, for example, different Doppler frequencies of different positioning signals in the same frequency layer, e.g., having the same carrier frequency but originating from different signal sources (e.g., different SVs, different TRPs). The capability message 1412 may include the frequency range F and / or may include other setting information, e.g., one or more tuples of the number of positioning signals that can be processed in one time slot (or the duration or periodicity of the positioning signals) and the frequency error (e.g., the maximum frequency error), e.g., 2 PRS resources with a maximum frequency error of 1 kHz, and / or 4 PRS resources with a maximum frequency error of 500 Hz.

[0147] At stage 1420, the network entity 600 (e.g., the positioning signal unit 650) may determine the expected Doppler and expected Doppler uncertainty for the positioning signals corresponding to the signal sources 1401 to 1403 at the device 500. For example, the network entity 600 may calculate the expected Doppler and expected Doppler uncertainty based on ephemeris data (indicating the position of the signal source (e.g., SV) over time and thus indicating the movement of the signal source) and the position and possible movement information of the device 500. For example, the network entity 600 may use the rough location information of the device 500 (e.g., E-CID) and other possible information reported to the network entity 600 (e.g., speed, inertial information, the position of the device 500 over time, etc.) to determine the expected Doppler and expected Doppler uncertainty.

[0148] At stage 1430, network entity 600 (e.g., positioning signal unit 650) may determine auxiliary data (AD) of device 500. For example, network entity 600 may use the expected Doppler and expected Doppler uncertainty determined at stage 1420 as AD and / or may determine a positioning signal configuration. The auxiliary data may include frequency layer configurations, each frequency layer configuration corresponding to one or more processing frequency windows as discussed herein. For example, a frequency layer configuration may be based on the expected Doppler and expected Doppler uncertainty of each of a plurality of positioning signals corresponding to different positioning signal sources and the frequency range F of positioning signal frequencies that device 500 is capable of concurrently processing (e.g., according to equations (13) and (14)), and may be the number of positioning signal sources (e.g., according to equations (13) and (15)), or by attempting to cover more than one frequency processing window per frequency layer such that device 500 will be able to concurrently process the positioning signals in each frequency layer. The auxiliary data may indicate a coarse frequency error for each frequency layer and a residual frequency error, for example, for each positioning signal source in each frequency layer (but the same residual frequency error may be applied to more than one positioning signal source), or for all frequency layers, or for all TRPs within a frequency layer, or for another device correspondence. Network entity 600 may send an AD message 1432 with the determined AD to mobile device 500.

[0149] At stage 1440, the mobile device 500 (e.g., the positioning signal measurement unit 550) may determine / select a frequency processing window for measuring the positioning signals indicated in the AD message 1432, and determine a corresponding processing time for measuring the positioning signals, e.g., by frequency layer. The positioning signal measurement unit 550 may determine the frequency processing window as discussed above. For example, the positioning signal measurement unit 550 may determine (e.g., based on ephemeris data) the expected Doppler and the expected Doppler uncertainty. Using the processing time according to equations (13) and (14), the positioning signal measurement unit 550 may determine the frequency processing window according to the range from the minimum frequency of the positioning signal (caused by Doppler effect) to the maximum frequency of the positioning signal (caused by Doppler effect) and the frequency range F. In another example, the positioning signal measurement unit 550 may further determine the frequency processing window according to the number of positioning signal sources using the processing time according to equations (13) and (15). In another example, the positioning signal measurement unit 550 may determine the frequency processing window to attempt to reduce the number of frequency processing windows used by attempting to have one or more of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window contain multiple positioning signals, e.g., to minimize the number of frequency processing windows for covering all positioning signals (or at least all positioning signals spanning a maximum frequency range F not exceeding the positioning signal frequencies that the device 500 is configured to concurrently process). The device 500 may determine the processing time as, e.g., the time for processing the determined frequency processing window.

[0150] At stage 1450, the device 500 may send a processing message 1452 to the network entity 600. The processing message 1452 may provide one or more indications of the determined frequency processing window and / or the processing time for processing the positioning signals indicated in the AD message 1432 (e.g., the total processing time for all positioning signals and / or the processing time for the positioning signals per frequency layer, etc.). This stage is optional, and for example, if the network entity 600 (e.g., from stage 1410) knows the capabilities of the mobile device 500 and can thus perform the same calculations at the mobile device 500 to determine the frequency processing window and the processing time, then this stage may be omitted. Based on the processing message 1452, for example, if the processing time indicated in the processing message 1452 is unacceptable, the network entity 600 may return to stage 1420 or stage 1430. This is optional because the mobile device 500 may use the determined window for measurement and the network entity 600 may know the time required for the mobile device 500 to perform the measurement.

[0151] At stage 1460, signal sources 1401 to 1403 respectively send positioning signals 1461, 1462, 1463 to mobile device 500, for example, according to the configuration indicated in AD message 1432. The positioning signals 1461 to 1463 can be PRS, for example, when signal sources 1401 to 1403 are TRPs, or can be SV signals when signal sources 1401 to 1403 are SVs, or can be other signals or a combination thereof.

[0152] At stage 1470, mobile device 500 can determine location information based on one or more of the positioning signals 1461 to 1463. The location information can be one or more positioning signal measurements, one or more pseudoranges to one or more of the signal sources 1401 to 1403, a position estimate, etc. Device 500 can send location information 1472 to network entity 600.

[0153] At stage 1480, network entity 600 can determine the location information of mobile device 500 based on location information 1472. The location information determined by network entity 600 can be, for example, one or more pseudoranges and / or a position estimate of device 500. Network entity 600 can provide the location information determined by network entity 600 to one or more other entities (e.g., server 400, device 500, etc.).

[0154] Also refer to Figure 15 and Figure 16 , chart 1500 and statistical chart 1600 illustrate the selection by device 500 of the minimum number of frequency processing windows for processing Figure 15 the positioning signals shown and the configuration by network entity 600 of the minimum number of frequency layers for processing Figure 15 the positioning signals shown. In these examples, there are four positioning signals 1511, 1512, 1513, 1514 corresponding to four signal sources TRP1, TRP2, TRP3, TRP4, where each of the positioning signals 1511 to 1514 has a carrier frequency of 2 GHz and Doppler-affected frequencies of [-1 kHz, -0.5 kHz], [-1.2 kHz, -0.8 kHz], [-6.0 kHz, -5.0 kHz], and [2.0 kHz, 3.0 kHz] respectively relative to the carrier frequency. In these examples, it is assumed that the maximum frequency range F of mobile device 500 is 1 kHz. Figure 15 and Figure 16Illustrates a specific implementation of one of the techniques discussed above for determining a frequency processing window or configuring frequency layers (i.e., minimizing the number of frequency processing windows or frequency layers for covering all positioning signals). Other techniques discussed above can be used, for example, generating a scaling factor nine (9) according to equation (14), i.e., ((3.0 kHz - (-6.0 kHz)) / 1 kHz), or generating a scaling factor four (4) according to equation (15), i.e., (min[((3.0 kHz - (-6.0 kHz)) / 1 kHz), 4] with four signal sources. In Figure 15 and Figure 16 In the example shown, device 500 can determine three frequency processing windows FPW1, FPW2, FPW3 to process positioning signals 1511 to 1514. Also in Figure 15 and Figure 16 In the example shown, network entity 600 can configure three frequency layers FL1, FL2, FL3 for device 500 to process positioning signals 1511 to 1514. In this example, network entity 600 can (e.g., in AD message 1432) indicate that the rough errors of the frequency layers are -1 kHz, -5.5 kHz, and 2.5 kHz respectively, and the residual errors of the signal sources are [0 kHz, 0.5 kHz], [-0.2 kHz, 0.2 kHz], [-0.5 kHz, -0.5 kHz], and [-0.5 kHz, 0.5 kHz] respectively, as shown. Different frequency layers can make all parameters except the rough error equal (i.e., different frequency layers can have different rough errors, but make all other parameters the same), although different frequency layers additionally or alternatively make the parameters except the rough error different between different frequency layers.

[0155] Refer to Figure 17 and further refer to Figures 1 to 16 The method 1700 for Doppler-shifted signals includes the stages shown. However, method 1700 is an example and not a limitation. Method 1700 can be changed, for example, by adding, removing, rearranging, combining, concurrently executing one or more stages and / or splitting one or more individual stages into multiple stages.

[0156] At stage 1710, method 1700 includes: obtaining, at the device, a first indication of a first frequency range of a first positioning signal that is expected to be affected by Doppler shift and that is expected to be received by a mobile device. For example, at stage 1420, network entity 600 may determine the frequency range of the positioning signal by: determining an expected Doppler and an expected Doppler uncertainty for the first positioning signal (e.g., from signal source 1401) that is expected to be received by device 500. As another example, at stage 1440, device 500 may determine the frequency range and / or may receive an indication of the frequency range in AD message 1432. Processor 510 (possibly in combination with memory 530, possibly in combination with transceiver 520 (e.g., wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246)) may include components for obtaining the first indication of the first frequency range. Additionally or alternatively, processor 610 (possibly in combination with memory 630) may include components for obtaining the first indication of the first frequency range.

[0157] At stage 1720, method 1700 includes: obtaining, at the device, a second indication of a second frequency range of a second positioning signal that is expected to be affected by Doppler shift and that is expected to be received by the receiver, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency of the first frequency range and the second frequency range. For example, at stage 1420, network entity 600 may determine another frequency range of another positioning signal by: determining an expected Doppler and an expected Doppler uncertainty for the first positioning signal (e.g., from signal source 1402) that is expected to be received by device 500. The third frequency range is defined, for example, according to equation (12), from the minimum frequency to the maximum value of the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, where the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal correspond to a first signal source and a second signal source. As another example, at stage 1440, device 500 may determine the frequency range and / or may receive an indication of the frequency range in AD message 1432. Processor 510 (possibly in combination with memory 530, possibly in combination with transceiver 520 (e.g., wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246)) may include components for obtaining the second indication of the second frequency range. Additionally or alternatively, processor 610 (possibly in combination with memory 630) may include components for obtaining the second indication of the second frequency range.

[0158] At stage 1730, method 1700 includes: at the device and based on the third frequency range being greater than the processable frequency span of positioning signal frequencies that the mobile device can concurrently process, determining a frequency processing window for the mobile device to process the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the processable frequency span and at least one of the following: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range. For example, at stage 1430, network entity 600 may determine a frequency layer corresponding to the frequency processing window based on the third frequency range being greater than the frequency range F that device 500 can concurrently process. For example, the frequency layer may be based on the third frequency range or based on the first frequency range, the second frequency range, and the third frequency range, as discussed herein. As another example, device 500 may determine the frequency processing window as discussed herein based on the third frequency range being greater than the frequency range F. Processor 510 (possibly in conjunction with memory 530) may include components for determining the frequency processing window. Additionally or alternatively, processor 610 (possibly in conjunction with memory 630) may include components for determining the frequency processing window.

[0159] The specific implementation of method 1700 may include one or more of the following features. In an example specific implementation, method 1700 includes: obtaining, at the device, a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and wherein determining the frequency processing window includes: attempting to determine at least one frequency processing window in the frequency processing window for spanning a fifth frequency range, the fifth frequency range including at least two positioning signal frequency ranges in the expected positioning signal frequency range. For example, network entity 600 and / or device 500 may determine an indication of the expected positioning signal frequency range corresponding to the expected Doppler and expected Doppler uncertainty of each positioning signal in the plurality of positioning signals, and / or device 500 may receive such an indication from network entity 600. Processor 510 (possibly in combination with memory 530, possibly in combination with transceiver 520 (e.g., wireless receiver 244 and antenna 246)) may include components for obtaining the plurality of indications of the expected positioning signal frequency range. Additionally or alternatively, processor 610 (possibly in combination with memory 630) may include components for obtaining the plurality of indications of the positioning signal frequency range. Further, network entity 600 and / or device 500 may attempt to determine a frequency processing window (e.g., a corresponding frequency layer) that will span a plurality of Doppler-affected positioning signal frequency ranges, e.g., processing window 1342 spanning the frequency ranges of positioning signals 1312, 1313. In another example specific implementation, determining the frequency processing window includes: determining a minimum number of the frequency processing windows that can be used by the mobile device to process all of the positioning signals in the plurality of positioning signals, wherein each frequency processing window in the frequency processing window spans a corresponding frequency range not greater than the processable frequency span. For example, the network entity at stage 1430 and / or device 500 at stage 1440 may determine the minimum frequency processing window that enables device 500 to process all positioning signals.

[0160] Additionally or alternatively, a particular implementation of method 1700 may include one or more of the following features. In an example implementation, the apparatus includes a server, and the method further includes: sending, from the apparatus, one or more frequency layer indications, each frequency layer indication corresponding to a respective one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window. For example, at stage 1430, network entity 600 may send one or more indications of a frequency layer corresponding to the determined frequency processing window. Processor 610 (possibly in combination with memory 630, in combination with transceiver 620 (e.g., wired transmitter 452, and / or wireless transmitter 442 and antenna 446)) may include components for sending the one or more frequency layer indications. In another example implementation, the frequency processing windows are contiguous in frequency and together span at least the third frequency range. For example, network entity 600 and / or device 500 may determine frequency processing windows, each frequency processing window having a frequency range F, and these frequency processing windows combinatorially span from the minimum frequency of the positioning signal (or below the minimum frequency) to the maximum frequency of the positioning signal (or above the maximum frequency). For example, processing windows 1321 to 1324 span f min,1 to greater than f max,3 . The number of such processing windows may not exceed the number required to span the range from the minimum frequency of the positioning signal to the maximum frequency of the positioning signal. Network entity 600 and / or device 500 may determine the number of processing windows as the rounded quotient indicated in equation (14). In another example implementation, the method includes: obtaining, at the apparatus, a plurality of indications of the expected positioning signal frequency ranges for a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and each frequency processing window in the frequency processing window spans at least a respective one of the expected positioning signal frequency ranges. For example, network entity 600 and / or device 500 may determine frequency processing windows, each frequency processing window having a frequency range F, and these frequency processing windows each span the frequency range of a respective positioning signal (of the respective positioning signal source). For example, each of positioning windows 1331 to 1333 covers a respective one of positioning signals 1311 to 1313.

[0161] Additionally or alternatively, a particular implementation of method 1700 may include one or more of the following features. In an example particular implementation, the device is the mobile device, and the method further includes: transmitting an indication of the processable frequency span from the device to a network entity. For example, device 500 may send an indication of frequency range F to network entity 600 in a capabilities message 1412. The processor 510 (possibly in combination with the memory 530, possibly in combination with the transceiver 520 (e.g., wireless transmitter 242 and antenna 246)) may include components for transmitting the indication of the processable frequency span. In another example particular implementation, the device is a mobile device, and the method further includes: transmitting an indication of a processing time from the device to a network entity, the processing time corresponding to at least one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window. For example, device 500 may send an indication of the processing time for processing at least one of the determined and / or provided frequency processing windows or frequency layers to network entity 600 in a processing message 1452. Device 500 may provide an indication of the processing time for multiple frequency processing windows or frequency layers (e.g., the total processing time for processing all frequency processing windows / frequency layers). The processor 510 (possibly in combination with the memory 530, possibly in combination with the transceiver 520 (e.g., wireless transmitter 242 and antenna 246)) may include components for transmitting the indication of the processing time.

[0162] Specific implementation examples

[0163] Example particular implementations are provided in the numbered clauses below.

[0164] Clause 1. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

[0165] A transceiver;

[0166] A memory; and

[0167] A processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, the processor configured to:

[0168] Obtain a first indication of a first frequency range of a first positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by a mobile device;

[0169] Obtain a second indication of a second frequency range of a second positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by the mobile device, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency in a combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency in the combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range; and

[0170] Determine a frequency processing window based on a processable frequency span in which the third frequency range is greater than the positioning signal frequencies that the mobile device can concurrently process, for use by the mobile device to process the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the processable frequency span and at least one of the following: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

[0171] Clause 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to obtain a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and wherein, to determine the frequency processing window, the processor is configured to attempt to determine at least one frequency processing window in the frequency processing window for spanning a fifth frequency range, the fifth frequency range including at least two positioning signal frequencies in the expected positioning signal frequency range.

[0172] Clause 3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, to determine the frequency processing window, the processor is configured to determine a minimum number of the frequency processing windows that can be used by the mobile device to process all of the plurality of positioning signals, wherein each frequency processing window in the frequency processing window spans a corresponding frequency range not greater than the processable frequency span.

[0173] Clause 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus includes a server, and wherein the processor is configured to transmit, via the transceiver, one or more frequency layer indications, each frequency layer indication corresponding to a respective one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

[0174] Clause 5. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the frequency processing windows are continuous in frequency and together span at least the third frequency range.

[0175] Clause 6. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to obtain a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and each frequency processing window in the frequency processing window spans at least a respective one of the positioning signal frequencies in the expected positioning signal frequency range.

[0176] Clause 7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is the mobile device, and the processor is configured to convey an indication of the processable frequency span to a network entity via the transceiver.

[0177] Clause 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is the mobile device, and the processor is configured to transmit an indication of a processing time to a network entity via the transceiver, the processing time corresponding to at least one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

[0178] Clause 9. A method for a Doppler-shifted signal, the method comprising:

[0179] Obtaining, at the apparatus, a first indication of a first frequency range of a first positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by the mobile device;

[0180] Obtaining, at the apparatus, a second indication of a second frequency range of a second positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by the mobile device, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency in a combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency in the combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range; and

[0181] Determining, at the apparatus and based on the third frequency range being greater than a processable frequency span of positioning signal frequencies that the mobile device can concurrently process, a frequency processing window for the mobile device to process the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the processable frequency span and at least one of the following: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

[0182] Clause 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the method comprises: obtaining, at the apparatus, a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and wherein determining the frequency processing window comprises: attempting to determine at least one frequency processing window in the frequency processing window for spanning a fifth frequency range, the fifth frequency range including at least two of the positioning signal frequency ranges in the expected positioning signal frequency range.

[0183] Clause 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein determining the frequency processing window comprises: determining a minimum number of the frequency processing windows that can be used by the mobile device to process all of the positioning signals in the plurality of positioning signals, wherein each of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window spans a corresponding frequency range not greater than the processable frequency span.

[0184] Clause 12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus comprises a server, and wherein the method further comprises: sending, from the apparatus, one or more frequency layer indications, each frequency layer indication corresponding to a respective one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

[0185] Clause 13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the frequency processing windows are contiguous in frequency and together span at least the third frequency range.

[0186] Clause 14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the method comprises: obtaining, at the apparatus, a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and each frequency processing window in the frequency processing window spans at least a respective one of the expected positioning signal frequency ranges in the expected positioning signal frequency range.

[0187] Clause 15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus is the mobile device, and the method further comprises: transmitting, from the apparatus, an indication of the processable frequency span to a network entity.

[0188] Clause 16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the apparatus is the mobile device, and the method further comprises: transmitting, from the apparatus, an indication of a processing time to a network entity, the processing time corresponding to at least one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

[0189] Clause 17. An apparatus, the apparatus comprising:

[0190] means for obtaining a first indication of a first frequency range of a first positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by a mobile device;

[0191] means for obtaining a second indication of a second frequency range of a second positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by the mobile device, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency in a combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency in the combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range; and

[0192] means for determining a frequency processing window based on the third frequency range being greater than a processable frequency span of positioning signal frequencies that the mobile device can concurrently process, such that the mobile device is operative to process the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the processable frequency span and at least one of the following: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

[0193] Clause 18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the apparatus comprises means for obtaining a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and wherein the means for determining the frequency processing window comprises means for attempting to determine at least one frequency processing window in the frequency processing window for spanning a fifth frequency range, the fifth frequency range including at least two positioning signal frequency ranges in the expected positioning signal frequency range.

[0194] Clause 19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the means for determining the frequency processing window comprises means for determining a minimum number of the frequency processing windows that can be used by the mobile device to process all of the plurality of positioning signals, wherein each of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window spans a corresponding frequency range not greater than the processable frequency span.

[0195] Clause 20. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the apparatus comprises a server, and wherein the apparatus further comprises means for sending one or more frequency layer indications, each frequency layer indication corresponding to a respective one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

[0196] Clause 21. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the frequency processing windows are contiguous in frequency and together span at least the third frequency range.

[0197] Clause 22. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the apparatus comprises means for obtaining a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and each of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window spans at least a respective one of the positioning signal frequency ranges in the expected positioning signal frequency range.

[0198] Clause 23. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the apparatus is the mobile device, and the apparatus further comprises means for conveying an indication of the processable frequency span to a network entity.

[0199] Clause 24. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the apparatus is the mobile device, and the apparatus further comprises means for conveying an indication of a processing time to a network entity, the processing time corresponding to at least one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

[0200] Clause 25. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium, the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium including processor-readable instructions for causing a processor of a device to:

[0201] obtain a first indication of a first frequency range of a first positioning signal that is expected to be affected by Doppler shift and that is expected to be received by a mobile device;

[0202] obtain a second indication of a second frequency range of a second positioning signal that is expected to be affected by Doppler shift and that is expected to be received by the mobile device, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency in a combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency in the combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range; and

[0203] determine a frequency processing window, for the mobile device, based on the third frequency range being greater than a processable frequency span of positioning signal frequencies that the mobile device is capable of concurrently processing, for processing the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the processable frequency span and at least one of: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

[0204] Clause 26. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 25, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium includes processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to obtain a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to determine the frequency processing window include processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to attempt to determine at least one frequency processing window in the frequency processing window for spanning a fifth frequency range that includes at least two positioning signal frequency ranges of the expected positioning signal frequency range.

[0205] Clause 27. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium of claim 26, wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to determine the frequency processing window include processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to determine a minimum number of the frequency processing windows that can be used by the mobile device to process all of the positioning signals in the plurality of positioning signals, wherein each of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window spans a corresponding frequency range that is not greater than the processable frequency span.

[0206] Clause 28. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the apparatus comprises a server, and wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium further comprises processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to send one or more frequency layer indications, each frequency layer indication corresponding to a respective one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

[0207] Clause 29. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the frequency processing windows are contiguous in frequency and together span at least the third frequency range.

[0208] Clause 30. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprises processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to obtain a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and each frequency processing window in the frequency processing window spans at least a respective one of the expected positioning signal frequency ranges.

[0209] Clause 31. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the apparatus is the mobile device, and the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium further comprises processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to convey an indication of the processable frequency span to a network entity.

[0210] Clause 32. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the apparatus is the mobile device, and the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium further comprises processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to convey an indication of a processing time corresponding to at least one of the frequency processing windows to a network entity.

[0211] Other considerations

[0212] Other examples and specific implementations are within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software and computers, the above functions can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof executed by a processor. The features implementing the functions can also be physically located at different positions, including being distributed such that respective parts of the functions are implemented at different physical positions.

[0213] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" also include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. As used herein, the term "comprising" specifies the presence of the recited features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0214] In addition, as used herein, the "or" used in a list of items (which may be followed by "at least one of" or followed by "one or more of") indicates a disjunctive list such that, for example, a listing of "at least one of A, B, or C", or a listing of "one or more of A, B, or C", or a listing of "A or B or C" means A or B or C or AB (A and B) or AC (A and C) or BC (B and C) or ABC (i.e., A and B and C), or combinations having more than one feature (e.g., AA, AAB, ABBC, etc.). Thus, a recitation that an item (e.g., a processor) is configured to perform a function with respect to at least one of A or B, or a recitation that an item is configured to perform function A or function B, means that the item may be configured to perform the function with respect to A, or may be configured to perform the function with respect to B, or may be configured to perform the function with respect to A and B. For example, the phrase "a processor configured to measure at least one of A or B" or "a processor configured to measure A or measure B" means that the processor may be configured to measure A (and may or may not be configured to measure B), or may be configured to measure B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or may be configured to measure A and measure B (and may be configured to select which of A and B to measure or to measure both). Similarly, a recitation of a component for measuring at least one of A or B includes: a component for measuring A (which may or may not measure B), or a component for measuring B (and may or may not be configured to measure A), or a component for measuring A and B (which may be able to select which of A and B to measure or to measure both). As another example, a recitation that an item (e.g., a processor) is configured to perform at least one of function X or perform function Y means that the item may be configured to perform function X, or may be configured to perform function Y, or may be configured to perform function X and perform function Y. For example, the phrase "a processor configured to measure at least one of X or Y" means that the processor may be configured to measure X (and may or may not be configured to measure Y), or may be configured to measure Y (and may or may not be configured to measure X), or may be configured to measure X and measure Y (and may be configured to select which of X and Y to measure or to measure both).

[0215] As used herein, unless otherwise stated, a recitation that a function or operation is "based on" an item or condition means that the function or operation is based on the recited item or condition and may be based on one or more additional items and / or conditions in addition to the recited item or condition.

[0216] Substantial variations may be made in accordance with specific requirements. For example, customized hardware may also be used, and / or particular elements may be implemented in hardware, in software executed by a processor (including portable software such as applets, etc.), or in both. Additionally, connections to other computing devices such as network input / output devices may be employed. Unless otherwise noted, components (functional or otherwise) shown in the figures and / or discussed herein as being connected or communicating with each other are communicatively coupled. That is, these components may be directly or indirectly connected to enable communication between them.

[0217] The systems and devices discussed above are examples. Various configurations may appropriately omit, substitute, or add various processes or components. For example, features described with respect to certain configurations may be combined in various other configurations. Different aspects and elements of the configurations may be combined in a similar manner. Additionally, technology is constantly evolving, and as a result, many elements are examples and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure or the claims.

[0218] A wireless communication system is a system in which communications are conveyed wirelessly between wireless communication devices, i.e., by electromagnetic waves and / or acoustic waves propagated through the atmosphere rather than by wires or other physical connections. A wireless communication system (also referred to as a wireless communication system or wireless communication network) may not have all communications sent wirelessly, but is configured to have at least some communications sent wirelessly. Additionally, the term "wireless communication device" or similar terms does not require that the functionality of the device be exclusively or even primarily used for communication, that the communications using the wireless communication device be exclusively or even primarily wireless, or that the device be a mobile device, but rather indicates that the device includes wireless communication capabilities (one-way or two-way), e.g., including at least one radio component (each radio component being part of a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver) for wireless communication.

[0219] Specific details are given in this specification to provide a thorough understanding of example configurations, including specific implementations. However, the configurations may be practiced without these specific details. For example, well-known circuits, processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shown without unnecessary detail to avoid obscuring these configurations. This specification provides example configurations without limiting the scope, applicability, or configuration of the claims. Instead, the previous description of the configurations provides a description for implementing the described techniques. Various changes may be made to the function and arrangement of the elements.

[0220] As used herein, the terms "processor-readable medium", "machine-readable medium", and "computer-readable medium" refer to any medium that participates in providing data that causes a machine to operate in a particular fashion. Using a computing platform, various processor-readable media may be involved in providing instructions / code for execution to a processor, and / or may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / code (e.g., as a signal). In many implementations, the processor-readable medium is a physical and / or tangible storage medium. Such media may take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media and volatile media. Non-volatile media includes, for example, optical disks and / or magnetic disks. Volatile media includes but is not limited to dynamic memory.

[0221] After describing several example configurations, various modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents may be used. For example, the above elements may be components of a larger system, where other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of this disclosure. Additionally, several operations may be taken before, during, or after considering the above elements. Accordingly, the above description does not limit the scope of the claims.

[0222] Unless otherwise indicated, as used herein, "about" and / or "approximately" when referring to a measurable value (such as an amount, a time duration, etc.) encompasses a variation of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein. Unless otherwise indicated, as used herein, "substantially" when referring to a measurable value (such as an amount, a time duration, a physical property (such as frequency), etc.) also encompasses a variation of ±20% or ±10%, ±5%, or +0.1% from the specified value, as appropriate in the context of the systems, devices, circuits, methods, and other implementations described herein.

[0223] A statement that a value exceeds (or is greater than or higher than) a first threshold is equivalent to a statement that the value meets or exceeds a second threshold that is slightly greater than the first threshold, e.g., where the second threshold is higher than the first threshold by one value in the resolution of a computing system. A statement that a value is less than a first threshold (or within or below the first threshold) is equivalent to a statement that the value is less than or equal to a second threshold that is slightly lower than the first threshold, e.g., where the second threshold is lower than the first threshold by one value in the resolution of a computing system.

Claims

1. A device, the device comprising: a transceiver; a memory; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, the processor being configured to: obtain a first indication of a first frequency range of a first positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by a mobile device; obtain a second indication of a second frequency range of a second positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by the mobile device, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency in a combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency in the combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range; and determine a frequency processing window for the mobile device to process the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the third frequency range being greater than a processable frequency span of positioning signal frequencies that the mobile device can concurrently process, for processing the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the processable frequency span and at least one of: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to obtain a plurality of indications of expected positioning signal frequency ranges of corresponding plural positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and wherein, to determine the frequency processing window, the processor is configured to attempt to determine at least one frequency processing window in the frequency processing window for spanning a fifth frequency range, the fifth frequency range including at least two positioning signal frequency ranges of the expected positioning signal frequency ranges.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein, to determine the frequency processing window, the processor is configured to determine a minimum number of the frequency processing window that can be used by the mobile device to process all of the plural positioning signals, wherein each frequency processing window in the frequency processing window spans a corresponding frequency range not greater than the processable frequency span.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the device includes a server, and wherein the processor is configured to send, via the transceiver, one or more frequency layer indications, each frequency layer indication corresponding to a respective one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein the frequency processing window is continuous in frequency and together spans at least the third frequency range.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to obtain a plurality of indications of expected positioning signal frequency ranges of corresponding plural positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and each frequency processing window in the frequency processing window spans at least a respective one of the positioning signal frequency ranges in the expected positioning signal frequency ranges.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is the mobile device, and the processor is configured to transmit an indication of the processable frequency span to a network entity via the transceiver.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is the mobile device, and the processor is configured to transmit an indication of a processing time to a network entity via the transceiver, the processing time corresponding to at least one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

9. A method for a signal subject to Doppler frequency shift, the method comprising: obtaining, at an apparatus, a first indication of a first frequency range of a first positioning signal expected to be subject to Doppler frequency shift and expected to be received by a mobile device; obtaining, at the apparatus, a second indication of a second frequency range of a second positioning signal expected to be subject to Doppler frequency shift and expected to be received by the mobile device, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency in a combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency in the combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range; and determining, at the apparatus and based on the third frequency range being greater than a processable frequency span of positioning signal frequencies that the mobile device can concurrently process, a frequency processing window for the mobile device to process the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the processable frequency span and at least one of the following: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the method comprises: obtaining, at the apparatus, a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and wherein determining the frequency processing window includes: attempting to determine at least one frequency processing window in the frequency processing window for spanning a fifth frequency range, the fifth frequency range including at least two of the positioning signal frequency ranges in the expected positioning signal frequency range.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein determining the frequency processing window comprises: determining a minimum number of the frequency processing windows that can be used by the mobile device to process all of the plurality of positioning signals, wherein each of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window spans a corresponding frequency range not greater than the processable frequency span.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the device comprises a server, and wherein the method further comprises: sending, from the apparatus, one or more frequency layer indications, each frequency layer indication corresponding to a respective one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the frequency processing windows are contiguous in frequency and together span at least the third frequency range.

14. The method according to claim 9, wherein the method comprises: obtaining, at the apparatus, a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and each of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window spans at least a respective one of the positioning signal frequency ranges in the expected positioning signal frequency range.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein the device is the mobile device, and the method further comprises: transmitting, from the apparatus, an indication of the processable frequency span to a network entity.

16. The method according to claim 9, wherein the device is the mobile device, and the method further comprises: Transmit an indication of a processing time from the device to a network entity, the processing time corresponding to at least one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

17. A device, the device comprising: means for obtaining a first indication of a first frequency range of a first positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by a mobile device; means for obtaining a second indication of a second frequency range of a second positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by the mobile device, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency in a combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency in the combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range; and means for determining a frequency processing window based on the third frequency range being greater than a processable frequency span of positioning signal frequencies that the mobile device can concurrently process, such that the mobile device is used to process the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the processable frequency span and at least one of the following: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

18. The device according to claim 17, wherein the device comprises means for obtaining a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and wherein the means for determining the frequency processing window comprises means for attempting to determine at least one frequency processing window in the frequency processing window for spanning a fifth frequency range, the fifth frequency range including at least two positioning signal frequency ranges in the expected positioning signal frequency range.

19. The device according to claim 18, wherein the means for determining the frequency processing window comprises means for determining a minimum number of the frequency processing windows that can be used by the mobile device to process all of the positioning signals in the plurality of positioning signals, wherein each of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window spans a corresponding frequency range not greater than the processable frequency span.

20. The device according to claim 17, wherein the device comprises a server, and wherein the device further comprises means for transmitting one or more frequency layer indications, each frequency layer indication corresponding to a respective one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

21. The device according to claim 17, wherein the frequency processing windows are continuous in frequency and together span at least the third frequency range.

22. The device according to claim 17, wherein the device comprises means for obtaining a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and each of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window spans at least a respective one of the positioning signal frequency ranges in the expected positioning signal frequency range.

23. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the apparatus is the mobile device, and the apparatus further comprises means for transmitting an indication of the processable frequency span to a network entity.

24. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the apparatus is the mobile device, and the apparatus further comprises means for transmitting an indication of a processing time to a network entity, the processing time corresponding to at least one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

25. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium, the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions for causing a processor of an apparatus to: obtain a first indication of a first frequency range of a first positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by a mobile device; obtain a second indication of a second frequency range of a second positioning signal expected to be affected by Doppler shift and expected to be received by the mobile device, wherein a third frequency range extends from a minimum frequency in a combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range to a maximum frequency in the combination of the first frequency range and the second frequency range; and determine a frequency processing window for the mobile device to process the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal based on the third frequency range being greater than a processable frequency span of positioning signal frequencies that the mobile device can concurrently process, based on the processable frequency span and at least one of the following: (1) the third frequency range; or (2) the first frequency range and the second frequency range.

26. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprises processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to obtain a plurality of indications of expected positioning signal frequency ranges of corresponding multiple positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to determine the frequency processing window comprise processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to attempt to determine at least one frequency processing window in the frequency processing window for spanning a fifth frequency range, the fifth frequency range including at least two of the expected positioning signal frequency ranges.

27. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 26, wherein the processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to determine the frequency processing window comprise processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to determine a minimum number of the frequency processing windows that can be used by the mobile device to process all of the multiple positioning signals, wherein each of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window spans a corresponding frequency range not greater than the processable frequency span.

28. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the apparatus includes a server, and wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium further includes processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to send one or more frequency layer indications, each frequency layer indication corresponding to a respective one of the frequency processing windows in the frequency processing window.

29. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the frequency processing windows are contiguous in frequency and together span at least the third frequency range.

30. The non-transitory processor-readable storage medium according to claim 25, wherein the non-transitory processor-readable storage medium includes processor-readable instructions for causing the processor to obtain a plurality of indications of an expected positioning signal frequency range of a corresponding plurality of positioning signals including the first positioning signal and the second positioning signal, and each frequency processing window in the frequency processing window spans at least a respective one of the positioning signal frequency ranges in the expected positioning signal frequency range.

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