Method and system for device-to-device communication

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to systems, apparatus, methods, and non-transitory computer readable media for determining, by a first wireless communication device, a configuration for SL positioning related transmissions, and communicating, by the first wireless communication device, the SL positioning related transmissions with a second wireless communication device, the SL positioning related transmission includes at least one of a sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS), a physical shared control channel (PSCCH) corresponding to the SL PRS, or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication, and more particularly to device-to-device communication. Background Art

[0002] Sidelink (SL) communication refers to wireless radio communication between two or more user equipments (UEs). In this type of communication, two or more UEs that are geographically close to each other can communicate without routing through a network (e.g., a base station (BS)) or a core network. Therefore, data transmission in SL communication is different from typical cellular network communication, which includes transmitting data to and receiving data from a BS. In SL communication, data is directly transmitted from a source UE to a target UE through, for example, a unified air interface (such as the PC5 interface) without passing through a BS.

[0003] In a conventional SL positioning mechanism, the target requirement of sub-meter accuracy (Set B) cannot be achieved. The SL positioning reference signal (PRS) bandwidth is crucial for positioning accuracy. For example, for SL positioning in Frequency Range 1 (FR1), up to 100 MHz is recommended. However, currently, for Rel-18 SL positioning, only the Intelligent Transport System (ITS) band and the licensed spectrum in FR1 are supported. The available bandwidth resources of ITS and FR1 are less than 40 MHz. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The example arrangements disclosed herein are intended to address issues related to one or more of the problems existing in the prior art and provide additional features that will become apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. According to some arrangements, example systems, methods, devices, and computer program products are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that these arrangements are provided by way of example and are not restrictive, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art who have read this disclosure that various modifications to the disclosed arrangements can be made while remaining within the scope of this disclosure.

[0005] Some arrangements of the present disclosure relate to systems, methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media related to the systems, apparatuses, and methods, and the non-transitory computer-readable media are configured to: determine, by a first wireless communication device, a configuration for sidelink (SL) positioning-related transmissions; and communicate, by the first wireless communication device with a second wireless communication device, the SL positioning-related transmissions, where the SL positioning-related transmissions include at least one of the following: sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS or SL PRS), a physical shared control channel (PSCCH) corresponding to the SL PRS, or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS).

[0006] Some arrangements of the present disclosure relate to systems, methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media related to the systems, apparatuses, and methods, and the non-transitory computer-readable media are configured to: receive, by a wireless communication device, a configuration for a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a location management function (LMF); and receive, by the wireless communication device from a base station (BS), the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) according to the configuration.

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

[0008] Various example arrangements of the solution are described in detail below with reference to the following diagrams or drawings. These drawings are provided for illustrative purposes only, and these drawings merely depict example arrangements of the solution to enable the reader to understand the solution. Therefore, these drawings should not be regarded as limiting the breadth, scope, or applicability of the solution. It should be noted that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale for clarity and ease of illustration.

[0009] Figure 1A is a diagram showing an example wireless communication system according to some arrangements.

[0010] Figure 1B is a diagram showing a block diagram of an example wireless communication system for transmitting and receiving downlink communication signals, uplink communication signals, and / or sidelink (SL) communication signals according to some arrangements.

[0011] Figure 2 shows an example scenario of sidelink (SL) communication according to some arrangements.

[0012] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram showing candidate resource selection for transmitting SL-PRS according to some arrangements.

[0013] Figure 4 It is a flowchart showing an example method of communication for performing SL positioning-related transmission according to some arrangements.

[0014] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing an example configuration of an SL positioning resource pool in both authorized bands and unlicensed bands according to some arrangements.

[0015] Figure 6 It is a diagram showing an example configuration of an SL positioning resource pool in both authorized bands and unlicensed bands according to some arrangements.

[0016] Figure 7 It is a diagram showing an example SL-PRS resource pool including 2 RB sets with guard bands therebetween according to some arrangements.

[0017] Figure 8 It is a diagram showing PSCCH transmission based on interleaved RBs according to some arrangements, in which each PSCCH transmission for SL positioning occupies 1 common interleaving and M dedicated PRBs.

[0018] Figure 9 It is a diagram showing an example PRB using RE-level DFT vectors for each PSCCH resource and associated DMRS according to some arrangements.

[0019] Figure 10 It is a diagram showing RE-level FD-OCC within a PRB bundle of PSCCH for SL-U positioning according to some arrangements.

[0020] Figure 11 It is a diagram showing RE-level FD-OCC of a PRB of PSCCH for SL-U positioning according to some arrangements.

[0021] Figure 12 It is a diagram showing RE-level FD-OCC of a PRB of PSCCH for SL-U positioning according to some arrangements.

[0022] Figure 13 It is a diagram showing a PRB configured for TD-OCC of PSCCH for SL-U positioning according to some arrangements.

[0023] Figure 14 It is a diagram showing an RB set according to some arrangements.

[0024] Figure 15It is a diagram showing the RB set configured for PSCCH in SL-U positioning according to some arrangements.

[0025] Figure 16 It is a diagram showing the PRBs configured for PSCCH in SL-U positioning according to some arrangements.

[0026] Figure 17 It is a diagram showing the RB set as the resource for transmitting PSCCH and SL-PRS according to some arrangements.

[0027] Figure 18 It is a diagram showing the TDM-based multiplexing of SL-PRS from different UEs in a time slot according to some arrangements.

[0028] Figure 19 It is a diagram showing the resource for transmitting SL-PRS with an interval introduced between two adjacent SL-PRS resources according to some arrangements.

[0029] Figure 20 It is a diagram showing an example of resources according to some arrangements, in which one or more TDM'ed SL-PRS resources are disabled to avoid potential LBT failures.

[0030] Figure 21 It is a diagram showing an example of resources including a time slot configured with multiple SL-PRS resources according to some arrangements.

[0031] Figure 22 It is a diagram showing an example of time-domain resources of 2210 for LBT between two SCI+SL-PRS resources of two corresponding UEs according to some arrangements.

[0032] Figure 23 It is a diagram showing the LBT failure of one UE caused by the SL-PRS and / or PSCCH transmission of another UE according to some arrangements.

[0033] Figure 24 It is a diagram showing an example configuration of the time-domain resources for a UE to send SL-PRS and / or PSCCH transmissions according to some arrangements.

[0034] Figure 25 It is a diagram showing an example time window for multiple UEs to send SL positioning-related transmissions according to some arrangements.

[0035] Figure 26 It shows an example configuration of multiple transmission opportunities for one SL-PRS resource according to some arrangements.

[0036] Figure 27It is a flowchart showing an example method for performing energy saving for NR-U according to some arrangements. Detailed implementation

[0037] The following describes various example arrangements of the present solution with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those of ordinary skill in the art can make and use the present solution. As will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading this disclosure, various changes or modifications can be made to the examples described herein without departing from the scope of the present solution. Therefore, the present solution is not limited to the example arrangements and applications described and illustrated herein. In addition, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein is merely an example method. Based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed method or process can be rearranged while remaining within the scope of the present solution. Therefore, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein provide various steps or actions in an example order, and the present solution is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy provided unless otherwise expressly stated.

[0038] With the rise of wireless multimedia services, the user demand for high data rates and user experience continues to grow, which poses higher requirements on the system capacity and coverage of traditional cellular networks. In addition, public safety, social networks, proximity data sharing, and local announcements have gradually expanded the demand for proximity services, which enable users to understand nearby users or objects and communicate with nearby users or objects. The high data rate capabilities and support for proximity services of traditional network-centric cellular networks are limited. Against this background, device-to-device (D2D) communication has emerged to address the deficiencies of the network-centric model. The application of D2D technology can relieve the burden on cellular networks, reduce the battery power consumption of UEs, increase data rates, and enhance the robustness of network infrastructure, thereby meeting the above-mentioned demands for high data rate services and proximity services. D2D technology is also known as Proximity Service (ProSe), unilateral / sidechain / SL communication, etc.

[0039] In some arrangements, wireless communication can be performed on carriers, frequency bands, and / or spectrums. Some carriers are licensed carriers because these carriers are licensed by the government or other authorities for exclusive use by service providers. Some carriers are unlicensed carriers that are not licensed by any government or authority for exclusive use. Two or more service providers can operate on unlicensed carriers. Currently, UEs can communicate directly with each other on licensed carriers (e.g., without using a base station for communication). A solution for UEs to communicate with each other on unlicensed carriers has not been provided.

[0040] In some arrangements, an authorized carrier refers to a carrier, frequency band, or spectrum that is authorized by a government or an authority (such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in Europe) for a service provider to use exclusively. An unauthorized carrier (or shared spectrum) refers to a carrier, frequency band, or spectrum that is not authorized by a government or other authority. Two or more service providers can operate on an unauthorized carrier.

[0041] The arrangements disclosed herein relate to SL positioning in an unauthorized frequency band (shared spectrum), which includes a channel access process and channel design. Signaling processes for sidelink positioning are described herein.

[0042] Referring to Figure 1A , an example wireless communication system 100 is shown. The wireless communication system 100 shows group communication in a cellular network. In a wireless communication system, a network-side communication node or network may include a next-generation Node B (gNB), an E-UTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) node B (also referred to as an evolved Node B, eNodeB or eNB), a pico station, a femto station, a Transmission / Reception Point (TRP), or an Access Point (AP), etc. A terminal-side node or UE may include devices such as, for example, a mobile device, a smart phone, a cellular phone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a wearable device, or a vehicle with an in-vehicle communication system, etc. In some examples, the UE may be an in-vehicle UE, a pedestrian UE, a Road-Side UE (RSU), and a Positioning Reference Unit (PRU), etc. The UE described herein is capable of implementing the methods described herein in the case of a known location or an unknown location. In Figure 1AIn this case, the communication nodes on the network side and the terminal side are represented by network 102 (which can also be referred to as BS102) and UE 104a and UE 104b respectively. In some arrangements, network 102 and UE 104a / 104b are sometimes referred to as "radio communication nodes" and "radio communication devices" respectively. These communication nodes / communication devices can perform radio communication.

[0043] In Figure 1A the illustrated arrangement, network 102 can define cell 101, where UE 104a and UE 104b are located within this cell 101. UE 104a and / or UE 104b can move or remain stationary within the coverage of cell 101. UE 104a can communicate with network 102 through communication channel 103a. Similarly, UE 104b can communicate with network 102 through communication channel 103b (also referred to as communication channel link 103b). In addition, UE 104a and UE 104b can communicate with each other through communication channel 105. The communication channels 103a and 104b between the corresponding UE and the network can be implemented using an interface (such as the Uu interface), which is also referred to as the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS) air interface. The communication channel 105 between the UEs is an SL communication channel and can be implemented using the PC5 interface, which is introduced to cope with high mobility speeds and high-density applications, such as D2D communication, Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) communication, Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) communication, Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communication, or Vehicle-to-Network (V2N) communication, etc. In some instances, the vehicle network communication modes are collectively referred to as Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication. Network 102 is connected to the Core Network (CN) 108 through an external interface 107 (such as the Iu interface).

[0044] In some examples, a remote UE (e.g., UE 104b) that does not communicate directly with network 102 or CN 108 (e.g., communication channel link 103b is not established) communicates indirectly with network 102 and CN 108 using the SL communication channel 105 through a relay UE (e.g., UE 104a), which can communicate directly with network 102 and CN 108 or communicate indirectly with network 102 and CN 108 through another relay UE that can communicate directly with network 102 and CN 108.

[0045] Figure 1B FIG. shows a block diagram of an example wireless communication system for transmitting and receiving downlink communication signals, uplink communication signals, and SL communication signals according to some arrangements of the present disclosure. In some arrangements, the system may transmit and receive data in a wireless communication environment (such as Figure 1A the wireless communication system 100, as described above).

[0046] As Figure 1AAs described above, the system generally includes a network 102, and UEs 104a and 104b. The network 102 includes a network transceiver module 110 (also referred to as a BS transceiver module 110, transceiver 110, or network transceiver 110), a network antenna 112 (also referred to as antenna 112), a network memory module 116 (also referred to as a BS memory module 116, or memory module 116), a network processor module 114 (also referred to as a BS processor module 114, or processor module 114), and a network communication module 118, each module being coupled or interconnected to each other via a data communication bus 120 as required. The UE 104a includes a UE transceiver module 130a (also referred to as a UE transceiver 130a, or transceiver 130a), a UE antenna 132a (also referred to as antenna 132a), a UE memory module 134a (also referred to as a memory module 134a), and a UE processor module 136a (also referred to as a processor module 136a), each module being coupled or interconnected to each other via a data communication bus 140a as required. Similarly, the UE 104b includes a UE transceiver module 130b (also referred to as a UE transceiver 130b, or transceiver 130b), a UE antenna 132b (also referred to as antenna 132b), a UE memory module 134b (also referred to as a memory module 134b), and a UE processor module 136b (also referred to as a processor module 136b), each module being coupled or interconnected to each other via a data communication bus 140b as required. The network 102 communicates with the UEs 104a and 104b via one or more communication channels 150 (also referred to as wireless communication channels 150, or wireless data communication channels 150), which can be any suitable wireless channels or other media known in the art for transmitting data as described herein.

[0047] The system may also include any number of modules other than Figure 1B the modules shown. Those skilled in the art will understand that the various exemplary blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logics described in connection with the arrangements disclosed herein may be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any practical combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility between hardware, firmware, and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are generally described in terms of their functionality. Whether these functions are implemented as hardware, firmware, or software depends on the particular application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those familiar with the concepts described herein can implement these functions in a suitable manner for each particular application, but these implementation decisions should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

[0048] Wireless transmission from the antenna of one of UE 104a and UE 104b to the antenna of network 102 is referred to as uplink transmission, while wireless transmission from the antenna of network 102 to the antenna of one of UE 104a and UE 104b is referred to as downlink transmission. According to some arrangements, each of UE transceiver modules 130a and 130b may be referred to herein as an uplink transceiver or a UE transceiver. The uplink transceiver may include a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit respectively coupled to corresponding antennas 132a and 132b. A duplex switch may couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in a time-division duplex manner in some examples. Similarly, network transceiver module 110 may be referred to herein as a downlink transceiver or a network transceiver. The downlink transceiver may include an RF (Radio Frequency) transmitter circuit and an RF receiver circuit respectively coupled to antenna 112. A downlink duplex switch may couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to antenna 112 in a time-division duplex manner in some examples. The operations of transceiver 110 and transceivers 130a and 130b are coordinated in time such that while the downlink transmitter is coupled to antenna 112, the uplink receivers are coupled to antennas 132a and 132b to receive transmissions through wireless communication channel 150. In some arrangements, UE 104a and UE 104b may use UE transceivers 130a and 130b through respective antennas 132a and 132b to communicate with network 102 through wireless communication channel 150. Wireless communication channel 150 may be any wireless channel or other medium known in the art suitable for downlink and / or uplink transmission of the data described herein. UE 104a and UE 104b may communicate with each other through wireless communication channel 170 (also referred to as communication channel 170). Wireless communication channel 170 may be any wireless channel or other medium suitable for SL transmission of the data described herein.

[0049] Each of UE transceiver 130a, UE transceiver 130b, and network transceiver 110 is configured to communicate via wireless data communication channel 150 and cooperate with a suitably configured antenna arrangement that can support a particular wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some arrangements, UE transceiver 130a, UE transceiver 130b, and network transceiver 110 are configured to support industry standards such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G and 6G standards, etc. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not necessarily limited to applications to specific standards and associated protocols. Instead, UE transceiver 130a, UE transceiver 130b, and network transceiver 110 may be configured to support alternative or additional wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variants thereof.

[0050] Processor module 136a, processor module 136b, and processor module 114 may be implemented, respectively, by a general-purpose processor, content addressable memory, digital signal processor, application specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Thus, the processor may be implemented as a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine, etc. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a combination of multiple microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configured combination.

[0051] Furthermore, the methods and algorithms described in connection with the arrangements disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, firmware, software modules executed by processor modules 114, 136a, and 136b respectively, or any practical combination thereof. Memory modules 116, 134a, and 134b can be implemented as RAM (Random Access Memory) memory, flash memory, ROM (Read-Only Memory) memory, EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) memory, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) memory, registers, hard disks, removable disks, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, memory modules 116, 134a, and 134b can be coupled to processor modules 114, 136a, and 136b respectively, such that processor modules 114, 136a, and 136b can read information from and write information to memory modules 116, 134a, and 134b. Memory modules 116, 134a, and 134b can also be integrated into their respective processor modules 114, 136a, and 136b. In some arrangements, memory modules 116, 134a, and 134b can each include cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during the execution of instructions by processor modules 116, 134a, and 134b respectively. Memory modules 116, 134a, and 134b can also each include non-volatile memory for storing instructions executed by processor modules 114, 136a, and 136b respectively.

[0052] The network interface (also referred to as the network communication module) 118 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic, and / or other components of the network 102 that implement two-way communication between the network transceiver 110 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communicate with the network 102. For example, the network interface 118 may be configured to support Internet or WiMAX (World Interoperability for Microwave Access) services. In a typical deployment, without limitation, the network interface 118 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface that enables the network transceiver 110 to communicate with a traditional Ethernet-based computer network. In this way, the network interface 118 may include a physical interface for connecting to a computer network (e.g., a Mobile Switching Center (MSC)). As used herein, the terms "configured for" or "configured to" for a specified operation or function refer to a device, component, circuit, structure, machine, signal, etc. that is physically constructed, programmed, formatted, and / or arranged to perform the specified operation or function. The network interface 118 may enable the network 102 to communicate with other networks or a core network via a wired connection or a wireless connection.

[0053] In some arrangements, each of the UEs 104a and 104b may operate in a hybrid communication network in which the UEs communicate with the network 102 and other UEs, e.g., communicate between 104a and 104b. As described in further detail below, the UEs 104a and 104b support SL communication with other UEs, as well as downlink / uplink communication between the network 102 and the UEs 104a and 104b. Generally, SL communication enables the UEs 104a and 104b to establish a direct communication link with each other or with other UEs in different cells without the network 102 relaying data between the UEs.

[0054] Figure 2 is a diagram showing an example system 200 for SL communication according to various arrangements. As Figure 2 shown, a network 210 (also referred to as a base station 210) (such as, Figure 1A the network 102)) broadcasts a signal that is received by a first UE 220, a second UE 230, and a third UE 240. Figure 2The UEs 220 and 230 therein are shown as vehicles with in-vehicle communication networks, while the UE 240 is shown as a mobile device. As shown, through SL, the UEs 220 to 240 can communicate with each other via the air interface (e.g., direct transmission and direct reception) without the forwarding of the base station 210 or the core network 250. This type of V2X communication is referred to as PC5-based V2X communication or V2X SL communication.

[0055] As used herein, when two UEs 104a or 104b perform SL communication with each other via the communication channel 105 / 170, the UE that sends data to the other UE is referred to as the transmitting (TX or Tx) UE, while the UE that receives the data is referred to as the receiving (RX or Rx) UE.

[0056] In some examples, for SL positioning / ranging in the authorized band or ITS band, both Scheme 1 resource allocation and Scheme 2 resource allocation are supported. Scheme 1 resource allocation can also be regarded as network-centric operation and SL-PRS resource allocation, in which the SL-PRS resources to be transmitted are configured / scheduled by the BS (e.g., gNB) through dynamic authorization, configured grant type 1, or configured grant type 2. Scheme 2 is the UE autonomous SL-PRS resource allocation mode, in which the SL-PRS resources to be transmitted are based on any one or all of the following: sensing results, inter-UE coordination (IUC) information, and / or random resource selection.

[0057] In 5G New Radio-Unlicensed (NR-U) or SL-Unlicensed (SL-U), the main limitation of using shared spectrum or unlicensed spectrum is that devices (including BSs, UEs, or other non-3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) users (e.g., WIFI (Wireless Fidelity) devices)) can only access the channel after successful listen before talk (LBT) or if the clear channel assessment (CCA) result shows that the channel is idle. In some cases, the channel access process is a sensing-based process, and this sensing evaluates the availability of the channel for transmission.

[0058] FR1 NR-U includes two CCA modes. The first CCA mode includes a load-based equipment (LBE) mode or a dynamic channel access mode. For downlink (DL) channel access and / or uplink (UL) channel access, type 1 includes a random CCA time before transmission, and type 2 includes a determined CCA time before transmission. Type 2 also includes type 2A, type 2B, and type 2C. There are differences between DL channel access and UL channel access. For example, the channel access priority class (CAPC) table for DL ​​type 1 channel access is different from the channel access priority class table for UL type 1 channel access.

[0059] The second CCA mode includes a frame-based equipment (Frame-Based Equipment, FBE) mode or a semi-static channel access mode, where the time domain resources for the FBE mode are periodic. A fixed frame period (Fixed Frame Period, FFP) includes a channel occupancy time (COT) and an idle period. The idle period is located at the end of the FFP.

[0060] In some arrangements, the UE performs a channel access scheme known as LBT before performing data transmission on an unlicensed carrier. During the LBT process, the UE monitors a channel in the unlicensed carrier for a time interval. In response to determining that the LBT process is successful, the UE may occupy the channel in the unlicensed carrier for a time interval, which is known as the COT. The LBT process includes an initial LBT process and a non-initial LBT process. The non-initial LBT process is performed within the COT.

[0061] In some arrangements, the CAPC table described herein is used for type 1 channel access. For example, the CAPC table defines CAPC(p) and {m p ,CW min,p ,CW max,p ,T mcot,p , allowed CW p sizes(allowed CW p In some examples, m p is the delay duration T d , T d Including duration T f =16μs, duration T f Then followed by m p The duration of consecutive sensing time slots is T sl . Tf including the idle sensing time slot duration T f at the start of T sl . For CW min,p , CW max,p , the allowed CW p size, CW p is the size of the contention window (CW), where CW min,p ≤ CW p ≤ CW max,p . Support for CW p size associated with CAPC p to perform CW p adjustment for DL / UL channel access and SL channel access for communication. Regarding T mcot,p , the UE or BS (e.g., eNB or gNB) does not transmit on a channel with a COT exceeding T mcot,p , where the channel access process is performed based on CAPC p associated with the transmission of the UE or BS.

[0062] A channel in NR-U or SL-U refers to the following carrier or a portion of the carrier: the carrier includes a set of contiguous frequency domain resources (e.g., resource blocks (RBs)) for performing a channel access process in a shared spectrum. In some examples, a channel is associated with a set of RBs. In an example of a service request bandwidth (e.g., including two or more sets of RBs), the device applies a multi-channel access process. DL type A and type B multi-channel access processes and UL multi-channel access processes can be implemented.

[0063] In some arrangements, the set of RBs is configured in ServingCellConfig for DL / UL channel access by defining the length and position of the guard band (also allowing a guard band of size zero).

[0064] For SL-U positioning, the UE can transmit a physical shared control channel (PSCCH) and the SL PRS corresponding to the PSCCH in the shared spectrum. The initiating UE is the UE that initiates the channel access process and occupies the COT. It is expected that the initiating UE transmits SL positioning-related data in this COT. From the perspective of the initiating UE, the initiating UE performs the channel access process based on sensing / LBT, and this sensing / LBT evaluates the availability of the channel for SL positioning-related transmission. The COT occupied by the initiating UE can be shared with one or more other UEs for the SL positioning transmission purpose of one or more other UEs.

[0065] Both dynamic channel access and semi-static channel access can be supported for SL positioning in the shared spectrum. From the perspective of the initiating UE, the dynamic channel access process is performed by the UE, where the duration spanned by the sensing time slots sensed as idle before the SL transmission is random or fixed based on the dynamic SL positioning transmission requirements. For semi-persistent channel access, the opportunity for the COT is periodic.

[0066] For SL positioning / ranging in the unlicensed band, the UE cannot directly transmit the SL-PRS resources based on the network configuration / scheduling or the UE's autonomous resource selection (sensing, IUC, random resource selection) without performing the LBT process. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing the candidate resource selection for transmitting the SL-PRS according to some arrangements. In Scheme 2, the UE first selects the candidate resources within the selection window 320 based on the sensing results performed within the sensing window 310. The UE can only transmit the selected SL-PRS resource(s) 330 within the COT. In other words, in the case where the LBT process 340 is unsuccessful, the selected or configured SL-PRS resources cannot be sent. The UE either initiates the COT or shares the COT with other UEs or the BS.

[0067] The basic unit for sensing is the sensing time slot with a duration T sl = 9 μs. If the UE senses the channel during the sensing time slot duration and determines that the detected power for at least 4 μs within the sensing time slot duration is less than the energy detection threshold X Thresh , then the sensing time slot duration T sl is considered idle. Otherwise, the sensing time slot duration T sl is considered busy. The arrangements disclosed herein use the LBT duration or the CCA time to represent the duration spanned by the sensing time slots sensed as idle before the SL transmission.

[0068] The COT refers to the total time during which the UE and any UE(s) / BS sharing the channel occupancy perform the transmission(s) on the channel after the UE performs the corresponding channel access process. For determining the COT, if the transmission interval is less than or equal to 25 μs, the interval duration is included in the COT.

[0069] An SL transmission burst for SL positioning is defined as a set of SL transmissions (e.g., SL-PRS transmissions) from a UE for SL positioning without any interval greater than 16 μs. Transmissions from a UE separated by an interval greater than 16 μs are considered separate SL transmission bursts. The UE may send one or more SL transmissions after an interval of up to 16 μs within an SL transmission burst without sensing the availability of the corresponding one or more channels.

[0070] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing an example method 400 for communicating SL positioning-related transmissions according to some arrangements. Method 400 can be performed using system 100.

[0071] At 410, a first UE (e.g., UE 104a) determines a configuration for SL positioning-related transmissions. In some examples, the SL positioning-related transmissions include at least one of the following: SL-PRS, PSCCH, or demodulation reference signal (DMRS). In some examples, the first UE may receive a configuration for SL positioning-related transmissions from another node or entity (such as another UE (e.g., a second UE, UE 104b), BS 102, or location management function (LMF)). In some examples, the first UE itself may determine a configuration for SL positioning-related transmissions according to a suitable set of rules or algorithms without directly and explicitly receiving the configuration from another node or entity.

[0072] At 420, the first UE communicates SL positioning-related transmissions with a second UE (e.g., UE 104b) (e.g., the first UE sends or transmits SL positioning-related transmissions to the second UE). At 430, the second UE communicates SL positioning-related transmissions with the first UE (e.g., the second UE receives SL positioning-related transmissions from the first UE).

[0073] In some arrangements, the configuration is received by the first UE from at least one of those in BS102 through at least one of the following: Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Downlink Control Information (DCI), or Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE). In some arrangements, the configuration is received by the first UE from the Location Management Function (LMF) through the Long Term Evolution Positioning Protocol (LPP). In some examples, the configuration includes an idle period received by the first UE from the second UE or the third UE through at least one of the following: Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP), PC5-RRC signaling, SL MAC CE, or Sidelink Control Information (SCI). The third UE can be any UE different from the first UE and the second UE and can be referred to as the server UE. The server UE can be used for positioning method determination, anchor UE selection, auxiliary allocation, and / or position calculation in resource allocation scheme 2. The server UE can be used to transmit the CAPC configuration (config) to the Tx UE. In some examples, the anchor UE or the target UE or any UE can be the server UE. In some arrangements, the CAPC is received by the first UE from the LMF through LPP.

[0074] Some arrangements involve configuring a sidelink positioning resource pool (e.g., a dedicated resource pool, or a shared resource pool, etc.) in an unlicensed band or a shared band. In some examples, the parameter FreqConfigCommon specifies cell-specific configuration information on a specific carrier frequency for sidelink positioning or / and sidelink communication. The parameter FreqConfig specifies dedicated configuration information on a specific carrier frequency for sidelink positioning or / and sidelink communication. Additionally, the maximum number of Bandwidth Parts (BWPs) for sidelink positioning for each carrier frequency can be configured to 4. The sidelink positioning resource pool covers both dedicated resource pools and shared resource pools.

[0075] A channel in NR-U or SL-U refers to the following carrier or a portion of a carrier: the carrier or the portion of the carrier includes a set of contiguous frequency-domain resources (e.g., resource blocks (RBs)) that perform a channel access procedure in a shared spectrum. In some examples, one channel is associated with one set of RBs. In an example where the service requests a wide bandwidth (e.g., including two or more sets of RBs), the device applies a multi-channel access procedure. DL type A and type B multi-channel access procedures as well as UL multi-channel access procedures can be implemented.

[0076] In some examples where the UE cannot receive the network's configuration for SL positioning, pre-configuration is used. For example, the parameter FreqConfigCommon applies to both SL positioning and SL-U positioning. Then, the carrier includes both an SL positioning resource pool in an authorized band (e.g., the ITS band) and an SL positioning resource pool in an unlicensed band. In some examples, two parameters FreqConfigCommon are defined respectively for SL positioning and SL-U positioning.

[0077] In some arrangements, the configuration for SL-U positioning can be indicated by the network. In some examples, BS102 can use common signaling through a System Information Block (SIB) to indicate some common configurations for SL positioning (e.g., FreqConfigCommon) for all UEs. In some examples, the parameter FreqConfigCommon applies to both SL positioning and SL-U positioning. Then, the carrier includes both an SL positioning resource pool in an authorized band (e.g., the ITS band) and an SL positioning resource pool in an unlicensed band. In some examples, two parameters FreqConfigCommon are defined respectively for SL positioning and SL-U positioning.

[0078] In some arrangements, BS102 can use dedicated signaling to transmit UE-specific configurations for SL positioning to a specific UE. In some examples, the parameter FreqConfig applies to both SL positioning and SL-U positioning. Then, the carrier includes both an SL positioning resource pool in an authorized band (e.g., the ITS band) and an SL positioning resource pool in an unlicensed band. In some examples, two parameters FreqConfig are defined respectively for SL positioning and SL-U positioning.

[0079] Figure 5FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration 500 of SL positioning resource pools in licensed and unlicensed frequency bands according to some arrangements. As shown in FIG. 5, an SL frequency carrier 502 may be configured to include an SL bandwidth part (BWP) 504, and the SL BWP 504 is configured to include an SL-PRS pool 510 in the unlicensed frequency band and an SL-PRS resource pool 520 in the licensed frequency band. The SL-PRS pool in the unlicensed frequency band 510 includes M Rx pools 512, N Tx pools 514 for Scenario 1, N Tx pools 516 for Scenario 2, and L other Tx pools 518. The SL-PRS pool in the licensed frequency band 520 includes m Rx pools 522, n Tx pools 524 for Scenario 1, n Tx pools 526 for Scenario 2, and l other Tx pools 528. Whether SL communication and SL positioning use the same carrier frequency or not, SL positioning and SL-U positioning use the same carrier. Each carrier includes one or more SL-BWP configurations, and resource pools can be configured within the SL-BWP. PSCCH and SL-PRS can be configured within each resource pool. In some arrangements, the configuration in method 400 specifies at least one carrier for SL positioning and SL-U positioning, and each carrier in the at least one carrier includes one or more SL-BWPs, at least one resource pool configured with an SL bandwidth part (SL-BWP), and resources for transmitting at least one of SL-PRS or PSCCH within each of the at least one resource pools.

[0080] Figure 6 FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example configuration 600 of SL positioning resource pools in licensed and unlicensed frequency bands according to some arrangements. As Figure 6As shown, the SL-PHY-MAC-RLC configuration 602 includes a carrier frequency 604 for SL positioning and a carrier frequency 606 for SL-U positioning. The carrier frequency 604 for SL positioning includes a BWP 610, which is configured to include M Rx pools 612, N Tx pools 614 for Scenario 1, N Tx pools 616 for Scenario 2, and L other Tx pools 618. The carrier frequency 604 for SL positioning includes a BWP 620, which is configured to include m Rx pools 622, n Tx pools 624 for Scenario 1, n Tx pools 626 for Scenario 2, and l other Tx pools 628. Whether SL communication and SL positioning use the same carrier frequency or not, SL positioning and SL-U positioning use different carriers. Each carrier includes one or more SL-BWP configurations, and resource pools can be configured within the SL-BWP. PSCCH and SL-PRS can be configured within each resource pool. In some arrangements, the configuration in method 400 specifies a first carrier for SL positioning and a second carrier for SL-U positioning (the first carrier is different from the second carrier), and each of the first carrier and the second carrier includes one or more SL-BWPs, at least one resource pool configured with the SL-BWP, and resources for transmitting at least one of SL-PRS or PSCCH within each of the at least one resource pools.

[0081] In some examples, at least one or more of the following parameters can be configured according to each BWP: the (one or more) resource pools for SL positioning, and the SL-BWP can be configured with or pre-configured with consecutive RBs or interleaved RBs for PSCCH transmission; or according to each BWP, configure or pre-configure the candidate start symbol of PSCCH, the number of automatic gain control (AGC) symbols in a time slot, the position of the AGC symbols in a time slot, the number of spaced symbols in a time slot, and the position of the spaced symbols in a time slot, where the spaced symbols can be used for the transmit-receive turnaround time or used as the LBT interval to reduce blocking problems.

[0082] Some arrangements involve supporting SL-PRS transmission based on interleaved RBs. For SL-PRS transmission, since the comb-based sequence design has been agreed upon for SL-PRS, there may be less need to support SL-PRS transmission based on interleaved RBs. In other words, in SL-U positioning, SL-PRS transmission based on interleaved RBs is not supported.

[0083] In some examples, if SL-PRS transmission based on interleaved RBs is supported, by default each SL-PRS resource occupies all the interleaves of the resource pool and is based on the comb-like structure applied to SL-PRS. In some arrangements, this configuration specifies that each resource for transmitting SL-PRS occupies all the interleaved RBs of the resource pool. SL-PRS has a comb-like structure.

[0084] In some arrangements, one or more frequency-domain resource allocation granularities can be applied to SL-U positioning. For example, the frequency-domain resource allocation granularity can be a resource pool. In other words, the bandwidth of SL-PRS is the same as the bandwidth of its resource pool. In some examples, the frequency-domain resource allocation granularity can be a set of SL-PRS resources. In some examples, the frequency-domain resource allocation granularity can be an SL-PRS resource. A subchannel can include one or more interleaves.

[0085] Some arrangements relate to the configuration for transmitting PSCCH, which includes 1 common interleave and M dedicated PRBs. The frequency resources on which PSCCH (associated with or mapped to SL-PRS) is mapped to the resource pool configuration are based on one or more of the following: whether both transmission based on interleaved RBs and transmission based on consecutive RBs are supported or only one of them is supported, whether and how to avoid too small PSCCH capacity, multi-channel situation, whether the PSCCH for SL positioning can use guard bands for transmission, and how to meet the Occupied Channel Bandwidth (OCB) and Power Spectral Density (PSD) requirements.

[0086] In some examples, an SL-PRS resource pool (e.g., dedicated SL-PRS resource pool, shared resource pool) can be at least configured or pre-configured to include an integer number of RB sets with or without (one or more) guard bands. Figure 7 FIG. shows an example SL-PRS resource pool 700 according to some arrangements. The example SL-PRS resource pool 700 includes 2 RB sets: RB set #0 and RB set #1, with a guard band between the 2 RB sets. RB set #0 includes 106 PRBs. RB set #1 includes 106 PRBs. The guard band includes 4 PRBs. The number of RB interleaves is determined based on the Subcarrier Spacing (SCS). The PRBs in RB set #0, RB set #1, and the guard band include the PRBs belonging to interleaves #0, #1, #2 to #8, and #9 as shown in the figure.

[0087] In some arrangements, the PSCCH transmission based on interleaved RBs is configured or pre-configured as follows: Each PSCCH transmission for SL positioning in this configuration or pre-configuration occupies 1 common interleaving / sub-channel and M dedicated PRBs. Figure 8 FIG. shows a diagram of PSCCH transmission based on interleaved RBs according to some arrangements, where each PSCCH transmission for SL positioning occupies 1 common interleaving (e.g., interleaving #0) and M dedicated PRBs. Figure 8 The RB set #0 shown in FIG. has 106 PRBs, and these 106 PRBs can belong to interleaving #0, the dedicated PRBs of PSCCH 1, and the dedicated PRBs of PSCCH 2. In some examples, the common interleaving (such as Figure 8 the interleaving #0 shown in FIG.) is used to meet the OCB and PSD requirements, and the M dedicated PRBs represent carrying the SCI that conveys the SL-U positioning scheduling information. One or more guard band PRBs can be configured or pre-configured between the common PRBs and the M dedicated PRBs. M can be configured or pre-configured by BS102 (e.g., via RRC, DCI, MAC CE, SIB), LMF (via LPP), or another UE (such as a second UE or a third UE) (via SLPP). The candidate values of M can at least include one or more of the following: 1, 2, 5, 10, 12, 15, 20, 25. The M dedicated PRBs can be located in the same RB set.

[0088] As Figure 8 shown in FIG., one PSCCH resource includes 4 dedicated PRBs in RB set #0. In some examples, the M dedicated PRBs can be on the same interleaving or multiple identical interleavings. For example, PSCCH resource 1 includes the lowest 5 PRBs of interleaving #1, while PSCCH resource 2 includes the highest 5 PRBs of the same interleaving #1.

[0089] In some examples, the M dedicated PRBs can include one or more interleavings. To increase the PSCCH capacity, a vector with length and index can be configured for UE 104a according to each PSCCH resource to ensure that multiple PSCCH resources multiplexed in the same (one or more) interleaving are orthogonal. For example, FD-OCC (Frequency Domain Orthogonal Cover Code), TD-OCC (Time Domain Orthogonal Cover), and DFT (Discrete Fourier Transform) shift (cyclic shift) vectors, etc., can be used.

[0090] In some examples, there is a mapping relationship between the M dedicated PRBs of the PSCCH and one or more SL-PRS resources. This mapping can be configured or pre-configured by a higher layer. For example, this mapping can be defined in each SL positioning resource pool. Multiple "one PSCCH and one or more associated SL-PRS resources" pairs, or multiple "one or more PSCCHs and one associated SL-PRS resource" pairs can be configured or pre-configured. This mapping includes at least one of the following: the starting symbol of the SCI / PSCCH, the number of symbols of the SCI / PSCCH, the starting PRB of the SCI / PSCCH, the number of PRBs of the SCI / PSCCH, the position and number of dedicated PRBs, the occupied interleaving index, the occupied subchannel index, the RB set index, the vector type, the vector length, the vector index, the starting symbol of the associated SL-PRS, the number of symbols of the associated SL-PRS, the starting PRB of the associated SL-PRS, the comb size of the associated SL-PRS, the resource bandwidth of the associated SL-PRS.

[0091] In some examples, UE 104a can receive the PSCCH resource configuration from another UE (e.g., the second UE or the third UE) through SLPP. This PSCCH resource configuration includes the configuration related to the M dedicated PRBs (e.g., the value of M, the mapping between the M dedicated PRBs and the SL-PRS resources). For example, the serving UE can configure the PSCCH multiplexing of multiple UEs by indicating different M dedicated PRBs of the PSCCH resources to different UEs.

[0092] In some examples, UE 104a can receive the PSCCH resource configuration from the LMF through LPP. This PSCCH resource configuration includes the configuration related to the M dedicated PRBs (e.g., the value of M, the mapping between the M dedicated PRBs and the SL-PRS resources). For example, the LMF can configure the PSCCH resources for multiple UEs. In some examples, the LMF can send a request message through the New Radio Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa) to trigger one or more BSs to provide the SL-PRS configuration and its associated PSCCH configuration. This associated PSCCH configuration includes the mapping between the PSCCH and the SL-PRS. BS 102 can send the PSCCH configuration and the SL-PRS configuration of different UEs to the LMF. To increase the PSCCH capacity, the LMF can provide the recommended PSCCH configuration including the M dedicated PRBs to the gNB through NRPPa. In this case, UE 104a can receive the PSCCH-related configuration from BS 102. In some examples, the LMF can provide the PSCCH configuration including the M dedicated PRB configuration to the UE through LPP.

[0093] In some examples, UE 104a may receive PSCCH resource configuration from BS102 via RRC, MAC CE, or DCI. The PSCCH resource configuration includes configurations related to M dedicated PRBs (e.g., the value of M, the mapping between the M dedicated PRBs and the SL-PRS resources). For example, BS102 may configure multiple PSCCH resources in a resource pool, where each PSCCH resource includes M dedicated PRBs.

[0094] In some arrangements, the configuration specifies a common interleaving or subchannel and multiple dedicated PRBs for transmitting the PSCCH. In some arrangements, the configuration includes the number of multiple dedicated PRBs. The configuration specifies that at least one of the multiple dedicated PRBs is within the same RB set. The multiple dedicated PRBs are within the same at least one interleaving or subchannel. The multiple dedicated PRBs include one or more interleavings or subchannels.

[0095] In some arrangements, the configuration specifies the mapping between multiple dedicated PRBs of the PSCCH and one or more resources for SL-PRS, where the mapping includes at least the location and number of multiple dedicated PRBs of the PSCCH, the occupied interleaving index of the PSCCH, the occupied subchannel index of the PSCCH, the RB set index of the PSCCH, the vector type of the PSCCH, the vector length of the PSCCH, or the vector index of the PSCCH, the number of symbols of the PSCCH, the starting symbol of the PSCCH, the starting symbol of the SL-PRS, the number of symbols of the SL-PRS, the starting PRB of the SL-PRS, the comb size of the SL-PRS, the resource bandwidth of the SL-PRS, the SL-PRS resource ID.

[0096] Some arrangements involve configuring one or more dedicated interleavings / subchannels for transmitting the PSCCH. The PSCCH transmission based on interleaved RBs is configured or pre-configured as follows: Each PSCCH transmission for SL positioning in the configuration or pre-configuration occupies one or more dedicated interleavings or dedicated subchannels. In some arrangements, the configuration in method 400 specifies one or more dedicated interleavings or one or more dedicated subchannels for transmitting the PSCCH.

[0097] In some arrangements, each PSCCH resource may be associated with an interleaving index or a subchannel index. The PSCCH resource may occupy one or more interleavings / subchannels of one or more RB sets. In some arrangements, the configuration in method 400 specifies that each resource for transmitting the PSCCH is mapped to one or more dedicated interleaving indexes or one or more subchannel indexes. This enables meeting the OCB and PSD requirements, but may result in a smaller PSCCH capacity. At 15 kHz, there are at most 5 interleavings, while at 30 kHz, there are at most 10 interleavings. The PSCCH capacity depends on the maximum number of interleavings or the maximum number of subchannels. To improve resource utilization and scheduling efficiency, increase the PSCCH capacity, and enhance the user experience, multi-UE multiplexing may be supported.

[0098] In some arrangements, a vector with a length and an index may be configured for UE 104a according to each PSCCH resource, such that multiple PSCCH resources multiplexed in the same (one or more) interleaving are orthogonal. The vector may be a DFT vector or an OCC vector. In an example where the length of the vector is L, the PSCCH and / or the associated DMRS are repeated Ls times. PRB-level multiplexing means that every L PRBs form a group, and within this group, the same PSCCH / SCI is repeatedly transmitted within each PRB (the PSCCH / SCI transmitted in PRB 1 of this group is the same as the PSCCH / SCI transmitted in PRB 2 of this group). The vector is intended to be at the PRB level. RE-level multiplexing means that every l REs form a group, and within this group, the same PSCCH / SCI is repeatedly transmitted within each RE (the PSCCH / SCI transmitted in RE 1 of this group is the same as the PSCCH / SCI transmitted in RE 2 of this group). The vector is intended to be at the RE level. In some arrangements, the configuration in method 400 specifies the length and index of the vector for each UE among multiple UEs or for each resource for transmitting the PSCCH. The communication of SL positioning-related transmissions includes repeating at least one of the PSCCH or the DMRS corresponding to the PSCCH by a first UE, the number of repetitions being equal to the length of the vector.

[0099] In some examples of configuring or pre-configuring DFT vectors for UE 104a, PRB-level or RE-level cyclic shifts can be used for multi-PSCCH resource multiplexing. In some arrangements, this configuration in method 400 specifies a DFT vector for each wireless communication device among multiple wireless communication devices or for each resource used for transmitting PSCCH, where communication of SL positioning-related transmissions includes multiplexing multiple resources used for transmitting PSCCH using PRB-level cyclic shifts or resource element (RE)-level cyclic shifts. In some examples, the DFT vector length can be configured as L such that up to L PSCCH resources are multiplexed on the same time-frequency resource, where each PSCCH resource is multiplied by the DFT vector and the DFT vectors of the multiplexed PSCCH resources are orthogonal. For example, if L = 2, DFT vector 1 is [1, 1] and DFT vector 2 can be [1, -1].

[0100] Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example PRB 900 that utilizes an RE-level DFT vector for each PSCCH resource and associated DMRS according to some arrangements. Each block represents an RE. In an example where the length of the DFT vector is L (e.g., Figure 9 3 in), the PSCCH and / or associated DMRS are repeated L times. As Figure 9 shown, UE 104a wants to transmit {DMRS1, SCI 1-0, SCI1-1, SCI 1-2}. For this PSCCH resource, the length of the DFT vector L = 3 is configured for UE 104a, and UE 104a transmits the PSCCH and / or DMRS 3 times, e.g., {DMRS1, DMRS1, DMRS1, SCI 1-0, SCI 1-0, SCI 1-0, SCI 1-1, SCI 1-1vSCI 1-1, SCI 1-2, SCI 1-2, SCI 1-2}. In an example where the current DMRS distribution in the PSCCH (where DMRS is located in RE#1, RE#5, and RE#9) is repeated for SL-U positioning, as Figure 9 shown, the length of the vector can be set to 3.

[0101] In some examples, the vector can be used for FD-OCC. Multi-UE multiplexing based on FD-OCC can be supported, and multiple UEs can use the same (one or more) interleaving. Each UE can be configured with / provided with an OCC (orthogonal cover code) length and an OCC index. In some examples, each PSCCH resource can be associated with an OCC length and an OCC index. The OCC length can be configured as one of the following: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6. In an example where the OCC length is 4, up to 4 UEs are allowed to be multiplexed using the same interleaving. In an example where the length of the OCC vector is L, the PSCCH and / or the associated DMRS are repeated L times.

[0102] In some arrangements, the configuration in method 400 specifies that the vector is used for FD-OCC, and multiple UEs use the same interleaving or the same subchannel. In some arrangements, the vector is used for TD-OCC, and multiple UEs use the same interleaving or the same subchannel. In some arrangements, the multiple UEs include a first UE (e.g., UE 104a). In some arrangements, each of the multiple wireless communication devices is configured with an OCC length and an OCC index. In some arrangements, each resource for transmitting the PSCCH is mapped to an OCC length or an OCC index.

[0103] In some examples where the current DMRS distribution in the PSCCH (where DMRS is located in RE#1, RE#5, and RE#9) is repeated for SL-U positioning, assuming there are 9 remaining REs in a PRB, an OCC length = 2 cannot be supported within a single PRB. In some examples, as long as the number of PRBs is even, RE-level FD-OCC within a PRB bundle can be supported. The PRB bundle includes an even number of PRBs (e.g., 2 PRBs). Assuming the vector length is L, RE-level FD-OCC means that every L REs in the PRB bundle form a group, and within this group, the same PSCCH / SCI is repeatedly transmitted in each RE. Figure 10 is a diagram showing RE-level FD-OCC within a PRB bundle 1000 (e.g., 2 PRBs) of the PSCCH for SL-U positioning according to some arrangements. Each block represents an RE. As Figure 10 shown, two REs from adjacent PRBs can be regarded as an OCC pair / group respectively.

[0104] In some examples, RE-level FD-OCC can be supported. For RE-level FD-OCC, in order to support even OCC lengths (e.g., OCC length = 2, 4, 6, 8), the number of DMRS per PRB for PSCCH can be configured to be even. For example, at {RE#1, RE#4, RE#7, RE#10} or {RE#0, RE#3, RE#6, RE#9}, the number of DMRS per PRB for PSCCH is 4. Figure 11 is a diagram showing RE-level FD-OCC of PRB 1100 for PSCCH in SL-U positioning according to some arrangements. Each block represents an RE. As Figure 11 shown, the OCC length of the FD-OCC is 2. Figure 12 is a diagram showing RE-level FD-OCC of PRB 1200 for PSCCH in SL-U positioning according to some arrangements. Each block represents an RE. As shown in Figure 12, the OCC length of the FD-OCC is 4. The repetition pattern can be configured or pre-configured by another UE (e.g., the second UE or the third UE), BS102, LMF, or determined by the first UE (e.g., UE 104a) itself. As Figure 12 shown, in an example where the OCC length is equal to 4, patterns {SCI 1-0, SCI 1-0, SCI 1-0, SCI 1-0, SCI 1-1, SCI 1-1, SCI 1-1, SCI 1-1} or {SCI 1-0, SCI 1-1, SCI 1-0, SCI 1-1, SCI 1-0, SCI 1-1, SCI 1-0, SCI 1-1} can be supported.

[0105] In some arrangements, RB-level FD-OCC can also be supported for PSCCH multiplexing in SL positioning.

[0106] In some arrangements, the first UE (e.g., UE 104a) supports RE-level FD-OCC within a PRB bundle, where the PRB bundle includes an even number of PRBs. The first UE supports RE-level FD-OCC, and the configuration specifies that the number of REs of DMRS for each PRB among the multiple PRBs used for transmitting PSCCH is even. The first UE supports RB-level FD-OCC for multiplexing PSCCH.

[0107] In some arrangements, TD-OCC-based multi-UE multiplexing can be supported, and multiple UEs can use the same (one or more) interleaving. Each UE can be configured with / provided with an OCC (Orthogonal Cover Code) length and an OCC index. In some arrangements, each PSCCH resource can be associated with or mapped to the OCC length and OCC index of the TD-OCC. In an example where the number of symbols for the PSCCH is L and the TD-OCC length is also L, each PSCCH and / or associated DMRS is repeated L times by UE 104a in each of the L symbols. Depending on the number of symbols for the PSCCH, the OCC length can be configured as one of the following: 1, 2, or 3.

[0108] Figure 13 is a diagram showing PRB 1300 configured for TD-OCC of PSCCH for SL-U positioning according to some arrangements. Each block represents a RE. In Figure 13 it, the OCC length is 2. Time-domain cyclic shift or DFT can be used for multi-PSCCH resource multiplexing.

[0109] In some examples, for an OCC length of 2, the vector can be [1, 1] or [1, -1]. In some examples, for an OCC length of 4, the vector can be [1, 1, 1, 1], [1, -1, 1, -1], [1, 1, -1, -1], or [1, -1, -1, 1]. In some examples, for an OCC length of 4, the vector can be [1, 1, 1, 1], [1, -j, -1, j], [1, -1, 1, -1], or [1, j, -1, -j].

[0110] There is a mapping between the interleaved index of SCI and one or more SL-PRS resources. This mapping can be configured or pre-configured by a higher layer. For example, the mapping can be defined in each SL location resource pool. Multiple pairs of "one PSCCH and one or more associated SL-PRS resources" or multiple pairs of "one or more PSCCHs and one associated SL-PRS resource" can be configured or pre-configured. This mapping includes at least one of the following: the starting symbol of SCI / PSCCH, the number of symbols of SCI / PSCCH, the starting PRB of SCI / PSCCH, the number of PRBs of SCI / PSCCH, the location and number of dedicated PRBs, the (one or more) occupied interleaved indices, one or more occupied sub-channel indices, one or more RB set indices, vector type, vector length, vector index, OCC type (TD-OCC or FD-OCC), OCC (orthogonal cover code) length, OCC index, the starting symbol of the associated SL-PRS, the number of symbols of the associated SL-PRS, the starting PRB of the associated SL-PRS, the comb size of the associated SL-PRS, the resource bandwidth of the associated SL-PRS.

[0111] In some examples, UE 104a (e.g., the first UE) can receive the PSCCH resource configuration from another UE (e.g., the second UE or the third UE) through SLPP. The PSCCH resource configuration includes the occupied interleaved information (info) and vector configuration (e.g., OCC type, OCC length and OCC index, DET vector). For example, the server UE can configure PSCCH multiplexing for multiple UEs using FD-OCC or TD-OCC.

[0112] In some examples, the UE 104a may receive PSCCH resource configuration (e.g., OCC type, OCC length, and OCC index) from the LMF via LPP. For example, the LMF may configure PSCCH multiplexing for multiple UEs using FD-OCC or TD-OCC. The LMF may send a request message via NRPPa to trigger one or more BSs to provide the SL-PRS configuration and its associated PSCCH configuration, where the PSCCH configuration includes the mapping between the PSCCH and the SL-PRS. The BS102 may send the PSCCH configurations and SL-PRS configurations of different UEs to the LMF. To increase the PSCCH capacity, the LMF may provide a recommended PSCCH configuration including OCC configuration to the BS102 via NRPPa. In this case, the UE 104a may receive the OCC-related configuration (e.g., OCC type, OCC length, and OCC index) from the BS102. In some examples, the LMF may provide the PSCCH configuration including OCC configuration to the UE via LPP. In some examples, the UE may receive the PSCCH resource configuration (e.g., OCC type, OCC length, and OCC index) from the BS102a via RRC, MAC CE, or DCI. For example, the BS102a may configure multiple PSCCH resources in a resource pool, where each PSCCH resource is associated with an OCC configuration.

[0113] In some arrangements, the configuration in method 400 includes the mapping between one or more interleaving indices of the PSCCH and one or more resources for transmitting the SL-PRS, where the mapping includes: OCC type, OCC length, or OCC index, one or more occupied interleaving indices of the PSCCH, one or more occupied subchannel indices of the PSCCH, one or more RB set indices of the PSCCH, vector type of the PSCCH, vector length, or vector index of the PSCCH, number of symbols for the PSCCH, start symbol of the PSCCH, start symbol of the SL-PRS, number of symbols of the SL-PRS, start PRB of the SL-PRS, comb size of the SL-PRS, resource bandwidth of the SL-PRS, SL-PRS resource ID.

[0114] In some arrangements, dedicated PRBs and common PRBs are used to transmit the PSCCH. The PSCCH transmission based on interleaved RBs is configured or pre-configured, where each PSCCH transmission for SL positioning occupies some dedicated PRBs and some common PRBs. The common PRBs are designed to meet the OCB requirements.

[0115] Figure 14 is a diagram showing an RB set (e.g., RB set #0) including 106 PRBs according to some arrangements. InFigure 14 In this case, each PSCCH transmission for SL positioning occupies some dedicated PRBs and some common PRBs. As Figure 14 shown, the common PRBs (e.g., PRB 0 and PRB 105) can be designed as the starting PRB and the ending PRB of each RB set. There is a mapping relationship between the K dedicated PRBs of the SCI and one or more SL-PRS resources. The arrangements related to the dedicated PRBs and the mapping between the dedicated PRBs and the SL-PRS described herein are applicable. In some arrangements, the dedicated PRBs can be configured or pre-configured in the same RB set. In some arrangements, the dedicated PRBs can be configured or pre-configured on the same interleaving or the same multiple interleavings. In some arrangements, the dedicated PRBs can occupy an integer number of interleavings. In some arrangements, the dedicated ORBs can only occupy a part of one interleaving.

[0116] In some arrangements, this configuration in method 400 specifies that each PSCCH transmission occupies one or more dedicated PRBs or one or more common PRBs. The common PRBs serve as the starting PRB and the ending PRB of each RB set.

[0117] In some arrangements, partial interleaving is used to transmit the PSCCH. The PSCCH transmission based on interleaved RBs is configured or pre-configured for UE 104a, where each PSCCH transmission for SL positioning occupies a partial interleaving / sub-interleaving. In such cases, multiple UEs can use the same interleaving, where each UE uses a part of one interleaving.

[0118] In some examples, the partial interleaving can be RE-level partial interleaving or RB-level partial interleaving. For PSCCH resources including RB-level partial interleaving, each PSCCH resource includes an integer number of PRBs of one or more interleavings. Another PSCCH resource can include another integer number of the same (one or more) interleavings of PRBs.

[0119] Figure 15 is a diagram showing RB set 1500 for PSCCH configuration in SL-U positioning according to some arrangements. RB set 1500 includes 100 PRBs. Each PSCCH transmission for SL positioning occupies a partial interleaving / sub-interleaving (RB-level). As Figure 12 shown, each interleaving includes 10 PRBs. To meet the OCB and PSD requirements, the PSCCH transmitted by UE 104a can occupy some PRBs of interleaving #0, while the PSCCH of another UE can occupy other parts of interleaving #0.

[0120] For PSCCH resources including RE-level partial interleaving, multiple PSCCH resources occupy one or more identical entire PRBs that are interleaved. FDMed (Frequency Domain Multiplexed) is performed on different PSCCH resources at the RE level. Figure 16 is a diagram showing PRB 1600 configured for PSCCH in SL-U positioning according to some arrangements. PRB 1600 includes 12 REs. Each PSCCH transmission for SL positioning occupies partial interleaving / sub-interleaving (at the RE level). As Figure 16 shown, within one PRB 1600 of an interleaving, the PSCCH resources of three UEs (e.g., UE#0, UE#1, and UE#2) are FDMed. Each UE occupies 1 / 3 of 1 RB resource.

[0121] In some arrangements, this configuration in method 400 specifies that each PSCCH transmission occupies partial interleaving or sub-interleaving of each interleaving in one or more interleavings. Each of multiple UEs uses a part of the same interleaving, and the multiple UEs include a first UE. In some arrangements, this configuration in method 400 specifies that the partial interleaving is RB-level partial interleaving or RE-level partial interleaving.

[0122] In some arrangements, FD-OCC, TD-OCC, or both FD-OCC and TD-OCC, or DFT vectors can be applied. In some arrangements, in resource allocation scheme 1, the BS or LMF can be responsible for PSCCH configuration. UE 104a can receive the PSCCH resource configuration including partial interleaving configuration from BS102 via RRC, MACCE, or DCI. For example, BS102 can configure multiple PSCCH resources in a resource pool, where each PSCCH resource occupies partial interleaving. UE 104a can receive the PSCCH resource configuration including partial interleaving from LMF via LPP. For example, LMF can configure the PSCCH resources of multiple UEs. In some arrangements, LMF can send a request message via NRPPa to trigger the (one or more) BSs to provide the SL-PRS configuration and its associated PSCCH configuration, and this PSCCH configuration includes the mapping between PSCCH and SL-PRS. BS102 can send the PSCCH configurations and SL-PRS configurations of different UEs to LMF. To increase the PSCCH capacity, LMF can provide a recommended PSCCH configuration including partial interleaving configuration to BS102 via NRPPa. In this case, the UE can receive the PSCCH-related configuration from BS102. In some examples, LMF can provide the PSCCH configuration including partial interleaving configuration to UE 104a via LPP.

[0123] In resource allocation scheme 2, a server UE (e.g., the third UE) may be responsible for PSCCH configuration. UE 104a may receive, via SLPP, a PSCCH resource configuration including a partial interleaving configuration from another UE (the third UE). For example, the server UE may configure PSCCH multiplexing for multiple UEs via RB-level partial interleaving or RE-level partial interleaving.

[0124] In some arrangements, a PSCCH configuration including a partial interleaving configuration is received by a first UE (e.g., UE 104a) from BS102 via at least one of the following: RRC signaling, DCI, MAC CE, or SIB. In some arrangements, a PSCCH configuration including a partial interleaving configuration is received by a UE from an LMF via LPP. In some arrangements, a PSCCH configuration including a partial interleaving configuration is received by a first UE from a third UE via at least one of the following: SLPP, PC5-RRC signaling, SL MAC CE, or SCI.

[0125] The interleaving index of an SCI is mapped to the frequency range of one or more SL-PRS resources. This mapping relationship may be configured or pre-configured by a higher layer. For example, this mapping may be defined in each SL positioning resource pool. Multiple pairs of "one PSCCH and one or more associated SL-PRS resources" or multiple pairs of "one or more PSCCHs and one associated SL-PRS resource" may be configured or pre-configured. This mapping includes at least one of the following: interleaving multiplexing type (RE-level partial interleaving or RB-level partial interleaving), RE index (if RE-level partial interleaving is enabled), PRB index, start symbol of the SCI / PSCCH, number of symbols of the SCI / PSCCH, start PRB of the SCI / PSCCH, number of PRBs of the SCI / PSCCH, position and number of dedicated PRBs, (one or more) occupied interleaving indexes, one or more occupied subchannel indexes, one or more RB set indexes, vector type, vector length, vector index, OCC type (TD-OCC or FD-OCC), OCC (orthogonal cover code) length, OCC index, start symbol of the associated SL-PRS, number of symbols of the associated SL-PRS, start PRB of the associated SL-PRS, comb size of the associated SL-PRS, resource bandwidth of the associated SL-PRS.

[0126] In some arrangements, the configuration in method 400 includes a mapping between the resources for transmitting the PSCCH and one or more resources for transmitting the SL-PRS. The mapping includes: the partial interleaved multiplexing type of the PSCCH, the RE index or RE range within the PRB of the PSCCH, or the PRB index of the PSCCH, one or more occupied interleaved indexes of the PSCCH, one or more occupied sub-channel indexes of the PSCCH, one or more RB set indexes of the PSCCH, the number of symbols for the PSCCH, the starting symbol of the PSCCH, the starting symbol of the SL-PRS, the number of symbols of the SL-PRS, the starting PRB of the SL-PRS, the comb size of the SL-PRS, the resource bandwidth of the SL-PRS, or the SL-PRS resource ID.

[0127] In some arrangements, the PSCCH can be transmitted by the UE 104a using multiple channels (e.g., in a multi-channel scenario). In a multi-channel scenario, the PSCCH transmission based on interleaved RBs is configured or pre-configured, where the number of RB sets occupied by the PSCCH and the number of RB sets occupied by its associated SL-PRS can be the same or different. Different PSCCH resources can be in different RB sets. In other words, the PSCCH resources can be configured at the granularity of RB sets according to FDM (Frequency Division Multiplexing). Figure 17 FIG. is a diagram showing RB sets as resources for transmitting the PSCCH and the SL-PRS 1710 according to some arrangements. In some examples, the SL-PRS 1710 can occupy all RB sets #0 to RB set #4 in a dedicated resource pool as the resource pool. The PSCCH (e.g., PSCCH candidate 0 to PSCCH candidate 4) can occupy only one or some of the (one or more) RB sets. Within one RB set, different PSCCH resources can still be transmitted in an interleaved manner. Figure 17 FIG. shows that the number of RB sets occupied by the PSCCH and the number of RB sets occupied by its associated SL-PRS 1710 can be different.

[0128] In an example where the number of RB sets occupied by the PSCCH is the same as the number of RB sets occupied by the associated SL-PRS, in response to the PSCCH successfully accessing all RB sets, the corresponding SL-PRS needs to perform only type 2 channel access or no channel access at all before the SL-PRS transmission. Therefore, such an arrangement can increase the success probability of the SL-PRS LBT. The PSCCH resources occupying the same (one or more) RB sets can use interleaved RB-based transmission.

[0129] In some arrangements, the number of RB sets occupied by the PSCCH is the same as or different from the number of RB sets occupied by the SL-PRS. The resources for transmitting the PSCCH are in two or more different RB sets. The resources for transmitting the PSCCH are FDMed at the granularity of RB sets.

[0130] Some arrangements involve transmitting the PSCCH using continuous RB-based transmission. The UE 104a is configured or pre-configured with continuous RB-based PSCCH transmission, where each PSCCH resource includes continuous RBs. In some arrangements, in method 400, the configuration specifies that each resource for transmitting the PSCCH includes continuous RBs. There is no need to introduce interleaved RB-based PSCCH transmission. It is desirable for a PSCCH resource to occupy at least one channel. In some examples, FDM-based PSCCH resources can be supported. In some examples, TDM (Time Division Multiplexing)-based PSCCH resources can be supported.

[0131] In some examples, from the perspective of a Tx UE, the bandwidth of the PSCCH is different from the associated SL-PRS. In some examples, from the perspective of a Tx UE, the bandwidth of the PSCCH is the same as the associated SL-PRS. A vector with length and index can be configured for the UE 104a according to each PSCCH resource, such that multiple PSCCH resources are orthogonal. The vector can be a DFT vector or an OCC vector. In an example where the length of the vector is L, the PSCCH and / or the associated DMRS are repeated L times by the UE 104a.

[0132] In some examples, the UE 104a can receive a PSCCH resource configuration including continuous RBs from another UE (e.g., a third UE) via SLPP. In some examples, the UE 104a can receive a PSCCH resource configuration including continuous RBs from the BS via RRC, DCI, or MAC CE (e.g., via RRC signaling). Each PSCCH is configured or pre-configured in a resource pool. In some examples, the UE 104a can receive a PSCCH resource configuration including continuous RBs from the BS102 via LPP.

[0133] As described herein, there may be a mapping relationship between the PSSCH resources and one or more SL-PRS resources.

[0134] Some arrangements involve time-domain resources (e.g., slot structure) for SL-U positioning. Some arrangements involve TDM-based multiplexing of SL-PRSs from different UEs in the slots of a dedicated resource pool. Figure 18is a diagram showing TDM-based multiplexing 1800 of SL-PRS from different UEs in time slot 1810 according to some arrangements. The maximum COT duration 1820 can be used by different UEs. In a dedicated resource pool, to support greater capacity, TDM-based multiplexing of SL-PRS from different UEs in time slot 1810 is supported. From the perspective of one Tx UE, as Figure 18 shown, the UE can select or be configured / scheduled with one of the following: {SL-PRS resource 1, SL-PRS resource 2, SL-PRS resource 3, SL-PRS resource 4}. If SL-PRS resource 1 is selected, configured, or scheduled, and the time offset between the PSCCH / SCI and SL-PRS resource 1 is 0, the UE needs to perform channel access only once before SCI / PSCCH transmission. If the time offset between the PSCCH / SCI and the SL-PRS resource is not 0 (e.g., Figure 18 SL-PRS resource 2, SL-PRS resource 3, SL-PRS resource 4 shown), the UE needs to perform channel access twice before SCI / PSCCH transmission.

[0135] In an example where the PSCCH is not adjacent to the associated SL-PRS resource(s), map the PSCCH symbol(s) from the second symbol available for SL transmission in the time slot.

[0136] In some examples, an idle period / gap is introduced between two adjacent TDM-ed SL-PRS resources. Given the RxUE, the position of the AGC symbol, the TDM-ed SL-PRS resource, or the idle period / gap in the time slot can be configured or pre-configured at the BWP level. For TDM-based multiplexing of SL PRS resources in a time slot, the starting symbol of each TDM-ed SL PRS resource and the idle period / gap between two adjacent TDM-ed SL PRS resources can be configured at the BWP level. In other words, as long as the UE transmits SL PRS on the same BWP, the idle period / gap of the TDM-ed SL PRS resources within the time slot can be aligned among UEs. Figure 19FIG. 1900 shows resources 1900 for transmitting SL-PRS according to some arrangements, where an interval 1910 is introduced between two adjacent SL-PRS resources 1 and 2. SL-PRS resource 1 is used by one UE to transmit SL-PRS, and SL-PRS resource 2 is used by a different UE to transmit another SL-PRS. Assuming that the channel condition is busy for transmission on SL-PRS resource 1, if there is no interval between two adjacent resources (e.g., symbols), UE 104a that wants to use SL-PRS resource 2 for transmission will not be able to access the channel.

[0137] In some arrangements, an idle period / interval can be defined as N symbols. N can be 1, or the length of the idle period / interval can be associated with the SCS value and / or the type of channel access. The idle period / interval can be configured for UE 104a per SL-PRS resource. In some examples, the idle period / interval can be configured at the BWP level. In some examples, the idle period / interval can be configured at the carrier level. In some examples, if carrier aggregation is enabled / configured, the configuration of the idle period / interval can be aligned (e.g., the same) among carriers. The configuration of the idle period / interval includes the time-domain length, the starting symbol of the time slot, and the number of idle periods / intervals within the time slot. For example, an idle period or interval follows the SL-PRS resource. In some examples, the SL-PRS resource configuration including the idle period / interval can be provided from BS 102 to UE 104a via RRC, MAC CE, or DCI. In some examples, the SL-PRS resource configuration including the idle period / interval can be provided from LMF to UE 104a via LPP. In some examples, the SL-PRS resource configuration including the idle period / interval can be provided from another UE (e.g., a third UE) to UE 104a via SLPP, SL MAC CE, or SCI.

[0138] In some arrangements, the configuration in method 400 includes a first idle period between two adjacent resources for transmitting SL-PRS. Each of the two UEs transmits one of the two adjacent resources, and the two UEs include a first UE. In some examples, the configuration in method 400 includes a second idle period between two adjacent resources for transmitting SL-PRS and PSCCH. Resources for PSCCH immediately follow each SL-PRS. The first idle period or the second idle period is defined by at least one time-domain resource. The length of the at least one time-domain resource is mapped to at least one of an SCS value or a channel access type. In some examples, the configuration in method 400 includes a first idle period or a second idle period defined in each time slot at the BWP level, at the carrier level, or across carriers. In some examples, the configuration in method 400 includes a first idle period or a second idle period for each resource for transmitting SL-PRS. In some examples, the configuration in method 400 includes a first idle period or a second idle period received by the first wireless communication device from the BS via at least one of RRC signaling, DCI, or MAC CE. In some examples, the configuration in method 400 includes a first idle period or a second idle period received by the first wireless communication device from the LMF via LPP. In some examples, the configuration in method 400 includes a first idle period or a second idle period received by the first UE from a third UE via at least one of SLPP, SL MAC CE, or SCI.

[0139] In some examples, SL-PRS resources with potential LBT failure problems can be excluded for TDM-based multiplexing of SL-PRSs from different UEs in a time slot. In an example where there are N available TDM-ed SL-PRS resources in a time slot, based on configuration or pre-configuration, in resource allocation scheme 2, UE 104a does not select an SL-PRS resource adjacent to an SL-PRS resource of another UE. In some examples, another UE (e.g., a third UE) recommends, does not recommend (e.g., opposes the recommendation), or configures an SL-PRS resource to UE104a via SLPP, SCI, or SL MAC CE.

[0140] Figure 20 is a diagram showing an example resource 2000 according to some arrangements, where one or more TDM-ed SL-PRS resources are disabled to avoid potential LBT failures. In resource allocation scheme 1, the network (e.g., the BS via RRC, DCI, MAC CE, the LMF via LPP) can configure or schedule (one or more) SL-PRS resources without potential conflicts. As Figure 20As shown, due to potential conflicts, the network may disable the use of SL-PRS Resource 2 and SL-PRS Resource 4. UE 104a does not transmit any SL-PRS using SL-PRS Resource 2 and SL-PRS Resource 4.

[0141] In some arrangements, method 400 further includes: excluding, by a first UE, at least one resource for transmitting SL-PRS based on an LBT failure. TDMing SL-PRS for different UEs in time domain resources. In some arrangements, method 400 further includes: receiving, by a first UE, a configuration of at least one resource for transmitting SL-PRS from a third UE via at least one of SLPP, MAC CE, or SCI. In some arrangements, method 400 further includes: receiving, by a first UE, a configuration of at least one resource for transmitting SL-PRS that does not conflict with other UEs among different UEs from a BS via at least one of RRC signaling, DCI, or MAC CE or from an LMF via LPP.

[0142] In some arrangements that do not follow each SL-PRS resource configuration interval, for a UE, multiple candidate SL-PRS resources, multiple repetitions, multiple occasions, or multiple COTs may be configured within a time slot. In such cases, the success probability of LBT is increased by designing multiple opportunities for SL-PRS. In some arrangements, the configuration includes at least one of the following within a time domain resource (e.g., a time slot): multiple resources for transmitting SL-PRS, multiple repetitions for transmitting SL-PRS, multiple occasions for transmitting SL-PRS, or multiple COTs for transmitting SL-PRS.

[0143] In some examples, to ensure that a UE only needs to perform CCA once for both SCI and associated SL-PRS transmissions, as Figure 21 shown, a sub-slot structure may be applied. Figure 21 is a diagram showing an example resource 2100 including time slot 2120, in which multiple SL-PRS resources are configured: SL-PRS Resource 1 and SL-PRS Resource 2.

[0144] In some examples where UE 1 uses SL-PRS Resource 1 to transmit SCI 1 and the associated SL-PRS, it is very likely that UE 2 cannot access the channel to use SL-PRS Resource 2 to transmit SCI 2 and the associated SL-PRS.

[0145] In some examples, an idle period / interval is introduced between two adjacent "SCI+SL-PRS" resources of the sub-slot structure. Figure 22is a diagram showing an example time-domain resource 2200 (e.g., time slot) according to some arrangements, the time-domain resource having an interval 2210 for LBT between two SCI+SL-PRS resources of two corresponding UEs. As Figure 22 shown, an interval 2210 for LBT is introduced between SL-PRS resource 1 and SL-PRS resource SCI2. If there is no interval between two adjacent symbols, UE 104a that wants to transmit SCI 2 and SL-PRS resource 2 cannot access the channel because the channel condition is busy at least for the transmission of SL-PRS resource 1.

[0146] The idle period / interval can be defined as N symbols. N can be 1, or the length of the idle period / interval can be associated with the SCS value and / or the channel access type. The idle period / interval can be configured per SL-PRS resource. For example, an idle period or interval follows the SL-PRS resource. In some examples, the SL-PRS resource configuration including the idle period / interval can be provided from BS102 to UE 104a via RRC, MAC CE, or DCI. In some examples, the SL-PRS resource configuration including the idle period / interval can be provided from LMF to UE 104a via LPP. In some examples, the SL-PRS resource configuration including the idle period / interval can be provided from another UE (e.g., a third UE) to UE 104a via SLPP, SL MAC CE, or SCI.

[0147] In some arrangements, SL-PRS resources with potential LBT failure problems can be excluded. In an example where there are N available TDM-ed SL-PRS resources in a time slot, depending on the configuration or pre-configuration, in resource allocation scheme 2, UE 104a does not select an SL-PRS resource adjacent to the SL-PRS resource of another UE. In some examples, another UE (e.g., a third UE) recommends, does not recommend (e.g., opposes the recommendation), or configures the SL-PRS resource for UE 104a via SLPP, SCI, SL MAC CE.

[0148] In resource allocation scheme 1, the network (e.g., BS102 via RRC, DCI, or MAC CE, LMF via LPP) configures or schedules (one or more) SL-PRS resources without potential conflicts. As Figure 22 shown, the network can disable the use of SL-PRS resource 2 and SL-PRS resource 4. If the interval is not configured per SL-PRS resource, for the candidate SL-PRS resources of the UE, repetitions, timings, or COTs can be configured within the time-domain resource (e.g., time slot). In such cases, the LBT success probability is increased by designing multiple opportunities for the SL-PRS.

[0149] Some arrangements involve LBT blocking and multi-UE multiplexing. For SL positioning in a dedicated resource pool, both comb-based multiplexing and TDM-based multiplexing of SL-PRSs from different UEs in a time slot are supported. In SL-U positioning, two UEs want to use the same or adjacent resource(s) to transmit SL-PRSs. Figure 23 FIG. is a diagram showing an LBT failure 2300 of one UE (e.g., UE 1) caused by SL-PRS and / or PSCCH transmissions of another UE (e.g., UE 2) according to some arrangements. As Figure 23 shown, both UE 1 and UE 2 want to transmit SL-PRSs in time slot n of RB set N. UE 1 can send various transmissions within a COT 2310 initiated by UE 1. Since UE 1 accesses the channel earlier than UE 2 and transmits in time slot n-1, UE 2 may fail in its type 1 channel access. In addition, assuming a case where TDM-based multiplexing of SL-PRSs from different UEs in a time slot is supported, in some examples, the SCI and its associated SL-PRS resources are not adjacent to each other. For SL-U positioning, not only time slot-level LBT blocking may occur, but also symbol-level LBT blocking may occur. The arrangements described herein can be applied to both time slot-level LBT blocking problems and symbol-level LBT blocking problems.

[0150] Some arrangements involve solving such LBT blocking problems so that different UEs can select SL-PRS resources without affecting each other and improve the probability of successful channel access.

[0151] Figure 24 FIG. is a diagram showing an example configuration 2400 of time domain resources used by a UE to send SL-PRS and / or PSCCH transmissions according to some arrangements. The SL-PRS of UE 1 and the SL-PRS of UE 2 are multiplexed in the same time slot while accessing the channel. In some arrangements, as Figure 24 shown, UEs multiplexed (including TDM-based multiplexing, comb-based multiplexing, or both TDM-based multiplexing and comb-based multiplexing) in the same time domain resource (e.g., time slot) can access the channel simultaneously. UE1 can send various transmissions within a COT 2410 initiated by UE 1. Both UE 1 and UE 2 want to transmit SL-PRSs in time slot n of RB set N.

[0152] At least for the resource allocation scheme 2 of SL positioning, each UE (e.g., each UE in the same positioning session) can report their sensing results including the candidate SL-PRS resource sets to the serving UE (e.g., the third UE) via SLPP, SCI, and SL MAC CE. Then, the serving UE can determine which time slot resources (e.g., time slot n) are shared and will be used for multiplexing by more than one UE. By default, if those UEs sharing the same time slot n have the same priority / CAPC, those UEs should start the LBT process simultaneously (e.g., at time slot n-T). In examples where those UEs have different SL-PRS priorities / CAPCs, the LBT start times of those UEs are different.

[0153] In some examples, the serving UE can request the sensing results within a reporting window, which is configured or pre-configured, from one or more UEs via SLPP, SCI, and SL MAC CE. The serving UE can indicate the start time of the LBT process to the UE (e.g., UE 104a) via SLPP, SL MAC CE, or SCI. In some examples, considering the resource allocation scheme 1 of SL positioning, the serving BS102 or LMF can indicate the start time of the LBT process to the UE (e.g., UE 104a). For the participation of the LMF, BS102 or UE 104a can report the SL-PRS priority and / or CAPC and the time-frequency domain location of the SL-PRS (e.g., (one or more) RB set indices) to the LMF via NRPPa and LPP, respectively. The LMF indicates / configures a suitable LBT start time for BS102 or UE104a based on the CAPC value via NRPPa and LPP, respectively. BS102 can indicate the recommended LBT start time for the scheduled or configured SL transmission (dynamic grant or configured grant). This can be carried by RRC or DCI (e.g., DCI 2-0, DCI 3-0, or DCI dedicated to SL positioning). UE 104a can request a suitable LBT timing or request the CAPC value from BS102 via UCI (Uplink Control Channel), RRC, or MAC CE or from the LMF via LPP.

[0154] In some arrangements, method 400 further includes: the first UE receiving an indication of the start time of the LBT process from the third UE via at least one of SLPP, SL MAC CE, or SCI. In some arrangements, method 400 further includes: the first UE receiving an indication of the start time of the LBT process from the BS via at least one of RRC signaling, DCI, or MAC CE or from the LMF via LPP.

[0155] In some arrangements, from the perspective of resource allocation, the transmission opportunities of different UEs are guaranteed to be simultaneous (e.g., starting at the same symbol or at the same time slot). In some examples, a UE (e.g., a serving UE) can coordinate or configure the SL-PRS resources or SL-PRS transmission opportunities of each UE through SLPP to ensure that the transmission opportunities of different UEs are simultaneous. This information can be included as part of the side information. In some examples, the LMF can coordinate or configure the SL-PRS resources or SL-PRS transmission opportunities of each UE through LPP to ensure that the transmission opportunities of different UEs are simultaneous. In some examples, the BS can configure the SL-PRS resources or SL-PRS transmission opportunities of different UEs through RRC, MAC CE, or DCI to ensure that the transmission opportunities of different UEs are simultaneous.

[0156] In some arrangements, the SL positioning-related transmission opportunities of multiple wireless communication devices start simultaneously according to the configuration of a third wireless communication device, or a BS, or an LMF.

[0157] In some arrangements, the probability of successful LBT can be increased through COT sharing. In some examples, COT sharing requires a "source and / or destination pair" relationship between the initiating UE and the responding UE (sometimes referred to as dedicated COT sharing). In some examples, a time window can be configured or pre-configured, in which a common COT is allowed. In some examples, a time window can be configured or pre-configured to only allow dedicated COT sharing, such that the time domain resources outside the window for common COT sharing are allowed.

[0158] Figure 25 FIG. 2500 is a diagram showing a configuration including an example time window for transmitting SL positioning-related transmissions by multiple UEs according to some arrangements. In some examples, a time window can be configured or pre-configured, in which a common COT is allowed in the window 2510, and the time domain resources outside the window 2520 can only be used for dedicated COT. In some examples, a time window can be configured or pre-configured, in which only a dedicated COT is allowed in the window 2530, and the time domain resources outside the window 2540 can be used for common COT.

[0159] Allowing common COT sharing can increase the probability of successful LBT, allowing other UEs to freely access the COT using a fixed CCA time, and their transmissions do not have to be targeted at the UE initiating the COT.

[0160] In some arrangements, the LMF or the serving UE (e.g., the third UE) may configure such a window applicable to multiple UEs (e.g., all UEs or the UEs participating in the positioning session), and the signaling may be LPP, SLPP, SCI, SL MAC CE. In some examples, BS102 may configure such a window for UE 104a via DCI, MAC CE, or RRC. In some examples, pre-configuration may be used to define or set a common time window. In some examples, the configuration parameters of the time window may include one or more of the following: the time span of the window, the period, the start time (e.g., the time offset), and the index of the window, etc.

[0161] In some examples, method 400 further includes: the first UE receiving a time window in which a common COT is configured, or a dedicated COT is configured and a common COT is configured outside of the time window. In some examples, the configuration of the time window is received by the first UE in one of the following ways: received from the LMF via LPP, received from the third UE via at least one of SLPP, MAC CE, or SCI, or received from the BS via at least one of RRC signaling, DCI, or MAC CE. Multiple UEs use the configuration of the time window. The configuration of the time window includes at least one of the following: the time span of the time window, the period of the time window, the start time of the time window, the timing offset of the time window, or the index of the time window.

[0162] In some examples, UE 104a may request the window. For example, the UE may indicate the time / frequency location of its candidate transmission resources, or if multiple windows are configured or pre-configured, the UE may explicitly request the window with the window index. UE 104a may use request signaling (such as DCI, MAC CE, LPP, SLPP, SCI, and SL MAC CE, etc.) to request the window.

[0163] By providing common COT sharing inside the window, the UE can easily access the COT within the window and transmit its SL-PRS. This type of window may be intended for high-priority positioning services.

[0164] In some arrangements, during the LBT process, the energy detection of the LBT / CCA process excludes the SL-PRS transmissions of other UEs, and the energy of all transmissions is detected regardless of the channel bandwidth. This is due to the existence of a pre-transmission sensing mechanism in the SL-PRS resource allocation scheme 2, while in resource allocation scheme 1, the network can perform scheduling to ensure that the SL-PRS transmissions of different UEs do not conflict or collide. Therefore, LBT can consider the transmissions of another radio access technology in addition to the SL-PRS transmissions (e.g., the transmissions via Wi-Fi devices).

[0165] In some arrangements, method 400 further includes: excluding, by a first UE, the energy of an SL-PRS transmission of another UE in an energy detection of an LBT procedure or a CCA procedure.

[0166] In some arrangements, additional transmission opportunities may be added for SL positioning. More SL-PRS transmission opportunities may be configured or pre-configured or selected to accommodate potential LBT failures.

[0167] In some arrangements, for each SL-PRS resource (e.g., an SL-PRS resource having some characteristics associated with: SL-PRS comb offset, comb size, start symbol, number of symbols within a slot, frequency domain allocation or bandwidth, and SL-PRS resource ID, etc.), two or more transmission opportunities may be configured or pre-configured or selected. For example, for SL positioning in an authorized band, only one slot (e.g., slot n) within a period of a periodic SL-PRS is allocated for an SL-PRS resource. Then, for SL positioning in an unlicensed band, N slots (within a period of the periodic SL-PRS) are allocated for the SL-PRS resource. This SL-PRS resource may be selected or configured or pre-configured in slot n, slot n + 1, slot n + 2.

[0168] In some arrangements, each SL-PRS resource is configured with a repetition factor. In some examples, UE 104a may receive this configuration in RRC signaling from BS102. In some examples, the LMF or a server UE may indicate, via LPP or SLPP / SL MAC CE / SCI signaling respectively, a repeated transmission of an SL-PRS resource to UE 104a. For retransmission of each SL-PRS resource, the maximum number of retransmissions is configured or pre-configured by BS102 or by UE 104a or by the LMF. The maximum number of retransmissions may be configured or pre-configured / selected per resource pool, per SL-PRS resource, per SL-PRS resource set, or per UE. In resource allocation scheme 1, BS102 schedules or configures: one SL-PRS is associated with multiple transmission opportunities. In resource allocation scheme 2, within a selection window, candidate resources selected in the resource selection window are sufficient to accommodate potential LBT failures. In one example, a relatively large share of candidate SL-PRS resources (similar to sl-TxPercentageList) may be applied, e.g., this share may be configured or pre-configured to be, for example, 20%, 35%, 50%, or 75% in each resource pool.

[0169] Some arrangements involve the UE 104a processing different candidate resources in a selection window. For example, different candidate SL-PRS transmission timings or time-domain resources in the selection window can be associated with different priorities. For example, if a candidate SL-PRS resource suffers a potential LBT failure, the candidate SL-PRS resource can be set to a lower priority. In some examples, in Resource Allocation Scheme 2, the UE 104a will report a set of candidate resources for SL-PRS transmission to its upper layer based on the sensing result. To accommodate potential LBT failures, the set of candidate resources for SL-PRS transmission is determined based on the sensing result and the LBT blocking situation.

[0170] In some arrangements, the method 400 further includes: determining, by a first UE, a plurality of resources within a selection window for transmitting SL-PRS, determining, by the first UE, an LBT failure on a first resource among the plurality of resources or the first resource among the plurality of resources blocking a high-priority SL-PRS resource reserved by another UE, and determining, by the first UE, that the first resource among the plurality of resources has a first priority that is lower than a second priority of a second resource without an LBT failure.

[0171] In some examples where the set of candidate resources for SL-PRS transmission based on the sensing result is S A before the UE104a reports to the upper layer, the UE 104a excludes at least one of the following: (1) when the LBT time of those one or more selected resources overlaps with the transmission duration of a reserved SL-PRS resource, one or more resources (if there are more than one resource, consecutive resources) after the reserved SL-PRS resource; (2) one or more resources (if there are more than one resource, consecutive resources) before a high-priority reserved SL-PRS resource, where high-priority means that the transmission priority of the SL-PRS is high (the value is small) or the CAPC of the reserved SL-PRS transmission is low. The set of candidate resources for SL-PRS transmission based on the sensing result and the LBT blocking situation is S B . Whether a reserved SL-PRS transmission is high-priority can be defined by comparing the reserved SL-PRS transmission with the selected candidate SL-PRS transmission(s). Whether a reserved SL-PRS transmission is high-priority can also be defined by comparing the reserved SL-PRS transmission with a threshold. The threshold can be configured or pre-configured for each resource pool. In some examples, a candidate resource is considered a high-priority candidate if it not only conflicts with another SL transmission based on the sensing result but also lacks LBT blocking. Otherwise, the candidate resource is considered a low-priority candidate.

[0172] In some arrangements, to accommodate potential LBT failures, a candidate resource set for SL-PRS transmission is determined based on sensing results, COT sharing conditions, and LBT blocking situations. The UE does not need to exclude the following resources: if the resource can share the COT of the reserved SL-PRS resources of another UE (e.g., case (1)), or the COT of those selected resources can be shared with the reserved SL-PRS resources of another UE (e.g., case (2)). In case (1), when the LBT time of those one or more selected resources overlaps with the transmission duration of the reserved SL-PRS resources, one or more resources (if there are more than one resource, consecutive resources) after the reserved SL-PRS resources. In case (2), one or more resources (if there are more than one resource, consecutive resources) before the reserved SL-PRS resources with high priority, where high priority means that the transmission priority of the SL-PRS is high (the value is small) or the CAPC of the reserved SL-PRS transmission is low.

[0173] In some arrangements, method 400 further includes: determining, by the first UE 104a, a plurality of resources for transmitting SL-PRS within a selection window, determining, by the first UE, an LBT failure on a first resource among the plurality of resources or the first resource among the plurality of resources blocking a high-priority SL-PRS resource reserved by another UE, and determining, by the first UE, that the first resource among the plurality of resources has a first priority that is lower than a second priority of a second resource without an LBT failure. In some arrangements, method 400 further includes: determining, by the first UE, candidate resources for transmitting SL-PRS within a selection window based on at least one of the following: sensing results of the candidate resources, COT sharing conditions, and LBT blocking.

[0174] Some arrangements relate to SCI monitoring and energy saving. From the perspective of the Tx UE, due to potential LBT failures, the actual transmission time is not at a fixed position in the time domain. To increase the probability of successful LBT for the Tx UE, an SL-PRS resource can have two or more candidate transmission opportunities. For a dedicated resource pool or a shared resource pool, an SL-PRS resource refers to the time-frequency resources within a time slot for SL-PRS transmission.

[0175] Figure 26 An example configuration 2600 of multiple transmission opportunities for one SL-PRS resource according to some arrangements is shown. As Figure 26As shown, the Tx UE is configured with SL-PRS resource 1, and SL-PRS resource 1 has a resource reservation period 2610 or a period. Within the resource reservation period 2610, two or more candidate transmission opportunities 2620 for SL-PRS1 are allowed. The number of SL-PRS transmission opportunities can be determined according to configuration or pre-configuration. Multiple SL-PRS transmission opportunities of the SL-PRS resource can be within a single time slot or in different time slots. In some examples, method 400 includes: determining, by a first UE, two or more candidate transmission opportunities for transmitting SL-PRS, where the two or more candidate transmission opportunities are within a single time slot or in different time slots.

[0176] In some examples of configuring or pre-configuring multiple SL-PRS transmission opportunities of a UE within a single time slot, multiple SL-PRS resources within a single time slot can be configured for UE104a, where these SL-PRS resources have different starting symbols or / and different SL-PRS resource IDs. One or more characteristics of those multiple SL-PRS resources (such as, SL-PRS comb offset, comb size, and SL-PRS frequency domain allocation (e.g., SL-PRS bandwidth), etc.) can be the same.

[0177] In some examples of configuring or pre-configuring multiple SL-PRS transmission opportunities of a UE within a single time slot, the UE is configured with a single SL-PRS resource within the time slot, where the SL-PRS can be associated with two or more candidate starting symbols.

[0178] In some examples, method 400 includes: determining, by a first UE, two or more candidate resources within a time slot for transmitting SL-PRS. The two or more candidate resources have at least one of the following: different starting times or resource IDs. The two or more candidate resources have at least one of the following: the same comb offset, the same comb size, the same frequency domain allocation. In some examples, method 400 includes: determining, by the UE, a candidate resource within a time slot for transmitting SL-PRS. The SL-PRS has two or more candidate starting times.

[0179] In some examples where the Tx UE can access the channel at the time slot boundary or in the middle of the time slot, when the SL-PRS transmission of the Tx UE is intended for the Rx UE, the Rx UE needs to frequently monitor the SCI / PSCCH. In this case, it is power-consuming for the Rx UE. For a UE in SL communication or SL positioning in an authorized band, the UE only needs to monitor the SCI / PSCCH at a fixed position of the time slot (e.g., the first two or three symbols other than the automatic gain control (AGC) symbol at the start of the time slot). For SL-U positioning, the Rx UE monitors the SCI / PSCCH at a sub-time slot granularity.

[0180] Some arrangements relate to reducing potential power consumption. In an example where UE 104b has received N SL-PRSs (N instances of the same SL-PRS resource or multiple SL-PRS resources, depending on the configuration), UE 104b assumes or determines that the LBT procedure of the Tx UE (e.g., the LBT procedure of UE 104a) is successful and stops monitoring the SCI associated with the SL-PRS transmission of the Tx UE. The value of N can be configured or pre-configured. BS 102 or LMF can send the value of N to UE 104a via RRC or LPP, respectively. UE 104a can also receive the value of N from another UE (e.g., a third UE) via SLPP or SCI. In some arrangements, in method 400, the second UE determines that the LBT procedure is successful and stops monitoring the SL-PRS in response to receiving a number of SL-PRSs from the first wireless communication device, and the number can be configured by the BS, LMF, or the third UE.

[0181] In some examples, the UE can switch the SCI / PSCCH monitoring granularity (e.g., slot-based SCI monitoring or sub-slot-based SCI monitoring).

[0182] In some examples, the second UE (e.g., the Rx UE) can maintain frequent SCI / PSCCH monitoring until it receives the SCI / PSCCH of another UE (e.g., the Tx UE or the first UE). The SCI / PSCCH of the Tx UE can include a window configuration, where the Rx UE can use sparse SCI / PSCCH monitoring (e.g., per-slot SCI monitoring instead of sub-slot SCI monitoring). The window configuration includes a start position and its duration. The start position can be the position where the Rx UE receives the SCI or an additional offset.

[0183] In some examples, the second UE (e.g., the Rx UE) uses frequent SCI / PSCCH monitoring (e.g., sub-slot monitoring) outside the window and sparse SCI / PSCCH monitoring (per-slot monitoring or even cross-slot monitoring) inside the window. The window can be the COT duration.

[0184] In some examples, SCI monitoring granularity can be implemented based on SCI / PSCCH monitoring. In a time slot, once the RxUE monitors a PSCCH (where the source / destination ID can match), the Rx UE switches to sparse SCI / PSCCH monitoring. The SCI can include 1 bit, which indicates whether the Rx UE should switch the SCI / PSCCH monitoring granularity. This SCI can be the same as the SCI containing COT sharing information. This SCI can be unicast, multicast, or broadcast. For example, for UL-like SL-TDOA (Time Difference Of Arrival), the target UE can transmit (one or more) SL-PRS resources to multiple UEs.

[0185] In some examples, the SCI monitoring granularity can be achieved only when the Rx UE correctly receives the PSCCH and the associated SL-PRS resources. In response, the Rx UE switches the SCI / PSCCH monitoring granularity. In some examples, the SCI monitoring granularity can be achieved using a timer configured or pre-configured for the RxUE. This timer can be configured by the BS via RRC / DCI, by the LMF via LPP, or by the UE via SLPP / SCI. In response to determining that the Rx UE maintains sparse SCI / PSCCH monitoring for a certain period of time, the Rx UE autonomously switches back to frequent SCI / PSCCH monitoring. In some examples, the SCI monitoring granularity can be implemented such that in response to receiving the reservation information of the SCI, the Rx UE switches to sparse SCI / PSCCH monitoring.

[0186] From the perspective of UE capabilities, the UE can report whether it supports the ability to switch the SCI / PSCCH monitoring granularity. The UE can report whether it supports the timer described herein. In response to the UE receiving a switch indication, the UE needs time to process and actually switch the granularity. The UE can report this processing time to the network (if the unit of this processing time is a time slot or a symbol, this processing time is associated with the SCS).

[0187] In some arrangements, in method 400, a second UE (e.g., the Rx UE or UE 104b) switches the granularity for monitoring the SCI or PSCCH. In some examples, the second UE switches the granularity in response to receiving the SCI or PSCCH from the first UE. In some examples, the second UE monitors the SCI or PSCCH with a frequent granularity outside the monitoring window and with a sparse granularity within the monitoring window.

[0188] Some arrangements involve positioning energy-efficient NR-U. For DL positioning, even in the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state, UE 104b needs to wake up and receive each DL-PRS resource indicated by the LMF, which will result in significantly rising and falling power consumption. To increase the probability of successfully transmitting the DL-PRS, the repetition factor (e.g., dl-PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor) can be configured to a larger value, e.g., the repetition factor is configured to be greater than 32.

[0189] In some examples, a multiplier can be configured on the basis of the regular repetition factor, and the time interval between the repetitions of two consecutive SL-PRS resources is also reduced by 1 / (multiplier).

[0190] The UE can send an on-demand DL-PRS request to the LMF to request a repetition factor greater than 32 in NR-U. The LMF can also initiate an on-demand DL-PRS request for a larger repetition factor. The larger repetition factor can ensure that at least X transmission opportunities of the DL-PRS resource are successfully transmitted. The number of X can be related to the number of samples.

[0191] In some arrangements, in the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state, if the UE has received N DL-PRSs (N opportunities of the same DL-PRS resource), the UE assumes that the LBT process of the BS is successful and stops monitoring the DL-PRS. The value of N can be configured or pre-configured. BS102 or the LMF can send the value of N to the UE via RRC or LPP respectively. The value of N is determined by the UE itself (e.g., using the number of samples as a reference). For example, N is at least greater than the number of samples.

[0192] In some arrangements, in the RRC_INACTIVE or RRC_IDLE state, the UE receives a message "stop monitoring DL-PRS or stop measuring DL-PRS" from BS102 via a short message. BS102 itself has learned whether BS102 has accessed the channel and whether it has transmitted the DL-PRS.

[0193] In some arrangements, the LMF can instruct the UE to stop monitoring or measuring the DL-PRS via LPP.

[0194] Figure 27It is a flowchart showing an example method 2700 for performing energy saving for NR-U according to some arrangements. The method 2700 can be performed using the system 100. At 2710, the UE receives the configuration for DL-PRS from the LMF. At 2720, the UE receives the DL-PRS according to the configuration. In some examples, the method 2700 further includes: the UE, when in the RRC_INACTIVE mode or the RRC_IDLE mode, stops monitoring the DL-PRS in response to determining that a threshold number of DL-PRS has been received. In some examples, the method 2700 further includes: the UE, when in the RRC_INACTIVE mode or the RRC_IDLE mode, stops monitoring the DL-PRS in response to receiving a message from the BS or the LMF instructing to stop monitoring the DL-PRS.

[0195] Although some arrangements of the present solution have been described above, it should be understood that these arrangements are provided only as examples and are not limiting. Similarly, various diagrams may depict example architectures or configurations, aiming to enable those of ordinary skill in the art to understand the example features and functions of the present solution. However, these persons will understand that the solution is not limited to the example architectures or configurations shown, but can be implemented using various alternative architectures and configurations. In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that one or more features of some arrangements can be combined with one or more features of another arrangement described herein. Therefore, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described illustrative arrangements.

[0196] It should also be understood that any reference to elements using names such as "first", "second", etc. generally does not limit the number or order of these elements. Instead, these names can be used herein as a convenient means for distinguishing between two or more elements or two or more instances of an element. Therefore, referring to a first element and a second element does not mean that only two elements can be adopted, nor does it mean that the first element must precede the second element in some way.

[0197] In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that various different techniques and methods can be used to represent information and signals. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, and symbols that may be mentioned in the above description can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0198] Those of ordinary skill in the art will further appreciate that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, means, circuits, methods, and functions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., digital implementation, analog implementation, or a combination of both), firmware, various forms of program or design code incorporating instructions (which for convenience may be referred to herein as "software" or "software modules"), or any combination of these technologies. To clearly illustrate the interchangeability of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have generally been described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination of these technologies, depends upon the particular application and the design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans may implement the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions do not result in a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0199] In addition, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, devices, components, and circuits described herein can be implemented in or performed by an integrated circuit (IC), which may include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logical blocks, modules, and circuits may also include antennas and / or transceivers to communicate with various components within a network or within a device. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration for performing the functions described herein.

[0200] If these functions are implemented in software form, they can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium. Therefore, the steps of the methods or algorithms disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include computer storage media and communication media, and communication media include any medium capable of transmitting a computer program or code from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium accessible by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

[0201] In this document, the term "module" as used herein refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the associated functions described herein. Additionally, for purposes of discussion, various modules are described as discrete modules; however, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that two or more modules can be combined to form a single module that performs the associated functions according to the arrangement of the present solution.

[0202] Furthermore, memory or other storage devices and communication components can also be employed in the arrangement of the present solution. It will be understood that, for clarity, the above description has described the arrangement of the present solution in terms of different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that, without detracting from the present solution, any suitable functional allocation can be made between different functional units, processing logic elements, or domains. For example, functions shown to be performed by separate processing logic elements or controllers can be performed by the same processing logic element or controller. Thus, reference to a particular functional unit is only a reference to a suitable means for providing the stated function and does not imply a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

[0203] Various modifications to the embodiments described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein as recited in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wireless communication method, comprising: Determining, by a first wireless communication device, a configuration for SL positioning-related transmission; Communicating, by the first wireless communication device, with a second wireless communication device for the SL positioning-related transmission, wherein the SL positioning-related transmission includes at least one of the following: sidelink positioning reference signal (SL-PRS), physical shared control channel (PSCCH) corresponding to the SL PRS, or demodulation reference signal (DMRS).

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration is received by the first wireless communication device through at least one of the following manners: Received from a base station (BS) through at least one of resource control (RRC) signaling, downlink control information (DCI), or media access control (MAC) control element (CE); Received from a location management function (LMF) through the long-term evolution positioning protocol (LPP); or The configuration including an idle period is received by the first wireless communication device from the second wireless communication device or a third wireless communication device through at least one of the sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP), PC5-RRC signaling, SL MAC CE, or sidelink control information (SCI).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration specifies: At least one carrier for both SL positioning and SL unlicensed (SL-U) positioning; Each of the at least one carrier includes one or more SL-BWPs; At least one resource pool configured with a sidelink bandwidth part (SL-BWP); Resources within each of the at least one resource pool for transmitting each of at least one of the SL-PRS or the PSCCH.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein The configuration specifies: A first carrier for SL positioning and a second carrier for SL unlicensed (SL-U) positioning, wherein the first carrier is different from the second carrier; Each of the first carrier and the second carrier includes one or more SL-BWPs; At least one resource pool configured with a sidelink bandwidth part (SL-BWP); Resources within each of the at least one resource pool for transmitting each of at least one of the SL-PRS or the PSCCH.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration specifies that each resource for transmitting the SL-PRS occupies all interleaved resource blocks (RBs) of the resource pool; The SL-PRS has a comb-based structure.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration specifies a common interleaving or subchannel and multiple dedicated physical resource blocks (PRBs) for transmitting the PSCCH.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The configuration includes the number of the multiple dedicated PRBs; and the configuration specifies at least one of the following: The multiple dedicated PRBs are within the same resource block (RB) set; The multiple dedicated PRBs are within the same at least one interleaving or subchannel; or The multiple dedicated PRBs include one or more interleavings or subchannels.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein, The configuration specifies a mapping between the multiple dedicated PRBs of the PSCCH and one or more resources for the SL-PRS, where the mapping includes at least the positions and quantities of the multiple dedicated PRBs of the PSCCH, the occupied interleaving index of the PSCCH, the occupied subchannel index of the PSCCH, the RB set index of the PSCCH, the vector type of the PSCCH, the vector length or vector index of the PSCCH, the number of symbols for the PSCCH, the starting symbol of the PSCCH, the starting symbol of the SL-PRS, the number of symbols of the SL-PRS, the starting PRB of the SL-PRS, the comb size of the SL-PRS, the resource bandwidth of the SL-PRS, and the SL-PRS resource ID.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein The configuration specifies one or more dedicated interleavings or one or more dedicated subchannels for transmitting the PSCCH.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The configuration specifies that each resource for transmitting the PSCCH is mapped to one or more dedicated interleaving indices or one or more subchannel indices.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The configuration specifies the length and index of a vector for each of a plurality of wireless communication devices or for each resource for transmitting the PSCCH, where the communication of the SL positioning-related transmission includes repeating at least one of the PSCCH or the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) corresponding to the PSCCH, and the number of repetitions is equal to the length of the vector.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein The configuration specifies a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) vector for each of a plurality of wireless communication devices or for each resource for transmitting the PSCCH, where the communication of the SL positioning-related transmission includes multiplexing a plurality of resources for transmitting the PSCCH using PRB-level cyclic shift or resource element (RE)-level cyclic shift.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein, The configuration specifies at least one of the following: The vector is for frequency-domain orthogonal cover code (FD-OCC), and multiple wireless communication devices use the same interleaving or the same subchannel; The vector is for time-domain orthogonal cover code (TD-OCC), and multiple wireless communication devices use the same interleaving or the same subchannel; The plurality of wireless communication devices includes the first wireless communication device; Each of the plurality of wireless communication devices is configured with an orthogonal cover code (OCC) length and an OCC index; Or Each resource for transmitting the PSCCH is mapped to an OCC length or an OCC index.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, There is at least one of the following cases: The first wireless communication device supports resource element (RE)-level FD-OCC within a PRB bundle, where the PRB bundle includes an even number of PRBs; The first wireless communication device supports RE-level FD-OCC, and the configuration specifies that the number of REs of the DMRS for each PRB among the multiple PRBs for transmitting the PSCCH is even; or The first wireless communication device supports RB-level FD-OCC for multiplexing the resources of the PSCCH.

15. The method according to claim 9, wherein, The configuration includes a mapping between one or more interleaving indices of the PSCCH and one or more resources for transmitting the SL-PRS, where the mapping includes OCC type, OCC length or OCC index, one or more occupied interleaving indices of the PSCCH, one or more occupied subchannel indices of the PSCCH, one or more RB set indices of the PSCCH, vector type of the PSCCH, vector length or vector index of the PSCCH, number of symbols for the PSCCH, start symbol of the PSCCH, start symbol of the SL-PRS, number of symbols of the SL-PRS, start PRB of the SL-PRS, comb size of the SL-PRS, resource bandwidth of the SL-PRS, SL-PRS resource ID.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration specifies that: Each PSCCH transmission occupies one or more dedicated physical resource blocks (PRBs) or one or more common PRBs; The plurality of common PRBs serve as the start PRB and the end PRB of each resource block (RB) set.

17. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The configuration specifies that: Each PSCCH transmission occupies a partial interleaving or sub-interleaving of each of one or more interleavings, where each of a plurality of wireless communication devices uses a part of the same interleaving, and the plurality of wireless communication devices includes the first wireless communication device; The partial interleaving is a resource block (RB)-level partial interleaving or a resource element (RE)-level partial interleaving.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The configuration of the PSCCH including the partial interleaving configuration is received by the first wireless communication device from a base station (BS) via at least one of: radio resource control (RRC) signaling, downlink control information (DCI), media access control (MAC) control element (CE), or system information block (SIB); The configuration of the PSCCH including the partial interleaving configuration is received by the first wireless communication device from a location management function (LMF) via the long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP); or The configuration of the PSCCH including the partial interleaving configuration is received by the first wireless communication device from a third wireless communication device via at least one of: sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP), PC5-RRC signaling, SL MAC CE, or sidelink control information (SCI).

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein The configuration includes a mapping between the resources for transmitting the PSCCH and one or more resources for transmitting the SL-PRS, where the mapping includes a partial interleaving multiplexing type of the PSCCH, an RE index or RE range within a PRB of the PSCCH, or a PRB index of the PSCCH, one or more occupied interleaving indexes of the PSCCH, one or more occupied subchannel indexes of the PSCCH, one or more RB set indexes of the PSCCH, the number of symbols for the PSCCH, the starting symbol of the PSCCH, the starting symbol of the SL-PRS, the number of symbols of the SL-PRS, the starting PRB of the SL-PRS, the comb size of the SL-PRS, the resource bandwidth of the SL-PRS, the SL-PRS resource ID.

20. The method according to claim 1, wherein, There is at least one of the following cases: The number of resource blocks (RBs) sets occupied by the PSCCH is the same as or different from the number of resource blocks (RBs) sets occupied by the SL-PRS; The resources for transmitting the PSCCH are in two or more different RB sets; Or The resources for transmitting the PSCCH are frequency-domain multiplexed (FDMed) at the granularity of RB sets.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein The configuration specifies that each resource for transmitting the PSCCH includes consecutive resource blocks (RBs).

22. The method according to claim 1, wherein There is at least one of the following cases: The configuration includes a first idle period between two adjacent resources for transmitting the SL-PRS, where each of two wireless communication devices transmits one of the two adjacent resources, and the two wireless communication devices include the first wireless communication device; or The configuration includes a second idle period between two adjacent resources for transmitting the SL-PRS and the PSCCH, where a resource for the PSCCH immediately precedes each SL-PRS; The first idle period or the second idle period is defined by at least one time-domain resource, where the length of the at least one time-domain resource is mapped to at least one of the following: a subcarrier spacing (SCS) value or a channel access type; The configuration includes the first idle period or the second idle period defined at the BWP level or at the carrier level or across carriers in each time slot; The configuration includes the first idle period or the second idle period for each resource for transmitting the SL-PRS; The configuration including the first idle period or the second idle period is received by the first wireless communication device from a base station (BS) through at least one of the following: radio resource control (RRC) signaling, downlink control information (DCI), or media access control (MAC) control element (CE); The configuration including the first idle period or the second idle period is received by the first wireless communication device from a location management function (LMF) through the long-term evolution positioning protocol (LPP); or The configuration including the first idle period or the second idle period is received by the first wireless communication device from a third wireless communication device via at least one of the following: Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP), SL MAC CE, or Sidelink Control Information (SCI).

23. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first wireless communication device excludes at least one resource for transmitting the SL-PRS based on Listen Before Talk (LBT) failure, wherein the SL-PRS is time domain multiplexed (TDMed) for different wireless communication devices in time domain resources; The first wireless communication device receives, via at least one of Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP), SL Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Sidelink Control Information (SCI), a configuration of at least one resource for transmitting the SL-PRS from a third wireless communication device; or The first wireless communication device receives, via at least one of Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Downlink Control Information (DCI), or MAC CE, from a base station (BS) or via Long-Term Evolution Positioning Protocol (LPP) from a Location Management Function (LMF), a configuration of at least one resource for transmitting the SL-PRS that does not conflict with other wireless communication devices among different wireless communication devices.

24. The method according to claim 1, wherein, There is at least one of the following cases: The configuration includes at least one of the following within time domain resources: multiple resources for transmitting the SL-PRS, multiple repetitions for transmitting the SL-PRS, multiple opportunities for transmitting the SL-PRS, or multiple Channel Occupancy Times (COTs) for transmitting the SL-PRS.

25. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first wireless communication device receives, via at least one of Sidelink Positioning Protocol (SLPP), SL Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (CE), or Sidelink Control Information (SCI), an indication of the start time of the Listen Before Talk (LBT) process from a third wireless communication device; or The first wireless communication device receives, via at least one of Resource Control (RRC) signaling, Downlink Control Information (DCI), or MAC CE, from a base station (BS) or via Long-Term Evolution Positioning Protocol (LPP) from a Location Management Function (LMF), an indication of the start time of the LBT process.

26. The method according to claim 1, wherein The SL positioning related transmission opportunities of multiple wireless communication devices start simultaneously according to the configuration of a third wireless communication device, a base station (BS), or a Location Management Function (LMF).

27. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first wireless communication device receives a time window in which: A common Channel Occupancy Time (COT) is configured; or A dedicated COT is configured and the common COT is configured outside the time window; wherein the configuration of the time window is received by the first wireless communication device in one of the following ways: Received from a location management function (LMF) via a long term evolution positioning protocol (LPP); Received from a third wireless communication device via at least one of a sidelink positioning protocol (SLPP), an SL media access control (MAC) control element (CE), or sidelink control information (SCI); or Received from a base station (BS) via at least one of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, downlink control information (DCI), or a MAC CE, wherein the configuration of the time window is used by a plurality of wireless communication devices, and the configuration of the time window includes at least one of: a time span of the time window, a period of the time window, a start time of the time window, a timing offset of the time window, or an index of the time window.

28. The method according to claim 1 further comprises: Excluding, by the first wireless communication device, energy of an SL-PRS transmission of at least one third wireless communication device in an energy detection of a listen before talk (LBT) process or an idle channel assessment (CCA) process.

29. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Determining, by the first wireless communication device, a plurality of resources for transmitting the SL-PRS within a selection window; Determining, by the first wireless communication device, that a listen before talk (LBT) fails on a first resource among the plurality of resources or that the first resource among the plurality of resources blocks a high-priority SL-PRS resource reserved by a third wireless communication device; And Determining, by the first wireless communication device, that the first resource among the plurality of resources has a first priority, and the first priority is lower than a second priority of a second resource without LBT failure.

30. The method according to claim 1 further comprises: Determining, by the first wireless communication device, candidate resources for transmitting the SL-PRS within a selection window based on at least one of: a sensing result of the candidate resources, a channel occupancy time (COT) sharing condition, and a listen before talk (LBT) blockage.

31. The method according to claim 1 further comprises: Determining, by the first wireless communication device, two or more candidate transmission opportunities for transmitting the SL-PRS, the two or more candidate transmission opportunities being within one time slot or in different time slots.

32. The method according to claim 31, further comprising one of the following: Two or more candidate resources within a time slot for transmitting the SL-PRS are determined by the first wireless communication device, wherein, The two or more candidate resources have at least one of different start times or resource IDs, and wherein the two or more candidate resources have at least one of the same comb offset, the same comb size, and the same frequency domain allocation; or Determining, by the first wireless communication device, candidate resources within a time slot for transmitting the SL-PRS, wherein the SL-PRS has two or more candidate start times.

33. The method according to claim 1, wherein, In response to receiving a number of SL-PRSs from the first wireless communication device, the second wireless communication device determines that a listen before talk (LBT) process is successful and stops monitoring the SL-PRS, and the number can be configured by a base station (BS), a location management function (LMF), or a third wireless communication device.

34. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The second wireless communication device switches the granularity for monitoring sidelink control information (SCI) or the PSCCH; and One of the following cases occurs: The second wireless communication device switches the granularity in response to receiving the SCI or the PSCCH from the first wireless communication device; or The second wireless communication device monitors the SCI or the PSCCH at a frequent granularity outside the monitoring window and at a sparse granularity within the monitoring window.

35. A wireless communication device includes at least one processor and a memory, wherein, The at least one processor is configured to read the code from the memory and implement the method according to claim 1.

36. A computer program product, comprising a computer-readable program medium, the code being stored on the computer-readable program medium, the code causing the at least one processor to implement the method according to claim 1 when executed by the at least one processor.

37. A wireless communication method, comprising: Receiving, by a wireless communication device, a configuration for a downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a location management function (LMF); And Receiving, by the wireless communication device, the downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) from a base station (BS) according to the configuration.

38. The method according to claim 37, further comprising: When in the RRC_INACTIVE mode or the RRC_IDLE mode, the wireless communication stops monitoring the DL-PRS in response to determining that a threshold number of DL-PRSs have been received; or When in the RRC_INACTIVE mode or the RRC_IDLE mode, the wireless communication stops monitoring the DL-PRS in response to receiving a message indicating to stop monitoring the DL-PRS from the BS or the LMF.

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