Backscatter-based localization

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods, and devices for wireless communication supporting backscatter-based positioning. In a first aspect, a method of wireless communication includes receiving a plurality of measurement reports associated with a tag device. For each transmit / receive point (TRP) in a set of TRPs, the plurality of measurement reports includes a measurement report for the TRP. The method also includes determining a location of the tag device based on the plurality of measurement reports and a tag delay of the tag device. Other aspects and features are also claimed and described.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 18 / 060,331, entitled "BACKSCATTER - BASED POSITIONING", filed on November 30, 2022, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication systems, and more particularly, to backscatter - based positioning. Some features may enable and provide improved communication, including reduced control overhead, efficient resource utilization, improved network access, improved ranging measurements, position determination, transmit / receive point (TRP) selection, reduced interference, or combinations thereof. Background Art

[0004] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, and broadcasting. These wireless networks can be multi - access networks that are capable of supporting multiple users by sharing available network resources. Such networks can be multi - access networks that communicate by sharing available network resources to support multiple users.

[0005] A wireless communication network may include several components. These components may include wireless communication devices such as a base station (or Node B) that can support the communication of several user equipments (UEs). The UEs can communicate with the base station via the downlink and the uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the base station to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the base station.

[0006] The base station can send data and control information to the UE on the downlink or receive data and control information from the UE on the uplink. On the downlink, the transmission from the base station may encounter interference caused by transmissions from neighboring base stations or other radio frequency (RF) transmitters. On the uplink, the transmission from the UE may encounter interference from other UEs communicating with neighboring base stations or from uplink transmissions from other wireless RF transmitters. Such interference may degrade the performance on both the downlink and the uplink.

[0007] Due to the continuous growth in the demand for mobile broadband access, with more UEs accessing remote wireless communication networks and more short - range wireless systems deployed in the community, the likelihood of interference and congested networks is also increasing. Research and development continue to advance wireless technologies to not only meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access but also enhance and improve the user experience of mobile communication.

[0008] Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems and devices generally include a reader device, referred to as a reader, and one or more tag devices, such as RFID tag devices. Tag devices typically include a wireless microchip for tagging an object for automatic identification. However, the use of tag devices has not been applied to current 3GPP technologies and Internet of Things (IoT) implementations, which may include identification, monitoring, positioning, and tracking (as illustrative non-limiting examples). Accordingly, the use of tag devices applied to current 3GPP technologies (such as coexistence with User Equipment (UE)) and the infrastructure for current 3GPP technology bands have not been established. Given the low power and limited processing capabilities of different types of tag devices, the integration of tag devices with 3GPP technologies presents various complex technical challenges, such as limiting network congestion, overhead, and interference associated with using tag devices with 3GPP technologies. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Some aspects of the present disclosure are summarized below to provide a basic understanding of the technologies discussed. This Summary is not an exhaustive overview of all contemplated features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the present disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. The sole purpose of this Summary is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of the present disclosure in a generalized form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0010] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method for wireless communication is performed by a network entity. The method includes receiving a plurality of measurement reports associated with a tag device. For each of a set of Transmission / Reception Points (TRPs), the plurality of measurement reports includes a measurement report for the TRP. The method further includes determining a location of the tag device based on the plurality of measurement reports and a tag latency of the tag device.

[0011] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus includes at least one processor and a memory coupled to the at least one processor. The at least one processor is configured to include receiving a plurality of measurement reports associated with a tag device. For each of a set of TRPs, the plurality of measurement reports includes a measurement report for the TRP. The at least one processor is further configured to determine a location of the tag device based on the plurality of measurement reports and a tag latency of the tag device.

[0012] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus includes means for receiving a plurality of measurement reports associated with a tag device. For each of a set of TRPs, the plurality of measurement reports includes a measurement report for the TRP. The apparatus further includes means for determining a location of the tag device based on the plurality of measurement reports and a tag latency of the tag device.

[0013] In an additional aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations. The operations include receiving a plurality of measurement reports associated with a tag device. For each TRP in a set of TRPs, the plurality of measurement reports includes a measurement report for the TRP. The operations further include determining a location of the tag device based on the plurality of measurement reports and a tag latency of the tag device.

[0014] The features and technical advantages of examples in accordance with the present disclosure have been outlined rather broadly above so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood. Additional features and advantages will be described hereinafter. The disclosed concepts and specific examples may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do not depart from the scope of the appended claims. The characteristics (both organization and method of operation) of the concepts disclosed herein, as well as the associated advantages, will be better understood when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Each of the drawings provided is for purposes of illustration and description and is not a definition of the limits of the claims.

[0015] While aspects and specific examples are described herein by way of illustration of some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that additional specific implementations and use cases may arise in many different arrangements and scenarios. The innovations described herein may be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, packaging arrangements. For example, aspects and / or uses may be implemented via an integrated chip and other non-module component-based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail / purchase devices, medical devices, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled devices, etc.). While some examples may or may not specifically target a use case or application, a wide variety of applicability of the described innovations may occur. The scope of specific implementations may range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations and further to aggregated, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems incorporating one or more aspects of the described innovations. In some practical environments, devices incorporating the described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the claimed and described aspects. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily includes a plurality of components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antennas, radio frequency (RF) chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.). The innovations described herein are intended to be practiced in a variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, end-user devices, etc. having different sizes, shapes, and configurations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the present disclosure can be achieved by referring to the following drawings. In the drawings, like components or features may have the same reference numerals. Additionally, various components of the same type can be distinguished by adding a dash and a second label used to differentiate between like components after the reference numeral. If only the first reference numeral is used in the specification, the description applies to any one of the like components having the same first reference numeral, regardless of the second reference numeral.

[0017] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating details of an example wireless communication system according to one or more aspects.

[0018] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating examples of a base station and a user equipment (UE) according to one or more aspects.

[0019] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication system supporting backscatter-based positioning according to one or more aspects.

[0020] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication system supporting backscatter-based positioning according to one or more aspects.

[0021] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication system supporting backscatter-based positioning according to one or more aspects.

[0022] Figure 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication system supporting backscatter-based positioning according to one or more aspects.

[0023] Figure 7 is a ladder diagram illustrating another example of backscatter-based positioning according to one or more aspects.

[0024] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example process supporting backscatter-based positioning according to one or more aspects.

[0025] Figure 9 is a block diagram of an example network entity supporting backscatter-based positioning according to one or more aspects.

[0026] The same reference numerals and names in different drawings indicate the same elements. Detailed Description

[0027] The following detailed description, presented in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. On the contrary, the detailed description includes specific details for providing a thorough understanding of the subject matter of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in every case, and in some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form for the sake of clarity of presentation.

[0028] The present disclosure provides systems, devices, methods, and computer-readable media that support backscatter-based positioning. For example, the present disclosure describes positioning a tag device, such as a passive Internet of Things (IoT) device, via backscatter transmission. A location management function (LMF) of a core network may be configured to determine the positioning of the tag device, such as two-dimensional positioning or three-dimensional positioning, based on one or more measurement reports received from one or more transmit / receive points (TRPs). By way of illustration, the LMF may identify a tag device for positioning, such as a passive tag device or a semi-passive tag device, and configure multiple TRPs for a tag device positioning session. For example, the LMF may configure one or more TRPs to transmit respective positioning reference signals (PRSs) and receive respective backscatter signals. In some embodiments, each of the one or more TRPs is configurable for full-duplex operation. Additionally, the LMF may receive delay information indicating a tag delay. The LMF may receive the tag delay of the tag device and store the tag delay of the tag device in a memory before identifying the tag device for the positioning session. Alternatively, the LMF may request the tag delay of the tag device after identifying the tag device for the positioning session. Thereafter, the LMF may send a request for the tag capabilities of the tag device. In response to the request for the tag capabilities, the LMF may receive a tag device indicator indicating the tag capabilities. The tag capabilities may include a tag type, a bandwidth, a supported number of PRS transmissions, a positioning reference signal time slot periodicity, a sensitivity, the tag delay, an energy harvesting capability, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the tag capabilities may include or indicate whether the tag device supports a frequency shift of the received PRS signal, or whether it is capable of enabling or disabling a frequency shift at the tag device. Each of the one or more TRPs may transmit a respective PRS, receive a respective backscatter signal, and generate a measurement report based on the transmitted PRS, the received backscatter signal, or a combination thereof. The LMF may receive one or more measurement reports associated with the tag device. In some embodiments, at least one of the one or more measurement reports includes a round-trip time associated with the tag device. Additionally, the LMF may determine the positioning of the tag device by calculating a position based on multi-point positioning techniques. For example, the LMF may calculate the position based on one or more measurement reports and the tag delay associated with the tag device.

[0029] Specific embodiments that implement the subject matter described in this disclosure can achieve one or more of the following potential advantages or benefits. In some aspects, this disclosure provides techniques for supporting backscatter-based positioning. The described techniques facilitate determining the positioning of tag devices with limited on-board power and computational resources, such as passive tag devices or semi-passive tag devices, such as two-dimensional or three-dimensional positioning. By way of illustration, based on the tag capabilities of the tag device, the LMF generates a PRS configuration to account for one or more capabilities of the tag device, such as the limited on-board power or computational resources of the tag device. Additionally, the MG configuration enables reducing interference and improving the Rx TRP's reception of backscatter signals (e.g., low-intensity signals). The LMF can determine the positioning of the tag device based on one or more measurement reports and the tag delay of the tag device. For example, the LMF can perform ToA backscatter-based positioning based on a set of time-synchronized Tx TRP and Rx TRP, or perform TDoA backscatter-based positioning based on multiple time-synchronized TRP. Thus, given the limited processing capabilities of the tag device, the described techniques support the positioning of tag devices such as passive tags or semi-passive tags.

[0030] This disclosure generally relates to providing or participating in authorized shared access between two or more wireless devices in one or more wireless communication systems (also referred to as wireless communication networks). In various embodiments, the techniques and apparatus can be used in wireless communication networks such as code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, fifth-generation (5G) or new radio (NR) networks (sometimes referred to as "5G NR" networks, systems, or devices), and other communication networks. As described herein, the terms "network" and "system" can be used interchangeably.

[0031] CDMA networks can implement radio technologies such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) and cdma2000, for example. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA) and Low Chip Rate (LCR). Cdma2000 covers the IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards.

[0032] For example, a TDMA network can implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) defines the standards for the GSM EDGE (Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution) Radio Access Network (RAN) (also known as GERAN). GERAN is the radio component of GSM / EDGE together with the network that connects base stations (e.g., the Ater interface and the Abis interface) and base station controllers (the A interface, etc.). The radio access network represents the components of the GSM network through which telephone calls and packet data are routed from the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and the Internet to the subscriber mobile phone (also known as the user terminal or user equipment (UE)) and from the subscriber mobile phone to the PSTN and the Internet. The network of a mobile phone operator may include one or more GERANs, which may be coupled to the UTRAN in the case of a UMTS / GSM network. Additionally, the operator network may also include one or more LTE networks, or one or more other networks. Various different network types may use different Radio Access Technologies (RATs) and RANs.

[0033] An OFDMA network can implement radio technologies such as evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, and flash-OFDM. UTRA, E-UTRA, and GSM are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). Specifically, Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a version of UMTS that uses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS, and LTE are described in documents provided by an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP), and cdma2000 is described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). These radio technologies and standards are known or under development. For example, 3GPP is a cooperation among telecommunication society groups aimed at defining globally applicable third-generation (3G) mobile phone specifications. 3GPP LTE is a 3GPP plan aimed at improving the UMTS mobile phone standard. 3GPP can define the specifications for next-generation mobile networks, mobile systems, and mobile devices. Certain aspects of the present disclosure may be described with reference to LTE, 4G, or 5G NR technologies; however, the description is not intended to be limited to a specific technology or application, and one or more aspects described with reference to one technology may be understood to apply to another technology. Additionally, one or more aspects of the present disclosure may relate to shared access to the radio spectrum between networks using different radio access technologies or radio air interfaces.

[0034] The 5G network is expected to have diverse deployments, diverse spectrums, and diverse services and devices enabled by a unified OFDM-based air interface. To achieve these goals, in addition to developing new radio technologies for the 5G NR network, further enhancements to LTE and LTE-A are also considered. 5G NR will be able to scale to provide coverage (1) for large-scale Internet of Things (IoT) with ultra-high density (e.g., about 1M nodes / km 2 ), ultra-low complexity (e.g., about 10s bits per second), ultra-low power consumption (e.g., about 10+ year battery life), and deep coverage with the ability to reach challenging locations; (2) including mission-critical control with strong security to protect sensitive personal, financial, or classified information, ultra-high reliability (e.g., about 99.9999% reliability), ultra-low latency (e.g., about 1 millisecond (ms)), and users with a wide range of mobility or lack of mobility; and (3) providing enhanced mobile broadband with enhanced mobile broadband (including extremely high capacity (e.g., about 10Tbps / km 2 ), extremely high data rates (e.g., multi-Gbps rates, 100+ Mbps user experience rate), and deep awareness coverage with advanced discovery and optimization.

[0035] Devices, networks, and systems can be configured to communicate via one or more portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, frequency bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating frequency bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz to 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz). The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, in various documents and articles, FR1 is typically (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6 GHz" band. Similar naming issues sometimes occur for FR2, and in documents and articles, FR2 is typically (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" (mmWave) band, although it is different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz to 300 GHz) identified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as the "mmWave" band.

[0036] Taking the above aspects into account, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if used in this article, terms such as "sub-6 GHz" can generally represent frequencies that can be less than 6 GHz, can be within FR1, or can include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if used in this article, terms such as "mmWave" can generally represent frequencies that can include mid-band frequencies, can be within FR2, or can be within the EHF band.

[0037] 5G NR devices, networks, and systems can be implemented to use waveform features based on optimized OFDM. These features can include a scalable parameter set and transmission time interval (TTI); a common flexible framework that effectively multiplexes services and features using dynamic, low-latency time division duplex (TDD) design or frequency division duplex (FDD) design; and advanced radio technologies such as massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO), robust mmWave transmission, advanced channel decoding, and device-centric mobility. The scalability of the parameter set in 5G NR and the scaling of subcarrier spacing can efficiently address the operation of various services across different spectrums and different deployments. For example, in various outdoor and macro coverage deployments with FDD or TDD below 3 GHz, the subcarrier spacing may occur at 15 kHz, such as for bandwidths exceeding 1 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, and 20 MHz. For various other outdoor and small cell coverage deployments with TDD above 3 GHz, the subcarrier spacing may occur at 30 kHz for an 80 MHz / 100 MHz bandwidth. For various other indoor broadband implementations using TDD in the unlicensed portion of the 5 GHz band, the subcarrier spacing may occur at 60 kHz for a 160 MHz bandwidth. Finally, for various deployments transmitting via mmWave components with TDD at 28 GHz, the subcarrier spacing can occur at 120 kHz for a 500 MHz bandwidth.

[0038] The scalable parameter set of 5G NR contributes to scalable TTIs for diverse latency and quality of service (QoS) requirements. For example, shorter TTIs can be used for low latency and high reliability, while longer TTIs can be used for higher spectral efficiency. The efficient multiplexing of long and short TTIs allows transmissions to start at symbol boundaries. 5G NR also anticipates a self-contained integrated subframe design, where uplink or downlink scheduling information, data, and acknowledgments are in the same subframe. The self-contained integrated subframe supports communication in unlicensed or contention-based shared spectrums, and the adaptive uplink or downlink can be flexibly configured on a per-cell basis to dynamically switch between the uplink and downlink to meet current traffic demands.

[0039] For clarity, certain aspects of the devices and technologies may be described below with reference to example 5G NR implementations or in a 5G-centric manner, and 5G terminology may be used as illustrative examples in parts of the description below; however, the description is not intended to be limited to 5G applications.

[0040] In addition, it should be understood that in operation, a wireless communication network adapted according to the concepts herein can operate using any combination of licensed or unlicensed spectrum depending on load and availability. Accordingly, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the systems, apparatuses, and methods described herein can be applied to other communication systems and applications in addition to the specific examples provided.

[0041] While aspects and specific implementations are described in this application by way of illustration of some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that additional specific implementations and use cases may arise in many different arrangements and scenarios. The innovations described herein can be implemented across many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, packaging arrangements. For example, a specific implementation or use can be implemented via an integrated chip or other non-module-component-based device (e.g., an end-user device, a vehicle, a communication device, a computing device, an industrial device, a retail or point-of-purchase device, a medical device, an AI-enabled device, etc.). While some examples may or may not specifically target a use case or application, a wide variety of applicability of the described innovations can occur. The scope of specific implementations can range from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations, and further to aggregated, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems that incorporate one or more of the described aspects. In some practical environments, devices incorporating the described aspects and features may also necessarily include additional components and features for implementing and practicing the claimed and described aspects. It is intended that the innovations described herein be implemented in a wide variety of specific implementations of different sizes, shapes, and configurations, including both large and small devices, chip-level components, multi-component systems (e.g., radio frequency (RF) chains, communication interfaces, processors), distributed arrangements, end-user devices, etc.

[0042] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating details of an example wireless communication system according to one or more aspects. The wireless communication system can include a wireless network 100. The wireless network 100 can include, for example, a 5G wireless network. As recognized by those skilled in the art, Figure 1 the components that appear in are likely to have related corresponding components in other network arrangements, including, for example, cellular-style network arrangements and non-cellular-style network arrangements (e.g., device-to-device or peer-to-peer or ad-hoc network arrangements, etc.).

[0043] Figure 1The illustrated wireless network 100 includes a number of base stations 105 and other network entities. A base station can be a station that communicates with a UE and can also be referred to as an evolved Node B (eNB), a next-generation eNB (gNB), an access point, etc. Each base station 105 can provide communication coverage for a specific geographical area. In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to the specific geographical coverage area of a base station or the base station subsystem serving that coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. In a particular implementation of the wireless network 100 herein, the base stations 105 can be associated with the same operator or different operators (e.g., the wireless network 100 can include multiple operator wireless networks). Additionally, in a particular implementation of the wireless network 100 herein, the base stations 105 can use one or more frequencies in the same frequency as an adjacent cell (e.g., one or more frequency bands in licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or a combination thereof) to provide wireless communication. In some examples, a separate base station 105 or UE 115 can be operated by more than one network operation entity. In some other examples, each base station 105 and UE 115 can be operated by a single network operation entity.

[0044] The base station can provide communication coverage for macro cells or small cells (such as pico cells or femto cells) or other types of cells. A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographical area (e.g., with a radius of several kilometers) and can allow unrestricted access by UEs having a service subscription with the network provider. A small cell (such as a pico cell) generally covers a relatively small geographical area and can allow unrestricted access by UEs having a service subscription with the network provider. A small cell (such as a femto cell) generally also covers a relatively small geographical area (e.g., a home) and can provide restricted access by UEs associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG) and UEs of users in the home, etc.) in addition to unrestricted access. The base station for a macro cell can be referred to as a macro base station. The base station for a small cell can be referred to as a small cell base station, a pico base station, a femto base station, or a home base station. In Figure 1 the illustrated example, base stations 105d and 105e are conventional macro base stations, while base stations 105a to 105c are macro base stations implemented using one of 3-dimensional (3D), full-dimensional (FD), or massive MIMO. Base stations 105a to 105c utilize their higher-dimensional MIMO capabilities to employ 3D beamforming in elevation and azimuth beamforming to increase coverage and capacity. Base station 105f is a small cell base station, which can be a home node or a portable access point. A base station can support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells.

[0045] The wireless network 100 can support synchronous or asynchronous operations. For synchronous operations, the base stations can have similar frame timings, and transmissions from different base stations can be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operations, the base stations can have different frame timings, and transmissions from different base stations may not be aligned in time. In some cases, the network can be enabled or configured to handle dynamic switching between synchronous and asynchronous operations.

[0046] UEs 115 are scattered throughout the wireless network 100, and each UE can be stationary or mobile. It should be understood that although in the standards and specifications promulgated by 3GPP, mobile devices are generally referred to as UEs, such devices can additionally or otherwise be referred to by those skilled in the art as mobile stations (MSs), subscriber stations, mobile units, subscriber units, radio units, remote units, mobile devices, wireless devices, wireless communication devices, remote devices, mobile subscriber stations, access terminals (ATs), mobile terminals, wireless terminals, remote terminals, cell phones, terminals, user agents, mobile clients, clients, gaming devices, augmented reality devices, vehicle components, vehicle devices, or vehicle modules or some other suitable term. In this document, a "mobile" device or UE does not necessarily have the ability to move and can be stationary. Some non-limiting examples of mobile devices such as specific implementations that can include one or more UEs 115 include mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, laptop computers, personal computers (PCs), notebooks, netbooks, smartbooks, tablets, and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Mobile devices can additionally be IoT or "Internet of Everything" (IoE) devices, such as cars or other transportation vehicles, satellite radios, global positioning system (GPS) devices, global navigation satellite system (GNSS) devices, logistics controllers, drones, multi-rotor helicopters, quad-rotor helicopters, smart energy or security devices, solar panels or solar cell arrays, city lighting, water supply, or other infrastructure; industrial automation and enterprise equipment; consumer and wearable devices, such as glasses, wearable cameras, smart watches, health or fitness trackers, mammalian implantable devices, gesture tracking devices, medical devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, gaming consoles, etc.; and digital home or smart home devices, such as home audio, video, and multimedia devices, appliances, sensors, vending machines, smart lighting, home security systems, smart meters, etc. In one aspect, a UE can be a device that includes a universal integrated circuit card (UICC). In another aspect, a UE can be a device that does not include a UICC. In some aspects, a UE that does not include a UICC can also be referred to as an IoE device. Figure 1The illustrated specific implementations of UEs 115a through 115d are examples of mobile smart phone-type devices accessing the wireless network 100. A UE can also be a machine specifically configured for connecting communications, including machine type communications (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), and narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), etc. Figure 1 The illustrated UEs 115e through 115k are examples of various machines configured for communication that access the wireless network 100.

[0047] A mobile device (such as UE 115) can be capable of communicating with any type of base station, whether it is a macro base station, a pico base station, a femto base station, and a relay station, etc. In Figure 1 it, the communication link (represented as lightning) indicates a wireless transmission between the UE and the serving base station (which is the base station designated to serve the UE on the downlink or uplink), a desired transmission between base stations, and a backhaul transmission between base stations. The UE can operate as a base station or other network node in some scenarios. The backhaul communication between the base stations of the wireless network 100 can be carried out using wired or wireless communication links.

[0048] In operation, at the wireless network 100, base stations 105a through 105c use 3D beamforming and cooperative spatial techniques, such as coordinated multipoint (CoMP) or multi-connectivity, to serve UEs 115a and 115b. Macro base station 105d performs backhaul communication with base stations 105a through 105c and the small cell (base station 105f). Macro base station 105d also transmits multicast services subscribed to and received by UEs 115c and 115d. Such multicast services can include mobile TV or streaming video, or can include other services for providing community information, such as weather emergencies or alerts, such as Amber alerts or Gray alerts.

[0049] The wireless network 100 in a specific implementation supports mission-critical communications with ultra-reliable and redundant links for mission-critical devices such as this UE 115e acting as a drone. The redundant communication links with the UE 115e include links from macro base stations 105d and 105e and small cell base station 105f. Other machine type devices such as UE 115f (thermometer), UE 115g (smart meter), and UE 115h (wearable device) can communicate directly with base stations such as small cell base station 105f and macro base station 105e via the wireless network 100, or in a multi-hop configuration by communicating with another user equipment that relays its information to the network. For example, UE 115f communicates temperature measurement information to smart meter UE 115g, which then reports it to the network via small cell base station 105f. The wireless network 100 can also provide additional network efficiency through dynamic, low-latency TDD communication or low-latency FDD communication (such as in a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) mesh network between UEs 115i to 115k communicating with macro base station 105e).

[0050] The base stations 105 can communicate with the core network 130 and with each other. For example, the base stations 105 can interface with the core network 130 via a backhaul link 132 (e.g., via S1, N2, N3, or other interfaces). The base stations 105 can communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between the base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130) via a backhaul link (e.g., via X2, Xn, or other interfaces).

[0051] The core network 130 can provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 can be an evolved packet core (EPC), which can include at least one mobility management entity (MME), at least one serving gateway (S-GW), and at least one packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW). The MME can manage non-access stratum (e.g., control plane) functions such as the mobility, authentication, and bearer management of UEs 115 served by base stations 105 associated with the EPC. User IP packets can be relayed through the S-GW, which itself can be connected to the P-GW. The P-GW can provide IP address allocation and other functions. The P-GW can be connected to the network operator IP services. The operator IP services can include access to the Internet, intranet, IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), or packet switched (PS) streaming services.

[0052] In some specific implementations, the core network 130 includes or is coupled to a Location Management Function (LMF) 131, which is an entity in the 5G core network (5GC) that supports various functionalities such as managing the support for different location services for one or more UEs. For example, the LMF 131 may include one or more servers, such as multiple distributed servers. The base station 105 may forward location messages to the LMF 131 and may communicate with the LMF via the NR Positioning Protocol A (NRPPa). The LMF 131 is configured to control the positioning parameters of the UE 115, and the LMF 131 may provide information to the base station 105 and the UE 115 such that actions can be taken at the UE 115. In some specific implementations, the UE 115 and the base station 105 are configured to communicate with the LMF 131 via the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF).

[0053] A tag device system generally includes a tag device 120 and a reader device 121. The tag device 120 includes a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) device or tag, which includes a wireless microchip for tagging an object for automatic object identification. The reader device 121 (such as an RFID reader) may be configured to send electromagnetic signals to other devices (such as the tag device 120). The reader device 121 may include one or more processors and a memory and is generally capable of processing data. Additionally, the reader device 121 typically includes one or more transmitters and receivers. During typical operation, the reader device 121 may be configured to send signals that can be received by the tag device 120 and is configured to receive and process signals from the tag device 120 in response to the sent signals.

[0054] Tag devices such as the tag device 120 are classified based on functionality or capabilities. For example, depending on the functionality or capabilities of the tag device 120, the tag device 120 may be classified as one of a passive tag, a semi-passive tag, and an active tag. Thus, the tag device 120 may correspond to a passive tag, a semi-passive tag, or an active tag.

[0055] Passive tags typically lack a power source, harvest energy from ambient electromagnetic signals, and have limited computing capabilities, often lacking components such as analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) and digital-to-analog converters (DACs) for signal processing. Since passive tags typically lack signal processing capabilities, passive tags typically include a simple circuit to reflect the received electromagnetic signal back into the environment in the form of a backscatter transmission. For example, a reader device 121 can transmit an electromagnetic signal, and a passive tag such as a tag device 120 can receive the electromagnetic signal and at least partially reflect the electromagnetic signal in the form of a backscattered signal. Specifically, if the tag device 120 is a passive tag, the tag device 120 can include a circuit to at least partially reflect the unabsorbed portion of the electromagnetic signal received from the surrounding environment, such as the electromagnetic signal transmitted by the reader device 121, in the form of a backscatter transmission.

[0056] Semi-passive tags typically include an on-board power source to power the on-board electronic components. Generally speaking, semi-passive tags typically have greater computing capabilities than passive tags. Additionally, semi-passive tags can have a limited on-board power source; however, semi-passive tags typically transmit signals via backscatter transmission, as explained above in the context of passive tags.

[0057] Active tags typically include an on-board power source and greater computing capabilities than passive or semi-passive tags. In addition, unlike passive and semi-passive tags that typically cannot transmit unless a reader device such as a reader device 121 is in close proximity to them, active tags are capable of transmitting regardless of the proximity of the reader device. Active tag devices typically include signal processing functionality such as ADCs and DACs. Additionally, active tags typically include a power source and are capable of actively transmitting. Specifically, unlike passive and semi-passive tags that generate a backscattered signal by at least partially reflecting a transmission received from a reader device (e.g., reader device 121), active tags are capable of transmitting independently of a signal received from another device such as a reader device 121.

[0058] Additionally, label devices (such as label device 120) typically include a label identifier to uniquely identify the label device. Thus, a label device (such as label device 120) can include its unique label identifier in response to a transmission received from reader device 121 at the label device. If label device 120 corresponds to a passive label or a semi-passive label, label device 120 can be configured to at least partially reflect the transmission received from reader device 121 in the form of a backscatter signal that can be read by reader device 121. While an active label is capable of processing the transmission signal received from reader device 121, in some embodiments, the active label device can also partially reflect the received signal as a backscatter signal, or can independently transmit a signal to reader device 121 in response to the signal received from reader device 121.

[0059] A label device system including label device 120 and reader device 121 can be deployed to locate an object associated with label device 120. For example, label device 120 can be attached to an object, and reader device 121 can be configured to identify the location of the object to which label device 120 is attached (e.g., two-dimensional location, three-dimensional location) by using backscatter-based positioning. Thus, label device systems can be deployed in a wide range of applications where precise and accurate object location is achieved. As illustrative non-limiting examples, these applications can include self-checkout, medical applications such as monitoring patient compliance with medical instructions, and law enforcement and security applications.

[0060] Figure 2 is a block diagram illustrating examples of base station 105 and UE 115 according to one or more aspects. Base station 105 and UE 115 can be Figure 1 any one of the base stations and one of the UEs among the base stations and UEs in. For a restricted association scenario (as described above), base station 105 can be Figure 1 the small cell base station 105f in, and UE 115 can be UE 115c or 115d operating in the service area of base station 105f, which will be included in the list of accessible UEs of small cell base station 105f for accessing small cell base station 105f. Base station 105 can also be some other type of base station. As Figure 2 shown, base station 105 can be equipped with antennas 234a to 234t, and UE 115 can be equipped with antennas 252a to 252r for facilitating wireless communication.

[0061] At base station 105, transmit processor 220 may receive data from data source 212 and control information from controller 240 (such as a processor). The control information may be for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), a physical hybrid ARQ (automatic repeat request) indicator channel (PHICH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH), an MTC physical downlink control channel (MPDCCH), etc. The data may be for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), etc. Additionally, transmit processor 220 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and control information respectively to obtain data symbols and control symbols. Transmit processor 220 may also generate, for example, reference symbols for a primary synchronization signal (PSS) and a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and cell-specific reference signals. Transmit (TX) MIMO processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on the data symbols, control symbols, or reference symbols (if applicable), and may provide an output symbol stream to modulators (MOD) 232a to 232t. For example, the spatial processing performed on the data symbols, control symbols, or reference symbols may include precoding. Each modulator 232 may process the corresponding output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain an output sample stream. Additionally or alternatively, each modulator 232 may process the output sample stream (e.g., perform analog-to-digital conversion, amplification, filtering, and upconversion on it) to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from modulators 232a to 232t may be transmitted via antennas 234a to 234t respectively.

[0062] At UE 115, antennas 252a to 252r may receive the downlink signals from base station 105, and may provide the received signals to demodulators (DEMOD) 254a to 254r respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) the corresponding received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain the received symbols. MIMO detector 256 may obtain the received symbols from demodulators 254a to 254r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols when needed, and provide the detected symbols. Receive processor 258 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide the decoded data for UE 115 to data sink 260, and provide the decoded control information to controller 280 (such as a processor).

[0063] On the uplink, at the UE 115, the transmit processor 264 may receive and process data from the data source 262 (e.g., for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH)) and control information from the controller 280 (e.g., for the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH)). Additionally, the transmit processor 264 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals. The symbols from the transmit processor 264 may be pre-coded by the TX MIMO processor 266 when needed, further processed by the modulators 254a to 254r (e.g., for SC-FDM, etc.), and transmitted to the base station 105. At the base station 105, the uplink signal from the UE 115 may be received by the antenna 234, processed by the demodulator 232, detected by the MIMO detector 236 when needed, and further processed by the receive processor 238 to obtain the decoded data and control information transmitted by the UE 115. The receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to the data sink 239 and the decoded control information to the controller 240.

[0064] The controllers 240 and 280 may direct the operations at the base station 105 and the UE 115, respectively. The controller 240 or other processors and modules at the base station 105, or the controller 280 or other processors and modules at the UE 115, may execute or direct the execution of various processes for the techniques described herein, such as executing or directing Figure 7 and Figure 8 the illustrated execution or other processes for the techniques described herein. The memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for the base station 105 and the UE 115, respectively. The scheduler 244 may schedule the UE for data transmission on the downlink or uplink.

[0065] In some cases, UE 115 and base station 105 may operate in a shared radio spectrum band, which may include licensed or unlicensed (e.g., contention-based) spectrum. In the unlicensed frequency portion of the shared radio spectrum band, UE 115 or base station 105 may traditionally perform a medium sensing process to compete for access to the spectrum. For example, UE 115 or base station 105 may perform a listen-before-talk or listen-before-transmit (LBT) process (such as an idle channel assessment (CCA)) before communication to determine whether the shared channel is available. In some implementations, CCA may include an energy detection process to determine whether there is any other active transmission. For example, a device may infer that a change in the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a power meter indicates that the channel is occupied. Specifically, signal power concentrated in a certain bandwidth and exceeding a predetermined noise floor may indicate another wireless transmitter. CCA may also include the detection of a specific sequence indicating the use of the channel. For example, another device may transmit a specific preamble before transmitting a data sequence. In some cases, the LBT process may include a wireless node adjusting its own backoff window based on the amount of energy detected on the channel or the acknowledgment / negative acknowledgment (ACK / NACK) feedback for its own transmitted packets (as an indication of a collision).

[0066] Figure 3 is a block diagram of an example wireless communication system 300 that supports backscatter-based positioning according to one or more aspects. In some examples, wireless communication system 300 may implement aspects of wireless network 100. Wireless communication system 300 includes a tag device 120, a first TRP 340, a second TRP 342, a third TRP 346, a fourth TRP 348, a fifth TRP 349, and a core network 130. Although four TRPs are illustrated, in some other implementations, wireless communication system 300 may generally include fewer or more than four TRPs.

[0067] Tag device 120 may be an RFID tag device. Additionally, tag device 120 may be a passive tag that does not have a power source and has limited computing capabilities, a semi-passive tag that has a limited power source and computing capabilities equal to or greater than those of a passive tag device, or an active tag that has a power source and computing capabilities the same as or greater than those of a semi-passive tag device.

[0068] The tag device 120 may include multiple components (such as structural hardware components) for performing one or more functions described herein. For example, these components may include a circuit 351, a transmitter 356, and a receiver 358. As a non-limiting example, the circuit 351 may include or correspond to an energy harvesting circuit, a microcontroller, one or more processors, a memory, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), or any combination thereof. The circuit 351 may depend on whether the tag device 120 is a passive tag, a semi-passive tag, or an active tag.

[0069] The transmitter 356 is configured to send a backscatter signal 376, data, or both to one or more other devices (e.g., one or more TRPs or reader devices 121), and the receiver 358 is configured to receive a positioning reference signal 374 and data from one or more other devices (e.g., one or more TRPs, reader devices 121, core network 130). For example, the transmitter 356 may send the backscatter signal 376 to one or more TRPs, and the receiver 358 may receive the positioning reference signal 374 from one or more TRPs. In some specific implementations, the transmitter 356 and the receiver 358 may be integrated in one or more transceivers. Additionally or alternatively, the transmitter 356 or the receiver 358 may include or correspond to one or more components of the tag device 120.

[0070] The tag device 120 may include one or more components as described herein with reference to the tag device 120. In some specific implementations, the tag device 120 is a tag device with 3GPP capabilities, a tag device with LTE capabilities, a tag device with 5G capabilities, a tag device with 6G capabilities, or a combination thereof.

[0071] The first TRP 340 may include various components (such as structural hardware components) for performing one or more functions described herein. For example, these components may include one or more processors 302 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "processor 302"), one or more memory devices 304 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "memory 304"), one or more transmitters 316 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "transmitter 316"), and one or more receivers 318 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "receiver 318"). In some specific implementations, the first TRP 340 may include an interface (e.g., a communication interface) that includes the transmitter 316, the receiver 318, or a combination thereof. The processor 302 may be configured to execute instructions 305 stored in the memory 304 to perform the operations described herein. In some specific implementations, the processor 302 includes or corresponds to one or more of the receiving processor 238, the transmitting processor 220, and the controller 240, and the memory 304 includes or corresponds to the memory 242, as referred to in Figure 2as described for base station 105.

[0072] Memory 304 includes or is configured to store instructions 305 and information 306. Information 306 may include PRS information 307, measurement gap information 308, tag device information 309, and measurement information 310.

[0073] PRS information 307 includes information for a first TRP 340 to generate positioning reference signal (PRS) 374. For example, PRS information 307 may include one or more parameters such as repetition rate, bandwidth configuration, comb pattern configuration, or any combination thereof. The repetition rate may include or indicate the number of times the PRS is transmitted within a period of time. The comb pattern may include or indicate configurable resource block allocation. In some specific implementations, PRS information 307 may be generated or stored based on a PRS configuration (e.g., 381).

[0074] Measurement gap information 308 indicates one or more time periods associated with a positioning session of tag device 120. For example, measurement gap information 308 may indicate one or more time periods during which one or more TRPs are configured to monitor PRS 374, backscatter signal 376, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, measurement gap information 308 may indicate a time period during which one or more TRPs generate a measurement report (e.g., 378), transmit the measurement report, or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, measurement gap information 308 may indicate a time period during which one or more TRPs will suppress the transmission of signals (such as PRS 374). For example, measurement gap information 308 may indicate a time period during which the first TRP 340 suppresses scheduling one or more transmissions from occurring. Measurement gap information 308 may be based on a measurement gap (GP) configuration 382.

[0075] The tag device information 309 includes or corresponds to information or characteristics regarding one or more tag devices, such as the tag device 120. For example, for a tag device, the tag device information 309 may include tag type, bandwidth, PRS time slot periodicity, sensitivity, group delay (e.g., tag delay), or a combination thereof. The tag type may correspond to whether the tag device (e.g., tag device 120) is a passive tag, a semi-passive tag, or an active tag. The bandwidth may correspond to the bandwidth on which the tag device 120 is capable of communicating. The PRS time slot periodicity may correspond to the time frame of the period or frequency during which the tag device 120 expects to receive the PRS 374. The sensitivity may correspond to the sensitivity of the tag device 120 to the PRS 374, such as the transmission power of the PRS, the distance from the TRP at which the tag device 120 can successfully receive the signal, or a combination thereof. The group delay may correspond to the amount of time for the tag device 120 to process the PRS 374 and generate the backscatter signal 376 in response to the reception at the tag device 120 or the PRS 374. In some specific implementations, one or more characteristics of the tag device, such as the group delay, may be unknown.

[0076] The measurement information 310 includes or corresponds to the propagation time associated with the backscatter signal 376. For example, when the TRP 340 is configured as a Tx TRP, the measurement information 310 may include the transmission time of the PRS 374, the reception time of the backscatter signal 376, the amount of time elapsed from the transmission of the PRS 374 to the reception of the backscatter signal 376, or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, when the first TRP is configured as an Rx TRP, the measurement information 310 may include the reception time of the PRS 374, the reception time of the backscatter signal 376, the amount of time elapsed from the reception of the PRS 374 to the reception of the backscatter signal 376, or a combination thereof. The first TRP 340 may be configured to generate a measurement report based on the measurement information 310.

[0077] The transmitter 316 is configured to send reference signals, control information, and data to one or more other devices, and the receiver 318 is configured to receive reference signals, synchronization signals, control information, and data from one or more other devices. For example, the transmitter 316 may send signaling, control information, and data to the core network 130, another TRP, or a network entity, while the receiver 318 may receive signaling, control information, and data from the core network, another TRP, or a network entity. Additionally or alternatively, the transmitter 316 may send a positioning reference signal (e.g., 374), while the receiver 318 may receive a backscatter signal (e.g., 376). In some specific implementations, the transmitter 316 and the receiver 318 may be integrated in one or more transceivers. Additionally or alternatively, the transmitter 316 or the receiver 318 may include or correspond to as referenced Figure 2one or more components described for UE 115 or base station 105. In some specific implementations, transmitter 316 or receiver 318 may be configured to operate in full-duplex mode.

[0078] In some specific implementations, the first TRP 340 may include one or more antenna arrays. The antenna array may include a plurality of antenna elements configured to perform wireless communication with other devices (such as with the core network 130). In some specific implementations, the antenna array may be configured to perform wireless communication using different beams (also referred to as antenna beams). The beams may include TX beams and RX beams. For illustration, the antenna array may include a plurality of independent sets (or subsets) of antenna elements (or a plurality of independent antenna arrays), and each set of antenna elements of the antenna array may be configured to communicate using a different corresponding beam, and the corresponding beam may have a different corresponding direction from other beams. For example, a first set of antenna elements of the antenna array may be configured to communicate via a first beam having a first direction, and a second set of antenna elements of the antenna array may be configured to communicate via a second beam having a second direction. In other specific implementations, the antenna array may be configured to communicate via more than two beams. Alternatively, one or more sets of antenna elements of the antenna array may be configured to concurrently generate multiple beams, such as using multiple RF chains. Each individual set (or subset) of antenna elements may include a plurality of antenna elements, such as two antenna elements, four antenna elements, ten antenna elements, twenty antenna elements, or any other number of antenna elements greater than two. Although described as an antenna array, in other specific implementations, the antenna array may include or correspond to a plurality of antenna panels, and each antenna panel may be configured to communicate using a different corresponding beam. In some specific implementations, the first TRP 340 may be configured as or include a reader device, such as an RFID reader device.

[0079] The second TRP 342, the third TRP 346, the fourth TRP 348, and the fifth TRP 349 may include or correspond to the first TRP 340. For example, the second TRP 342, the third TRP 346, the fourth TRP 348, and the fifth TRP 349 may include one or more components similar to the first TRP 340. In some specific embodiments, the first TRP 340, the second TRP 342, the third TRP 346, the fourth TRP 348, or the fifth TRP 349 may include or correspond to the reader device 121. In some specific embodiments, the first TRP 340, the second TRP 342, the third TRP 346, the fourth TRP 348, and the fifth TRP 349 may be synchronized, such as time synchronization. For example, multiple TRPs may be configured to enable TDOA or TOA backscatter positioning of the tag device 120 via the LMF 131. In other specific embodiments, one or more of the first TRP 340, the second TRP 342, the third TRP 346, the fourth TRP 348, and the fifth TRP 349 may be asynchronous with another of the first TRP 340, the second TRP 342, the third TRP 346, the fourth TRP 348, and the fifth TRP 349.

[0080] The core network 130 may include a 3GPP core network, a 4G core network, a 5G core, or an evolved packet core (EPC). The core network 130 may be coupled (such as communicatively coupled) to one or more network entities, such as the TRPs 340, 342, 346, or 348. The core network 130 may include or correspond to the LMF 131.

[0081] Although shown and described as being included in the core network 130, in some embodiments, the LMF 131 may be different from the core network 130. For example, the LMF 131 may include one or more servers, such as a plurality of distributed servers. The LMF 131 may be configured to support various functions, such as managing support for different location services for one or more UEs, one or more tag devices, or one or more network entities. For example, the LMF 131 is configured to control the positioning parameters of the TRPs 340, 342, 346, 348, or 349 or the tag device 120, and the LMF 131 may provide information to the TRPs 340, 342, 346, 348, or 349 or the tag device 120 such that actions or operations may be taken at the TRPs 340, 342, 346, 348, or 349. The TRPs 340, 342, 346, 348, or 349 (e.g., the base station 105 or the reader device) may forward location messages to the LMF 131 and may communicate with the LMF 131 via a protocol such as the NR positioning protocol A (NRPPa). In some embodiments, the TRPs 340, 342, 346, 348, or 349, the tag device 120, or a combination thereof is configured to communicate with the LMF 131 via the access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0082] In some embodiments, the LMF 131 is configured to support backscatter-based positioning. Thus, the LMF 131 may include one or more processors 362 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "processor 302") and one or more memory devices 364 (collectively referred to hereinafter as "memory 364") storing instructions executable by the processor 362 to perform the operations described herein. Additionally, the memory 364 may be configured to store tag device information 366. The tag device information 366 may include a tag delay 368 and a positioning 369. To support backscatter-based positioning, the LMF 131 may be configured to perform one or more operations. These functions may include the generation of a TRP configuration 372 and the transmission of the TRP configuration 372 to one or more TRPs (e.g., 340, 342, 346, 348, 349). Additionally, the LMF 131 may be configured to generate a PRS configuration 381, a measurement gap (MG) configuration 382, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the LMF 131 may be configured to receive one or more measurement reports (collectively referred to hereinafter as "measurement reports 378") generated by one or more TRPs (e.g., 340, 342, 346, 348, 349). In some embodiments, the LMF 131 is configured to determine the positioning 369 of the tag device 120 based on the measurement reports 378 and the tag delay 368.

[0083] In some specific implementations, the wireless communication system 300 implements a 5G NR network. For example, the wireless communication system 300 may include multiple 5G-capable devices, such as UEs and base stations configured to operate according to 5G NR network protocols (such as the 5G NR network protocols defined by 3GPP). In some other specific implementations, the wireless communication system 300 implements a 6G network.

[0084] The LMF 131 may be configured to determine the location of the tag device 120 based on multiple measurement reports (collectively referred to as "measurement reports 378") and a tag latency 368 corresponding to the tag device 120. Determining the location of the tag device 120 may include calculating the location based on multilateration techniques. In some specific implementations, the multilateration techniques (e.g., location techniques) may include using multiple distances (such as three or more distances) to determine the location of the tag device 120. The location may be a 2D location or a 3D location. Additionally, the LMF 131 may be configured to send a location indicator indicating the location 369 of the tag device 120.

[0085] During the operation of the wireless communication system 300, the LMF 131 may identify the tag device 120 for a positioning session. The LMF 131 may receive a tag device indicator 370 indicating the tag capabilities of the tag device 120. In some specific implementations, the LMF 131 may send a request for tag capabilities to the tag device 120, and the tag device 120 may transmit the tag device indicator 370 in response to the request. Additionally or alternatively, the tag device indicator 370 may be received by the core network 130, the LMF 131, one or more TRPs 340 to 348, or a combination thereof. The tag device indicator 370 may include or indicate one or more capabilities or parameters of the tag device 120.

[0086] In some specific implementations, the tag device indicator 370 may include or indicate the tag latency 368 of the tag device 120. The LMF 131 may determine the tag latency 368 based on the tag device indicator 370. In some other specific implementations, the tag latency 368 may be determined by a TRP (e.g., 340) and provided to the LMF. The LMF 131 may store the tag latency 368 in the memory 364 before identifying the tag device 120 for a positioning session. Alternatively, the LMF 131 may request the tag latency 368 of the tag device 120 after identifying the tag device 120 for a positioning session.

[0087] The LMF 131 may generate a TRP configuration 372. For example, the LMF 131 may generate the TRP configuration 372 based on the identification of the tag device 120 used for the positioning session. Thus, the TRP configuration 372 may be associated with the positioning session for the tag device 120. In some specific embodiments, the LMF 131 may generate the TRP configuration 372 based on the tag device indicator 370, the tag capabilities of the tag device 120, the parameters of the tag device 120 (such as the energy level), or a combination thereof. The TRP configuration 372 may include or indicate designating one or more TRPs as Tx TRPs, designating one or more TRPs as Rx TRPs, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the TRP configuration 372 may include a PRS configuration 381 and an MG configuration 382. The PRS configuration 381 may include or indicate information (such as PRS information 307) for one or more TRPs designated as Tx TRPs to transmit a PRS (such as the positioning reference signal 374). The MG configuration 382 may include or indicate information, such as measurement gap information 308, for one or more TRPs designated as Rx TRPs to receive the positioning reference signal 374, the backscatter signal 376, or a combination thereof.

[0088] The LMF 131 may send the TRP configuration 372 received by one or more of the TRPs 340 to 349. The first TRP 340 may transmit the PRS 374 based on or according to the PRS information 307 (such as the PRS configuration 381). The PRS 374 may be received by the tag device 120, one or more of the TRPs 342 to 349, or a combination thereof.

[0089] The tag device 120 may receive the PRS 374 and transmit the backscatter signal 376 based on the PRS 374. For example, the tag device 120 may reflect the PRS 374 to generate the backscatter signal 376. The backscatter signal 376 may be received by one or more of the TRPs 340 to 349. In some specific embodiments, one or more of the TRPs 340 to 349 may receive the backscatter signal 376 during the time period indicated by the MG configuration 382 (such as the measurement gap information 308).

[0090] One or more of the TRPs 340 to 349 that receive the backscatter signal 376 may generate a measurement report 378. For example, the second TRP 342 may generate and send the measurement report 378. As another example, the first TRP 340 may receive the backscatter signal 376 and generate its own measurement report (such as the measurement report 378) based on the measurement information 310.

[0091] The LMF 131 can receive one or more measurement reports (e.g., measurement report 378) and determine the location of the tag device 120 based on the one or more measurement reports. In some specific implementations, the measurement report 378 can include the round-trip time (RTT) associated with the tag device 120 generated by the reporting TRP. Additionally, the LMF 131 can determine the location of the tag device 120 by calculating the location based on multi-point positioning technology. Thereafter, the LMF 131 can perform one or more operations based on the location of the tag device 120. In some specific implementations, the LMF 131 can send a location indicator indicating the location 369 of the tag device 120.

[0092] In some specific implementations, a location technology or algorithm based on round-trip time (RTT) backscattering (such as time of arrival (TOA) technology, time difference of arrival (TDOA) technology, angle of arrival (AOA) technology, or a combination thereof) is used to determine the location of the tag device 120. In some specific implementations, the LMF 131 can select a location technology or algorithm based on RTT backscattering from a variety of location technologies or algorithms based on RTT backscattering. By way of illustration, as an illustrative non-limiting example, the LMF 131 can select a location technology or algorithm based on RTT backscattering based on the tag device indicator 370, tag capabilities, TRP capabilities, network topology, environmental information (e.g., the known structure or location of one or more devices), or a combination thereof.

[0093] The implementation or execution of the location technology based on RTT backscattering can involve multiple TRPs, such as TRPs 340 to 349. The TRPs 340 to 349 can operate as Tx TRPs and Rx TRPs, can operate asynchronously, or a combination thereof. For example, the LMF 131 configures the TRPs 340 to 349 such that one or more of the TRPs 340 to 349 send corresponding location reference signals 374. The TRPs 340 to 349 can send the PRS 374 to the tag device 120, and the tag device can reflect a backscattered signal 376 in response to the reception of the PRS 374. The TRPs 340 to 349 can use the measurement gaps configured by the LMF 131 to generate and / or send the measurement report 378 to the LMF 131. The TRPs 340 to 349 can generate measurement information, determine one or more Tx or Rx times, calculate the RTT, or a combination thereof, and include such information in the measurement report 378 sent to the LMF 131 or indicate such information using the measurement report. Based on the measurement report 378, the LMF 131 can use the multi-point positioning method to determine the location 369 of the tag device 120.

[0094] In some specific implementations, one or more of TRPs 340 to 349 simultaneously transmit the PRS 374 in a tone-level frequency-domain multiplexing manner. Alternatively, one or more of TRPs 340 to 349 sequentially transmit the positioning reference signal 374 in a time-division multiplexing (TDM) manner. In other specific implementations, a first group of TRPs (such as TRPs 340 to 342) simultaneously transmit the PRS 374 using FDM, while a second group of TRPs (such as TRPs 346 to 349) transmit the PRS 374 using TDM.

[0095] Knowledge of the tag delay associated with the tag device 120 may be useful for accurate and precise RTT measurements. Thus, in some specific implementations, the LMF 131 may store the tag delay 368 in the memory 364 before initiating a positioning session. In other specific implementations, the tag device 120 may provide the tag delay 368 to the LMF 131, such as in response to a request for such information from the LMF 131.

[0096] In some specific implementations, the tag device 120 may generate a tag device indicator 370 indicating tag capabilities. In some specific implementations, the tag device 120 may receive a request and generate the tag device indicator 370 based on a request from the LMF 131 or a TRP. The tag capabilities may include group delay. Additionally, the tag capabilities may include tag type, bandwidth, positioning reference signal slot periodicity, sensitivity, or a combination thereof.

[0097] In some specific implementations, a TRP such as the first TRP 340 may receive a TRP configuration 372 associated with the positioning reference signal 374 for the tag device 120. In some specific implementations, each TRP in a group of TRPs is configured to operate as a Tx TRP and an Rx TRP during a positioning session with the tag device 120. The TRP may receive a backscatter signal 376 from the tag device 120. The backscatter signal 376 may be generated based on the positioning reference signal 374. The TRP may transmit a measurement report 378 based on the backscatter signal 376. The measurement report may include or indicate the RTT between the TRP and the tag device 120. In some specific implementations, the TRP includes a pair of TRPs, and the measurement report may include or indicate one or more Tx times or one or more Rx times based on: a first positioning reference signal transmitted by the first TRP in the pair of TRPs, a first backscatter signal transmitted by the tag device 120 based on the first positioning signal, a second positioning reference signal transmitted by the second TRP in the pair of TRPs, a second backscatter signal transmitted by the tag device 120 based on the first positioning signal, or a combination thereof.

[0098] As referred to Figure 3As described, the present disclosure provides techniques for supporting backscatter-based positioning. The described techniques facilitate determining the positioning 369 of a tag device (such as tag device 120) having limited on-board power and computational resources (e.g., passive or semi-passive tags), such as two-dimensional or three-dimensional positioning. By way of illustration, the LMF 131 can provide a PRS configuration 381 to one or more TRPs, such as TRPs 340 to 348, by receiving a tag device indicator 370 indicating the tag capabilities of the tag device 120, which takes into account the specific characteristics of the tag device, such as the limited on-board power or computational resources of the tag device. For example, in response to receiving a tag device indicator 370 having a tag capability indicating that the available energy at the tag device 120 fails to meet a threshold, the LMF 131 can generate a PRS configuration 381 that causes the Tx TRP to generate a PRS with parameters capable of providing energy to the tag device. As another example, the backscatter signal 376 generated and transmitted by the tag device 120 can have a low intensity, especially for passive or semi-passive tags. By sending an MG configuration 382 to one or more TRPs, the time period during which the TRPs monitor the backscatter signal 376 can be indicated, and the TRPs can suppress scheduling one or more transmissions that are to occur during that time period. In this way, interference with the low-intensity backscatter signal 376 can be mitigated. Thus, the LMF 131 can be configured to determine the two-dimensional or three-dimensional positioning of the tag device 120. Additionally, the LMF 131 is capable of determining the positioning of the tag device 120 based on one or more measurement reports 378 and the tag delay of the tag device 120. For example, the LMF 131 can perform ToA backscatter-based positioning based on a set of time-synchronized Tx TRPs and Rx TRPs, or perform TDoA backscatter-based positioning based on multiple time-synchronized TRPs.

[0099] Reference Figure 4 , Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication system 400 supporting backscatter-based positioning in accordance with one or more aspects. The wireless communication system 400 includes TRPs 340 to 349 and a tag device 120, and may include or correspond to the wireless communication system 100 or 300. During operation, a first TRP 340 can send a PRS 431 to the tag device 120, and the tag device 120 can reflect a backscatter signal 441 to the TRPs 340 to 349. The TRPs 342 to 349 can also receive the PRS 431. The PRS 431 can include or correspond to the PRS 374, and the backscatter signal 441 can include or correspond to the backscatter signal 376.

[0100] Backscatter-based positioning may involve at least one Tx TRP (e.g., TRP 340) that performs one or more functions of a reader (e.g., 121), multiple Rx TRPs (e.g., TRPs 340 to 348), and a tag device (e.g., 120), and the positioning of the tag device is determined by applying backscatter-based positioning. An estimate associated with the positioning of the tag device 120 is obtained by measuring the round-trip time (RTT), which is the sum of a first amount of time for the PRS 374 to propagate from the Tx TRP (such as TRP 340) to the tag device 120, a second amount of time for the backscatter signal 376 to be reflected from the tag device 120 to one or more TRPs (e.g., TRPs 340 to 348), and a third amount of time indicating the tag delay. The tag delay corresponds to the amount of time elapsed based on the circuitry 351, transmitter 356, or receiver 358 of the tag device 120 for the tag device 120 to process the received PRS and reflect the PRS as a backscatter signal. The first amount of time for the PRS 374 to propagate from the Tx TRP (e.g., TRP 340) to the tag device 120 may be represented as τ TRP_1→TagDevice . The second amount of time for the backscatter signal 376 to be reflected from the tag device 120 to one or more TRPs (e.g., TRPs 340 to 349) may be represented as τ TagDevice→TRP_x , where the value of x represents the first TRP 340 (x = 1), the second TRP 342 (x = 2), the third TRP 346 (x = 3), the fourth TRP 348 (x = 4), and the fifth TRP 349 (x = 5). The third amount of time attributable to the tag delay may be represented as τ TagDelay. . For example, the amount of time for the backscatter signal 376 to be reflected by the tag device 120 to the second TRP 342 may be represented as τ TagDevice→TRP_2. , and the amount of time for the backscatter signal 376 to be reflected by the tag device 120 to the fourth TRP 348 may be represented as τ TagDevice→TRP_4. . Thus, using the assumption that τ TRP_1→TagDevice = τ TagDevice→TRP_1 and the following equations, the positioning of the tag device 120 can be determined:

[0101]

[0102] τ TRP_2 = τ TRP_1→TagDevice + τ TagDevice→TRP_2 + τ TagDelay ,

[0103]

[0104] τ TRP_4 = τ TRP_1→TagDevice + τ TagDevice→TRP_4 . + τTagDelay and

[0105] τ TRP_5 =τ TRP_1→TagDevice +τ TagDevice→TRP_5 +τ TagDelay 。

[0106] Specifically, τ TRP_1 , τ TRP_2 , τ TRP_3 , τ TRP_4 , τ TRP_5 are RTT values used in time of arrival (TOA), time difference of arrival (TDOA), and angle of arrival (AOA) positioning techniques to obtain the positioning 369 of the tag device 120. For example, to implement TOA positioning, Figure 3 or Figure 4 one or more devices depicted therein (such as the LMF 131 of the core network 130) may be configured to perform the following TOA positioning calculations:

[0107]

[0108] Similarly, to implement TDOA positioning, Figure 3 one or more devices depicted therein (such as the LMF 131 of the core network 130) may be configured to perform the following TDOA positioning calculations:

[0109]

[0110] where TRP ref is the reference TRP, and TRP i is another TRP.

[0111] In some specific implementations, one or more devices such as the LMF 131 may be configured to determine the AoA by using data included in a measurement report such as the measurement report 378. For illustration, the TRPs 340 to 348 may include a directional antenna array and may be configured to determine the angle from which one or more backscatter signals (such as the backscatter signal 376) are received. The TRPs 340 to 348 may include the reception angles of one or more backscatter signals in the measurement report 378 sent to the LMF 131. Then, the LMF 131 may determine the AoA based on the reception angle data included in one or more measurement reports.

[0112] Although Figure 4The first TRP 340 is depicted as transmitting a positioning reference signal 431, but another TRP (such as the second TRP 342 to the fifth TRP 349) may also transmit a corresponding positioning reference signal, which may also cause the tag device 120 to generate a corresponding reflected backscatter signal received by one or more of the first TRP 340 to the fifth TRP 349.

[0113] In some specific implementations, a TRP pair (such as TRP 340 and 342) may be designated to facilitate backscatter-based positioning. For example, the TRP 340 may send a PRS 431 to the tag device 120, and the second TRP 342 may receive the reflected backscatter signal 441 sent by the tag device 120. After receiving the reflected backscatter signal 441, the second TRP 342 may send a PRS to the tag device 120, such as Figure 4 a second PRS not depicted in, and the tag device 120 may send another reflected backscatter signal (not shown) received by the first TRP 340. In this way, the transmission and / or reception times can be used for TOA, TDOA, or AOA positioning techniques to determine the location 369 of the tag device 120.

[0114] Reference Figure 5 , Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example wireless communication system 500 that supports backscatter-based positioning according to one or more aspects. The wireless communication system 500 may include or correspond to the wireless communication systems 100, 300, or 400. Figure 5 The asynchronous operation of the TRPs 340 to 349 is depicted, where backscatter-based positioning is used to determine the location of the tag device 120. Specifically, the TRPs 340 to 349 may each transmit corresponding PRSs 531 to 535 and receive corresponding backscatter signals 541 to 545 reflected from the tag device 120 based on the PRSs 532 to 535. The PRSs 531 to 535 may include or correspond to the PRS 374 or 431, and the backscatter signals 541 to 545 may include or correspond to the backscatter signals 376 or 441.

[0115] In some specific implementations, TRPs 340 to 349 sequentially transmit PRSs 531 to 535 in a time-division multiplexing (TDM) manner to avoid interference. For example, the PRS configuration 381 sent to one or more of TRPs 340 to 349 may include timing information for configuring one or more of TRPs 340 to 349 to transmit PRSs 531 to 535 in sequence. Thus, when TRPs 340 to 349 are not synchronized (e.g., lack a common clock), the sequential transmission of PRSs 531 to 535 and the reception of the resulting backscattered signals are achieved by one or more TRPs monitoring the PRSs of another TRP and transmitting accordingly. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of TRPs 340 to 349 simultaneously transmit PRSs 531 to 535 in a frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) manner to avoid interference. For example, the PRS configuration 381 sent to one or more of TRPs 340 to 349 may include information for configuring each of TRPs 340 to 349 to transmit PRSs 531 to 535 at different frequencies from each other to avoid interference from simultaneous PRS transmissions. For illustration, the PRS configuration 381 received at TRP 340 may configure TRP 340 to generate and transmit the PRS at a first frequency, while the PRS configuration 381 received at TRP 342 may configure TRP 342 to generate and transmit the PRS at a second frequency different from the first frequency. In this way, at least one of TRPs 340 to 349 can be configured to transmit PRSs 531 to 535 at different non-overlapping frequencies to avoid interference, and each of the backscattered signals 541 to 545 will be transmitted at a unique non-overlapping frequency.

[0116] In some specific implementations, TRPs 340 to 349 are assigned to a first group consisting of a subset of TRPs 340 to 349 and a second group consisting of a subset of TRPs 340 to 349 that is different from the first group. As described above, the first group can be configured to operate according to TDM, and as described above, the second group can be configured to operate according to FDM. For example, the first group may consist of TRPs 340 to 346 configured to sequentially transmit PRSs 531 to 533. The second group may consist of TRPs 348 to 349 configured to simultaneously transmit PRSs at different frequencies such that the frequency of PRS 534 is different from the frequency of PRS 535.

[0117] Refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6 is a block diagram of an example wireless communication system illustrating support for backscatter-based positioning according to one or more aspects. As Figure 6As shown, the first TRP 340 sends a PRS 531 to the tag device 120. The tag device processes the PRS 531 and reflects the PRS 531 as a backscatter signal 541. The time delay associated with processing the PRS 531 to convert the PRS 531 into the backscatter signal 541 is referred to as the tag delay 368 and is a property of the tag device 120. For example, different tag devices may have different tag delays 368 based on one or more components of the tag device 120 (e.g., physical characteristics).

[0118] Figure 7 is a ladder diagram illustrating an example of backscatter-based positioning according to aspects of the present disclosure. As Figure 7 shown, the system 700 of the ladder diagram includes a tag device 120, an LMF 131, and a TRP 740. The system 700 may include or correspond to the system 100 or the system 300. The TRP 740 may include and correspond to the TRP 340, 342, 346, 348, or 349. Although shown and described as separate, in some embodiments, the LMF 131 and the TRP 740 may be included in the same device (such as a single server or tag reader). The tag device 120, the LMF 131, and the TRP 740 may include one or more components and be configured to perform one or more operations as described with reference to Figures 1 to 6 Additional, although described as including a single TRP 740, in other embodiments, the system 700 may include multiple TRPs.

[0119] During operation, at 702, the LMF 131 sends a request for tag capabilities to the tag device 120. In some embodiments, the tag device 120 may include radio frequency identification (RFID).

[0120] At 704, the tag device 120 sends a tag device indicator to the LMF 131. The tag device indicator may indicate the tag capabilities of the tag device 120. For example, the tag indicator may include or correspond to the tag device indicator 370. In some embodiments, the tag capabilities include tag type, bandwidth, positioning reference signal slot periodicity, sensitivity, tag group delay, energy harvesting capabilities, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the tag type may include passive tags, semi-passive tags, or active tags.

[0121] At 706, the LMF 131 sends a backscatter configuration (e.g., a tag configuration) to the tag device 120. The tag configuration can be generated based on tag capabilities and associated with a positioning reference signal. For example, the tag configuration can indicate one or more parameters of the backscatter signal. By way of illustration, the one or more parameters can include the frequency of the backscatter signal, the number of repetitions of the backscatter signal, the transmission delay of the backscatter signal, or a combination thereof. In some particular implementations, the tag configuration can indicate whether to generate the backscatter signal of the positioning reference signal at the same frequency as the positioning reference or at a different frequency from the positioning reference.

[0122] At 708, the LMF 131 sends a positioning reference signal configuration to the TRP 740. For example, the positioning reference signal configuration can include or correspond to the TRP configuration 372 or the PRS configuration 381. The PRS configuration can indicate the repetition of the PRS, the bandwidth configuration, the comb pattern configuration, or a combination thereof.

[0123] At 710, the LMF 131 sends a measurement gap configuration to the TRP 740. For example, the measurement gap configuration can include or correspond to the TRP configuration 372 or the measurement gap configuration 382. The measurement gap configuration can indicate a time period during which the TRP 740 is configured to monitor the backscatter signal, determine the round-trip time associated with the positioning reference signal or the backscatter signal, generate a measurement report, send the measurement report, or a combination thereof.

[0124] At 712, the TRP 740 sends a positioning reference signal to the tag device 120. For example, the positioning reference signal can include or correspond to the positioning reference signal 374. In some particular implementations, the positioning reference signal is configured or generated based on the PRS configuration (such as the PRS configuration 381).

[0125] At 714, the tag 120 sends a backscatter signal. For example, the backscatter signal can include or correspond to the backscatter signal 376. The backscatter signal can be a reflection of the positioning reference signal received by the tag device 120. The backscatter signal can be received by one or more TRPs (such as the TRP 740).

[0126] At 716, the TRP 740 sends a measurement report to the LMF 131. For example, the measurement report can include or correspond to the measurement report 378. In some particular implementations, the measurement report indicates the round-trip time based on the positioning reference signal, the backscatter signal, or a combination thereof.

[0127] At 718, the LMF 131 determines the location of the tag device 120 based on one or more measurement reports. For example, the location may include or correspond to the location 369. Additionally or alternatively, the LMF 131 may determine the location based on the tag latency of the tag device 120. For example, the tag latency may include or correspond to the tag latency 309. The LMF 131 is configured to store an indication of the tag latency. In some embodiments, the LMF 131 calculates the location based on or using multilateration techniques.

[0128] In some embodiments, the LMF 131 may generate positioning reference signals or measurement gaps for multiple TRPs. In some such embodiments, each TRP of the multiple TRPs is configured to transmit a positioning reference signal and receive a backscattered signal. Additionally, each TRP of the multiple TRPs may be configured to generate a measurement report based on the transmitted positioning reference signal, the received backscattered signal, or a combination thereof. By way of illustration, each TRP of the multiple TRPs may be configured to generate a measurement report that includes or indicates a round-trip time. The LMF 131 may receive measurement reports from the multiple TRPs and may determine the location of the tag device 120 based on the multiple measurement reports (e.g., based on multiple round-trip times). For example, the LMF 131 may receive measurement reports from the multiple TRPs and may determine the location of the tag device 120 based on the multiple round-trip times and the tag latency of the tag 120.

[0129] Figure 8 is a flowchart illustrating an example process 800 that supports backscatter-based positioning in accordance with one or more aspects. Operations of process 800 may be performed by a network entity such as a tag reader, base station 105, UE 115, core network 130, LMF 131, TRP 340, 342, 346, 348, 349, or 740, or a combination thereof. For example, the example operations of process 800 may enable a network entity to support backscatter-based positioning.

[0130] At block 802, the network entity receives multiple measurement reports associated with a tag device. For each TRP in a set of TRPs, the multiple measurement reports may include the measurement report for that TRP. For example, the tag device may include or correspond to the tag device 120. In some embodiments, the tag device includes a radio frequency identification tag device. Additionally or alternatively, the tag device may include a passive tag device or a semi-passive tag device. The set of TRPs may include one or more of TRP 340, 342, 346, 348, 349, or 740. In some embodiments, the set of TRPs includes a set of asynchronous TRPs. The measurement report may include or correspond to the measurement report 378. In some embodiments, for each TRP in the set of TRPs, the measurement report for that TRP includes a round-trip time associated with the tag device.

[0131] At block 804, the network entity determines the location of the tagging device based on multiple measurement reports and the tagging delay of the tagging device. For example, the location of the tagging device may include or correspond to Location 369. The tagging delay of the tagging device may include or correspond to Tagging Delay 368. In some embodiments, the tagging delay includes the radio frequency group delay of the tagging device. A tagging delay such as a radio frequency (RF) group delay may include or be based on one or more components of the tagging device (e.g., Circuit 351, Transmitter 356, Receiver 358, or a combination thereof). The one or more components are configured to: receive a location reference signal, generate a backscatter signal based on the location reference signal, and transmit the backscatter signal. In some embodiments, the tagging delay is the amount of time between the tagging device 120 receiving the location reference signal and transmitting the backscatter signal based on the received location reference signal.

[0132] In some embodiments, the network entity may determine the location of the tagging device based on multiple measurement reports and the tagging delay of the tagging device. For example, the network entity may determine the location by calculating the location based on multilateration techniques. Additionally or alternatively, the network entity may send a location indicator indicating the location.

[0133] In some embodiments, the network entity may identify the set of TRPs from among multiple TRPs. The multiple TRPs may include two or more of TRP 340, 342, 346, 348, 349, or 740. In some embodiments, the set of TRPs is the same as the multiple TRPs. In other embodiments, the set of TRPs includes fewer TRPs than the multiple TRPs.

[0134] In some embodiments, the network entity may identify the tagging device for a location session. In some embodiments, the network entity may store the tagging delay of the tagging device before identifying the tagging device for the location session. Additionally or alternatively, after identifying the tagging device for the location session, the network entity may request the tagging delay from the tagging device. The network entity may receive tagging delay information indicating the tagging delay based on the request. For example, the network entity may receive a tagging device indicator 370 that includes or indicates Tagging Delay 368.

[0135] In some specific implementations, each TRP in the set of TRPs is configured to operate as a transmitting TRP and a receiving TRP during a positioning session of the TRP. Additionally or alternatively, in some specific implementations, each TRP in the set of TRPs includes a pair of TRPs configured to perform a positioning session together. For illustration, the first pair of TRPs may include a first TRP 340 and a second TRP 342. For each TRP in the pair of TRPs, the measurement report of the TRP may include or indicate one or more transmission times, one or more reception times, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the measurement report may include or indicate a first signal travel time from the first TRP in the pair of TRPs to the tag device and to the second TRP in the pair of TRPs. Additionally or alternatively, for each TRP in the pair of TRPs, the measurement report of the TRP may include or indicate a second signal travel time from the second TRP to the tag device and to the first TRP.

[0136] In some specific implementations, a network entity may generate a TRP configuration for at least one TRP in the pair of TRPs. For example, the TRP configuration may include or correspond to a TRP configuration 372. The network entity may generate the TRP configuration based on a tag delay, a tag capability of the tag device, a capability of the TRP, or a capability of the set of TRPs, or a combination thereof. The tag capability may include or correspond to a tag device indicator 370, tag device information 366, a tag delay 368, or a combination thereof. The tag capability may include or indicate a tag type, a bandwidth, a positioning reference signal time slot periodicity, a sensitivity, a tag delay (e.g., a tag group delay), an energy harvesting capability, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the tag capability may include or indicate whether the tag device 120 supports a frequency shift of the received PRS signal, or whether it is possible to enable or disable a frequency shift at the tag device 120. In some specific implementations, the network entity generates a TRP configuration for each TRP in the set of TRPs. The network entity may also send the TRP configuration.

[0137] In some specific implementations, the network entity may send a request for the tag capability of the tag device to the tag device. Additionally or alternatively, the network entity may receive a tag capability indicator indicating the tag capability. For example, the tag device indicator may include or correspond to a tag device indicator 370.

[0138] In some specific implementations, the network entity may include or indicate a positioning reference signal configuration, a measurement gap configuration, or a combination thereof. For example, the positioning reference signal configuration may include or correspond to a PRS configuration 381. The measurement gap configuration may include or correspond to an MG configuration 382. In some specific implementations, the TRP configuration (e.g., 372) may include a positioning reference signal configuration, a measurement gap configuration, or a combination thereof.

[0139] In some specific implementations, the positioning reference signal configuration may indicate the repetition of the PRS, the bandwidth configuration, the comb pattern configuration, or a combination thereof. The positioning reference signal may indicate the frequency of the positioning reference signal of at least one TRP in the set of TRPs for the at least one TRP. In some specific implementations, for each TRP in the set of TRPs, the positioning reference signal configuration indicates the frequency of the positioning reference signal of the TRP. By way of illustration, the positioning reference signal may indicate the tone level for each TRP in the set of TRPs such that the positioning reference signals transmitted by the set of TRPs can be transmitted in a frequency division multiplexing manner. Additionally or alternatively, in some specific implementations, the positioning reference signal configuration indicates the order of the positioning sessions of the TRPs in the set of asynchronous TRPs.

[0140] In some specific implementations, the network entity may generate a measurement gap configuration for at least one TRP in the set of TRPs, the measurement gap configuration indicating a time period during which the at least one TRP is configured to monitor a positioning reference signal, monitor a backscatter signal, generate a measurement report of the at least one TRP, transmit the measurement report of the at least one TRP, or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, the network entity may generate a measurement gap configuration for each TRP in the set of TRPs, the measurement gap configuration indicating a time period during which the TRP is configured to monitor a positioning reference signal, monitor a backscatter signal, generate a measurement report of the TRP, transmit the measurement report of the TRP, or a combination thereof.

[0141] In some specific implementations, the network entity may generate a tag configuration based on the tag capabilities. The tag configuration may be associated with the positioning reference signal. For example, the tag configuration may be associated with one or more positioning reference signals to be transmitted by the set of TRPs during a positioning session associated with the tag device. In some specific implementations, the tag configuration indicates parameters of the backscatter signal, the number of repetitions, the frequency of the positioning reference signal, the frequency of the backscatter signal, the delay or time period for transmitting the backscatter signal, or a combination thereof. The network entity may also transmit the tag configuration.

[0142] Figure 9 is a block diagram of an example network entity 900 that supports backscatter-based positioning according to one or more aspects. The network entity 900 may be configured to perform operations including reference Figure 8Blocks of the process 800 described. In some specific implementations, the network entity 900 includes the structures, hardware, and components described for the reference base station 105, UE 115, LMF 131, or TRP 340, 342, 346, 348, 349, or 740. For example, the network entity 900 may include a controller 240 that operates to execute logic or computer instructions stored in a memory 242 and controls the components that provide the features and functionality of the network entity 900. The network entity 900 transmits and receives signals under the control of the controller 240 via radio components 901a to 901t and antennas 234a to 234t. The radio components 901a to 901t include various components and hardware as illustrated for the base station 105 in Figure 2 , including modulators and demodulators 232a to 232t, a transmit processor 220, a TX MIMO processor 230, a MIMO detector 236, and a receive processor 238.

[0143] As shown, the memory 242 may include tag information 902, configuration logic 903, positioning logic 904, and communication logic 905. The tag information 902 may include or correspond to tag device information 309, tag delay 368, positioning 369, tag device indicator 370, or a combination thereof. The configuration logic 903 may be configured to generate one or more configurations or configuration data, such as TRP configuration 372, PRS configuration 381, MG configuration 382, tag device configuration, or a combination thereof. The positioning logic 904 may be configured to determine the positioning of the tag device, such as the positioning 369 of the tag device 120. The communication logic 905 may be configured to enable communication between the network entity 900 and one or more other devices. The network entity 900 may receive signals from or send signals to one or more other devices (such as UE 115, base station 105, core network 130, LMF 131, TRP, tag device 120, or TRP 340, 342, 346, 348, 349, or 740).

[0144] It should be noted that one or more of the blocks (or operations) described with reference to Figure 8 may be combined with one or more of the blocks (or operations) described with reference to another figure in the reference drawings. For example, Figure 8 one or more of the blocks (or operations) of Figure 7 may be combined with one or more of the blocks (or operations) of Figure 8 . As another example, one or more of the blocks associated with Figures 4 to 6 may be combined with one or more of the blocks associated with Figure 8 . As another example, one or more of the blocks associated with Figures 1 to 3One or more associated boxes (or operations) are combined. Additionally or alternatively, as referred to above with reference to Figures 1 to 3 One or more operations described may be combined with those referenced in Figure 9 One or more operations described.

[0145] In one or more aspects, techniques for supporting backscatter-based positioning may include additional aspects, such as any single aspect or any combination of aspects described below or in combination with one or more other processes or devices described elsewhere herein. In a first aspect, techniques for supporting backscatter-based positioning may include receiving a plurality of measurement reports associated with a tag device. For each TRP in a set of TRPs, the plurality of measurement reports includes a measurement report for that TRP. The technique may also include determining the positioning of the tag device based on the plurality of measurement reports and the tag delay of the tag device. In some examples, the technique in the first aspect may be implemented in a method or process. In some other examples, the technique of the first aspect may be implemented in a wireless communication device (which may include a network entity or a component of a network entity). In some examples, the wireless communication device may include at least one processing unit or system (which may include an application processor, a modem, or other components) and at least one memory device coupled to the processing unit. The processing unit may be configured to perform the operations described herein with respect to the wireless communication device. In some examples, the memory device includes a non-transitory computer-readable medium having program code stored thereon, the program code being configured to cause the wireless communication device to perform the operations described herein when executed by the processing unit. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication device may include an interface (e.g., a wireless communication interface) including a transmitter, a receiver, or a combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, the wireless communication device may include one or more components configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0146] In a second aspect, in combination with the first aspect, the set of TRPs includes a set of asynchronous TRPs.

[0147] In a third aspect, in combination with the first aspect or the second aspect, the tag delay includes the radio frequency group delay of the tag device.

[0148] In a fourth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first aspect to the third aspect, the tag device includes a radio frequency identification tag device.

[0149] In a fifth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first aspect to the fourth aspect, the tag device includes a passive tag device or a semi-passive tag device.

[0150] In a sixth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to fifth aspects, the network entity includes a network, a Location Management Function (LMF), a base station, a tag reader device, or any combination thereof.

[0151] In a seventh aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to sixth aspects, the technique further includes identifying the set of TRPs from a plurality of TRPs.

[0152] In an eighth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to seventh aspects, the technique further includes identifying the tag device for a positioning session.

[0153] In a ninth aspect, in combination with the eighth aspect, the technique further includes storing the tag latency of the tag device before identifying the tag device for the positioning session.

[0154] In a tenth aspect, in combination with the eighth aspect, the technique further includes, after identifying the tag device for the positioning session: requesting the tag latency from the tag device.

[0155] In an eleventh aspect, in combination with the tenth aspect, the technique further includes, after identifying the tag device for the positioning session: receiving tag latency information indicating the tag latency.

[0156] In a twelfth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to eleventh aspects, for each TRP in the set of TRPs, the measurement report of the TRP includes a round-trip time associated with the tag device.

[0157] In a thirteenth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to twelfth aspects, each TRP in the set of TRPs is configured to operate as a transmitting TRP and a receiving TRP during a positioning session of the TRP.

[0158] In a fourteenth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to thirteenth aspects, each TRP in the set of TRPs includes a pair of TRPs configured to perform a positioning session together.

[0159] In a fifteenth aspect, in combination with the fourteenth aspect, for each TRP, the measurement report of the TRP includes a first transmission time, a first reception time, or a combination thereof from a first TRP of the pair of TRPs to the tag device.

[0160] In a sixteenth aspect, in combination with the fifteenth aspect, for each TRP, the measurement report of the TRP includes a second transmission time, a second reception time, or a combination thereof from a second TRP.

[0161] In a seventeenth aspect, in combination with one or more of the first to sixteenth aspects, the technique further includes, for each TRP in the set of TRPs, generating a TRP configuration for the TRP based on the tagging capabilities of the tagging device.

[0162] In an eighteenth aspect, in combination with the seventeenth aspect, the technique further includes transmitting the TRP configuration.

[0163] In a nineteenth aspect, in combination with the seventeenth or eighteenth aspect, the tagging capabilities include tag type, bandwidth, positioning reference signal slot periodicity, sensitivity, group delay, energy harvesting capabilities, or a combination thereof.

[0164] In a twentieth aspect, in combination with one or more of the seventeenth to nineteenth aspects, the technique further includes generating a tag configuration based on the tagging capabilities, the tag configuration being associated with the positioning reference signal.

[0165] In a twenty - first aspect, in combination with the twentieth aspect, the technique further includes sending the tag configuration to the tagging device.

[0166] In a twenty - second aspect, in combination with the twenty - first aspect, the tag configuration indicates parameters of the backscattered signal, number of repetitions, frequency of the positioning reference signal, frequency of the backscattered signal, delay or time period for transmitting the backscattered signal, or a combination thereof.

[0167] In a twenty - third aspect, in combination with one or more of the seventeenth to twenty - second aspects, the TRP configuration includes a positioning reference signal configuration, a measurement gap configuration, or a combination thereof.

[0168] In a twenty - fourth aspect, in combination with the twenty - third aspect, the positioning reference signal configuration indicates the repetition of the PRS, bandwidth configuration, comb pattern configuration, or a combination thereof.

[0169] In a twenty - fifth aspect, in combination with the twenty - third or twenty - fourth aspect, for each TRP in the set of TRPs, the positioning reference signal configuration indicates the frequency of the positioning reference signal of the TRP.

[0170] In a twenty - sixth aspect, in combination with one or more of the twenty - third to twenty - fifth aspects, the positioning reference signal configuration indicates the order of the positioning sessions of the TRPs in the set of asynchronous TRPs.

[0171] In a twenty - seventh aspect, in combination with one or more of the twenty - third to twenty - sixth aspects, the TRP configuration includes the measurement gap configuration.

[0172] In a twenty-eighth aspect, in combination with the twenty-seventh aspect, for each TRP in the set of TRPs, the measurement gap configuration indicates a time period during which the TRP monitors the positioning reference signal and transmits the measurement report of the TRP.

[0173] In a twenty-ninth aspect, in combination with one or more of the seventeenth aspect to the twenty-eighth aspect, the technique further includes sending a request for the tag capabilities of the tag device to the tag device.

[0174] In a thirtieth aspect, in combination with the twenty-ninth aspect, the technique further includes receiving a tag capability indicator indicating the tag capabilities.

[0175] In a thirty-first aspect, in combination with one or more of the seventeenth aspect to the thirtieth aspect, the tag capabilities include tag type, bandwidth, number of supported PRS transmissions, positioning reference signal slot periodicity, sensitivity, the tag group delay, energy harvesting capability, or a combination thereof.

[0176] In a thirty-second aspect, in combination with one or more of the first aspect to the thirty-first aspect, the technique further includes sending a positioning indicator indicating the positioning of the tag device.

[0177] In a thirty-third aspect, in combination with the thirty-second aspect, determining the positioning of the tag device includes calculating the positioning based on multi-point positioning technology.

[0178] Those skilled in the art should understand that: Any one of a variety of different technologies and techniques can be used to represent information and signals. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout 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.

[0179] As described herein Figures 1 to 9 The components, functional blocks, and modules described herein include processors, electronic devices, hardware devices, electronic components, logic circuits, memories, software codes, firmware codes, etc., or any combination thereof. Software should be broadly interpreted to mean instructions, instruction sets, codes, code segments, program codes, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, execution threads, procedures, and / or functions, etc., regardless of whether it is referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or other terms. In addition, the features discussed herein can be implemented via dedicated processor circuits, via executable instructions, or a combination thereof.

[0180] Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the disclosure herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in varying ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will also readily recognize that the order or combination of the components, methods, or interactions described herein are merely examples, and that the components, methods, or interactions of the various aspects of the present disclosure may be combined or performed in ways other than those illustrated and described herein.

[0181] The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic processes described in connection with the specific implementations disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinations of both. The interchangeability of hardware and software has been generally described in terms of functionality and illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described above. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0182] The hardware and data processing apparatus for implementing or performing the various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be realized using a general purpose single-chip or multi-chip processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or, any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. In some particular implementations, the processor may be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some particular implementations, specific processes and methods may be performed by circuitry specific to a given function.

[0183] In one or more aspects, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, firmware, including the structures disclosed in this specification and structural equivalents thereof, or any combination thereof. The particular implementations of the subject matter described in this specification may also be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions encoded on a computer storage medium for execution by, or to control the operation of, a data processing apparatus.

[0184] If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. The processes of the methods or algorithms disclosed herein may be implemented in a processor-executable software module that may reside on a computer-readable medium. A computer-readable medium includes both a computer storage medium and a communication medium including any medium that can be configured to transfer a computer program from one place to another. The storage medium may be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable medium may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (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. Additionally, any connection may be properly termed a computer-readable medium. As used herein, disk and disc include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media. Additionally, operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one set of code and instructions or any combination of sets of code and instructions on a machine-readable medium and a computer-readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0185] Various modifications to the specific implementations described in this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to some other specific implementations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the specific implementations shown herein but are to be accorded the widest scope consistent with this disclosure, the principles disclosed herein, and the novel features.

[0186] Additionally, those of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the terms “above” and “below” are sometimes used for ease of description of the figures and indicate relative positions corresponding to the orientation of the figures on a properly oriented page and may not reflect the correct orientation of any device as implemented.

[0187] Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments in this specification can also be implemented in a single embodiment in combination. Conversely, the various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented separately or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple embodiments. Additionally, although the features may have been described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from the claimed combination can in some cases be removed from the combination, and the claimed combination can be directed to a sub-combination or variation of a sub-combination.

[0188] Similarly, although the operations are depicted in the figures in a particular order, this should not be construed as requiring that the operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all of the illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired result. Additionally, the figures may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flowchart. However, other operations that are not depicted can be incorporated into the example processes that are schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, simultaneously with, or between any of the illustrated operations. In certain environments, multitasking and parallel processing are advantageous. Additionally, the separation of the various system components in the embodiments described above should not be construed as requiring such separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can generally be integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. Additionally, some other embodiments also fall within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the acts recited in the claims can be performed in a different order and still achieve the desired result.

[0189] As used herein (including in the claims), the term "or" as used in a list of two or more items means that any one of the listed items can be employed individually, or any combination of two or more of the listed items can be employed. For example, if a composition is described as containing components A, B, or C, the composition can contain A alone; B alone; C alone; a combination of A and B; a combination of A and C; a combination of B and C; or a combination of A, B, and C. Further, as used herein (including in the claims), "or" as used in a list of items beginning with "at least one" indicates a disjunctive list such that, for example, a list of "at least one of A, B, or C" means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C) or any combination of any of these items. The term "substantially" is defined as largely but not necessarily wholly what is specified (and includes what is specified; e.g., substantially 90 degrees includes 90 degrees, and substantially parallel includes parallel), as understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. In any particular embodiment disclosed, the term "substantially" can be replaced by "[percentage] within" what is specified, where the percentage includes 0.1%, 1%, 5%, or 10%.

[0190] The foregoing description of the disclosure has been provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication performed by a network entity, the method comprising: Receiving a plurality of measurement reports associated with a tag device, where for each transmission / reception point (TRP) in a set of TRPs, the plurality of measurement reports include the measurement report of the TRP; And Determining the location of the tag device based on the plurality of measurement reports and the tag delay of the tag device.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The set of TRPs includes a set of asynchronous TRPs; The network entity includes a network, a location management function (LMF), a base station, a tag reader device, a user equipment, or any combination thereof; The tag delay includes the radio frequency group delay of the tag device; and The tag device includes a radio frequency identification tag device.

3. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising: Identifying the tag device for a positioning session; And Identifying the set of TRPs from among a plurality of TRPs, and where the tag device includes a passive tag device or a semi-passive tag device.

4. The method according to claim 3, the method further comprising: Receiving tag delay information indicating the tag delay, and wherein: The tag delay of the tag device is received and stored before identifying the tag device for the positioning session, or Requested from the tag device after identifying the tag device for the positioning session.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: For each TRP in the set of TRPs, the measurement report of the TRP includes the round-trip time associated with the tag device; and Each TRP in the set of TRPs is configured to operate as a transmitting TRP and a receiving TRP during the positioning session of the TRP.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Each TRP in the set of TRPs includes a pair of TRPs configured to perform a positioning session together; And For each TRP, the measurement report of the TRP includes: The first transmission time, the first reception time, or a combination thereof from the first TRP of the pair of TRPs to the tag device, and The second transmission time, the second reception time, or a combination thereof from the second TRP of the pair of TRPs.

7. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising: Sending a positioning indicator indicating the location of the tag device, and where determining the location of the tag device includes calculating the location based on multi-point positioning technology.

8. The method according to claim 1, the method further comprising: For each TRP in the set of TRPs, generating a TRP configuration for the TRP based on the tag capabilities of the tag device; And Sending the TRP configuration.

9. The method according to claim 8, the method further comprising: Sending a request for the tag capabilities of the tag device to the tag device; And Receiving a tag capabilities indicator indicating the tag capabilities, and The tag capabilities include tag type, bandwidth, number of PRS transmissions supported, positioning reference signal slot periodicity, sensitivity, the tag latency, energy harvesting capabilities, or a combination thereof.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the TRP configuration includes a positioning reference signal configuration, a measurement gap configuration, or a combination thereof.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the positioning reference signal configuration indicates repetition of the positioning reference signal, bandwidth configuration, comb pattern configuration, or a combination thereof.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein for each TRP in the set of TRPs, the positioning reference signal configuration indicates: the frequency of the positioning reference signal of the TRP; the order of positioning sessions of the TRPs in the set of asynchronous TRPs; or a combination thereof.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein: the TRP configuration includes the measurement gap configuration; and for each TRP in the set of TRPs, the measurement gap configuration indicates the time period during which the TRP is configured to monitor the positioning reference signal and transmit the measurement report of the TRP.

14. A network entity, the network entity comprising: a memory storing processor-readable code; and at least one processor coupled to the memory, the at least one processor being configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: receive a plurality of measurement reports associated with a tag device, the plurality of measurement reports including a measurement report of each TRP in a set of transmit / receive points (TRPs); and determine the positioning of the tag device based on the plurality of measurement reports and the tag latency of the tag device.

15. The network entity according to claim 14, wherein: the at least one processor is configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: identify the tag device for a positioning session; and identify the set of TRPs from a plurality of TRPs, and the tag device includes a radio frequency identification tag device.

16. The network entity according to claim 14, wherein: for each TRP in the set of TRPs, the measurement report of the TRP includes a round-trip time associated with the tag device; and each TRP in the set of TRPs is configured to operate as a transmitting TRP and a receiving TRP during a positioning session of the TRP.

17. The network entity according to claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: calculate the positioning using multi-point positioning technology based on the plurality of measurement reports and the tag latency of the tag device.

18. The network entity according to claim 14, wherein the at least one processor is configured to execute the processor-readable code to cause the at least one processor to: For each transmission and reception point (TRP) in the set of TRPs, generate a TRP configuration for the TRP based on the tag delay of the tag device, the TRP configuration including a positioning reference signal configuration, a measurement gap configuration, or a combination thereof; and Transmit the TRP configuration.

19. The network entity according to claim 18, wherein the TRP configuration is further determined based on tag capabilities, the tag capabilities including the tag delay and tag type, bandwidth, number of supported PRS transmissions, positioning reference signal slot periodicity, sensitivity, energy harvesting capability, or a combination thereof.

20. The network entity according to claim 18, wherein the positioning reference signal configuration indicates repetition of the positioning reference signal, bandwidth configuration, comb pattern configuration, or a combination thereof.

21. The network entity according to claim 18, wherein:[[]]END]] The TRP configuration includes the measurement gap configuration; and For each TRP in the set of TRPs, the measurement gap configuration indicates a time period during which the TRP is configured to monitor the positioning reference signal and transmit the measurement report of the TRP.

22. A device for wireless communication, the device comprising: Components for receiving a plurality of measurement reports associated with a tag device, for each transmission and reception point (TRP) in a set of TRPs, the plurality of measurement reports including a measurement report of the TRP; and Components for determining the location of the tag device based on the plurality of measurement reports and the tag delay of the tag device.

23. The device according to claim 22, wherein:[[]]END]] For each TRP in the set of TRPs, the measurement report of the TRP includes a round-trip time associated with the tag device; and Each TRP in the set of TRPs is configured to operate as a transmitting TRP and a receiving TRP during a positioning session of the TRP.

24. The device according to claim 22, the device further comprising: Components for generating, for at least one TRP in the set of TRPs, a TRP configuration for the TRP, the TRP configuration including: A positioning reference signal configuration, wherein the positioning reference signal configuration indicates repetition of the positioning reference signal, bandwidth configuration, comb pattern configuration, or a combination thereof; A measurement gap configuration, the measurement gap configuration indicating a time period during which the TRP is configured to monitor the positioning reference signal; or A combination thereof; and Components for transmitting the TRP configuration.

25. The device according to claim 24, the device further comprising: Components for identifying the tag device for a positioning session; and Components for identifying the set of TRPs from a plurality of TRPs, and wherein:[[]]END]] The tag device includes a radio frequency identification tag device, and The TRP configuration is generated based on tag capabilities, the tag capabilities including tag type, bandwidth, number of supported PRS transmissions, positioning reference signal slot periodicity, sensitivity, the tag delay, energy harvesting capability, or a combination thereof.

26. The apparatus according to claim 22, the apparatus further comprising components for calculating the location using multilateration technology based on the plurality of measurement reports and the tag latency of the tag device.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the following operations: Receiving a plurality of measurement reports associated with a tag device, for each transmit / receive point (TRP) in a set of TRPs, the plurality of measurement reports including the measurement report of the TRP; and Determining the location of the tag device based on the plurality of measurement reports and the tag latency of the tag device.

28. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 27, wherein: The operations further include calculating the location using multilateration technology based on the plurality of measurement reports and the tag latency of the tag device; For each TRP in the set of TRPs, the measurement report of the TRP includes the round-trip time associated with the tag device; And Each TRP in the set of TRPs is configured to operate as a transmit TRP and a receive TRP during a positioning session of the TRP.

29. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 27, wherein the operations further include: For at least one TRP in the set of TRPs, generating a TRP configuration for the TRP, the TRP configuration including: A positioning reference signal configuration, wherein the positioning reference signal configuration indicates a repetition of a positioning reference signal, a bandwidth configuration, a comb pattern configuration, or a combination thereof; A measurement gap configuration, the measurement gap configuration indicating a time period during which the TRP is configured to monitor the positioning reference signal; or A combination thereof; and Transmitting the TRP configuration.

30. The non-transitory computer-readable medium according to claim 29, wherein: The operations further include: Identifying the tag device for a positioning session; and Identifying the set of TRPs from a plurality of TRPs; The tag device includes a radio frequency identification tag device; and The TRP configuration is generated based on tag capabilities, the tag capabilities including tag type, bandwidth, supported number of positioning reference signal transmissions, positioning reference signal time slot periodicity, sensitivity, the tag latency, energy harvesting capability, or a combination thereof.

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