Method and apparatus for positioning in non-terrestrial network

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to a method and equipment for positioning in a non-terrestrial network (NTN). The embodiment of the invention provides a positioning server. The positioning server comprises a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, where the processor is configured to: receive, with the transceiver and from at least one of a base station (BS) or a user equipment (UE), auxiliary measurement information associated with a round trip time (RTT) measurement between the UE and a transmit and receive point (TRP) of the BS; and determining an RTT based at least in part on the auxiliary measurement information and an RTT measurement result and positioning the UE during a multi-RTT positioning procedure, wherein the auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of: supplemental information associated with the UE and the TRP; timing information associated with the RTT measurement result; a first offset time difference of the RTT measurements of the TRP; or a second offset time difference of the RTT measurement result of the UE.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to methods and apparatuses for positioning in a non-terrestrial network (NTN). Background Art

[0002] NTN refers to a network or network segment that uses satellite-borne radio frequency (RF) resources. The satellite in the NTN can be a geostationary orbit (GEO) satellite having a fixed position relative to the Earth, or a low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite orbiting the Earth. The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Rel-17 specification has provided basic support for NTN features, and in Rel-18, further enhancements including mobility will be studied.

[0003] In some cases with NTN access, mobile network services can be provided via radio access technology, and its coverage can far exceed the political boundaries of countries where communication service regulations may vary. Therefore, network operators are authorized to cross-check the user equipment (UE) location to meet regulatory requirements regarding the UE location. At least during the initial access process, it may be necessary to verify the UE location, for example, to deny service in case the UE operates in a prohibited area. Verification may also be required during the UE service duration to meet the requirements of the public warning system (PWS) or lawful interception. Therefore, UE location verification via the network is considered to be one of the main objectives of the Rel-18 NTN enhancements.

[0004] UE positioning in the NTN can be determined by a multi-round-trip time (RTT) positioning method. The UE position is estimated based on RTT measurement results obtained from the UE and at least one transmit and receive point (TRP), where each RTT measurement result is associated with the UE and the TRP and includes the UE / BS receive-transmit (RX-TX) time difference measurement of the downlink (DL) positioning reference signal (PRS) and the uplink (UL) sounding reference signal (SRS). The location management function (LMF) entity calculates or derives the RTT based on the RTT measurement results and determines the UE position in the NTN. Summary of the Invention

[0005] Considering the specific characteristics of the NTN (e.g., the UE or TRP moves in the NTN during the RTT measurement, or the TRPs move along the same orbit or in the same direction), some measures are proposed to improve the positioning accuracy of multi-RTT positioning in the NTN.

[0006] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a positioning server, comprising: a transceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, with the transceiver and from at least one of a base station (BS) or a UE, auxiliary measurement information associated with an RTT measurement between the UE and a TRP of the BS; and determine the RTT and position the UE during a multi-RTT positioning process at least in part based on the auxiliary measurement information and an RTT measurement result, wherein the auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of the following: supplementary information associated with the UE and the TRP; timing information associated with the RTT measurement result; a first offset time difference of the RTT measurement result of the TRP; or a second offset time difference of the RTT measurement result of the UE.

[0007] In some embodiments, the supplementary information includes at least one of the following: a horizontal angle between the UE and the TRP; at least one tracking area or radio access network (RAN) notification area (RNA) identifier of the UE and a mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and a geographical location of the UE; a first reference position of the UE derived by the BS based on the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and the geographical location of the UE; at least one neighboring cell of the UE and a mapping relationship between the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the geographical location of the UE; a second reference position of the UE derived by the BS based on the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the geographical location of the UE; at least one beam of the UE and a mapping relationship between the at least one beam of the UE and the geographical location of the UE; a third reference position of the UE derived by the BS based on the at least one beam of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one beam of the UE and the geographical location of the UE.

[0008] In some embodiments, the RTT measurement result associated with the TRP and the UE includes at least one of the following: a first Rx-Tx time difference between a first time point at which the TRP transmits a DL signal to the UE and a second time point at which the TRP receives a UL signal from the UE; and a second Rx-Tx time difference between a third time point at which the UE receives the DL signal and a fourth time point at which the UE transmits the UL signal.

[0009] In some embodiments, the UL signal is a UL SRS, and the DL signal is a DL PRS.

[0010] In some embodiments, the timing information associated with the RTT measurement result includes the first time point and the second time point.

[0011] In some embodiments, the timing information associated with the RTT measurement result further includes the third time point and the fourth time point.

[0012] In some embodiments, the third time point and the fourth time point are derived by the BS at least based on the RX-TX time difference measurement configuration.

[0013] In some embodiments, the RX-TX time difference measurement configuration is associated with the DL PRS transmission window and the UL SRS reception window.

[0014] In some embodiments, the timing information associated with the RTT measurement result includes: a UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first offset time difference is provided by the BS and is equal to twice the time difference between the second time point and the fourth time point.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first offset time difference is provided by the BS and is equal to the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point.

[0017] In some embodiments, in response to a request from the BS, the UE reports the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point.

[0018] In some embodiments, the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point is derived by the BS based on at least one of a previous UE-specific timing advance, the total adjusted timing advance before the second time point, and a common timing advance applied in the serving cell.

[0019] In some embodiments, the timing information associated with the RTT measurement result includes one of the following: the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point, or the change in the UE-specific timing advance between the fourth time point and the second time point.

[0020] In some embodiments, the timing information associated with the RTT measurement result includes the rate of change of the UE-specific timing advance at the fourth time point.

[0021] In some embodiments, the second offset time difference is provided by the UE and is equal to the UE-specific timing advance change between the fourth time point and the second time point plus the second Rx-Tx time difference.

[0022] In some embodiments, the positioning server transmits a request to receive the auxiliary measurement information to at least one of the UE and the BS.

[0023] In some embodiments, the positioning server configures at least one of the UE and the BS to transmit the auxiliary measurement information during or after the multi-RTT positioning process.

[0024] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a UE, comprising: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: perform an RTT measurement between the UE and a TRP of the BS; and transmit auxiliary measurement information and an RTT measurement result associated with the RTT measurement to at least one of the BS or the positioning server, wherein the auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of the following: supplementary information for positioning the UE; timing information associated with the RTT measurement; or a second offset time difference associated with the RTT measurement.

[0025] In some embodiments, the supplementary information includes at least one of the following: a horizontal angle between the UE and the TRP; at least one tracking area or RNA identifier of the UE; at least one neighboring cell of the UE; or at least one beam of the UE.

[0026] In some embodiments, to perform the RTT measurement, the processor is configured to: receive a downlink (DL) signal from the TRP at a first time point using the transceiver; and in response to the DL signal, transmit an uplink (UL) signal to the TRP at a second time point using the transceiver.

[0027] In some embodiments, the UL signal is a UL SRS and the DL signal is a DL PRS.

[0028] In some embodiments, the timing information associated with the RTT measurement includes the first time point and the second time point.

[0029] In some embodiments, the timing information associated with the RTT measurement includes the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at a third time point when the TRP receives the UL signal from the UE.

[0030] In some embodiments, the UE provides the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the third time point in response to receiving a request from the BS.

[0031] In some embodiments, the timing information associated with the RTT measurement includes one of the following: the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the third time point when the TRP receives the UL signal from the UE, or the change in the UE-specific timing advance between the second time point and the third time point.

[0032] In some embodiments, the timing information associated with the RTT measurement includes the rate of change of the UE-specific timing advance at the second time point.

[0033] In some embodiments, the second offset time difference is determined based on: the change in the UE-specific timing advance between the second time point and the third time point when the TRP receives the UL signal, and the time difference between the first time point and the second time point.

[0034] In some embodiments, the third time point is provided by the BS; or the UE derives the third time point based on the UE-specific timing advance at the second time point.

[0035] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a BS, comprising: a transceiver and a processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the processor is configured to: perform an RTT measurement between a UE and a TRP of the BS; and transmit auxiliary measurement information and an RTT measurement result associated with the RTT measurement to a positioning server, wherein the auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of the following: supplementary information for positioning the UE; timing information associated with the RTT measurement result; or a first offset time difference.

[0036] In some embodiments, the supplementary information includes at least one of the following: the horizontal angle between the UE and the TRP; at least one tracking area or RNA identifier of the UE; the mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and the geographical location of the UE; a first reference position of the UE derived by the BS based on the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and the mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and the geographical location of the UE; at least one neighboring cell of the UE; the mapping relationship between the at least one neighboring cell and the geographical location of the UE; a second reference position of the UE derived by the BS based on the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one neighboring cell and the geographical location of the UE; at least one beam of the UE; the mapping relationship between the at least one beam and the geographical location of the UE; a third reference position of the UE derived by the BS based on the at least one beam and the mapping relationship between the at least one beam and the geographical location of the UE.

[0037] In some embodiments, to perform the RTT measurement, the processor is configured to: transmit a downlink (DL) signal to a user equipment (UE) using the transceiver at a first time point; and in response to the DL signal, receive an UL signal from the UE using the transceiver at a second time point.

[0038] In some embodiments, the UL signal is an UL SRS, and the DL signal is a DL PRS.

[0039] In some embodiments, the RTT measurement result includes at least one of the following: a first Rx-Tx time difference between the first time point and the second time point when the TRP receives the UL signal from the UE; or a second Rx-Tx time difference between a third time point when the UE receives the DL signal and a fourth time point when the UE transmits the UL signal in response to the DL signal.

[0040] In some embodiments, the timing information associated with the RTT measurement result includes the first time point and the second time point.

[0041] In some embodiments, the timing information associated with the RTT measurement result further includes the third time point and the fourth time point.

[0042] In some embodiments, the timing information associated with the RTT measurement result includes a UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point.

[0043] In some embodiments, in response to a request transmitted from the BS to the UE, the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point is received from the UE.

[0044] In some embodiments, the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point is derived by the BS based on at least one of a previous UE-specific timing advance, an overall adjusted timing advance before the second time point, and a common timing advance applied in the serving cell.

[0045] In some embodiments, the offset time difference is equal to twice the time difference between the fourth time point and the second time point.

[0046] In some embodiments, the third time point and the fourth time point are derived at least based on an RX-TX time difference measurement configuration; or the third time point and the fourth time point are received from the UE.

[0047] In some embodiments, the RX-TX time difference measurement configuration is associated with a DL PRS transmission window and a UL SRS reception window.

[0048] In some embodiments, the offset time difference is equal to the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point.

[0049] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a positioning server. The method includes: receiving, from at least one of a BS or a UE, auxiliary measurement information associated with an RTT measurement between the UE and a TRP of the BS; and determining an RTT and positioning the UE during a multi-RTT positioning process at least partially based on the auxiliary measurement information and an RTT measurement result, where the auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of: supplementary information associated with the UE and the TRP; timing information associated with the RTT measurement result; a first offset time difference of the RTT measurement result of the TRP; or a second offset time difference of the RTT measurement result of the UE.

[0050] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a UE. The method includes: performing an RTT measurement between the UE and a TRP of a BS; and transmitting, to at least one of the BS or a positioning server, auxiliary measurement information associated with the RTT measurement and an RTT measurement result, where the auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of: supplementary information for positioning the UE; timing information associated with the RTT measurement; or a second offset time difference associated with the RTT measurement.

[0051] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method performed by a BS. The method includes: performing an RTT measurement between a UE and a TRP of the BS; and transmitting auxiliary measurement information and an RTT measurement result associated with the RTT measurement to a positioning server, where the auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of the following: supplementary information for positioning the UE; timing information associated with the RTT measurement result; offset time difference. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0052] To describe the manner in which the advantages and features of the present application can be obtained, the description of the present application is presented by reference to specific embodiments thereof illustrated in the drawings. These drawings only depict example embodiments of the present application and should not be considered as limiting its scope.

[0053] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0054] Figure 2 Illustrates an exemplary multi-RTT positioning method in the prior art.

[0055] Figure 3 Illustrates the "mirror problem" caused by traditional multi-RTT positioning methods.

[0056] Figure 4 Illustrates the impact of the movement of the TRP or UE on the RTT measurement.

[0057] Figure 5 Illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method 500 for identifying an actual location or discarding a mirror location of a UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0058] Figure 6 Illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method 600 for calculating an RTT with compensation for the negative impact of the movement of at least one of the TRP and the UE during the RTT measurement according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0059] Figure 7 Illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary method 700 for calculating an RTT with compensation for the negative impact of the movement of at least one of the TRP and the UE during the RTT measurement according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0060] Figure 8 Illustrates a simplified block diagram of an exemplary device 800 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0061] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The description of the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of the presently preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent the only form in which the present disclosure may be practiced. It should be understood that the same or equivalent functions may be accomplished by different embodiments that are intended to be covered within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0062] Although the operations are depicted in the drawings in a particular order, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that such operations need not be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all of the illustrated operations are required to achieve the desired result; one or more operations may sometimes be skipped. Additionally, the drawings may schematically depict one or more example processes in the form of a flowchart. However, other operations not depicted may be incorporated into the example processes schematically illustrated. For example, one or more additional operations may be performed before, after, concurrently with, or between any of the illustrated operations. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0063] Reference will now be made in detail to some embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. For the sake of promoting understanding, the embodiments are provided under a specific network architecture and new service scenarios (such as 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced LTE, 5G New Radio (NR), Advanced 5G, 6G, etc.). It is considered that as the network architecture and new service scenarios evolve, all embodiments in the present disclosure are also applicable to similar technical problems; moreover, the terms cited in the present disclosure may change, which should not affect the principles of the present disclosure.

[0064] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary NTN system 100 in NTN according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0065] As Figure 1 shown, the NTN system 100 in NTN includes: at least one TRP 102 of at least one node (e.g., BS, Figure 1 not shown in the figure) and at least one UE 101. Although for illustrative purposes, one TRP and one UE are depicted in Figure 1 the figure, it is considered that any number of TRPs and any number of UEs (of any number of nodes) may be included in the NTN system 100 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0066] The NTN system 100 is compatible with any type of network capable of transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals. For example, the NTN system 100 is compatible with wireless communication networks, cellular telephone networks, time division multiple access (TDMA)-based networks, code division multiple access (CDMA)-based networks, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA)-based networks, LTE networks, 3GPP-based networks, 3GPP 5G networks, satellite communication networks, high altitude platform networks, and / or other communication networks.

[0067] According to some embodiments of the present application, at least one UE 102 may be a vehicle UE (VUE) and / or an energy-saving UE (also referred to as a power-sensitive UE). The energy-saving UE may be a vulnerable road user (VRU) sensitive to power consumption, a public safety UE (PS-UE), and / or a commercial side-link UE (CS-UE). In an embodiment of the present application, the VRU may be a pedestrian UE (P-UE), a cyclist UE, a wheelchair UE, or another UE that requires energy saving compared to the VUE. In an embodiment of the present application, the UE 102 may be an LPHAP UE.

[0068] According to some other embodiments of the present application, at least one UE 102 may be a computing device, such as a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a smart TV (e.g., a TV connected to the Internet), a set-top box, a gaming console, a security system (including security cameras), an in-vehicle computer, a network device (e.g., a router, a switch, or a modem), or the like.

[0069] According to some other embodiments of the present application, at least one UE 102 may be a portable wireless communication device, a smartphone, a cellular phone, a flip phone, a device with a subscriber identity module, a personal computer, a selective call receiver, or another device capable of transmitting and receiving communication signals over a wireless network.

[0070] According to some other embodiments of the present application, at least one UE 102 may be a wearable device, such as a smartwatch, a fitness bracelet, an optical head-mounted display, or the like.

[0071] In addition, at least one UE 102 may be referred to as a subscriber unit, a mobile device, a mobile station, a user, a terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a fixed terminal, a subscriber station, a user terminal, or a device, or described using other terms used in the art.

[0072] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the node may be a satellite, an unmanned aerial vehicle, a device on a balloon, a high-altitude platform (HAP), etc.; it may be configured with an antenna unit of the BS, or may be the entire BS.

[0073] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the BS in the present disclosure ( Figure 1 not shown) may be referred to as an access point, an access terminal, a base, a macro cell, a RAN node, a next-generation (NG) RAN node, a Node B, an enhanced or evolved Node B (eNB), a general Node B (gNB), a home Node B, a relay node, or a device, or described using other terms used in the art.

[0074] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one TRP 102 may be configured with an antenna unit of a node (e.g., BS), or may be the entire node.

[0075] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a positioning server ( Figure 1 not shown in the figure) may refer to a network element (e.g., LMF entity) or a network entity for supporting location services, which may be deployed, for example, in the core network (CN) or RAN of the wireless communication system 100.

[0076] In some embodiments, when a UE (e.g., UE 102) is in the coverage area of a BS (or a node with the same or similar function), the UE may communicate with the BS via an air interface (e.g., LTE or NR Uu interface), for example.

[0077] In some embodiments, the positioning server may communicate with a BS (or a node with the same or similar function) via an interface protocol (e.g., NR positioning protocol A (NRPPa) signaling), and may communicate with the UE (e.g., UE 102) via LTE positioning protocol (LPP) signaling.

[0078] By using a multi-RTT positioning method for UE positioning in NTN, the position of the UE may be determined based on multiple RTTs between the UE and multiple TRPs at the same time or multiple RTTs between the UE and a single TRP at multiple different times.

[0079] Figure 2 Describe a conventional method for measuring and calculating the RTT associated with the UE and the TRP during the multi-RTT positioning process in the prior art. To measure the RTT between the UE and the TRP, the TRP transmits a DL-PRS to the UE at a first time point (i.e., ), the UE receives the DL-PRS and processes the DL-PRS at a third time point (i.e., ), and then transmits a UL-SRS to the TRP at a fourth time point (i.e., ); the TRP receives the UL-SRS at a second time point (i.e., ). The BS transmits to the LMF the first Rx-Tx time difference between (i.e., RxTxDiff TRP ), and the UE transmits to the LMF the second Rx-Tx time difference between (i.e., RxTxDiff UE ). The LMF may determine the RTT based on the RTT measurement results associated with the EU and the TRP (including the first Rx-Tx time difference and the second Rx-Tx time difference) as:

[0080]

[0081] where ΔT1 is the time difference between and, and ΔT2 is the time difference between and.

[0082] However, this conventional RTT measurement and calculation method can cause some problems, which can reduce the accuracy of UE positioning using the multi-RTT positioning method.

[0083] For example, the conventional RTT measurement and calculation method does not take into account that when the multi-RTT positioning process is performed between the UE and a single TRP at different times or between the UE and multiple TRPs and the TRP moves along the same track or in the same direction, the positioning server will derive two positions of the UE, one being the actual position of the UE and the other being the mirror position of the UE, and the positioning server cannot identify or discard the mirror position of the UE. This is called the "mirror problem".

[0084] Figure 3 Illustrate this exemplary "mirror problem". In the exemplary NTN system 300, multi-RTT positioning measurements are performed by measuring the RTT between the UE 301 and a single TRP 302 at different times. When the TRP 302 moves in one direction along its orbit, the LMF can derive two possible positions of the UE 301, one of which is the actual position of the UE 301 and the other position 303 is the mirror position of the UE 301. When multi-RTT positioning measurements are performed by simultaneously measuring the RTT between the UE (e.g., UE 101) and multiple TRPs, a similar problem can occur if the multiple TRPs move along the same track or in the same direction. In such cases, the LMF cannot identify the actual UE position based only on the multiple RTT measurement results (each containing the first Rx-Tx time difference RxTxDiff TRP associated with the UE and the TRP and the second Rx-Tx time difference RxTxDiff UE ). This "mirror problem" often occurs unless the UE moves on the projection line of the orbit on the earth or the TRP moves in different directions.

[0085] Another problem caused by the conventional RTT measurement method is attributed to the movement of the TRP in the NTN during the multi-RTT positioning process. Return reference Figure 2 As an example, the conventional RTT measurement between the UE and the TRP does not take into account the movement of the TRP or the UE. However, in the NTN, the TRP can remain moving during the multi-RTT positioning process; in addition, the UE can also move from time to time during the multi-RTT positioning process, although the movement of the UE may be much smaller than that of the TRP.

[0086] Figure 4 Describe the impact of the movement of the TRP and / or the UE on the RTT measurement between the UE and the TRP.

[0087] As Figure 4 shown, considering the movement of the TRP or the UE, the RTT can be:

[0088]

[0089] where ΔT3 is caused by the movement of the TRP during the entire RxTxDiff TRP period, and ΔT4 is caused by the movement of the UE between (i.e., the end of RxTxDiff UE ) and (i.e., the end of RxTxDiff TRP ).

[0090] Considering that the RTT measurement needs to be performed multiple times in the NTN during the multi-RTT positioning process and the movement speed of the TRP, this neglect of ΔT3 may lead to kilometer-level errors in the positioning result. In this case, the LMF cannot derive the accurate UE position in the NTN. Moreover, although ΔT4 may be less than ΔT3 or even much less than ΔT3, it is still helpful to improve the UE positioning in the NTN when considering ΔT4 during the multi-RTT positioning process.

[0091] The present disclosure provides various solutions to solve the above two problems.

[0092] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, at least one of the UE or the BS (or a node with a similar function) provides auxiliary measurement information associated with the RTT measurement between the UE and the TRP to a positioning server (e.g., an LMF entity), and the positioning server can determine the RTT during the multi-RTT positioning process at least partially based on the auxiliary measurement information and the RTT measurement result, where the auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of the following:

[0093] ● Supplementary information associated with the UE and the TRP;

[0094] ● Timing information associated with the RTT measurement result;

[0095] ● A first offset time difference of the RTT measurement result of the TRP; or

[0096] ● A second offset time difference of the RTT measurement result of the UE.

[0097] According to some embodiments, the positioning server can use the supplementary information associated with the TRP and the UE to identify the actual position of the UE and discard the mirror position of the UE.

[0098] In some embodiments, the UE or the BS directly provides supplementary information to the positioning server. In some embodiments, the UE provides supplementary information to the BS, and the BS forwards the supplementary information to the positioning server.

[0099] In some embodiments, the UE directly provides a part of the supplementary information to the positioning server, and the BS directly provides the remaining part of the supplementary information to the positioning server.

[0100] In some embodiments, the UE provides a part of the supplementary information to the BS, and the BS forwards the part of the supplementary information and transmits the remaining supplementary information to the positioning server.

[0101] In some embodiments, the supplementary information includes at least one of the following:

[0102] ● The horizontal angle between the UE and the TRP,

[0103] The UE or the BS may provide this information to the positioning server;

[0104] ● At least one tracking area or RNA identifier of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and the geographical location of the UE;

[0105] The positioning server may derive a first reference position based on the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier of the UE and the geographical location of the UE,

[0106] In some embodiments, the UE provides the at least one tracking area or RAN identifier of the UE to the positioning server, and the BS provides the mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and the geographical location of the UE to the positioning server,

[0107] and the mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and the geographical location of the UE,

[0108] In some embodiments, the BS provides both the at least one tracking area or RAN identifier of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and the geographical location of the UE to the positioning server;

[0109] ● The first reference position of the UE,

[0110] The first reference position of the UE is derived by the BS based on the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier of the UE and the geographical location of the UE;

[0111] ● At least one neighboring cell of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the geographical location of the UE,

[0112] The positioning server can derive a second reference position of the UE based on the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the geographical location of the UE,

[0113] In some embodiments, the UE provides the positioning server with the at least one neighboring cell of the UE, and the BS provides the positioning server with the mapping relationship between the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the geographical location of the UE,

[0114] In some embodiments, the BS provides the positioning server with both the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the geographical location of the UE;

[0115] ● The second reference position of the UE provided by the BS,

[0116] The BS derives the second reference position of the UE based on the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the geographical location of the UE;

[0117] ● At least one beam of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one beam and the geographical location of the UE,

[0118] The positioning server can derive a third reference position of the UE based on the at least one beam of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one beam and the geographical location of the UE,

[0119] In some embodiments, the UE provides the positioning server with the at least one beam of the UE, and the BS provides the positioning server with the mapping relationship between the at least one beam of the UE and the geographical location of the UE,

[0120] In some embodiments, the BS provides the positioning server with both the at least one beam of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one beam and the geographical location of the UE; or

[0121] ● The third reference position of the UE provided by the BS,

[0122] The BS derives a third reference position based on the at least one beam of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one beam of the UE and the geographical location of the UE.

[0123] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 500 for identifying the actual position of a UE by using supplementary information and discarding the mirror position of the UE according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 5 The method 500 illustrated in may be performed by at least three entities, for example, a UE (e.g., UE 101), a BS (not explicitly shown in Figure 1 ), and a positioning server (e.g., an LMF entity). Although the method 500 is illustrated at a system level, those skilled in the art will understand that the method implemented in the three entities may be separately implemented and combined in other devices with similar functions. It is also contemplated that the method 500 may include additional steps not shown.

[0124] In step 501, the BS and the UE perform RTT measurements between the UE and the TRP of the BS. The TRP transmits a DL signal to the UE, the UE receives and processes the DL signal, and then transmits a UL signal to the TRP, and the TRP receives the UL signal. In some embodiments, the UL signal is a UL SRS, and the DL signal is a DL PRS.

[0125] In step 502, the BS transmits to the LMF and the first Rx - Tx time difference (i.e., RxTxDiff TRP ).

[0126] In step 503, the UE transmits to the LMF and the second Rx - Tx time difference (i.e., RxTxDiff UE ). It is contemplated that in some embodiments, there is no strict limitation on the order of step 502 and step 503. In some embodiments, the UE may transmit the second Rx - Tx time difference to the BS, and the BS may forward the second Rx - Tx time difference to the UE.

[0127] In step 504, the positioning server receives the first Rx - Tx time difference and the second Rx - Tx time difference, and calculates the RTT between the UE and the TRP of the BS based on the first Rx - Tx time difference and the second Rx - Tx time difference.

[0128] In some embodiments, at least one of step 505 or step 506 is performed; whether step 505 or step 506 is performed, or both step 505 and step 506 are performed, depends at least in part on the content of the supplementary information.

[0129] In step 505, the UE provides the positioning server with supplementary information associated with the UE and the TRP or a portion of the supplementary information.

[0130] In step 506, the BS provides the positioning server with supplementary information associated with the UE and the TRP or a reset of the supplementary information.

[0131] In some embodiments, the positioning server may obtain multiple RTTs by repeating steps 501 to 504 between the UE and a single TRP at multiple different times. In some embodiments, the positioning server may obtain multiple RTTs by concurrently executing steps 501 to 504 between the UE and multiple TRPs; and the multiple TRPs move along the same orbit or in the same direction. Thus, the positioning server may derive two positions, one being the actual UE position and the other being the mirror position of the UE.

[0132] Furthermore, upon consideration, in some embodiments, it is not necessary to repeat step 506 and / or step 507 for each execution of steps 501 to 504. One execution of step 506 and / or step 507 associated with one RTT is sufficient to identify the actual position of the UE and discard the mirror position of the UE; in other words, it is not necessary to execute step 506 and / or step 507 for each RTT measurement during the multi-RTT positioning process.

[0133] In step 507, during the multi-RTT positioning process in NTN, the positioning server identifies the actual position of the UE or discards the mirror position of the UE based on multiple RTTs and the supplementary information associated with the RTTs.

[0134] To compensate for the negative impacts of TRP movement and / or UE movement during the multi-RTT positioning process, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, for each RTT measurement result (including the first Rx-Tx time difference and the second Rx-Tx time difference associated with the UE and the TRP), at least one of the UE and the BS (or a node with similar functions) including the TRP may provide the positioning server with timing information associated with the RTT measurement result. The positioning server may use the timing information to compensate for the negative impacts of TRP movement and / or UE movement during the RTT measurement associated with the UE and the TRP.

[0135] In some embodiments, the BS provides the positioning server with timing information associated with the RTT measurement result.

[0136] In some embodiments, the UE directly provides a portion of the timing information to the positioning server, and the BS directly provides the remaining portion of the timing information to the positioning server.

[0137] In some embodiments, the UE provides a portion of the timing information to the BS, and the BS forwards the received portion of the timing information and transmits a reset of the timing information to the positioning server.

[0138] In some embodiments, the timing information includes a first time point at which the TRP transmits a DL signal to the UE (i.e., ) and a second time point at which the TRP receives a UL signal from the UE (i.e., ). In some embodiments, the timing information may further include a third time point at which the UE receives the DL signal (i.e., ) and a fourth time point at which the UE transmits the UL signal (i.e., ). The BS provides the first time point and the second time point to the positioning server. In some embodiments, the UE directly provides the third time point and the fourth time point to the positioning server. In some embodiments, the UE provides the third time point and the fourth time point to the BS, and the BS forwards the received third time point and the fourth time point to the positioning server. In some embodiments, the BS derives the third time point and the fourth time point at least based on the RX-TX time difference measurement configuration and transmits the two time points to the positioning server, where in some embodiments, the RX-TX time difference measurement configuration is associated with the DL PRS transmission window and the UL SRS reception window.

[0139] In some embodiments, the timing information includes a UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point; the BS transmits the UE-specific timing advance to the positioning server. In some embodiments, the BS transmits a request to the UE to obtain the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point from the UE. In some embodiments, the BS derives the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point based on at least one of a previous UE-specific timing advance, a total adjusted timing advance before the second time point, and a common timing advance applied in the serving cell; for example, the BS may derive the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point as the previous UE-specific timing advance plus the total adjusted timing advance before the second time point minus the common timing advance applied in the serving cell.

[0140] In some embodiments, the timing information further includes at least one of the following directly provided by the UE:

[0141] ● A UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point, where

[0142] In some embodiments, the BS provides the second time point to the UE, and in some embodiments, the UE derives the second time point based on the UE-specific timing advance at the fourth time point;

[0143] ● UE-specific timing advance change between the fourth time point and the second time point, where

[0144] In some embodiments, the BS provides the second time point to the UE, and

[0145] In some embodiments, the UE derives the second time point based on the UE-specific timing advance at the fourth time point;

[0146] Or

[0147] ● UE-specific timing advance change rate at the fourth time point.

[0148] Figure 6 Flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 600 for calculating the RTT associated with a UE and a TRP according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, where a positioning server uses received timing information to compensate for the negative impact of the movement of at least one of the TRP and the UE during RTT measurement. Figure 6 The method 600 illustrated in may be performed by at least three entities, e.g., a UE (e.g., UE 101), a BS (or a node with similar functionality, not explicitly shown in Figure 1 ), and a positioning server (e.g., an LMF entity). Although the method 600 is illustrated at a system level, those skilled in the art will understand that the methods implemented in the three entities may be separately implemented and combined in other devices with similar functionality. It is also contemplated that the method 600 may include additional steps not shown.

[0149] In step 601, the BS and the UE perform an RTT measurement between the UE and the TRP of the BS. The TRP transmits a DL signal to the UE, the UE receives and processes the DL signal, and then transmits a UL signal to the TRP, and the TRP receives the UL signal. In some embodiments, the UL signal is a UL SRS, and the DL signal is a DL PRS.

[0150] In step 602, the BS transmits to the positioning server The First Rx-Tx time difference between (i.e., RxTxDiff TRP ).

[0151] In step 603, the UE transmits to the positioning server The Second Rx-Tx time difference between (i.e., RxTxDiff UE ). It is contemplated that in some embodiments, there is no strict limitation on the order of step 602 and step 603. In some embodiments, the UE may transmit the second Rx-Tx time difference to the BS, and the BS may forward the second Rx-Tx time difference to the UE.

[0152] In some embodiments, whether step 604 or step 605 is performed, or both step 604 and step 605 are performed, depends at least in part on 1) the content of the timing information and / or 2) whether it is necessary to compensate for TRP movement or both TRP movement and UE movement during the RTT measurement.

[0153] In some embodiments, in step 604, the UE provides the timing information associated with the UE and the TRP to the BS; and in step 605, the BS forwards the timing information associated with the UE and the TRP to the positioning server.

[0154] In some embodiments, in step 604, the UE directly provides the timing information associated with the UE and the TRP to the positioning server; and step 605 is not performed.

[0155] In some embodiments, in step 604, the UE provides a part of the timing information associated with the UE and the TRP to the BS; and in step 605, the BS forwards the received part of the timing information associated with the UE and the TRP and transmits the remaining timing information to the positioning server.

[0156] In some embodiments, step 604 is not performed, and the BS provides the timing information associated with the UE and the TRP to the positioning server.

[0157] In step 606, the positioning server calculates the RTT between the UE and the TRP based on the RTT measurement results (including the first Rx - Tx time difference and the second Rx - Tx time difference), and uses the timing information to compensate for the negative impact of TRP and / or UE movement during the RTT measurement to achieve an adjusted RTT for positioning the UE.

[0158] To compensate for the negative impact of TRP movement and / or UE movement during the multi - RTT positioning process, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, for each RTT measurement result (including the first Rx - Tx time difference and the second Rx - Tx time difference associated with the UE and the TRP), the BS (or a node with a similar function) including the TRP transmits a first offset time difference of the RTT measurement result to the positioning server, where the first offset time difference compensates for the negative impact of TRP movement during the RTT measurement; the positioning server can use the first offset time difference instead of the first Rx - Tx time difference to calculate the RTT. In some embodiments, the UE can further transmit a second offset time difference of the RTT measurement to the positioning server, where the second offset time difference compensates for the negative impact of UE movement during the RTT measurement; the positioning server can use the second offset time difference instead of the second Rx - Tx time difference to calculate the RTT.

[0159] In some embodiments, the first offset time difference of the RRT measurement is equal to twice the time difference between the second time point and the fourth time point. Wherein in some embodiments, the BS receives the fourth time point from the UE; and wherein in some embodiments, the BS derives the fourth time point based at least on the RX-TX time difference measurement configuration. In some embodiments, the RX-TX time difference measurement configuration is associated with the DL signal (e.g., DL PRS) transmission window and the UL signal (e.g., UL SRS) reception window.

[0160] In some embodiments, the first offset time difference of the RRT measurement is equal to the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point. In some embodiments, the BS transmits a request to the UE to obtain the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point. In some embodiments, the BS derives the UE-specific timing advance between the UE and the TRP at the second time point based on at least one of the previous UE-specific timing advance, the total adjusted timing advance before the second time point, and the common timing advance applied in the serving cell; for example, the BS may derive the UE-specific timing advance between the EU and the TRP at the second time point as the previous UE-specific timing advance plus the total adjusted timing advance before the second time point minus the common timing advance applied in the serving cell.

[0161] In some embodiments, the second offset time difference of the RTT measurement result is determined based on 1) the change in the UE-specific timing advance between the fourth time point and the second time point and 2) the second Rx-Tx time difference. In some embodiments, the second offset time difference of the RTT measurement result is equal to the second Rx-Tx time difference plus the change in the UE-specific timing advance between the fourth time point and the second time point. In some embodiments, the second time point is provided by the BS to the UE. In some embodiments, the UE derives the second time point based on the UE-specific timing advance at the fourth time point.

[0162] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an exemplary method 700 for calculating the RTT associated with a UE and a TRP according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, wherein the BS provides a first offset time difference that compensates for the movement of the BS during the RTT measurement. In some embodiments, the UE may further provide a second offset time difference that compensates for the movement of the UE during the RTT measurement. Figure 7 The method 700 illustrated in may be performed by at least three entities, for example, a UE (e.g., UE 101), a BS including a TRP (or a node having a similar function, not explicitly shown in Figure 1 ), and a positioning server (e.g., an LMF entity, Figure 1(not shown in the figure). Although the method 700 is described at the system level, those skilled in the art will understand that the method implemented in three entities can be separately implemented and combined in other devices with similar functions. It is also contemplated that the method 700 may include additional steps not shown.

[0163] In step 701, the BS and the UE perform RTT measurements between the UE and the TRP of the BS. The TRP transmits a DL signal to the UE, the UE receives and processes the DL signal, and then transmits a UL signal to the TRP, and the TRP receives the UL signal. In some embodiments, the UL signal is a UL SRS, and the DL signal is a DL PRS.

[0164] In step 702, the BS transmits to the LMF the first Rx - Tx time difference between TRP ).

[0165] In step 703, the UE transmits to the LMF the second Rx - Tx time difference between UE ). It is contemplated that in some embodiments, there is no strict restriction on the order of step 702 and step 703. In some embodiments, the UE may transmit the second Rx - Tx time difference to the BS, and the BS may forward the second Rx - Tx time difference to the UE.

[0166] In some embodiments, in step 704, the BS transmits the first offset time difference of the RTT measurement result to the positioning server. In step 706, upon receiving the first offset time difference, the positioning server may use the first offset time difference instead of the first Rx - Tx time difference to calculate the RTT between the UE and the TRP associated with the RTT measurement; the RTT is equal to the first offset time difference minus the second Rx - Tx time difference, and thus compensates for the negative impact of the movement of the TRP during the RTT measurement. It is contemplated that in some embodiments, when step 704 is performed, step 702 is not performed; or the positioning server may ignore the received first Rx - Tx time difference.

[0167] In some embodiments, in addition to performing step 704, step 705 is also performed. In step 705, the UE further transmits a second offset time difference of the RTT measurement result to the positioning server. In step 706, upon receiving the second offset time difference, the positioning server may use the first offset time difference instead of the first Rx - Tx time difference, and use the second offset time difference instead of the second Rx - Tx time difference to calculate the RTT between the UE and the TRP associated with the RTT measurement; the RTT is equal to the first offset time difference minus the second offset time difference, and thus compensates for the negative impacts of the TRP movement and the UE movement during the RTT measurement. It is contemplated that in some embodiments, when steps 704 and 705 are performed, steps 702 and 703 are not performed; or the positioning server may ignore the received first Rx - Tx time difference and the received second Rx - Tx time difference.

[0168] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning server may transmit a request for obtaining auxiliary measurement information from at least one of the UE and the BS to at least one of the UE and the BS.

[0169] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the positioning server may configure at least one of the UE and the BS to transmit auxiliary measurement information after the RTT measurement or during or after the multi - RTT positioning process.

[0170] It is contemplated that in some embodiments, supplementary information associated with the UE and the TRP and timing information associated with the RTT measurement may be used in combination to improve the accuracy of the multi - RTT positioning of the UE.

[0171] It is contemplated that in some embodiments, supplementary information associated with the UE and at least one of the first offset time difference and the second offset time difference of the RTT measurement may be used in combination to improve the accuracy of the multi - RTT positioning of the UE.

[0172] It is contemplated that without violating the spirit of the present disclosure, any method or solution described in the present disclosure may be used in combination to improve the accuracy of the multi - RTT positioning of the UE in NTN.

[0173] Figure 8 A simplified block diagram of an exemplary device 800 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0174] In some embodiments, the device 800 may be or include at least a part of a UE (e.g., UE 101), which is capable of performing any operation performed by the UE as described in the present disclosure.

[0175] In some embodiments, the device 800 may be or include a BS (or a node with similar functions) capable of performing any operation performed by the BS as described in the present disclosure. Figure 1at least a portion not explicitly shown in

[0176] In some embodiments, the device 800 may be or include a positioning server capable of performing any operations performed by the positioning server described in this disclosure ( Figure 1 at least a portion not explicitly shown in

[0177] As Figure 8 shown in, the device 800 may at least include a transceiver 810 and a processor 820 coupled to the transceiver 810. In some embodiments, the transceiver 810 may include an integrated transmitter and receiver. In some embodiments, the transceiver 810 may include separate transmitter and receiver. In some embodiments, the transceiver 810 may be a wireless transceiver.

[0178] In some embodiments, the device 800 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium 830 storing computer-executable instructions 840 thereon. The non-transitory computer-readable medium 830 may be coupled to the processor 820 and the transceiver 810, and the computer-executable instructions 840 may be configured to be executable by the processor 820. In some embodiments, the transceiver 810, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 830, and the processor 820 may be coupled to each other via one or more local buses.

[0179] Although in Figure 8 , elements such as the transceiver 810, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 830, and the processor 820 are described in the singular form, the plural form should be considered unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular form. In certain embodiments of the present disclosure, the device 800 may further include other components for actual use.

[0180] In various example embodiments, the processor 820 may include, but is not limited to, at least one hardware processor, including at least one microprocessor (e.g., CPU), a part of at least one hardware processor, and any other suitable dedicated processor, such as a processor developed based on, for example, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) and an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). In addition, the processor 820 may also include Figure 8 at least one other circuitry or element not shown in

[0181] In various example embodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 830 may include at least one storage medium in various forms, such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. Volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, RAM, cache, etc. Non-volatile memory may include, but is not limited to, for example, ROM, hard disk, flash memory, etc. In addition, the non-transitory computer-readable medium 830 may include, but is not limited to, electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, devices, or apparatuses, or any combination of the above.

[0182] In addition, in various example embodiments, device 800 may also include at least one other circuitry, component, and interface, such as antenna elements and the like.

[0183] According to some embodiments, device 800 is a positioning server. Transceiver 810 and processor 820 may be configured to perform operations according to any of the above methods performed by a positioning server. For example, processor 820 may be configured to: receive, using the transceiver and from at least one of the BS or UE, auxiliary measurement information associated with an RTT measurement between the UE and the TRP of the BS; and determine the RTT and locate the UE during a multi-RTT positioning process based at least in part on the auxiliary measurement information and the RTT measurement result, wherein the auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of: supplementary information associated with the UE and the TRP; timing information associated with the RTT measurement result; a first offset time difference of the RTT measurement result of the TRP; or a second offset time difference of the RTT measurement result of the UE.

[0184] According to some embodiments, device 800 is a BS. Transceiver 810 and processor 820 may be configured to perform operations according to any of the above methods performed by a BS. For example, processor 820 may be configured to: perform an RTT measurement between the UE and the TRP of the BS; and transmit auxiliary measurement information and an RTT measurement result (i.e., a first Rx-Tx time difference) associated with the RTT measurement to a positioning server, wherein the auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of: supplementary information for locating the UE; timing information associated with the RTT measurement result; a first offset time difference associated with the RTT measurement result.

[0185] According to some embodiments, device 800 is a UE. Transceiver 810 and processor 820 may be configured to perform operations according to any of the above methods performed by a UE. For example, processor 820 may be configured to: perform an RTT measurement between the UE and the TRP of the BS; and transmit auxiliary measurement information and an RTT measurement result (i.e., a second Rx-Tx time difference) associated with the RTT measurement to at least one of the BS or the positioning server, wherein the auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of: supplementary information for locating the UE; timing information associated with the RTT measurement result; or a second offset time difference associated with the RTT measurement result.

[0186] In various example embodiments, the circuitry, portions, components, and interfaces in the exemplary devices, including the processor and the non-transitory computer-readable medium, may be coupled together in any suitable manner, such as electrically, magnetically, optically, electromagnetically, and the like, via any suitable connections, including but not limited to buses, crossbars, wirings, and / or wireless lines.

[0187] The methods of the present disclosure may be implemented on a programmed processor. However, the controllers, flowcharts, and modules may also be implemented on a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, a programmed microprocessor or microcontroller and peripheral integrated circuit elements, an integrated circuit, a hardware electronic or logic circuit (such as a discrete element circuit), a programmable logic device, or the like. Generally, any device having a finite state machine capable of implementing the flowcharts shown in the figures may be used to implement the processing functions of the present disclosure.

[0188] Although the present disclosure has been described with reference to specific embodiments of the present disclosure, it is apparent that many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, the various components of the embodiments may be interchanged, added, or replaced in other embodiments. Moreover, all of the elements shown in each figure are not necessary for the operation of the disclosed embodiments. For example, those skilled in the art of the disclosed embodiments will be able to make and use the teachings of the present disclosure by simply employing the elements of the independent claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the present disclosure set forth herein are intended to be illustrative rather than restrictive. Various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0189] The term "includes / includes / including" or any other variation thereof is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that includes a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element preceded by "a / an" or the like (without further limitation) does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element. Moreover, the term "another" is defined as at least a second or more. As used herein, the terms "includes", "has", and the like are defined as "including". In the present disclosure, relative terms such as "first", "second", and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action, without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions.

Claims

1. A positioning server for a wireless network, comprising: A transceiver; And A processor, coupled to the transceiver and configured to: Receive, using the transceiver, auxiliary measurement information associated with round-trip time (RTT) measurements between a user equipment (UE) and a transmission and reception point (TRP) of a base station (BS) from at least one of the BS or the UE; And Determine the RTT and locate the UE during a multi-RTT positioning process, at least in part based on the auxiliary measurement information and the RTT measurement result, wherein The auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of the following: Supplementary information associated with the UE and the TRP; Timing information associated with the RTT measurement result; A first offset time difference of the RTT measurement result of the TRP; or A second offset time difference of the RTT measurement result of the UE.

2. The positioning server according to claim 1, wherein the supplementary information includes at least one of the following: a horizontal angle between the UE and the TRP; At least one tracking area or radio access network (RAN) notification area RNA identifier of the UE and a mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and the geographical location of the UE; A first reference position of the UE derived by the BS based on the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and the geographical location of the UE; At least one neighboring cell of the UE and a mapping relationship between the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the geographical location of the UE; A second reference position of the UE derived by the BS based on the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the geographical location of the UE; At least one beam of the UE and a mapping relationship between the at least one beam of the UE and the geographical location of the UE; A third reference position of the UE derived by the BS based on the at least one beam of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one beam of the UE and the geographical location of the UE.

3. The positioning server according to claim 1, wherein the timing information associated with the RTT measurement result includes: A first time point at which the TRP transmits a downlink (DL) signal to the UE, and A second time point at which the TRP receives an uplink (UL) signal from the UE.

4. The positioning server according to claim 3, wherein the timing information associated with the RTT measurement result further includes: A third time point at which the UE receives the DL signal and a fourth time point at which the UE transmits the UL signal.

5. The positioning server according to claim 1, wherein the first offset time difference is provided by the BS and is equal to twice the time difference between the fourth time point at which the UE transmits the UL signal and the second time point at which the TRP receives the UL signal from the UE.

6. The positioning server according to claim 1, wherein the positioning server transmits a request for receiving the auxiliary measurement information to at least one of the UE and the BS or configures at least one of the UE and the BS to receive the auxiliary measurement information.

7. A user equipment UE, comprising: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: perform a round-trip time RTT measurement between the UE and a transmit and receive point TRP of a base station BS; and transmit auxiliary measurement information associated with the RTT measurement and an RTT measurement result to at least one of the BS or the positioning server, wherein the auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of the following: supplementary information for positioning the UE; timing information associated with the RTT measurement; or offset time difference associated with the RTT measurement.

8. The UE according to claim 7, wherein the supplementary information includes at least one of the following: a horizontal angle between the UE and the TRP; at least one tracking area or radio access network RAN notification area RNA identifier of the UE; at least one neighboring cell of the UE; or at least one beam of the UE.

9. The UE according to claim 7, wherein the timing information associated with the RTT measurement includes: a first time point at which the UE receives a downlink DL signal from the TRP and a second time point at which the UE transmits an uplink UL signal to the TRP.

10. A base station BS, comprising: a transceiver; and a processor coupled to the transceiver and configured to: perform a round-trip time RTT measurement between a user equipment UE and a transmit and receive point TRP of the BS; and transmit auxiliary measurement information and an RTT measurement result associated with the RTT measurement to a positioning server, wherein the auxiliary measurement information includes at least one of the following: supplementary information for positioning the UE; timing information associated with the RTT measurement result; or offset time difference.

11. The BS according to claim 10, wherein the supplementary information includes at least one of the following: a horizontal angle between the UE and the TRP; at least one tracking area or radio access network RAN notification area RNA identifier of the UE; a mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and the geographical location of the UE; a first reference position of the UE derived by the BS based on the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and the mapping relationship between the at least one tracking area or RNA identifier and the geographical location of the UE; at least one neighboring cell of the UE; a mapping relationship between the at least one neighboring cell and the geographical location of the UE; a second reference position of the UE derived by the BS based on the at least one neighboring cell of the UE and the mapping relationship between the at least one neighboring cell and the geographical location of the UE; at least one beam of the UE; The mapping relationship between the at least one beam and the geographical location of the UE; The third reference position of the UE derived by the BS based on the at least one beam and the mapping relationship between the at least one beam and the geographical location of the UE.

12. The BS according to claim 10, wherein the timing information associated with the RTT measurement result includes: The first time point at which the TRP transmits a downlink DL signal to the UE, and The second time point at which the TRP receives an uplink UL signal from the UE.

13. The BS according to claim 12, wherein the timing information associated with the RTT measurement result further includes: The third time point at which the UE receives the DL signal from the TRP, and The fourth time point at which the UE transmits the UL signal to the TRP.

14. The BS according to claim 10, wherein the offset time difference is equal to twice the time difference between the fourth time point at which the UE transmits the UL signal and the second time point at which the TRP receives the UL signal from the UE.

15. The BS according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: The third time point and the fourth time point at which the UE receives the DL signal from the TRP are derived at least based on the receive-transmit RX-TX time difference measurement configuration; or The third time point and the fourth time point at which the UE receives the DL signal from the TRP are received from the UE.

Images