Reporting of relative reference signal received power peaks associated with positioning reference signal resources

Abstract

In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) determines an earliest arrival path for each of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources each associated with a different beam of a plurality of beams. The UE determines a first reference signal receive path power (RSRPP) peak for each earliest arrival path of the plurality of PRS resources. The UE determines a reference RSRPP value. The UE transmits a measurement report having a first RSRPP configuration, the measurement report including an indication of a relative set of RSRPP peaks, the relative set of RSRPP peaks based on (i) a set of RSRPP peaks associated with a respective set of PRS resources of the plurality of PRS resources and (ii) the reference RSRPP value. A positioning estimation entity determines a positioning estimate for the UE based on the measurement report.

Description

Background Art 1. Technical Field

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications.

[0002] 2. Description of Related Technologies

[0003] Wireless communication systems have evolved over many generations, including first-generation analog wireless telephone service (1G), second-generation (2G) digital wireless telephone service (including transitional 2.5G and 2.75G networks), third-generation (3G) high-speed data, internet-capable wireless services, and fourth-generation (4G) services (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE) or WiMax). Currently, many different types of wireless communication systems are in use, including cellular systems and Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems. Examples of known cellular systems include the cellular analog Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), and digital cellular systems based on code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and the like.

[0004] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), enables higher data transfer speeds, a greater number of connections, and better coverage, among other improvements. According to the Next Generation Mobile Networks Alliance, the 5G standard is designed to provide higher data rates, more accurate positioning (e.g., based on reference signals for positioning (RS-P), such as downlink, uplink, or sidelink Positioning Reference Signals (PRS)), and other technical enhancements compared to previous standards. These enhancements, along with the use of higher frequency bands, advances in PRS procedures and technologies, and high-density deployments of 5G, enable highly accurate positioning based on 5G. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The following presents a simplified summary of one or more aspects disclosed herein. Therefore, the following summary should neither be considered an exhaustive overview of all contemplated aspects nor be considered to identify key or critical elements related to all contemplated aspects or to delineate the scope associated with any particular aspect. Therefore, the sole purpose of the following summary is to present certain concepts related to one or more aspects of the mechanisms disclosed herein in a simplified form prior to the detailed description presented below.

[0006] In one aspect, a method of operating a user equipment (UE) includes determining an earliest arriving path for each of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams; determining a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) peak for each earliest arriving path of the plurality of PRS resources; determining a reference RSRPP value; and sending a first measurement report with a first RSRPP configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) an RSRPP peak set associated with a corresponding PRS resource set in the plurality of PRS resources and (ii) the reference RSRPP value.

[0007] In one aspect, a method of operating a positioning estimation entity includes: receiving a first measurement report having a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set, the relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) RSRPP peak sets associated with corresponding sets of PRS resources in a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams, and (ii) a reference RSRPP value; and determining a positioning estimate for a user equipment (UE) based on the first measurement report.

[0008] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: determine an earliest arriving path for each of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams; determine a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) peak for each earliest arriving path of the plurality of PRS resources; determine a reference RSRPP value; and send, via the at least one transceiver, a first measurement report having a first RSRPP configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) an RSRPP peak set associated with a corresponding PRS resource set in the plurality of PRS resources and (ii) the reference RSRPP value.

[0009] In one aspect, a positioning estimation entity includes: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a first measurement report having a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set, the relative RSRPP peak set being based on (i) RSRPP peak sets associated with respective sets of PRS resources in a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams, and (ii) a reference RSRPP value; and determine a positioning estimate for a user equipment (UE) based on the first measurement report.

[0010] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: means for determining an earliest arriving path for each of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams; means for determining a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) peak value for each earliest arriving path of the plurality of PRS resources; means for determining a reference RSRPP value; and means for sending a first measurement report with a first RSRPP configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) an RSRPP peak set associated with a corresponding PRS resource set in the plurality of PRS resources and (ii) the reference RSRPP value.

[0011] In one aspect, a positioning estimation entity includes: means for receiving a first measurement report having a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set, the relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) RSRPP peak sets associated with respective sets of PRS resources in a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams, and (ii) a reference RSRPP value; and means for determining a positioning estimate of a user equipment (UE) based on the first measurement report.

[0012] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), causes the UE to: determine an earliest arriving path for each of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams; determine a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) peak for each earliest arriving path of the plurality of PRS resources; determine a reference RSRPP value; and send a first measurement report with a first RSRPP configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) an RSRPP peak set associated with a corresponding PRS resource set in the plurality of PRS resources and (ii) the reference RSRPP value.

[0013] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a positioning estimation entity, causes the positioning estimation entity to: receive a first measurement report having a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) RSRPP peak sets associated with respective sets of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources in a plurality of PRS resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams, and (ii) a reference RSRPP value; and determine a positioning estimate for a user equipment (UE) based on the first measurement report.

[0014] Other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the accompanying drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The accompanying drawings are presented to aid in describing various aspects of the present disclosure and are provided solely for illustration and not limitation of the aspects.

[0016] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0017] Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B and Figure 2C Example wireless network structures according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0018] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C is a simplified block diagram of several sample aspects of components that may be employed in a user equipment (UE), a base station, and a network entity, respectively, and configured to support communications as taught herein.

[0019] Figure 4is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 5 is a diagram illustrating various downlink channels within an example downlink time slot in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating various uplink channels within an example uplink time slot in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0022] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example downlink positioning reference signal (DL-PRS) configuration for two transmit reception points (TRPs) operating in the same positioning frequency layer in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0023] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example base station in communication with an example UE according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 9 DL-AoA measurement scenarios according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0025] Figure 10 An exemplary process of communication according to one aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0026] Figure 11 An exemplary process of communication according to one aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0027] Figure 12 Channel Energy Response (CER) according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0028] Figure 13 Channel Energy Response (CER) according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0029] Figure 14 Channel Energy Response (CER) according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0030] Figure 15 Channel Energy Response (CER) according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Various aspects of the present disclosure are provided below in the description and related drawings of various examples provided for illustrative purposes. Alternative aspects may be devised without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, well-known elements of the present disclosure will not be described in detail or will be omitted to avoid making the relevant details of the present disclosure difficult to understand.

[0032] The words "exemplary" and / or "example" are used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" and / or "example" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Likewise, the term "aspects of the disclosure" does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage, or mode of operation.

[0033] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any of a variety of different techniques and methods may be used to represent the information and signals described below. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the following description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof, depending in part on the specific application, in part on the desired design, in part on the corresponding technology, and so on.

[0034] In addition, many aspects are described in terms of sequences of actions to be performed by, for example, elements of a computing device. It will be appreciated that the various actions described herein may be performed by specific circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuits (ASICs)), by program instructions executed by one or more processors, or by a combination of the two. Additionally, the sequences of actions described herein may be viewed as being fully embodied within any form of non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that, when executed, will cause or command the associated processor of the device to perform the functionality described herein. Accordingly, various aspects of the present disclosure may be embodied in a variety of different forms, all of which are contemplated to be within the scope of the claimed subject matter. Additionally, for each of the various aspects described herein, the corresponding form of any such aspect may be described herein as, for example, "logic configured to perform the described actions."

[0035] As used herein, unless otherwise specified, the terms "user equipment" (UE) and "base station" are not intended to be specific or otherwise limited to any particular radio access technology (RAT). In general, a UE can be any wireless communication device used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network (e.g., a mobile phone, a router, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a consumer asset location device, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), a vehicle (e.g., a car, a motorcycle, a bicycle, etc.), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.). A UE can be mobile or can be stationary (e.g., at certain times) and can communicate with a radio access network (RAN). As used herein, the term "UE" can be interchangeably referred to as an "access terminal" or "AT," "client device," "wireless device," "subscriber device," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal" or "UT," "mobile device," "mobile terminal," "mobile station," or variations thereof. In general, a UE can communicate with a core network via the RAN, and through the core network, the UE can connect to external networks such as the Internet and to other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms for connecting to the core network and / or the Internet are also possible for the UE, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (e.g., based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification, etc.), etc.

[0036] A base station may operate according to one of several RATs to communicate with UEs, depending on the network in which it is deployed, and may alternatively be referred to as an access point (AP), network node, Node B, evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), new radio (NR) Node B (also referred to as gNB or gNodeB), etc. A base station may primarily support wireless access for UEs, including supporting data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the supported UEs. In some systems, a base station may only provide edge node signaling functions, while in other systems it may provide additional control and / or network management functions. The communication link through which a UE can transmit signals to a base station is called an uplink (UL) channel (e.g., a reverse traffic channel, a reverse control channel, an access channel, etc.). The communication link through which a base station can transmit signals to a UE is called a downlink (DL) or forward link channel (e.g., a paging channel, a control channel, a broadcast channel, a forward traffic channel, etc.). As used herein, the term "traffic channel (TCH)" may refer to either an uplink / reverse traffic channel or a downlink / forward traffic channel.

[0037] The term "base station" may refer to a single physical transmit receive point (TRP) or multiple physical TRPs that may or may not be co-located. For example, where the term "base station" refers to a single physical TRP, the physical TRP may be an antenna of the base station corresponding to the cell (or several cell sectors) of the base station. Where the term "base station" refers to multiple co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be an antenna array of the base station (e.g., as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system or where the base station employs beamforming). Where the term "base station" refers to multiple non-co-located physical TRPs, the physical TRP may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station). Alternatively, the non-co-located physical TRP may be a serving base station that receives measurement reports from a UE and a neighboring base station whose reference radio frequency (RF) signal the UE is measuring. Because, as used herein, a TRP is a point at which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, references to transmitting from a base station or receiving at a base station should be understood to refer to a specific TRP of a base station.

[0038] In some implementations supporting UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access for the UE (e.g., may not support data, voice, and / or signaling connections for the UE), but may instead transmit a reference signal to the UE to be measured by the UE and / or may receive and measure signals transmitted by the UE. Such a base station may be referred to as a positioning beacon (e.g., when transmitting a signal to the UE) and / or as a position measurement unit (e.g., when receiving and measuring a signal from the UE).

[0039] An "RF signal" comprises an electromagnetic wave of a given frequency that transmits information through the space between a transmitter and a receiver. As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multipath channels, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal. The same transmitted RF signal on different paths between a transmitter and a receiver may be referred to as a "multipath" RF signal. As used herein, an RF signal may also be referred to as a "wireless signal" or simply as a "signal" when the context clearly indicates that the term "signal" refers to either a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0040] Figure 1An example wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 (which may also be referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) may include various base stations 102 (labeled "BS") and various UEs 104. The base stations 102 may include macrocell base stations (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cell base stations (low-power cellular base stations). In one aspect, the macrocell base stations may include eNBs and / or ng-eNBs (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an LTE network), or gNBs (where the wireless communication system 100 corresponds to an NR network), or a combination of the two, and the small cell base stations may include femtocells, picocells, microcells, etc.

[0041] The base stations 102 may collectively form a RAN and interface with a core network 170 (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC)) via backhaul links 122. The base stations 102 may also interface with one or more location servers 172 (e.g., a location management function (LMF) or a secure user plane location (SUPL) location platform (SLP)) via the core network 170. The location servers 172 may be part of the core network 170 or external to the core network 170. The location servers 172 may be integrated with the base stations 102. The UE 104 may communicate with the location servers 172 directly or indirectly. For example, the UE 104 may communicate with the location server 172 via the base station 102 currently serving the UE 104. The UE 104 may also communicate with the location server 172 via another path, such as via an application server (not shown), via another network, such as via a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point (AP) (e.g., AP 150 described below), etc. For signaling purposes, communication between UE 104 and location server 172 may be represented as an indirect connection (e.g., through core network 170, etc.) or a direct connection (e.g., as shown via direct connection 128), with intermediate nodes (if any) omitted from the signaling diagram for clarity.

[0042] Among other functions, the base station 102 may perform functions related to one or more of the following: delivering user data, radio channel encryption and decryption, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection setup and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, RAN sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracking, RAN information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of warning messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., through EPC / 5GC) over a backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0043] Base stations 102 can communicate wirelessly with UEs 104. Each of base stations 102 can provide communication coverage for a corresponding geographic coverage area 110. In one aspect, one or more cells can be supported by base stations 102 in each geographic coverage area 110. A "cell" is a logical communication entity used to communicate with a base station (e.g., over a frequency resource, which is referred to as a carrier frequency, component carrier, carrier, frequency band, etc.) and can be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCI), an enhanced cell identifier (ECI), a virtual cell identifier (VCI), a cell global identifier (CGI), etc.) that distinguishes cells operating over the same or different carrier frequencies. In some cases, different cells can be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband IoT (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other protocol types) that can provide access to different types of UEs. Because a cell is supported by a specific base station, the term "cell" can refer to either or both the logical communication entity and the base station supporting it, depending on the context. Furthermore, since the TRP is typically the physical transmission point of a cell, the terms "cell" and "TRP" may be used interchangeably. In some cases, the term "cell" may also refer to a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) of a base station, as long as a carrier frequency can be detected and used for communications within a portion of the geographic coverage area 110.

[0044] While the geographic coverage areas 110 of adjacent macrocell base stations 102 may partially overlap (e.g., in a handover area), some areas of the geographic coverage areas 110 may substantially overlap with the larger geographic coverage area 110. For example, a small cell base station 102' (labeled "SC" for "small cell") may have a geographic coverage area 110' that substantially overlaps with the geographic coverage areas 110 of one or more macrocell base stations 102. A network that includes both small cell base stations and macrocell base stations may be referred to as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include a Home eNB (HeNB), which may provide service to a restricted group known as a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG).

[0045] The communication link 120 between the base station 102 and the UE 104 may include uplink (also known as reverse link) transmissions from the UE 104 to the base station 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also known as forward link) transmissions from the base station 102 to the UE 104. The communication link 120 may utilize MIMO antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. The communication link 120 may be over one or more carrier frequencies. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric for the downlink and uplink (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the downlink than to the uplink).

[0046] The wireless communication system 100 may further include a WLAN access point (AP) 150 that communicates with a wireless local area network (WLAN) station (STA) 152 in an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz) via a communication link 154. When communicating in the unlicensed spectrum, the WLAN STA 152 and / or the WLAN AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) or a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure prior to communication to determine whether a channel is available.

[0047] The small cell base station 102' can operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrum. When operating in the unlicensed spectrum, the small cell base station 102' can adopt LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. The small cell base station 102' using LTE / 5G in the unlicensed spectrum can improve the coverage and / or increase the capacity of the access network. NR in the unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as NR-U. LTE in the unlicensed spectrum can be referred to as LTE-U, License Assisted Access (LAA), or MulteFire.

[0048] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate at mmW frequencies and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with UE 182. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the RF spectrum in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz, with wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this frequency band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW frequencies extend down to frequencies of 3 GHz, with wavelengths of 100 mm. Super high frequency (SHF) frequency bands extend between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and are also referred to as centimeter waves. Communications using mmW / near-mmW radio frequency bands have high path loss and relatively short ranges. The mmW base station 180 and the UE 182 may utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on the mmW communication link 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. It should also be understood that, in alternative configurations, one or more base stations 102 may also transmit using mmW or near-mmW frequencies and beamforming. Therefore, it should be understood that the foregoing illustrations are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the various aspects disclosed herein.

[0049] Transmit beamforming is a technique for focusing an RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts the signal in all directions (omnidirectionally). With transmit beamforming, the network node determines where a given target device (e.g., a UE) is located (relative to the transmitting network node) and projects a stronger downlink RF signal in that specific direction, thereby providing the receiving device with a faster and stronger RF signal (in terms of data rate). To change the directionality of an RF signal while transmitting, the network node can control the phase and relative amplitude of the RF signal at each of the one or more transmitters broadcasting the RF signal. For example, the network node can use an array of antennas (referred to as a "phased array" or "antenna array") that form RF beams that can be "steered" to point in different directions without actually moving the antennas. Specifically, the RF currents from the transmitters are fed to the individual antennas in the correct phase relationship so that the radio waves from the individual antennas add together in the desired direction to increase radiation, while canceling out in undesired directions to suppress radiation.

[0050] The transmit beams can be quasi-colocated, meaning that they appear to the receiver (e.g., UE) to have the same parameters, regardless of whether the network node's own transmit antennas are physically co-located. In NR, there are four types of quasi-colocated (QCL) relationships. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about the second reference RF signal on the second beam can be derived based on information about the source reference RF signal on the source beam. Thus, if the source reference RF signal is QCL type A, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift, Doppler spread, average delay, and delay spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type B, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and Doppler spread of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type C, the receiver can use the source reference RF signal to estimate the Doppler shift and average delay of the second reference RF signal sent on the same channel. If the source reference RF signal is QCL type D, the receiver may use the source reference RF signal to estimate spatial reception parameters of a second reference RF signal transmitted on the same channel.

[0051] In receive beamforming, a receiver uses receive beams to amplify RF signals detected on a given channel. For example, the receiver may increase the gain setting of the antenna array in a particular direction and / or adjust the phase setting of the antenna array in a particular direction to amplify (e.g., increase the gain level of) the RF signal received from that direction. Thus, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, this means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain along other directions, or that the beam gain in that direction is the highest compared to the beam gain in that direction of all other receive beams available to the receiver. This results in a stronger received signal strength (e.g., reference signal received power (RSRP), reference signal received quality (RSRQ), signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), etc.) for the RF signal received from that direction.

[0052] The transmit beam and receive beam can be spatially correlated. This spatial relationship means that the parameters of the second beam (e.g., transmit beam or receive beam) used for the second reference signal can be derived based on information about the first beam (e.g., receive beam or transmit beam) of the first reference signal. For example, a UE may use a specific receive beam to receive a reference downlink reference signal (e.g., a synchronization signal block (SSB)) from a base station. The UE can then form a transmit beam for transmitting an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station based on the parameters of the receive beam.

[0053] Note that depending on the entity forming the "downlink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming a downlink beam to transmit a reference signal to the UE, the downlink beam is a transmit beam. However, if the UE is forming a downlink beam, the downlink beam is a receive beam for receiving downlink reference signals. Similarly, depending on the entity forming the "uplink" beam, the beam can be either a transmit beam or a receive beam. For example, if the base station is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink receive beam, while if the UE is forming an uplink beam, the uplink beam is an uplink transmit beam.

[0054] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz–7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz–52.6 GHz). It should be understood that, although portions of FR1 are greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “sub-6 GHz” band in various documents and articles. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs with respect to FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “millimeter wave” band in documents and articles, although distinct from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz–300 GHz) identified as the “millimeter wave” band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0055] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified the operating band for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz–24.25 GHz). The frequency bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, thus effectively extending the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation to more than 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz–71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz–114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz–300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0056] In view of the above aspects, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that if used herein, the term "sub-6 GHz" or the like may broadly refer to frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that if used herein, the term "millimeter wave" or the like may broadly refer to frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR4-a or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0057] In a multi-carrier system such as 5G, one of the carrier frequencies is referred to as the "primary carrier" or "anchor carrier" or "primary serving cell" or "PCell", and the remaining carrier frequencies are referred to as "secondary carriers" or "secondary serving cells" or "SCells". In carrier aggregation, the anchor carrier is a carrier operating on the primary frequency (e.g., FR1) utilized by the UE 104 / 182 and the cell in which the UE 104 / 182 performs an initial radio resource control (RRC) connection establishment procedure or initiates an RRC connection re-establishment procedure. The primary carrier carries all common and UE-specific control channels and can be a carrier in a licensed frequency (however, this is not always the case). A secondary carrier is a carrier operating on a second frequency (e.g., FR2) that can be configured and used to provide additional radio resources once an RRC connection is established between the UE 104 and the anchor carrier. In some cases, the secondary carrier can be a carrier in an unlicensed frequency. The secondary carrier may contain only necessary signaling information and signals. For example, since the primary uplink carrier and the primary downlink carrier are generally UE-specific, those UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell may have different downlink primary carriers. The same is true for the uplink primary carrier. The network can change the primary carrier of any UE 104 / 182 at any time. This is done, for example, to balance the load on different carriers. Since a "serving cell" (whether PCell or SCell) corresponds to the carrier frequency / component carrier through which a base station communicates, the terms "cell", "serving cell", "component carrier", "carrier frequency", etc. can be used interchangeably.

[0058] For example, still referring to Figure 1 One of the frequencies utilized by macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies utilized by macrocell base station 102 and / or mmW base station 180 may be secondary carriers ("SCells"). Simultaneous transmission and / or reception of multiple carriers enables UE 104 / 182 to significantly increase its data transmission and / or reception rate. For example, two 20 MHz aggregated carriers in a multi-carrier system would theoretically result in a doubled data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved with a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0059] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a UE 164 that may communicate with the macrocell base station 102 via a communication link 120 and / or with the mmW base station 180 via a mmW communication link 184. For example, the macrocell base station 102 may support a PCell and one or more SCells for the UE 164, and the mmW base station 180 may support one or more SCells for the UE 164.

[0060] In some cases, UE 164 and UE 182 are capable of sidelink communication. Sidelink-capable UEs (SL-UEs) can communicate with base station 102 via communication link 120 using a Uu interface (i.e., the air interface between the UE and the base station). SL-UEs (e.g., UE 164, UE 182) can also communicate directly with each other via a wireless sidelink 160 using a PC5 interface (i.e., the air interface between sidelink-capable UEs). A wireless sidelink (or simply "sidelink") is an adaptation of a core cellular network (e.g., LTE, NR) standard that allows direct communication between two or more UEs without going through a base station. Sidelink communication can be unicast or multicast and can be used for device-to-device (D2D) media sharing, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication (e.g., cellular V2X (cV2X) communication, enhanced V2X (eV2X) communication, etc.), emergency rescue applications, etc. One or more SL-UEs in a group of SL-UEs utilizing sidelink communication may be located within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102. Other SL-UEs in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 102 or unable to receive transmissions from the base station 102 for other reasons. In some cases, each group of SL-UEs communicating via sidelink communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, where each SL-UE transmits to each other SL-UE in the group. In some cases, the base station 102 facilitates the scheduling of resources for the sidelink communication. In other cases, the sidelink communication is performed between the SL-UEs without involving the base station 102.

[0061] In one aspect, the sidelink 160 may operate on a wireless communication medium of interest, which may be shared with other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points, as well as with other wireless communications between other RATs. A "medium" may include one or more time, frequency, and / or spatial communication resources associated with wireless communications between one or more transmitter / receiver pairs (e.g., encompassing one or more channels across one or more carriers). In one aspect, the medium of interest may correspond to at least a portion of an unlicensed frequency band shared between various RATs. While different licensed frequency bands have been reserved for certain communication systems (e.g., by government entities such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the United States), these systems (particularly those employing small cell access points) have recently expanded operations into unlicensed frequency bands such as the Unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (U-NII) band used by wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies (most notably the IEEE 802.11x WLAN technology, commonly referred to as "Wi-Fi"). Example systems of this type include different variations of CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, and the like.

[0062] It should be noted that although Figure 1 Only two of these UEs are illustrated as SL-UEs (i.e., UEs 164 and 182), but any of the illustrated UEs may be SL-UEs. Furthermore, while only UE 182 is described as capable of beamforming, any of the illustrated UEs (including UE 164) may be capable of beamforming. Where SL-UEs are capable of beamforming, they may beamform toward each other (i.e., toward other SL-UEs), toward other UEs (e.g., UE 104), toward a base station (e.g., base stations 102, 180, small cell 102′, access point 150), and so forth. Thus, in some cases, UEs 164 and 182 may utilize beamforming via sidelink 160.

[0063] exist Figure 1 In the example of FIG, the UE illustrated (for simplicity, Figure 1Any UE in the example (shown as a single UE 104 in FIG) may receive a signal 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, the SVs 112 may be part of a satellite positioning system that the UE 104 may use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SVs 112) positioned to enable a receiver (e.g., UE 104) to determine its position on or above the Earth based, at least in part, on positioning signals (e.g., signals 124) received from the transmitters. Such transmitters typically transmit a signal with a repeating pseudorandom noise (PN) code marked with a set number of chips. While typically located in the SVs 112, the transmitters may sometimes be located on ground-based control stations, base stations 102, and / or other UEs 104. The UE 104 may include one or more dedicated receivers specifically designed to receive the signal 124 in order to derive geographic location information from the SVs 112.

[0064] In a satellite positioning system, the use of signal 124 may be enhanced by various satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) that may be associated with or otherwise enabled for use with one or more global and / or regional navigation satellite systems. For example, SBAS may include augmentation systems that provide integrity information, differential corrections, and the like, such as the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), the Multifunctional Satellite Augmentation System (MSAS), the Global Positioning System (GPS)-Assisted Geo-Augmented Navigation, or the GPS and Geo-Augmented Navigation System (GAGAN). Thus, as used herein, a satellite positioning system may include any combination of one or more global and / or regional navigation satellites associated with such one or more satellite positioning systems.

[0065] In one aspect, SV 112 may additionally or alternatively be part of one or more non-terrestrial networks (NTNs). In an NTN, SV 112 connects to an earth station (also referred to as a ground station, NTN gateway, or gateway), which in turn connects to elements in the 5G network, such as a modified base station 102 (without a ground antenna) or a network node in a 5GC. This element, in turn, provides access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately provides access to entities outside the 5G network, such as Internet web servers and other user devices. Thus, UE 104 may receive communication signals (e.g., signal 124) from SV 112, instead of or in addition to communication signals from terrestrial base station 102.

[0066] The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs (such as UE 190) that are indirectly connected to one or more communication networks via one or more device-to-device (D2D) or peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as “side links”). Figure 1 In the example of FIG1 , UE 190 has a D2D P2P link 192 with one of UEs 104 connected to one of base stations 102 (e.g., UE 190 can indirectly obtain cellular connectivity via the D2D P2P link), and has a D2D P2P link 194 with WLAN STA 152 connected to WLAN AP 150 (UE 190 can indirectly obtain WLAN-based Internet connectivity via the D2D P2P link). In one example, D2D P2P links 192 and 194 can be supported by any well-known D2D RAT, such as LTE Direct (LTE-D), WiFi Direct (WiFi-D), wait.

[0067] Figure 2A An example wireless network architecture 200 is illustrated. For example, 5GC 210 (also known as the Next Generation Core (NGC)) can be functionally considered to include control plane (C-plane) functions 214 (e.g., UE registration, authentication, network access, gateway selection, etc.) and user plane (U-plane) functions 212 (e.g., UE gateway functions, access to data networks, IP routing, etc.), which operate in conjunction to form the core network. A user plane interface (NG-U) 213 and a control plane interface (NG-C) 215 connect gNBs 222 to 5GC 210, and specifically to user plane functions 212 and control plane functions 214, respectively. In additional configurations, ng-eNBs 224 can also connect to 5GC 210 via NG-C 215 to control plane functions 214 and NG-U 213 to user plane functions 212. Furthermore, ng-eNBs 224 can communicate directly with gNBs 222 via backhaul connections 223. In some configurations, the next generation RAN (NG-RAN) 220 may have one or more gNBs 222, while other configurations include one or more of ng-eNBs 224 and gNBs 222. Either gNB 222 or ng-eNB 224 (or both) may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0068] Another optional aspect may include a location server 230 that can communicate with the 5GC 210 to provide location assistance for the UE 204. The location server 230 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. The location server 230 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204 that can connect to the location server 230 via the core network, the 5GC 210, and / or via the Internet (not shown). In addition, the location server 230 can be integrated into a component of the core network, or alternatively can be external to the core network (e.g., a third-party server, such as an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) server or a service server).

[0069] Figure 2B Another example wireless network structure 240 is illustrated. 5GC 260 (which may correspond to Figure 2AThe 5GC 210 in the 5GC 210 can be functionally considered as a control plane function provided by the access and mobility management function (AMF) 264 and a user plane function provided by the user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate in conjunction to form the core network (i.e., the 5GC 260). The functions of the AMF 264 include: registration management, connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception, transmission of session management (SM) messages between one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein) and the session management function (SMF) 266, a transparent proxy service for routing SM messages, access authentication and access authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and the short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with the authentication server function (AUSF) (not shown) and the UE 204, and receives intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 204 authentication process. In case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) based authentication, the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The functionality of the AMF 264 also includes Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF, which the SCM uses to derive access network specific keys. The functionality of the AMF 264 also includes location service management for regulatory services, for transmission of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as the location server 230), for transmission of location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, for allocation of Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifiers for interoperation with EPS, and UE 204 mobility event notifications. In addition, the AMF 264 also supports functionality for non-3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0070] The functions of the UPF 262 include: acting as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), acting as an external protocol data unit (PDU) session point for interconnection to a data network (not shown), providing packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane policy rule enforcement (e.g., gating, redirection, traffic steering), lawful interception (user plane collection), traffic usage reporting, user plane quality of service (QoS) handling (e.g., uplink / downlink rate enforcement, reflective QoS marking in downlink), uplink traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering, and transmitting and forwarding one or more "end markers" to the source RAN node. The UPF 262 may also support the delivery of location service messages between the UE 204 and a location server (such as the SLP 272) on the user plane.

[0071] The functions of the SMF 266 include session management, UE Internet Protocol (IP) address allocation and management, selection and control of user plane functions, traffic steering configuration for routing traffic to the correct destination at the UPF 262, partial control of policy enforcement and QoS, and downlink data notification. The interface through which the SMF 266 communicates with the AMF 264 is called the N11 interface.

[0072] Another optional aspect may include an LMF 270 that can communicate with the 5GC 260 to provide location assistance for the UE 204. The LMF 270 can be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively, each can correspond to a single server. The LMF 270 can be configured to support one or more location services for the UE 204, which can connect to the LMF 270 via the core network, the 5GC 260, and / or via the Internet (not shown). The SLP 272 may support similar functionality as the LMF 270, but the LMF 270 may communicate with the AMF 264, the NG-RAN 220, and the UE 204 on a control plane (e.g., using interfaces and protocols intended to carry signaling messages rather than voice or data), and the SLP 272 may communicate with the UE 204 and external clients (e.g., third-party servers 274) on a user plane (e.g., using protocols intended to carry voice and / or data, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0073] Yet another optional aspect may include a third-party server 274 that can communicate with the LMF 270, SLP 272, 5GC 260 (e.g., via the AMF 264 and / or UPF 262), NG-RAN 220, and / or UE 204 to obtain location information (e.g., a location estimate) of the UE 204. Thus, in some cases, the third-party server 274 may be referred to as a location service (LCS) client or external client. The third-party servers 274 may be implemented as multiple separate servers (e.g., physically separate servers, different software modules on a single server, different software modules distributed across multiple physical servers, etc.), or alternatively may each correspond to a single server.

[0074] The user plane interface 263 and the control plane interface 265 connect the 5GC 260, and specifically the UPF 262 and AMF 264, respectively, to one or more gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 in the NG-RAN 220. The interface between the gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and the AMF 264 is referred to as the "N2" interface, while the interface between the gNB 222 and / or ng-eNB 224 and the UPF 262 is referred to as the "N3" interface. The gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 of the NG-RAN 220 can communicate directly with each other via a backhaul connection 223, referred to as an "Xn-C" interface. One or more of the gNBs 222 and / or ng-eNBs 224 can communicate with one or more UEs 204 via a wireless interface, referred to as a "Uu" interface.

[0075] The functionality of a gNB 222 can be divided between a gNB Central Unit (gNB-CU) 226, one or more gNB Distributed Units (gNB-DUs) 228, and one or more gNB Radio Units (gNB-RUs) 229. The gNB-CU 226 is a logical node that includes base station functions, including delivery of user data, mobility control, radio access network sharing, positioning, session management, and more, in addition to those functions specifically assigned to the gNB-DU 228. More specifically, the gNB-CU 226 typically hosts the Radio Resource Control (RRC), Service Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), and Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) protocols for the gNB 222. The gNB-DU 228 is a logical node that typically hosts the Radio Link Control (RLC) and Medium Access Control (MAC) layers for the gNB 222. Its operation is controlled by the gNB-CU 226. One gNB-DU 228 can support one or more cells, and one cell is supported by only one gNB-DU 228. The interface 232 between the gNB-CU 226 and one or more gNB-DUs 228 is referred to as the "F1" interface. The physical (PHY) layer functionality of the gNB 222 is typically hosted by one or more independent gNB-RUs 229, which perform functions such as power amplification and signal transmission / reception. The interface between the gNB-DU 228 and the gNB-RU 229 is referred to as the "Fx" interface. Thus, the UE 204 communicates with the gNB-CU 226 via the RRC, SDAP, and PDCP layers, with the gNB-DU 228 via the RLC and MAC layers, and with the gNB-RU 229 via the PHY layer.

[0076] The deployment of a communication system such as a 5G NR system can be arranged in a variety of ways using various components or constituent parts. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of the network, a RAN node, a core network node, a network element or a network equipment (such as a base station or one or more units (or one or more components) that perform base station functionality) can be implemented in an aggregated or decomposed architecture. For example, a base station (such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR base station, a 5GNB, an access point (AP), a transmit receive point (TRP) or a cell, etc.) can be implemented as an aggregated base station (also known as a standalone base station or a single-chip base station) or a decomposed base station.

[0077] A converged base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A decomposed base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed between two or more units, such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed across one or more other RAN nodes. A DU may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU, and RU may also be implemented as a virtual unit, namely a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0078] Base station type operation or network design can take into account the aggregated nature of base station functionality. For example, a disaggregated base station can be used in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (a network configuration such as that initiated by the O-RAN Alliance)), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Decomposition can include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing functionality of at least one unit, which can enable flexibility in network design. Various units of a disaggregated base station or disaggregated RAN architecture can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0079] Figure 2C An example disaggregated base station architecture 250 according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Disaggregated base station architecture 250 may include one or more central units (CUs) 280 (e.g., gNB-CUs 226), which may communicate directly with a core network 267 (e.g., 5GC 210, 5GC 260) via backhaul links, or indirectly with the core network 267 through one or more disaggregated base station units (e.g., a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 259 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 257 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 255, or both). CUs 280 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 285 (e.g., gNB-DUs 228) via corresponding midhaul links (e.g., an F1 interface). DUs 285 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 287 (e.g., gNB-RUs 229) via corresponding fronthaul links. The RUs 287 can communicate with corresponding UEs 204 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 204 can be served by multiple RUs 287 simultaneously.

[0080] Each of the units (i.e., CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, and near-RT RIC 259, non-RT RIC 257, and SMO framework 255) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units, or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interface of these units, may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission medium. For example, these units may include a wired interface configured to receive or transmit signals to one or more of the other units via the wired transmission medium. Additionally, these units may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive signals or transmit signals to one or more of the other units, or both, via a wireless transmission medium.

[0081] In some aspects, the CU 280 may host one or more higher-layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 280. The CU 280 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, the CU 280 may be logically divided into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface (such as an E1 interface). As needed, the CU 280 may be implemented to communicate with the DU 285 for network control and signaling.

[0082] The DU 285 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions for controlling the operation of one or more RUs 287. In some aspects, the DU 285 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more higher physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.), depending at least in part on a functional split, such as that defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, the DU 285 may also host one or more lower PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 285 or with control functions hosted by the CU 280.

[0083] Lower layer functions may be implemented by one or more RUs 287. In some deployments, a RU 287 controlled by a DU 285 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on a functional split (such as a lower layer functional split). In such an architecture, the RU 287 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 204. In some implementations, both real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communications with the RU 287 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 285. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the implementation of the DU 285 and CU 280 in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0084] The SMO framework 255 can be configured to support RAN deployment and configuration of both non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 can be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which can be managed via an operations and maintenance interface (such as the O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 255 can be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as Open Cloud (O-Cloud) 269) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as the O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, and near-RT RIC 259. In some implementations, the SMO framework 255 can communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as Open eNB (O-eNB) 261) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO framework 255 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 287 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 255 may also include a non-RT RIC 257 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 255 .

[0085] The non-RT RIC 257 may be configured to include logic that enables non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 259. The non-RT RIC 257 may be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 259 (e.g., via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 259 may be configured to include logic that enables near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources through data collection and actions over an interface (e.g., via an E2 interface) that connects one or more CUs 280, one or more DUs 285, or both, and the O-eNB with the near-RT RIC 259.

[0086] In some implementations, the non-RT RIC 257 can receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 259. Such information can be utilized by the near-RT RIC 259 and can be received from non-network data sources or from network functions at the SMO framework 255 or the non-RT RIC 257. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 257 or the near-RT RIC 259 can be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 257 can monitor long-term trends and patterns in performance and employ AI / ML models to implement corrective actions through the SMO framework 255 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or by creating RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0087] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C 2. The diagram illustrates a method that may be incorporated into a UE 302 (which may correspond to any UE described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any base station described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any network function described herein, including location server 230 and LMF 270), or alternatively may be independent thereof. Figure 2A and Figure 2B Several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) in the NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (such as a dedicated network) depicted in the present disclosure are shown to support operations as described herein. It should be understood that these components can be implemented in different types of devices with different specific implementations (e.g., in an ASIC, in a system on a chip (SoC)), etc. The illustrated components can also be incorporated into other devices in the communication system. For example, other devices in the system may include components similar to those described as providing similar functionality. In addition, a given device may include one or more of these components. For example, a device may include multiple transceiver components that enable the device to operate on multiple carriers and / or communicate via different technologies.

[0088] UE 302 and base station 304 each include one or more wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceivers 310 and 350, respectively, which provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, means for measuring, means for tuning, means for preventing transmission, etc.) for communicating via one or more wireless communication networks (not shown), such as NR networks, LTE networks, GSM networks, etc. WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can each be connected to one or more antennas 316 and 356, respectively, for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations (e.g., eNBs, gNBs), etc.) via at least one designated RAT (e.g., NR, LTE, GSM, etc.) over a wireless communication medium of interest (e.g., a certain set of time / frequency resources in a particular spectrum). The WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 can be configured in different ways to transmit and encode signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) according to a specified RAT, and conversely, receive and decode the signals 318 and 358 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.), respectively. Specifically, the WWAN transceivers 310 and 350 include: one or more transmitters 314 and 354 for transmitting and encoding the signals 318 and 358, respectively, and one or more receivers 312 and 352 for receiving and decoding the signals 318 and 358, respectively.

[0089] At least in some cases, the UE 302 and the base station 304 each further include one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360, respectively. The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be connected to one or more antennas 326 and 366, respectively, and provide for communicating over the wireless communication medium of interest via at least one designated RAT (e.g., WiFi, LTE-D, The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 are components (e.g., components for transmitting, components for receiving, components for measuring, components for tuning, components for preventing transmission, etc.) for communicating with other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) using a PC5, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), wireless access for vehicular environments (WAVE), near-field communication (NFC), ultra-wideband (UWB), etc.). The short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 can be configured in different ways to transmit and encode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, etc.) according to a specified RAT, and conversely, receive and decode signals 328 and 368 (e.g., messages, indications, information, pilots, etc.). Specifically, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 include: one or more transmitters 324 and 364 for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, respectively, and one or more receivers 322 and 362 for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368, respectively. As a specific example, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be WiFi transceivers, transceiver, and / or transceiver, NFC transceiver, UWB transceiver or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceiver.

[0090] At least in some cases, UE 302 and base station 304 also include satellite signal receivers 330 and 370. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can be connected to one or more antennas 336 and 376, respectively, and can provide components for receiving and / or measuring satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are satellite positioning system receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be Global Positioning System (GPS) signals, Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) signals, Galileo signals, BeiDou signals, Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (NAVIC), Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), etc. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals (e.g., carrying control and / or user data) originating from a 5G network. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 can include any suitable hardware and / or software for receiving and processing satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378, respectively. Satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 may request information and operations from other systems as appropriate and, at least in some cases, perform calculations using measurements obtained by any suitable satellite positioning system algorithm to determine the positions of UE 302 and base station 304, respectively.

[0091] The base station 304 and the network entity 306 each include one or more network transceivers 380 and 390, respectively, which provide means (e.g., means for transmitting, means for receiving, etc.) for communicating with other network entities (e.g., other base stations 304, other network entities 306). For example, the base station 304 may employ one or more network transceivers 380 to communicate with other base stations 304 or network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links. For another example, the network entity 306 may employ one or more network transceivers 390 to communicate with one or more base stations 304 via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links, or to communicate with other network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0092] A transceiver can be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. A transceiver (whether a wired transceiver or a wireless transceiver) includes transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) and receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362). In some implementations, a transceiver can be an integrated device (e.g., implementing transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry in a single device), in some implementations can include separate transmitter circuitry and separate receiver circuitry, or in other implementations can be implemented in other ways. The transmitter circuitry and receiver circuitry of a wired transceiver (e.g., in some implementations, network transceivers 380 and 390) can be coupled to one or more wired network interface ports. Wireless transmitter circuitry (e.g., transmitters 314, 324, 354, 364) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which allow a corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform transmit "beamforming," as described herein. Similarly, wireless receiver circuitry (e.g., receivers 312, 322, 352, 362) may include or be coupled to multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such as antenna arrays, which allow a corresponding device (e.g., UE 302, base station 304) to perform receive beamforming, as described herein. In one aspect, the transmitter circuitry and the receiver circuitry may share the same multiple antennas (e.g., antennas 316, 326, 356, 366), such that a corresponding device may only receive or only transmit at a given time, rather than both receive and transmit at the same time. The wireless transceivers (eg, WWAN transceivers 310 and 350, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360) may also include a network listening module (NLM) or the like for performing various measurements.

[0093] As used herein, various wireless transceivers (e.g., in some implementations, transceivers 310, 320, 350, and 360, and network transceivers 380 and 390) and wired transceivers (e.g., in some implementations, network transceivers 380 and 390) may be generally referred to as a "transceiver," "at least one transceiver," or "one or more transceivers." Thus, whether a particular transceiver is a wired or wireless transceiver may be inferred based on the type of communication being performed. For example, backhaul communications between network devices or servers typically involve signaling via a wired transceiver, while wireless communications between a UE (e.g., UE 302) and a base station (e.g., base station 304) will typically involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0094] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 also include other components that can be used in conjunction with the operations disclosed herein. UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 each include one or more processors 332, 384, and 394 for providing functionality related to, for example, wireless communication, as well as for providing other processing functionality. Thus, processors 332, 384, and 394 can provide means for processing, such as means for determining, means for computing, means for receiving, means for transmitting, means for indicating, and the like. In one aspect, processors 332, 384, and 394 can include, for example, one or more general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, central processing units (CPUs), ASICs, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), other programmable logic devices or processing circuits, or various combinations thereof.

[0095] UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively, include memory circuitry implementing memory 340, 386, and 396 (e.g., each including a memory device) for maintaining information (e.g., information indicating reserved resources, thresholds, parameters, etc.). Thus, memories 340, 386, and 396 can provide means for storing, means for retrieving, means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 can include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. Positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be hardware circuitry that is part of or coupled to processors 332, 384, and 394, respectively, and that, when executed, causes UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. In other aspects, positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be external to processors 332, 384, and 394 (e.g., part of a modem processing system, integrated with another processing system, etc.). Alternatively, the positioning components 342, 388, and 398 can be memory modules stored in memories 340, 386, and 396, respectively, which, when executed by the processors 332, 384, and 394 (or a modem processing system, another processing system, etc.), cause the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 to perform the functionality described herein. Figure 3A Possible locations are illustrated for a location component 342, which can be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 310, memory 340, one or more processors 332, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3B Possible locations are illustrated for a location component 388, which can be, for example, part of one or more WWAN transceivers 350, memory 386, one or more processors 384, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component. Figure 3C Possible locations are illustrated for a location component 398, which can be, for example, part of one or more network transceivers 390, memory 396, one or more processors 394, or any combination thereof, or can be a standalone component.

[0096] The UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to the one or more processors 332 to provide a means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by the one or more WWAN transceivers 310, the one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or the satellite signal receiver 330. By way of example, the sensors 344 may include an accelerometer (e.g., a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) device), a gyroscope, a geomagnetic sensor (e.g., a compass), an altimeter (e.g., a barometric altimeter), and / or any other type of motion detection sensor. Furthermore, the sensors 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, the sensors 344 may use a combination of a multi-axis accelerometer and an orientation sensor to provide the ability to calculate a position in a two-dimensional (2D) and / or three-dimensional (3D) coordinate system.

[0097] In addition, the UE 302 includes a user interface 346 that provides means for providing indications to the user (e.g., audible and / or visual indications) and / or for receiving user input (e.g., when the user actuates a sensing device such as a keypad, touch screen, microphone, etc.). Although not shown, the base station 304 and the network entity 306 may also include a user interface.

[0098] Referring in more detail to the one or more processors 384, in the downlink, IP packets from the network entity 306 may be provided to the processor 384. The one or more processors 384 may implement functionality for the RRC layer, the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Medium Access Control (MAC) layer. One or more processors 384 may provide: RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., Master Information Block (MIB), System Information Block (SIB)), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with delivery of upper layer PDUs, error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ), concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, scheduling information reporting, error correction, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0099] Transmitter 354 and receiver 352 may implement Layer 1 (L1) functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, including the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to physical channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. Transmitter 354 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), and M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM). The coded and modulated symbols may then be separated into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) subcarriers, multiplexed with reference signals (e.g., pilots) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time-domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM symbol stream is spatially pre-decoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator may be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes and for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived from a reference signal and / or channel state feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream may then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 may modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0100] At UE 302, receiver 312 receives the signal via its corresponding antenna 316. Receiver 312 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides this information to one or more processors 332. Transmitter 314 and receiver 312 implement Layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Receiver 312 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for UE 302. If there are multiple spatial streams destined for UE 302, they may be combined by receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, as well as the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates calculated by a channel estimator. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals originally transmitted by base station 304 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to one or more processors 332, which implement layer 3 (L3) and layer 2 (L2) functionality.

[0101] In the downlink, one or more processors 332 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from the core network. One or more processors 332 are also responsible for error detection.

[0102] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with downlink transmissions performed by the base station 304, the one or more processors 332 provide: RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) acquisition, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression and security (encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with delivery of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, resegmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ), priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0103] Channel estimates derived by a channel estimator from a reference signal or feedback sent by base station 304 may be used by transmitter 314 to select appropriate coding and modulation schemes and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by transmitter 314 may be provided to different antennas 316. Transmitter 314 may modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0104] Uplink transmissions are processed at the base station 304 in a manner similar to that described in conjunction with the receiver functionality at the UE 302. The receiver 352 receives the signal through its respective antenna 356. The receiver 352 recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to one or more processors 384.

[0105] In the uplink, one or more processors 384 provide demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, decryption, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets from UE 302. The IP packets from one or more processors 384 may be provided to the core network. The one or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0106] For convenience, UE 302, base station 304 and / or network entity 306 Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C1 is shown as including various components that can be configured according to the various examples described herein. However, it should be understood that the illustrated components may have different functionality in different designs. In particular, Figures 3A to 3C Various components in are optional in alternative configurations, and various aspects include configurations that may vary due to design choice, cost, use of the device, or other considerations. For example, in Figure 3A In the case of , a specific implementation of UE 302 may omit WWAN transceiver 310 (e.g., a wearable device or tablet or PC or laptop may have Wi-Fi and / or Bluetooth capabilities but no cellular capabilities), or may omit short-range wireless transceiver 320 (e.g., only cellular, etc.), or may omit satellite signal receiver 330, or may omit sensor 344, etc. In another example, in Figure 3B In certain embodiments, a particular implementation of the base station 304 may omit the WWAN transceiver 350 (e.g., a Wi-Fi "hotspot" access point without cellular capabilities), or may omit the short-range wireless transceiver 360 (e.g., cellular only, etc.), or may omit the satellite signal receiver 370, etc. For the sake of brevity, illustrations of various alternative configurations are not provided herein, but will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0107] Various components of the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may be communicatively coupled to one another via data buses 334, 382, and 392, respectively. In one aspect, the data buses 334, 382, and 392 may form or be part of communication interfaces for the UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306, respectively. For example, where different logical entities are embodied in the same device (e.g., gNB and location server functionality incorporated into the same base station 304), the data buses 334, 382, and 392 may provide for communication between the different logical entities.

[0108] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C The components of can be implemented in various ways. In some specific implementations, Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3CThe components of the present invention may be implemented in one or more circuits, such as, for example, one or more processors and / or one or more ASICs (which may include one or more processors). Here, each circuit may use and / or be combined with at least one memory component for storing information or executable code used by the circuit to provide the functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 to 346 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of UE 302 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). Similarly, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 350 to 388 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of base station 304 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). In addition, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 to 398 may be implemented by the processor and memory components of network entity 306 (e.g., by executing appropriate code and / or by appropriate configuration of the processor components). For simplicity, various operations, actions, and / or functions are described herein as being performed "by a UE," "by a base station," "by a network entity," etc. However, as will be appreciated, such operations, actions and / or functions may actually be performed by specific components or combinations of components of the UE 302, base station 304, network entity 306, etc. (such as processors 332, 384, 394, transceivers 310, 320, 350 and 360, memories 340, 386 and 396, positioning components 342, 388 and 398, etc.).

[0109] In some designs, the network entity 306 may be implemented as a core network component. In other designs, the network entity 306 may operate independently of a network operator or cellular network infrastructure (e.g., NG RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260). For example, the network entity 306 may be a component of a dedicated network that may be configured to communicate with the UE 302 via the base station 304 or independently of the base station 304 (e.g., via a non-cellular communication link such as WiFi).

[0110] Various frame structures may be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (eg, base stations and UEs). Figure 4 FIG4 is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure. The frame structure may be a downlink or uplink frame structure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0111] LTE (and in some cases NR) utilizes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. However, unlike LTE, NR also has the option of using OFDM on the uplink. OFDM and SC-FDM divide the system bandwidth into multiple (K) orthogonal subcarriers, which are also often referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally speaking, modulation symbols are transmitted in the frequency domain using OFDM and in the time domain using SC-FDM. The spacing between adjacent subcarriers can be fixed, and the total number of subcarriers (K) can depend on the system bandwidth. For example, the subcarrier spacing can be 15 kilohertz (kHz), and the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Thus, for a system bandwidth of 1.25 megahertz (MHz), 2.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, or 20 MHz, the nominal Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) size may be equal to 128, 256, 512, 1024, or 2048, respectively. The system bandwidth may also be divided into subbands. For example, a subband may cover 1.08 MHz (i.e., 6 resource blocks), and there may be 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 subbands for a system bandwidth of 1.25 MHz, 2.5 MHz, 5 MHz, 10 MHz, or 20 MHz, respectively.

[0112] LTE supports a single parameter set (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR may support multiple parameter sets (μ), for example, 15kHz (μ=0), 30kHz (μ=1), 60kHz (μ=2), 120kHz (μ=3), and 240kHz (μ=4) or larger subcarrier spacings may be available. In each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per slot. For a 15kHz SCS (μ=0), there is one slot per subframe, 10 slots per frame, a slot duration of 1 millisecond (ms), a symbol duration of 66.7 microseconds (μs), and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size of 50. For a 30kHz SCS (μ=1), there are two slots per subframe, 20 slots per frame, a slot duration of 0.5ms, a symbol duration of 33.3μs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size of 100. For 60kHz SCS (μ=2), there are four slots per subframe, 40 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.25ms, the symbol duration is 16.7μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 200. For 120kHz SCS (μ=3), there are eight slots per subframe, 80 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.125ms, the symbol duration is 8.33μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 400. For 240kHz SCS (μ=4), there are 16 slots per subframe, 160 slots per frame, the slot duration is 0.0625ms, the symbol duration is 4.17μs, and the maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) with a 4K FFT size is 800.

[0113] exist Figure 4 In the example, a 15 kHz parameter set is used. Therefore, in the time domain, a 10 ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes, each 1 ms, and each subframe includes one time slot. Figure 4 , time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top.

[0114] A resource grid can be used to represent a time slot, each of which includes one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) (also called physical RBs (PRBs)) in the frequency domain. The resource grid is further divided into multiple resource elements (REs). An RE may correspond to one symbol length in the time domain and one subcarrier in the frequency domain. Figure 4In the parameter set for cyclic prefixes, for a normal cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and seven consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 84 REs. For an extended cyclic prefix, an RB may contain 12 consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain and six consecutive symbols in the time domain, for a total of 72 REs. The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0115] Some of the REs may carry reference (pilot) signals (RS). These reference signals may include positioning reference signals (PRS), tracking reference signals (TRS), phase tracking reference signals (PTRS), cell-specific reference signals (CRS), channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), demodulation reference signals (DMRS), primary synchronization signals (PSS), secondary synchronization signals (SSS), synchronization signal blocks (SSBs), and sounding reference signals (SRS), depending on whether the illustrated frame structure is used for uplink or downlink communication. Figure 4 Example locations of REs carrying reference signals (labeled "R") are illustrated.

[0116] Figure 5 FIGURE 5 is a diagram 500 illustrating various downlink channels within an example downlink time slot. Figure 5 In , time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top. Figure 5 In the example of , a 15 kHz parameter set is used. Therefore, in the time domain, the illustrated time slot length is one millisecond (ms), divided into 14 symbols.

[0117] In NR, the channel bandwidth or system bandwidth is divided into multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs). A BWP is a set of contiguous RBs selected from a contiguous subset of common RBs for a given parameter set on a given carrier. Generally speaking, a maximum of four BWPs can be specified in the downlink and uplink. That is, a UE can be configured with up to four BWPs on the downlink and up to four BWPs on the uplink. Only one BWP (uplink or downlink) can be active at a given time, which means that the UE can only receive or transmit on one BWP at a time. On the downlink, the bandwidth of each BWP should be equal to or greater than the bandwidth of an SSB, but it may or may not contain an SSB.

[0118] refer to Figure 5, the primary synchronization signal (PSS) is used by the UE to determine the subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identity. The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine the PCI. Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the position of the aforementioned DL-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form an SSB (also known as SS / PBCH). The MIB provides the number of RBs in the downlink system bandwidth, and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information that is not sent through the PBCH (such as the system information block (SIB)), and paging messages.

[0119] The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries downlink control information (DCI) in one or more control channel elements (CCEs). Each CCE includes one or more RE group (REG) bundles (which can span multiple symbols in the time domain). Each REG bundle includes one or more REGs, and each REG corresponds to 12 resource elements (one resource block) in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. The set of physical resources used to carry PDCCH / DCI is called a control resource set (CORESET) in NR. In NR, PDCCH is confined to a single CORESET and is transmitted with its own DMRS. This enables UE-specific beamforming for PDCCH.

[0120] exist Figure 5 In the example shown in Figure 2, there is one CORESET per BWP, and the CORESET spans three symbols in the time domain (although it could be just one symbol or two symbols). Unlike LTE control channels that occupy the entire system bandwidth, in NR, PDCCH channels are localized to a specific region (i.e., CORESET) in the frequency domain. Therefore, Figure 5 The frequency components of the PDCCH shown in FIG are illustrated as less than a single BWP in the frequency domain. Note that although the illustrated CORESETs are continuous in the frequency domain, the CORESETs do not need to be contiguous. Furthermore, a CORESET may span less than three symbols in the time domain.

[0121] The DCI within the PDCCH carries information about uplink resource allocations (persistent and non-persistent) and a description of the downlink data sent to the UE (referred to as an uplink grant and a downlink grant, respectively). More specifically, the DCI indicates the resources scheduled for downlink data channels (e.g., PDSCH) and uplink data channels (e.g., physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH)). Multiple (e.g., up to eight) DCIs can be configured in the PDCCH, and these DCIs can have one of a variety of formats. For example, there are different DCI formats for uplink scheduling, downlink scheduling, uplink transmit power control (TPC), etc. The PDCCH can be transmitted by 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs to accommodate different DCI payload sizes or coding rates.

[0122] A set of resource elements (REs) used for transmitting a PRS is referred to as a "PRS resource." A set of resource elements may span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and "N" (such as one or more) consecutive symbols within a slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol in the time domain, a PRS resource occupies consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain.

[0123] The transmission of PRS resources within a given PRB has a specific comb size (also referred to as "comb density"). The comb size "N" represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, for comb size "N", the PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of one symbol of the PRB. For example, for comb-4, for each symbol of the PRS resource configuration, the REs corresponding to every fourth subcarrier (such as subcarriers 0, 4, and 8) are used to transmit the PRS of the PRS resource. Currently, for DL-PRS, comb sizes of comb-2, comb-4, comb-6, and comb-12 are supported. Figure 4 An example PRS resource configuration for comb-4 (which spans four symbols) is illustrated. That is, the positions of the shaded REs (labeled "R") indicate a comb-4 PRS resource configuration.

[0124] Currently, DL-PRS resources can span 2, 4, 6, or 12 consecutive symbols within a slot using a full frequency domain staggered pattern. DL-PRS resources can be configured in any downlink or flexible (FL) symbol in a slot that is configured by higher layers. There may be a constant energy per resource element (EPRE) for all REs of a given DL-PRS resource. The following are the symbol-by-symbol frequency offsets for comb sizes of 2, 4, 6, and 12 over 2, 4, 6, and 12 symbols. 2-symbol Comb-2: {0,1}; 4-symbol Comb-2: {0,1,0,1}; 6-symbol Comb-2: {0,1,0,1,0,1}; 12-symbol Comb-2: {0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1,0,1}; 4-symbol Comb-4: {0,2,1,3} (as in Figure 4 ); 12-symbol comb-4: {0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3}; 6-symbol comb-6: {0,3,1,4,2,5}; 12-symbol comb-6: {0,3,1,4,2,5,0,3,1,4,2,5}; and 12-symbol comb-12: {0,6,3,9,1,7,4,10,2,8,5,11}.

[0125] A "PRS resource set" is a set of PRS resources used to transmit a PRS signal, where each PRS resource has a PRS resource ID. In addition, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set are associated with the same TRP. A PRS resource set is identified by a PRS resource set ID and is associated with a specific TRP (identified by the TRP ID). In addition, the PRS resources in a PRS resource set have the same periodicity, common muting pattern configuration, and the same repetition factor (such as "PRS-ResourceRepetitionFactor") across time slots. The periodicity is the time from the first repetition of the first PRS resource of the first PRS instance to the same first repetition of the same first PRS resource of the next PRS instance. The periodicity may have a length selected from the following: 2^μ*{4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} time slots, where μ = 0, 1, 2, 3. The repetition factor may have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} slots.

[0126] The PRS resource ID in a PRS resource set is associated with a single beam (or beam ID) transmitted from a single TRP (one TRP can transmit one or more beams). That is, each PRS resource in a PRS resource set can be transmitted on a different beam, and therefore, a "PRS resource" (or simply "resource") can also be referred to as a "beam." Note that this does not imply whether the UE knows the TRP and beam on which the PRS is transmitted.

[0127] A "PRS instance" or "PRS opportunity" is an instance of a periodically repeating time window (such as a group of one or more consecutive time slots) in which a PRS is expected to be transmitted. A PRS opportunity may also be referred to as a "PRS positioning opportunity," "PRS positioning instance," "positioning opportunity," "positioning instance," "positioning repetition," or simply "opportunity," "instance," or "repetition."

[0128] A "positioning frequency layer" (also referred to simply as a "frequency layer") is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets with the same values for certain parameters across one or more TRPs. Specifically, the set of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) type (meaning that all parameter sets supported for the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) are also supported for PRS), the same point A, the same value for the downlink PRS bandwidth, the same starting PRB (and center frequency), and the same comb size. The point A parameter takes the value of the parameter "ARFCN-ValueNR" (where "ARFCN" stands for "Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number") and is an identifier / code that specifies a pair of physical radio channels for transmission and reception. The downlink PRS bandwidth can have a granularity of four PRBs, with a minimum value of 24 PRBs and a maximum value of 272 PRBs. Currently, up to four frequency layers have been defined, and up to two PRS resource sets can be configured per frequency layer per TRP.

[0129] The concept of frequency layers is somewhat similar to that of component carriers and bandwidth parts (BWPs), but differs in that component carriers and BWPs are used by one base station (or a macrocell base station and a small cell base station) to transmit data channels, while frequency layers are used by several (typically three or more) base stations to transmit PRSs. A UE can indicate the number of frequency layers it can support when communicating its positioning capabilities to the network (such as during an LTE Positioning Protocol (LPP) session). For example, a UE can indicate whether it can support one or four positioning frequency layers.

[0130] It should be noted that the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" generally refer to specific reference signals used for positioning in NR and LTE systems. However, as used herein, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may also refer to any type of reference signal that can be used for positioning, such as, but not limited to, PRS, TRS, PTRS, CRS, CSI-RS, DMRS, PSS, SSS, SSB, SRS, UL-PRS, etc. as defined in LTE and NR. In addition, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may refer to a downlink positioning reference signal, an uplink positioning reference signal, or a sidelink positioning reference signal, unless otherwise indicated by the context. If further distinction is needed between the types of PRS, the downlink positioning reference signal may be referred to as a "DL-PRS," the uplink positioning reference signal (e.g., the SRS used for positioning, i.e., PTRS) may be referred to as a "UL-PRS," and the sidelink positioning reference signal may be referred to as a "SL-PRS." In addition, for signals that can be sent in the downlink, uplink, and / or sidelink (e.g., DMRS), these signals may be prefixed with "DL," "UL," or "SL" to distinguish the direction. For example, "UL-DMRS" may be different from "DL-DMRS."

[0131] Figure 6 FIGURE 6 is a diagram illustrating various uplink channels within an example uplink time slot. Figure 6 In , time is represented horizontally (on the X-axis), where time increases from left to right, while frequency is represented vertically (on the Y-axis), where frequency increases (or decreases) from bottom to top. Figure 6 In the example of , a 15 kHz parameter set is used. Therefore, in the time domain, the illustrated time slot length is one millisecond (ms), divided into 14 symbols.

[0132] The Random Access Channel (RACH), also known as the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH), may be within one or more time slots within a frame based on the PRACH configuration. The PRACH may include six consecutive RB pairs within a time slot. The PRACH allows a UE to perform initial system access and achieve uplink synchronization. The Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) may be located at the edge of the uplink system bandwidth. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, CSI reports, channel quality indicators (CQI), precoding matrix indicators (PMI), rank indicators (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) carries data and may additionally be used to carry buffer status reports (BSRs), power headroom reports (PHRs), and / or UCI.

[0133] In one aspect, Figure 4The reference signals carried on the REs marked with an "R" in the figure may be SRSs. The SRSs transmitted by the UE can be used by the base station to obtain channel state information (CSI) for the transmitting UE. CSI describes how the RF signal propagates from the UE to the base station and represents the combined effects of scattering, attenuation, and power loss over distance. Systems use SRSs for resource scheduling, link adaptation, massive MIMO, beam management, and more.

[0134] The set of REs used for SRS transmission is called an "SRS resource" and can be identified by the parameter "SRS-ResourceId". The set of resource elements can span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and "N" (e.g., one or more) consecutive symbols within a time slot in the time domain. In a given OFDM symbol, an SRS resource occupies one or more consecutive PRBs. An "SRS resource set" is a group of SRS resources used for transmission of an SRS signal and is identified by an SRS resource set ID ("SRS-ResourceSetId").

[0135] The transmission of the SRS resource within a given PRB has a specific comb size (also referred to as "comb density"). The comb size "N" represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the SRS resource configuration. Specifically, for comb size "N", the SRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of one symbol of the PRB. For example, for comb-4, for each symbol of the SRS resource configuration, the REs corresponding to every fourth subcarrier (such as subcarriers 0, 4, 8) are used to transmit the SRS of the SRS resource. Figure 4 In the example of FIG, the illustrated SRS is comb-tooth-4 on four symbols. That is, the position of the shaded SRS RE indicates the SRS resource configuration of comb-tooth-4.

[0136] Currently, an SRS resource with a comb size of Comb-2, Comb-4, or Comb-8 can span 1, 2, 4, 8, or 12 consecutive symbols within a slot. The following are the symbol-by-symbol frequency offsets for the currently supported SRS comb patterns. 1 symbol Comb-2: {0}; 2 symbols Comb-2: {0,1}; 2 symbols Comb-4: {0,2}; 4 symbols Comb-2: {0,1,0,1}; 4 symbols Comb-4: {0,2,1,3} (as in Figure 4 ); 8-symbol comb-4: {0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3}; 12-symbol comb-4: {0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3,0,2,1,3}; 4-symbol comb-8: {0,4,2,6}; 8-symbol comb-8: {0,4,2,6,1,5,3,7}; and 12-symbol comb-8: {0,4,2,6,1,5,3,7,0,4,2,6}.

[0137] Generally speaking, as described above, the UE sends the SRS so that the receiving base station (serving base station or neighboring base station) can measure the channel quality (i.e., CSI) between the UE and the base station. However, the SRS may also be specifically configured as an uplink positioning reference signal for uplink-based positioning procedures, such as uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), round-trip time (RTT), uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA), etc. As used herein, the term "SRS" may refer to an SRS configured for channel quality measurement or an SRS configured for positioning purposes. When it is necessary to distinguish between two types of SRS, the former may be referred to herein as "SRS for communication" and / or the latter may be referred to as "SRS for positioning" or "positioning SRS".

[0138] Several enhancements to the previously defined SRS have been proposed for "SRS for positioning" (also known as "UL-PRS"), such as a new interleaving pattern within the SRS resource (in addition to a single symbol / comb-2), a new comb type for SRS, a new sequence for SRS, a larger number of SRS resource sets per component carrier, and a larger number of SRS resources per component carrier. In addition, the parameters "SpatialRelationInfo" and "PathLossReference" are to be configured based on the downlink reference signal or SSB from a neighboring TRP. Furthermore, one SRS resource may be sent outside the active BWP, and one SRS resource may span multiple component carriers. Moreover, the SRS may be configured in the RRC connected state and sent only within the active BWP. In addition, there may be no frequency hopping, no repetition factor, a single antenna port, and new lengths for the SRS (e.g., 8 and 12 symbols). There may also be open-loop power control and no closed-loop power control, and comb-8 (i.e., SRS transmitted every eighth subcarrier in the same symbol) may be used. Finally, a UE may transmit from multiple SRS resources through the same transmit beam for UL-AoA. All of these are features in addition to the current SRS framework, which is configured through RRC higher layer signaling (and potentially triggered or activated through MAC Control Element (MAC-CE) or Downlink Control Information (DCI).

[0139] Figure 7 FIG700 is a diagram illustrating an example PRS configuration for two TRPs (labeled “TRP1” and “TRP2”) operating in the same positioning frequency layer (labeled “Positioning Frequency Layer 1”) in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. For a positioning session, assistance data indicating the illustrated PRS configuration may be provided to the UE. Figure 7In the example of FIG, a first TRP ("TRP1") is associated with (e.g., transmits) two PRS resource sets labeled "PRS resource set 1" and "PRS resource set 2," and a second TRP ("TRP2") is associated with one PRS resource set labeled "PRS resource set 3." Each PRS resource set includes at least two PRS resources. Specifically, the first PRS resource set ("PRS resource set 1") includes PRS resources labeled "PRS resource 1" and "PRS resource 2," the second PRS resource set ("PRS resource set 2") includes PRS resources labeled "PRS resource 3" and "PRS resource 4," and the third PRS resource set ("PRS resource set 3") includes PRS resources labeled "PRS resource 5" and "PRS resource 6."

[0140] When the UE is configured with a number of PRS resources exceeding its capabilities in the assistance data of the positioning method, the UE assumes that the PRS resources in the assistance data are sorted in descending order of measurement priority. Currently, the 64 TRPs of each frequency layer are sorted according to priority, and the two PRS resource sets of each TRP of the frequency layer are sorted according to priority. However, the four frequency layers may or may not be sorted according to priority, and the 64 PRS resources in the PRS resource set of each TRP of each frequency layer may or may not be sorted according to priority. The reference indicated by the assistance data parameter "nr-DL-PRS-ReferenceInfo" for each frequency layer has the highest priority at least for the DL-TDOA positioning procedure.

[0141] NR supports a variety of cellular network-based positioning techniques, including downlink-based positioning methods, uplink-based positioning methods, and downlink and uplink-based positioning methods. Downlink-based positioning methods include: Observed Time Difference of Arrival (OTDOA) in LTE, Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDOA) in NR, and Downlink Angle of Departure (DL-AoD) in NR. In OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, the UE measures the difference between the time of arrival (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from paired base stations (referred to as reference signal time difference (RSTD) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) measurements) and reports these differences to a positioning entity. More specifically, the UE receives identifiers (IDs) of a reference base station (e.g., a serving base station) and multiple non-reference base stations in assistance data. The UE then measures the RSTD between the reference base station and each non-reference base station. Based on the known positions of the involved base stations and the RSTD measurements, a positioning entity (e.g., a UE for UE-based positioning or a location server for UE-assisted positioning) can estimate the UE's position.

[0142] For DL-AoD positioning, the positioning entity uses measurement reports from the UE regarding the received signal strength measurements of multiple downlink transmit beams to determine the angle between the UE and the transmitting base station. The positioning entity can then estimate the UE's position based on the determined angle and the known location of the transmitting base station.

[0143] Uplink-based positioning methods include uplink time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA) and uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA). UL-TDOA is similar to DL-TDOA, but is based on uplink reference signals (e.g., sounding reference signals (SRS)) sent by the UE to multiple base stations. Specifically, the UE sends one or more uplink reference signals, which are measured by a reference base station and multiple non-reference base stations. Each base station then reports the time of receipt of the reference signal (referred to as relative time of arrival (RTOA)) to a positioning entity (e.g., a location server) that knows the position and relative timing of the base stations involved. Based on the receive-to-receive (Rx-Rx) time difference between the reported RTOA of the reference base station and the reported RTOA of each non-reference base station, the known positions of the base stations, and their known timing offsets, the positioning entity can use TDOA to estimate the position of the UE.

[0144] For UL-AoA positioning, one or more base stations measure the received signal strength of one or more uplink reference signals (e.g., SRS) received from the UE on one or more uplink receive beams. The positioning entity uses the signal strength measurements and the angle of the receive beams to determine the angle between the UE and the base station. Based on the determined angle and the known location of the base station, the positioning entity can then estimate the UE's position.

[0145] Downlink and uplink-based positioning methods include enhanced cell ID (E-CID) positioning and multiple round-trip time (RTT) positioning (also known as "multi-cell RTT" and "multi-RTT"). In the RTT process, a first entity (e.g., a base station or UE) sends a first RTT-related signal (e.g., a PRS or SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or base station), and the second entity sends a second RTT-related signal (e.g., an SRS or PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the arrival time (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the transmission time of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is called the received-to-transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference. The Rx-Tx time difference measurement can be performed or adjusted to include only the time difference between the nearest time slot boundary of the received signal and the transmitted signal. The two entities may then transmit their Rx-Tx time difference measurements to a location server (e.g., LMF 270), which calculates the round-trip propagation time (i.e., RTT) between the two entities based on the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., calculated as the sum of the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements). Alternatively, one entity may transmit its Rx-Tx time difference measurements to the other entity, which then calculates the RTT. The distance between the two entities may be determined based on the RTT and a known signal speed (e.g., the speed of light). For multi-RTT positioning, a first entity (e.g., a UE or base station) performs an RTT positioning procedure with multiple second entities (e.g., multiple base stations or UEs) to enable the location of the first entity to be determined based on the distance to the second entities and the known locations of the second entities (e.g., using multilateration). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning technologies (such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD) to improve location accuracy.

[0146] The E-CID positioning method is based on radio resource management (RRM) measurements. In E-CID, the UE reports the serving cell ID, timing advance (TA), and the identifiers of detected neighboring base stations, estimated timing, and signal strength. The UE's position is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0147] To assist in positioning operations, a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272) may provide assistance data to the UE. For example, the assistance data may include: an identifier of the base station (or cell / TRP of the base station) from which the reference signal is measured, reference signal configuration parameters (e.g., the number of consecutive time slots including PRS, the periodicity of consecutive time slots including PRS, a muting sequence, a frequency hopping sequence, a reference signal identifier, a reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to a particular positioning method. Alternatively, the assistance data may originate directly from the base station itself (e.g., in a periodically broadcast overhead message, etc.). In some cases, the UE itself may be able to detect neighboring network nodes without the use of assistance data.

[0148] In the case of OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning procedures, the assistance data may also include an expected RSTD value and an associated uncertainty or search window around the expected RSTD. In some cases, the expected RSTD value range may be + / - 500 microseconds (μs). In some cases, when any of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1, the expected RSTD uncertainty value range may be + / - 32 μs. In other cases, when all resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the expected RSTD uncertainty value range may be + / - 8 μs.

[0149] A position estimate may be referred to by other names, such as a position estimate, a position, a position fix, a position fix, a fix, etc. A position estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be municipal and include a street address, a postal address, or some other verbal description of the location. The position estimate may be further defined relative to some other known location or defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). A position estimate may include an expected error or uncertainty (e.g., by including an area or volume within which the location is expected to be included with some specified or default confidence level).

[0150] Figure 8 FIG8 is a diagram 800 illustrating a base station (BS) 802 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein) communicating with a UE 804 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein). Figure 8, base station 802 may transmit beamforming signals to UE 804 on one or more transmit beams 812a, 812b, 812c, 812d, 812e, 812f, 812g, 812h (collectively, beams 812), each having a beam identifier that can be used by UE 804 to identify the corresponding beam. In the case where base station 802 performs beamforming toward UE 804 using a single antenna array (e.g., a single TRP / cell), base station 802 may perform "beam scanning" by transmitting first beam 812a, then beam 812b, and so on, until finally transmitting beam 812h. Alternatively, base station 802 may transmit beams 812 in a pattern, such as beam 812a, then beam 812h, then beam 812b, then beam 812g, and so on. In the case where base station 802 uses multiple antenna arrays (e.g., multiple TRPs / cells) to perform beamforming towards UE 804, each antenna array may perform beam scanning of a subset of beams 812. Alternatively, each beam in beams 812 may correspond to a single antenna or antenna array.

[0151] Figure 8 Further illustrated are paths 822c, 822d, 822e, 822f, and 822g followed by beamformed signals transmitted on beams 812c, 812d, 812e, 812f, and 812g, respectively. Each path 822c, 822d, 822e, 822f, and 822g may correspond to a single "multipath," or may be composed of multiple "multipaths" (a cluster of "multipaths") due to the propagation characteristics of radio frequency (RF) signals through the environment. Note that while only paths 822c-822g are shown for beams 812c-812g, this is for simplicity, and the signal transmitted on each beam in beam 812 will follow a path. In the example shown, paths 822c, 822d, 822e, and 822f are straight lines, while path 822g reflects off an obstacle 820 (e.g., a building, vehicle, terrain feature, etc.).

[0152] UE 804 may receive beamformed signals from base station 802 on one or more receive beams 814a, 814b, 814c, 814d (collectively referred to as beams 814). Figure 8 The illustrated beams represent either transmit beams or receive beams, depending on which of the base station 802 and the UE 804 is transmitting and which is receiving. Thus, the UE 804 can also transmit beamformed signals to the base station 802 on one or more of the beams 814, and the base station 802 can receive beamformed signals from the UE 804 on one or more of the beams 812.

[0153] In one aspect, base station 802 and UE 804 may perform beam training to align the transmit and receive beams of base station 802 and UE 804. For example, depending on environmental conditions and other factors, base station 802 and UE 804 may determine that the best transmit and receive beams are 812d and 814b, respectively, or beams 812e and 814c, respectively. The direction of the best transmit beam for base station 802 may be the same as or different from the direction of the best receive beam, and similarly, the direction of the best receive beam for UE 804 may be the same as or different from the direction of the best transmit beam. However, it should be noted that aligning the transmit and receive beams is not required to perform downlink angle of departure (DL-AoD) or uplink angle of arrival (UL-AoA) positioning procedures.

[0154] To perform the DL-AoD positioning procedure, the base station 802 may transmit reference signals (e.g., PRS, CRS, TRS, CSI-RS, PSS, SSS, etc.) to the UE 804 on one or more of the beams 812, each of which has a different transmit angle. The different transmit angles of the beams will result in different received signal strengths (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, etc.) at the UE 804. Specifically, for a transmit beam 812 that is farther away from the line of sight (LOS) path 810 between the base station 802 and the UE 804, the received signal strength will be lower than that for a transmit beam 812 that is closer to the LOS path 810.

[0155] exist Figure 8 In the example of FIG, if base station 802 transmits reference signals on beams 812c, 812d, 812e, 812f, and 812g to UE 804, transmit beam 812e is optimally aligned with LOS path 810, while transmit beams 812c, 812d, 812f, and 812g are not optimally aligned with the LOS path. Therefore, beam 812e is likely to have a higher received signal strength at UE 804 than beams 812c, 812d, 812f, and 812g. Note that the reference signals transmitted on some beams (e.g., beams 812c and / or 812f) may not reach UE 804, or the energy reaching UE 804 from these beams may be so low that the energy may not be detected or at least may be ignored.

[0156] UE 804 may report to base station 802 the received signal strength of each measured transmit beam 812c to 812g and, optionally, the associated measurement quality, or alternatively, the transmit beam with the highest received signal strength (at Figure 8In the example of UE 804, the identification of beam 812e is provided. Alternatively or additionally, if UE 804 is also participating in a round trip time (RTT) or time difference of arrival (TDOA) positioning session with at least one base station 802 or multiple base stations 802, respectively, UE 804 may report received transmit (Rx-Tx) time difference or reference signal time difference (RSTD) measurements (and optionally associated measurement quality) to the serving base station 802 or other positioning entity, respectively. In any case, the positioning entity (e.g., base station 802, location server, third-party client, UE 804, etc.) may estimate the angle from base station 802 to UE 804 as the AoD of the transmit beam (here, transmit beam 812e) with the highest received signal strength at UE 804.

[0157] In one aspect of DL-AoD based positioning, in the case where there is only one base station 802 involved, the base station 802 and the UE 804 may perform a round trip time (RTT) procedure to determine the distance between the base station 802 and the UE 804. Thus, the positioning entity may determine both the direction to the UE 804 (using DL-AoD positioning) and the distance to the UE 804 (using RTT positioning) to estimate the position of the UE 804. It is noted that the AoD of the transmit beam with the highest received signal strength is not necessarily located along the LOS path 810, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 However, for the purpose of DL-AoD based positioning, it is assumed to be so.

[0158] In another aspect of DL-AoD-based positioning, where there are multiple involved base stations 802, each involved base station 802 may report the determined AoD or RSRP measurement from the corresponding base station 802 to the UE 804 to the serving base station 802. The serving base station 802 may then report the AoD or RSRP measurements from the other involved base stations 812 to a positioning entity (e.g., the UE 804 for UE-based positioning or a location server for UE-assisted positioning). Using this information and knowledge of the geographic locations of the base stations 802, the positioning entity may estimate the position of the UE 804 as the intersection of the determined AoDs. For a two-dimensional (2D) positioning solution, there should be at least two involved base stations 802, but it should be understood that the more base stations 802 involved in the positioning process, the more accurate the estimated position of the UE 804 will be.

[0159] To perform the UL-AoA positioning procedure, UE 804 transmits uplink reference signals (e.g., UL-PRS, SRS, DMRS, etc.) to base station 802 on one or more uplink transmit beams 814. Base station 802 receives the uplink reference signals on one or more uplink receive beams 812. Base station 802 determines the angle of the optimal receive beam 812 for receiving the one or more reference signals from UE 804 as the AoA from UE 804 to itself. Specifically, each receive beam 812 will result in a different received signal strength (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, SINR, etc.) of the one or more reference signals at base station 802. Furthermore, for receive beams 812 that are farther away from the actual LOS path 810 between base station 802 and UE 804, the channel impulse response of the one or more reference signals will be smaller than for receive beams 812 that are closer to the LOS path 810. Likewise, for receive beams 812 farther from the LOS path 810, the received signal strength will be lower than for receive beams 812 closer to the LOS path 810. Therefore, the base station 802 identifies the receive beam 812 that yields the highest received signal strength and, optionally, the strongest channel impulse response, and estimates the angle from the base station 802 to the UE 804 as the AoA of that receive beam 812. Note that, as with DL-AoD-based positioning, the AoA of the receive beam 812 that yields the highest received signal strength (and, in the case of measurement, the strongest channel impulse response) is not necessarily located along the LOS path 810. However, in FR2, this can be assumed for UL-AoA-based positioning purposes.

[0160] Note that although the UE 804 is illustrated as being capable of beamforming, this is not necessary for the DL-AoD and UL-AoA positioning procedures. Instead, the UE 804 can receive and transmit on omnidirectional antennas.

[0161] In the case where UE 804 is estimating its position (i.e., the UE is the positioning entity), it is necessary to obtain the geographic location of base station 802. UE 804 can obtain the position from, for example, base station 802 itself or a location server (e.g., location server 230, LMF 270, SLP 272). By knowing the distance to base station 802 (based on RTT or timing advance), the angle between base station 802 and UE 804 (based on the UL-AoA of the best received beam 812), and the known geographic location of base station 802, UE 804 can estimate its position.

[0162] Alternatively, where a positioning entity, such as a base station 802 or a location server, is estimating the position of a UE 804, the base station 802 reports the AoA of the receive beam 812 that results in the highest received signal strength (and optionally the strongest channel impulse response) of the reference signal received from the UE 804, or all received signal strengths and channel impulse responses for all receive beams 812 (this allows the positioning entity to determine the best receive beam 812). The base station 802 may additionally report the Rx-Tx time difference to the UE 804. The positioning entity may then estimate the position of the UE 804 based on the distance of the UE 804 from the base station 802, the identified AoA of the receive beam 812, and the known geographic location of the base station 802.

[0163] In some designs, DL-AoD reporting parameters are defined in the IE NR-D1AoD-SignalMeasurementInformation-r16. The IE NR-D1AoD-SignalMeasurementInformation-r16 may define various DL-AoD reporting parameters, including the DL-PRS reference signal received path power (RSRPP). In some designs, the DL-PRS RSRPP may be defined as the power of the linear average of the channel response at the i-th path delay of the resource element carrying the DL PRS signal configured for measurement, where the DL PRS-RSRPP for the 1st path delay is the power contribution corresponding to the first detected path in time. For FR1, the reference point for the DL PRS-RSRPP may be the UE's antenna connector. For FR2, the DL PRS-RSRPP may be measured based on the combined signal from the antenna elements corresponding to a given receiver branch. In some designs, the DL PRS RSRPP may be applicable to UEs set to RRC_CONNECTED or RRC_INACTIVE.

[0164] Figure 9 A DL-AoA measurement scenario 900 according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 9 , for each potential φ where the UE may be located k ∈[φ1,…,φ N ]:

[0165] For each beam l∈[1,…,N beams ],

[0166] Calculate the expected Rx power P i,k ,

[0167] Derive the normalized vector P k ,

[0168] For each k∈[1,…N]:

[0169]

[0170] Send PRS resources to the UE.

[0171] refer to Figure 9 In some designs, the UE reports up to 8 RSRPs (e.g., one RSRP per PRS resource). is expressed as the received vector of normalized RSRP, and it is found that lead to near

[0172] In some designs, a wide beam pattern (eg, beams every 15 degrees) may be used in 3GPP simulations. In some designs, 512-level quantization may be used to generate normalized beam responses.

[0173] In some designs, it may be advantageous for the UE to report the "relative" RSRPP power associated with each PRS resource for each configured TRP. A UE may be configured with multiple TRPs in this manner. However, conventional systems do not provide guidance on how to define relative RSRPP power. Various aspects of the present disclosure thus relate to reporting of relative RSRPP peak values associated with a set of PRS resources (e.g., for one or more TRPs). For example, the RSRPP peak value may be determined at the UE relative to the earliest arrival path for each PRS resource, and a measurement report may be sent to a positioning estimation entity (e.g., LMF or UE or gNB, etc.) for use in positioning estimation of the UE. Such aspects may provide various technical advantages, such as improved positioning estimation of the UE, reduced positioning latency, etc.

[0174] Figure 10 An exemplary process 1000 of communicating according to one aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 10 The process 1000 is performed by a UE (such as UE 302).

[0175] refer to Figure 10 At 1010, the UE 302 (e.g., the processor 332, the positioning component 342, etc.) determines the earliest arrival path for each of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in the plurality of beams. For example, the determination of 1010 may be based on an analysis of a channel energy response (CER) within one or more search windows associated with the PRS resources. In some designs, the means for performing the determination of 1010 may include Figure 3A processor 332, positioning component 342, etc.

[0176] refer to Figure 10At 1020, the UE 302 (e.g., the processor 332, the positioning component 342, etc.) determines a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) peak value for each earliest arriving path of the plurality of PRS resources. For example, the CER may be measured at a certain sampling interval or period, where the highest magnitude of the CER for a particular PRS resource within the search window corresponds to the RSRPP peak value for the particular PRS resource. In some designs, the means for performing the determination of 1020 may include Figure 3A processor 332, positioning component 342, etc.

[0177] refer to Figure 10 At 1030, the UE 302 (e.g., the processor 332, the positioning component 342, etc.) determines a reference RSRPP value. In some designs, the reference RSRPP value is determined dynamically (e.g., using the highest RSRPP peak value of any PRS resource within the search window as the reference RSRPP window, etc.). In some designs, an anchor PRS resource may be determined and used as the reference RSRPP value. In some designs, the means for performing the determination of 1030 may include Figure 3A processor 332, positioning component 342, etc.

[0178] refer to Figure 10 At 1030, UE 302 (e.g., transmitter 314 or 324, etc.) transmits a first measurement report having a first RSRPP configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) an RSRPP peak set associated with a corresponding PRS resource set in a plurality of PRS resources and (ii) a reference RSRPP value. In some designs, the means for performing the transmitting of 1040 may include Figure 3A transmitter 314 or 324, etc.

[0179] refer to Figure 10 In some designs, the RSRPP peak value set may include two or more of the first RSRPP peak values. In one example, a corresponding PRS resource set is associated with a TxTEG identifier for each of a plurality of PRS resources in the same transmit timing error group (TxTEG). In another example, the reference RSRPP value corresponds to the highest of the first RSRPP peak values.

[0180] refer to Figure 10In some designs, the UE may further select an anchor PRS resource from a plurality of PRS resources, determine a time window based on an earliest arrival path associated with the anchor PRS resource, and determine a second RSRPP peak value within the time window for each of the plurality of PRS resources. In one aspect, the RSRPP peak value set includes two or more of the second RSRPP peak values, and the reference RSRPP value includes the second RSRPP peak value associated with the anchor PRS resource. In some designs, the reference RSRPP value corresponds to the highest of the second RSRPP peak values. In some designs, each of the relative RSRPP peak values in the set corresponds to the corresponding second RSRPP peak value associated with the corresponding PRS resource divided by the second RSRPP peak value associated with the anchor PRS resource. In some designs, the corresponding PRS resource set is associated with a TxTEG identifier for each of the plurality of PRS resources in different TxTEGs.

[0181] refer to Figure 10 In some designs, a first RSRPP configuration for a first measurement report is configured by a positioning estimation entity. In some designs, multiple PRS resources are associated with a first transmit reception point (TRP). In some designs, a second measurement report associated with PRS resources of another TRP is associated with a second RSRPP configuration.

[0182] refer to Figure 10 In some designs, the UE may further select, at the UE, a first RSRPP configuration from a plurality of RSRPP configurations, the plurality of RSRPP configurations including at least the first RSRPP configuration and the second RSRPP configuration. In some designs, the UE may also send an indication of the selection to the positioning estimation entity.

[0183] refer to Figure 10 In some designs, each relative RSRPP peak value set corresponds to a corresponding RSRPP peak value associated with a corresponding PRS resource divided by a reference RSRPP value. In some designs, determining the earliest arrival path for multiple PRS resources is associated with a single search measurement window. In some designs, determining the earliest arrival path for multiple PRS resources is associated with multiple search measurement windows. In some designs, the multiple search measurement windows are configured based on a multipath environment associated with the UE.

[0184] refer to Figure 10 In some designs, the UE may further receive per-PRS real-time difference (RTD) information associated with the multiple PRS resources. In some designs, the earliest arrival paths of the multiple PRS resources are aligned in the time domain based on the per-PRS RTD information.

[0185] Figure 11An exemplary process 1100 for communicating according to one aspect of the present disclosure is illustrated. Figure 11 The process 1100 is performed by a positioning estimation entity. In some designs, the positioning estimation entity may correspond to a network component (e.g., a LMF integrated at the gNB / BS 304 or O-RAN component or a remote location search such as the network entity 306). In other designs, the positioning estimation entity may correspond to another UE (e.g., a sidelink anchor UE) or the target UE itself (e.g., for UE-based positioning estimation, in which case any Rx / Tx operations between the UE and the positioning estimation entity may correspond to information transmission between different logical components of the UE over a data bus, etc.).

[0186] refer to Figure 11 At 1110, a positioning estimation entity (e.g., receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, network transceiver 380 or 390, bus 334, etc.) receives a first measurement report having a first reference signal receive path power (RSRPP) configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) RSRPP peak sets associated with respective sets of PRS resources in a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams, and (ii) a reference RSRPP value. In some designs, depending on the specific implementation of the positioning estimation entity, the means for performing the receiving of 1110 may include: Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B or Figure 3C receiver 312 or 322 or 352 or 362, network transceiver 380 or 390, data bus 334, etc.

[0187] refer to Figure 11 At 1120, a positioning estimation entity (e.g., processor 332 or 384 or 394, positioning component 342 or 388 or 398, etc.) determines a positioning estimate of the user equipment (UE) based on the first measurement report. In some designs, depending on the specific implementation of the positioning estimation entity, the means for performing the determination of 1120 may include Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B or Figure 3C The processor 332 or 384 or 394 positions the component 342 or 388 or 398 and so on.

[0188] refer to Figure 11In some designs, the RSRPP peak set includes two or more of the first RSRPP peaks. In some designs, the corresponding PRS resource set is associated with a TxTEG identifier for each of a plurality of PRS resources in the same transmit timing error group (TxTEG), or the reference RSRPP value corresponds to the highest of the first RSRPP peaks, or a combination thereof.

[0189] refer to Figure 11 In some designs, an RSRPP peak value set is associated with a time window based on an earliest arriving path of an anchor PRS resource from a plurality of PRS resources, and the reference RSRPP value includes a corresponding RSRPP peak value associated with the anchor PRS resource. In some designs, the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest RSRPP peak value within the time window of the RSRPP peak value set.

[0190] refer to Figure 11 In some designs, a first RSRPP configuration for a first measurement report is configured by a positioning estimation entity. In some designs, multiple PRS resources are associated with a first transmit reception point (TRP). In some designs, a second measurement report associated with PRS resources of another TRP is associated with a second RSRPP configuration.

[0191] refer to Figure 11 In some designs, the first measurement report is received in association with an indication of a first RSRPP configuration. In some designs, each of the relative RSRPP peak values corresponds to a respective RSRPP peak value associated with a respective PRS resource divided by a reference RSRPP value, or the relative RSRPP peak value set is associated with a single search measurement window, or the relative RSRPP peak value set is associated with multiple measurement windows.

[0192] Reference below Figures 12 to 15 describe Figures 10 and 11 An example implementation of a processor.

[0193] Figure 12 Illustrated is a channel energy response (CER) 1200 according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Specifically, the CER is depicted for PRS resources (denoted as PRS1, PRS2, PRS3, PRS4, and PRS5) associated with respective TRPs (e.g., each of PRS1-PRS5 may be associated with a different beam of a TRP).

[0194] Figure 131300 is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. CER 1300 is identical to CER 1200, except that the respective RSRPP peaks of the earliest arriving paths for each PRS resource are annotated via dashed circles based on the earliest arriving path (EAP) power for each respective PRS resource. Figures 10 and 11 An example implementation of the process:

[0195] 1. The UE may independently determine the earliest arrival path (EAP) index (TOA_i) and power (P_i) for each PRS resource. In this case, for PRS1 to PRS5, i = 1 to 5. The UE may then determine P = max(P_i).

[0196] 2. The UE may send a certain number (eg, 8) of RSRPP as P_i / P.

[0197] Figure 14 1400 in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. CER 1400 is identical to CER 1200, except that the respective RSRPP peaks of the earliest arriving paths for each PRS resource are annotated via dashed circles based on the anchor PRS resource. Figures 10 and 11 An example implementation of the process:

[0198] 1. The UE may independently determine the Earliest Arrival Path (EAP) index (TOA_i) and power (P_i) for each PRS resource. In this case, i=1 to 5 for PRS1 to PRS5.

[0199] 2. The UE may select the anchor PRS resource. For example, the UE may select the anchor PRS resource based on the earliest TOA_i, based on the strongest P_i, or any combination of TOA_i and P_i.

[0200] 3. The anchor PRS resource is denoted as EAP index = T_x. In a first example, + / - 3 bins around T_x, or + / - 5 bins around T_x, + / - 9 bins around T_x, and so on.

[0201] 4. The UE may then determine P = max(P_i).

[0202] The UE may send a certain number (eg, 8) of RSRPP as P_i / P.

[0203] refer to Figures 10 and 11 In some designs, the LMF may configure the UE to Figure 13 In other designs, the LMF may configure the UE to report DL RSRPP based on the independent PRS resource option. Figure 14DL RSRPP is reported based on the anchor PRS resource option in .

[0204] refer to Figures 10 and 11 In some designs, the LMF may configure the UE to report Figure 13 A set of TRPs DL-RSRPP with options based on independent PRS resources and Figure 14 A set of TRPs DL-RSRPP with options based on anchor PRS resources.

[0205] refer to Figures 10 and 11 In some designs, the LMF may configure multiple windows for UE reporting. In some designs, different TRPs may be configured with different reporting windows. In some designs, the TRP-specific configured window may be absolute in time. In some designs, the TRP-specific configured window may be relative to the maximum peak or earliest reaching peak of one of the PRS resources within the TRP. Figure 15 Examples of some of these multi-window aspects are depicted.

[0206] Figure 15 The CER 1500 is illustrated in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 12 A variant of the CER 1200. Figure 15 In

[15] , two offset windows are defined for RSRPP peak sweep. In some designs, each window may be associated with a PRS resource of a different TRP.

[0207] refer to Figures 10 and 11 In some designs, the UE can opportunistically decide whether to implement Figure 13 The options based on independent PRS resources are still as follows Figure 14 The options for anchor PRS resources in the UE may depend, for example, on the multipath metric, the SNR metric for each TRP, etc. In some designs, the UE includes an indication of the LMF in the measurement report, which is indicated using Figure 13 The options based on independent PRS resources are still as follows Figure 14 The option of anchoring PRS resources in the . For example, this indication may be conveyed via an indication of the relative ToA of each path RSRP for the TRP. That is, for each RSRPP, the UE includes Tau, where Tau=0 corresponds to the earliest path and the rest correspond to the time used to decide the RSRPP. If all Tau are the same, or Tau is missing, it is assumed that the method used is Figure 13 If Tau is different, LMF will assume that the Figure 14 Options based on anchored PRS resources in .

[0208] refer to Figures 10 and 11 In some designs, if the UE is provided with a per-resource real-time difference (RTD), the UE uses the provided Tx offset between PRS resources to align the received time-domain PRS signal. In some designs, if the UE is provided with a TxTEG-ID for each PRS resource, then for PRS resources in the same TxTEG, the UE uses the following: Figure 13 But for PRS resources on different TxTEGs, use Figure 14 Anchored PRS resource options in

[0209] In the above detailed description, it can be seen that different features are grouped together in each example. This disclosure should not be understood as an intention that the example clauses have more features than the features explicitly mentioned in each clause. On the contrary, the various aspects of the present disclosure may include less than all the features of the disclosed individual example clauses. Therefore, the following clauses should be considered to be incorporated into the description accordingly, wherein each clause itself can be used as a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer to a specific combination of a clause with one of the other clauses in a clause, the aspects of the dependent clause are not limited to a specific combination. It should be understood that other example clauses may also include a combination of the dependent clause aspects with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause or a combination of any feature with other dependent clauses and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations, unless explicitly expressed or can be easily inferred that a specific combination is not intended to be used (for example, contradictory aspects, such as defining an element as both an electrical insulator and an electrical conductor). In addition, it is also expected that various aspects of a clause may be included in any other independent clause, even if the clause is not directly dependent on the independent clause.

[0210] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0211] Clause 1. A method of operating a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: determining an earliest arrival path for each of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams; determining a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) peak for each earliest arrival path of the plurality of PRS resources; determining a reference RSRPP value; and sending a first measurement report having a first RSRPP configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set, the relative RSRPP peak set being based on (i) an RSRPP peak set associated with a corresponding PRS resource set in the plurality of PRS resources and (ii) the reference RSRPP value.

[0212] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the first RSRPP peaks.

[0213] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein the respective set of PRS resources is associated with a transmit timing error group (TxTEG) identifier for each of the plurality of PRS resources in a same TxTEG.

[0214] Clause 4. The method of any one of clauses 2 to 3, wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to the highest of the first RSRPP peak values.

[0215] Clause 5. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 4, the method further comprising: selecting an anchor PRS resource from the plurality of PRS resources; determining a time window based on the earliest arrival path associated with the anchor PRS resource; and determining a second RSRPP peak within the time window for each of the plurality of PRS resources, wherein the RSRPP peak set includes two or more of the second RSRPP peaks, and wherein the reference RSRPP value includes the second RSRPP peak associated with the anchor PRS resource.

[0216] Clause 6. The method of clause 5, wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the second RSRPP peak values.

[0217] Clause 7. The method of clause 6, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak sets corresponds to a respective second RSRPP peak value associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the second RSRPP peak value associated with the anchor PRS resource.

[0218] Clause 8. The method of any of clauses 5 to 7, wherein the respective set of PRS resources is associated with a transmit timing error group (TxTEG) identifier for each of the plurality of PRS resources in a different TxTEG.

[0219] Clause 9. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 8, wherein the first RSRPP configuration of the first measurement report is configured by a positioning estimation entity.

[0220] Clause 10. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 9, wherein the plurality of PRS resources are associated with a first transmit reception point (TRP).

[0221] Clause 11. The method of clause 10, wherein the second measurement report associated with the PRS resources of another TRP is associated with a second RSRPP configuration.

[0222] Clause 12. A method as described in any of clauses 1 to 11, the method further comprising: selecting, at the UE, the first RSRPP configuration from a plurality of RSRPP configurations, the plurality of RSRPP configurations comprising at least the first RSRPP configuration and a second RSRPP configuration.

[0223] Clause 13. The method of clause 12, further comprising sending an indication of the selection to a position estimation entity.

[0224] Clause 14. The method of any of clauses 1 to 13, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak sets corresponds to a respective RSRPP peak value associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the reference RSRPP value.

[0225] Clause 15. The method of any of clauses 1 to 14, wherein the determining of the earliest arriving path for the plurality of PRS resources is associated with a single search measurement window.

[0226] Clause 16. The method of any of clauses 1 to 15, wherein the determining of the earliest arriving path for the plurality of PRS resources is associated with a plurality of search measurement windows.

[0227] Clause 17. The method of clause 16, wherein the plurality of search measurement windows are configured based on a multipath environment associated with the UE.

[0228] Clause 18. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 17, further comprising: receiving per-PRS real time difference (RTD) information associated with the plurality of PRS resources, wherein the earliest arriving paths of the plurality of PRS resources are aligned in the time domain based on the per-PRS RTD information.

[0229] Clause 19. A method of operating a positioning estimation entity, the method comprising: receiving a first measurement report having a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) configuration, the first measurement report comprising an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set, the relative RSRPP peak set being based on (i) RSRPP peak sets associated with corresponding sets of PRS resources in a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams, and (ii) a reference RSRPP value; and determining a positioning estimate of a user equipment (UE) based on the first measurement report.

[0230] Clause 20. The method of clause 19, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the first RSRPP peaks.

[0231] Clause 21. The method of clause 20, wherein the respective PRS resource sets are associated with a TxTEG identifier for each of a plurality of PRS resources in the same transmit timing error group (TxTEG), or wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the first RSRPP peak values, or a combination thereof.

[0232] Clause 22. A method according to any one of clauses 19 to 21, wherein the set of RSRPP peak values is associated with a time window based on the earliest arriving path of an anchor PRS resource from the plurality of PRS resources, and wherein the reference RSRPP value comprises the corresponding RSRPP peak value associated with the anchor PRS resource.

[0233] Clause 23. The method of clause 22, wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest one of the RSRPP peak values of the set of RSRPP peak values within the time window.

[0234] Clause 24. A method as set forth in any one of clauses 19 to 23, wherein the first RSRPP configuration of the first measurement report is configured by the positioning estimation entity.

[0235] Clause 25. The method of any one of clauses 19 to 24, wherein the plurality of PRS resources are associated with a first transmit reception point (TRP).

[0236] Clause 26. The method of clause 25, wherein the second measurement report associated with the PRS resources of another TRP is associated with a second RSRPP configuration.

[0237] Clause 27. A method as set forth in any one of clauses 19 to 26, wherein the first measurement report is received in association with an indication of the first RSRPP configuration.

[0238] Clause 28. A method according to any one of clauses 19 to 27, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak sets corresponds to a respective RSRPP peak associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the reference RSRPP value, or wherein the relative RSRPP peak set is associated with a single search measurement window, or wherein the relative RSRPP peak set is associated with multiple measurement windows.

[0239] Clause 29. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: determine an earliest arriving path for each of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams; determine a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) peak for each earliest arriving path of the plurality of PRS resources; determine a reference RSRPP value; and send, via the at least one transceiver, a first measurement report having a first RSRPP configuration, the first measurement report comprising an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set, the relative RSRPP peak set being based on (i) an RSRPP peak set associated with a corresponding PRS resource set in the plurality of PRS resources and (ii) the reference RSRPP value.

[0240] Clause 30. The UE of clause 29, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the first RSRPP peaks.

[0241] Clause 31. The UE of clause 30, wherein the respective set of PRS resources is associated with a transmit timing error group (TxTEG) identifier for each of the plurality of PRS resources in a same TxTEG.

[0242] Clause 32. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 30 to 31, wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the first RSRPP peak values.

[0243] Clause 33. A UE according to any one of clauses 29 to 32, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: select an anchor PRS resource from the multiple PRS resources; determine a time window based on the earliest arrival path associated with the anchor PRS resource; and determine a second RSRPP peak within the time window for each of the multiple PRS resources, wherein the RSRPP peak set includes two or more of the second RSRPP peaks, and wherein the reference RSRPP value includes the second RSRPP peak associated with the anchor PRS resource.

[0244] Clause 34. The UE of clause 33, wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the second RSRPP peak values.

[0245] Clause 35. The UE of clause 34, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak sets corresponds to a respective second RSRPP peak value associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the second RSRPP peak value associated with the anchor PRS resource.

[0246] Clause 36. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 33 to 35, wherein the respective set of PRS resources is associated with a transmit timing error group (TxTEG) identifier for each of the plurality of PRS resources in a different TxTEG.

[0247] Clause 37. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 29 to 36, wherein the first RSRPP configuration of the first measurement report is configured by a positioning estimation entity.

[0248] Clause 38. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 29 to 37, wherein the plurality of PRS resources are associated with a first transmit reception point (TRP).

[0249] Clause 39. A UE according to clause 38, wherein the second measurement report associated with the PRS resources of another TRP is associated with a second RSRPP configuration.

[0250] Clause 40. A UE as described in any of clauses 29 to 39, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: select the first RSRPP configuration from a plurality of RSRPP configurations at the UE, the plurality of RSRPP configurations including at least the first RSRPP configuration and a second RSRPP configuration.

[0251] Clause 41. The UE of clause 40, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: send an indication of the selection to the positioning estimation entity via the at least one transceiver.

[0252] Clause 42. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 29 to 41, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak values corresponds to a respective RSRPP peak value associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the reference RSRPP value.

[0253] Clause 43. The UE of any of clauses 29 to 42, wherein the determination of the earliest arriving path for the plurality of PRS resources is associated with a single search measurement window.

[0254] Clause 44. The UE of any of clauses 29 to 43, wherein the determination of the earliest arriving path for the plurality of PRS resources is associated with a plurality of search measurement windows.

[0255] Clause 45. The UE of clause 44, wherein the plurality of search measurement windows are configured based on a multipath environment associated with the UE.

[0256] Clause 46. A UE according to any one of clauses 29 to 45, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, per-PRS real time difference (RTD) information associated with the plurality of PRS resources, wherein the earliest arrival paths of the plurality of PRS resources are aligned in the time domain based on the per-PRS RTD information.

[0257] Clause 47. A positioning estimation entity, the positioning estimation entity comprising: a memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor, the at least one processor being communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor being configured to: receive, via the at least one transceiver, a first measurement report having a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) configuration, the first measurement report comprising an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set, the relative RSRPP peak set being based on (i) RSRPP peak sets associated with respective sets of PRS resources in a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams, and (ii) a reference RSRPP value; and determine a positioning estimate of a user equipment (UE) based on the first measurement report.

[0258] Clause 48. The position estimation entity of clause 47, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the first RSRPP peaks.

[0259] Clause 49. A positioning estimation entity according to clause 48, wherein the respective PRS resource sets are associated with a TxTEG identifier for each of a plurality of PRS resources in the same transmit timing error group (TxTEG), or wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the first RSRPP peak values, or a combination thereof.

[0260] Clause 50. A positioning estimation entity according to any of clauses 47 to 49, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks is associated with a time window based on the earliest arrival path of an anchor PRS resource from the plurality of PRS resources, and wherein the reference RSRPP value comprises the corresponding RSRPP peak associated with the anchor PRS resource.

[0261] Clause 51. The position estimation entity of clause 50, wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest one of the RSRPP peak values of the RSRPP peak value set within the time window.

[0262] Clause 52. A positioning estimation entity as described in any of clauses 47 to 51, wherein the first RSRPP configuration of the first measurement report is configured by the positioning estimation entity.

[0263] Clause 53. A positioning estimation entity as described in any of clauses 47 to 52, wherein the plurality of PRS resources are associated with a first transmit reception point (TRP).

[0264] Clause 54. The positioning estimation entity of clause 53, wherein the second measurement report associated with the PRS resources of another TRP is associated with a second RSRPP configuration.

[0265] Clause 55. The positioning estimation entity of any of clauses 47 to 54, wherein the first measurement report is received in association with an indication of the first RSRPP configuration.

[0266] Clause 56. A positioning estimation entity according to any one of clauses 47 to 55, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak sets corresponds to a respective RSRPP peak associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the reference RSRPP value, or wherein the relative RSRPP peak set is associated with a single search measurement window, or wherein the relative RSRPP peak set is associated with multiple measurement windows.

[0267] Clause 57. A user equipment (UE), comprising: means for determining an earliest arrival path for each of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams; means for determining a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) peak for each earliest arrival path of the plurality of PRS resources; means for determining a reference RSRPP value; and means for sending a first measurement report having a first RSRPP configuration, the first measurement report comprising an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) an RSRPP peak set associated with a corresponding PRS resource set in the plurality of PRS resources and (ii) the reference RSRPP value.

[0268] Clause 58. The UE of clause 57, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the first RSRPP peaks.

[0269] Clause 59. The UE of clause 58, wherein the respective set of PRS resources is associated with a transmit timing error group (TxTEG) identifier for each of the plurality of PRS resources in a same TxTEG.

[0270] Clause 60. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 58 to 59, wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the first RSRPP peak values.

[0271] Clause 61. A UE according to any one of clauses 57 to 60, the UE further comprising: a component for selecting an anchor PRS resource from the plurality of PRS resources; a component for determining a time window based on the earliest arrival path associated with the anchor PRS resource; and a component for determining a second RSRPP peak within the time window for each of the plurality of PRS resources, wherein the RSRPP peak set includes two or more of the second RSRPP peaks, and wherein the reference RSRPP value includes the second RSRPP peak associated with the anchor PRS resource.

[0272] Clause 62. The UE of clause 61, wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the second RSRPP peak values.

[0273] Clause 63. The UE of clause 62, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak sets corresponds to a respective second RSRPP peak value associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the second RSRPP peak value associated with the anchor PRS resource.

[0274] Clause 64. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 61 to 63, wherein the respective set of PRS resources is associated with a transmit timing error group (TxTEG) identifier for each of the plurality of PRS resources in a different TxTEG.

[0275] Clause 65. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 57 to 64, wherein the first RSRPP configuration of the first measurement report is configured by a positioning estimation entity.

[0276] Clause 66. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 57 to 65, wherein the plurality of PRS resources are associated with a first transmit reception point (TRP).

[0277] Clause 67. A UE as described in clause 66, wherein the second measurement report associated with the PRS resources of another TRP is associated with a second RSRPP configuration.

[0278] Clause 68. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 57 to 67, the UE further comprising means for selecting, at the UE, the first RSRPP configuration from a plurality of RSRPP configurations, the plurality of RSRPP configurations comprising at least the first RSRPP configuration and a second RSRPP configuration.

[0279] Clause 69. The UE of clause 68, further comprising means for sending an indication of the selection to a positioning estimation entity.

[0280] Clause 70. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 57 to 69, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak values corresponds to a respective RSRPP peak value associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the reference RSRPP value.

[0281] Clause 71. The UE of any of clauses 57 to 70, wherein the determination of the earliest arriving path for the plurality of PRS resources is associated with a single search measurement window.

[0282] Clause 72. The UE of any of clauses 57 to 71, wherein the determination of the earliest arriving path for the plurality of PRS resources is associated with a plurality of search measurement windows.

[0283] Clause 73. The UE of clause 72, wherein the plurality of search measurement windows are configured based on a multipath environment associated with the UE.

[0284] Clause 74. A UE according to any one of clauses 57 to 73, the UE further comprising: means for receiving per-PRS real time difference (RTD) information associated with the plurality of PRS resources, wherein the earliest arrival paths of the plurality of PRS resources are aligned in the time domain based on the per-PRS RTD information.

[0285] Clause 75. A positioning estimation entity, the positioning estimation entity comprising: a component for receiving a first measurement report having a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) configuration, the first measurement report comprising an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set, the relative RSRPP peak set being based on (i) RSRPP peak sets associated with corresponding sets of PRS resources in a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams, and (ii) a reference RSRPP value; and a component for determining a positioning estimate of a user equipment (UE) based on the first measurement report.

[0286] Clause 76. The position estimation entity of clause 75, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the first RSRPP peaks.

[0287] Clause 77. A positioning estimation entity according to clause 76, wherein the respective PRS resource sets are associated with a TxTEG identifier for each of a plurality of PRS resources in the same transmit timing error group (TxTEG), or wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the first RSRPP peaks, or a combination thereof.

[0288] Clause 78. A positioning estimation entity according to any of clauses 75 to 77, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks is associated with a time window based on the earliest arrival path of an anchor PRS resource from the plurality of PRS resources, and wherein the reference RSRPP value comprises the corresponding RSRPP peak associated with the anchor PRS resource.

[0289] Clause 79. The position estimation entity of clause 78, wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest one of the RSRPP peak values of the set of RSRPP peak values within the time window.

[0290] Clause 80. A positioning estimation entity as set forth in any of clauses 75 to 79, wherein the first RSRPP configuration of the first measurement report is configured by the positioning estimation entity.

[0291] Clause 81. A positioning estimation entity as described in any of clauses 75 to 80, wherein the plurality of PRS resources are associated with a first transmit reception point (TRP).

[0292] Clause 82. The positioning estimation entity of clause 81, wherein the second measurement report associated with the PRS resources of another TRP is associated with a second RSRPP configuration.

[0293] Clause 83. The positioning estimation entity of any of clauses 75 to 82, wherein the first measurement report is received in association with an indication of the first RSRPP configuration.

[0294] Clause 84. A positioning estimation entity according to any one of clauses 75 to 83, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak sets corresponds to a respective RSRPP peak associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the reference RSRPP value, or wherein the relative RSRPP peak set is associated with a single search measurement window, or wherein the relative RSRPP peak set is associated with multiple measurement windows.

[0295] Clause 85. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: determine an earliest arrival path for each of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams; determine a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) peak for each earliest arrival path of the plurality of PRS resources; determine a reference RSRPP value; and send a first measurement report having a first RSRPP configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) an RSRPP peak set associated with a corresponding PRS resource set in the plurality of PRS resources and (ii) the reference RSRPP value.

[0296] Clause 86. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 85, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the first RSRPP peaks.

[0297] Clause 87. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 86, wherein the respective set of PRS resources is associated with a transmit timing error group (TxTEG) identifier for each of the plurality of PRS resources in a same TxTEG.

[0298] Clause 88. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 86 to 87, wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the first RSRPP peak values.

[0299] Clause 89. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 85 to 88, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: select an anchor PRS resource from the plurality of PRS resources; determine a time window based on the earliest arrival path associated with the anchor PRS resource; and determine a second RSRPP peak within the time window for each of the plurality of PRS resources, wherein the RSRPP peak set includes two or more of the second RSRPP peaks, and wherein the reference RSRPP value includes the second RSRPP peak associated with the anchor PRS resource.

[0300] Clause 90. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 89, wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the second RSRPP peak values.

[0301] Clause 91. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 90, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak sets corresponds to a respective second RSRPP peak value associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the second RSRPP peak value associated with the anchor PRS resource.

[0302] Clause 92. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 89 to 91, wherein the respective set of PRS resources is associated with a transmit timing error group (TxTEG) identifier for each of the plurality of PRS resources in a different TxTEG.

[0303] Clause 93. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 85 to 92, wherein the first RSRPP configuration of the first measurement report is configured by a positioning estimation entity.

[0304] Clause 94. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 85 to 93, wherein the plurality of PRS resources are associated with a first transmit reception point (TRP).

[0305] Clause 95. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 94, wherein the second measurement report associated with the PRS resources of another TRP is associated with a second RSRPP configuration.

[0306] Clause 96. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 85 to 95, wherein the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprises computer-executable instructions, which, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: select the first RSRPP configuration from a plurality of RSRPP configurations at the UE, the plurality of RSRPP configurations comprising at least the first RSRPP configuration and a second RSRPP configuration.

[0307] Clause 97. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 96, further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: send an indication of the selection to a positioning estimation entity.

[0308] Clause 98. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 85 to 97, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak sets corresponds to a respective RSRPP peak value associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the reference RSRPP value.

[0309] Clause 99. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 85 to 98, wherein the determining of the earliest arriving path for the plurality of PRS resources is associated with a single search measurement window.

[0310] Clause 100. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 85 to 99, wherein the determining of the earliest arriving path for the plurality of PRS resources is associated with a plurality of search measurement windows.

[0311] Clause 101. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 100, wherein the plurality of search measurement windows are configured based on a multipath environment associated with the UE.

[0312] Clause 102. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 85 to 101, the non-transitory computer-readable medium further comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the UE, cause the UE to: receive per-PRS real time difference (RTD) information associated with the plurality of PRS resources, wherein the earliest arrival paths of the plurality of PRS resources are aligned in the time domain based on the per-PRS RTD information.

[0313] Clause 103. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a positioning estimation entity, cause the positioning estimation entity to: receive a first measurement report having a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set, the relative RSRPP peak set being based on (i) RSRPP peak sets associated with corresponding sets of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources in a plurality of PRS resources, each associated with a different beam in a plurality of beams, and (ii) a reference RSRPP value; and determine a positioning estimate of a user equipment (UE) based on the first measurement report.

[0314] Clause 104. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 103, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the first RSRPP peaks.

[0315] Clause 105. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 104, wherein the respective PRS resource sets are associated with a TxTEG identifier for each of a plurality of PRS resources in the same transmit timing error group (TxTEG), or wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the first RSRPP peak values, or a combination thereof.

[0316] Clause 106. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 103 to 105, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks is associated with a time window based on the earliest arrival path of an anchor PRS resource from the plurality of PRS resources, and wherein the reference RSRPP value includes the corresponding RSRPP peak associated with the anchor PRS resource.

[0317] Clause 107. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 106, wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the RSRPP peak values of the set of RSRPP peak values within the time window.

[0318] Clause 108. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 103 to 107, wherein the first RSRPP configuration of the first measurement report is configured by the positioning estimation entity.

[0319] Clause 109. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 103 to 108, wherein the plurality of PRS resources are associated with a first transmit reception point (TRP).

[0320] Clause 110. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 109, wherein the second measurement report associated with the PRS resources of another TRP is associated with a second RSRPP configuration.

[0321] Clause 111. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 103 to 110, wherein the first measurement report is received in association with an indication of the first RSRPP configuration.

[0322] Clause 112. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 103 to 111, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak sets corresponds to a respective RSRPP peak associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the reference RSRPP value, or wherein the relative RSRPP peak set is associated with a single search measurement window, or wherein the relative RSRPP peak set is associated with multiple measurement windows.

[0323] It should be understood by those skilled in the art that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0324] In addition, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the various illustrative logic blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic steps described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of the two. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been generally described above in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware or software depends on the specific application and the design constraints imposed on the entire system. Those skilled in the art may implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such specific implementation decisions should not be interpreted as resulting in a departure from the scope of this disclosure.

[0325] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a 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, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, a combination of one or more microprocessors and a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0326] The methods, sequences, and / or algorithms described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software module may reside in random access memory (RAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An example storage medium is coupled to the processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. In an alternative embodiment, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in a user terminal (e.g., UE). In an alternative embodiment, the processor and storage medium may reside in the user terminal as discrete components.

[0327] In one or more example aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium or sent via a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, which include any media that facilitate the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage devices, magnetic disk storage devices, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and that can be accessed by a computer. In addition, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is sent from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwaves are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, and Blu-ray disc. 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.

[0328] While the foregoing disclosure illustrates exemplary aspects of the present disclosure, it should be noted that various changes and modifications may be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. Furthermore, the functions, steps, and / or actions of the method claims according to the various aspects of the present disclosure described herein need not be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, plural forms are contemplated unless otherwise expressly stated to be limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A method of operating a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: determining an earliest arriving path for each of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources each associated with a different one of a plurality of beams; determining a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) peak value for each earliest arriving path of the plurality of PRS resources; Determine the reference RSRPP value; as well as A first measurement report is sent with a first RSRPP configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) an RSRPP peak set associated with a corresponding PRS resource set in the plurality of PRS resources and (ii) the reference RSRPP value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the first RSRPP peaks.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the respective PRS resource sets are associated with a transmit timing error group (TxTEG) identifier for each of the plurality of PRS resources in the same TxTEG.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the first RSRPP peak values.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: selecting an anchor PRS resource from the plurality of PRS resources; determining a time window based on the earliest arriving path associated with the anchor PRS resource; as well as determining a second RSRPP peak value within the time window for each of the plurality of PRS resources, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the second RSRPP peaks, and The reference RSRPP value includes the second RSRPP peak value associated with the anchor PRS resource. The method of claim 5 , wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest of the second RSRPP peak values.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak values corresponds to a respective second RSRPP peak value associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the second RSRPP peak value associated with the anchor PRS resource.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the respective PRS resource sets are associated with a transmit timing error group (TxTEG) identifier for each of the plurality of PRS resources in a different TxTEG.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first RSRPP configuration of the first measurement report is configured by a positioning estimation entity.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of PRS resources are associated with a first transmit reception point (TRP).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the second measurement report associated with the PRS resources of another TRP is associated with a second RSRPP configuration.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The first RSRPP configuration is selected at the UE from a plurality of RSRPP configurations, the plurality of RSRPP configurations including at least the first RSRPP configuration and a second RSRPP configuration.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising: An indication of the selection is sent to a position estimation entity.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak values corresponds to a respective RSRPP peak value associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the reference RSRPP value.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the earliest arriving path for the plurality of PRS resources is associated with a single search measurement window.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining of the earliest arriving path for the plurality of PRS resources is associated with a plurality of search measurement windows.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the plurality of search measurement windows are configured based on a multipath environment associated with the UE.

18. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Per-PRS real time difference (RTD) information associated with the plurality of PRS resources is received, wherein the earliest arriving paths of the plurality of PRS resources are aligned in a time domain based on the per-PRS RTD information.

19. A method of operating a location estimation entity, the method comprising: receiving a first measurement report having a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) RSRPP peak sets associated with respective sets of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources from a plurality of PRS resources, each associated with a different one of a plurality of beams, and (ii) a reference RSRPP value; as well as A position estimate of a user equipment (UE) is determined based on the first measurement report.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the first RSRPP peaks.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein the respective PRS resource set is associated with a transmit timing error group (TxTEG) identifier for each of the plurality of PRS resources in the same TxTEG, or wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to the highest of the first RSRPP peak values, or A combination of them.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein the RSRPP peak set is associated with a time window based on the earliest arriving path of the anchor PRS resource from the plurality of PRS resources, and The reference RSRPP value includes the corresponding RSRPP peak value associated with the anchor PRS resource. 23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest one of the RSRPP peak values in the RSRPP peak value set within the time window.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the first RSRPP configuration of the first measurement report is configured by the position estimation entity.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of PRS resources are associated with a first transmit reception point (TRP).

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the second measurement report associated with the PRS resources of another TRP is associated with a second RSRPP configuration.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the first measurement report is received in association with an indication of the first RSRPP configuration.

28. The method according to claim 19, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak values corresponds to a respective RSRPP peak value associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the reference RSRPP value, or The relative RSRPP peak set is associated with a single search measurement window, or the relative RSRPP peak set is associated with multiple measurement windows.

29. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; as well as at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: determining an earliest arriving path for each of a plurality of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources each associated with a different one of a plurality of beams; determining a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) peak value for each earliest arriving path of the plurality of PRS resources; Determine the reference RSRPP value; as well as A first measurement report having a first RSRPP configuration is sent via the at least one transceiver, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) an RSRPP peak set associated with a corresponding PRS resource set in the plurality of PRS resources and (ii) the reference RSRPP value.

30. The UE of claim 29, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the first RSRPP peaks. The UE according to claim 30 , wherein the reference RSRPP value corresponds to a highest one of the first RSRPP peak values.

32. The UE of claim 29, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: selecting an anchor PRS resource from the plurality of PRS resources; determining a time window based on the earliest arriving path associated with the anchor PRS resource; and determining a second RSRPP peak value within the time window for each of the plurality of PRS resources, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the second RSRPP peaks, and The reference RSRPP value includes the second RSRPP peak value associated with the anchor PRS resource.

33. The UE of claim 29, wherein the first RSRPP configuration of the first measurement report is configured by a positioning estimation entity.

34. The UE of claim 29, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to: The first RSRPP configuration is selected at the UE from a plurality of RSRPP configurations, the plurality of RSRPP configurations including at least the first RSRPP configuration and a second RSRPP configuration.

35. A positioning estimation entity, comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; as well as at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: receiving, via the at least one transceiver, a first measurement report having a first reference signal received path power (RSRPP) configuration, the first measurement report including an indication of a relative RSRPP peak set based on (i) RSRPP peak sets associated with respective sets of positioning reference signal (PRS) resources from a plurality of PRS resources, each associated with a different one of a plurality of beams, and (ii) a reference RSRPP value; as well as A position estimate of a user equipment (UE) is determined based on the first measurement report.

36. The position estimation entity of claim 35, wherein the set of RSRPP peaks includes two or more of the first RSRPP peaks.

37. The position estimation entity according to claim 35, wherein the RSRPP peak set is associated with a time window based on the earliest arriving path of the anchor PRS resource from the plurality of PRS resources, and The reference RSRPP value includes the corresponding RSRPP peak value associated with the anchor PRS resource.

38. The position estimation entity of claim 25, wherein the first RSRPP configuration of the first measurement report is configured by the position estimation entity.

39. The position estimation entity of claim 25, wherein the plurality of PRS resources are associated with a first transmit reception point (TRP).

40. The position estimation entity according to claim 35, wherein each of the relative RSRPP peak values corresponds to a respective RSRPP peak value associated with a respective PRS resource divided by the reference RSRPP value, or The relative RSRPP peak set is associated with a single search measurement window, or the relative RSRPP peak set is associated with multiple measurement windows.

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