High reliability low latency traffic flow specific positioning measurement relaxation

Abstract

Techniques for wireless communication are disclosed. In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) receives a high-reliability, low-latency, and high-capacity data traffic flow, receives a configuration for measuring one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources during reception of the high-reliability, low-latency, and high-capacity data traffic flow, and transmits the one or more PRS resources based on relaxed measurement requirements for the one or more PRS resources. One or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources are obtained during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow.

Description

Background Art 1. Technical Field

[0002] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communications.

[0003] 2. Description of Related Technologies

[0004] 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-enabled 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.

[0005] The fifth-generation (5G) wireless standard, known as New Radio (NR), enables higher data speeds, increased connectivity, and improved 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 technology, and high-density deployments of 5G, enable highly accurate positioning based on 5G. Summary of the Invention

[0006] 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.

[0007] In one aspect, a method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes receiving a high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; receiving a configuration for measuring one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; and obtaining one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow based on relaxed measurement requirements for the one or more PRS resources.

[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 communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: receive a high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow via the at least one transceiver; receive, via the at least one transceiver, a configuration for measuring one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; and obtain one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow based on relaxed measurement requirements for the one or more PRS resources.

[0009] In one aspect, a user equipment (UE) includes: means for receiving a high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; means for receiving a configuration for measuring one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; and means for obtaining one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow based on relaxed measurement requirements for the one or more PRS resources.

[0010] In one aspect, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; receive a configuration for measuring one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; and obtain one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow based on relaxed measurement requirements for the one or more PRS resources.

[0011] Other objects and advantages associated with the aspects disclosed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art based on the drawings and detailed description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] 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.

[0013] Figure 1 An example wireless communication system according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0014] Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B and Figure 2C Example wireless network structures according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0015] 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.

[0016] Figure 4 Examples of various positioning methods supported in New Radio (NR) according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0017] Figure 5A is a diagram illustrating an example frame structure according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 5B is a diagram illustrating various downlink channels within an example downlink time slot in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating various aspects of performing radio resource management (RRM) measurements with measurement gaps according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 7 is a table illustrating positioning reference signal (PRS) processing window (PPW) types and main attributes according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 8 Example methods of wireless communications according to aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] 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 designed without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, 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.

[0023] 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.

[0024] 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.

[0025] 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. In addition, 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 an associated processor of a 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. In addition, 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."

[0026] 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). Generally speaking, a UE can be any wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone, router, tablet, laptop, consumer asset location device, wearable device (e.g., smartwatch, glasses, augmented reality (AR) / virtual reality (VR) headset, etc.), vehicle (e.g., car, motorcycle, bicycle, etc.), Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.) used by a user to communicate over a wireless communication network. A UE can be mobile or (e.g., stationary 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 equipment," "subscriber terminal," "subscriber station," "user terminal" or "UT," "mobile device," "mobile terminal," "mobile station," or variations thereof. Generally speaking, 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 other UEs. Of course, other mechanisms are also possible for the UE to connect to the core network and / or the Internet, such as through a wired access network, a wireless local area network (WLAN) network (eg, based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 specification, etc.).

[0027] 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 known 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, a base station 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.

[0028] 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 TRPs 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 the point at which a base station transmits and receives wireless signals, references to transmitting from or receiving at a base station should be understood to refer to a specific TRP of a base station.

[0029] In some implementations that support UE positioning, a base station may not support wireless access by 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).

[0030] 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" where the context clearly indicates that the term "signal" refers to either a wireless signal or an RF signal.

[0031] 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.

[0032] 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 UEs 104 may communicate with the location servers 172 directly or indirectly. For example, the UE 104 may communicate with the location servers 172 via the base station 102 currently serving the UE 104. The UE 104 may also communicate with the location servers 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), or the like. 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.

[0033] Among other functions, the base stations 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 establishment 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 the EPC / 5GC) over a backhaul link 134, which may be wired or wireless.

[0034] 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 for communicating with a base station (e.g., via a frequency resource, such 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 on 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 the logical communication entity, 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.

[0035] 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).

[0036] 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).

[0037] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a wireless local area network (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 communicating to determine whether a channel is available.

[0038] 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 employ LTE or NR technology and use the same 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum used by the WLAN AP 150. Small cell base stations 102' employing 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.

[0039] The wireless communication system 100 may also include a millimeter wave (mmW) base station 180, which can operate at mmW and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with UEs 182. Extremely high frequencies (EHF) are part of the RF portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz, with wavelengths between 1 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 frequencies (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 range. mmW base stations 180 and UEs 182 can utilize beamforming (transmit and / or receive) on mmW communication links 184 to compensate for the extremely high path loss and short range. Furthermore, it should 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.

[0040] Transmit beamforming is a technique used to focus an RF signal in a specific direction. Traditionally, when a network node (e.g., a base station) broadcasts an RF signal, it broadcasts it 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 alter the directionality of the RF signal during transmission, 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"), which forms an RF beam 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 with 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.

[0041] Transmit beams can be quasi-co-located, meaning they appear to have the same parameters to a receiver (e.g., a UE), regardless of whether the network node's own transmit antenna is physically co-located. In NR, four types of quasi-co-location (QCL) relationships exist. Specifically, a given type of QCL relationship means that certain parameters about a second reference RF signal on a 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 a second reference RF signal transmitted 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 transmitted 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 transmitted 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.

[0042] 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 signals received from that direction. Therefore, when a receiver is said to be beamforming in a certain direction, it means that the beam gain in that direction is high relative to the beam gain in 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 signals received from that direction.

[0043] The transmit beam and receive beam can be spatially correlated. This spatial correlation means that the parameters of a second beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) used for a second reference signal can be derived based on information about the first beam (e.g., a receive beam or a transmit beam) for a first reference signal. For example, a UE can 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 based on the receive beam parameters to transmit an uplink reference signal (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)) to the base station.

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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 ranges designated FR1 (410 MHz–7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz–52.6 GHz). It should be understood that, despite a portion of FR1 being 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 FR2, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in documents and articles, despite being distinct from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz–300 GHz), which is identified as a "millimeter wave" band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0046] Frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR research has identified an operating band for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz–24.25 GHz). Frequency bands falling within FR3 may inherit FR1 characteristics and / or FR2 characteristics, effectively extending the features of FR1 and / or FR2 to mid-band frequencies. Furthermore, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 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.

[0047] In view of the above aspects, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if the term "sub-6 GHz" or the like is used herein, it can be broadly referred to as frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if the term "millimeter wave" or the like is used herein, it can be broadly referred to as 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.

[0048] 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) used 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 typically UE-specific, UE-specific signaling information and signals may not be present in the secondary carrier. This means that different UEs 104 / 182 in a cell can 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. may be used interchangeably.

[0049] For example, still referring to Figure 1 In the example, one of the frequencies used by macrocell base station 102 may be an anchor carrier (or "PCell"), and the other frequencies used 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 double the data rate (i.e., 40 MHz) compared to the data rate achieved with a single 20 MHz carrier.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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 the 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 wireless sidelink 160 using the PC5 interface (i.e., the air interface between sidelink-capable UEs). A wireless sidelink (or simply "sidelink") is an adaptation of the core cellular network standard (e.g., LTE, NR) 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, and more. 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, for other reasons, unable to receive transmissions from the base station 102. 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 every 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.

[0052] In one aspect, sidelink 160 may operate over a wireless communication medium of interest, which may be shared with other vehicles and / or infrastructure access points and 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 among various RATs. While various 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 their operation 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 various variations of CDMA systems, TDMA systems, FDMA systems, orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) systems, and the like.

[0053] 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 could be SL-UEs. Furthermore, while only UE 182 is depicted as capable of beamforming, any of the illustrated UEs (including UE 164) could be capable of beamforming. Where SL-UEs are beamforming capable, they can 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 and 180, small cell 102′, access point 150), and so on. Thus, in some cases, UEs 164 and 182 could utilize beamforming via sidelink 160.

[0054] exist Figure 1 In the example of FIG, the UE illustrated (for simplicity, Figure 1Any UE (shown as a single UE 104 in FIG. 1 ) can receive signal 124 from one or more Earth-orbiting space vehicles (SVs) 112 (e.g., satellites). In one aspect, SV 112 can be part of a satellite positioning system that UE 104 can use as an independent source of location information. A satellite positioning system typically includes a system of transmitters (e.g., SV 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., signal 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 SV 112, the transmitter can sometimes be located in a ground-based control station, base station 102, and / or other UEs 104. UE 104 can include one or more specialized receivers specifically designed to receive signal 124 in order to derive geographic location information from SV 112.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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 known 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 terrestrial antenna) or a network node in a 5GC. This element, in turn, provides access to other elements in the 5G network and ultimately to entities external to 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.

[0057] 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) peer-to-peer (P2P) links (referred to as "side links"). Figure 1 In the example, 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 through 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 through 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), Bluetooth ® wait.

[0058] 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, 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 (or both) the gNBs 222 or ng-eNBs 224 may communicate with one or more UEs 204 (e.g., any of the UEs described herein).

[0059] 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 illustrated). 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).

[0060] 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 to include control plane functions provided by the access and mobility management function (AMF) 264 and user plane functions provided by the user plane function (UPF) 262, which operate in conjunction to form the core network (i.e., 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 a session management function (SMF) 266, transparent proxy services for routing SM messages, access authentication and authorization, transmission of short message service (SMS) messages between the UE 204 and a short message service function (SMSF) (not shown), and security anchor functionality (SEAF). The AMF 264 also interacts with an 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 the case of UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) Subscriber Identity Module (USIM)-based authentication, the AMF 264 retrieves security material from the AUSF. The AMF 264's functionality also includes Security Context Management (SCM). The SCM receives keys from the SEAF, which it uses to derive access network-specific keys. The AMF 264's functionality also includes location service management for regulated services, transport of location service messages between the UE 204 and the Location Management Function (LMF) 270 (which acts as the location server 230), transport of location service messages between the NG-RAN 220 and the LMF 270, allocation of Evolved Packet System (EPS) bearer identifiers for interoperability with EPS, and notification of UE 204 mobility events. Furthermore, the AMF 264 supports functionality for non-3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) access networks.

[0061] The UPF 262 functions include serving as an anchor point for intra-RAT / inter-RAT mobility (when applicable), serving 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 the downlink), uplink traffic verification (service data flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in the 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.

[0062] 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 at the UPF 262 for routing traffic to the correct destination, 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.

[0063] 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 whereas 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 designed to carry signaling messages rather than voice or data), 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 designed to carry voice and / or data, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and / or IP).

[0064] 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, each may correspond to a single server.

[0065] 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 over a wireless interface, referred to as a "Uu" interface.

[0066] The functionality of a gNB 222 is 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 a 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.

[0067] The deployment of a communication system (such as a 5G NR system) can be arranged in a variety of ways with various components or parts. In a 5G NR system or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a 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 a converged or decomposed architecture. For example, a base station (such as a Node B (NB), an evolved NB (eNB), an NR base station, a 5G NNB, an access point (AP), a transmit receive point (TRP) or a cell) can be implemented as a converged base station (also known as a standalone base station or a single-chip base station) or a decomposed base station.

[0068] 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 disaggregated base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed across 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).

[0069] 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, such as the network configuration initiated by the O-RAN Alliance), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Disaggregation can include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as virtually distributing the functionality of at least one unit, which enables flexibility in network design. The 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.

[0070] 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, such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 259 via an E2 link, 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, such as the 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.

[0071] Each of the units (i.e., CU 280, DU 285, RU 287, as well as 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 providing 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, which may include a receiver, transmitter, or transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive or transmit signals, or both, to one or more of the other units over the wireless transmission medium.

[0072] 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 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 implementations, the CU 280 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP units may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP units 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.

[0073] 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.

[0074] Lower layer functionality 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 functionality or low-PHY layer functionality (such as performing Fast Fourier Transforms (FFTs), Inverse FFTs (iFFTs), digital beamforming, Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering), 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 communicating with the control and user planes of 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.

[0075] The SMO framework 255 can be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning 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 to instantiate 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, the 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 the 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 .

[0076] The non-RT RIC 257 can 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 can be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 259 (e.g., via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 259 can be configured to include logic that enables near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources through data collection and actions via 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.

[0077] In some implementations, the non-RT RIC 257 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server to generate AI / ML models to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 259. This information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 259 and may 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 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 257 may monitor long-term trends and patterns in performance and employ AI / ML models to execute corrective actions through the SMO framework 255 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or by creating RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0078] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C Several example components (represented by corresponding blocks) are illustrated that may be incorporated into a UE 302 (which may correspond to any of the UEs described herein), a base station 304 (which may correspond to any of the base stations described herein), and a network entity 306 (which may correspond to or embody any of the network functions described herein, including the location server 230 and the LMF 270, or alternatively may be independent thereof). Figure 2A and Figure 2B The depicted NG-RAN 220 and / or 5GC 210 / 260 infrastructure (such as a dedicated network) is implemented to support the operations 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-chip (SoC), etc.). The illustrated components can also be incorporated into other devices in a 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.

[0079] 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 designated 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.

[0080] 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, Bluetooth ® 、Zigbee ® 、Z-Wave ®, PC5, dedicated short-range communication (DSRC), wireless access for vehicular environments (WAVE), near-field communication (NFC), ultra-wideband (UWB), etc.) and other network nodes (such as other UEs, access points, base stations, etc.) (e.g., components for transmitting, receiving, measuring, tuning, blocking, etc.). 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.), respectively. Specifically, short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 include: one or more transmitters 324 and 364, respectively, for transmitting and encoding signals 328 and 368, and one or more receivers 322 and 362, respectively, for receiving and decoding signals 328 and 368. As a specific example, the short-range wireless transceivers 320 and 360 may be WiFi transceivers, Bluetooth ® Transceiver, Zigbee ® and / or Z-Wave ® transceiver, NFC transceiver, UWB transceiver or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and / or vehicle-to-everything (V2X) transceiver.

[0081] 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), and the like. If satellite signal receivers 330 and 370 are non-terrestrial network (NTN) receivers, satellite positioning / communication signals 338 and 378 can be communication signals originating from a 5G network (e.g., carrying control and / or user data). 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.

[0082] Base station 304 and 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, 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, 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 with other network entities 306 via one or more wired or wireless core network interfaces.

[0083] A transceiver can be configured to communicate over a wired or wireless link. A transceiver (whether a wired or 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., network transceivers 380 and 390, in some implementations) 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), so that a corresponding device can 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.

[0084] 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 can 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) typically involve signaling via a wireless transceiver.

[0085] 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.

[0086] 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 may provide means for storing, means for retrieving, means for maintaining, etc. In some cases, UE 302, base station 304, and network entity 306 may include positioning components 342, 388, and 398, respectively. Positioning components 342, 388, and 398 may 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 may 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.

[0087] UE 302 may include one or more sensors 344 coupled to one or more processors 332 to provide means for sensing or detecting movement and / or orientation information independent of motion data derived from signals received by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more short-range wireless transceivers 320, and / or satellite signal receiver 330. By way of example, 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, sensors 344 may include multiple different types of devices and combine their outputs to provide motion information. For example, 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.

[0088] 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.

[0089] 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.

[0090] 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 the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, and MIMO antenna processing. Transmitter 354 handles the mapping to the signal constellation 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 can be used to determine the coding and modulation schemes and for spatial processing. The channel estimates can be derived from a reference signal and / or channel state feedback transmitted by the UE 302. Each spatial stream can then be provided to one or more different antennas 356. The transmitter 354 can modulate an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0091] 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 can perform spatial processing on this information to recover any spatial streams destined for UE 302. If there are multiple spatial streams destined for UE 302, they can be combined by receiver 312 into a single OFDM symbol stream. Receiver 312 then uses a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to convert the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency-domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, along with the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation point transmitted by base station 304. These soft decisions can 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.

[0092] 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.

[0093] Similar to the functionality described in conjunction with downlink transmissions 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 (ciphering, deciphering, 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.

[0094] 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.

[0095] 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.

[0096] 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. One or more processors 384 are also responsible for error detection.

[0097] 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 particular 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.

[0098] 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.

[0099] Figure 3A 、 Figure 3B and Figure 3C The components of can be implemented in various ways. In some 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). Each circuit may utilize and / or incorporate at least one memory component to store information or executable code used by the circuit to provide the functionality. For example, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 310 through 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 through 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). Furthermore, some or all of the functionality represented by blocks 390 through 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 may be described herein as being performed "by a UE," "by a base station," "by a network entity," and the like. However, it should be understood that 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.).

[0100] 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).

[0101] Please note that Figure 3A The UE 302 illustrated in FIG3 may represent a “low-level” UE or an “advanced” UE. As further described below, although low-level UEs and advanced UEs may have the same types of components (e.g., both may have a WWAN transceiver 310, a processing system 332, a memory component 340, etc.), these components may have different levels of functionality (e.g., increased or decreased performance, more or less capabilities, etc.), depending on whether the UE 302 corresponds to a low-level UE or an advanced UE.

[0102] NR supports multiple cellular network-based positioning technologies, 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. Figure 4 Examples of various positioning methods according to various aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated. In the OTDOA or DL-TDOA positioning process illustrated by scenario 410, the UE measures the difference between the arrival times (ToA) of reference signals (e.g., positioning reference signals (PRS)) received from paired base stations (referred to as reference signal time difference (RSTD) or arrival time difference (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 of the non-reference base stations. Based on the known positions of the base stations involved and the RSTD measurement results, 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.

[0103] For DL-AoD positioning, as illustrated by scenario 420, the positioning entity uses measurement reports from the UE regarding 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.

[0104] 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 reception of the reference signal (referred to as relative time of arrival (RTOA)) to a positioning entity (e.g., a location server) that knows the location 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 locations of the base stations, and their known timing offsets, the positioning entity can use TDOA to estimate the UE's position.

[0105] 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.

[0106] 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"). During the RTT process, a first entity (e.g., a base station or UE) transmits a first RTT-related signal (e.g., a PRS or SRS) to a second entity (e.g., a UE or base station), which then transmits a second RTT-related signal (e.g., an SRS or PRS) back to the first entity. Each entity measures the time difference between the time of arrival (ToA) of the received RTT-related signal and the transmission time of the transmitted RTT-related signal. This time difference is referred to as 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 slot boundary of the received and transmitted signals. 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 (RTT) between the two entities based on the two Rx-Tx time difference measurements (e.g., 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 can be determined based on the RTT and a known signal speed (e.g., the speed of light). For multi-RTT positioning, illustrated by scenario 430, 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 determine the first entity's position based on the distances to the second entities and the known positions of the second entities (e.g., using multilateration). RTT and multi-RTT methods can be combined with other positioning techniques (such as UL-AoA and DL-AoD) to improve position accuracy, as illustrated by scenario 440.

[0107] 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, along with estimated timing and signal strength. The UE's position is then estimated based on this information and the known locations of the base stations.

[0108] 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: the identifier of the base station (or the 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 containing PRS, the periodicity of consecutive time slots containing PRS, the muting sequence, the frequency hopping sequence, the reference signal identifier, the reference signal bandwidth, etc.), and / or other parameters applicable to the specific 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.

[0109] 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 may range from + / - 500 microseconds (µs). In some cases, when any of the resources used for positioning measurements are in FR1, the expected RSTD uncertainty may range from + / - 32 µs. In other cases, when all resources used for positioning measurements are in FR2, the expected RSTD uncertainty may range from + / - 8 µs.

[0110] A location estimate may be referred to by other names, such as a position estimate, location, position fix, position fix, fix, etc. A location estimate may be geodetic and include coordinates (e.g., latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude), or may be municipal and include a street address, postal address, or some other verbal description of the location. The location estimate may be further defined relative to some other known location or defined in absolute terms (e.g., using latitude, longitude, and possibly altitude). The location 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).

[0111] Various frame structures can be used to support downlink and uplink transmissions between network nodes (e.g., a base station and a UE). FIG5 is a diagram 500 illustrating an example frame structure according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The frame structure can be a downlink or uplink frame structure. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0112] 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, often referred to as tones, bins, etc. Each subcarrier can be modulated with data. Generally speaking, modulation symbols are transmitted in the frequency domain with OFDM and in the time domain with 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), while the minimum resource allocation (resource block) can be 12 subcarriers (or 180 kHz). Therefore, 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.

[0113] LTE supports a single parameter set (subcarrier spacing (SCS), symbol length, etc.). In contrast, NR supports multiple parameter sets (µ). For example, subcarrier spacings of 15 kHz (µ=0), 30 kHz (µ=1), 60 kHz (µ=2), 120 kHz (µ=3), and 240 kHz (µ=4) or larger may be available. In each subcarrier spacing, there are 14 symbols per slot. For a 15 kHz 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) of 50 with a 4K FFT size. For a 30 kHz SCS (µ=1), there are two slots per subframe, 20 slots per frame, a slot duration of 0.5 ms, a symbol duration of 33.3 µs, and a maximum nominal system bandwidth (in MHz) of 100 with a 4K FFT size. 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.

[0114] In the example of Figure 5, a 15kHz parameter set is used. Therefore, in the time domain, a 10ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized subframes, each 1ms, and each subframe includes a time slot. In Figure 5, 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.

[0115] A resource grid can be used to represent a time slot, each of which includes one or more time-concurrent resource blocks (RBs) in the frequency domain (also referred to as physical RBs (PRBs)). 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. In the parameter set of Figure 5, 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.

[0116] Some 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), sounding reference signals (SRS), etc., depending on whether the illustrated frame structure is used for uplink or downlink communication. Figure 5 illustrates an example location of REs carrying reference signals (labeled "R").

[0117] The set of resource elements (REs) used for transmitting PRSs is called a "PRS resource." A set of resource elements may span multiple PRBs in the frequency domain and N (e.g., 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.

[0118] PRS resources within a given PRB are transmitted with a specific comb size (also known as "comb density"). Comb size 'N' represents the subcarrier spacing (or frequency / tone spacing) within each symbol of the PRS resource configuration. Specifically, with comb size 'N', the PRS is transmitted in every Nth subcarrier of one symbol of the PRB. For example, with comb size 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 5 illustrates an example PRS resource configuration for comb 4 (which spans four symbols). That is, the shaded RE positions (labeled "R") indicate a comb 4 PRS resource configuration.

[0119] 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, as configured by higher layers. A constant energy per resource element (EPRE) may exist for all REs of a given DL-PRS resource. The following are 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}; 4-symbol comb-4: {0, 2, 1, 3} (as in the example of FIG5); 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}.

[0120] 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. Furthermore, 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). Furthermore, 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 all time slots. The periodicity is the time from the first repetition of a first PRS resource of a 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: 2^µ*{4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 160, 320, 640, 1280, 2560, 5120, 10240} slots, where µ = 0, 1, 2, 3. The repetition factor may have a length selected from {1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16, 32} slots.

[0121] 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") may 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.

[0122] A "PRS instance" or "PRS opportunity" is an instance of a periodically recurring 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 "occasion," "instance," or "repetition."

[0123] A "positioning frequency layer" (also referred to simply as a "frequency layer") is a collection of one or more PRS resource sets with identical values for certain parameters across one or more transmission timeframes (TRPs). Specifically, the set of PRS resource sets has the same subcarrier spacing and cyclic prefix (CP) type (implying 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 of 24 PRBs and a maximum 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.

[0124] 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 a single base station (or a macrocell base station and a small cell base station) to transmit data channels, whereas 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 supports 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 supports one or four positioning frequency layers.

[0125] 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. Furthermore, the terms "positioning reference signal" and "PRS" may refer to downlink positioning reference signals, uplink positioning reference signals, or sidelink positioning reference signals, unless the context indicates otherwise. If further distinction is needed between the types of PRS, the downlink positioning reference signal may be referred to as "DL-PRS," the uplink positioning reference signal (e.g., the SRS used for positioning, i.e., PTRS) may be referred to as "UL-PRS," and the sidelink positioning reference signal may be referred to as "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."

[0126] Figure 5B is a diagram 550 illustrating various downlink channels within an example downlink time slot according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 5B 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 5B 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.

[0127] In NR, the channel bandwidth, or system bandwidth, is divided into multiple 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, 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, meaning 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 may or may not contain an SSB.

[0128] refer to Figure 5B, the Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) is used by the UE to determine the subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification. 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 referred to 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 not sent through the PBCH (such as the System Information Block (SIB)), and paging messages.

[0129] The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries downlink control information (DCI) within one or more control channel elements (CCEs). Each CCE consists of one or more resource element group (REG) bundles (which can span multiple symbols in the time domain). Each REG bundle consists of one or more REGs, each corresponding to 12 resource elements (a resource block) in the frequency domain and one OFDM symbol in the time domain. The set of physical resources used to carry the PDCCH / DCI is called a control resource set (CORESET) in NR. In NR, the PDCCH is confined to a single CORESET and transmitted with its own DMRS. This enables UE-specific beamforming for the PDCCH.

[0130] exist Figure 5B 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 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. Thus, Figure 5B The frequency components of the PDCCH are shown as being less than a single BWP in the frequency domain. Note that although the illustrated CORESETs are continuous in the frequency domain, they need not be contiguous. Furthermore, a CORESET may span less than three symbols in the time domain.

[0131] 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., the PDSCH) and uplink data channels (e.g., the 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 using 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs to accommodate different DCI payload sizes or coding rates.

[0132] 5G provides high-capacity, low-latency, and highly reliable wireless connectivity, enabling immersive extended reality (XR) multimedia and cloud computing services such as augmented reality (AR) glasses, virtual reality (VR) head-mounted displays (HMDs), cloud gaming, and cloud artificial intelligence (AI). These advanced applications are expected to meet stringent system requirements, including data rate, latency, and power consumption. For example, for low-latency and high-reliability services, 99% of packets should be delivered within the packet delay budget (PDB) requirement (e.g., 10ms). For low-power services, discontinuous reception (DRX) operation is a key feature for conserving power consumption in multimedia devices.

[0133] Mobile devices use radio resource management (RRM) techniques to control parameters such as transmit power, user assignment, beamforming, data rate, handover standard, modulation scheme, error decoding scheme, and more. Current 5G specifications specify two downlink reference signals that mobile devices can measure to perform RRM: the SSB and the CSI-RS (referred to as "RRM reference signals"). Both the SSB and CSI-RS are downlink signals transmitted periodically in the time domain. Mobile devices use the SSB to synchronize with the transmitting base station and use the CSI-RS to estimate the channel between the mobile device and the base station and report channel quality information back to the base station. To perform RRM, mobile devices measure the signal strength, signal quality, or both (such as RSRP, RSRQ, Layer 1 (L1) SINR, etc.) of the SSB and CSI-RS from cells detectable at the mobile device. Measurements of RSRP, RSRQ, and L1 SINR of reference signals (such as SSB and CSI-RS) used for RRM purposes are referred to as "RRM measurements." RRM measurements help confirm that a mobile device can maintain a robust and reliable connection with the network in both stationary and mobility scenarios and perform handovers between cells using the same or different RATs.

[0134] RRM measurement gaps are a mandatory feature for mobile devices operating in multi-frequency cellular networks (mobile devices require measurement gaps in one frequency to perform RRM measurements on different frequencies), but they can significantly increase packet delay for real-time multimedia services. Therefore, an enhanced solution for RRM measurements with measurement gaps would be beneficial to improve the user experience of XR applications.

[0135] One type of solution for enhancing RRM techniques is to relax scheduling restrictions for inter-frequency RRM measurements with measurement gaps. Figure 6 FIG6 is a diagram 600 illustrating various aspects of performing RRM measurements with measurement gaps according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 6 As shown, the UE is configured with measurement gaps (MGs) with a 40ms RRM measurement gap repetition period (MGRP). Currently, RRM measurement gaps have a higher priority than regular data traffic (e.g., PDSCH). During a measurement gap and its preparation time, the UE cannot receive any data traffic from the gNB. Consequently, measurement gaps increase the transmission time for bursty traffic, making it more difficult to meet the PDB requirements for multimedia services.

[0136] Similar issues exist regarding PRS measurements. Similar to RRM measurements, proposals have been made to relax scheduling restrictions for inter-frequency PRS measurements with measurement gaps. However, in this case, the MAC Control Element (MAC-CE) can be used to activate / deactivate measurement gaps for positioning. Furthermore, there are PRSs without measurement gaps, where within the PRS processing window (PPW), priorities can be assigned to determine whether to prioritize PRS or data. When PRS measurements are present, the present disclosure provides additional XR-specific scheduling relaxations.

[0137] Returning to RRM measurements, a relaxed RRM measurement state has been introduced for reduced-capability (RedCap) devices. UEs can be categorized as RedCap UEs (e.g., wearable devices such as smartwatches, glasses, and rings) and advanced UEs (e.g., smartphones, tablets, and laptops). RedCap UEs may also be referred to as low-level NR UEs, NR-light UEs, light UEs, NR ultra-light UEs, or ultra-light UEs. Advanced UEs may also be referred to as full-capability UEs or simply UEs. Compared to Advanced UEs, RedCap UEs typically have lower baseband processing capabilities, fewer antennas (e.g., one receiver antenna as a baseline in FR1 or FR2, optionally with two receiver antennas), lower operating bandwidth capabilities (e.g., 20 MHz for FR1 without supplemental uplink or carrier aggregation, or 50 MHz or 100 MHz for FR2), only half-duplex frequency division duplex (HD-FDD) capability, a smaller HARQ buffer, reduced physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring, restricted modulation (e.g., 64 QAM for downlink and 16 QAM for uplink), relaxed processing timeline requirements, and / or lower uplink transmit power. Different UE classes can be distinguished by UE category and / or UE capabilities. For example, certain types of UEs may be assigned the "RedCap" category (e.g., by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM), the applicable wireless communication standard, etc.), while other types of UEs may be assigned the "Advanced" category. Certain UE classes may also report their category (e.g., "RedCap" or "Advanced") to the network. Additionally, certain resources and / or channels may be dedicated to certain types of UEs.

[0138] Advanced UEs typically have larger form factors and are more expensive than RedCap UEs, yet offer more features and capabilities than RedCap UEs. For example, with respect to positioning, Advanced UEs can operate over the full PRS bandwidth (such as 100 MHz) and measure PRS from more TRPs than RedCap UEs, both of which result in higher positioning accuracy. As another example, the receive processing capabilities of Advanced UEs may be higher (e.g., faster) due to their higher-capability RF / baseband. Furthermore, the transmit power of Advanced UEs can be higher than that of RedCap UEs, thereby increasing the reliability of measurements and positioning calculations.

[0139] In Release 16 of the 3GPP standard, with respect to RRM measurement relaxation for RedCap UEs, RedCap UEs can relax neighbor cell detection / measurement / evaluation cycles during RRC IDLE or INACTIVE states if configured with and meeting (1) the low mobility criterion (in this case, measurements are relaxed by a factor of 3), (2) the not-at-cell-edge criterion (in this case, measurements are relaxed by a factor of 3), or (3) both the low mobility and not-at-cell-edge criteria (in this case, the UE can skip measurements for up to one hour). In addition to these, Release 17 of the 3GPP standard introduced another RRM measurement relaxation criterion for stationary UEs. This stationary criterion is an additional not-at-cell-edge criterion that can be configured only with the stationary criterion.

[0140] The following is the current RRM measurement transmission method for Release 17. For UEs in RRC IDLE or INACTIVE mode, if the UE meets the inactivity criteria, the measurement is relaxed by a factor of 6. However, if the UE meets both the inactivity and not-at-cell-edge criteria, the UE can skip measurements for up to four hours. For UEs in RRC CONNECTED mode, the UE reports to the network whether it meets the relaxation criteria. The exact measurement relaxation depends on the network implementation, which may allow for longer measurement periods.

[0141] Referring to the PPW in more detail, the PPW is a time window after the time a PRS is received / measured, during which the UE can process the received PRS (e.g., to determine the ToA of the PRS for Rx-Tx time difference measurement, or RSTD measurement) without having to measure any other downlink signals / channels (depending on the priority of those other signals / channels). In other words, the PPW is a time period during which the UE prioritizes PRS over other channels, which may include data (e.g., PDSCH), control (e.g., PDCCH), and any other reference signals. There may be a gap between the time of measurement and the processing window.

[0142] The current working assumption regarding PRS processing without measurement gaps (also referred to as "no measurement gap" PRS processing or "no MG" PRS processing) is that, depending on UE capabilities, PRS measurements should be supported within the PPW outside of measurement gaps. In addition, UE measurements within the active downlink BWP, whose PRS has the same parameter set as the UE's active downlink BWP, should be supported.

[0143] Figure 7Table 700 illustrates PPW types and primary attributes according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Within a PPW, if the UE determines that DL-PRS is a higher priority, the following UE capabilities are expected to be supported. The first capability (referred to as "Capability 1" or "Type 1" capability) indicates whether the UE is capable of or expected to prioritize PRS over all other downlink signals / channels in all symbols within the PPW. This capability includes two sub-capabilities. As shown in Table 700, the first sub-capability (referred to as "Capability 1A" or "Type 1A" capability) indicates that downlink signals / channels from all downlink component carriers (CCs) (per UE) are affected. The second sub-capability (referred to as "Capability 1B" or "Type 1B" capability) indicates that only downlink signals / channels from a specific frequency band / CC(s) are affected.

[0144] The second UE capability (referred to as "Capability 2" or "Type 2" capability) indicates whether the UE is capable or expected to prioritize PRS over other downlink signals / channels only in PRS symbols within a PPW. Type 2 capabilities can be per-CC or per-band and are more advanced than Type 1 capabilities. The UE is expected to declare the capability for PRS processing outside of measurement gaps.

[0145] The gNB can use RRC configuration to indicate PPW priority. Specifically, a single priority indicator is provided for the PPW, which applies to all PRSs within the PPW. As a first option, the UE can indicate support for two priority states for PRS processing within the PPW. In the first state, PRSs are given higher priority than other downlink channels. In the second state, PRSs are given lower priority than other downlink channels.

[0146] As a second option, the UE can indicate support for three priority states. In the first state, PRS is prioritized higher than other downlink channels. In the second state, PRS is prioritized lower than PDCCH and Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) PDSCH, and higher than other PDSCHs and CSI-RS. Note that URLLC channels correspond to dynamically scheduled PDSCHs, whose physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources used to carry acknowledgements (ACKs) / negative acknowledgements (NAKs) are marked as high priority. In the third state, PRS is prioritized lower than other downlink channels.

[0147] As a third option, the UE may indicate support for a single priority state in which PRS is given higher priority than all other downlink channels.

[0148] The UE is configured with a measurement period during which it receives / measures the PRS in order to then determine positioning measurements of the PRS (e.g., during PPW). The measurement period is defined to include the carrier specific scaling factor (CSSF) and the scaling factor used for receive beam scanning in FR2. For example, the measurement period for positioning PRS RSTD measurements in frequency layer i (denoted as ) are as follows:

[0149]

[0150] In the above formula:

[0151] - is the UE receive beam scanning factor. As an example, in FR1, = 1, and in FR2, = 8. Note that the more receive beams there are, the more PRS resources the UE requires;

[0152] - is the carrier specific scaling factor (CSSF) for NR PRS-based positioning measurements in frequency layer i;

[0153] - is the number of PRS RSTD measurement samples. As an example, = 4;

[0154] - is the measurement duration of the last PRS RSTD sample, including sampling time and processing time, = + ;

[0155] - = ;

[0156] - Corresponds to the "durationOfPRS-ProcessingSymbolsInEveryTms" LPP IE;

[0157] - , and The least common multiple between;

[0158] - is the periodicity of DL-PRS resources on frequency layer i;

[0159] - For the duration of time;

[0160] - is the maximum number of DL PRS resources in positioning frequency layer i configured in the time slot;

[0161] - is the UE capability combination per band, where N is the duration of a DL-PRS symbol in milliseconds (ms), corresponding to the "durationOfPRS-ProcessingSysmbols" LPP IE processed every Tms, and Tms corresponds to the "durationOfPRS-ProcessingSymbolsInEveryTms" LPP IE for a given maximum bandwidth supported by the UE corresponding to the "supportedBandwidthPRS" LPP IE; and

[0162] - It is the capability of the UE to process the number of DL-PRS resources in one slot, as indicated by the "maxNumOfDL-PRS-ResProcessedPerSlot" LPP IE.

[0163] Note that although the above content is for PRS RSTD measurement, the same or similar formulas and parameters can also be used for other types of measurements (eg, Rx-Tx time difference measurement, RSRP measurement, etc.).

[0164] As the first technology for XR-specific service enhancement, the present disclosure proposes an enhanced measurement period. Specifically, it is expressed as The additional scaling factors can be used in conjunction with the CSSF scaling factors (i.e., ) for similar XR-specific purposes. For example, the measurement period formula shown above can be modified as follows:

[0165]

[0166] XR specific scaling factors ( ) extends the effective PRS RSTD samples to incorporate measurements in anticipation of XR traffic scheduling starting from the measurement period. In other words, this scaling factor lengthens (extends) the measurement period to enable the UE to continue receiving ongoing XR traffic while still having sufficient time to measure PRS. In this way, the UE can measure PRS around XR traffic within the (longer) measurement period.

[0167] Scaling factor ( ) can be an integer value greater than or equal to "1". The scaling factor may be fixed in the applicable wireless communication standard (e.g., 3GPP standard) or may be configured to the UE via higher layers (e.g., LPP or RRC). Alternatively, the scaling factor may be implicit in the selected CSSF value. In this case, the CSSF may consider whether there is ongoing active XR data traffic. The measurement period based on this scaling factor may be applicable to either MG-based PRS processing or PPW-based PRS processing.

[0168] As a second technique for XR-specific service enhancement, the present disclosure proposes adding a fourth PRS priority state to the set of three PRS priority states described above. More specifically, as described above for the second PPW option, the UE may indicate support for three priority states for PRS processing within the PPW (i.e., in the first state, PRS is given a higher priority than other downlink channels, in the second state, PRS is given a lower priority than PDCCH and URLLC PDSCH and a higher priority than other PDSCH and CSI-RS, and in the third state, PRS is given a lower priority than other downlink channels).

[0169] Regarding the proposed fourth PRS priority state, the latency requirements for XR traffic (on PDSCH) may be less stringent than for URLLC traffic, and the PUCCH resources carrying ACK / NACK for XR traffic may not be marked as high priority as for URLLC traffic. Therefore, for the fourth priority state, PRS will be lower priority compared to PDCCH and XR PDSCH, where XR channels may have lower priority than URLLC. URLLC and XR traffic on PDSCH can be distinguished at the physical layer using physical layer priorities that can be used for this purpose. In this scenario, when the serving gNB / UE has XR data traffic (on PDSCH), then the UE can be configured with Option-2 State-4 PPW processing.

[0170] Figure 8 An example method 800 of wireless communication in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In an aspect, the method 800 may be performed by a UE (eg, any of the UEs described herein).

[0171] At 810, the UE receives a high-reliability, low-latency, and high-capacity data traffic flow (e.g., an XR data traffic flow). In one aspect, operation 810 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0172] At 820, the UE receives a configuration for measuring one or more PRS resources during reception of a high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow. In one aspect, operation 820 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0173] At 830, the UE obtains one or more positioning measurements for the one or more PRS resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow based on the relaxed measurement requirements for the one or more PRS resources. In an aspect, operation 830 may be performed by one or more WWAN transceivers 310, one or more processors 332, memory 340, and / or positioning component 342, any or all of which may be considered means for performing the operation.

[0174] It should be understood that the technical advantage of method 800 is the relaxed measurement requirements for PRS when the UE is receiving high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flows for the purpose of prioritizing high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flows.

[0175] In the above detailed description, it can be seen that different features are grouped together in each example. This disclosure should not be interpreted as an intention that the example clauses have more features than those explicitly mentioned in each clause. On the contrary, the various aspects of the present disclosure may include fewer than all the features of the individual example clauses disclosed. Therefore, the following clauses should be considered to be incorporated into the description accordingly, with each clause itself serving as a separate example. Although each dependent clause may refer to a specific combination with one of the other clauses in a clause, the aspects of the dependent clause are not limited to specific combinations. It should be understood that other example clauses may also include combinations of aspects of the dependent clause with the subject matter of any other dependent clause or independent clause, or combinations of any features with other dependent clauses and independent clauses. The various aspects disclosed herein explicitly include these combinations, unless it is explicitly expressed or can be easily inferred that a specific combination is not intended (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.

[0176] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0177] Clause 1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving a high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; receiving a configuration for measuring one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; and obtaining one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow based on relaxed measurement requirements for the one or more PRS resources.

[0178] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the relaxed measurement requirement comprises a measurement period for the one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources.

[0179] Clause 3. The method of clause 2, wherein the measurement period is based on a high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data service specific scaling factor that increases the length of the measurement period.

[0180] Clause 4. The method of clause 3, wherein the value of the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is configured to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling or configured to the UE via long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) signaling.

[0181] Clause 5. A method according to any one of clauses 3 to 4, wherein the value of the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is an integer value greater than or equal to 1.

[0182] Clause 6. The method of any of clauses 3 to 5, wherein the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is included in a carrier specific scaling factor (CSSF) of the measurement period.

[0183] Clause 7. The method of any of clauses 2 to 6, wherein the measurement period is used for: measurement gap based measurement of the one or more PRS resources, or PRS processing window (PPW) based measurement of the one or more PRS resources.

[0184] Clause 8. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 7, wherein the relaxed measurement requirements include a PRS priority state associated with the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow.

[0185] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, wherein the PRS priority status indicates a priority of a PRS within a PPW.

[0186] Clause 10. A method according to any one of clauses 8 to 9, wherein the PRS priority status indicates that the PRS has a lower priority within the PPW than a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow and a higher priority than other PDSCH traffic and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0187] Clause 11. The method of clause 10, wherein the PDSCH carrying the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow is marked as high priority at the physical layer of the UE.

[0188] Clause 12. A method according to any one of clauses 10 to 11, wherein one or more physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources allocated for carrying an acknowledgment or a negative acknowledgment for the PDSCH carrying the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow are marked as high priority.

[0189] Clause 13. The method of any one of clauses 8 to 12, wherein the UE is configured with the PRS priority state based on the UE receiving the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow.

[0190] Clause 14. A method as set forth in any of clauses 8 to 13, wherein the UE is configured with the PRS priority status via RRC signaling.

[0191] Clause 15. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 14, wherein the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow comprises an extended reality (XR) data traffic flow.

[0192] Clause 16. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 15, wherein: the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow is received from an application server, and the configuration for measuring the one or more PRS resources is received from a location server.

[0193] Clause 17. A 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: receive a high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow via the at least one transceiver; receive, via the at least one transceiver, a configuration for measuring one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; and obtain, based on a relaxed measurement requirement for the one or more PRS resources, one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow.

[0194] Clause 18. The UE of clause 17, wherein the relaxed measurement requirement comprises a measurement period for the one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources.

[0195] Clause 19. The UE of clause 18, wherein the measurement period is based on a high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor that increases the length of the measurement period.

[0196] Clause 20. A UE according to clause 19, wherein the value of the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is configured to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling or configured to the UE via long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) signaling.

[0197] Clause 21. A UE as described in any of clauses 19 to 20, wherein the value of the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is an integer value greater than or equal to 1.

[0198] Clause 22. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 19 to 21, wherein the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is included in a carrier specific scaling factor (CSSF) of the measurement period.

[0199] Clause 23. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 18 to 22, wherein the measurement period is used for: measurement gap based measurement of the one or more PRS resources, or PRS processing window (PPW) based measurement of the one or more PRS resources.

[0200] Clause 24. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 17 to 23, wherein the relaxed measurement requirements comprise a PRS priority state associated with the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow.

[0201] Clause 25. The UE of clause 24, wherein the PRS priority status indicates a priority of a PRS within a PPW.

[0202] Clause 26. A UE according to any of clauses 24 to 25, wherein the PRS priority state indicates that the PRS has a lower priority within the PPW than a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow and a higher priority than other PDSCH traffic and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0203] Clause 27. The UE of clause 26, wherein the PDSCH carrying the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow is marked as high priority at a physical layer of the UE.

[0204] Clause 28. A UE according to any of clauses 26 to 27, wherein one or more physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources allocated for carrying an acknowledgement or a negative acknowledgement for the PDSCH carrying the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow are marked as high priority.

[0205] Clause 29. A UE as described in any of clauses 24 to 28, wherein the UE is configured with the PRS priority state based on the UE receiving the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow.

[0206] Clause 30. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 24 to 29, wherein the UE is configured with the PRS priority status via RRC signaling.

[0207] Clause 31. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 17 to 30, wherein the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow comprises an extended reality (XR) data traffic flow.

[0208] Clause 32. A UE according to any of clauses 17 to 31, wherein: the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow is received from an application server, and the configuration for measuring the one or more PRS resources is received from a location server.

[0209] Clause 33. A user equipment (UE), the user equipment (UE) comprising: means for receiving a high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; means for receiving a configuration for measuring one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; and means for obtaining one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow based on relaxed measurement requirements for the one or more PRS resources.

[0210] Clause 34. The UE of clause 33, wherein the relaxed measurement requirement comprises a measurement period for the one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources.

[0211] Clause 35. The UE of clause 34, wherein the measurement period is based on a high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor that increases the length of the measurement period.

[0212] Clause 36. A UE according to clause 35, wherein the value of the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is: configured to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or configured to the UE via long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) signaling.

[0213] Clause 37. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 35 to 36, wherein the value of the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is an integer value greater than or equal to 1.

[0214] Clause 38. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 35 to 37, wherein the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is included in a carrier specific scaling factor (CSSF) of the measurement period.

[0215] Clause 39. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 34 to 38, wherein the measurement period is used for: measurement gap based measurements of the one or more PRS resources, or PRS processing window (PPW) based measurements of the one or more PRS resources.

[0216] Clause 40. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 33 to 39, wherein the relaxed measurement requirements comprise a PRS priority state associated with the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow.

[0217] Clause 41. The UE of clause 40, wherein the PRS priority status indicates a priority of a PRS within a PPW.

[0218] Clause 42. A UE according to any of clauses 40 to 41, wherein the PRS priority state indicates that the PRS is of lower priority within the PPW than a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow and of higher priority than other PDSCH traffic and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0219] Clause 43. The UE of clause 42, wherein the PDSCH carrying the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow is marked as high priority at a physical layer of the UE.

[0220] Clause 44. A UE according to any of clauses 42 to 43, wherein one or more physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources allocated for carrying an acknowledgement or a negative acknowledgement for the PDSCH carrying the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow are marked as high priority.

[0221] Clause 45. A UE as set forth in any one of clauses 40 to 44, wherein the UE is configured with the PRS priority state based on the UE receiving the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow.

[0222] Clause 46. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 40 to 45, wherein the UE is configured with the PRS priority state via RRC signaling.

[0223] Clause 47. A UE as set forth in any of clauses 33 to 46, wherein the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow comprises an extended reality (XR) data traffic flow.

[0224] Clause 48. A UE according to any of clauses 33 to 47, wherein: the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow is received from an application server, and the configuration for measuring the one or more PRS resources is received from a location server.

[0225] Clause 49. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive a high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; receive a configuration for measuring one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; and obtain one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow based on relaxed measurement requirements for the one or more PRS resources.

[0226] Clause 50. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of Clause 49, wherein the relaxed measurement requirement comprises a measurement period for the one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources.

[0227] Clause 51. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of Clause 50, wherein the measurement period is based on a high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data service specific scaling factor that increases a length of the measurement period.

[0228] Clause 52. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to clause 51, wherein the value of the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is: configured to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or configured to the UE via long term evolution (LTE) positioning protocol (LPP) signaling.

[0229] Clause 53. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 51 to 52, wherein the value of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is an integer value greater than or equal to 1.

[0230] Clause 54. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 51 to 53, wherein the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is included in a carrier specific scaling factor (CSSF) of the measurement period.

[0231] Clause 55. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 50 to 54, wherein the measurement period is used for: measurement gap-based measurement of the one or more PRS resources, or PRS processing window (PPW)-based measurement of the one or more PRS resources.

[0232] Clause 56. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 49 to 55, wherein the relaxed measurement requirements include a PRS priority state associated with the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow.

[0233] Clause 57. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of Clause 56, wherein the PRS priority status indicates a priority of a PRS within a PPW.

[0234] Clause 58. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 56 to 57, wherein the PRS priority status indicates that the PRS is a lower priority within the PPW than a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow and a higher priority than other PDSCH traffic and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0235] Clause 59. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of clause 58, wherein the PDSCH carrying the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow is marked as high priority at a physical layer of the UE.

[0236] Clause 60. A non-transitory computer-readable medium according to any one of clauses 58 to 59, wherein one or more physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources allocated for carrying an acknowledgment or a negative acknowledgment for the PDSCH carrying the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow are marked as high priority.

[0237] Clause 61. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 56 to 60, wherein the UE is configured with the PRS priority state based on the UE receiving the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow.

[0238] Clause 62. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any of clauses 56 to 61, wherein the UE is configured with the PRS priority state via RRC signaling.

[0239] Clause 63. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 49 to 62, wherein the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow comprises an extended reality (XR) data traffic flow.

[0240] Clause 64. A non-transitory computer-readable medium as described in any one of clauses 49 to 63, wherein: the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow is received from an application server, and the configuration for measuring the one or more PRS resources is received from a location server.

[0241] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that information and signals may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and methods. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the above description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0242] In addition, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the various exemplary 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 thereof. In order to clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware and software, various exemplary 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 proposed to the entire system. Technicians can implement the described functionality in different ways for each specific application, but such specific implementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing departure from the scope of this disclosure.

[0243] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the various aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or executed using 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, 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.

[0244] 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 such that the processor can read information from 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., a UE). In an alternative embodiment, the processor and storage medium may reside in the user terminal as discrete components.

[0245] In one or more exemplary aspects, the functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functionality may be stored as one or more instructions or codes on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates the transfer of computer programs from one location to another. A storage medium may 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 the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that is accessible to a computer. Furthermore, any connection is appropriately referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted 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, then 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.

[0246] Although 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 do not need to be performed in any particular order. Furthermore, although elements of the present disclosure may be described or claimed in the singular, plural forms are also contemplated unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Receive high-reliability, low-latency, and high-capacity data traffic; receiving a configuration for measuring one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; as well as One or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources are obtained during reception of the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow based on relaxed measurement requirements for the one or more PRS resources. 2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the relaxed measurement requirement comprises a measurement period of the one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the measurement period is based on a high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor that increases the length of the measurement period.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the value of the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is: configured to the UE via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, or The UE is configured via Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) signaling.

5. The method according to claim 3, wherein the value of the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is an integer value greater than or equal to 1. 6 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is included in a carrier specific scaling factor (CSSF) of the measurement period.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein the measurement period is used to: measurement gap-based measurement of the one or more PRS resources, or A PRS processing window (PPW) based measurement of the one or more PRS resources.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the relaxed measurement requirement comprises a PRS priority state associated with the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow. 9 . The method of claim 8 , wherein the PRS priority status indicates a priority of a PRS within a PPW.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the PRS priority status indicates that the PRS has a lower priority within the PPW than a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow and a higher priority than other PDSCH traffic and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the PDSCH carrying the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow is marked as high priority at the physical layer of the UE.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein one or more physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources allocated for carrying acknowledgment or negative acknowledgment for the PDSCH carrying the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow are marked as high priority.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the UE is configured with the PRS priority state based on the UE receiving the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the UE is configured with the PRS priority status via RRC signaling.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow comprises an extended reality (XR) data traffic flow.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein: receiving said high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow from an application server, and The configuration for measuring the one or more PRS resources is received from a location server.

17. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; at least one transceiver; and at least one processor communicatively coupled to the memory and the at least one transceiver, the at least one processor configured to: receiving a high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow via the at least one transceiver; receiving, via the at least one transceiver, a configuration for measuring one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; as well as One or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources are obtained during reception of the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow based on relaxed measurement requirements for the one or more PRS resources. 18 . The UE of claim 17 , wherein the relaxed measurement requirement comprises a measurement period of the one or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources.

19. The UE of claim 18, wherein the measurement period is based on a high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor that increases the length of the measurement period.

20. The UE according to claim 19, wherein the value of the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data service specific scaling factor is: configured to the UE via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, or The UE is configured via Long Term Evolution (LTE) Positioning Protocol (LPP) signaling.

21. The UE according to claim 18, wherein the measurement period is used for: measurement gap-based measurement of the one or more PRS resources, or A PRS processing window (PPW) based measurement of the one or more PRS resources.

22. The UE of claim 17, wherein the relaxed measurement requirement comprises a PRS priority state associated with the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow. 23 . The UE according to claim 22 , wherein the PRS priority status indicates a priority of a PRS within a PPW.

24. The UE of claim 22, wherein the PRS priority status indicates that the PRS has a lower priority within the PPW than a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carrying the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow and a higher priority than other PDSCH traffic and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

25. The UE of claim 22, wherein the UE is configured with the PRS priority state based on the UE receiving the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow.

26. The UE of claim 22, wherein the UE is configured with the PRS priority status via RRC signaling.

27. The UE of claim 17, wherein the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow comprises an extended reality (XR) data traffic flow.

28. The UE according to claim 17, wherein: receiving said high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow from an application server, and The configuration for measuring the one or more PRS resources is received from a location server.

29. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Components for receiving high-reliability, low-latency, and high-capacity data traffic; means for receiving a configuration for measuring one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources during reception of said high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow; and Means for obtaining one or more positioning measurements for the one or more PRS resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow based on relaxed measurement requirements for the one or more PRS resources.

30. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: Receive high-reliability, low-latency, and high-capacity data traffic; receiving a configuration for measuring one or more positioning reference signal (PRS) resources during reception of the high reliability, low latency, and high capacity data traffic flow; and One or more positioning measurements of the one or more PRS resources are obtained during reception of the high reliability, low latency and high capacity data traffic flow based on relaxed measurement requirements for the one or more PRS resources.

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